Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

Slavery, Freedom, Honor

This is an excerpt from the very end of the text, Oroonoko when the protagonist is executed ruthlessly but does not fail in his protest against slavery till his last breath.

Aphra Behn

The Floating Press

1688

Riwayat Katia

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English

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Freedom, Honor, 17th Century Public Execution

And then he replied, smiling, "A blessing on thee"; and assured them they need not tie him, for he would stand fixed like a rock, and endure death so as should encourage them to die; "But, if you whip me," said he, "be sure you tie me fast." He had learned to take tobacco; and when he was assured, he should die, he desired they would give him a pipe in his mouth, ready lighted; which they did. And the executioner came, and first cut off his members, and threw them into the fire; after that, with an ill-favoured knife, they cut off his ears and his nose and burned them; he still smoked on, as if nothing had touched him; then they hacked off one of his arms, and still he bore up, and held his pipe; but at the cutting off the other arm, his head sunk, and his pipe dropped, and he gave up the ghost, without a groan or a reproach.

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