APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



171 



tdry of the Christian Church knew 

 that some illustrious members of 

 the Church of Englaiui, and some 

 high ornaments of the Bench, 

 hiid expiessed their wish that the 

 Creed of St. Athanasius had been 

 couched in a form less peculiar. 



Mr. Justice Bayley, in passing 

 sentence, observed, that the libels 

 in question well merited the epi- 

 thets bestowed upon them in the 

 information : they were calculat- 

 ed to undermine the foundation 

 of all moral and religious duties, 

 and to bring into ridicule and 

 contempt the sacred ordinances of 

 the Church ; to fill the minds, 

 more especially of the lower or- 

 ders, with light and trivial mat- 

 ters, at a time when they ought 

 to be devoted to the service and 

 adoration of God. The case be- 

 fore the Court was certainly not 

 one of the most aggravated' de- 

 scription } but if the defendant 

 had unpremeditatedly been the 

 means of circulating these blas- 

 phemous productions, the evil 

 with lespect to others was the 

 same : a slight perusal of them 

 was sufficient to convince any man 

 who reverenced the saci'ed insti- 

 tutions of Ills country, that they 

 were profane ami scandalous. It 

 was said, that the Creed of St. 

 Athanasius had been objected to 

 by some of the holiest and ablest 

 men : it might be so ; but their 

 calm and learned discussion could 

 be no warrant for an intemperate 

 and impious attack like the jjre- 

 sent. \V'ith regard to others, who 

 had first been guilty of this of- 

 fence, they might or might not be 

 more deserving, of j)unishment , 

 the Court always measured its 

 sentences by the circumstances 

 before it, not nggra^ating the 



punishment in the case earliest 

 brought before it, because it is the 

 first, nor diminishing it in the 

 latest, because it is the last. The 

 sentence was — that the defendant, 

 for the first libel, should be im- 

 prisoned in Winchester gaol for 

 eight calendar months, pay a tine 

 of 100/. and give security fwr five 

 years, himself in 30oZ. and two 

 sureties in 150L each. For the 

 second libel it was ordered, that 

 he should be imprisoned four ca- 

 lendar months. 



SiUings after Term, before- Mr. Jm- 

 tice Abbot and a Special Jury. 

 December 18. 



The King v. IVilliam Hone.—^ 

 Aftei" Mr. Shepherd had stated, 

 that this was an information filed 

 by the Attorney-General againsit 

 the defendant for printing .audi 

 publishing a seditious and })rofane 

 libel on those part.'' of our church 

 service called the Catechism, the 

 Apostles' Cr«edi, and tlie. Lord's 

 Prayer, to which the defendant had 

 pleaded; Not Guilty ; the Attorney- 

 General rose, and spoke to the. 

 following effect. 



After having remarked, fioni 

 Sir Matthew Hale, that " Chris- 

 tianity is part and jrarcel of the 

 common law of England," lie said, 

 that if it were not an ofience to 

 levile the solemn service of our 

 church, and to bring it into ridi- 

 cule, Christianity was no hmger 

 parcel of the common la-w cf the 

 land. He then entered more par- 

 ticuhirly into the object of the 

 prosecution standing for the pre- 

 sent day, which was tliat of a pro- 

 tection to the Cimreh Catechism, 

 with its appendages, the .\poslkvi' 

 Creed, and tlic Lord's I'rayer. Ho 

 dwelt with liocomiuggiavity upon 

 these artick«; and pninteilout the 



manner 



