The National Register. — London, England, 1812-03-08 00:00:00

MAUCH 8. 1 _ _ TIM NATIONAL REGISTER. . • • address himself , awl he woMaill "Them what yvas the. fi rst Object— what was the first duty to inculeate.httoi . their children's -minds? Ver. tainly a veneration fOr the religion of their cotmtrb .a religido 'which all virtuous and enlightened mei beliestedain. Did they not build all their hopes of their welfare here and happiness hereafter on that tension ? and what then must be.their feelings if they found that a publication of this kind had crept into the bosoms of their families, and corrupted their minds and morals ? To what . were they to look for a faithful dis charge of the duties of their domestics, except from those principles which our Holy Religion imparted ? To what could they look for the performance of their rvirreetivedutiet, if they were to throw that religion a side? These were temporal considerations; and taking the subjett in that psint of view, there could be no doubt that the object of this book was to lay the axe to the root of religion, and . expel it from the minds of those in which it now flourished. W hat right bad he to expect from that Jury an honest verdict on the evidence which would be laid before them, if they disbelieved the Holy Evangelists on which they had been sworn , To what were they referred when they were sworn to give a true ver dict "So help me GOci ?" Were they • not sworn on that holy work which the author of this publication held up as a fable and as an impos ture ? What right had he to expect that the witnesses would speak the truth, except from the operation upon their minds of the sanctity of that oath they had taken ? fhe .hope of future reward, and the dread of future punishment, operated on the minds of almost all men, and he believed very few indeed, if any, in this country acted on a different principle. Ought not therefore the man who endeavoured to destroy that great bond which united society together be amenable to punish ment f [Here the Learned Attorney-General reoceeded to state what the law was upon this subject, and how such offences had been treated by the greatest and best fudges of former times.] Having said thus much, he hoped he had satisfied the Jury that this was an offence cog nizable in a Court of Justice; hut, it might be said by the defendant that he was not the author of the publications; he should, however, prove, from his own words, that be had gone to the trouble and 'ex pense of importing it, he had found the poison growing in another coun try, and transplanted it, and had endeavoured to disseminateir in this. He declined reading the paragraphs as he had proposed to do, but the Jury would hear them from the Officer of the Court, and he should therefore content himself w Hi reading s the last paragraph which concltid ed the work, and from NV fif t h an inference could be drawn of the ten eency of all the preceding.—" lie who believes in the story of Jesus Christ, was an Infidel to•Gol." Mr. Henry Raven was the first witness called. lie proved tse pur chase of the hook in question at the defendant's shop in Ave-Maria-lane, on the of October last: he bought it trona a youn ,-, woman in the shop, and while he was thei:e the defendant came in, and haVing entered into conversation with him, the witness asked him how he knew it was written by Torn Paine? to V.-hich the defendant replied, he had been at the expense of sending to America for it, and procured a copy from Deva'ne, the Editor of the Aurora, in America, and as further proof of its being Tom Paine's writing, he referred him, among other passages, to the paragraph which the Attorney-General quoted in the conclusion of his address to the Jury. • The book was then put in, and the several paragraphs charged in the information as libels on the Christian Religion read by the r op.A. Offi cer. These paragraphs contained the most diabolical blividieinies against keliSion, the Divinity of our Saviour, and the Writings of the 2..postles, heal the tendency of which, we think, we littst consult the moral and religious cf cur readers, by abstaining train giving them in detail. The writings of this Author are already too well kno•svii to require fur ther explanation. Here the zlitonley-General closed the case on the part of theprose cation. Lord FLLEliao ou then called upon the defendant to proceed with his defence. The (it fondant rose, and addressing his Lordship, presented a paper hi; defence, which he requested the Officer of the Court might be permitted to read fur him, as he labouredundtr a violent cold. Lord ELLENBOROUQH directed hint to read it hinisolf,and if he found any (Vaulty in his progress, he would then suffer the Officer of the Court to proceed. The defendant then addressing his Lordship and the Jury, reading from the paper, stated, that Providence had not gifted him with the Powers of oratory, nor was he designed for the Pulpit or the Bar, not having studied at the University for the one, or served his terms at the Inns of Court for the other, hut he had, noverthile,s, received a good education. He had been six years at a boarding-school, from thence be went to the College cir the Jesuits at St. Omar's, where that great man, Mr. Burke, received his education at the same time. At that period the Jesuits. had been expelleil, but were succeeded by a, sect, if possible , Incite higott e d and intolerant, and his father became so apprehensive of his turning Roman Catholic, that he prevailist upon a worthy clergy man of th e Ch urc h of England to write to him on the subjecti and this worthy man desired hint not to Mind any thing these ?eople should say t(: hint, but to study th e Bibl e , a nd ma ke it the guide at his conduct. He did so, but upon reading it with attention, he found it su full of contra dictions and gr oss a b sur di t i es , t h at h e b egan t t o — Here Lord E LLENBOROUGU i nterrupte d t h e defendant, observing, at lie had al r e a d read Stiffidient to *show the tenden;:y of thepapet ht was h then reading, but he must not take that oppoi tunity of reviling the Christian religion, it was the highest contenvt tic could be guiity of, - - 137 and if heiersisted ? his Lordsiiip should feel it his duty .to, 4nimadvvit upon Aid; duet tc tva.s only an ap- Jn of bicelf. COO-- tki the J).ity• - only . Jggraistiloi fence, and his Lordship would not suffer theChrisdan religion to be Mei vili in a Court of deface. _ The defendant, then proceeded to-vold his defence in theiraMe Manner, without attending to the admonition of the Learned Judge. He luotrit several passages. (ram the Book of Esdras, and the writings of the Evangelists, tracing , the progress of the Jews from their earliest ages to the liabylonish captivity ; from which he proceeded to argue, that the God of the Jews was Mars, or the God of War, a cruel viiiaictive deity * who could not, therefore, according to the Prophets, be the fathernlf Jesus Christ, nor the same God worshipped by the Christians, when., Lord ELLaNaubtouGH again interrupted him, and told him he must not proceed in that manner, but if there was any thing in that paper (which, from what he had heard, he greatly feared there was not) which could be useful towards his defence * his Lordship would give him time to select and read it. The defendant replied, that there were but twoor three sheets more, if he might be permitted to proceed. _ Lord Et.LzNaoROUGH said that it was not the length, but the Matter he objected to ; and he thought it but charitable to tell him, that it was not only mischievous to himself, but unfit for. a. Court of Justice to Mars He could not sit there and hear the Christian religion reviled in such & manner. The defendant, notwithstanding this caution, was proceeding s as te+ fore, when • Lord ELLENnOROUOII again said, he should be put to the necessity of precluding him from reading any more from the paper. If, therefore, the remainder of his paper contained matter so highly detrimental to re. ligion, he must coi sider his persisting in it as meaning to insult the Court, and if he did so, he must take the consequences. The defendant said, he conceived that every pact of this paper forms ed a part of his defence. His Lordship then told him he should give him time to look it over, and desired he would omit those passages which were offensive. After a short pause, Lord ELLENSOROO6II observed, that upon consideration, he thought the ends of public justice would be best answered, by permitting hint to read every line of it, but if he did, he must abide the consequences. The defendant then proceeded to read the remainder of his defence * which contained nothing but the most :lbominable blasphemies against the Christian religion,; he denied the divinity, or even the existence of Jesus Christ, and the Infalibility. of the Apostles and Evangelic writers. In conclusion, he defended the doctrines of Paine, alledging, that his books were as fair in point of language and argument, as any bookscould be ; and, so far from being written again►t religion, he did not inderdict csny sect, but only sought the truth ; that these writings were only re viled by the priests, who were afraid of 100-ing their good living, and if they must preach, he advised them to preach something that could be understood, and confine-themselves to preaching upon moral good t anti the social duties, to abstain from theological controversies, whiokonly tended to encourage Methodism. to have concluded, and t Here the defendant seemeL Lord ELLENBOROUGH asked him, if he wished to call any. witnesses, The defendant replied in the negative; and again addressing the Jury, observed, that he was far from wishing to offend against the laws of bis country ; hut begged to remark, that this book had been in circu, lation ail over the Continent for several years, where the people were well known to be more Ibigotted, and. firmly attached to their religion than in this country, which boasted so much of its liberty. The book had also been in circulation in America for six or seven years before he sent fur it; but it there was any thing bad in it, or if any Lawyer, or any other Gentleman, could convince him that it was improper, be should nut have published it. He contended for the right of discussing religious topics, as tending to narrow the spirit of biggotry and intole rance, while, on the other hand, any restraint put upon it only tensed to encourage both. He 'mitt adverted to the persecution against himself the Book had been only two days odblished, when a prosecution was commenced against him. He had ulaready 'suffered 'under various pro secutions; had been fifteen months in confinement at one time; Ihis property had been' d'estrciyed by five, and hehad suffered IlOnsiderable losses in other respects. - He could not see that any punishment was applicable to his case—all -such punishments was against the interests of society, and againstreligiota itself. • Having thus concluded, he at., tempted to present thednry with twelve copiesuf the publication.- But, upon the suggestion of one of the Counsel fur the prosecution, Lord EL.. L::NBOROUGH ordered his officer to take them into his custody. The Attorney General then said, he rose merely to assert his right to reply, but it was Impossible for him to give any more conseirjence to the ,case than the defendant had done, by the manner in which he had shaped his defence. Lord ELLENBOROIGIi then addressed the Jury, observing,that when ;le considered h?. was addressing twelve Christian men, sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, he vit3uld ask thent whether they believed there was any validity in that oath they had solemnly taken, when the defendant himself had told them, _ . thaebe hoped he had proved, to their satisfaction, the invalidity of the 1-roly Evangelists ? Such abominable blasphemy, such reviling igalnit •the 'Christian Religion, had never before been heard in a Court of Justice ;''and he had felt more- pain than he could well express, while he attended is the defendant's addreFsl :anti ;lie beginning to the end, was a tit ,. .ue . of the 111$5i 1;- r, ~~ %~ u