reformation in society, leaving it to the jury, under the direction of the court, to bring them under the purview thereof who are found guilty; or, if the jury bring a verdict contrary to the law, or contrary to evidence; then the court is to order a new trial, and so continue until the statute in such case made and provided, have the effects, and answer the ends intended by the legislature.

This end may be obtained without "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." Hear the declaration of the General Court, Richmond, June, 1811, Lefore judges Nelson, White, Holmes, Brokenborough, Johnston, Carr, and Smith" The adjourned case of the commonwealth against Morris was thus decided." It is the unanimous opinion of the court, that by the common law, truth is no justification of a libel, and cannot as such be given in evidence on an indictment or information for the offence. In this case the second article of the bill of rights, having declared that "All power is vested in, and consequently derived from the people, that magistrates are the trustees and servants, and at all times amenable to them." It follows, as a necessary consequence, that the people have a right to be informed of the conduct and character of their public agents.

In the case of an indictment, or information for a libel against public officers or candidates for public office, truth is a justification, and may be given in evidence as such under the general issue; and this forms an exception to the general rules established by the courts of law; but even in such a case any libellous matter, which does not tend to shew that the person libelled is unfit for the office, cannot be justified, because it is true. In the case of

individuals, who are neither officers nor candidates for office, truth is no justification of a libel.

In no case is it necessary or proper that the defendant, against whom there is an indictment or information for a libel, should plead the truth.

Who does not here discern the difference between "written scandal," called a libel, against a public and a private person

?

The word libel, s. from [libellous, Lat.] is, 1st. A satire; defamatory writing; a lampoon; decay of piety, 2d. [In the civil law] A declaration or charge, in writing, against a person in court.

To LIBEL, v. n. [from the noun] To spread defamation generally, written or printed.-Donne. To LIBEL, v. a. To satirize; to lampoon. A LIBELLER, s. [from libel] A defamer by writing; a lampooner.-Dryden.

"Whatever (saith the common law, approved by Judge C.) renders a man ridiculous, or lowers him in the esteem and opinion of the world, amounts to a libel; as to call a person an itchy old toad was held in that case to be a libel. For men not being able to bear their having their errors exposed to public view, were found by experience to revenge themselves on those who made sport with their re putations."

Take care of your love letters, of letters libelling one another; of smile and stab letters; of letters under the lying, covetous, hypocritical pretences of church government, of putting the innocent upon their guard, of punishing the wicked, while you have a beam of whispering in your own eye, and boasting of producing good to society thereby, when, as slanderers, you are not only its worst citizens, but most profligated church members, by the evil habit and example of producing a world

of iniquity. Parting man and wife, breaking up matches, when we so much need population, ruining strangers, fatherless, and widows, driving mankind more into infamy, and proportionably to revenge, disappointment, and suicide, into poverty, and breaches of the peace-are the great boasted good resulting from such double distilled felony and murder.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, saith Solomon, Prov. xxv. 2. Yet your rasp tongued, winking, cackling, tossing nosed slanderers, make their boast of having revealed the thing; hereby imitating their father, the devil, who is emphatically called the accuser, or slanderer.

: You say that you only put the innocent upon their guard, when you whisper. You lie you put them off their guard, by imposing upon them by hypocritical pretentions of friendship, until you make them open the gates of confidence to you and the devil, your father, by whom, joined to your malevolence, they are set on fire of hell by evil speaking and revenge. Why don't you put them on their guard against backbiting, against the company and confidence of railers, revilers, and those who justify their slanders, as much as against the company of murderers, adulterers, drunkards, horsethieves, house breakers, and money or trash stealers? Surely the slanderer is a murderer, not only of character, but often of men, women, and children; "he who steals my purse steals trash," but he or she who pilfers from me my reputation, or sinks it lower by whispering, is a greater enemy to society than other criminals, inasmuch as "a world of iniquity" is greater than a few criminal acts. Search ancient history in proof of these things, and you will find that nineteen wars out of twenty have

been produced by slander, prompted by envy, debate, deceit, backbiting, coveteousness, and revenge. Read ecclesiastical history of the Trinitarians and Antitrinitarians, with all the slanders between Catholics (so called) and Protestants. Turn over the biography of modern Europe, of states, churches, and colleges, look at the slanders of the officers, of armies, and navies; behold with shame in the very bosom of our own inimitable republic, the political emulations which often burst out into open violence. Mark the bar-but more especially the secret contentions and public controversies which have been the laughing stock and stumbling block of infidels, among the different sects of Christians; add to the catalogue the effects of slander recorded in the Bible, and you will see the amount to be this: Other criminals have slain their thousands, but slanderers their ten thousands.

What an abominable spectacle do tradesmen and merchants display by their competitions, emulations, supplantings, and slanders against each other? How ridiculous is it to behold, an envious maligner, with his mouth, nose, and eyes gaping, pinching, and winking; his red gums and white teeth grinning, his tongue lashing out like a barking, snapping quadruped, with outstretched neck like a rattlesnake, eating up the misfortunes of distressed debtors, whose notes have been protested in bank!

The deluge of malignity, which is every day sweeping bond and free before it, has became so formidable as to retard population; many delicate, nice sensibilities are afraid to make known their esteem for the objects of their affections amongst the opposite sex, for fear of a storm sinking their vessel before they hoist all the sails to leave the

port of celibacy. More especially old bachelors and old maids turn back the white of the eye, like kicking horses, and groan with the spleen, when they behold a fine fish caught by a shining bait, particularly when they have the mortification to see widows and widowers going through their second, third, fourth, or fifth epistles. What an unmerciful group of cacklers and gobblers are often collected together, over a smoking sacrifice of high sounding, sweet cented tobacco, strong drink, wine, tea, coffee, &c. all bawling together against bound boys and girls; against my Fan, my Jen, my Pat, my Jack, Joe, Chloe, Doll, and Nat, until after some going kaw, like crows, others hæck, like snipes, twitter like swallows, until all give a concluding volley of indignant laughter together, making the slandering liquor fly all over the table and floor of Lucifer's liquid pandemonium.

It is a universal maxim in law, that one who can only witness by hearsay, is not a lawful accuser within any legal statute. It is also another maxim that a man is not to be believed until confronted by his adversary, and the witnesses cross examined. How abominable, then, is the conduct of those who, when they are the least offended, circulate what they slanderously call negroes' news; while the credulous receiver, as the wise man's simple one, "believeth every word."

The honorable Judge White, of Frederick, Virginia, informed us, that for thirty years at the bar, and on the bench, he had learned to call hearsays lies. Go thou and do likewise, sir Slaughter Slanderer.

Suppose your reputation was tottering upon its base, (as it assuredly will, unless you bridle your tongue) as a house almost without its foundation;