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The ancienrt never difcuvcrcd the deeper myfteries of 

 4lieir religion, nor even permitted fome of their temples to 

 Ij? opened to any but thofe who had been initiated. See 

 Mysteuy. 



INJUNCTION, hi I.a-j), a writ generally grounded 

 upon an interlocutory order or decree out of the court of 

 chancery or exchequer, fometimes to give pofFeflion to the 

 plaintiff, for want of the defendant's appearance ; fome- 

 times to the king's ordinary court, and fometimes to the 

 •court-chriftian, to ftop proceedings in a caufe, upon fuggef- 

 tion made, that the rigoiir of the law, if it take place, is 

 Bgainft equity and conicience in that cafe, that the com- 

 plainant is not able to make his defence in thefe courts for 

 want of witnelfes, &c. or that they aft erroneoufly denying 

 him fome juft advantage. The writ of injnnftion is direfted 

 •not only to the party himfelf, but to all and fmgular his coiin- 

 fellors, attornies, and folicitors ; and if any attorney, after 

 liaving been fcrved with an injunftion, proceeds afterward 

 contrary to it, the court of chancery will commit the attorney 

 lo the fleet for contempt. But if an injunftion be granted 

 by the court of chancery ia a criminal matter, the court of 

 king's bench may break it, and proteft any that proceed in 

 contempt of it. 



INJURY, Injuria, in a general fenfe, fignifies any thing 

 contrary to juftice and equity ; that is, any wrong or damage 

 done to a man's perfon, reputation, or goods. 



The word is derived from the Latin prepofition in, which 

 liere has a negative power ; and jus, lanv, right : injuria, 

 ti'd/ur omne quod non jure Jit. The ancients made a goddefs 

 of irjury, and called her Ate. Homer makes her the 

 daughter of Jupiter, and fays fhe did mifchief to every body, 

 even to her father ; that fhe was very nimble and tender- 

 footed, and walked altogether on men's heads without ever 

 touching the ground. 



Civihans define injury a private offence, committed de- 

 fignedly, and with an evil intention to any man's prejudice, 

 ■with regard to his perfon or his property. All civil in- 

 juries are of two kinds ; the one without force or violence, 

 as Cander or breach of contraft ; the other joined with force 

 and violence, as batteries and faife imprifonment. The 

 author of the Rhetorics to Herenniiis fays, " Injuria etl qns 

 aut pulfatione, aut convitio, aut turpitudine, corpus, aures, 

 aut vitam ahcujus violavit." 



By the Roman law, the aftion for an injury was annual : 

 that is, no reparation could be required after the expiration 

 of a year. By the law of the twelve tables, where the injury 

 ■was the breaking of a limb, the injured perfon might demand 

 talionem, that is, that he might break the fame limb of the 

 criminal. 



For the breaking of a bone there were alfo confiderable 

 pecuniary punifhments affigned : for other injuries only 

 twenty alfes were decreed, which the poverty of thofe times 

 thought a fiifficient penalty ; but tha praetors afterwards 

 finding this too flender a fatisfattion, in lieu thereof, ap- 

 pointed the injured perfon to fct a rate on the injury, which 

 thev afterwards increafed or lefTened as they thought good. 



Some of our lawj-ers make a dilUnftion between a damage 

 and an iniurj' ; and indeed there are many afts which may be 

 done to the prejudice of a third perfon, which may be pro- 

 perly faid to be dammimfme injuria. 



As the abfolute rights of individuals are thofe of perfonal 

 fccurity, perfonal liberty, and private property, the wrongs 

 or injuries affecling them muft confequcntly be of a cor- 

 rcfponding nature. Injuries that affeft the perfonal fe- 

 curity of individuals are injuries againll their Hves, their 

 limbs, their bodies, their health, or their reputation. For 

 •the firfl clafs of injuries, fee Ho.micide, MAK-SLAfCJlTEK, 



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and Murder. The two next fpecics of injuries, afTedmg 

 the limbs or bodies of individuals, may be committed tr 

 threats, ajfauh, battery, iioitnding, viayhem, which fee refpec- 

 tively. For the four lafl injuries now enumerated, an iii- 

 diSment may be brought as well as an adlion ; and frequently 

 both are accordingly profccuted, the one at the fuit of the 

 crown for the crinie againft the public ; the other at th.e 

 fuit of the party injured, to make him a reparation in da- 

 mages. Injuries affefting a man's health art tiiofe by vvhith 

 any unwholcfome praflices of another caufe a man to fuftaiii 

 any apparent danger in liis vigour or conRitulion : as by 

 felling him bad provifions, as wine (l Roll. Abr. 90.) ; by 

 the exercife of a noifome trade, which alTects the air iij 

 the neighbourhood (9 Rep. 52. Hutt. 135.) ; or by the 

 ncgleft or unilcilful management of his phyfician, furgeon, 

 or apothecary. (Lord Raym. 214.) For tiitfe injuries, 

 unaccompanied by force, there is a remedy in damages, by 

 a fpecial aflion of trefpafs upmi the cafe. Injuries affcfiiiig 

 a man's reputation, or good name, are, firft, by malicious, 

 fcandalous, and flanderous words, tending to his damage and 

 derogation. (See Wouds and Scand.^lum Magnalum ; 

 and Actios upon the cafe.) A fecond way of affeding a 

 man's reputation is by printed or written libels, piftures, 

 figns, and the like ; which fet him in an odious or ridiculous 

 light, and thereby diminifn his reputation. (2 Shaw. 314. 

 II Mod. 99.) See Libel. A third way of dellroying 

 or injuring a man's reputation is by preferring malicious 

 indiftments or profecutions againft him ; which, under the 

 raafk of juftice and public fpirit, are fometimes m.ade the 

 engines of private fpite or enmity. For this, however, 

 the law has given a very adequate remedy in damages, either 

 by an aflion of confpiracy (Finch. L. JOj.), which cannot 

 be brought but againft two at the leail ; or, which is the 

 more ufual way, by a fpecial aflion on the cafe for a falfe 

 and malicious prufecution. (F. N. B. 116.) The violation 

 of the right of perfonal hberty is efPefled by the injury of 

 falfe imprifonment, for which the law has not only decreed 

 a punifhment, as a heinous public crime, but has alfo given 

 a private reparation to tlie party ; as well by rem.oving the 

 aftual confinement for the prtftnt, as, after it is over, by 

 fubjefting the wrong doer to a civil aclion, on account if 

 the damage fuftained by the lofs of time and hberty. (See 

 I.MpniiONMEKT, and F.\lse Imprifonment.) The injuries 

 that affefl the rights of perfonal property, affefi it either as 

 it is in pofTelfion or in aftion. (See Pkoperty ) The former 

 kind of property is liable to two fpecies of injuries, fi~. 

 the amotion or deprivation of that poffeflion, and the abufe 

 or damage of the chattels, while the poffeffion continues in 

 the legal owner. The deprivation of poffcDion compre- 

 hends the unjnft and unlawful taking away, and the ui;juft 

 detention, though the original taking might be lawful.' 

 The remedy which the law has provided for the wrongful 

 taking of goods, is the reftitution of them, with damages 

 for the lof> fuftained by fuch unjull invafion, which is cf- 

 fefted by aflion of " replevin,'" which fee. Other remedie- 

 for other unlawful taking of a man's goods confift only 

 in recovering a fatisfaftion in damages, by an action of Irrj- 

 pafs vi et annis, or aftion of Iraver and cnnverfion, which 

 fee refpeftively. For unjyft detention of another's goods, 

 when the original taking was unlawful, the remedy fgr tlif 

 recoverv of pofTelfion i« by action of de'.inu.' ; or aftion of 

 trover, which fee. The remedies given by tlic law to rcdrefs 

 damages, which the things detained may have fuffered, arc 

 aftion of trefpafs vi et armis, where the aft i:: in itfelf inj- 

 mediately injurious to another's property, and accompanied 

 with fome degree of force ; and fpea'al afli<m on the cafe, 

 where the aft itfelf is indifferent, and the injury only con fe- 

 Q 2 . qucntial, 



