John Saffin
John Saffin was a notable figure in 17th-century America, born around 1626 in Somerset, England. He immigrated to the United States with his wealthy family and settled in Scituate, Massachusetts. Although he did not attend university, his community fostered his aspirations in social and literary realms. Throughout his life, Saffin became a prominent merchant, served as a town selectman, and held various political positions, including deputy to the General Court and speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He later moved to New Bristol, where he became the first probate judge of Bristol County.
Saffin is best known for his commonplace book, which includes personal letters, scientific notes, and poetry, with his poetry regarded as his most significant contribution. He is particularly recognized for his love poem "Sayle Gentle Pinnance" and has been considered one of the finest poets of his time. Additionally, Saffin engaged in a significant philosophical debate with Samuel Sewall regarding the institution of slavery, defending pro-slavery views through biblical interpretations. His writings, particularly "A Brief Candid Answer to a Late Printed Sheet Entituled, The Selling of Joseph," are among the earliest defenses of slavery, influencing arguments used for the institution well into the 19th century.
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John Saffin
Merchant
- Born: c. 1626
- Birthplace: Devonshire, England
- Died: 1710
Biography
John Saffin was born in Somerset, England around 1626, and his family was quite wealthy. As a child, he immigrated to the United States, and he and his family settled in the town of Scituate, Massachusetts. Although he never attended a university, the sophistication of his adopted town encouraged his social and literary ambitions. As an adult, Saffin served as a town selectman in Scituate. In 1658, he married the first of his three wives, Martha Willett. Two years later, he moved to Boston, where he became socially and politically prominent. In addition to becoming a wealthy merchant, whose trade included trafficking in slaves, he served as a deputy to the General Court in Boston, the speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and a member of the Governor’s Council. Sometime around 1688, Saffin moved to New Bristol, where he became the first probate judge for the newly established county of Bristol, Massachusetts.
Saffin is best known for his commonplace book, John Saffin, His Book, which was not published until 1928. The book contains personal letters as well as scientific and historical notations, medicinal cures, notes on moral behavior, philosophical ideas, and poetry. Saffin’s poetry is considered his best work. Saffin stated that he believed poems should be concise and meaningful as well as simple yet elegant. He is particularly well known for the love poem that he wrote to his first wife, “Sayle Gentle Pinnance.” Because of this poem and some fifty others, some critics believe that Saffin should be considered as one of the finest seventeenth century American poets.
Saffin is also known for his philosophical battle with Samuel Sewall. The two men engaged in a long debate about slavery. Saffin, a slave owner and trader, was proslavery and Sewall, a prominent jurist, was antislavery. Both Saffin and Sewall were members of the same court during much of their debate. Saffin was particularly angry with Sewall for writing The Selling of Joseph, a pamphlet which clearly condemned slavery as a barbaric institution. Saffin’s reply to Sewall, A Brief Candid Answer to a Late Printed Sheet Entituled, The Selling of Joseph, is considered one of the earliest written defenses of the institution on record. Saffin used the biblical character of Abraham, a slave owner, to defend his position, stating that God sanctioned the ownership of human beings as long as those human beings were somehow inferior. Further, Saffin stated that God had intentionally made different orders and kinds of human beings, and that any attempt to promote equality would be actively disobeying God’s law. In total, Saffin developed twenty arguments in defense of slavery, and many of these arguments were used to defend the institution up to the time of the Civil War.