A i^=^ r- A = JJ u =^== 3D 8 . "1> 6 2 :jd T^S^S^S ~*^ ^^^ggg j> 4 - m^S^S^ Zc 5 ^^^^ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THR X. FIRST TRIAL WILLIAM HONE, @y=fttcio Snfonnattun^ n -51*! ;TV;;;i iuy . jf "iftl^ Jfa!i ';L\, AT GUILDHALL, LONDON, DECEMBER 18, 1817, BEFORE M;r. justice ABBOTT AND A SPECIAL JURY, FOR PUBUSHING A PARODY ON THE LATE JOHN WILKES S CATECHISM OF A MINISTERIAT. MEMBER. w \'\:: TmiQT *>? w^tm ro!>ecutit)sand Jioooumhle acquittals of Mr. Willian Hone. ' 3. That Parodies on Scripture having been wriUen and publi!(hed by Martin Luther, the Father of the Reformation, by J3ignitaris of the Church, and by ot.her eminent and learned personages down to the present time, we are per- suaded that the exception taken to the ' parodies of Mr. Hone by the present Ministers of the Crown was to answer political purposes against the Liberty of t he Press. 4. That a hypocritical prostitution of Religion, and a pretended zeal for its defence, when u*ed by corrupt , Statesmen as a mask for political persecution, must ever be htfd by all sincere Christians as the worst profanation of its sacred name. 3. That it i>i evident from the manner in which those prosecutions were com- menced and conducted, that the real object of Ministers was not to protect Re- ligion; but to crush an apparently defenceless individual who had exposed tbak* Julitical delinquencies, to stifle public discussion, to destroy the Liberty of the 'ress, and to uphold existing abuse. 6. That the extensive knowledge; the varied talents; the manly intrepidity; the energy of mind ; and the unsnaken perseverance which enabled Mr. Wil- liam Hone so dauntlessly to resist the reiterated assaults of Ministerial persecu- tion, entitle him to the gratitude and support of every friend to constitutional freedom. 7. That a Subscription be now opened, and that the money which may be sub- scribed, be placed in the hands of a Comnriittee to be used in such way as sbali appear to them best calculated to promote the permanent welfare of Mr. Hone ana his Family. 8. That the following Gentlemen be of the Committee Alderman Goodbe- here, Alderman Thorp, Robert Waithman, Joseph Hurcombe, William Sturch, Samuel Krooks, William Williams, William Teasdale. 9. That Robert Waithman, be the Treasurer. 10. That the Thanks of this Meeting are due to Sir Francis Burdett, Bart, for his spontaneous oilers of co-operation with the Gentlemen originating the Sub- ; bcription in strict conformity with a life of pure patriotism and love of country. 11. That the Tfcanks offliis MeetiJif are hereby cordially givQn to Mr. Charle Pearson, for his marfly and successful struggle m correcting the torrupt system 'of packing .luries, which has contributed so essentially toward the present triumph; and especially for the gratuitous advice and assistance given to Mr. Hone throughout th>rIiolc of the prosecutions, affording a rare example to his profession of zeal, independence, and disinterestedness. li. That the Thanks of (his Meeting be given to Lord Cochrane, for his zeal- ous endea\ours on the present occasion. ROBERT WAITHMAN, Chairman, 13. That the Thanks of fli Meeting bs given to Mr. Waithman, for his oon- dtict in the Chair, and fckr his ejterttonirupoji-all. occasions to support the cauee of Liberty. W. STURCH. Subscriptions will be received by Robert Waithman, the Treasurer, Bridgie- str(^t, Blackfriars; Alderman Thorp, Aldgate, High-street; Robert Carter, Minories; Joseph Hurcombe, St. Paul's Church-yard; Samuel Brooks, Strand; and Alexander Galloway, High ^oibsu). *,* The Proprietors of,Xnfie^iendentCvu}itrif Newspapers at Liverpool and other placi--, cnTisi(fer\iig that the "Liberty of the Public Press M^t been essentially prpnuttfji, by Mif' HpxES exertions, have most hand- S(ymely opened Books for Svbscriptwus at their respective Offices, and voluntarily in their Journals .promoted the object which the Committee have in view. Sums so subscribed, as well as those procured by the spontaneous kindness of oihcr''in3ividnals in the country, who are de- sirous of contributing by their exitions to the future welfare of Mr. Hone and his Family, are respectfully, requetttd to transmit the amountu '"'^ received bi/ them, as often as convenient, to 3Ir. Waithman, the Trea- surer, in London. - JA^\U^ .-. ...-. 65" 7 "'I- - HUf^ ^0*'^ 3^ lij lo jvn'} TRIAL. ,, l^m':^. ''If .mxinm- ^i ,^ : - !,t,r .?,, i-SV K THE KING against WILLIAM HONE, 0N AN EX-OFFICIO INFORMATION FOR PUBLISHING THE LATE JOHN WILKES'S CATECHISM. Tried m GHtldkall^ London, on Tharadai/, December 18, 1817, at the London Sittings after Miehaelmai Term. BEFORE MR. JUSTICE ABBOTT AND A SPECIAL JURY Thb Trial of this issue excited eonsiderable interest. So early tui aight o'clock the avenues leading to the Court became crowded ; tlie doors were thrown open shortly alter, and the Court immediattly filled. About twenty minutes after nine o'clock, Mr. Hone entered, attended by a youth, his brother, who placed on the table of the Court several parcels of books and papers, which nearly covered the table. About half-past nine o'clock Mr. Justice Abbott took his seat on the Bench, and the following Special Jury were immediately sworn : John Gobwix Bowsixg, Leadenhall- sireet William Stme, Fenchtirch-buildingt John Woollett, (iould-square John O'Hrien, Broarf-rcet-lnitldin(5S William Noakes, Little L<'i.>(ibeap, Souih-sidc, wine merchRtil John GARDivtm, Old Broad-slreet Nicholas Milton, Ironraonger-laDc Samckl Hnooii, Old Jewry James Hitnteh, Barpr-yard WiLUAM Thompson, Qucen-slreet Thomas Lfnvu, Qiiepn-,ireet TnoMAs l.DH ARDs, ( alcinan-ilrf e(. Mr. Shepherd (son to the Attorney -General) stated, that this was an information filed by his Majesty's Attorney-rieneral agaiast the defendant, for printing and publishing a certain impious, profane, and scandalous libel on that part of our church service cilled tho Catechism, with intent to e.xciie impiety and irreligion in the minds of his Majesty's liege subjects, to ridicule and scandalize the Chris- tian religion, and to bring into contempt the Catechism. The Attorney-General (Sir Samuel Shepherd) addressed the Court as follows: My Lord, and Gentlemen of the Jury, You have understood from my young friend the nature of this cause. It is an infornmlion filed by me, as Attorney-General, against the defendant, William Hone, for printing and publishing an impious and profane libel, upon The Catechism, The Lord's Prayer, and The 'Ten ContmanU- 2(366947 ^1/ mentSy and thereby bringing into contempt tke Christian Religion. I won't occupy your time long, Gentlemen, in shewing this to be the effect of the publication, for it seems impossible for me to hear it read without feeling one's-self compelled to apply to it this language. It is charged, and, as I think, justly charged, with being a profane, blasphemous, and impious libel. It has nothing of a political tendency about it, but it is avowedly set off against the religion and worship of the Church of England, as established by Act of Parlia- ment. It has been over and over again said by the most eminent Judges, and particularly by one who was the most learned man that ever adorned the bench the most even man that ever blessed domestic life the most eminent man that ever advanced the pro- gress of science and also one of the best and most purely religious men that ever lived. I speak of Sir Matthew Hale. It was by him in one sentence said, that " the Christian Religion is parcel of the Common Law of England." The service of the Church of England is also part of the statute law of England ; for in the reign of Charles the Second, for securing uniformity of public prayer in the Church of England, a book, commonly called Fhe Book of Common Prayer, was not composed, but collected, and annexed to an Act of Parlia- ment then framed, as part of the enacted form of the Liturgy of the Church of England. If to revile that if to bring it into con tern pt_, be not a libel, then Christianity no longer is what Sir Matthew Hale described it " parcel of the Common Law o( England," nor this Sacred Book a part of the Statute Law of the land, because in such an event the law must declare its inability to support its own pro- visions. In that book there is a Catechism, the object of which is most important, because it is that part which is peculiarly destined for forming in the minds of the younger classes of the community that proper foundation for religious belief which is to influence their fu- ture condupt. It is that part which the Ministers of the Church of England are peculiarly bound to teach to those between the infant and adult state at certain periods of time ; it is that part which all who are initiated into Christianity through baptism must be con- firmed before they come to their pastor in an adult slate. To procure this important object, it consists of three parts : 1st, The Service of the Church of England ; 2nd, The Apostles Creed (which is professed by every class of Christians, no mat- ter what be their particular form of worship); and 3d, The Ten Commandments, which were of divine origin, commiinicated origi- nally from the mouth of God through Moses to the Jews. These form the foundation of all our religious and moral duties ; they are those which, if men would but obey, there would be an end to strife ; nothing but peace and happiness could then be found in human so- ciety. This Book (The Book of Common Prayer) has also the Lord's Prayer, as in his sacred and blessed Sermon on the Mount. If these works be not what ought to beheld sacred from ridicule, what is there which can be called so in the mind of a Christian ? I take this to be a proposition of law, that he who attempts to parody these three sacred parts of Christian belief, and presents them to the mind in a ridiculous shape, does that which is calculated to bring them into contempt, and is thereftre, by the law of the land, guilty of a libel. It cannot be necessary to Christian minds to reasoi^ on the baneful effect of such a publication as the Defendant's. If any of you, GenUie. men, be fathers, and wish your children to hold in reverence the; sacred subjects of Chrli.tian belief, read these publications of the De- feodant. and say if you would put them into the hands of those children you love. If you would not put them into their hands, would you into those of the lower classes of society, which are not fit to cope with the sort of topics which are artfully raised for them ? I ask jou, if it be possible, that after such publications are thus cheaply thrown among this class of people, they can, with the same degree ot reverence that becomes the subject, look at the C(emblance more complete. The child is sup- posed to be examined precisely as it is laid down in the 2d chapter of Exodus^ of course parodied. He answers, as to the promise of be- lief his sponsors made for him " The same to which the Minister for the time being always obliges all his creatures to swear. I, the Minister, am the Lord thj fiegc, who brought thee out of want and beggary into the House of Conmions." [Here an expression of feeling was manifested by some individuals of the crowd in the Hall of the Court.] Mr. Justice Abbott If there is any body present of so light a disposition as to think that a matter of this kind should be made a sub- ject of laughter, at least he shall learn that he shall not come here to interrupt those who are of a graver disposition, and in the dischar^'e of an important duty. The Attornev-Ge.neral My Lord, if there be any persons h^re 6 xeho can raise a' smile at the reading of the Defendant's publitation, it is the fullest proof of the baneful effect it has had, and \rith which I charge it. It is for that very reason I charge it as a libel on the^ Law of Engla!nd. I am not sorry for the faint smile just uttered in Court. It establishes the baneful tendency of the work. If there be any here who are riot Christians of some sect or other, God forbid 'that 1 should have their applauding support. Their approbation or disapprobation is alike indifferent to me. When I allude thus to Christians, let me be supposed as only alluding to those who have had the opportunity of having the light of Christianity shed upon them God forbid I should be supposed to denounce those who had not had that opportunity. The next Commandment in this Parody is, ' Thou shalt have no other Patron but me.' At last comes that part where a young man is desired to recite the Lord's Prayer, and this is parodied in the same manner. Iknow, Gentlemen of the Jury, that by the Law of England, it is your province to decide on the mat- ter of the libel, and to say if it be such or no. I am not sorry that this is the case, for I think it impossible that any twelve men who understand the Law of England, and the precepts of Christianity, which are part and parcel of that Law, can read this production of the Defendant's without being decidedly of opinion that it is impos- sible to read it without seeing that its necessary and obvious conse- quence must be to bring into contempt the Liturgy of the Church of England. I forbear, Gentlemen, from reading any more of this pro- duction, as it will shortly be read by the Clerk. 1 shall now go to prove the publication by the Defendant ; it will be for you to take it fairly and fully under your investigation, and, according to the sO" lemn obligation you have taken that obligation of an oath which is founded on religion, or it is no oath at all decide upon it; and so help you God. The Attorney General then called witnesses to prove the publi- cation of the Parodies by the Defendant. Griffin Swanson, examined by Mr. Topping. He held in his hand a pamphlet, called Wilkes's Catechism^ which he bought on the 17th of February last, at Mr. Hone's shop. No. 55, Fleet-street. He bought it from a boy or a girl in this shop, which then had Mr. Hone's name over the door. The girl, he believed, said she was Mr. Hone's daughter. Two-peHce was the price of it. He bought pamphlets afterwards at the same place, and marked (hem at the time. He observed bills in the window, that a publication by the name of this Catechism was sold there, but he could not recollect whether there were posting bills advertising it. Heriry Hatchings, examined by Mr. Ricuaudson. On the 7th of February last, he was the landlord of a shop. No. 55, Fleet street, and Mr. Hone, now in Curt, was then his tenant, and up to Midsummer. He used to sell books and pamphlets. The pa- rish was situate in St. Dunstan's in the West, and he believed in the City of London. Thomas White, examined by Mr. Siiephekd. Was Clerk of the Inner Treasury at the King's Bench, and pro., duced The Book of Common Prayer and the Seal. He pointed out ia the Book the Church Catechism, signed by the Commissioners, and exemplified by the Great Seal. It Gorresponded to the publications, by the King's Printers and the Universities. Mr. Justice Abbott. It would be a highly penal offence to pub- lish as from authority any other than the real authenticated form. Mr. "thomas White. Certainly, my Lord. Here the printed Catechism,. with the publication of which the De- fendant stood charged, was put in, and read by the Clerk. It was as follows : . , The late John Wilkes's Catechism of a Ministerial Member ; taken " '' from an Original Manuscript in Mr. Wilkes's Handwriting, never before printed, and adapted to the Present Occasion.: With Permission. London : Printed for one of the Candidates for the Office of Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, and ' Sold by William Hone, 55, Fleet Street, and 67, Old Bailey, ' Three Doors from Ludgate Hill. 1817. Price Two-pence. A Catechism, that is to say, An Instruction, to be learned of every person before he be brought to be confirmed a Piaceman or Pensioner by the Minister. Question. What is your name ? ' Ansvter. Lick SpKtIe. ' Q. Who gave you this name ? A. My Sureties to the Ministry, in my Political Change, wherein I was made a Member of the Majority, the Child of Corruption, and a Locust to devour the good Things of this Kingdom. Q. What did your Sureties then for you? A. They did promise and vow three things in my Name. Fifst, that I should renounce the Reformists and all their Works, the pomps and vanity of Popular Favour, and all the sinful lusts of Indepen- dence. Secondly, that I should believe all the Articles of the Court J'aith. And thirdly, that I should keep the Minister's sole Will and Commandments, and walk in the same, all the days of my life. Q. Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe and (o do as they have promised for thee ? A. Yes, verily, aiul for my own sake, so I will ; and I heartily thank our heaven-born Ministry, that they have called me to this state of elevation, through my own flattery, cringing, and bribery; and I shall pray to their successors to give me their assistance, that I may continue the same unto my life's end. ' 'Q. " Rehearse the Articles of thy Belief. 'A. I believe in George, the Regent Almighty, Muker of New Streets^ atfd Knights ef the Bath, Arid \h the present Ministry, his only choice, who were conceived of Toryism, brought forth of William Pitt, suffered loss of Place under Chaules James Fox, were execrated, dead, and buried. In a few months they rose again from their minority ; they re-ascended to the Treasury benches, and sit at the right hand of a little man vith a large wig ; from whence they laugh at the Petitions of the People who may pray for Reformj and that the sweat of their brow may procure them Bread. ^ 8 I believe that King James the Second was a legitimate Sovereign, and that King William the Third was not; that the Pretender was of the right line; and that George the Third's grandfather was -not; that the dynasty of Bourbon is immortal; and that the glass in the eye of Lord James Murray was not Betty Martin. 1 believe m the immaculate purity of the Committee of Finance, in the inde- pendence of the Committee of Secresy, and that the Pitt System is everlasting. Anieo- Q. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief? A. First, I learn to forswear all conscience, which was never meant to trouble me, nor the rest of the tribe of Courtiers. Se- condly, to swear black is white, or white black, according to the good pleasure of the Ministers. Thirdly, to put on the helmet of Im- pudence, the only armour against the shafts of Patriotism. Q. You said that your Sureties did promise for you, that you should keep the Minister's Commandments : tell me how many there be? A. Ten. Q. Which be they ? A. The same to which the Minister for the time being always obliges all his creatures to swear, I the Minister am the Lord thy liege, who brought thee out of Want and Beggary, into the House of Commons. I. Thou shalt have no other Patron but me. II. Thou shalt not support any measure but mine, nor shalt thou frame clauses of any bill in its progress to the House above, or in the Committee beneath, or when the mace is under the table, except it be mine. Thou shalt not bow to Lord Cochrane, nor shake hands with Mm, nor any other of my real oppanents ; for I thy Lord am a jealous Minister, and forbid familiarity ef the Majority, with the Friends of the People, unto the third and fourth cousins of them that divkle against me; and give places, and thousands and tens of thousands, to them that divide with me, and keep my Commandments. in. Thou shalt not take the Pension of thy Lord the Minister in vain; for I the Minister will force him to accept the Chilterns that taketh my Pension in vain. I V. Remember that thou attend the Minister's Levee day ; on other days thou shalt speak for him in the House, and fetch and carry, and do all that he commandeth thee to do; but the Levee day is for the glorification of the Minister thy Lord: In it thou shalt do no work in the House, but shalt wait uponbim, thou, and thy daughter, and thy wife, and the Members that are within his influence; for on other days the Minister is inaccessible, but delighteth in the Levee day; wherefore the Minister appointed the Levee day, and chatteth thereon familiarly, and is amused with it. ? : V. Honour the Regent and the helmets of the Life Guards, that thy ytay may be long in the Place, which the Lord thy Minister giv^th thee. VI. ThoM shalt not call starving to death murder. VJI. Thou shalt not call Royal gallivanting adultery. VIII. Thou shalt not say, that to rob the Public is to steal. IX. Thou shalt bear false witness against the people. X. T.bou^^ilt.not covet the People's applause, thou shalt not covet the People's praise, nor their goad name, nor their esteem, ppr their reverence, nor any reward that is theirs. i^Q.- ^^ hat dost thou chiefly learn by these Commandments ? A. I li-am two things my duty towards the Ministcrj and my duty towards myself. Q. What is thy duty towards the Minister ? A. My duty towards the Minister is, to trust him as much as I can; tolearhim; to honour him with all my words, with all ray bows, ^vith all my scrapes, and all my cringes ; to flatter him ; to give hifn thanks ; to give up my whole soul to him ; to idolize his name, and obey his word; and serve him blindly all the days of his poli- tical life. , Q. What is thy duty towards thyself? A. My>duty toAvards myself is to love nobody but myself, and to doiuuto most men.whijit I wpuld not that they should do untp me; to sacrifici- iiinto my own interest even my father and mother; to pay little reverence to the King, but to compensate that omission by my servility to ail that are put in authority under him; to lick the dust under the fiet of my superiors, and to shako a rod of iron over the backs ui' my inf^rio/s; to spare the People hy neither '.\ ord nor deed; to obsfivi' neither truth nor justice in my dealings with tliem ; to bear them maj ice a;i(i hatred in my heart; and where their wives and pro- perties arp concerned, to keep my body neither in temperance, sober- neps,, norchastity, but to give my hands to picking and, stealing, and .ii\y tungue to evil speaking and lying, and slander of, their oiforts to defend thi ir liberties and recover their rights; never failing to envy their privileges, and to learn to get the Pensions of myself and my colleagues out of the People's labour, and to do my duty in that de- partment of public plunder unto which it shall please the Minister to call me, Q. My g and Place'men, that we may vote for him, servehif^, ^id,oU(jy him, a.> far as we fid it couveuient ; and L beseech the Mi- nister thathe will give.us alltluugs that be, needful, both forour repn- tatjpn and appearance in the House and out of it; that be vyijl be f^ypurable to us, and forgive us our negligences ; thrtjt v,;]l yi^arc c 10 him to save and defend us, in all dangers of life and limb, from the People, our natural enemies ; and that he will help us in fleecing and grinding them ; and this I trust he will do out of care for himself, and our support of him through our corruption and influence; and there- fore I say Amen. So be it. Q. How many Tests hath the Minister ordained ? A. Two only, as generally necessary to elevation; (that is to say) Passive Obedience and Bribery. Q. What meanest thou by this word Test ? A. I mean an outward visible sign of an inward intellectual mean- ness, ordained by the Minister himself as a pledge to assure him thereof. Q, How many parts are there in this Test ? A. Two ; the outward visible sign, and the intellectual meanness. Q. What is the outward visible sign or form of Passive Obedience ? A. Dangling at the Minister's heels, whereby the person is degrad- ed beneath the baseness of a slave, in the character of a Pensioner, Placeman, Expectant Parasite, Toadeater, or Lord of the Bedchamber. Q. What is the inward intellectual meanness ? A. A death unto Freedom, a subjection unto perpetual Thraldom: for being by nature born free, and the children of Independence, we are hereby made children of Slavery. Q. What is required of pensons submitting to the Test of Passive Obedience ? A. Apostacy, whereby they forsake Liberty ;- and faith, whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of the Minister, made to them upon submitting to that Test. Q. Why was the Test of Bribery ordained ? A. For the continual support of the Minister's influence, and the feeding of us, his needy creatures and sycophants. Q. What is the outward part or sign in the Test of Bribery ? A. Bank notes, which the Minister hath commanded to be offered by his dependants. Q. Why then are beggars submitted to this Test, when by reason of their poverty they are not able to go through the necessary forms ? A. Because they promise them by their Sureties; which promise, when they come to lucrative ofiices, they themselves are bound to p^form. Q. What IS the inward part, or thing signified ? A. The industry and wealth of the People, which are verily an'H indeed taken and had by Pensioners and Sinecurists, in their Cor- ruption. Q. What are the benefits whereof you are partakers thereby? ' A. The weakening and impoverishing the People, through the loss ot their Liberty and Property, while our wealth becomes enormous, and our pride intolerable. Q. What is required of them who submit to the Test of Bribery and Corruption ? A. To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of any signs of former honour and patriotism, stedfastly purposing hence- forward to be faithful towards the Minister; to draw on and off like hi gio?e; to erouch to him like a spaniel ; to purvey for hrm like a 11 jackall; to be as supple to him as Alderman Sir Wilwam Turti>e; to hare the most lively faith in the Funds, especially in the Sinking Fund; to believe the words of Lord Castlereagh alone; to have remembrance of nothing but what is in the Courier ; to hate Matthew Woon, the present Lord Mayor, and his second Mayoralty ; with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength; to admire Sir JoHx Silvester, the Recorder, and Mr. John Langley; and to be in charity with those only who have some* thing to give. {Here endeth the Catechism.'] This being the whole of the case on the part of the prosecution, Mr. Hone rose, and addressed the Court io the following pur- pert : Ht' called upon the jury, as earnestly and as solemnly as the Attorney-General had done, to decide upon this case according to their oaths. If he felt any embarrassment on this occasion, and he felt a great deal, it was because he was not in the habit of addressing an assembly like that : he had never, indeed, addressed any assem- bly whatever; and, therefore, he hoped that they and the Court would show their indulgence to him, standing there as he did, unaiisisted by counsel, to make his own defence. If he were really guilty of this libel, as the Attorney-General had called it, he should not have stood there this day. So far back as May, he was arrested under a warrant by the Lord Chief Justice of that Court, Lord Ellenborough, and brought suddenly io plead to informations filed against him. He did not plead, because he conceived the pro- ceeding by information to be unconstitutional, and he thought so still. However ancient this mode of proceeding might be, he was satisfied that it was jiever intended to be exercised in the way that it had been of late years. By this process, every man in the kingdom, however innocent he might be, was entirely at the mercy of the Attor- ney-General, and of the Government. There was no security for honour, integrity, and virtue ; no presentment to a jury, no previous inquiry ; the victim was taken in a summary way by warrants, and brought to answer suddenly to informations of which he was wholly ignorant. Another objection which he had to plead on that occasion was, the enormous expense that must have been incurred. He had been given to understand, that making his defence in the usual way, by solicitor and counsel, would cost 100^. which would have been ut- ter ruin to him. He applied to the Court for copies of the informa- tions, but the Court did not grant him those copies. He was sorry for this, because if they had been granted, he should have known what he was specifically charged with. On Friday last, he applied for copies at the Crown-office, and upon paying the customary charges, he procured them. When he was placed on the floor of the Court of King's Bench, the late Attorney-General, Sir William Garrow, stated, that the informations charged him with blasphemous publications. Now he found, that this information did not charge him with blasphe- mous publications ; it charged, that he, being an impious and wickedly disposed person, and intending to excite impiety and irreligion, did publish that which was stated in the information. And here he must beg leave to call to their attention the great prejudice which had been c 2 raised against him tHri>ghout the couiitry by this circumstance, arid the injury which hv had sustained by misrejjrespntations coming from the highest autliorities in tlie country. Tiie late Attornpy-Generalv had charged liini with a second information, and lie thn observed,, that whether he were charged wi(h one information, or 301) iniorma- tions, he would not plead unless copies were given to hinv. : The At'*- torney General in reply observed, thai tifo number of informations depended on the number of publications. He did. not,.:hoWever, mean to charge Sir William Garrow with any intention f<> pro- duce an unfavourable impression in the public mind against him. But he must say, and lie would say it boldly, because he said it truly, that no man was ever treated with greater injustice than he was by Lord Eilenborough. Previous to his arrest, under a warrant issued by his Lordship, he had not been out of the house all the week : he had been engaged in writing, and no apjilication had been made by any one to see him of wliich he did not hear. Two officers seized him near his own door upon the warrant of Lord Ellenboroqgh and refused to let him go heme, without stilting an^ reason why they made that refusal. lie was taken to Sergeant's-inn cofl'ee-house, and afterwards carried to a lock-up house in Shire-lane, where he remain- ed till half-past five, anxiously expecting Mr. Gibbon, the tipstaff, (who, he vvas told, was coming), in order that he might learn from him the charge, and send for friends to bail him. Gibbon did not come, and he remained ignorant of the charge. On the Monday fol- lowing, at a moment when he was retiring for the purposes of nature he was put into a coach, and ordered to be taken to Westminster-hall to plead; but even then the officer could not (ell him to what he was to plead. While in (he coach, he found it almost impossible to keep himself from fainting: but he was told, that when he arrived at Westminster, sulueient time would be allowed liim. He was, however, taken into Court, and whilst one of the informations was being read, a mist came before his eyes, he felt giddy, and applied for leave to sit. I'he answer of Lord Eilenborough was " No;" and it was jironounced with an intonation that might have been heard at the furtlier end of tiie hall. This refusal, instead of making him sink on the floor, as he had before expected to do, had the efiect that a glass of water on being thrown into. his face would have had, and he felt perfectly relieved. At the same time, however, he could not help feeling contempt for the inhumanity of the Judge. He was then taken to the King's-Bench, and was afterwards found senseless in his room there, not having performed an office of nature for several d.i^s. That arose out of the inhumaiuty of Lord Ellen- borough Here Mr, Justice Abbott interrupted the defendant, stating, that he had better apply himself to the charge against him. He was un- willing to interrupt any person who was making his defence; but wJiere, as in this ca-^e, it became al)Solutely tiecessary, he could not refrain, h was the duty of Lord Eilenborough to pursue the course of the Court, and it was customary for defei\dants to stand while the informations filed against them were being read. The defendant proceeded. He should be sorry to be out of order, but he believed instances had becu known in which defendants ^S,M J3 were permitted to sit. He thought that such cases might be found in the state trials. But whether so or not, such was the feeling, of Sir William Garrow^, that he leaned over and whispered to hira, "If you wish to retire for any purpose of nature, you can." He thanked him, and replied, that the purpose had gone by. He stated this because he should never forget the humanity which Sir William had shown on that occasion, and which formed a strong con- trast to the behaviour of the Judge whom he Tiad mentioned. Having stated these facts^ he m ould not take up their time in de- tailing what he endured for two months in the King's Bench; suffice it to say, that he had suffered the utmost distress in a domestic way, and very considerable loss in a pecuniary way. He had gained no- thing there but a severe lesson. He learned that, however honour- able a man's intention might be, they might be construed into guilt, and the whole nation might be raised against him, except, indeed, the few cool, dispassionate, and, sober persons who would read such pub- lications as the present calmly, and determine upon the motives of the writer. It was upon this intention that they (the jury) were to decide. The Attorney-General, Sir Samuel Shepherd, had stated, that this publication was issued for a political squib. He quite agreed with the Attorney-General; he joined issue with him upon this inter- pretation of the work; it was published for a political squib, and if they found it a political squib, they would deliver a verdict of acquit- tal. If they found it an impious and blasphemous libel, they would consign him to that punishment from whicii he should ask no mercy. This was the. question which they were to try, and they had no- thing to try but that. They had nothing to do with the tendency which his work might have out of door-^, or the effect which it might produce in that Court, or, at least, they had so little to do with it, as not to suffer it to weigh a feather in their minds in return- ing their verdict to the Court. They would remember, that he was not standing there as a defendant in an action brought by a private individual In that case, they would net have to look at the inten* tion of the party ; they would have to assess the amount of the da- mages ; but here thty had every thing to do with the intention of the party, and if they did not find that this political catechism was pub- lished with an impious and profane intention, they would give him a verdict of acquittal. The Attorney-General had stated, that the very smile of a person was an evidence of the tendency of this pub- lication. He denied that. The smile might arise from something wholly different from the feeling of the person who wrote tliat pub- lication. But he would now proceed to call their attention to a very important branch of this question. In 1771, it was the intention of certain intelligent persons, Members of the House of Commons, to explain the powers of juries relating to libels. Mr. Dowdeswell moved to bring in a bill for that purpose ; and Mr. Burke, than whom he could not quote a man whose authority would be greater in that Court, delivered a most eloquent jukI im- pressive speech on that occasion. He said, ' If was the an- cient privilege of Englishmen that they should be triic by a jury of their equals; but that, by the proceeding by informa- tion, the wbole Tirtue of juries was taken away. The spirit of 14 the Star-chamber had transmigrated, and lived again in the Courts of Westminster-hall, who borrowed from the Star-chamber what that Court had taken from the Roman law. A timid jury will give way to an awful Judge, delivering oracularly the law- and charging them to beware of their oaths. They would do so ; they had done so ; nay, a respectable member of their own house had told them, that on the authority of a judge, he found a man guilty in whom he could find no guilt." Mr, Dowdeswell's bill was brought in, but it did not pass into a law. Mr. Burke persevered in the same cause for a number of years, without success; but in 1790, the late Mr. Fox brought in a bill, which was now called the Libel Bill, and it was under the authority of that solemn Act of Parliament that they now sat to try this information. This bill had fixed the powers of juries in cases of libel, and made it imperative on them to determine on the whole of mat- ters charged in the information. Now he was charged with what ? With intending to excite impiety and irreligion, not with having excited it ; so that, as the law stood before, if there had been but one copy printed, they would have been told to find him guilty, if it could be proved that the work was published by him ; but now, if he had sold 100,000 copies, it was the intention with which they had to do. As to blasphemy and profane- ness, he spurned the charge; and when he said he spurned it, he could assure them they should not hear him say one word to-day which he did not utter from his heart, and from the most perfect con- viction. They were not to inquire whether he was a member of the Established Church or a Dissenter; it was enough that he professed himself to be a Christian: and he would be bold to say, that he made that profession with a reverence for the doctrines of Christianity which could not be exceeded by any person in that Court. lie had, how- ever, been held up as a man unfit to live, as a blasphemer, a monster, a wretch; he had been called a wretch who had kept body and soul together by the sale of blasphemous publications. If any man knew any one act of his life to which profaneness and impiety might be applied, he would ask and defy that man to stand forward and con- tradict him at that moment. He was innocent of that charge ; and it was the proudest day of his life to stand there, because he was not putting in a plea of not guilty against a charge of infamous and blas- phemous libel ; for if he were guilty of blasphemy, he would go to the stake and burn as a blasphemer, at the same time avowing the blasphemy. lie said this, because he considered nothing was dearer to man than sincerity. It liad been the misfortune of his life to have his actions misinterpreted by the papers, by the lookers on the mere every-day observers ; but there were a few individuals of the Establish- ed Church who knew every thing alledged against him to be a foul and base calumny. It was impossible for a man so humble in life as him- self to wage war with opinions broached by a Secretary of State ; but when he heard Lord Sidmouth, in the House of Lords, rising every night and calling these little publications blasphemous, he had felt disposed to interrupt him. The odds were terribly against him in a prosecution of this kind, for he had to contend with the Secretary of Stat^-^-a man whose opiaions were adopted by a 25 great number of persons of the first ranX and consideration, aod whose private life was, he believed, unimpeachable. This eminent character was, however, like other mea, liable to error, else he would not have denounced this publication as blasphemons in his place in the House of Lords. Even if it were so, was it justice to pronounce so decided an opinion, one which must necessarily carry so much weight and influence, before the proper course of inquiry and decision were had upon it ? It was by these means that a war- whoop and yell were sent forth against him throughout the country. But, friendless and unprotected as he was, he was obliged to submit, and hence his conduct had been held up to the amuse- ment of the ill-thinking throughout the country. He did not desire, for he did not know how, to obtain popularity; he never went all lengths with any description of persons whatever. He was as independent in mind as any gentlem m in that Court was in- dependent in property : he had made to himself many enemies, be- cause it is in human nature that the persons with whom we arc intimate scarcely ever forgive one dereliction from what they consider duty. He always endeavoured to make up his mind as coolly as possible: sore he was, that if he ever did a man injury in his life, it was from mis- take, and not from intention. And he asked the jury, if they had ever seen any of his publications before, whether they had observed in them any thing that would induce them to think that he was desirous of exciting impiety or profaneness ? No man in the country had a greater respect than himself for the constituted authorities; if he differed from some public men in opinion, it was net at all times that he differed ; it was not because there was a common cry against a measure that he joined in it. He had told them it was the intention of which they were to judge ; and he would sit down immediately, if the Attorney-General could lay his hand on any publication in which, in any one passage or sentence, he could point out any thing tending to degrade or vilify the Christian religion. He stated this, not ia bravado, but in the sincerity of his heart. If he were a man of a blasphemous turn of mind, it was scarcely possible, amongst the nu- merous works which he had published, and the greater part of them written by himself, that something of this kind should not have a,p- peared ; but whatever opinions the Attorney-General might form re- specting his notions of religion, he knew that he could not produce any blasphemous writings against him. He came now to another part of this subject. It was his fate, when he was taken to the King's- Bench, although it might be an advantage to the country, to dilfer with the Master of the Crown-office, as to the way in which the special juries were returned. After the juries in his case were struck Here Mr. Justice Abbott again interrupted the defendant, ob- serving, that he did not think this had any bearing on the question. He was sorry, he repeated, to interfere with his defence, but he had better confine himself to the point at issue, Mr. Hone said it had, he thought, a bearing on the question, and his Lordship and the Jury would see it in a short time. The Juries to which he alluded were struck in what appeared to him a fair and an honourable way ; but Mr. Justice Abbott. I do not see the relevancy of viiat you arc 16 noi*' stating. It is my duty to take care that the tiifle of the Ctirt should not be consumed improperly : any other motive I cannot have. ?Mr. Hone said, that no person could be more anxious than himself to save the time of his'Lordship andof the Jury. If the Attorney- General had asked him, he would have admitted the publication of the work in order to save time : but if he were prevented from going on with what he had begun to state, it would disarrange the whole of his defence. He brought forward his arguments in the best way he could, and he hoped for the indulgence of the Court. He would very briefly state what ho saw of the mode of striking juries. The Master of the Crown Office took the book in his hand, and, putting his pen between the leaves, selected the name that appeared against the pen. The Master struck three juries for him ih this way ; but when he (the defendant) was leaving the office, he could not help observing, that out of 144 persons, there were only two whose ames he had ever heard of bel'ore-r-he who had lived in London all his life, and had been actively engaged. One of them was Mr. : Sharpe, and he only knew his name as a member of the House of Commons. When, therefore, he saw^ those names he began to re- flect whether the Master had struck the juries from a proper list ; and Mr. Pearson, his attorney, conceiving that it was not a proper book, he (the defendant) afterwards sent a solemn protest to the Master of the Crown-office, when he knew Mr. Litchfield, the solici- tor of the Treasury, wtwld be- present, against those Juries, and the result was, that the Crown abandoned its Special -Juries; Mr. Litchfield waved the three juries which had been struck in his case. The Grown consented to his discharge ou his own recognizance. Three weeks ago these informations were revived, and notices given of fresh juries, and of this trial. He attended at thei Crown-office, and Iijo was glad to find that a new book of good jurymen was coming down to the office. He was told that a book containing the names of 8,000 persons in Lorvdon would be sent down. The book came down, and the Master otiose the juries as before, but he did not take the names against which his pen struck. Mr. Justice Abbott. I really cannot see how this bears upon the cause. I sliall not discharge my own duty if I suffer you to proceed. I am unwilling to interfere, and prevent a defendant from stating any thing that bears upon his case, but! cannot see the least bearing in what you are now stating. Mr IloNE could assure his Lordship that he would not say any thing disrespectful to the Court, but he thought the point most im- portant, and he hoped he, should be allowed to proceed. A Juryman said, he also thought it might .be material, on account of the notice .which the public printshad taken of this subject. The defendant, therefore, should have an opportunity of .itaXingtUe facts truly. Mr. Justice Abbott regretted that thepublic prints should agitate these matters previous to trial. As one of the g^entlemen ol' thfe jury, hoM'cver, wished to hear some explanation, tie defendant might proceed. Mr. Ho^E resumed. He had observed, that the Master did not IT ,4aJK tj(eafli^ag*insil wjii^his pen-J5(,nick, -and assjgne<^ no^easop Igtr ;tgJt,ing the u.aine o| \\yebt) in the pface, of ]Muxon. While the iil^^ter Ajvas pricking the jury, defendant could not sep ^he name ke jU|^. The Master statPt', that as there was, a ctvxilf .Ip^ut the pen, he (^^1^ nominate thejqry as he thought proper., .'lie thca opened ,t^.tH)ok, the Solicitor of the Treasury standing, at the right hand, ,amdMr.>Maule,. assistant solicitor, standing on tiie left, and these t^'o could see all . the. names. The AJa&ter went page after page se- lecting the jury, sit^m^tiipes he gave four najaes in succesj^ion without jturning oyer a leaf, at others he wpnt over seven, eight,, ten, or ji .dozen pa,ges, regularly examining every page before he gave a name. .In one instance he went aver twenty -six pages, in another ihirty-six pages, without giving out a name. The de/endant entered a protest against this mode of proceeding. He made an affidavit ot the facts, and on a motion to the Court put it in. The Court decided (and to him it appeared the most extraordinary decision that ever was) that the Master was not bound to put the pen in Lis book. Nay, Lord filljenborough, in the presence of Mr. Justice Abbott, said, that if the Master gave the defendant names in that wa)', it would be giving a jury by lot, and that he was bound to seiect such per- spns as he thought proper. The defendant could oppose nothing tP that, except that it appeared to be an unfair mode, iio did not think that it ever was in the contemplation of law that the Crown should select such persons as it chose. Under that impression he lelt the Court with what he conceived to be great injnstice. The judges .all said, that to nominate meant to select, ^ow he found that the Master of the Crown Office was nominated to the Crown by tiie Cpurt, that is to say, the Court nominated four or five persons to the Crown, who selected one of them to fdl the office. Here, theK, the Court nominated, and the Crown selected, so that nomi- nation was not, in fact, selection. He now came to his trial, and , it was perfectly immaterial to him of what opinion tti'j jury were, satisfied as he was that they would return a true verdict. He had a very serious -impression upon his niind of what his situation would be if a verdict went against him. In that case lie firmly believed that he should never return to his family from that cos^rt. The At- torney-General was entitled to a reply ; and though tlie learned gen- tleman had shewn great courtesy, he could jiot expect him to wave that right. If he would, the defendant would engage to conclude in 20 minutes. He did not see any disposition of that kind, and he would therefore proceed. He should state nothing (hat was new, because be knew nothing that was new He had liis books qbout him, and it was from them that he must draw his defence. They had been , the solace of his life ; and as to one of Mr. .Jones's little rooms in the Bench, where he had enjoyed a delightful view ot the Surrey ^|^dls, they would allbrd him great cons 'Intion there, but his mind must be much distracted by the sufferings of his family. He knew no distinction between public and private life. Men sliould be cmi- sistent in tlieir conduct; and he h:td endeavoured so to school his mind that he might give an e.xplan.tion oi every act ol Ins lite. If he had ever done an injury to any one, it was by accident, and not by design; and, though some persons had lost money by him, ther was not one who would say that he di J not entcrtc\in a respect D 18 for hirti [rtie diefen(5atirt]. ' From beiri^ al bookUJeaTer he became a bookseller; arid Avliat was very unfortanate, he was too much at- tached to his books to part with them, He had a wife and sevea children, and had latterly employed hiraseU in Nriting lor their snp- 'port. As to parodies, they were as old, at least, as the invention of printing; and he never heard of a prosecution for a parody, either religious or any other. There were two kinds of parodies; one in which a man might convey' ludicrous or ridiculous ideas rela- tive to some other subject ; the other, where it wa meant to ridicule the thing parodied. The latter was not the case here, and therefore he had not brought religion into contempt. It was remarkable that in October last a most singular parody was inserted in the Edinburgh Magazine, which was published by Mr. Blackwood. The parody was written with a great deal of ability, and it was impossible but that the authors must have heard of this prosecution; The parody was made on a certain chapter of Ezekiel, and was introduced by a preface, stating that it was a translation of a Chaidee manuscript preserved in a great library at Paris. There was a k-y to the pa- rody which furnished the names of the persons described in it. The key was not published, but he had obtained a copy of it.^ Mr. Blackwood is telling his own story ; and the two iherubims were Mr. Cleghorn, a farmer, and Mr. Pringlc, a schoolmaster, who had been engaged with him as editor of a former ntagazine; the " crafly man" was Mr. Constable ; and the work that *' ruled the nation" was the "Edinburgh Review." The defendant then read a long extract from the parody, of which the follo\ . " Now, in those days, there lived also a man who was crafty in -counsel, and cunnin'g in all manner of working : and 1 beheld the man, and lie was comely '^nd well favoured, and he had a notable horn in his forehead wherewith he ruled the nations. And I saw -the horn, that it -had oyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and it magnified itself even to the Prince of the Host, and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it grew and prospered. And when this man saw the book, and beheld the things that were in the book, he was troubled in spirit and much cast down. And he said unto hiuisclf, why stand I idle here, and why do I not be- stir myself? Lo ! this book shall become a devouring sword in the hand of my adversary, and with it will he root up or loosen the horn that is in my forehead, and the hope of my gains shall perish from the face of the earth. And he hated the book, and the two beasts that had put words into the book, for he judged according to the reports of men; nevertheless, tiie man was crafty in counsel, and more cunning than his fellows. And he said unto the two beasts, come ye &nd put your trust under the shadow of my wings, and we will destroy the man whose name is as ebonj^, and his book." lie observed, that Mr. Blackwood was much respected by a great number of persons. Mr. Justice Abeott said, he could not think their respect oould be increased by such a ]Hiblication. He must express his disapprobation of it; and at the same time observed, that the de- fendant, by citiiig it, vas only defending one o/liBncc by another. 19 i Thfe A'rtO.RN^i-G|:NER.\L said, "he had Ijeon thinkihg for fho l&st few injnutes where a person in his situation could iitterrupt: 8 , defendant- He now rose to niake an objection in point of Iaw. Xhe deffndant was stating certain facts of previ.ou$ publican tions, and a question miglu ari.'^e as to the proof of tb^nit The .^anie objection ., applied to the legality of his statempnt. The defendant had flo liiore right fo state any previous; libel by way of parody, tjian a person chi^iged with obscenity jwd of bringing vol unies-VMij the , table and eAhibiting' them in his de- fance. The defene stating, and so to be publishing, things uhich had betler remain on tlve shelves: in a bookseller'** shop ^han be in the hands of the public. .., '3,: {\ Mr. Hone said, that the Attorne3--General called thi'S'^parody -a K-4 bel, but it was not a libel till a jury had found it to be so. His wa.^ notflilibplj or why did he stand there to defend iti in taking ihi-s course of defence, he did not take it as a selection of modes ; it was his only mode. He had no intention to send forth any ofliensite pub- lication to the world, but merely to defend himself. When he heard that his own parodies had given pain to some minds, he, was sorry for it. This sort of writing wa^familiar to him from his course of read- ing. This parody, called Wilkes's Catechism, vvas published by him on.th? i4th of February, and on the 22d he slopt the sale of tixe other pfiniphlets.. He should adduce eviderice to show that this sort of .writing had never been prosecuted. He then held in his hand a little publication drawn up by the late Dr. Letlsom, shewing the effects of temperance and intemperance, bj' diverginglines, as a man gets Aom water to strong beer, and from strong beer to spirituous liquors and habits of brutal intoxication. He took this as a popular mode of conveying instruction with preservation of health, and had no in- tention to ridicule the thermomeleir on the plan on which it was framed., ;.,, i , , ,, , He (the defendant) knew there were some most 'excellent persons who occasionally made applications of the Scripture in a way which they w-ould not do in the pulpit. In 1518, a pared}' of die first verse of the first psalm, was- written by, a man whom every individual in this Couf,l_ would estpem - a man tq \yhom wc were indebted for li- -bertj' of con,5cience,'and finally for all the blessings of the Reforma- tion itself he meant Martin Luther, -in the first volume of Jortin"s Life of Erasmus, page 117, the following parody, on tlie fn-st verse of the first psalm, to which he had alluded, appeared : " Blessed i^ the.man that hath not walked in the way of the Sacvamentarians, nor satin the seat of the Zuinglians, or followed the counsel of the.Zuri- chers." Would any man say that Martin Luther was a blasphemei ? and he was a parodist as mcU as Williain Hone. But parodies had been published even in the pulpit. He had then in- his hand a pa- rody on the Lord's Prayer, delivered in the pulpit by Dr. John Boys, Dean of Canterbur}'. in itl3, and which was after.vards Inserted in a folio volume of his works which he published- He state-.'., u-at lie gained great applause by preaching on that occasion, which occurred on the 5lh of ISovember, IGOO. The parody ran in these \iord.? " Our Poj^e, ^Ulich art in Rome, hellisK be thy ncin>e, give ns.this day our cup in the Lord's supper,''* and so on, ii2 ' ' ' ' ''' " 20 Ml". Justice Abbott thought it better that thfe defendant shottKl riot read any more of this parody ; it could only shock the ears ot well-disposed and religions persons; and he must again repeat, that the law did not allow one offence to be vindicated by another. He- wished the defendont would not read such tbirtgs. Mr. Hone. My Lord, your Lordship's observation is in the very spirit of what Pope Leo X. said to Martin Luther " For God's sake don't say a word about the indulgences and the monasteries, and Lli give you a living," thus precluding him from mentioning the very thing in dispute. I must go on with these parodies, said Mr. Hone, or I cannot go on with my defence. The next book he should refer to was a volume of sermons by Bishop Latfmer, in which there was one illustrated by a game of cards. He recollec'ed to have seen an old book of Sermons with a wooden cut, m which the clergyman was represented holding out a card in his hand from the pulpit. He had no doubt biit that wooden cut was a portrait of the Bishop preaching the very sermon to which he was about to call the attention of the Jury. Let it be recollected that the author of this sermon was the great Latimer, who suffered for the truth. WoulJ any one venture to say that he meant to ridicule religion ? Many of the sermons were preached before the King and the Privy Council: that to which he referred was the 64th, and entitled " The first of twO sermons of the Card, preached at Cambridge, in Advent, 1526." The Rev. Bishop says, " And because I cannot declare Christ's rule unto you at one time as it ought to be done, I will apply myself according to your cui^tom at this time of Christmas. I will, as I said, declare unto you Christ's rule, but that shall be in Christ's cards, wherein you shall perceive Christ's rule. The game that we will play at shall be the triumph [this word triumph, said Mr. Hone, is what we now call frump, which is a corruption of the originarterin], which, if it be well played at, he tiiat dealeth shall win, and the standers and lookers upon shall do the same; insomuch that there is no man that is willing to play at this triumph with these cards but they shall be all winners and no losers; let, therefore, every Christian man and woman play at these cards, that they may have and obtain the triumph. You must mark, also, that the triumph must apply to fetch home unto him all the other cards, whatsoever suit they be of. Now, then, take you this first card, which must appiar and be showed unto you as foUow- eth : You hav hoard what was spoken to men of the old law Thou shalt not kill ; whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of judgmrnt; and whosoever shall say nnto his neighbour rarf? a (that is to say, brainless, or any other word of rebuking) shall be in danger of a council ; and vvho^;oeTe^ shall say unto his neighbour fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire." This card was made and spoken by Christ him- self. He would liOt take up the time of the Conrt by reading the whole of whattiie Reverend Prelate had said, but would confine him- self to a passage where he described bad passions under the name of Turks. " Thi se evil-disposed alfertions and sensualities iii us are always contrary to our salvation. What shall wo do now or imagine to thrust dovvn these Turks, and to subdue them ? It is a gi-cat igno- miny and shame for a Ciiristian man to be bound and subject unto a Turk. Nay, it shall uot be so ; we will first cast a trump [here the 'iford trtidp fli'oii*] in their traf, a^d' ^fay XvRi tli^th if ^af*fVrlj6' shall have the better. Let as play, IhereTofe, on this fashion v?ltlj( this card. Whensoever H shall happen these fonl paftsiort* antf Turks do rise in oflr stomachs against out brother or ncighljoor, either for unkind VFords, injuries, or wrongs, which they have done unto us contrary unto our mind, straiglilrvvays let os call unto our remembrance and speak that question, tinto ourselrcfe, 'Who art thu?' The Bishop had taken his text fi-om John 1. ^. And this (s the record of John, wh'en (he Jews sent Plriests and Lcvites from' Jerusalem to ask him * Who art thoa?'iit the Course of the sernvon, therefore, Ihis question, 'who art thu ?' is of-tcn introduced. The answer ' (continues the Bishop) is, * I am a Christian man.' Then. fHrther we must say to our-- sejves * What requireth Christ of a Christian m^n?' Now iam up your truTrtp, your heart (hearts is trtrmp, -as T said before), and cast your trutnp, yor hear f, on this card, and upon this card ydtf shall learn wha*<3hrist r*liuit*eth of a Christian man: not to be angry or moved to ire against his' neighbour in mind, countenance, or other-, v^ise, by ^t'ord ot^eed. Then take up this card with your heart, and lay them together; that done', you have w&ii the game of the Turk, whereby you have defaced and overcome by true arid lawful play,** As he said before, he was confident that the wooden cut he had seen in the old book of sermons represented the'Bishop in fhe act of holding up the card referred to. He had introdured this extract from Bishop Latimer to show, that the most pious men frequently resorted to meatis of illugtrating even sacred things in a way whjch others might consider very extraordinary. He was aware that many woTthymen condemn- ed parodies, but it was not his business f6 eulogiz;e this or any other parody ; it was sufficient to show, that the practice of composingHhem had existed, and had been followed by the most venerable and respected characters this country ever produced. He should now torn to tliat celebrated collectrpn, theHarleiun Mis- cellany, the second volume of which, being Mr. Dntton's oetavo edi- tion, contained an article entitled '* The plague of Westminster, or an order for the visitation of a sick Parliament, grievously troubled with a new disease, called the consumption of their members.'' The persons visited are, the Earl of Suffolk, the Earl of Li'titoln, Lord liundson, the Earl of Middlesex-, the Lord Barklcy, the Lotd W.il- loughby, the Lord Maynard, Sir John Mnynard, Master Glyrt, Re- cordf^r of I.rt)ndan; with a form of prayer, and other 'rites and cere- monies, to be used for their recovery ; strictly commanded to be used in all churches, chapels, and congregations, throughout his Majesty's three kingdoms of Enland, Scotland, and Ireland. Printed for V, V. in the year 1&47, quaffo, containing six pages. Let all the long abused people of this kingdom speedily repair for the remedy of all their grieyanCes to the high piate at Wcstmitistcr ; and so soon as enfered into the Lords'HoUse let them reverently kneel down upon their bare krtees, and say this ilew prayer and exhortation following: " O Al- migti'ty and everlasting Lord's, t^e ackno\<^ledge aiul confess from 'th.e'bbttom of our heaj'ts, tl.atiyou have most justly jjlagued us these fiilfsi'vcn year? for o!;r rnan'foldl sirs ai^d irlquitie';. Forasmuch as we have tiot Hrtjelled apiVrist yoti, but agai'iM;' the King, our most gracions Lord, to the abundant sorrow of our felentiilg heartff^ito-^ whose empty chair vre how bow in all reverence, in token of our duty and obedience. For we now too well (O Lords) understand? that wc have grievously sinned, which hath made your honi^ura give us as a spoil unto lobberg, yiz. your cotnmittei-s, M'q , i est ra tors,, excisemen, and pursuivants," &c. The parties are tht-n desired, if they find no redress, to. turn to the House of Commotis; alter which, this direction follows ;r " Here, let all the people ^ing,Ps* 43. Judge and revenge, &c.; and then facing about to Henry VII.'s Chapel, let all the people rehearse the articles of their new reformed faith, and after say as follows:'' The passage thus directed to be-, said, and the whole article concludes thus: ' We beseech ye by all these, pray against the plaguy diseases your hypocrisy hath brought upon the two Houses of Parliament and the whole kingdom, by heresy, poverty, impeachments, banishmentsj and the like, amen. Then let the people sing the 41st Psalm- and so depart." He hatl already proved to the Court and Jury that eminent and pious divines had been in the habit of approving and writing parodies. He should now show them that that species of composition had also been sanctioned by the approbation of eminent lawyerc. In a collection of tracts, by the great Lord Somers, there is a parody commencing thus ;- " Ecce ! The New Testament of our Lords and Saviours, the House of our Lords and Saviours, the House of Commons, and the Supreme Council at Wind. 5or. Newly translated out of their own heathenish Greek ordinances, with their former proceedings; diligently compared and revised, and appointed to be read in all conventicles. Chap. L The Genealogy of the Parliament from the year 1640 to this present 1648. The cqu- ception of their brain, by the influence of the Devil ; and born of Hell and Damnation, when they were espoused to Virtue. 1. The Dook of the Generation of John Pirn, the son of Judas, the son of Belzebub. 2. Pirn begat a Parliament, a Parliament begat Showd, Showd begat Hazelrig, and Hazelrig begat Holiis. 3. Holiis begat Hqtham, Hothani begat Martin, and Martin begat Corbet; and so on the article goes parodying the whole of the genealogy of Christ, as given in the iirst chapter of Matthew, ft is afterwards in the I3th verse stated, then King Charles being a just man, and not willing to have his people ruinated, was minded to dissolve them. 14. But while he thought on these things, behold an angel of darkness appeared to him, saying, King Charles, these men intend nothing but thine and the kingdom's good, therefore, fear not to give them this power, for what they now undertake is of the Holy Ghost. 15. And they shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Reformation ; he shall save the people from their sins. IS. Now all this was done that it might be fultillr4 which was spoken long ago in the prophecy. Owtwell Bais.'^ Thca follows the second cliaptor, which is also a close parody on the second chapter of Matthew. The third chapter of Matthew is parodied by an application to Saltmarsh and Dell, two noted preachers of those times. It commences thus : " In those days came Saltmarsh the An- tinomian, and Dell the Independent, and preached to the citizens of London. The fourth chapter is a parody on the temptations of Christ. He wou!d read only a few passages: '' 1. Then was King Cliarles permitted by God to be tempted by Ills Parliament with uu- teasonWe propositions many -days.' 2. And whea Fembroke the Tempter came unto him, he said, if thou wilt still be King of Great Britain ilioH must set thy hand to those propositions. 9. From that and -his Parliament, riiii ain Vqiiai concernment on both bidts. 10. And iiis f^me went through all the qiiarlcrs ol" England, the people bringing onto him all SHch as were diseased with tlie evil, and he healed them. 11. And there toUowed him great mnlfitudes of his people from ivent, from fitaftordshire, and from beyond lyue." Mr. Hone tl>en quoted some vorses from a work, entitled " Poli- tical Merriimnt; er, Truth told to some Tune." He next read from the Hev. Maik N'obles's continuatiou of Granger's Biographical His- tory ot England, the lollowing vt-rses written respecting Dr. Burnet, the author of the Theory oi the Earth : A dean and prebendarj'^ Had once a ne;iv vagary ;. And were at dolt ful strife, sir, "Who leu lilt t)itt(r life, sir, ^' -. : V .V '.'; .V *'';" lAud Was th' Iretter man, '' '' '' .. .-r.;:,: /';': And w;)s the t>etter man. i '.i 'i - ' I'-ziiu'-. i; >The dean he said, tliat trnly^h , u.,,' .. fifuj*! ; r; ^JSi.ne Bliitt wa* so unruly, .;)...,, , He'd prove it to his fac^,siir,; , . That he had the niosi grace, sir; And so the figlit heyan, &c. When Prt'b. replittl like thunder. And roars out, 'l\va> no wonder, " " Since gods The dtitu had three, SM*, And more by two than be, sir. For be bat! got bnt one, &c. ..: /; c Now wiiile tluse two were raging. And \\\ dispute engaging,. The Master of the Charter, Said both bad raiigbt a tartar J For god>., sir, there were none, &.c That all tjie books of Moses Were notlnng hut supposes; That he deservd rebttke, sir. Who wrote the Pentateuch, sir; 'Twiis nothing but a sham, 'Twas notiiing- but a sham. That as for father Adam, With Mrs. iJve, bis madam. And what the serpent spoke, sir, 'Twas nothing but a joke, sir. And well-invented flam, kScc. Thus, in this battle royal, As none would take denial. The dame for whom tlicj' strove, sir, <'oukl ntJlin^r of Ihom love, sir. Since all hid given ofience, &c. She therefore, sjtiy waiting. Left all three tools a-prating; i And i)dng in a fright, sir, Jteligion took her flight, sir. And ne'er was heard of since, &c. i\nr....i :j . ' / " ;i . hio ^ . . 1 . X I ; ;u vlio-.T ;.; 'la.-..!'''! f.- : ' ' .V'.r, t. .; ' i i ir. i ,h,v..-' The Be4t.\rork td.wUich Mr. Hone cnUcd the aUeatioa of tlie jitry was a 9BalUrftefc purporting to be tratolateU freai the Freach of Fa- ther La Ghaise.. It was a parody on the Catechism iittficided to satirize Lewis XIV. ile wa$ asked, Whose child are you ? And answered, Tliat he Was begotteahy Cardinal llichelicu ou the body of Ann of Austria, lie was then made to lament his breach of faith with theHugonots. Tlie whole was a gross libel on tlie King of France, Ittit no ridicule of the Holy Scriptures. The next work to which ho should allude was the Fair Circassian, stated to be written by a (Gentleman Con>nf><)ner of Oxford, The author was known to be the Re. Mr. Croxal, the translator of .l^sop. It was a very free parody n the Canticles ; he bc);d it in his. hand, but he did nqt think it, iHtUp be. publicly read. '. < He should now refer to a work entitled the Chatppion, published in 1741. It was a periodical publicatjopi, and in it lie found the following parody : .. u ui)^ : i. ; ;;., " Verse 5. The triumph of the wiclc'ed is^s.iicljrt'and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. " This is evident in the case of the children of tsrael, who were for- pierly oppressed with the Egyptian task masters ;, those miscreants, with Phapoah jii their head, (like Co/osi;.9,) affiicLed the poor Israelites vthh their burdens, and built for P/irtroaA Treasure Cities, Pithom and Raam- ses. But short was the triumph of the wicked.' The Israelites were de- livered, and Pharoah with his host of existing taSlf masters thrown into the Red Sea. , 'r, ; . " Remember this. O Pharaab oi N-^f Ik! thoy, who as Benjamin bas raven'd like a wolf, in the mprning hast devoured the prey, and at pight divided the spoil. Qtn. xV\x. 17- , " Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and Iiis bead reach pnto the clouds. " Tl)is is to say, however set firth ill a preaiiible. *' 7. Yet he shall perish for ever'like his ovyn dung j They which have seen him shall say, where is he? " Aiiisi soir il! "8. He shall fiy away as a drean>, and shall not be found j Yea, shall be chased away as a vision of the nigiu. ^imen. " Q. The eye also which saw him, shall see Uim no more ; neither shall Iiis place any more bcliold him." In the Foundling Hospital for Wit, is a paper, entitled '' Lessons pf the Day, 1st and 'id Book of Preferment, &c." Ho should trouble the jury with a few extracts from it. The 1st lesson here beglnnetli the 1st chapter of the Book of Preferment : *? 1. Now it came to jiass in the totUycar of th? reign of Georo-e the K?nr in the iid month, on the lOih of the month at even, thai a dtcj7 sleep came upon me,, the visions of the night possessed my spirits : I dreamed, and behold Robert, the minister, cauie iu unto the King, and besought him, saying: 2. O King, live forever ! Let thy throne be established from genera- tion to generation ! But behold now, the powtr which thou gavest unto thy servant is at an end, the Chippcnfiani election ii lost, and the cnciuici of thy servant triumph over him. 25 ** S. Wherefore, now, I pray thee, if I have fouad favour in thy sight, suffer thy servant to depart in peace, that my soul may bless thee. " 4. And when he had spoken these words, he resigned unto the King his place of First Lord of the Treasury, his Chancellorship of the Exche- quer, and all his other preferments. " 5. And great fear came upon Robert, and his heart smote him, and he fled from the assembly of the people, and went up into the sanctuary, and was safe." '' Second Lesson. 1. Now these are the generations of those that sought preferment. '2. Twenty years they sought preferment, and found it not: yea, twenty years they wandered in the wilderness. " 3. Twenty years they sought them places ; but they found no resting place for the sole of their foot. ' 4. And lo ! it came to pass in the day^ of George the King, that they said amongst themselves. Go to, let us get ourselves places that it may be well with us, our wives, and our little ones. '' 5. And these are the names of the men that have gotten themselves places in this their day, &c." And again, " The evening was warm, and the river ^as smooth and the melody of instruments was heard upon the waters, and I said Lo ! I will go to Vauxhall. So I took a companion, and the voyage pleased me. And it came to pass, as I sailed by Lambeth, the Palace of the High Priest, I asked of (he man that was with me, saying, is this Prelate alive or dead ? and he answered and said, our friend sleepeth. So I came to Vauxhall. -^ * * And I said unto mine eye, go to now, and examine every part, &c. Then I beheld a drawer, and he looked wistfully upon me, and his countenance said, Sit down. Sol sate down ; and 1 said, Go now, fetch me savoury meats, such as my soul loveth ; and he straitway went to fetch them. And I said unto him, Asked I not for beef? wherefore then didst thou bring me parsley ? Ran now quickly and bring me wine, that I may drink, and my heart may cheer me ; for as to what beef thou broughtest me, I wot not what is become of it. Now the wine was an abomination unto me; nevertheless! drank, for I said, 'Lest, peradventure I should faint by the way,' " &c. The next book to which he should call their attention was one, the circulation of which had been very great. It was composed of the papers published by the Association for preserving Liberty and Pro- perty against Republicans and Levellers, which met at the Crown and Anchor, in the Strand. It was entitled the British Freeholder's Poli- tical Creed. " Q. Who are you } '' A. I am a freeholder of Great Britain. *' Q. What privilege enjoyest thou by being a freeholder of Great Britain ? "A. By being a freeholder of Great Britain, lama greater man, in my civil capacity, than the greatest subject of an arbitrarv prince ; be- cause I am governed by laws ; and my life, my liberty, and my property cannot be taken from me but according to those laws ; I am a freeman. '' Who gave thee this liberty ? " No man gave it me j it is inhef^nt, ad was preserved to me when 2(3 lost to the greatest part of mankind, by the wisdom of God, and the va- lour of my ancestors, freeholders of this realm. " Wilt thou stand fast in this liberty, whereunto thou art born and intitled by the laws of thy country ? ' A. Yes, verily, by God's grace, I will." A well-known character, Mr. John Reeves, was the chairman and founder of this society. In one of his publications he (the defendant) had stated that Mr. R. was the publisher of a parody on the Catechism. jVfow, Mr. R. was a very loyal man. He meant loyal in a different sense from his own loyalty, for in respect and obedience to the laws he yielded to no man. But Mr. Reeves had got something for his loyalty something to make him sit easy. He is tlie printer of the Prayer Book, to which he lias written an introduction with an address to the Queen. There is an anecdote connected with Mr. Reeves which he should wish to state. Mr. Reeves called at his (the defendant's) shop, in consequence of the statement respecting his publication of a parody on the Catechism. He then declared, that his Majesty's Mi- nisters had nothing to do with the establishment of the society at the Crown and Anchor. He therefore, took this opportunity of publiciy repeating what Mr. Reeves had said ; but he himself knew something respecting the institution of that society, which he should perhaps take tlie opportunity of stating on another occasion. Mr. Hone then referred to the papers relative to the Westminster election of 1784, published in a quarto volume. There are among them a great number of scriptural parodies, from which he should select only the following, entitled, " Fox." " Again the sons of Judas assemble themselves together at the hotel ir the maiket place, to present themselves before the Lord [HoodJ and Envy came also to present himself among them. And Truth said unto Envy, from whence comest thou ? And Envy answered and said, frora walking lo and fro in the garden, and appearing upon the hustings. Then Truth said unto'Envy, hast thou considered my servant Fox, that there is none like him upon the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that levereth me and escheweth evil ? and still he holdeth his integrity, al- though thou movest against him to destroy him without a cause. Then Envy said, skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for a ma- yirity. But put forth thy hand and touch him, and he will curse thee to thy face. And Truth said unto Envy, behold, he is in thy hand, but spare his election. So Envy went forth from the presence of Truth, and raised up a majority against h'ox of 3 18 men. Then Insinuation said unto Fox, Dost thou still retain thy perseverance ? Curse the poll and decline. But Fox answered and said, thou speakest as one of the foolish sisters speakctli ; my cause is just, and 1 will persevere. And in all these things. Fox sinned not." In the " Humorous Magazine," there was a parody on the Te Deum ; and, in Grose's Olio, a parody entitled " The Chronicles of the Cuxheath Camp." He must now refer to that well-known book " the Ch' onicles of the Kings of England, from the Norman Conquest to the present time," written, as set forth in the preface, by Nathan Ben Sadi. He should beg leave to read some passages from it as examples of parody. *' Now it came to pass in the year one thousand sixty and six, in the 27 month of September, on the eighth day of the month, (hat William nf Normandy, surnamed the Bastard, landed In England, and pitched his tent^in a field near the town of Hastings. Then Harold the King, at- tended by all his nobles, came forth to meet him with a niMT^ruus army, and gave him battle : and it was fought from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same. But Harold was slain by an ai row shot into bis brains, and his army W2 routed with exceeding great slaughter." " Elizabeth. Now Elizabeth was twenty and five years old when she began to reign, and she reigned over England forty and four years, four months, and seven days, and her mother's name was Anna Bullen. And she choose unto herself wise and able ministers, and governed her king- dom with |)owerand great glory. " The sea also was subject unto her, and she reigned on the ocean wilh a mighty hand. " Her admirals compassed the world about, and brought her home treasures from the uttermost parts of theeart-h. ** The glory of England she advanced to its height, and all the princes of the eaith sought ber love : her love was fixed on the happiness of her people, and would not be divided. The era of learning was also in her reign, and the genius of wit shone bright in the land. Spencer and Shakespeare, Verulam and Sidney, Raleigh and Drake adorned the court, and made her reign immortal. And woe unto you Spaniards, woeunto\ou, you haughty usurpers of the American seas ; for she came unto your armada as a whirlwind, and as a tempest of thunder she over- whelmed you in the sea. *' Wisdom and strength were in her right baud, and in her left were glory and wealth. " She spake, and it vvas war; she waved her hand, and the nations dwelt in peace. " Her Ministers were just, and her counsellors were sage; her cap- tains were bold, and her maids of honour ate beefsteaks for their breakfast. " And Elizabtjth slept with her fathers, and was buried in the chapel of King Henry VII., and James of Scotland reigned in lier stead. " James I. And Jamie thought himself a brmny King, and a mickle wise mon ? howbeit, he was a fool and a pedant. " But the spirit of flattery went foith in the land, and the great men and the bishops offered incense unto him, sayingj, O most Facred King! thou art wiser than the children of men; thou speakest by the spirit of God; there has been none equal to thee before thee; neither will any rise after thee like unto thee. " Thus they abused him daily with lying and fulsome adulation ; and the ear of James was tickled therewith, and ne was puffed up and thought himself wise ; whereupon he began to dispute with the dnctors, and to decide controversies, and to write books, and tlie world was undeceived." The work has lately been continued down to the present time, with an allusion to the French revolution in the following maniser : " And after those days a great and wonderful madness broke out about a people in France ; so wonderful was it. that from being wor- shippers of kings they became in the twinkling of an eye king-killers and queen-murderers. And all that had the blood of reyalty in their e2 28 veins they did cruelly destroy. So great was the destruction through the land, that many thousand guillotines could not clear the prisons of their innocent victims ; wherefore they drowned them in hundreds, and butchered them in thousands ; and he who could invent the most speedy method to destroy the human race, was accounted worthy of all honour. And every good man, and every virtuous woman, were obliged to fly out of the land, or to hide themselves in rocks and caves, from the fury of Robespierre, and the infernal masters with whom he overspread the land. And they made the house of God a repository for the engines of their destruction, and banished all the priests and religion from the land, and set up a w e in its stead, to whom they gave the name of liberty and equality." The next work he should quote from was one of great celebrity, on account of the wit and genius displayed in its composition, and which was in the library of every gentleman who paid attention to the pub- lic affairs of the country a work which was admired, even by those who differed most from the politics it supported : he meant ' The Roliad," published by Mr. Ridgway, a respectable bookseller, and a liiost worthy man. In that collection oi curious pieces, the twenty- second edition of which, and that not the latest, I hold in my hand, there is one entitled, Vive le Scrutiny^ to which he begged leave to call the attention of the jury. It related to the scrutiny on the cele- brated Westminster election carried on in the vestry of St. Ann's Church, Soho. It is as follows: '' Cross Gospel the First. i3ut what says my good Lord Bishop of London to this same We>tmirister scrutiny this daily combination of rites sacred and prufunc ceremo- nies religious and political under his hallowed roof of St. Ann's Church, Soho? Should his Lordship he unacquainted with this c-uri- ous process, let him know it is briefly this : At JO o'clock the High Bailiff opens his inquisition for the Perdition of Votes., where he never fails to be honored with a crowded audience. At 1 1 o'clock the High Priest mounts the rostrum in the church for the Salvation OF Sour.s, without a single body to attend him ; even his corpulent worship the clerk, after the iirst introductory Amen, filing off to the vestry io lend a hand towards reaping a quicker harvest ! the alter- nate vociferations from church to vestry, during the different services were found to cross each other sometimes in res[)onses so opposite, that a gentleman who writes short hand was induced to take down part of the blunder-medley dialogue of one day, which he here transcribes for general information, on a subject of such singular importance, viz.: " High Bailiff. [The High Bailiff of that day, you must know, said Mr. Hone, is represented as having been a very ignorant stupid man.j . I cannot see that this here fellow is a just vote. " Curate. In thy sight shall no man living be justified. ' Mr. Fox. I despise the pitiful machinations of my opponents. *' Curate. And with thy favourable kindness shalt thou defend him as with a shield. ' Witness. He swore, d n him if he did'nt give Fox a plumper. " Clerk. Good Lord, deliver us. Mr. Morgan. I stand heic as counsel for Sir Cecil Wiay. 29 (( Curate. A general pestilence visited the land, and serpents and frogs defiled the holy temple. ' Mr. Phillips. Mr. High Bailiff, the audacity of that fellow opposite to me would almost'justify my chastising him in his saered place, but 1 will content myself with rolling his heavy head in the Thames. " Curate. Give peace in our time, O Lord ! " Sir Cecil Wray. I rise only to say thus much, that is concerning myself; though as for the matter of myself, 1 don't care, Mr. High Bailiff, much about it. " Mr. Fox. Hear! hear! hear! " Curate. If thou shalt see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, thou shalt surely help him. * Sir Cecil Wray. I trust, 1 dare say, at least I hope I may ven- ture to think that my Right Honourable friend, I should say enemy, fully comprehends what I have to say in my own defence. " Curate. As for me, I am a worm, and no man; a very scorn of men, and the outcast of the people; fearful and trembling are come upon me, and a horrible dread overwheimeth me ! ! 1 " High-Bailiff. As th&t fellow there says he did not vote for Fox, whom did he poll for? " Curate. Barabbas ? Now Barabbas was a robber ! " He (Mr. Hone) should now quote a parody of the Lord's Prayer, which appeared in a public paper in the year 1807, (the Oracle). It ran thus : " Our step-father, who art in Paris, cursed be thy name ! thy kingdom be far from us, thy will be done neither in Heaven nor in earth. (Here the Attorney General interfered, and the defendant remarked, that the parody had appeared in a Government paper, edited, he believed by Mr. Ileriot.) The CouiiT. Wherever it may have appeared, the publication was highly reprehensible one instance of profaneness cannot excuse another. Mr. Hone. Certainly not; but if this mode of writing has been practiijed by dignitaries of the church, and by men high in the State, he humbly conceived that that circumstance might be some excuse for his having been the publisher of the trifle now charged as libellous. He solemnly declared, that he never had any idea of ridiculing reli- gion, and that as soon as he was aware of the publication having given offence to some persons whose opinion he respected, however much he might differ with them on that point, he immediately stopped the sale. He even refused, after he had suspended the publication, to give a copy to an old friend ; and gave such offence by that refusal, that his friend had scarcely spoken to him since. He persisted, how- ever, in allowing no copies to go out of his custody, exc pt three, which he gave to three different individuals, in order to obtain their opinions on the parody. In short, finding the opinion that tiie pub- lication was offensive prevailing, he gave up all thoughts of proceeding with it. Had he been one who wished to ridicule religion, he should have taken a different course. He should have condnued the publica- tion and made money by it, as there was a great demand for it. In that case, he could have afforded to employ a Counsel, and would not have been reduced to the necessity of standing in his present situa.tion before the Court and the jury. so The Court. This observation has no relation to the point in quas- tion. You cannot be allowed to proceed in reading a profane parody on the Lord's prayer. You may state in general terms, if you please, that there is such a parody existing. Mr, Hone did not wish to take up the time of the Court unnecessa- rily, and if the general reference to the parody would be sufficient for his case, he was satisfied. He should in the same way refer to others on the 2(1 Book of Exodus, the 3d Book of Chronicles and the Book of Daniel. There was also one entitled the Land of Ninevah, writ- ten by Sir John Sinclair. Mr. Hone tlien produced a large sheet of paper divided into several columns in different languages, Latin, Rus- sian, German, English. It was dedicated to the Duke of Wellington, and to the Commanders of the Russian and other allied armies, and began " Te Deum : " Oil, Emperor of France! we curse thee. " We acknowledge thee to be a Tyrant. *' Thou murdering Infidel! all the world detest thee. " To tliee all nations cry aloud, " BoNEY, BoNKY, BoNEY! " Thou art universally execrated !" &c. &c. Mr. Justice Abbott. You have read enough of it. Mr. Hone. It is a Ministerial Parody. Mr. Justice Abbott. 1 know nothing of Ministerial or Anti-Minis- terial Parodies. You have stated enough of that publication for your purpose. Mr. Hone said he perfectly understood his Lordship, and was aware that the Court paid no regard to the quarter whence the parody came ; it was essential to him that the jury sliould also understand, that had he been a publisher of Ministerial parodies, he should not now be defending himself on the door of that Court. It was essential to the I'iiends of justice, that all men shouid stand equal, whew they were brought before the tribunal of the laws. But he denied that lie was ])laced in that situation cS equality, when he was singled out by the Attorney-General to be tried for an offence, winch, if it had been committed in favour of tlie Ministerial Party, would not have been noticed. It appeared that this Parody on the Te Deitm iiad been translated into various languages into French, Dutch, German, Russian, nnd Italian for the express purpose of being read by the troops on the Contiiieiit and it could not be doubted that it had a most extensive circulation. He held in his hand another Parody, published many years ago, called " The Political Creed,^' and a second, denorninaied " The P007- Blari's Liiani)^'' neither of which had been prosecuted. He Siioidd now call the attention of the Jury to a frint which was published at the commencement of the present year and he did -so, not for the purpose of ridiculing tlie print, or its objecl, but io shew the way in which many individuals wished to convey certain notions to the minds of those whom they were anxious to reform. Li this instance, rec ourse had evidently been had to [larody. 'J'lu' priiit was called, '' The Spiritual Barometer ; or, The Scale and Progress of Sin and Death.'' It was, in fact, a Parody on Dr. Lettsom's Parody of the thermometer bciorc produced, and was to be seen iu every 31 print-thop in the Strand. It pointed out all the gradations of vice, leading to infidelity, and ending in perdition; and the progress of religious influence ending in eternal happiness.- Another Parody, which he adduced as a proof that this style of conveying infornuition, even on sacred subjects, had long been tolerated, he should now read. It was-couched in the form of a play- bill, announcing the performance of a grand Drama, entitled the " Great yL,'?;e,"and the performance was, " Bj/ command of the King of Kings." The publication stated, that " the entrance to the gallerif was very narrow, while that to the pit was extremely wide contrary to the custom observed at mundane theatres. Between the acis, the awful air of The Trumpet shall sound^ and the dead shall be raised. To conclude w ith the grand procession of saints and martyrs, shouting and exulting. No money to be taken at the door and none to be admitted, but those sealed by the Holy Ghost." This was printed and published by George Cooke, Tower-street, a member of the Society of Friends. He held in his hand another composition of the same species ; this was a parody on a Recruiting Bill beginning thus : " Royal Volunteers, now is the time to obtain honour and glory. Wanted, immediately, to serve Jehovah, who will reward them according to their zeal and ability, a vast number of people of all descriptions, who will, on joining the Commanding Officer, receive new clothes, proper accoutrements, and every thing necessary for their appearance at the New Jerusalem." He next came io *' a copy of a letter written by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and found under a stone, eighteen miles from Judea, now transmitted from the Holy City. Translated from the original copy, now in the possession of the family of (he Lady Cuba in Mesopotamia. Blessed are those who find this letter and uiake it known. Many persons attempted to remove the stone under which it lay but none could force it from its place, till a young child ap- peared and wrought the miracle." The Attornev-Geneual. The misguided or mistaken feelings which can induce such publications by any man, do not form a ground of defence for others. I, therefore, submit, that publications of this kind ought not to be read in Court. Mr. Justice Abbott. It is no use to interrupt the defendant. I have rejjeatedly staled, that it cannot avail him, as a matter of defence, to quote a variety of prafane publications. It is for him to shew that his publication is not profane and this cannot be done by quot- ing the example of others. Mr. Hone The ])ublication which he hiid last noticed, was a Christ/naf Carol. It had been before the |-!)!;c upwards of thirty years and he should be very sorry to read it, if it were likely to bring tlie publisher of it into aiiy danger. He was sure it was far from that individual's intention to do any thing wrong, that person printed various publications of the same nature which went ttirough the country and, in fact, they were of tl.at description, which the common people had been accustomed to for centuries. Mr. Justice Abbott. I don't care what the common people have had for centuries. If the publication be profane, it ought not to be tolerated. 32 Mr. Hoke It was most evident that this practice worked its own remedy. Publications of this kind could not have any effect, except amongst persons of the most ignorant description. Millions of these Carols had been sold and he had never heard that religion was brought into contempt by them. The Christmas Carol attached to this publication began in the usual way God rest you merry gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay ; Remember Christ our Saviour Was born on Christmas day. It contaijied verses which, to a person of the least cultivated intel- lect, were ridiculous; but to the lowest class of the community, who purchased these, the lowest species of literary ware, such composi- tions, and the ideas they conveyed, were familiar, and were not of lu- dicrous construction. For instance, there was a verse in this very carol which he remembered to have heard sung in the streets every Christmas since he was a child, which described the pleasure of the Virgin Mary in tending on her infant in these homely words: The first good joy our Mary had. It was the joy of one ; To see her own child Jesus To suck at her breast bone. And so it went on. [ The Attorney-General here manifested great vn- easiJiess.^ -The Attorney-General need not be alarmed, ft could have no effect even upon the most ignorant, and millions of copies had been circulated long befoie he came into office. But he would now call the attention of the jury to a parody differ- ing very much from any of those he had hitherto noticed. He al- luded to the celebrated parody of Mr. Canning yes, of Mr. Can- ning, who ought, at that moment, to be standing in his place, but who had been raised to the rank of a Ct^binet Minister, and Mas one of those very men who were now persecuting him for he could not give any milder appellation to the treatment he had received. He was dragged before the Court, from behind his counter and for what? Fordoing that which a Cabinet Minister had been suffered to do with impunity. He would assert that the Attorney-Ge^^eral would act wrong that he would proceed partially and unfairly if he did not bring Mr. Canning forward. " If I," said Mr. Hone, " am convicted, he ought to follow me to my cell if my family is ruined, his family ought to be made to feel a little if I am injured by this indecent, this unjust prosecution, he ought not to be suffered to escape unpunished." This parody, after being first printed in the Anti-Jacobin newspaper, was re-published in a splendid work, which he now held in his hand, entitled The Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin j the expense of printing was defrayed by the late Mr. Pitt, by Mr. Canning, nearly all the Cabinet Ministers, and many other persons connected with that party. The parody was also ornamented by a masterly engraving by Mr. Gilrav. Was it not enough to have written the parody to which he alluded, without proceeding to have it illustrated by the talents of an artist? Vet it was so illustrated. C A number of persons in Court here applauded. ) ^3 Mr. Justice Abbott declared, if such indecent tiiterriiptions were persisted in, he would order the Court to be cleared and he directed the office*' to bring before him any person he saw misconducting him- self. Mr. Hone. The parody he alluded to was entitled " The A^eio Blorality ; or, The Installation oj the High PriestT He understood it was levelled at a man named Lepaux, who was well known at the commencement of the Revolution, and was, he understood, an avow- ed Atheist. Mr. Hone said, his attention v>as directed to the. parody by a speech of Earl Grej-'s. His Lordship had noticed this parody in his place in Parliament, and had v.ell observed^ " With respect to blasphemous parodies, he thought, in common with others, that such productions should be restrained, but by the ordinary course of jus- tice. But this disposition to profane parodies had been used for cer- tain purposes on former occasions; and improper and profaneas they were, they were pretended by some to be made in support of religion. He would recommend the Noble Lord, and the friends who surround him, to consider well the case of sending persons before a magistrate on charges of this nature. He held then in his hand a pviblication called the Anti-Jacobin, which contained a parod}^ of this description, and which he would take the opportunity of reading to theif Lord- ships." His Lordship then repeated the verses. Thus the jury would see that he was supported in his opinion by Earl Grey, and the report I'rom which he had read the extract might be safely relied on. It was from the reports lately published by Mr. Flarding Evans, a most correct, and, in every respect, excellent reporter. Indeed, the authv.rity of his reports was unquestionable. Mr. Hone said, it appeared from Mr. Evans's vohmae, which he used in Court, and quoted from, that Earl Grey said, if Lord Sidmouth was determined to suppress the practice of parodying, he Should- not ct)niiiic his etiurts to tlie prosecution of iMr. Hoiie, but should ircek out ihe authors of the Anti-Jacobin, zchether in the Cabinet or ei-eiehere. Mr. Hone said, his intention being thus pointed to the subject, he soon after saw this same parody in the Coiiriei? newspape-r, with the blanks filled up, and he should read it to the Jury, Ii was in ridicule of certain persons in this countryj who were said by ihe writer to be followers of Lepanx, one of llie men who had made themselves famous in the French Revolution, and who was said to have publicly j)rofcssed Atheism : such at Ica.stj scPtViod to be tiie assertion of the parody. It began thus Last f the anointed five behold, and least The directorial Lama, sovereign j)ricst Lepaux whom Atheists worship at whose nod Bow their metk heads the men ivitiumt a God. Ere long, perhaps to this astonislicd isle. Fresh from the .shores of subjugated Nile, Shall Boniparte's victor fleet protect The genuine Theo-phiknthropicsect The sert of Marat, Mirabcau, Voltaire, Led by tlieir poutift', good La Reveillere. Rejoic'd our CLLTs shall greet; him, and iivsta], TlVe holy huuch-bii.c.k iji vhy dome, St. Paul, 34 While countless votaries thronging in his train Wave their red caps, and hymn this jocund strain : " Couriers and Stars, sedition's evening host, " -Thou Morning Chronicle and Morning Post, *' Whether ye make the Rights of Man your theme, " Your country libel, and your God blaspheme, " Or dirt on private worth and virtue throw, " Still, blasphemous or blackguard, praise Lepaux ! 'f. And ye five other wandering bards that more " la sweet accord of liarmony and fove, " Coleridge and Southey, Lloyd and Lamb, and Co. " Tune all your mystic harps to praise Lepaux! " Priestley and Wakefield, humble, holy men, ** Give praises to his name with tengue and pea " Thelwall, and ye that lecture as ye go, " And for your pains get pelted, praise Lepaux " Praise him each Jacobin, or fool, or knave, ** And your cropp'd heads iu sign of worship wave " All creeping creatures, venomous and low, " Paine, Williams, Godwin, Holcroft, praise Lepaux I *' And thou Leviathan!* on ocean's brim " Hugest of living things that sleep and swim ; ' Thou in vvhose nose, by Burke's gigantic baud, *' The hook was fixt to drag thee to the land ; " With Coke, (^olquhoun, and Anson, in thy train, " And Wliitbread wallowing in the yeasty main * Still as ye snort, and puff, and spout, and blow, ' In puffing, and in spouting, praise Lepaux!" * The Duke of Bedford. Mr. Justice Abbott- Of what use is this to yoa, as a matter of defence? Mr. Hone The Parody was written by Mr. Canning, who has not been molested. Mr. Justice Abbott How do you know that he is the author of it? It does not appear to be a Parody on any part of the Sacred Writings. Mr. HoNF. I will shew that it was written by Mr. Canning but I know it is iinpleasaiit that his name should be mentioned here. Mr. Justice Abbott It is unjust that any persons name should be mentioned otherwise than properly. It is my duty to take care that no man shall bo imjjroperly noticed here. Whether a raan be Minis- terial or Anti MinistiMial has nothing to do with it. Mr. IIoNE It is my duty, though your Lordship says this is not a Parody on the Sacred Writings, to endeavour to shew, with due deference, that it is. Mr. Justice Abbott- As far as you have gOnc, it docs not appear to bo a parody on any thing sacred. It seems to be a parody ou passages in Milton and Pope. But, if you ask my opinion, I dis- tinctly stale, I do not approve of it nor of any parody on serious works. Mr. Honk said, he should prove tliat it was a parody on Scripture; and iliete were two lines which that contemptible newspaper The 35 Coarler the proprietors of which had been abused in that produc- tion, the authors of which it now enlogized had omitted. It was? " Aiid-r and with ^join'd. And every other beast after its kind." This last line was a parody from the account of the Creation in the book, of Genesis; this parody had alluded to Milton, who himself was a parodist on the Scripture; but this by Mr. Canning directly parodied certain parts of Scripture. The passage representing the Leviathan referred to the celebrated passage in the Book of Job. The rest contained the turn of expression and some of the \cry words of the l48lh Psalm, as well as the general turn of the expression of other parts. " Praise ye him all his angels ; praise ye hiro all his hosts. " Praise ye him, sun and moon ; praise ye him all ye stars of light. *' Beasfs and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl." Faalm 1-48, verses 2, 3, and 10. This publication was accompanied by a plate by Gilray, a most admirable caricaturist, since dead, who, to tiie day of his death, enjoyed a pension from his Majesty. In that print, which he held in his hand, the late Duke of Biidford was rL-prcscnted as the Levi.ithan of Job, with a hook in his nose, and with Mr. Fox and Mr. Tierney on liis back. The passage in Job was, * Canst ihou draw out Leviathan Avith an hook; or his tongue with a cord which thou Icttest down? Chap. 41, verse 1. He had been advised to subpoesa Mr. Canning as a witness, but he had really abstained from a regard to Mr. Canning's feelings. He had reflected what an awkward figure Mr. Canning would cut if be were placed in the witness box, to answer questions which he should put to him. He did iiat wish unnecessarily to hurt any man's feel- ings, and he had not thought such a course neces'-ary to his d^fetice. The work which contained this, was, as he said, published by a gene- ra! subscription of the Ministers of the Pitt and Canning school, and the notoriety of the nature of that publication was sufTicient for his purpose. Now it was plain that tiie object of Mr. Canning's parody was the same as that of his own: it was political ; and it proved that the ridicule which the authors of the parodies attempted to excite, was not always intended (o fix on the production parodied. He had not exhausted the subject, but he was afraid of exhaiistiiig the pati nee of the Jury. He must, however, mention one thing which, in addition to those he had already stated, proved that per- sons of the most strictly religious character did not regard the mix- ing up of profane and sacred subjects v ith the same sort of liorror which the Attorney-General appo (fed 'o do. Mr. Ro>vlund liill had remarke-tl in his chapel, that the devil had some great be.aulies, and had (ullowed up the remark by appropriating secular tunes to hymns : ( ne hymn was sang, at Surry C hafiel, to the air of God save the King, having an appropriate burden another was adapted to the tuiiC of Rule Britannia, the ciiorus to wiiich was " Hail Immanucl ! Imnianuel we adore, " And sound his praise from shore to '>lioro." i- He could not recollect all tlje tunes he had heard there but one Qf them^ that of " Lultaby^'' was a peculiar favourite. There was, also a selection of tunes adapted to the Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts, and others. These tunes were selected by a respectable Baptist minister, now living, the Rev. John Rippon, Doctor pfDi- Tinity. Amongst these was a hjarin, commencing *' There is a land of pure delight, " ^Vliere saints immortal dwell j'' j^hich was set to the tune of " Drink to me only with thine eyes, " And 1 will pledge with mine." There was also one to the tune of " Tell me, hahhling Echo^ tr%,' ' another, commencing " How blest are they whose sms are covered o'er," was to a tune in one of Mr. Corri's operas. There were, indeed, se^^eral similar instances in this, and other books of melodies for Di- vine worship. This book of Ilymri Tunes contained " W/ten war's alarms called 7ny H^ilu^ from ineT and one hymn was set to " Bo- naiparie' s March.'''' These different instances proved that those who had the most decided religious feelings might make use of profane or secular means for the purpose, not of bringing religion into contempt, but of supporting it. It was the intention that constituted the libel, and not the mere act of publication. They all knew very well how guarded the Jewish Law was with respect to homicide, if a man committed homicide, he was put on his trial for it but whether it was justifiable, or unjustifiable, or accidental homicide, depen^Jod on the circumstances under whicii it was committed. If a man striking a blow with an axe at a tree, caused the head of the axe to fly off, and a man was thereby slain, though tlie circtunstance was to be deplor- ed, yet it was but acci Cental homicitie. and the person ho committed the deed, not having intended it, v.ould not be punished. But, if a person stabbed another with a knife, designedly, it \' as murder. The same distinction should bo taken in this case and he utterly denied that he had the slightest idea of offending or injur- ing any poison when he published the parody, lie had thus shown that there waa no practice in the annals of literatuia more com- mon than that of parodies ow sacred or devotional writings; that they had been written by the !ughef?( a-^id most dignified Mf mbt-rs of the Church by the Father of the Reformation by the Martyrs of the Church of England by men to whose motives not a shadow of su- ^splcion could attach in all times In all manners -in defence of the Governnion! and the Church itself that at no time had it been con- deiipned by Courts of Justicv.' and now for the first time a friendless, ancf, as his persecutors hoped, a dofonceless man, was fixed on to be made a sacrilice for this sin, wliich haJ been cherished and applauded for centuries. He was told that ih;' >e productions of Reformer"^, of Martyrs, of Dignitaries. ofCiergymen, of Ministers, and I'eiisioners, had been illegal. The Judge tol;! him so. He denied it. W^iiat proof did the Judge produce in w hat instance had one of those productions ivhich he had read, cr of coach loads cf ethers which he might have read, been condemned orieven prosecuted. Ke should now attempt to prove that he had not that intention which was chaige.d in the indict- ment, to create impiety and irreligion. From the beginning to the end of the |)roduction in question, tlie sijliject at)d ti-e object was poli- tical, it was Intended to ridicule a certain set of men, whose only re- ligion was blind servility, and who subjected their wills and their un- derstandings to persons who, they thought, would best promote their sinister interest. The principles Avhich lie ascribed to these ])ersoas were so enumerated as to contrast with the duty which Christianity enjoined ; and the Christian principles shone more bright as conttasted witli infamous tinae-servingness. Was it to be supposed that the Tea Commandments, which contained all the great principles of morality, as well as religion, could bo debased by a comparison \slth another set of Commandments, framed in somewhat the same form, but the prin- ciples of which were as detestable and noxious as those of the first were re-:pectable and beneficial? Was the Lord's Prayer to be ridi- culed by placing in contrast with it the Prayer of a Miiiisterial Mem- ber? It was evidently impossible that sucli could have been his inten- tion. As an honest maiK, speaking before those whose esteem ha valued, he declared that it was not his intention. The Political Cate- chism was charged as an impious and wicked publication, tending to excite irreligion in the minds of his Majesty's subjects. But he would prove to Iht' Jury, that it had not been disseminated with any intent to bring rt'liglnn into contempt, for it was a matter purely political. if they could find a passage in it, thr^t, in any way, tended to turn any thing sacied into ridicule, he called on them to fiud him guilty ; but, if they could not discover such a passatre, he demanded an acquittal at their hands. Let the Jury look to tiie Catechism. It commenced thus Q. V/hat is your name? A. Lick Sjiiltle. Q. Who gave you that nan)e ? A. My Sureties to the Ministry, i:i my Poliiical Change, wherein I was made a Member of ths Majority, the Child of Corruption, and a Locust to devour the good things of this Kingdom. The mHJority meant those who were always ready at the beck of the Minister the corruption was (hat which was known to exist in the House pf Commons-, and was as notorious as the sun at noon day. Q. What did your Sureties tlien for you? A. They did promise and vow three thinijs ii; my name. First, (hat I should rtnounce tlie Reformists and all their Works, the pomps and vanity of Popular Fa- your, and all the sinful lusts of Indepeiuience. Secondly, that 1 should believe all the Articles of the Court Faith. And Thiidly, that I sliou'd keep tiie Minister's sole Will and Commandmenls, and walk in the same, all the days of my life. Sur< ly it could not be denied that t!te frinuls of the Minister did renouiK'ij '.he ileformis'.s M.cy cou'd not 1,'e his friends else. If Mr. Cannin:; .\ .re here h.e would admit this. Mr. Hone said if he went through tlie whole of the Calccinsm, it would be found, like the ex- tracts he had quoted, entirely political, and not at all intended to bring Feligion into contempt. But it was said, that the publication of sinii- tar parodies, during two oeotiiries, did not justify the act. It niig^lit be so^ but it would be a most cruel hardship if he, who, from the long conlinu:ince p( the system had been induced to adopt it, should be ponished for that which his predecessors and contemporaries did with impHuity. In his opinion the existence of such publications for so long a !ime, proved that they were not libellous for, if they were, they would 'ave been prosecuted. Hut they had not been prosecuted ot even in times when Judges on the Bench told the Jury that they had OHly to find the fact of publication, hut that they yeere not to )ecide the questions of libel or no libel. His Majesty's Secretaries of Stale, who ought to be the conservators of the public morals, had fommittctl high treason ngainst the i)eace and happiness of society, if, fcelieviMg such publications to be libellous, tliey liad suffered them so lone to exist unnoticed. Tiiey had now, however, selected him for piinishnlent but, he was sure, the good sense and excellent under- standing of Mr. Attorney-General, must have led him to think that the selection was not aju.>t one. \\'het!;er he went home to his dis- tressed family, or retired in the custody of Mr. Jones's gentlemen, [Mr. Jones is the Marshal of the King's Bench Prison, was present iu Court with his tipsi'aves'] he should leave the Court conscious that he was innocent of any intention to bring the religion of his country into contempt. If suffeiing the sentence he was sure to receive, should he be lonnd guilty, and he vpere placed within the walls of a dungeon, with a certainty that he should never see his family again, still he should, to his dying moment, deny that he had ever publishtd those tracts in order torjdicule religion. \' Loud cheering.'^ The Attorney-General, and t*ery man with whom laws originated, would do well, to render thera so clear, that they could be easily understood by all that no person tould be mistaken. Was it to be supposed that he, with a wife and a family of seven children, would, if his mind were ever so depraved, have sat down and written a libel, if he were aware that it was one? pvone but a tuaniuc would act so indiscreetly. 'Jhcre were, however, irery few men who understood the law of libel. It was, in fact, a shadow it was nndefinable. His Lordship called this publication a libel but be would sav, with all due deference, that his Lordship was mistaken. That only could be called a libel, which twelve men, swcrn well and truly to try the cause, declared to be one. He would not occupy their time much further. It was an important feature of his defence, to shew that parodies might be written, in order to excite certain ideas, without any desire to turn the ori;;iiial production Into ridicule. He thought he had already eliewn ti;at this was not tiie case; he thought it was pretty clear (liat Mirlin Luther dij not mean to ridicule the Psalms; that Dr. Boys, the Dean of Canterbury, did rot mean to ridicule tho Lord's Prayer; that (he Author of the " Visitation Service for a sick Parliament," [tuhlished by a zealous parlizan of Charles L did not mean to riilicule the service of the Church of Engjpiid ; that Mr. Canning did i:ot mean to ridicule the Scripture nior Milton. Why, then, should it be presumid that he had such an intention ? In The Spirit of iJnj Journals was to be fourxl the following parody on Black-eycd Susan. It was well- known to have been written by Mr. Jckyll, now a Master in Chancery, and certainly no man could say, that that gentleman m^ant to turn Ctfiy's beautiful poem into ridicule : " All ill the Downs the fleet was moor'd. The streamers waving in the wind. When Casllereagh appeared on board, " Ah, where shall 1 my Curtis find ! " Tell lue, ye jovial sailors, tell me true, " Doc3 my fat William sail among your crew t" William, who high upon the poop Mr. Justice Abbott " You need not go on with that parody. It is no defence for you. How can a parody, ridiculing any person, be material to your defence ?" Mr. Hone " I will prove that it is." Mr. Justice Abbott " Prove that it is, first, and then read it. It is my duty to prevent the reading, in a Court of Jus- tice, of productions ridiculing public or private characters." Mr, Hone "May I ask your Lordship whether, in your ju- dicial character, you have a right to demand the nature of the defence I mean to make?" Mr. Justice Abbott "Certainly not; but, when you quote, that which is apparently irrelevant, you are bound, if called on to shew its relevancy." Mr. Hone " This is a whimsical Parody, and my object is to shew, that the humour of it does not tend to bring the original into contempt. It is a case in point and no person can suppose Mr. Jekyll intended to ridicule the original." Mr. Justice Abbott You have read enough of it for your purpose, >fhlch is to shew, that the Parody is not intended to turn the original into ridicule. Mr. Hoke. Your Lordship and I understand each other, and we have gone on so good humourcd!y hitherto, that I will not break in upon our harmony hy insisting on the reading the remainder of this humorous Parody. He was sorry he had occasion to detain them so long, though for his own part he was not half exhausted. He was, however, obliged to mention some publications which he had before omitted, and which would strongly shew the impunity which publishers of works of a description similar (o his own had enjoy*Hl. These were graphic Parodies by way of parody on ]Mr. Fuseli's cele- brated picture of The Night Mare. The Parody was Intended, not to ridicule the work of that celebrated artist, but to create a laugh at the espenceof a late very respectable Chief Magistrate of London, wlfocn he would not name, remarkable for his exertions to clear the streets of women of the town. He now called their attention to another caricar ture. entitled " Doney's Meditdtions in the Islandof St. Ueleiia ; or, TTi-e Devil addressing the Sun.'" This was a parody on Milton, not tam- ing the passage from that part into ridicule, but meant to ridicule Dona- pacte. The Prince Regent was the Sun, whom Bonaparte was t^up- poscfl to address : " Ti) thee I cir . The Trial of the Information against Mr. Hone, for a Parodj' 09 iAie Litany, was ordewf^ by the Court to come on the next morning at half-past nine o'cloefe . y^^A-lSfi'. .,&, Just Published, uniform leilh this Price One Skilliug, THE SECOND TRIAL of WILLIAM HONE, on another Ex-Officio Infar- iUpn for publishing anather Parody, entitled t'HE POLITICAL LITANY./" j4ho. Price One Shilling, THE, THIRD TRIAL of WILLIAM iiONE, on an Ex-Officio Inforjaatioj for nubli^iiaga Parody on the Athanasjan Creed, eatitled i CREED. ;^ , Likeicise, Just Puliliihed, THE PnOfcEEDINGS of tl.e PUBLIC MEETING at the City of London Tavern, in aid ai' Mr.' HONE; wi bUie ;leM>lut ions. Speeches, List of Subscribcri,&f,. ^%':. liONE'S TriREE TRIALS, with the Proteeding: at the PuBue Meewn^, &. &i', -t;av !!> be had/in One Volume octavo, Price Four Shillings, in boarch. i'auti^ 3rM{ Published by aud for W. HONE, e7, Old Balk-y. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA libkak Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped h* ' H75f