The Sun.
London, England, 1819-10-14 00:00:00

~'~'"a'

LAW IN ITIA,IGENCE,

C L 1 1..14;'S TR! AL.
SECOI!3 DAY.-[Fur,r, PARTICULARS.]

COr'R'i' BENCH, ,GUILDHALL. Om 13.
i‘Joce Chrrf .la,4ice ABUOTT, and a Special Jury.

ATT-,RHEY-GENERAL V. RICHARD CARLILE.
roorninethe defendant took his place as
le!* re on the Solicitor's Bench. His dragoman and
is‘ee- takt r was heavily laden with bags of hunks,
aiol weer written or printed authorities front
whieli the defendant was to extract the matelials
tot his viodit ation.
teilreiast nine the CHIRP JUSTICE took his
St.'l:, and the names of the• Jury were called over.
Air. Celt LILTS immediately rose, aird.proceeded
a-lif.ens the Jury itt continuation ot his defence.
Ile that he had yesterday endeavOnted to
con' ince them that the three parts of The Age of
did not contain any immoral expression
or sent intent, but that Mr. Paine had ouly quoted
other publications. He endeavoured to show
them thet Mr. Psit'e's object was to rescue the
character of the Almighty from the account given
ot him in the book called the Bible. He was now
ar,e;ons to show to them, that there was not the
sligl,test pretence for imputing to Mr. Paine those
atheistical principles which were eharged upon
him by his opponents. In effecting this purpose,
he would read to them a short discourse written
in refutation of atheism, front which they would
he enabled to infer, that, of all things, a disposi-
tion to deny the existence of a God, was the last
which could fairly be attributed to Mr. Paine.
[Here the defendant read a discourse addressed
to the Theophilanthropists of Paris—which has
bet ot published by hint, along with the other Theo-
logical works of Paine.] ,
Go coming to one passage in the wotk he was
reading, which described persecution to have
ceased, he digressed for a triAtnent to address the
Jory, an Said " It would be fortunate for mar,
Gyntiem-n, if persecution had ceased." lie then
rc•ornttd I,is rcading. Having finished the address,
he rtmArked, the work lie had jest lead had Inert
considered by the society of Geotlemeo to whom
it was addrcsseri, a tompletc retutat ion ot Atheism,
aoc! it I:act in uousrquenet been published by cer-
tain
,persuos who .tppruved of it, ,with the name
of Mr. Value attached to i-. Ile hail now gone
thiongh so much ut tnu'k a:
she intended to
read it present. Snbsequeroly he, might have oc.
casino to -r Ito ceitilio othe• parts of MI. Paine's
wiitings, but he shtitthe eo•It precut to the exa.
mittatiou of that book, which had hetto tovestia
gored ii, the svotk that was the stibjeet of this pro-
secution—the Bible. He, had to rentals that the
Bible was not the only book in the WOi Id ilia(
was supposed to earntain revelatiott from God.—
The Koran was belie%ed by malty millions of men
to he of divine origin. '
The ATT,,RNEY-GENERAL objeCtetl.(o the course.
shout to be pnestied by the defendant. He had
stated it to be his intention to eater into an ex-
amination of the book celled the Bible. 'lie ap-
ptehended lie conid not be toffsred to do this. The
only question now to be derided was,
.whether
or not the defendant bad reviled the Christian
e‘igiort. It was not compe,eot for his Lordship
tied the Jtoy to try the merits of the Christian
frath, end, there-tote, he submisted it was incom-
petent for the detemiant to go info it.
The CHIEF' JUSTICE—roII bear the objection.
Mr. Cathie renl3(ked, that the Ationiey-Gene-
nal had said he did not think the, Court or, himself
('he delve-taut) competent to go. into the merits
of the Bible. Ile forgot that this was most cote
petent for his defence. The charge against him
'was, that he .had published a book describing the
Bible to be filthy tales, histories of cruel and tor-
tuJQUS executions, and obscene statements. He
' felt i:. to be his duty ro justify litmselle by referring
to those parts of the Bible whielt contained the
stories alluded to. The Attorney-General, •in
making- his objection, had tingot that he (Mr.
Cathie) flail all interest itt the trial.
. The Attoreey7Geneeal had nOt forgotten that
the tit'endant was touch intetestedin the result•of
Otis but ire considered that this flirt' must
be conducted according. to the tides by which all
other. prosecutions were, regulated, and therefore
he assumed that it was not istonpeteot for the dee
fetolant to eo into an isa4nination of die 'Bible.
He begged to refer Lo:,tship to the ease of
who had het
0 prose,iiitql for a Skatilat
offence. When that pet sop was IP'01!gla np to
receive judgment, LOrd .Keuyou said, on reflec-
tion, lie had to reproach.himself forealloWiog the
defendant to go into that mks of remarks which ,
had been permitted on 'the trial. His Lordship
remembered that in tire case. of the " King v.
W6l ciSt ," this bad not been allowed. Oir this
precedent he would seam', and contend that it
was incompetent for the defendant to pursue that
course which be was desirous of taking, arid ifhis
Lmdthip concurred with him 'in, this, ire would
= not stiffer there the further promulgation of the
doctrines of which he (the 'defend.:
en ) teas the advocate. •
The.Chiet .Justice said; the charge against the
Defeodint was, that he had published a book to
tevile,the Hof!! Scriptures—not -that Ice had sent.
forth a work to canvass- particular points, with.
tit-it temper and deeornin which onght to he pre-;
setvetl itt the discussion of every object, homan
or divine, public or' private. Jr could he no de;
leeee to such a charge, if tire party reiterated there
tee elate calumnies for Which -Inc had hero prose
tatter!. Pie (the Chief Jostice) should very ill
B;erioitn'his dirty, as a Jodge or as a Christian, if
st:tiog there he were to suffer that Court to be
made" a theatre, from which new calumnies against
tie Cloistian Religion :night be sent fotth to the'
.s told. He had every disphsition to afford the
dceendant the fullest. opportunity of explaining
the i-p„k he had published, and of showing that,
it tied not Hie tendency which had been imputed
to IL Theinesent, as well as every other defen-;
haul, he would readily allow to defend hiniself
according to the laws of his country, but he could
oot suffer the law of the country to be violated by
detsnce. He, therefore, -certainly could not
atiow the-defeasiaut no proceed to the inquiry un
woicli.ne had been about to
Mr. Cathie said, his only csoject was to clear
the Age of hullo', from ale chat ge Which -bad beta