314 ^^' ^ii^ner on Crimes and PuniJJjments, 



harm to be expefted from any particular af^lon, 

 or general courfe of condu(fl ; and may therefore 

 juftly reftrain and punifh all fuch as he is con- 

 vinced are inconfiftent with the peace of that 

 fociety over which he prefides, without enqui- 

 ring whether they proceed from a good or bad 

 moral principle. The infatuated murderer of 

 the Duke of Buckingham was probably influ- 

 enced by the beft motives to the commifTion of 

 fuch an offence ; but whether this was adually 

 the cafe or not, nay, though the magiftrate had 

 been fully perfuaded that it was, he would not 

 therefore have been juftified in acquitting him, 

 fmce he would by that means have afforded an 

 opportunity for every murderer (nay indeed for 

 any offender) to plead the fame excufe ; which, 

 as no plea of this kind can with certainty be 

 contradided, would make way for the introduc- 

 tion of every kind of licentioufnefs, and quickly 

 bring on the total overthrow of civil fociety. 

 He was therefore obliged, whatever his private 

 opinion might be, to puni{h the delinquent as 

 guilty of an offence againjl the laws of his country i 

 and as for the reft, muft content himfclf with 

 the refledtion, that it is in the power of the 

 Divine Being hereafter to ratify or revoke his 

 fentencej to reward Felton, as a lover of his 

 country J or to recompenfe Villiers, for the mis- 

 fortune he fuffered as the devoted vidim of 

 blind party, rage. 



We 



