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。