An Essay on Crimes and Punishments |
Contents
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Common terms and phrases
abfurd accufed accuſed affaffin againſt alſo becauſe beſt cafe caufe cauſe CHAP circumftances committed condemned confeffed confeffion confequences confidered confifcation contrary crime criminal cruel cuftom death deftroy eſtabliſhed evil exifts exiſtence faid falfe fame fecond fecret fecurity feems fenfes fenfibility fentiments feverity fhall fhould firft firſt flavery flaves fociety fome fovereign fpirit Franche-Comté ftate ftill fubject fuch fuffer fufficient fuppofed fupport fyftem greateſt guilty happineſs hath high treafon himſelf human ideas impreffions impriſonment increaſe induſtry infamy innocent intereft itſelf judge juft juftice laft laws leaft lefs legiflator liberty magiftrates mankind ment mifery moft moſt muft muſt nation nature neceffary neceffity nevertheleſs obfcure obferved occafion opinion oppofe paffions penal laws perfon philofopher pleaſures poffible prevent proof puniſhment reafon ſeems ſeverity ſhall ſmall ſtate thefe themſelves theſe thofe thoſe thou thouſand tion Titus Oates torment torture Trajan truth univerfal uſeful uſeleſs virtue whofe
Popular passages
Page 20 - Whoever reads, with a philosophic eye, the history of nations, and their laws, will generally find that the ideas of virtue and vice, of a good or a bad citizen, change with the revolution of ages...
Page 1 - In every human society," says the celebrated Marquis Beccaria, " there is an effort continually tending to confer on one part the height of power and happiness, and to reduce the other to the extreme of weakness and misery. The intent of good laws is to oppose this effort, and to diffuse their influence universally and equally.
Page 8 - Thus it was necessity that forced men to give up a part of their liberty; it is certain then, that every individual would choose to put into the public stock the smallest portion possible; as much only as was sufficient to engage others to defend it.
Page 45 - This dilemma is frequent. Either he is guilty, or not guilty. If guilty, he should only suffer the punishment ordained by the laws, and torture becomes useless, as his confession is unnecessary, if he be not guilty, you torture the innocent; for, in the eye of the law, every man is innocent whose crime has not been proved.
Page 38 - ... or when all the proofs are dependent upon one, the number of proofs neither increase nor diminish the probability of the fact; for the force of the whole is...
Page 20 - ... being weakened by time, which reduces all the phenomena of the natural and moral world to an equality, become, by degrees, the prudence of the age, and an useful instrument in the hands of the powerful or artful politician.
Page 21 - The foregoing reflections authorise me to assert that crimes are only to be measured by the injury done to society. They err, therefore, who imagine that a crime is greater or less according to the intention of the person by whom it is committed; for this will depend on the actual impression of objects on the senses, and on the previous disposition of the mind; both which will vary in different persons, and even in the same person at different times according to the succession of ideas, passions,...
Page 96 - ... and inundation. Conjugal fidelity is always greater in proportion as marriages are more numerous and less difficult. But, when the interest or pride of families, or paternal authority, not the inclination of the parties, unite the sexes, gallantry soon breaks the slender ties, in spite of common moralists, who exclaim against the effect, whilst they pardon the cause.
Page 48 - ... a degree, that occupying the mind entirely, it will compel the sufferer to use the shortest method of freeing himself from torment. His answer, therefore, will be an effect, as necessary as that of fire or boiling water; and he will accuse himself of crimes of which he is innocent. So that the very means employed to distinguish the innocent from the guilty, will most effectually destroy all difference between them.
Page 77 - ... the greatest of all good, life? If it were so, how shall it be reconciled to the maxim which tells us, that a man has no right to kill himself? Which he certainly must have, if he could give it away to another.