[Copyist’s hand: part of a booklet, comprising folios 341 to 357]

nd [wm 1798]

5

§.2. Of Forgery in the way of Fabrication – General Principles.

§.2. Sequel – General Principles relative to the framing of Safeguards against

this branch of Forgery. -

[marginal heading:] 1

1. Obstructive Safeguards, are preferable to ensnaring ones. –

1. Methods, which have for their object the prevention, or at least the

obstruction, of the attempt (viz by taking away all prospect, or diminishing at

least the probability, of making it with success) are preferable to those, in

which the aim is confined to the detection of the crime. In a word, expedients

of the preventive or obstructive kind (as they may be termed) are preferable to

those of the detective or ensnaring kind. –

[marginal heading:] 2.

2. Secret marks (being ensnaring) are inadequate.

2. Secret marks, (being expedients of the ensnaring kind) are essentially

inadequate: and even the more so, the greater the subtlety of the contrivance.

In these the aim is – that they shall escape the eye, of a person engaged in the

commission of the crime.. - But, if the mark relied on be so unapparent, and

consequently the variance between the genuine Note (on which it stands

impressed) and the spurious Note (in which it is supposed it will be omitted to

be impressed) be to such a degree proof against observation, as to escape the

eye of an artist, and of an artist too, whose life is at stake upon the

discovery, much more certainly will this be the case, in regard to the

unpracticed and incurious multitude.(a)

3. The

Note. –

(a) Expedients, here spoken of as being of the ensnaring kind, may well be termed

so, since, by leaving the appearance of facility, to the result which their aim

is to render difficult, the tendency of them is rather to invite, than to

discourage, the attempt. - In the eagerness of the pursuit after detection, they

shut the door against the more eligible object prevention. Expedients of the

preventive kind, on the other hand, embrace both objects at once: prevention, to

a superior degree of certainty: detection, to a degree superior still:

prevention, in the instance of the multitude of ingenious profligates, who, but

for this bar,

might