s. d. 1 0 From a few Friends to Free Discussion, at Red Lion Street. G. S. Jun., a Materialist, Collected by J. Hill, Globe Tavern, Mary-le-bone. Mr. Kirk s. d. s. d. 2 6 Two of Mr. Kirk's friends 2 0 William Haley acknowledges the receipt of £1. from a friend in Court, at the close of his defence. We acknowledge the receipt of £5. as part of a subscription now raising in Bristol. Also of £3. from Halifax, the communication with which shall be printed as early as possible. William Campion acknowledges the receipt of £3. from the Translator of Dupuis. A HYMN, Extracted from the Gospel according to Philalethes. Он, universe! immortal! infinite!— Oh, thou! thine own Creator and Creation! Unwearied, tho' perpetually active! Whose form is Space, and circulation Time! Oh thou true King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Earth! Sea! Air! Planets! Suns! and Systems!- Who movest in the maddening waves and whirlwinds! THE TRIAL OF JOHN CLARKE, For publishing No. 17, Vol. IX. of" The Republican," before Newman Knowlys, the Recorder, and a common jury, at the Old Bailey Sessions, June 10, 1824. ON Monday Afternoon, May 17, 1824, John Clarke was taken from the shop of Richard Carlile, 84, Fleet Street, and brought before the sitting Magistrate, Alderman Hunter, at Guildhall; and there charged with having sold a certain scandalous, blasphemous, wicked, and prophane libel, contained in No. 17, Vol. IX of "The Republican." Defendant pleaded ignorance of its contents; therefore wished those very wicked and blasphemous passages might be read to him. The Alderman then read: "Almost all the characters spoken of in the Bible were very immoral men, as Noah, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Jesus, and Paul; a band of robbers, murderers, adulterers, drunkards, liars, impostors, and tyrants:" this, he said, in his opinion, was a most wicked, prophane, and blasphemous libel. Defendant-This, Sir, is only your opinion. Alderman-It is, and must be, the opinion of every man who has accepted the religion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Defendant-It is not an accepted religion, it is forced upon the people; and I am no more bound to accept that, than the Mohommedan religion. Alderman-Was sorry to see him in that condition, and advised him to consider not only his present, but his future state; for surely he was not so impious as to ascribe such epithets to those sacred characters. Defendant said, that although he was ignorant of the contents of the book before, yet, since he had read the passage, he would maintain that it was nothing but truth, and truth could not be a libel. The Alderman affected to be shocked at the Defendant's behaviour, and ordered him to find bail, himself in £100. and two sureties in £50, each. Defendant then said, if he had sold the Bible, they would have been more justified in those means, for a more blasphemous book was never published than the Bible. He was then taken to Giltspur Street Compter. On Monday June 7, he was brought to the bar of the New Court, Old Bailey, by the name of James Clarke, and when called upon to plead, said: My name is John Clarke, the name I gave in at Guildhall, the Compter, and Newgate; why am I to plead as James Clarke? Recorder-You may plead that fact if you choose, and that will put off your tria!. Defendant-I do not want to put off my trial. Mr. Shelton (Clerk of the Arraigns)-You may take advantage by pleading a misnomer. Defendant-1 do not want to take that advantage; it is quite immaterial to me what name you give me, I am the person who sold the book. Clerk-Well then, you will plead to the name of James Clerk. Defendant-Yes, Sir. He was then asked whether he pleaded Guilty, or Not Guilty, and having pleaded Not Guilty, was removed from the bar. Thursday morning, June 10, the Jury being sworn and in the box, a little after ten, tbe defendant, Clarke, was called to the bar, when the following jury was called: James Bull. John Robins. James Dean. William Charles Good. James Slater. James Burrows. Samuel Bates. Charles Wing. John Moxatt. The Defendant wished to ask the jury if any of them had ever tried an indictment for this offence? The Recorder said, it was too late to ask that question now the jury were sworn, that question should have been put before, in proper time. Defendant-It is for that reason I take this to be the proper time. Recorder-I tell you this is not the proper time. Defendant-Is the proper time before the jury is sworn to enquire for truth or after? This, Sir, is the proper time; I shall ask them now: bave you, Gentlemen, or any one of you, upon your oath, ever tried a similar case to this? The jury rose: some said no, and some shook their heads signifying no. The Recorder said something we could not distinctly hear. Mr. Barnard, the city pleader, in the abscence of his lead er (Mr. Bolland) who, he said, was obliged to be at Westminster, stated the case to the Jury. He said, this would afford an illustration of the truth of a statement contained in a morning paper, alleging that the Treasury Solicitor, had come down to court with a host of counsel to prosecute these defendants. The host of counsel consisted at present of his humble self. The libel in question was contained in a work called "The Republican," which was published in sixpenny weekly numbers; and be considered this publication to be of a most diabolical tendency, sold at a low price for the purpose of disseminating its poison among the lower classes of society. It had been said, that this was a war of opinions; it was no such thing: it was one thing to entertain an opinion, and another thing to publish it, when it contained principles calculated to throw society off its hinges; but he would not shock their ears and understandings, nor yet weary their patience by commenting upon such blasphemy. The libel was of such a horrid character that comment was superfluous: it stated "that the Bible was filled with contradictions, lies, fables, and nonsense:" and the chief persous mentioned therein, "Noab, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Jesus and Paul, were a band of robbers, liars, murderers, drunkards, adulterers, tyrants, and impostors." This was the first time he had ever heard that even Deists dared to call in question the moral purity of our Saviour's life, and it was reserved for the periodical press of this day to class our Saviour with persons who were designated as thieves, robbers, adulterers, and murderers. Could any language be more horridly impious? He called upon the jury, as fathers of families, to stop the flood-gates of blasphemy, which had been let loose to deluge the kingdom with such hellish poison, sapping the foundations of the Christian religion, and tainting the minds of the rising generation, by giving a verdict of Guilty against the defendant, and pronouncing the work he stood to answer for, as the indictment truly described it, a "malicious, blasphemous, and impious libel." He called William Cozens, a Bow Street Patrol, who stated, that he had purchased the 17th No. of the Republican, at a shop in Fleet Street, No. 84, with the name of R. Carlile over the door, on the 17th of May last, and that the defendant at the bar was the person to whom he paid sixpence for it. Recorder-Was any other person, besides the defendant, in the shop at the time you purchased that book? Witness-No, my Lord. |