284 THE BEE, OR Feb. 23, 



be punlAicd for having fet fire to a houfe, unkfs it be 

 pioved that it was not done by accident, but by defign. 

 The wifdom and equity of thcfe regulations will not 

 be difputed : But in regard to debt, • all thefe rules are 

 totally overturned, or entirely difregarded. The mere 

 ik&. of having contracted a debt which cannot be ealily 

 difchargcd, may no doubt on many occafions, prove 

 prejudicial to the creditor, 'but it does not, prima fatie, 

 fippear to be a crime of a deeper dye, than tliat of fettuig 

 fire to our neiglibour's houfe, or the depriving a fellow 

 fubject of life. Yet the fimply proving of this fail, 

 without any refpect being paid to the amount of the 

 debt, or the circumfiances that occafioned the failure of 

 p,iyment, is deemed a fufficient reafon for withdrawing 

 from the debtor the proteftion of the judge ; for de> 

 priving him of the means of vindicating his innocence 

 before an impartial jury of his countrymen.; and for 

 delivering him into tl)e power of an enraged creditor,, 

 who may, if he fliall fo incline, without controul, inflift 

 upon him a punilhment, that fhall be more fevere than 

 death itfelf. And it is in this land of freedom, which 

 boafls of the proteclion the laws afford to every indivi- 

 dual, that fuch tilings nre permitted 1 I-s it in this 

 land, where humanity is univerfrlly cheriflied, that fuch 

 cruelty is tolerated I Is it in this land where freedom 

 is adored, that fuch a horrid fpecies of flavcry is fufFer- 

 ed to prevail! It is even fo. And ought we not be 

 ulhamed to vaunt of our freedom, to glory in our fpirit 

 of humanity, or to pride ourfelves on the jullice of our 

 laws, while this fyftem of legal barbarity is fuffered to 

 exift among us ? A debtor may have doubtlefs become 

 fuch through misfortunes, as well, as from a criminal 

 conduft. VVliy then, ihould he alone be liable to fuf- 

 fer the fevere punilliment of guilt, before even an at- 

 tempt fhall hzvQ been made to prove, that fuch guiit 

 does aftually exiil ? The only apology that can bo 

 offered, tor our having fo long tolerated fo barbarous a 

 fj^ilem, is, that the unhappy fuSerers are in general ihqt 



