waves breaking on a farther
shore, and felt already upon his wasted brow the breath of the eternal
morning.

FOOTNOTE:

[39] From a memorial oration delivered in the House of Representatives,
February 27, 1882, published by Henry Bill Publishing Co., Norwich,
Conn.

DEATH OF TOUSSAINT L'OVERTURE[40]

WENDELL PHILLIPS

Returning to the hills, Toussaint issued the only proclamation which
bears his name, and breathes vengeance: "My children, France comes to
make us slaves. God gave us liberty. France has no right to take it
away. Burn the cities, destroy the harvests, tear up the roads with
cannon, poison the wells. Show the white man the hell he comes to make";
and he was obeyed.

When the great William of Orange saw Louis XIV. cover Holland with
troops, he said: "Break down the dikes, give Holland back to ocean"; and
Europe said, "Sublime!" When Alexander saw the armies of France descend
upon Russia, he said: "Burn Moscow, starve back the invaders!" and
Europe said, "Sublime!" This black saw all Europe come to crush him,
and gave to his people the same heroic example of defiance.

Holland lent sixty ships. England promised by special message to be
neutral; and you know neutrality means sneering at freedom, and sending
arms to tyrants. England promised neutrality, and the black looked out
and saw the whole civilized world marshaled against him. America, full
of slaves, was of course hostile. Only the Yankee sold him poor muskets
at a very high price. Mounting his horse, and riding to the eastern end
of the island, he looked out on a sight such as no native had ever seen
before. Sixty ships of the line, crowded by the best soldiers of Europe,
rounded the point. They were soldiers who had never yet met an equal,
whose tread, like Caesar's, had shaken Europe: soldiers who had scaled
the Pyramids, and planted the French banners on the walls of Rome. He
looked a moment, counted the flotilla, let the reins fall on the neck of
his horse, and turning to Christophe, exclaimed: "All France is come to
Hayti; they can only come to make us slaves; and we are lost!"

Toussaint was too dangerous to be left at large. So they summoned him to
attend a council; he went, and the moment he entered the room the
officers drew their swords and told him he was a prisoner. They put him
on shipboard and weighed anchor for France. As the island faded from his
sight he turned to the captain and said, "You think you have rooted up
t