第12章

类别:其他 作者:佚名字数:17367更新时间:18/12/14 14:23:05
LXII。CharactersofClass1;composedofPRIVATEoffences,oroffencesagainstassignableindividuals。 1。Whenarrivedattheirlaststage(thestageofconsumation) theyproduce,allofthem,aprimarymischiefaswellasasecondary。 2。Theindividualswhomtheyaffectinthefirstinstance(thatis,bytheirprimarymischief)areconstantlyassignable。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,or(whatcomestothesamething)anactofwhichthecontraryiscommanded,bythelaw:andwhatisitthatthelawcanbeemployedindoing,besidesprohibitingandcommanding?Itshouldseemthen,accordingtothisviewofthematter,thatwerewetohavesettledwhatmaybepropertobedonewithrelationtooffences,weshouldtherebyhavesettledeverythingthatmaybepropertobedoneinthewayoflaw。 Yetthatbranchwhichconcernsthemethodofdealingwithoffences,andwhichistermedsometimesthecriminal,sometimesthepenal,branch,isuniversallyunderstoodtobebutoneoutoftwobrancheswhichcomposethewholesubjectoftheartoflegislation;thatwhichistermedthecivilbeingtheother。Betweenthesetwobranchesthen,itisevidentenough,therecannotbutbeaveryintimateconnection;sointimateisitindeed,thatthelimitsbetweenthemarebynomeanseasytomarkout。Thecaseisthesameinsomedegreebetweenthewholebusinessoflegislation(civilandpenalbranchestakentogether)andthatofprivateethics。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: andthequalitywhichamanmanifestsbythedischargeofthisbranchofduty(ifdutyitistobecalled)isthatofprudence。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,Whatmotives(independentofsuchaslegislationandreligionmaychancetofurnish)canonemanhavetoconsultthehappinessofanotherbywhatmotives,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: buttherearecasesinwhichthelegislatoroughtnot(inadirectwayatleast,andbymeansofpunishmentappliedimmediatelytoparticularindividualacts)toattempttodirecttheconductoftheseveralothermembersofthecommunity。Everyactwhichpromisestobebeneficialuponthewholetothecommunity(himselfincluded)eachindividualoughttoperformofhimself: butitisnoteverysuchactthatthelegislatoroughttocompelhimtoperform。Everyactwhichpromisestobeperniciousuponthewholetothecommunity(himselfincluded)eachindividualoughttoabstainfromofhim:butitisnoteverysuchactthatthelegislatoroughttocompelhimtoabstainfrom。 IX。Wherethenisthelinetobedrawn?——Weshallnothavefartoseekforit。Thebusinessistogiveanideaofthecasesinwhichethicsought,andinwhichlegislationoughtnot(inadirectmanneratleast)tointerfere。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。Ifthenthewantofdetectionissuchasmustingeneral(especiallytoeyesfascinatedbytheforceoftheseducingmotives)appeartooimprobabletobereckonedupon,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:theartoflegislation(whichmaybeconsideredasonebranchofthescienceofjurisprudence)teacheshowamultitudeofmen,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。