Star.
London, England, 1817-12-20 00:00:00

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1i317

the box. John Austen, a &winker. of Ald-
, who answered to his na i e, was challeoged by
:town. The Jury, which was composed of twelve
most respectable and independent men in the
of London, were then sworn, as follows:
SPECIAL JURYMEN. TALESISIN.
Wilson, Merchant, James Jones
•
Thornton, Merchant, ' James Smith,
fan Black, Merchant, Joshua Thorn,
Mn Edwards, Merchant, James Dimaldson,
Itihn Mackey, Merchant, William Hzll,
Gilman, Merchant, William Green.
StitirtigitD npened the pleadings, and stated;
:his was an information filed by his Majesty's At-
orney-General against Wm. Hone, for printing and
'fishing a certain impious and profane libel upon
't of the Church Service in the Common Prayer
'lc. called 4. The Litany; or General Supplica-
i" There was a second count, charging the said
ligation to be a wicked and seditious libel, of and
concerning the Prince Regent, and the Houtes of
Is and Commons. To this information 'the de-
cant had pleaded--:Not Guilty.
'he ATToRtiln-GENERAL then stated the case to
Tary, repeating much in the same terms, the ob-
ttions in his opening speech on the information
. yesterday. He stated that defendant was charged
the first count of this information with an impious
prpfan• libel, being a parody on the part of the
mum Prayer called the Litany, and the second
it of the•indictment charged the libel as a sedi-
; one. To the nature of the libel as described in
first count, however, he would particularly direct
attention ; because he would broadly and flatly
•', that any man who scoffed at, who ridiculed,
made parodies on the Prayer of the Established
/eh, was guilty of hlasphensofts and impious
is. if ewer there was a prayer constructed by any
ran creature for the purpose of offering to his
.irv, ii ever there was a supplication offered to the
Alumna for 'hi. forgiveness of the sins of men,
licit was sublime and ••demo • hat which was ridi
iled in the present induce was ones It was tt•terly
►possible that any man could parodiae that sacred
-ns of Prayer, without having impious and profane
in his own mind, and a de►ire of inculcating
►lore ideas on the weak minds of others: It was not
possible for any person to read that publication with-
out horror and disgust, unless that person was one in
whose mind were raised the impious and islasphe-
ls principles which it was the nature of the libel
luestion t:i inculcate. , It was not necessary to re-
id the Jury that • the. Litany was a most solemn
er to the ALMIGHTY. to Use R EDIMER of the

.Id, and to the HOLY GHOST. and had justly been
considered the most sublime part of the pubtic cr.
of the Church ; and it was impossible to make
most distant approach to its style and form .n
parody, without exciting, in the most pious mind, ideas
oat would newer have otherwise entered it; and the
taint of profaneness and ridicule, even of itik most'
.acre subjects, was rapidly disseminated. The I
itady, alter the supplication .to Goa, the Rs-
/SOUK, the HOLY and the TRINITY, went.
to pray deliverance in the beur of death and in
4 day of judgment. It was succeeded by a most
devout and impressive reiteration...." SOX of GOD,
beseech thee to hear us; 0 LAMS of Goa, that
taketb away the sincolthe world, have mercy upon
He would not praceed "; it seemed too solemn
even for the solemnity of a Court of Justice ; yet,
(would. the Jury believe it ?) the defendant had
(timed it to ridicule, by making an impious parody
it. It began--“ 0 Prince, Ruler of the People,l
ore mercy upon us, miserable subjects. 0 House
Lords, hereditary Legislators, have mercy upon
, pension-paying subjects. 0 House of Commons,
proceeding from corrupt Borough-mongers, have
mercy upon us, miserable subjects." It was tool
disgusting to read the whole, but he would turn to
that pan which was substituted for the devout reite-
ration at the end of the Litany of the Church; in-
stead of—" Sou of. GOD. we beseech thee to bear
" &c. the defendant had laid—u Son of George,
e beseech thee to bear us. 0 House of Lords, that
taketh away so many thousands of pounds in pen-
sions, have mercy upon us."
[The indecorous laughter of a part of the audi-
tory for a few moments interrupted the Attorney.
General. Lord Esismasoaouoa inquired if the She-
riffs bad arrived, adding, "I desired that they should
attend, and they shall attend." Mr. Catmint:lox,
Secondary, observed, that they bad been sent for;
but as they .lived et a considerable distance, they
bad not yet been able to reach the Court.]
The Arrow/re-G=lmm. then proceeded. Would
ay one say now, that that dangerous publication did
not raise- scoffing among the scoffers ? He would'
ask the question trom what had passed that moment,'
and he would say that there never was, there never
could be a stronger practical elucidation of the dan-
gerous tendency of a libel, than the indecency which
had just disturbed the Court—an English Court of
Janice. If we were not to be governed by law; if
the social bonds of society were to be burst asunder
the indecent conduct of a rabble, the Court might
.s well discontinue its proceedings; but if that coo.,
duct were supposed to have the effec tof intimidating
him in the execution of his public functions, it was a
most mistaken notion. Whilst be had the honour of
filling the situation he did, or of acting simply as an'
advocate, nothing should deter him from executing
his public duty, and be would not swerve in the'
least from the course he was taking. If he had not
brought the defendant this day to answer for this'
publication, he should have conceived be was neglec-
ting his duty towards his country and his GOD. He
supposed that the defence to-day would be as it was
yesterday, that the publication in question was not a
libel, because many-other blasphemous libels had not
been proceeded against, and be also supposed that
all the libels would be raked from those old books on
the table, which he wished had remained on the
shelves whence they bad beat taken, and rotted.-..
lot that would not be the sort of defence that would
ewer arty purpose a for. It was not because many
persons had published other blasphemous libels, that

therefore the defendant was less in pnbilsh-

ing his. Of the publication of the librl in qulttion
by the defendant, there would be liuie doubt. amt it

would be for the Jury, as religious men, as Chris
tians, as then whu loved their ccuntry and revered
their GOD. to sar whether the publication was or was
not a libel

Here Mr. Sheriff Desanges entered the Court, and
Lord EGLENBOIioUGH addressed him thus :—" I have
sent for you and row colleague, Sir, as there is an
absolute necessity for your presence. There was 3
mast unseemly disturbance in the Court yesterday, I
understand, and there has been another to-day.—

Irnu are the persons who are responsible, and ;hall
be responsible ; an 1, therefore, yon will be gond
enough to use your utmost activity in apprehending
any persons who dare to interrupt the course of the

proceedings."
Mr. Sheriff Dana/ices assured the Court, that no
endeavour should be wanting, on his part, to put a
stop to conduct so disgraceful and so indecent.
Lord ELLENWIROUGH —You will understand me ;
my only motive in admmishiog you as to your duty,
is. that yciii may attend to it.
The Counsel for the Crown were then proceeding
to go through the formal proof of the defendant
having printed and published the alledged libel in
the parish. and at the place set forth in the informs.
lion. when
Mr. Home interposed, and said, that so save the
time of the Court, he should admit the publishing
of the paper, and the other formal pacts of the pro-
ceedings.
Lord ELLENInIinUOU accordingly recorded the de-
fendant's admission, that he was the printer and pub-
lisha of the p4roify in question, at No. 55. Fleet-
street. in the parish of St. Dunstan's in the West.
The libel was then read. as follows
THE POLITICAL. LITANY,

DIEMICNTLT RITMO; TO BC SAID OR WWI, UNTIL TIC AT.
POINTED MIAMI' COMB, TIROUBDIOUT TSB DOMINION OE
*NOLAND AND mALCI, ANC TIC TOWN OP SIOVIVICI•OPON-
(iv SWIM.. COMMAND.)
London I Printed eve of the Candidates for tie Office of
Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, and sold by
William Hone, SS, Fleet-street,and 87, Old bailey, clam doors
from Latham 1817 Price l'wolence.
I'HE LI !ANY.

I Hats lOLLOWETS Tit LITANY, OR GENRRAL SOPPLICA,.
110 N,TO In SAID OR SONO A? ALL tiara WHIN TIRSIUN JO
1111,1CIALLII 100111 b.
0 Prince, ruler of the People, have mercy upon us, thy mi-
serable subjects-0 Prince, ruler, &c.
0 House of Lords, hereditary legislaton' have mercy upon us,
penaiee-paying subjects-0 House of Lords, &c.
0 Heine of Commons, proceeding from con opt boroughmnn.
gees, have mercy upon us, your sbould be constituents-+O House
of Commons, &c.
0 gracious, noble, rigb: honourable, and learned rulers of our
land, three estates in one state, have mercy upon us, a poverty-
stncken people-0 gracious, noble, &c.
Remember not; most gracious, most noble, right honourable,
and honourable I/with:men, our past riches, nor the rictus of our
feeeCatherss oohinr oesitieue se sac us atwording to our long lost'
ability—spare us good rulers, spare the peeple who bar,: sup-
ported ye with their labour, and spilt their most precious blood
ha your quarrels; 0 consume us not utterly—opare us, Lood
Prince I
From an unnatieasi debt ; from unmerited pensions and sine-
cure places • front an ettravageot civil list ; and Rom utter star-
vation-0;d Prince, deliver us!
From the blind imbecility of ministers; from the pride and
vain-glory of warlike establishments in dine of peace--. Gold
Prince, deliver us!
From all the deadly sins attendant oo a corrupt method of
election ; trom all the deceits of the pensiossed hirelings of the'
press—Good Prince, deliver us
From taus levied by distress; from jails crowded with debt.'
on; from poor-houses overlies:dog with paupers—Good Prince,
deliver us I
From a Parliament diem! only by one tenth ofthe tax-payers ;
from taxes raised' to pay whohnole human butchers their
subsl-
dies; from the- falso doctrines, heresy and schism, which have
obscured our eon *nous constitution; from cunspiracles against
the bberty of the people; and from obstacles thrown in the way
of the exertion of our natural and constitutional rights—Good
Prince, deliver us!
By your feelings as men ; by your interest as members. of civil
society; by your duty as Cbrntians-0 Rulers, deliver us! •
By tie deprivations of millions; by the sighs of the widow : I
by the tears at tbe orphan ; by chestnuts of the aged in distress'
by the mats of ell classes in tho communky, mein your own
and your dependents-0 Rulers, deliver us I
V this time of tribulation; in this time of want of labour to
diamonds, and of unrequited labour to tens of thousands; in this
time of madden death from want et food.-0 Ruters,deliver us!
We people do beseech ye to hear us,o Rulers; and that it may
plane ye to role and gotten as constitutionally in the right way
beseech ye to beer us, 0 ROW. t
That k may pins. ye to keep yourselves In an sobriety, teat-
perasee,and honesty of life; that ye speed net Instravagandy the
money raked from the production of our laboors, nor take for
musings that whisk ye need not....We beseech ye to beer as,
0 Relessi
That k May please ye to beep your hearts In fear of oppreedims
and In ben of Judea; and that ye may evermore have Alsace
in our Sheldon, railer than in the bayonets of a bind soldiery—.
We beim* ye to key us, 0 Rohn! *
That It may pines ye to be our defenders and keepers, giving
us the victory over all our enetniewand redressing the grievances
under which we labour...We beseech tefo hear us, 0 Rulers !
'That k may ye to lessen the cares of the world unto all
Bishops and Dignitaries; stein their superabundance to
the poor deem and no loupe taxing us for their support—We
beseech ye to hear us, 0 Rakers.
That ft may pleas ye to place within the bounds of economy
the expenditure of all the Royal Family—We beseezh ye to hear.
us, 0 Rulers!
That k may please ye to deprive the Lords of the Council and
all the nobility, of all money paid out of the taxes which they
have not earned--Ws beseech ye to hear us, 0 RuLn !
That it may plose•ye to direct all Magistrates to give up their
advanced salaries, which tbs nines no longer reader necessary, and
to content themselves with their former stipends—We beseech
ye to hear us, Gaolers I
Tat it may please ye to bless all the peopliwith equal repro-'
and to keep them safe from borough-mongering fac-
tions—We beseech ye to hear us, 0 Rulers!
That it may please yeas* to govern us, that unity, peace and
concord may prevail throughout the nation, and the voice of
tumult and dissatistactlun be nu more heard in our streets—We
beseech ye to bar us,o Rulers!
That it may view ye to give unto all people all their rights as
citizens, whatever may be the mode in which their consciences
may impel them to worship their Creator, and whatever the creed
to• which their judgments assent—We beseech ye to hear us,
o Rulers!
That it may please ye to bring into the way of truth those
apostates who Isaac erred therefrom, and bare deceived us—
We Ninth ye to hear us, 0 Rulers!
That it may pluses ye to strengthen all such as do stand up for
dm keel sad censtitutiooal rights of the people; to comfort and
help the wash-hearted, who want courage in our behalf; to raise
up suck as do fall; and finally to beat down corruption under
in, feet—We beseech ye to bear us, 0 Rulers!
That it may pleas ye not to tae 4_l uosi the brow of labour