Equiano - The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African Written By Himself

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Interesting Narrative of the Life ofOlaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, by Olaudah EquianoThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and withalmost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away orre-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License includedwith this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.netTitle: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African Written By HimselfAuthor: Olaudah EquianoRelease Date: March 17, 2005 [EBook #15399]Language: EnglishCharacter set encoding: ISO-8859-1*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INTERESTING NARRATIVE OF ***Produced by Suzanne Shell, Diane Monico and the Online DistributedProofreading Team.

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust andnot be
afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my
song; he also is become my salvation.
And in that shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his
name, declare his doings among the people. Isaiah xii. 2,4.

LONDON:
Printed for and sold by the Author, No. 10, Union-Street,
Middlesex Hospital

Sold also by Mr. Johnson, St. Paul's Church-Yard; Mr.Murray, Fleet-Street; Messrs. Robson and Clark, Bond-Street; Mr.Davis, opposite Gray's Inn, Holborn; Messrs. Shepperson andReynolds, and Mr. Jackson, Oxford Street; Mr. Lackington,Chiswell-Street; Mr. Mathews, Strand; Mr. Murray, Prince's-Street,Soho; Mess. Taylor and Co. South Arch, Royal Exchange; Mr. Button,Newington-Causeway; Mr. Parsons, Paternoster-Row; and may be had ofall the Booksellers in Town and Country.

[Entered at Stationer's Hall.]

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To the Lords Spiritual and Temporal,and
the Commons of the Parliament
of Great Britain.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

Permit me, with the greatest deference and respect, to lay atyour feet the following genuine Narrative; the chief design ofwhich is to excite in your august assemblies a sense of compassionfor the miseries which the Slave-Trade has entailed on myunfortunate countrymen. By the horrors of that trade was I firsttorn away from all the tender connexions that were naturally dearto my heart; but these, through the mysterious ways of Providence,I ought to regard as infinitely more than compensated by theintroduction I have thence obtained to the knowledge of theChristian religion, and of a nation which, by its liberalsentiments, its humanity, the glorious freedom of its government,and its proficiency in arts and sciences, has exalted the dignityof human nature.

I am sensible I ought to entreat your pardon for addressing toyou a work so wholly devoid of literary merit; but, as theproduction of an unlettered African, who is actuated by the hope ofbecoming an instrument towards the relief of his sufferingcountrymen, I trust that such a man, pleading in such acause, will be acquitted of boldness and presumption.

May the God of heaven inspire your hearts with peculiarbenevolence on that important day when the question of Abolition isto be discussed, when thousands, in consequence of yourDetermination, are to look for Happiness or Misery!

Iam,
My Lords andGentlemen,
Your most obedient,
And devoted humble servant,
Olaudah Equiano,
or
Gustavus Vassa.

Union-Street, Mary-le-bone,
March 24, 1789.

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His Royal Highness the Prince ofWales.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York.
A
The Right Hon. the Earl of Ailesbury
Admiral Affleck
Mr. William Abington, 2 copies
Mr. John Abraham
James Adair, Esq.
Reverend Mr. Aldridge
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Mrs. Arnot
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J.C. Ashworth, Esq.
B
His Grace the Duke of Bedford
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The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop ofBangor
The Right Hon. Lord Belgrave
The Rev. Doctor Baker
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Mrs. Baillie
Miss Baillie
Miss J. Baillie
David Barclay, Esq.
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Sir John Berney, Bart.
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Mrs. Bond
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Mr. Buxton
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Mr. W. Button
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The Right Hon. Lord Cathcart
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Lady Almiria Carpenter
James Carr, Esq.
Charles Carter, Esq.
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E
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Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bart. 2 copies
Lady Ann Erskine
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Mr. George Fallowdown
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The Reverend Mr. Foster
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Gardner, Esq.
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S. Griffiths
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H
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Right Hon. Dowager Countess ofHuntingdon
Thomas Hall, Esq.
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Miss Hill
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Edmund Hill, Esq.
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Mr. J. Hunt

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