Oyve troyed ter live a Christian loyfe but me path ay bin rowsy. Oyve ad foyve mowths ter fade at ome an an usband on the riva who wantid is dinna on the taybul when he cum ome, or corld.
E wuz a steersmun on them botes gewin to Bristol down that Riva Sevurn. Normally e ad ironware on bord – yeno pots and pans an that, for the ships gewin from Bristol to Africa for them puwer negrows Sumtoymes e ad scarlet cloth. At ferst ar wore bothered abowt the kitchenware and cloth but when me usband spowke of chayns un rings un manniculs un shackuls un brayces that id carrid for them plantayshuns, then mar conshuns cud’nt tayk it. Ar sed to me usband that yowd gorra stopit, but e sed howm ar gonner fayd un clowthe yow un giv yer a ruf ova yereds? Tipical o me bin a quayka, ar kept qwyet wen e sed this, even wen he sed hid bate me, wen hid ad a few.
So oy asked im if e cud do withowt slayv guds for imself, loyke ar did with shugger. oy asked im to do withowt it in is tay, an is poype, an is rum. E sed if a totter rum wer gud enuff for them jolly jack tars in the King’s Nayvy, then it wer gud enuff fer im. Ar daynt say anythin else but ar thort iyde troy agen wen e wor in is cups.
The next toyme we spowke bowt this oy asked im if e cudnt du complaytly withowt is drink, cud e just gew withowt wen e wuz at om – loyke a sorta “domestic boycott” – he cud loke tek is shugger an rum an is poype just on is bote.
Ar prayd evry noyte as them days got shorta that id say tha loyte, an ear the werd a god in is eer.
Prayz God, at chrismus e agrayd ter joyne us in ower domestic boycott.
This is won way ow arv troyde to liv a christyan loyfe accordin ter me conshuns an limits o me power within me own howse
I’ve tried to live a Christian life, but my path has not been a primrose one. I’ve had five mouths to feed at home and a husband on the river who wanted his dinner on the table when he came home, or called.
He was a steersman on boats bound for Bristol down the River Severn. His usual cargo was ironware: pots and pans and kettles and suchlike for the ships out of Bristol sailing to Africa for the poor Negroes. And sometimes Scarlet cloth.
The kitchenware and the cloth caused me little sleeplessness at first. But when my husband talked of Chains and Rings and Manacles and Shackles and Braces that he had carried for the Plantations, then that sore tested my Conscience.
I asked my Husband to desist from this trade and cargo, but he said how else could he feed and cloth us and give us a roof over our heads. Quaker like, I kept my peace and counsel when he said this, even when he threatened to beat me, when he was away with the drink.
I thus asked him if he could desist from taking slave goods for his own consumption, as I did with Sugar. I asked him if he could do without that in his tea, as well as his pipe and his rum. He said if a tot of rum was good enough for our jolly jack tars in the King’s navy, then it was good enough for him. I kept my Counsel but thought I would try again, when he was not in his cups.
The next time we conversed on this, I asked that if he could not practise full abstinence, could he perhaps practise a domestic Boycott? He should take his sugar and his rum and his pipe sole on the boat.
I prayed each night through the shortening days that he would see the light and hear the word of God in his ear.
Praise God, at Christmastide, he agreed to join us in our domestic boycott.
This is one example of how I have tried to live a Christian life according to my Conscience, and the limits of my power within my House, Kitchen and Hearthside.
I have others.