1820 Oct. 15 liberticide measures 1 §. 2. Press liberty violation

Inserendumne?

II. or 2. From /By/ the rank of any person struck at by the imputation, neither

the punishment where punishment is requisite and proper nor the burthen of

satisfaction where satisfaction is proper ought to receive any encrease.

The reason has been already brought to view.

1. By this circumstance independently of all compensation the evil to the

individual is not encreased but diminished: diminished in proportion to his

elevation in the scale of power and dignity: for, as above the higher his place

is in that scale, the more abundant are his means of protection and defence.

Inserendumne?

{This is /Behold here/ one of the disadvantages attached to the monarchical form

of government, the place in the scale of power and dignity being next to God’s,

the atrocity of any offence against reputation is next to infinite: the demand

for punishment is next to infinite: thence comes a correspondent endeavour to

satisfy the demand: thence comes hatred on the part of those who see themselves

exposed: thence demand for more punishment, as /for/ a defence against the

hatred: thence again on the part of those on whom the application of the

punishment depends comes reluctance, and consequent non-application of the

punishment: thence comes debility and inefficiency of the law: and so on till

that obsequiousness on one part by which power on the other part is constituted

ceases.}