第12章
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  LXII。CharactersofClass1;composedofPRIVATEoffences,oroffencesagainstassignableindividuals。

  1。Whenarrivedattheirlaststagethestageofconsumation

  theyproduce,allofthem,aprimarymischiefaswellasasecondary。

  2。Theindividualswhomtheyaffectinthefirstinstancethatis,bytheirprimarymischiefareconstantlyassignable。Thisextendstoall;toattemptsandpreparations,aswellastosuchashavearrivedatthestageofconsummation。

  3。Consequentlytheyadmitofcompensation:inwhichtheydifferfromtheoffencesofalltheotherclasses,assuch。

  4。Theyadmitalsoofretaliation;inwhichalsotheydifferfromtheoffencesofalltheotherclasses。

  5。Thereisalwayssomepersonwhohasanaturalandpeculiarinteresttoprosecutethem。Inthistheydifferfromself-regardingoffences:alsofromsemi-publicandpublicones;exceptinasfarasthetwolattermaychancetoinvolveaprivatemischief。

  6。Themischieftheyproduceisobvious:moresothanthatofsemi-publicoffences:andstillmoresothanthatofself-regardingones,orevenpublic。

  7。Theyareeverywhere,andmusteverbe,obnoxioustothecensureoftheworld:moresothansemi-publicoffencesassuch;andstillmoresothanpublicones。

  8。Theyaremoreconstantlyobnoxioustothecensureoftheworldthanself-regardingoffences:andwouldbesouniversally,wereitnotfortheinfluenceofthetwofalseprinciples;theprincipleofasceticism,andtheprincipleofantipathy。

  9。Theyarelessaptthansemi-publicandpublicoffencestorequiredifferentdescriptionsindifferentstatesandcountries:inwhichrespecttheyaremuchuponaparwithself-regardingones。

  10。Bycertaincircumstancesofaggravation,theyareliabletobetransformedintosemi-publicoffences;andbycertainothers,intopublic。

  11。Therecanbenogroundforpunishingthem,untiltheycanbeprovedtohaveoccasioned,ortobeabouttooccasionsomeparticularmischieftosomeparticularindividual。Inthistheydifferfromsemi-publicoffences,andfrompublic。

  12。Inslightcases,compensationgiventotheindividualaffectedbythemmaybeasufficientgroundforremittingpunishment:foriftheprimarymischiefhasnotbeensudicienttoproduceanyalarm,thewholeofthemischiefmaybecuredbycompensation。Inthisalsotheydifferfromsemi-publicoffences,andfrompublicones。

  LXIII。CharactersofClass2;composedofSEMI-PUBLICoffences,oroffencesaffectingawholesubordinateclassofpersons。

  1。Assuch,theyproducenoprimarymischief。Themischieftheyproduceconsistsofoneorotherorbothbranchesofthesecondarymischiefproducedbyoffencesagainstindividuals,withouttheprimary。

  2。Inasfarastheyaretobeconsideredasbelongingtothisclass,thepersonswhomtheyaffectinthefirstinstancearenotindividuallyassignable。

  3。Theyareapt,however,toinvolveorterminateinsomeprimarymischiefofthefirstorder;whichwhentheydo,theyadvanceintothefirstclass,andbecomeprivateoffences。

  4。Theyadmitnot,assuch,ofcompensation。

  5。Norofretaliation6。Assuch,thereisneveranyoneparticularindividualwhoseexclusiveinterestitistoprosecutethem:acircleofpersonsmay,however,alwaysbemarkedout,withinwhichmaybefoundsomewhohaveagreaterinteresttoprosecutethananywhoareoutofthatcirclehave。

  7。Themischieftheyproduceisingeneralprettyobvious:

  notsomuchsoindeedasthatofprivateoffences,butmoresouponthewholethanthatofself-regardingandpublicones。

  8。Theyareratherlessobnoxioustothecensureoftheworldthanprivateoffences;buttheyaremoresothanpublicones:

  theywouldalsobemoresothanself-regardingones,wereitnotfortheinfluenceofthetwofalseprinciples,theprincipleofsympathyandantipathy,andthatofasceticism。

  9。Theyaremoreaptthanprivateandself-regardingoffencestorequiredifferentdescriptionsindifferentcountries:butlesssothanpublicones。

  10。Theremaybegroundforpunishingthembeforetheyhavebeenprovedtohaveoccasioned,ortobeabouttooccasion,mischieftoanyparticularindividual;whichisnotthecasewithprivateoffences。

  11。Innocasescansatisfactiongiventoanyparticularindividualaffectedbythembeasufficientgroundforremittingpunishment:forbysuchsatisfactionitisbutapartofthemischiefofthemthatiscured。Inthistheydifferfromprivateoffences;butagreewithpublic。

  LXIV。CharactersofClass3;consistingofSELFREGARDINGoffences:

  offencesagainstone\'sself。

  1。Inindividualinstancesitwilloftenbequestionable,whethertheyareproductiveofanyprimarymischiefatall:secondary,theyproducenone。

  2。Theyaffectnotanyotherindividuals,assignableornotassignable,exceptinasfarastheyaffecttheoffenderhimself;

  unlessbypossibilityinparticularcases;

  andinaveryslightanddistantmannerthewholestate。

  3。Theyadmitnot,therefore,ofcompensation,4。Norofretaliation。

  5。Nopersonhasnaturallyanypeculiarinteresttoprosecutethem:exceptinasfarasinvirtueofsomeconnectionhemayhavewiththeoffender,eitherinpointofsympathyorofinterest,amischiefofthederivativekindmayhappentodevolveuponhim。

  6。Themischieftheyproduceisapttobeunobviousandingeneralmorequestionablethanthatofanyoftheotherclasses。

  7。Theyarehoweverapt,manyofthem,tobemoreobnoxioustothecensureoftheworldthanpublicoffences;owingtotheinfluenceofthetwofalseprinciples;

  theprincipleofasceticism,andtheprincipleofantipathy。Someofthemmoreeventhansemi-public,oreventhanprivateoffence。

  8。Theyarelessaptthanoffencesofanyotherclasstorequiredifferentdescriptionsindifferentstatesandcountries,9。Amongtheinducementstopunishthem,antipathyagainsttheoffenderisapttohaveagreatersharethansympathyforthepublic。

  10。Thebestpleaforpunishingthemisfoundedonafaintprobabilitytheremaybeoftheirbeingproductiveofamischief,which,ifreal,willplacethemintheclassofpublicones:chieflyinthosedivisionsofitwhicharecomposedofoffencesagainstpopulation,andoffencesagainstthenationalwealth。

  LXV。CharactersofClass4;consistingofPUBLICoffences,oroffencesagainstthestateingeneral。

  1。Assuch,theyproducenotanyprimarymischief;andthesecondarymischieftheyproduce,whichconsistsfrequentlyofdangerwithoutalarm,thoughgreatinvalue,isinspecieveryindeterminate。

  2。Theindividualswhomtheyaffect,inthefirstinstance,areconstantlyunassignable;exceptinasfarasbyaccidenttheyhappentoinvolveorterminateinsuchorsuchoffencesagainstindividuals。

  3。Consequentlytheyadmitnotofcompensation。

  4。Norofretaliation。

  5。Noristhereanypersonwhohasnaturallyanyparticularinteresttoprosecutethem;exceptinasfarastheyappeartoaffectthepower,orinanyothermannertheprivateinterest,ofsomepersoninauthority。

  6。Themischieftheyproduce,assuch,iscomparativelyunobvious;muchmoresothanthatofprivateoffences,andmoresolikewise,thanthatofsemi-publicones。

  7。Theyare,assuch,muchlessobnoxioustothecensureoftheworld,thanprivateoffences;lesseventhansemi-public,oreventhanself-regardingoffences;unlessinparticularcases,throughsympathytocertainpersonsinauthority,whoseprivateintereststheymayappeartoaffect。

  8。Theyaremoreaptthananyoftheotherclassestoadmitofdifferentdescriptions,indifferentstatesandcountries。

  9。Theyareconstituted,inmanycases,bysomecircumstancesofaggravationsuperaddedtoaprivateoffence:andtherefore,inthesecases,involvethemischiefandexhibittheothercharactersbelongingtobothclasses。Theyarehowever,eveninsuchcases,properlyenoughrankedinthe4thclass,inasmuchasthemischieftheyproduceinvirtueofthepropertieswhichaggregatethemtothatclass,eclipsesandswallowsupthatwhichtheyproduceinvirtueofthosepropertieswhichaggregatethemtothe1st。

  10。Theremaybesufficientgroundforpunishingthem,withouttheirbeingprovedtohaveoccasioned,ortobeabouttooccasion,anyparticularmischieftoanyparticularindividual。Inthistheydifferfromprivateoffences,butagreewithsemi-publicones。Here,asinsemi-publicoffences,theextentofthemischiefmakesupfortheuncertaintyofit。

  11。Innocasecansatisfaction,giventoanyparticularindividualaffectedbythem,beasufficientgroundforremittingpunishment。Inthistheydifferfromprivateoffences;butagreewithsemi-public。

  LXVI。CharactersofClass5,orappendix:composedofMULTIFORMorANOMALOUS

  offences;andcontainingoffencesbyFALSEHOOD,andoffencesconcerningTRUST。

  1。Takencollectively,intheparcelsmarkedoutbytheirpopularappellations,theyareincapableofbeingaggregatedtoanysystematicalmethodofdistribution,groundeduponthemischiefoftheoffence。

  2。Theymay,however,bethrownintosub-divisions,whichmaybeaggregatedtosuchamethodofdistribution。

  3。Thesesub-divisionswillnaturallyandreadilyrankunderthedivisionsoftheseveralprecedingclassesofthissystem。

  4。Eachofthetwogreatdivisionsofthisclassspreadsitselfinthatmanneroveralltheprecedingclasses。

  5。Insomeactsofthisclass,thedistinguishingcircumstancewhichconstitutestheessentialcharacteroftheoffence,willinsomeinstancesenternecessarily,inthecharacterofacriminativecircumstance,intotheconstitutionoftheoffence;

  insomuchthat,withouttheinterventionofthiscircumstance,nooffenceatall,ofthatdenomination,canbecommitted。

  Inotherinstances,theoffencemaysubsistwithoutit;andwhereitinterferes,itcomesinasanaccidentalindependentcircumstance,capableofconstitutingagroundofaggravation。

  chapter17AnIntroductiontothePrinciplesofMoralsandLegislationChapterXVII

  OftheLimitsofthePenalBranchofJurisprudence。

  §1。LimitsbetweenPrivateEthicsandtheArtoflegislation。

  I。Somuchforthedivisionofoffensesingeneral。Nowanoffenseisanactprohibited,orwhatcomestothesamethinganactofwhichthecontraryiscommanded,bythelaw:andwhatisitthatthelawcanbeemployedindoing,besidesprohibitingandcommanding?Itshouldseemthen,accordingtothisviewofthematter,thatwerewetohavesettledwhatmaybepropertobedonewithrelationtooffences,weshouldtherebyhavesettledeverythingthatmaybepropertobedoneinthewayoflaw。

  Yetthatbranchwhichconcernsthemethodofdealingwithoffences,andwhichistermedsometimesthecriminal,sometimesthepenal,branch,isuniversallyunderstoodtobebutoneoutoftwobrancheswhichcomposethewholesubjectoftheartoflegislation;thatwhichistermedthecivilbeingtheother。Betweenthesetwobranchesthen,itisevidentenough,therecannotbutbeaveryintimateconnection;sointimateisitindeed,thatthelimitsbetweenthemarebynomeanseasytomarkout。Thecaseisthesameinsomedegreebetweenthewholebusinessoflegislationcivilandpenalbranchestakentogetherandthatofprivateethics。Oftheseseverallimitshoweveritwillbeinamannernecessarytoexhibitsomeidea:lest,ontheonehand,weshouldseemtoleaveanypartofthesubjectthatdoesbelongtoasuntouched,or,ontheotherhand,todeviateonanysideintoatrackwhichdoesnotbelongtous。

  Inthecourseofthisenquiry,thatpartofitImeanwhichconcernsthelimitsbetweenthecivilandthepenalbranchoflaw,itwillbenecessarytosettleanumberofpoints,ofwhichtheconnectionwiththemainquestionmightnotatfirstsightbesuspected。

  Toascertainwhatsortofathingalawis;whatthepartsarethataretobefoundinit;whatitmustcontaininordertobecomplete;whattheconnectionisbetweenthatpartofabodyoflawswhichbelongstothesubjectofprocedureandtherestofthelawatlarge:——allthese,itwillbeseen,aresomanyproblems,whichmustbesolvedbeforeanysatisfactoryanswercanbegiventothemainquestionabovementioned。

  Noristhistheironlyuse:foritisevidentenough,thatthenotionofacompletelawmustfirstbefixed,beforethelegislatorcaninanycaseknowwhatitishehastodo,orwhenhisworkisdone。

  II。Ethicsatlargemaybedefined,theartofdirectingmen\'sactionstotheproductionofthegreatestpossiblequantityofhappiness,onthepartofthosewhoseinterestisinview。

  III。Whatthenaretheactionswhichitcanbeinaman\'spowertodirect?

  Theymustbeeitherhisownactions,orthoseofotheragents。Ethics,inasfarasitistheartofdirectingaman\'sownactions,maybestyledtheartofself-government,orprivateethics。

  IV。Whatotheragentsthenarethere,which,atthesametimethattheyareundertheinfluenceofman\'sdirection,aresusceptibleofhappiness。Theyareoftwosorts:1。Otherhumanbeingswhoarestyledpersons。2。Otheranimals,which,onaccountoftheirinterestshavingbeenneglectedbytheinsensibilityoftheancientjurists,standdegradedintotheclassofthings。

  Astootherhumanbeings,theartofdirectingtheiractionstotheaboveendiswhatwemean,oratleasttheonlythingwhich,upontheprincipleofutility,weoughttomean,bytheartofgovernment:

  which,inasfarasthemeasuresitdisplaysitselfinareofapermanentnature,isgenerallydistinguishedbythenameoflegislation:

  asitisbythatofadministration,whentheyareofatemporarynature,determinedbytheoccurrencesoftheday。

  V。Nowhumancreatures,consideredwithrespecttothematurityoftheirfaculties,areeitherinanadult,orinanon-adultstate。Theartofgovernment,inasfarasitconcernsthedirectionoftheactionsofpersonsinanon-adultstate,maybetermedtheartofeducation。Inasfarasthisbusinessisentrustedwiththosewho,invirtueofsomeprivaterelationship,areinthemainthebestdisposedtotakeuponthem,andthebestabletodischarge,thisoffice,itmaybetermedtheartofprivateeducation:

  inasfarasitisexercisedbythosewhoseprovinceitistosuperintendtheconductofthewholecommunity,itmaybetermedtheartofpubliceducation。

  VI。Astoethicsingeneral,aman\'shappinesswilldepend,inthefirstplace,uponsuchpartsofhisbehaviourasnonebuthimselfareinterestedin;inthenextplace,uponsuchpartsofitasmayaffectthehappinessofthoseabouthim。Inasfarashishappinessdependsuponthefirst-mentionedpartofhisbehaviour,itissaidtodependuponhisdutytohimself。Ethicsthen,inasfarasitistheartofdirectingaman\'sactionsinthisrespect,maybetermedtheartofdischargingone\'sdutytoone\'sself:

  andthequalitywhichamanmanifestsbythedischargeofthisbranchofdutyifdutyitistobecalledisthatofprudence。Inasfarashishappiness,andthatofanyotherpersonorpersonswhoseinterestsareconsidered,dependsuponsuchpartsofhisbehaviourasmayaffecttheinterestsofthoseabouthim,itmaybesaidtodependuponhisdutytoothers;or,touseaphrasenowsomewhatantiquated,hisdutytohisneighbour。Ethicsthen,inasfarasitistheartofdirectingaman\'sactionsinthisrespect,maybetermedtheartofdischargingone\'sdutytoone\'sneighbour。

  Nowthehappinessofone\'sneighbourmaybeconsultedintwoways:1。Inanegativeway,byforbearingtodiminishit。2。Inapositiveway,bystudyingtoincreaseit。A

  man\'sdutytohisneighbourisaccordinglypartlynegativeandpartlypositive:todischargethenegativebranchofit,isprobity:

  todischargethepositivebranch,beneficence。

  VII。Itmayherebeasked,Howitisthatupontheprincipleofprivateethics,legislationandreligionoutofthequestion,aman\'shappinessdependsuponsuchpartsofhisconductasaffect,immediatelyatleast,thehappinessofnoonebuthimself:thisisasmuchastoask,Whatmotivesindependentofsuchaslegislationandreligionmaychancetofurnishcanonemanhavetoconsultthehappinessofanotherbywhatmotives,or,whichcomestothesamething,bywhatobligations,canhebeboundtoobeythedictatesofprobityandbeneficence。Inanswertothis,itcannotbutbeadmitted,thattheonlyinterestswhichamanatalltimesanduponalloccasionsissuretofindadequatemotivesforconsulting,arehisown。Notwithstandingthis,therearenooccasionsinwhichamanhasnotsomemotivesforconsultingthehappinessofothermen。Inthefirstplace,hehas,onalloccasions,thepurelysocialmotiveofsympathyorbenevolence:inthenextplace,hehas,onmostoccasions,thesemi-socialmotivesofloveofamityandloveofreputation。Themotiveofsympathywillactuponhimwithmoreorlesseffect,accordingtothebiasofhissensibility:thetwoothermotives,accordingtoavarietyofcircumstances,principallyaccordingtothestrengthofhisintellectualpowers,thefirmnessandsteadinessofhismind,thequantumofhismoralsensibility,andthecharactersofthepeoplehehastodealwith。

  VIII。Nowprivateethicshashappinessforitsend:andlegislationcanhavenoother。Privateethicsconcernseverymember,thatis,thehappinessandtheactionsofeverymember,ofanycommunitythatcanbeproposed;andlegislationcanconcernnomore。Thusfar,then,privateethicsandtheartoflegislationgohandinhand。Theendtheyhave,oroughttohave,inview,isofthesamenature。Thepersonswhosehappinesstheyoughttohaveinview,asalsothepersonswhoseconducttheyoughttobeoccupiedindirecting,arepreciselythesame。Theveryactstheyoughttobeconversantabout,areeveninagreat,measurethesame。Wherethenliesthedifference?Inthattheactswhichtheyoughttobeconversantabout,thoughinagreatmeasure,arenotperfectlyandthroughoutthesame。Thereisnocaseinwhichaprivatemanoughtnottodirecthisownconducttotheproductionofhisownhappiness,andofthatofhisfellow-creatures:

  buttherearecasesinwhichthelegislatoroughtnotinadirectwayatleast,andbymeansofpunishmentappliedimmediatelytoparticularindividualactstoattempttodirecttheconductoftheseveralothermembersofthecommunity。Everyactwhichpromisestobebeneficialuponthewholetothecommunityhimselfincludedeachindividualoughttoperformofhimself:

  butitisnoteverysuchactthatthelegislatoroughttocompelhimtoperform。Everyactwhichpromisestobeperniciousuponthewholetothecommunityhimselfincludedeachindividualoughttoabstainfromofhim:butitisnoteverysuchactthatthelegislatoroughttocompelhimtoabstainfrom。

  IX。Wherethenisthelinetobedrawn?——Weshallnothavefartoseekforit。Thebusinessistogiveanideaofthecasesinwhichethicsought,andinwhichlegislationoughtnotinadirectmanneratleasttointerfere。Iflegislationinterferesinadirectmanner,itmustbebypunishment。Nowthecasesinwhichpunishment,meaningthepunishmentofthepoliticalsanction,oughtnottobeinflicted,havebeenalreadystated。2。Ifthentherebeanyofthesecasesinwhich,althoughlegislationoughtnot,privateethicsdoesoroughttointerfere,thesecaseswillservetopointoutthelimitsbetweenthetwoartsorbranchesofscience。Thesecases。itmayberemembered,areoffoursorts:1。Wherepunishmentwouldbegroundless。2。Whereitwouldbeinefficacious。3。Whereitwouldbeunprofitable。4。Whereitwouldbeneedless。Letuslookoverallthesecases,andseewhetherinanyofthemthereisroomfortheinterferenceofprivateethics,atthesametimethatthereisnoneforthedirectinterferenceoflegislation。

  X。1。Firstthen,astothecaseswherepunishmentwouldbegroundless。

  Inthesecasesitisevident,thattherestrictiveinterferenceofethicswouldbegroundlesstoo。Itisbecause,uponthewhole,thereisnoevilintheact,thatlegislationoughtnottoendeavourtopreventit。Nomore,forthesamereason,oughtprivateethics。

  XI。2。Astothecasesinwhichpunishmentwouldbeinefficacious。These,wemayobserve,maybedividedintotwosetsorclasses。Thefirstdonotdependatalluponthenaturedoftheact:

  theyturnonlyuponadefectinthetimingofthepunishment。

  Thepunishmentinquestionisnomorethanwhat,foranythingthatappears,oughttohavebeenappliedtotheactinquestion。

  Itought,however,tohavebeenappliedatadifferenttime;viz。nottillafterithadbeenproperlydenounced。Thesearethecasesofanex-post-factolaw;ofajudicialsentencebeyondthelaw;

  andofalawnotsufficientlypromulgated。Theactshereinquestionthenmight,foranythingthatappears,comeproperlyunderthedepartmentevenofcoercivelegislation:ofcoursedotheyunderthatofprivateethics。Astotheothersetofcases,inwhichpunishmentwouldbeinefficacious;neitherdothesedependuponthenatureoftheact,thatis,ofthesortofact:theyturnonlyuponsomeextraneouscircumstances,withwhichanactofanysortmaychancetobeaccompanied。These,however,areofsuchanatureasnotonlytoexcludetheapplicationoflegalpunishment,butingeneraltoleavelittleroomfortheinfluenceofprivateethics。Thesearethecaseswherethewillcouldnotbedeterredfromanyact,evenbytheextraordinaryforceofartificialpunishment:asinthecasesofextremeinfancy,insanity,andperfectintoxication:ofcourse,therefore,itcouldnotbysuchslenderandprecariousforceascouldbeappliedbyprivateethics。Thecaseisinthisrespectthesame,underthecircumstancesofunintentionalitywithrespecttotheeventoftheaction,unconsciousnesswithregardtothecircumstances,andmis-supposalwithregardtotheexistenceofcircumstanceswhichhavenotexisted;asalsowheretheforce,evenofextraordinarypunishment,isrenderedinoperativebythesuperiorforceofaphysicaldangerorthreatenedmischief。Itisevident,thatinthesecases,ifthethundersofthelawproveimpotent,thewhispersofsimplemoralitycanhavebutlittleinfluence。

  XII。3。Astothecaseswherepunishmentwouldbeunprofitable。Thesearethecaseswhichconstitutethegreatfieldfortheexclusiveinterferenceofprivateethics。Whenapunishmentisunprofitable,orinotherwordstooexpensive,itisbecausetheevilofthepunishmentexceedsthatoftheoffence。Nowtheevilofthepunishment,wemayremember,isdistinguishableintofourbranches:1。Theevilofcoercion,includingconstraintorrestraint,accordingastheactcommandedisofthepositivekindorthenegative。2。Theevilofapprehension。3。Theevilofsufferance。

  4。Thederivativeevilsresultingtopersonsinconnectionwiththosebywhomthethreeabove-mentionedoriginalevilsaresustained。

  Nowwithrespecttothoseoriginalevils,thepersonswholieexposedtothemmaybetwoverydifferentsetsofpersons。

  Inthefirstplace,personswhomayhaveactuallycommitted,orbeenpromptedtocommit,theactsreallymeanttobeprohibited。Inthenextplace,personswhomayhaveperformed,orbeenpromptedtoperform,suchotheractsastheyfearmaybeindangerofbeinginvolvedinthepunishmentdesignedonlyfortheformer。Butofthesetwosetsofacts,itistheformeronlythatarepernicious:itis,therefore,theformeronlythatitcanbethebusinessofprivateethicstoendeavourtoprevent。Thelatterbeingbythesuppositionnotmischievous,topreventthemiswhatitcannomorebethebusinessofethicstoendeavourat,thanoflegislation。Itremainstoshowhowitmayhappen,thatthereshouldbeactsreallypernicious,which,althoughtheymayveryproperlycomeunderthecensureofprivateethics,mayyetbenofitobjectsforthelegislatortocontrol。

  XIII。Punishmentthen,asappliedtodelinquency,maybeunprofitableinbothoreitheroftwoways:1。Bytheexpenseitwouldamountto,evensupposingtheapplicationofittobeconfinedaltogethertodelinquency:2。Bythedangertheremaybeofitsinvolvingtheinnocentinthefatedesignedonlyfortheguilty。Firstthen,withregardtothecasesinwhichtheexpenseofthepunishment,asappliedtotheguilty,wouldoutweightheprofittobemadebyit。Thesecases,itisevident,dependuponacertainproportionbetweentheevilofthepunishmentandtheeviloftheoffence。Nowweretheoffenceofsuchanature,thatapunishmentwhich,inpointofmagnitude,shouldbutjustexceedtheprofitofit,wouldbesufficienttopreventit,itmightberatherdifficultperhapstofindaninstanceinwhichsuchpunishmentwouldclearlyappeartobeunprofitable。Butthefactis,therearemanycasesinwhichapunishment,inordertohaveanychanceofbeingefficacious,must,inpointofmagnitude,beraisedagreatdealabovethatlevel。Thusitis,whereverthedangerofdetectionis,or,whatcomestothesamething,islikelytoappeartobe,sosmall,astomakethepunishmentappearinahighdegreeuncertain。Inthiscaseitisnecessary,ashasbeenshown,ifpunishmentbeatallapplied,toraiseitinpointofmagnitudeasmuchasitfallsshortinpointofcertainty。Itisevident,however,thatallthiscanbebutguess-work:andthattheeffectofsuchaproportionwillberenderedprecarious,byavarietyofcircumstances:bythewantofsufficientpromulgationonthepartofthelaws:bytheparticularcircumstancesofthetemptation:andbythecircumstancesinfluencingthesensibilityoftheseveralindividualswhoareexposedtoit。Lettheseducingmotivesbestrong,theoffencethenwillatanyratebefrequentlycommitted。Nowandthenindeed,owingtoacoincidenceofcircumstancesmoreorlessextraordinary,itwillbedetected,andbythatmeanspunished。Butforthepurposeofexample,whichistheprincipalone,anactofpunishment,consideredinitself,isofnouse:whatuseitcanbeof,dependsaltogetherupontheexpectationitraisesofsimilarpunishment,infuturecasesofsimilardelinquency。Butthisfuturepunishment,itisevident,mustalwaysdependupondetection。Ifthenthewantofdetectionissuchasmustingeneralespeciallytoeyesfascinatedbytheforceoftheseducingmotivesappeartooimprobabletobereckonedupon,thepunishment,thoughitshouldbeinflicted,maycometobeofnouse。Herethenwillbetwooppositeevilsrunningonatthesametime,yetneitherofthemreducingthequantumoftheother:theevilofthediseaseandtheevilofthepainfulandinefficaciousremedy。Itseemstobepartlyowingtosomesuchconsiderations,thatfornication,forexample,ortheillicitcommercebetweenthesexes,hascommonlyeithergonealtogetherunpunished,orbeenpunishedinadegreeinferiortothatinwhich,onotheraccounts,legislatorsmighthavebeendisposedtopunishit。

  XIV。Secondly,withregardtothecasesinwhichpoliticalpunishment,asappliedtodelinquency,maybeunprofitable,invirtueofthedangertheremaybeofitsinvolvingtheinnocentinthefatedesignedonlyfortheguilty。Whenceshouldthisdangerthenarise?Fromthedifficultytheremaybeoffixingtheideaoftheguiltyaction:thatis。ofsubjectingittosuchadefinitionasshallbeclearandpreciseenoughtoguardeffectivelyagainstmisapplication。

  Thisdifficultymayarisefromeitheroftwosources:theonepermanent,towit,thenatureoftheactionsthemselves:theotheroccasional,Imeanthequalitiesofthemenwhomayhavetodealwiththoseactionsinthewayofgovernment。Inasfarasitarisesfromthelatterofthesesources,itmaydependpartlyupontheusewhichthelegislatormaybeabletomakeoflanguage;

  partlyupontheusewhich,accordingtotheapprehensionofthelegislatorsthejudgemaybedisposedtomakeofit。Asfaraslegislationisconcerned,itwilldependuponthedegreeofperfectingtowhichtheartsoflanguagemayhavebeencarried,inthefirstplace,inthenationingeneral;inthenextplace。bythelegislatorinparticular。Itistoasenseofthisdifficulty,asitshouldseem,thatwemayattributethecautionwithwhichmostlegislatorshaveabstainedfromsubjectingtocensure,onthepartofthelaw,suchactionsascomeunderthenotionofrudeness,forexample,ortreachery,oringratitude。Theattempttobringactsofsovagueandquestionableanatureunderthecontroloflaw,willargueeitheraveryimmatureage,inwhichthedifficultieswhichgivebirthtothatdangerarenotdescried;oraveryenlightenedage,inwhichtheyareovercome。

  XV。Forthesakeofobtainingtheclearerideaofthelimitsbetweentheartoflegislationandprivateethics,itmaynowbetimetocalltomindthedistinctionsaboveestablishedwithregardtoethicsingeneral。Thedegreeinwhichprivateethicsstandsinneedoftheassistanceoflegislationisdifferentinthethreebranchesofdutyabovedistinguished。Oftherulesofmoralduty,thosewhichseemtostandleastinneedoftheassistanceoflegislationaretherulesofprudence。Itcanonlybethroughsomedefectonthepartoftheunderstanding,ifamanbeeverdeficientinpointofdutytohimself。Ifhedoeswrong,thereisnothingelsethatitcanbeowingtobuteithersomeinadvertenceorsomemis-supposalwithregardtothecircumstancesonwhichhishappinessdepends。Itisastandingtopicofcomplaint,thatamanknowstoolittleofhimself。Beitso:butisitsocertainthatthelegislatormustknowmore?Itisplain,thatofindividualsthelegislatorcanknownothing:concerningthosepointsofconductwhichdependupontheparticularcircumstancesofeachindividual,itisplain,therefore,thathecandeterminenothingtoadvantage。Itisonlywithrespecttothosebroadlinesofconductinwhichallpersons,orverylargeandpermanentdescriptionsofpersons,maybeinawaytoengage,thathecanhaveanypretenseforinterfering;andevenheretheproprietyofhisinterferencewill,inmostinstances,lieveryopentodispute。Atanyrate,hemustneverexpecttoproduceaperfectcompliancebythemereforceofthesanctionofwhichheishimselftheauthor。

  Allhecanhopetodo,istoincreasetheefficacyofprivateethics,bygivingstrengthanddirectiontotheinfluenceofthemoralsanction。Withwhatchanceofsuccess,forexample,wouldalegislatorgoabouttoextirpatedrunkennessandfornicationbydintoflegalpunishment?Notallthetortureswhichingenuitycouldinventwouldcompassit:and,beforehehadmadeanyprogressworthregarding,suchamassofevilwouldbeproducedbythepunishment,aswouldexceed,athousand-fold,theutmostpossiblemischiefoftheoffence……Thegreatdifficultywouldbeintheprocuringevidence;anobjectwhichcouldnotbeattempted,withanyprobabilityofsuccess,withoutspreadingdismaythrougheveryfamily,tearingthebondsofsympathyasunder,androotingouttheinfluenceofallthesocialmotives。Allthathecandothen,againstoffencesofthisnature,withanyprospectofadvantage,inthewayofdirectlegislation,istosubjectthem,incasesofnotoriety,toaslightcensure,soastherebytocoverthemwithaslightshadeofartificialdisrepute。

  XVI。Itmaybeobserved,thatwithregardtothisbranchofduty,legislatorshave,ingeneral,beendisposedtocarrytheirinterferencefullasfarasisexpedient。Thegreatdifficultyhereis,topersuadethemtoconfinethemselveswithinbounds。A

  thousandlittlepassionsandprejudiceshaveledthemtonarrowthelibertyofthesubjectinthisline,incasesinwhichthepunishmentiseitherattendedwithnoprofitatall,orwithnonethatwillmakeupfortheexpense。

  XVII。Themischiefofthissortofinterferenceismoreparticularlyconspicuousinthearticleofreligion。Thereasoning,inthiscase,isofthefollowingstamp。Therearecertainerrors,inmattersofbelief,towhichallmankindareprone:andfortheseerrorsinjudgment,itisthedeterminationofaBeingofinfinitebenevolence,topunishthemwithaninfinityoftorments。Butfromtheseerrorsthelegislatorhimselfisnecessarilyfree:forthemen,whohappentobeathandforhimtoconsultwith,beingmenperfectlyenlightened,unfettered,andunbiased,havesuchadvantagesoveralltherestoftheworld,thatwhentheysitdowntoenquireoutthetruthrelativetopointssoplainandsofamiliarasthoseinquestion,theycannotfailtofindit。Thisbeingthecase,whenthesovereignseeshispeoplereadytoplungeheadlongintoanabyssoffire,shallhenotstretchoutahandtosavethem?Such,forexample,seemstohavebeenthetrainofreasoning,andsuchthemotives,whichledLewistheXIVthintothosecoercivemeasureswhichhetookfortheconversionofhereticsandtheconfirmationoftruebelievers。Theground-work,puresympathyandloving-kindness:thesuperstructure,allthemiserieswhichthemostdeterminedmalevolencecouldhavedevised。Butofthismorefullyinanotherplace。

  XVIII。Therulesofprobityarethose,whichinpointofexpediencystandmostinneedofassistanceonthepartofthelegislator,andinwhich,inpointoffact,hisinterferencehasbeenmostextensive。Therearefewcasesinwhichitwouldbeexpedienttopunishamanforhurtinghimself:buttherearefewcases,ifany,inwhichitwouldnotbeexpedienttopunishamanforinjuringhisneighbour。Withregardtothatbranchofprobitywhichisopposedtooffencesagainstproperty,privateethicsdependsinamannerforitsveryexistenceuponlegislation。

  Legislationmustfirstdeterminewhatthingsaretoberegardedaseachman\'sproperty,beforethegeneralrulesofethics,onthishead,canhaveanyparticularapplication。Thecaseisthesamewithregardtooffencesagainstthestate。Withoutlegislationtherewouldbenosuchthingasastate:noparticularpersonsinvestedwithpowerstobeexercisedforthebenefitoftherest。Itisplain,therefore,thatinthisbranchtheinterferenceofthelegislatorcannotanywherebedispensedwith。Wemustfirstknowwhatarethedictatesoflegislation,beforewecanknowwhatarethedictatesofprivateethics。

  XIX。Astotherulesofbeneficence,these,asfarasconcernsmattersofdetail,mustnecessarilybeabandonedingreatmeasuretothejurisdictionofprivateethics。Inmanycasesthebeneficialqualityoftheactdependsessentiallyuponthedispositionoftheagent;thatis,uponthemotivebywhichheappearstohavebeenpromptedtoperformit:upontheirbelongingtotheheadofsympathy,loveofamity,orloveofreputation;

  andnottoanyheadofself-regardingmotives。broughtintoplaybytheforceofpoliticalconstraint:inaword,upontheirbeingsuchasdenominatehisconductfreeandvoluntary,accordingtooneofthemanysensesgiventothoseambiguousexpressions。

  Thelimitsofthelawonthisheadseem,however,tobecapableofbeingextendedagooddealfartherthantheyseemevertohavebeenextendedhitherto。Inparticular,incaseswherethepersonisindanger,whyshoulditnotbemadethedutyofeverymantosaveanotherfrommischief,whenitcanbedonewithoutprejudicinghimself,aswellastoabstainfrombringingitonhim?Thisaccordinglyistheideapursuedinthebodyofthework。

  XX。Toconcludethissection,letusrecapitulateandbringtoapointthedifferencebetweenprivateethics。consideredasanartorscience,ontheonehand,andthatbranchofjurisprudencewhichcontainstheartorscienceoflegislation,ontheother。

  Privateethicsteacheshoweachmanmaydisposehimselftopursuethecoursemostconducivetohisownhappiness,bymeansofsuchmotivesasofferofthemselves:theartoflegislationwhichmaybeconsideredasonebranchofthescienceofjurisprudenceteacheshowamultitudeofmen,composingacommunity,maybedisposedtopursuethatcoursewhichuponthewholeisthemostconducivetothehappinessofthewholecommunity,bymeansofmotivestobeappliedbythelegislator。

  Wecomenowtoexhibitthelimitsbetweenpenalandciviljurisprudence。

  Forthispurposeitmaybeofusetogiveadistinctthoughsummaryviewoftheprincipalbranchesintowhichjurisprudence,consideredinitsutmostextent,iswonttobedivided。

  2。Jurisprudence,itsbranches。

  XXI。Jurisprudenceisafictitiousentity:norcananymeaningbefoundfortheword,butbyplacingitincompanywithsomewordthatshallbesignificativeofarealentity。Toknowwhatismeantbyjurisprudence,wemustknow,forexample,whatismeantbyabookofjurisprudence。Abookofjurisprudencecanhavebutoneortheotheroftwoobjects:1。Toascertainwhatthelawis:2。toascertainwhatitoughttobe。Intheformercaseitmaybestyledabookofexpositoryjurisprudence;inthelatter,abookofcensorialjurisprudence:or,inotherwords,abookontheartoflegislation。

  XXII。Abookofexpositoryjurisprudence,iseitherauthoritativeorunauthoritative。Itisstyledauthoritative,whenitiscomposedbyhimwho,byrepresentingthestateofthelawtobesoandso,causethitsotobe;thatis,ofthelegislatorhimself:

  unauthoritative,whenitistheworkofanyotherpersonatlarge。

  XXIII。Nowlaw,orthelaw,takenindefinitely,isanabstractandcollectiveterm;which,whenitmeansanything,canmeanneithermorenorlessthanthesumtotalofanumberofindividuallawstakentogether。Itfollows,thatofwhateverothermodificationsthesubjectofabookofjurisprudenceissusceptible,theymustallofthembetakenfromsomecircumstanceorotherofwhichsuchindividuallaws,ortheassemblagesintowhichtheymaybesorted,aresusceptible。Thecircumstancesthathavegivenrisetotheprincipalbranchesofjurisprudencewearewonttohearof,seemtobeasfollows:1。Theextentofthelawsinquestioninpointofdominion。2。Thepoliticalqualityofthepersonswhoseconducttheyundertaketoregulate。3。Thetimeoftheirbeinginforce。4。Themannerinwhichtheyareexpressed。

  5。Theconcernwhichtheyhavewiththearticleofpunishment。

  XXIV。Inthefirstplace,inpointofextent,whatisdeliveredconcerningthelawsinquestion,mayhavereferenceeithertothelawsofsuchorsuchanationornationsinparticular,ortothelawsofallnationswhatsoever:inthefirstcase,thebookmaybesaidtorelatetolocal,intheother,touniversaljurisprudence。

  Nowoftheinfinitevarietyofnationsthereareupontheearth,therearenotwowhichagreeexactlyintheirlaws:certainlynotinthewhole:perhapsnoteveninanysinglearticle:andletthemagreetoday,theywoulddisagreeto-morrow。Thisisevidentenoughwithregardtothesubstanceofthelaws:anditwouldbestillmoreextraordinaryiftheyagreedinpointofform;thatis,iftheywereconceivedinpreciselythesamestringsofwords。Whatismore,asthelanguagesofnationsarecommonlydifferent,aswellastheirlaws,itisseldomthat,strictlyspeaking,theyhavesomuchasasinglewordincommon。However,amongthewordsthatareappropriatedtothesubjectoflaw,therearesomethatinalllanguagesareprettyexactlycorrespondenttooneanother:whichcomestothesamethingnearlyasiftheywerethesame。Ofthisstamp,forexample,arethosewhichcorrespondtothewordspower,right,obligation,liberty,andmanyothers。

  Itfollows,thatifthereareanybookswhichcan,properlyspeaking,bestyledbooksofuniversaljurisprudence,theymustbelookedforwithinverynarrowlimits。Amongsuchasareexpository,therecanbenonethatareauthoritative:noreven,asfarasthesubstanceofthelawsisconcerned,anythatareunauthoritative。

  Tobesusceptibleofanuniversalapplication,allthatabookoftheexpositorykindcanhavetotreatof,istheimportofwords:tobe,strictlyspeaking,universal,itmustconfineitselftoterminology。Accordinglythedefinitionswhichtherehasbeenoccasionhereandtheretointersperseinthecourseofthepresentwork,andparticularlythedefinitionhereaftergivenofthewordlaw,maybeconsideredasmatterbelongingtotheheadofuniversaljurisprudence。Thusfarinstrictnessofspeech:

  thoughinpointofusage,whereaman,inlayingdownwhatheapprehendstobethelaw,extendshisviewstoafewofthenationswithwhichhisownismostconnected,itiscommonenoughtoconsiderwhathewritesasrelatingtouniversaljurisprudence。

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