170 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



Court. A topic of mitigation 

 might aho be derived from the fact, 

 that the defendant was merely a 

 country printer. Those of that 

 trade in London knew well that 

 it was their duty to watch most 

 carefully all the productions of 

 their press ; it was a part of tlxe 

 economy of their establishments j 

 but country printers, whose types 

 were engaged in catalogues, in 

 cheap re-pubhcations of popular 

 works ; or at most in a provincial 

 newspaper, were not sufficiently 

 upon their guard in this respect j 

 and designing indivi<luals miglit 

 take advantage of their ignorance, 

 and employ them to give to the 

 world tlie most baneful libels : it 

 was admitted that the parody in 

 question had first appeared fiom 

 a London press, and a man like 

 the defendant might deem that 

 circumstance alone some warrant 

 for his conduct. It was sworn 

 :Uso that the defendant had not 

 the remotest connexion with any 

 of those who in the met!opGlis 

 had spread these baneful produc- 

 tions. It vvas true tliat, ia the 

 eye of the kiw, a man who was 

 guilty of the publication was pre- 

 sumed to be guilty of the know- 

 ledge of its eifects ; but although 

 this might wajiiant a judge in 

 directing- a veidict, it was a legal 

 construction which would not b© 

 observed in all its strictness whe« 

 the defendant was upon the floor 

 to receive judgment : if, too, on 

 the {iice of the libel, iHiother ob- 

 ject and puriose wei;e more pro- 

 minent than that charged, their 

 lordships, in a case like the pre- 

 sent, would be inclined to put the 

 most lenient construction on the 

 wmdtjrt of the' dcfi-ndaut. 'I'lio- 



learned counsel concluded by a 

 few brief observations upon the 

 contents of the affidavits. 



The Attorney-general informed 

 the Court, that there was a se- 

 cond information againt the de- 

 fendant for a blasphemous parody 

 upon the Creed of St. Athanasius. 

 The officer was about to read it* 

 when, the defendant again inter- 

 posed, observing that it was un- 

 necessary. 



The Attorney-general described 

 this publication as cjuite as in- 

 juiious as the preceding : air- 

 though a fair and discreet dis- 

 cussion of the mysterious parts of 

 the Liturgy might be warranted,, 

 irreverence and blasphemous ri- 

 dicule of them could not be en.' 

 dured. 



Mr. Topping, on the same side, 

 felt called upon by what had 

 fidlen from Mr. Robinson, to «ay 

 that it was im.possible the defend- 

 ant should not liave known the 

 wicked nature of these publica- 

 tions ; he could not have derived 

 . his first information of it from the 

 newspapers. 



Mr. Robinson regretted that any 

 thing that had fallen from him 

 shouldi have raised any feeling of 

 asperity : it was far from bis in- 

 tention to excite it: he only felt, 

 in common with his client, sincere 

 legret that he had been made tlie 

 iustiument of the wider ciicula- 

 tion of these productions. IIv al- 

 lowed that to parody the Creed of 

 St. Athanasius vvas an offence me- 

 riting punishment, but he hoped 

 the Court would not attribute to 

 the defendant a criminality not 

 charged,, although it >hould ap- 

 pear on- the face of tlie libek Ail 

 persons acquainted with thtf his- 

 tory 



