272 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



likewise styled them the corregidors 

 of Dublin, who loved money as 

 much as the watchman in his rags, 

 and were unwilling to give a fair 

 price for honesty. Mr. Magee had 

 been remonstrated with on the 

 effects of this statement. He ac- 

 knowledged he was the editor, but 

 denied any specific knowledge of 

 the contents of the article. He 

 said he knew the author, but would 

 not give him up. He further stated, 

 that' his ears had been stunned 

 with complaints against the Police. 

 The learned counsel contended for 

 the maxim, *' qui Jucit per alium 

 Jacit ■per se ; " and asserted that 

 isuch publications did great mischief 

 to the liberty of the press. Mr. 

 Goold spoke for the defendant, and 

 was replied to by Mr. Burton. The 

 chief justice summed up at consi- 

 derable length ; when the jury re- 

 tired, and after an hour and a 

 halfs consultation, brought in a 

 verdict — Guilty of publishing, but 

 "without a malicious intention. 



They were informed by the 

 Court that such a verdict could not 

 be received ; when they retired a 

 second time, and after remaining 

 out ten minutes, returned with a 

 verdict of — Guilty. 



Trial for Blasphemy. — Court of 



King's-Bench,MarchQ The King 



V. Daniel Isaac Eaton. — This was 

 an information filed against the de- 

 fendant for the publication of a 

 blasphemous and profane libel on 

 the Holy Scriptuijs, the work of 

 Thomas Paine. After the plead- 

 ings had been opened by Mr. 

 Abbott, the Attorney-General 

 mentioned the motives which had 

 induced him to file the information, 

 and characterised the publication in 

 question ir. terms of the greatest 



abhorrence. The libel, he said, 

 asserted that the Holy Scriptures 

 were, from beginning to end, a fable 

 and an imposture ; that the Apos- 

 tles were liars and deceivers ; the 

 author denied the miracles, the 

 resurrection, the ascension of Jesus 

 Christ, nay his very existence as 

 the son of God ; and even as 

 a man on earth ; he asserts his 

 whole history to be nearly fabu- 

 lous, and places it on a level 

 with the legends of the Heathen 

 mythology, concluding with taking 

 upon himself to describe infidelity 

 in these words : '* He that believes 

 in the story of Clirist, is an infidel 

 to God. " The Attorney-General 

 then enlarged on the mischiefs 

 that must result from disseminat- 

 ing such doctrines, which struck at 

 the foundation of all that was 

 sacred in Christian societies, and 

 all the sanctions of legal proceed- 

 ings. He showed that blasphemy 

 had always been considered by the 

 law of the land as one of the high- 

 est of misdemeanors, and adduced 

 various cases of decisions to this 

 purpose. He then noticed the 

 plea which might be brought for 

 the defendant, that he was only 

 the publisher of the libel ; and 

 said that whoever was the author, 

 it would be proved that the defen- 

 dant was well acquainted with its 

 contents, and had been at the pains 

 of importing it from America, and 

 had assured the purchasers that 

 they might rely upon its being the 

 genuine publication of Thomas 

 Paine. After he had concluded 

 his speech, the passages were read 

 which were charged iu the informa- 

 tion. 



The defendant then began to 

 read his defence, which contained 

 a history of his life and opinions, 



and 



