. Cato's letters . vd,and her Fetters taken off? Notwithftanding, I would not be underftocclby what 1 have few, to argue that Men (hcmldhave an uncontrolled Liberty to calumniatetheir Superiors, or one another; Decency,,good Manners, and the Peace of Society, for-bid it: But I would not deftroy this Liberty byMethods which will inevitably deftroy all Li-berty. We have very good Laws to punifh-any Abufes of this Kind already, and I will ap-prove them, whilft they are prudently and ho-neftlv executed, which I really believe theyhave for the mo ft part beenfmcetheRevolution ;Bur as it cannot b^de
. Cato's letters . vd,and her Fetters taken off? Notwithftanding, I would not be underftocclby what 1 have few, to argue that Men (hcmldhave an uncontrolled Liberty to calumniatetheir Superiors, or one another; Decency,,good Manners, and the Peace of Society, for-bid it: But I would not deftroy this Liberty byMethods which will inevitably deftroy all Li-berty. We have very good Laws to punifh-any Abufes of this Kind already, and I will ap-prove them, whilft they are prudently and ho-neftlv executed, which I really believe theyhave for the mo ft part beenfmcetheRevolution ;Bur as it cannot b^denyd, that they have beenformerly made the Scales of Ambition and Ty-ranny, to opprefs any Man who durft aftert the-Laws of his Country, or the trueChriitian Re-ligion ; fb I hope che Gentlemen skilld in the-Profeiiion of the Law will forgive me, if I en*trench a little upon their Province, and endea^vourtofix ftated Bounds for the Interpretation;and Execution of them , which (hall be the Sub-ject of my next 4 5- J C4TOs LETTERS. I Have been told, Thar in fome former Reigns,when the took it in hisHead to make innocent or doubtful Expreifionscriminal by the Help of forced Innuendos, theMethod of proceeding was as follows: If theCounfel of the Prifoner infifted, that the Wordscarried no feditious Meaning, but might andought to be underftood in reafonable Senfe •he was aniwered, That his Exception wouldbe laved to him upon Arreft of Judgment; inthe mean time, the Information was tryd, andthe mahgn Intention of the Words was aggra-vated and left to a willing Jury ; and then,upon a Motion in Behalf of the Prifoner toarrdt Judgment, becaufe the Words were notcriminal in Law, he was told, the Jury wereJudges of the Intention ; and having found itan ill one, it was too late to take the Excep-tion. Whether this was ever the Truth Ihave not lived long enough to affirm from myown Knowledge ; or whether this Method ofproceeding is Law now, I have not Skill enough
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