# Quote — Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince

> I was soon surrounded by strange men, who examined and handled me in the same manner that a butcher would a calf or a lamb he was about to purchase, and who talked about my shape and size in like words—as if I could no more understand their meaning than the dumb beasts. I was then put up for sale. The bidding commenced at a few pounds, and gradually rose to fifty seven, when I was knocked down to the highest bidder; and the people who stood by said that I had fetched a great sum for so young a slave.

- Author: [Mary Prince](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince.md)
- Book: [The History of Mary Prince](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince/the-history-of-mary-prince.md)
- Page: 4
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Prince#The_History_of_Mary_Prince_(1831)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince/the-history-of-mary-prince/i-was-soon

## More from this book

> We followed my mother to the market-place, where she placed us in a row against a large house, with our backs to the wall and our arms folded across our breasts. I, as the eldest, stood first, Hannah next to me, then Dinah; and our mother stood beside, crying over us. My heart throbbed with grief and terror so violently, that I pressed my hands quite tightly across my breast, but I could not keep it still, and it continued to leap as though it would burst out of my body. But who cared for that? Did one of the many bystanders, who were looking at us so carelessly, think of the pain that wrung the hearts of the negro woman and her young ones? No, no! They were not all bad, I dare say, but slavery hardens white people's hearts towards the blacks; and many of them were not slow to make their remarks upon us aloud, without regard to our grief—though their light words fell like cayenne on the fresh wounds of our hearts. Oh those white people have small hearts who can only feel for themselves.

p. 4 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince/the-history-of-mary-prince/we-followed-my-mother.md)

> I then saw my sisters led forth, and sold to different owners; so that we had not the sad satisfaction of being partners in bondage. When the sale was over, my mother hugged and kissed us, and mourned over us, begging of us to keep up a good heart, and do our duty to our new masters. It was a sad parting; one went one way, one another, and our poor mammy went home with nothing.

p. 4 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince/the-history-of-mary-prince/i-then-saw.md)

> We ... worked through the heat of the day; the sun flaming upon our heads like fire, and raising salt blisters in those parts which were not completely covered. Our feet and legs, from standing in the salt water for so many hours, soon became full of dreadful boils, which eat down in some cases to the very bone, afflicting the sufferers with great torment.

p. 10 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/mary-prince/the-history-of-mary-prince/we-worked-through.md)