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Study the Heart

By Ignatius Sancho 1729-1780

Part 2 of 2

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Study the Heart

By Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), via the National Gallery of Canada and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Source

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Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), painted by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) when he was also making a portrait of Mary, Duchess of Montagu, daughter of the Duchess who gave Ignatius his first job, as butler to the household in Blackheath. Ignatius later served her son-in-law George, Duke of Montagu, as valet, and in 1774 George set him up as a grocer in King Charles Street (now occupied by the Foreign Office). Ignatius had by then married Ann Osborne, a West Indian woman, and they had seven children together. Sancho was held in high regard in Georgian society as a man of letters, and was a gifted musician.

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By Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788), via the National Gallery of Canada and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), painted by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) when he was also making a portrait of Mary, Duchess of Montagu, daughter of the Duchess who gave Ignatius his first job, as butler to the household in Blackheath. Ignatius later served her son-in-law George, Duke of Montagu, as valet, and in 1774 George set him up as a grocer in King Charles Street (now occupied by the Foreign Office). Ignatius had by then married Ann Osborne, a West Indian woman, and they had seven children together. Sancho was held in high regard in Georgian society as a man of letters, and was a gifted musician.

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Continued from Part 1

IN Africa, the poor wretched natives — blessed with the most fertile and luxuriant soil — are rendered so much the more miserable for what Providence meant as a blessing: the Christians’ abominable traffic for slaves, and the horrid cruelty and treachery of the petty Kings, encouraged by their Christian customers, who carry them strong liquors to enflame their national madness, and powder and bad fire arms to furnish them with the hellish means of killing and kidnapping.

But enough: it is a subject that sours my blood, and I am sure will not please the friendly bent of your social affections.* I mention these, only to guard my friend against being too hasty in condemning the knavery of a people, who, bad as they may be — possibly were made worse by their Christian visitors. Make human nature thy study wherever thou residest; whatever the religion or the complexion, study their hearts. Simplicity, kindness, and charity,* be thy guide; with these, even Savages will respect you — and God will bless you.

By Ignatius Sancho 1729-1780

From ‘The Letters of Ignatius Sancho’ (1784), by Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), edited by Frances Crewe (1748-1818) with a biography by Joseph Jekyll (1754-1837). Punctuation modernised.

Sancho was born into slavery, upon a slave-ship in 1729; his mother died soon after of disease, and his father committed suicide. Sancho himself suffered for much of his life from a drinking and gambling problem. The subject was, indeed, a very personal one.

Sancho uses the word charity in its proper sense, as a translation of the Biblical Greek word agápi meaning an affectionate and forgiving love that looks for the best in others. He does not mean handouts, as his plea for free trade amply demonstrates.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

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Tags: Political Extracts (142) Extracts from Literature (661) History (957) British History (494) Georgian Era (227) International Relations (42) Music and Musicians (64) Ignatius Sancho (2) Abolition of Slavery (36) Free Trade and Markets (38)

Word Games

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 All. Enough. Respective.

2 Kidnap. People. Slave.

3 Chain. Observe. Study.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

Confusables Find in Think and Speak

In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. Appease. Please. 2. Its. It’s. 3. Kind. Sort. 4. Observe. Watch. 5. Peace. Calm. 6. Peace. Truce. 7. Shall. Should. 8. Who. Which. 9. Worse. Worst.

Adjectives Find in Think and Speak

For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Best. 2 Mean. 3 United. 4 Hasty. 5 Various. 6 Worse. 7 Horrid. 8 Warm. 9 Brotherly.

Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).

Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak

Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.

prt (7+2)

See Words

apart. operate. part. pert. pirate. port. uproot.

prat. prate.

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