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Stripping

Maroseika

Moderator
Russian
Hi,
From "The interesting narrative of the life of Equiano Olaudah...", 1789:

Early the next morning these imposing ruffians flogged a negro-man and woman that they had in the watch-house, and then they told me that I must be flogged too. ...they ... were going to lay violent hands on me; when one of them, more humane than the rest, said, that as I was a free man they could not justify stripping me by law.

What does mean "stripping" here - flogging or just undressing (before flogging)?
Although there is a small possibility of the obsolete use of 'strip'(n.) for 'stripe'(n.) - and thus the two verbs, where "to stripe is to beat with a rod, I think this should be taken literally - to take off the clothes.
In other words, there was only a formal obstacle preventing him of having been flogged - they could not underss him in this order? While flogging itself was not a question? Did I understood correctly?
It reads more as if it means flogging. Surely the law would be more specific about whether you could beat a free person than about whether you could remove clothing before it? And I too thought it might be related to 'stripe', meaning a single flogging. But it is unclear.
I'm inclined towards 'flogging' as well. The version I found online also has stripping but I reckon it's a perpetuated typo, as the author mentions stripes several times:
My former slavery now rose in dreadful review to my mind, and displayed nothing but misery, stripes, and chains
I grant, indeed, that slaves are some times, by half-feeding, half-clothing, over-working and stripes, reduced so low, that they are turned out as unfit for service, and left to perish in the woods, or expire on a dunghill.
You stupify them with stripes, and think it necessary to keep them in a state of ignorance
I was therefore much embarrassed, and very apprehensive of a flogging at least. I dreaded, of all things, the thoughts of being striped, as I never in my life had the marks of any violence of that kind.
etc.
Sorry, I've misunderstood you. Well, at least many other typos have been corrected in the earlier editions, but still who knows.
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