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SUNDAY LEGISLATION AND ITS OBSERVANCES. 



Interference of Parliament in religious Matters. Sufficiency of the present 

 Laws. Instance of Domitian consulting the Senate on Cookery. Attempts to 

 Judaize the Nation. Review of Sunday Legislation from the earliest Time. 

 Laws of Constantine. Council of Orleans. Laws of Ina, Alfred, Athelstan, 

 Edgar, Canute. Neglect of Observances under thf? Norman Line. Divine 

 Manifestation to Henry II. Fulc the French Prophet. Richard II. En- 

 largement of the Sabbath ; Miracles to enforce Observance. Anecdote of the 



Jew at Tewkesbury Customs of France and England Edict of a Bishop 



restraining Barbers and others Elizabeth. King James's Book of Sports. 



Puritans. Charles I. Fanatics in the Civil Wars Charles II. Effect of 



Sunday Observances at Nantes. 



SEVERAL of the topics on which parliament was occupied during 

 the last session, were not of a nature greatly to increase the respect 

 of the country for that assembly, and others were such as ought 

 never to engage the attention of any legislature. Nothing but mis- 

 chief to the very cause which was intended to be advanced has ever 

 been produced by the interference of parliament in matters of reli- 

 gion. The manner and times in which people think they ought to 

 perform their religious duties is an affair between themselves and 

 their Creator ; and any intermeddling for the purpose of enforcing 

 stricter observances than their consciences deem necessary, is certain 

 to excite disgust, and, it may be also, to cause entire neglect. The 

 observance of Sunday in England, in the provinces particularly, is 

 marked by a solemn decorum, which gives direct contradiction to 

 the petitions presented to parliament for further restrictions. On 

 this ground there is not the slightest pretext for any new measures 

 of coercion ; it cannot be, nor is it attempted to be, denied that the 

 laws against Sabbath-breaking are sometimes violated, but they con- 

 tain their own remedy. What law was ever so perfect as to remain 

 inviolate ? The infraction of a law does not prove it to be insuffi- 

 cient ; if it did, every new case of burglary or arson would call for 

 a new enactment. Severity of punishment defeats its object ; and 

 in the case of religious observances, additional penalties would have 

 the effect of immediately rendering the law a dead letter. The 

 statutes now in existence* are sufficient to curb the most wanton 

 spirit of licentiousness. They have only to be called into operation. 

 While that is the case, it is a loss of time to hold deliberations on a 

 subject for which ample provision has been made ; and men are 

 justly exasperated who consider the legislature of a nation to be 

 appointed for important purposes. The conduct of parliament in 

 this respect has not been of more consequence to the public, or more 

 dignified than the debate in the senate, convoked by Domitian, on 

 the momentous question of the disposal of his turbot, whether it 

 should be cooked entire or in pieces.f It is a most provoking cir- 



* See Mr. Chitty's note to Blackstone's Comm. IV. 64. 

 t Reported in full, Juven. Sat. X. v. 28149. 

 M.M. No. 105. 2H 



