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EDWIN EPPS is a large, portly, heavy-bodied man with light hair, high cheek bones and a Roman nose of extraordinary dimensions. He has blue eyes, a fair complexion and is full six feet high. His manners are repulsive and coarse, and his language gives speedy and unequivocal evidence that he has never enjoyed the advantages of an education.
He reads the Bible to his slaves, eight of them altogether. ABRAM; a tall, older slave of about sixty years. WILEY, who is forty eight. PHEBE, who is married to Wiley. BOB and HENRY who are Phebe's children, EDWARD and PATSEY. Patsey is young, just 23 years old...though in the era, 23 not as young as in the present day. She is the offspring of a "Guinea nigger," brought over to Cuba in a slave ship. She nearly brims with unconversant sexuality.
MISTRESS EPPS, Epps's wife, is also present.
Though Epps reads the word of the Lord, he lacks the tone of compassion with which Ford read.
EPPS
"And that servant which knew his
Lord's will...WHICH KNEW HIS
LORD'S WILL and prepared not
himself...PREPARED NOT HIMSELF,
neither did according to his will,
shall be beaten with many
stripes..." D'ye hear that?
"Stripes." That nigger that don't
take care, that don't obey his
lord - that's his master - d'ye
see? - that 'ere nigger shall be
beaten with many stripes. Now,
"many" signifies a great many.
Forty, a hundred, a hundred and
fifty lashes... That's Scripter!