"is? Alas, Sir, proof of the contrary is staring you "in the face. Sir, have you not heard of Mr Hone "and his blasphemy? Sir, have you not heard of "Mr Wright of Liverpool, and his blasphemy? Mr Wright-a divine, whose blasphemy is, if I mistake "not, pretty exactly of the same stamp with your "own piety and that of Dr Belsham? "Know you not that by the piety of common "law, every scribbler, -with or without a name, "with a true name; or with a false one,—whose "scribble it has pleased, or shall please, King, Lords, "and Commons, to put into a book, called the Liturgy, is to the purpose in question, put upon a "level with God? his scribble with the work of God, and, as in the course of this present work " of mine you may see demonstrated, employed as an improved substitute to that same holy word? "Know you not how, within these few months, being duly put in motion, by fees supplied by a pious "Cabinet, the piety of common law did actually "speak to this effect by the mouth of a pre-eminently learned person, whose learning was so lately "and effectually covered with shame by the igno"rance of Mr Hone? 66 66 "Know you not that the piety of common law has "a maxim of its own, by force and virtue of which, "under the name of blasphemers, or any other name, "it can at any time grind to powder all such chris"tians as yourself, as well as all other persons, who "have or profess to have a religion of their own in any shape? Know you not that, according to the 66 66 "tenor of this maxim, Christianity is part and parcel of the law of England?' that anything and everything, which it shall please the piety of this or that bench to call christianity will thereby be "so? that everything that it shall please that same piety to call an offence against the said christianity "will thereby be so, and the offender liable to be "visited, as the phrase is, with any or all such instru"ments of destruction as the hand of precedent has now presented to the piety of that same pre-eminently learned bench? 66 66 66 66 "Know you not, Sir, that,-besides all purposes "such as the one in question,-the piety and wisdom " of common law,-not to speak of other branches,— has, in its penal branch, an assortment of phrases applicable to all imaginable purposes? phrases covering, when taken together, the field of law in its whole extent? (Contra bonos mores-Conspiracy, Libel, &c.-I have somewhere got a list or the commencement of a list of them).-Know you not, Sir, in a word, that wheresoever common law reigns, security-whether it be for life, liberty, property, "or anything else is an empty name? Shew me, Sir, if you can find one, that proposition in Euclid "which is more uncontrovertibly demonstrated than "is this one, melancholy as it is, in my letter to the people of the American United States, published "in my late work, intituled Papers on Codification, &c.—I wish it were in my power to give you any better authority: I mean in black and white. But, now and then it may happen to you, in the 66 'House, to find yourself within a whisper of Sir "Samuel Romilly. On any such opportunity, ask "him whether, in the picture above drawn of the goddess of so many idolatries, there be any con"siderable overcharge: and, if for answer you "should receive nothing but a sigh or something equivalent, you will not be at much loss to know "what to conclude. 66 "I am, my dear Sir, "Yours very thankfully, "J. B." 66 66 "P. S. On the subject of blasphemy,—in the overgrown volume, to which in thus writing to you I am writing a last preface,—in this volume, pages from 225 to 230, you may see how perfect the agreement is between your notions "and mine. Judge from hence of the pride and "pleasure which that part of your letter afforded 66 "to me. "You will not see this my second letter till after "it is made public. You shall not have been party "or privy to any of my enormities." THE following Table of Errata, the number of which cannot but be matter of regret, has been occasioned by a weakness in the author's eyes, coupled with his distance from the press: occasion has been taken to intersperse a few amend 132, 1. 10, for 59 put 89. 135, 1. 10, dele one. 135, 1. 11, after half insert a. 152, 1. 22, for these put those. 154, 1. 20, after not insert but. 162, 1. 3, for tokens put indications. 167, l. 19, for principle put principles. 170, 1. 15, for Proteus read Randolph. 201, 1.7, for places read place. 210, 1. last, after in insert the. 515, 1. 14, for all put at. 215, 1. 29, after wanting put : after and put, 215, 1. 30, after 1812 dele: and. 215, 1. 31, dele for this purpose. 130, 1. 21, for sure put since. him. 16, 1. 3, from bottom, before if 22, 1. 21, for Our put One. 28, 1.3 from the bottom, dele on. 70, 1. 21, for source put sense. 92, 1. 29, for to put against. 95, 1. 29, after this, for as put or. 107, 1. 4, for so far as concerns put bereft. 107, 1. 19, after Catechism dele the full point. 108, 1. 12, for "the follower of put the storehouse of." 108, 1. 18, for those put these. 126, 1. 8, dele then. 132, 1. 13, after rulers insert--are. 132, 1. 20, after continue insert them. 132, 1. 3, from the bottom, for these put those. 134, 1. 25, for composition put printed letter. Page 136, l. 14, after inflicted, begin a fresh paragraph, and before that insert But. 138, 1.2 from the bottom, after but dele as. 140, 1. 15, after Edifices? dele It is, and after as insert she, now-and after it insert a comma. 147, 1. 16, after which insert these, and in line 17, dele own. 153, 1. 13, dele it. 153, 1. 16, after pen,-insert it. 157, 1. 27, after abstained insert as he did. 161, 1. 26, after riches dele opulence. 166, 1.2, for on put no. 171, 1. 18, dele alone. 171, 1. 30, after by insert these. 174, 1. 10, for which put whose. 196, 1.6, for these put those. 213, 1.11, for that put this. 230 in the number of the page, for 30 put 230. 241, 1. 3, for prudence put providence. 241, 1. 29, for the semicolon put a 282, 1. 3, before not insert but. 287, 1. 5, after rendered insert ; and. 296, 1. 11, after hand insert to hand, 296, 1. 16, for stout put strict. 302, 1. 19, for hand put head. 303, 1. 6, for body put duty. 303, 1. 26, dele be. 307, 1. 17, for 10,000l. put 1,000%. 310, 1. 31, for large put largest. 339, 1. 19, for became put because. 363, 1. 22, dele to. 385, 1. 4, for twenty-five put twenty-six. 381, 1. 22, for profits out of put profits, from. 392, 1.2 from the bottom, for or that put in that. 409, 1. 3 from bottom, for came put come, 410, 1. 4, for cause" in put cause; |