oth^{r}s belonging to us to have to do in such vile & most odious
courses, iustly abhored of all good & iust men."[17]

The temptation of trade slowly forced the colony from this high moral
ground. New England ships were early found in the West Indian
slave-trade, and the more the carrying trade developed, the more did the
profits of this branch of it attract Puritan captains. By the beginning
of the eighteenth century the slave-trade was openly recognized as
legitimate commerce; cargoes came regularly to Boston, and "The
merchants of Boston quoted negroes, like any other merchandise demanded
by their correspondents."[18] At the same time, the Puritan conscience
began to rebel against the growth of actual slavery on New England soil.
It was a much less violent wrenching of moral ideas of right and wrong
to allow Massachusetts men to carry slaves to South Carolina than to
allow cargoes to come into Boston, and become slaves in Massachusetts.
Early in the eighteenth century, therefore, opposition arose to the
further importation of Negroes, and in 1705 an act "for the Better
Preventing of a Spurious and Mixt Issue," laid a restrictive duty of £4
on all slaves imported.[19] One provision of this act plainly
illustrates the attitude of Massachusetts: like the acts of many of the
New England colonies, it allowed a rebate of the whole duty on
re-exportation. The harbors of New England were thus offered as a free
exchange-mart for slavers. All the duty acts of the Southern and Middle
colonies allowed a rebate of one-half or three-fourths of the duty on
the re-exportation of the slave, thus laying a small tax on even
temporary importation.

The Act of 1705 was evaded, but it was not amended until 1728, when the
penalty for evasion was raised to £100.[20] The act remained in force,
except possibly for one period of four years, until 1749. Meantime the