Mr. 'Turner on Crimes and Punijhments. 329 



Now that, fo far from being necelTary to anfwer 

 this end, capital punifhments are exceedingly 

 impolitic, and, as far as tbey operate, tend 

 frequently' to prevent it, the obfervations already 

 made on fevere punijhments in general might be 

 fuflTcient to fhew. 



But to thefe we may add,, further, that the 

 life of capital punifhments argues a want of 

 capacity in the legidator. It is V2it\\tr zn expedient 

 to get rid of certain inconveniences in fociety, 

 than an attempt to renedy them. It is eafy enough, 

 indeed, for the magiiirate to extirpate mankind, 

 but it is his bufincfs to amend them, and make 

 them happy. " It is quackery in government,'* 

 fays Blackftone, '' to apply too frequently the 

 '' fame univerfal remedy, i\\t idtimum fupplicium : 

 *' and that magiftiate mufl: be efteemed both a 

 '' weak and a cruel furgeon, who cuts off every 

 *' limb, which, through ignorance or indolence, 

 ** he will not attempt to cure." * 



The idea of capital punifnments would natu- 

 rally fuggeft itfelf in the infancy of a (late. When 

 any one had committed an offence, and diflurbed 

 the peace of fociety, the queftion v/ould then 

 firft arife " How (hall we prevent thefe things ?" 

 And the anfv/er mod likely to occur to a fet 

 of barbarians would be, "Extirpate the offender, 

 ?' and give yourfelves no further trouble about 



* B]ackIlone. B. IV. C. i. p. 17, 18. 



*^ him." 



