to the Almighty, more unedifying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory in itself, than this thing called Christianity. Too absurd for belief, too impossible to convince, and too inconsistent for practice, it renders the heart torpid, or produces only atheists and fanatics. As an engine of power, it serves the purpose of despotism; and as a means of wealth, the avarice of priests; but, so far as respects the good of man in general, it leads to nothing here or bereafter." And further, the following passage, in that part of the foresaid book or printed work, entituled "A Letter, being an Answer to a friend on the publication of the Age of Reason by Thomas Paine:"-" It is from the Bible that man bas learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief of a cruel God makes a cruel man. That blood-thirsty man, called the prophet Samuel, makes God to say (1. Sam. chap. xv. ver. 3.) "Now, go and smite Amelek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." That Samuel or some other impostor might say this, is what, at this distance of time, can neither be proved nor disproved; but, in my opinion, it is blasphemy to say or to believe that God said it. All our ideas of the justice and goodness of God revolt at the impious cruelty of the Bible. It is not a God just and good, but a devil under the name of God that the Bible describes." And you the said James Affleck having been taken before George Tait, sheriff-substitute of Edinburgh, did, in his presence, at Edinburgh, emit and subscribe two several declarations, one on the 20th and another on the 23d days of February 1824: Which declarations, as also the several books or printed works particularly above libelled; as also a writing titled on the first page, "List of books found in the shop of James Affleck, bookseller, Adam's sqaure, and taken possession of in virtue of a warrant from the "Sheriff, dated 20th Feb. 1824," and docqueted on the fifth page as relative to the said declaration of 20th February; as also another writing titled on the back, "Inventory of books, pamphlets, &c. taken possession of this 21st February 1824," and bearing to be subscribed on the third page by you; as also a printed paper entituled "A catalogue of Political and Theological books "sold by James Affleck, No. 74, Adams's Square, South Bridge Street, Edinburgh;" being all to be used in evidence against you at your trial, will be lodged in due time in the hands of the Clerk of the High Court of Justiciary, before which you are to be tried, that you may have an op portunity of seeing the same. AT LEAST, times respectively, and place above;libelled, the several profane, impious, and blasphemous books or printed works above libelled, containing respectively the passages above libelled, denying the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures and Christian Religion, and tending to asperse, vilify, ridicule, and bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures and Christian Religion, were wickedly and feloniously published, vended, and circulated; and you the said James Affleck are guilty thereof, actor, or art and part. ALL WHICH, or part thereof, being found proven by the verdict of an Assize before the Lord Justice-General, Lord Justice-Clerk, and Lords Commissioners of Justiciary, you the said James Affleck OUGHT to be punished with the pains of law to deter others from committing the like crimes in all time coming *. JOHN HOPE, A. D. LIST OF WITNESSES. 1 George Tait, sheriff substitute of Edinburgh. 2 Archibald Scott, procuratar fiscal of the shire of Edin burgh. 3 George Bouchard, now or lately clerk in the sheriff clerk's office, Edinburgh. 4 George Dichmont, now or lately sheriff's officer in Edinburgh. 5 John Nugent, now or lately residing in the Pleasance of Edinburgh, No. 81. 6 Alexander Thomson, now or lately residing in the Pleasance of Edinburgh, at No. 51, at or near to the Head of Arthur Street there. 7 James Wilson, now or lately sheriff clerk of the county of Edinburgh. 8 John Crawford, now or lately clerk in the sheriff clerk's office, Edinburgh. * We laugh at you, Sir William Rae and John Hope, A. D. Every book mentioned in these Indictments is published in London and sent into Scotland, as numerously as ever, and more than before you indicted them. And this you cannot stay. We laugh at, we despise you, Sir William Rae, his Majesty's advocate, for his Majesty's interest, and John Hope his Advocate's Deputy. We defy, in these matters, his Majesty, his Majesty's Advocate, and his Advocate's Deputy, with all the Lords Justices to boot. R. C. 9 James Mitchell, now or lately clerk in the sheriff clerk's office, Edinburgh. 10 Thomas Birnie, now or lately sheriff officer in Edinburgh. JOHN HOPE, A. D. LIST OF ASSIZE. FOR THE TRIAL OF JAMES AFFLECK. County of Edinburgh. Sir James Gairdner Baird of Saughtonhall, Baronet Andrew Belfrage, farmer, Kingsknows Thomas Davie, mill-wright, Collinton Allan Henderson, mill-master, Westmills 5 John Gray, junior, merchant in Dalkeith Peter Leyden, baker there William Williams, smith there. County of Haddington. Adam Bogue of Woodhall Robert Hyslop, merchant in Prestonpans 10 Hamilton Watson, merchant there William Paterson, merchant there John Cunningham, farmer at Dolphingston. County of Linlithgow. Adam Dawson, of Bonnytown 15 Thomas Brown, grocer there Peter Dickson, farmer, Wheatlands David Fortune, farmer, Birdsmill. City of Edinburgh. Henry Scott, jan. hatter in Edinburgh John Boog, saddler there 20 Christopher Lawson, watch-maker there George Cotton, tobacconist, North Bridge street, Edinburgh William Renton, clothier there William Mathieson, ironmonger in Edinburgh Thomas Clarke, shawl-agent there 25 James Muir, jeweller there John Mackay, jeweller there John Cooper, druggist there John Blackwood, haberdasher there James Romanes, silk-mercer there John Duncan, druggist there William Fraser, junior, merchant-tailor there 35 John Sommerville, lapidary there Adam Anderson, merchant there John Anderson, junior, bookseller there. John Balfour, merchant in Leith Alexander Howden, merchant there 45 James Wallace, insurance-broker and agent there. D. BOYLE. D. MONYPENNY. ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL. High Court. Indictment, his Majesty's Advocate against James Affleck. (Printing and Publishing Blasphemous Works, &c.) No. II. JAMES AFFLECK, now or lately bookseller and grocer in Edinburgh, you are Indicted and Accused at the instance of Sir WILLIAM RAE of St. Catharines, Baronet, his Majesty's Advocate for his Majesty's interest: THAT ALBEIT, by the laws of this and of every other well governed realm, the wickedly and feloniously PRINTING and PUBLISHING, VENDING, or CIRCULATING, or CAUSING or PROCURING to be Printed, Published, Vended, or Circulated, any PROFANE, IMPIOUS, or BLASPHEMOUS BOOK OR WORK, or any Book or Work denying the Truth and Authority of the Holy Scriptures and of the Christian Religion, or tending to Asperse, Vilify, and Ridicule or bring into Contempt the Holy Scriptures and the Christian Religion, is a crime of an henious nature, and severely punishable: YET TRUE IT IS AND OF VERITY, that you the said James Affleck are guilty of the said crimes, or of one or other of them, actor, or art and part: IN SO FAR AS, you the said James Affleck did, in the course of the year 1823, and of the present year, 1824, in Edinburgh, and the vicinity thereof, print and publish, vend aud circulate, or cause or procure to be printed, published, vended, and circulated, a number of profane impious, and blasphemous books or works, denying the truth of the Holy Scriptures and of the Christian Religion, and tending to asperse, vilify, and ridicule or bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures and the Christian Religion: MORE PARTI CULARLY, (1.) in the month of December 1823, or in the couse of the months of October or of November of that year, or of January or February 1824, you the said James Affleck did wickedly and feloniously print, or cause or procure to be printed, by David Webster, printer, Horse Wynd of Edinburgh, and Thomas Webster, his son, or one or other of them, at the printing office or premises then and now or lately occupied by them, or one or other of them, at Horse Wynd aforesaid, a profane, impious, and blasphemous book or work, entituled "a Preliminary Address from the President of the Edinburgh Freethinkers' Zetetick Society to the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, intended as the basis of an overture for a Union," bearing to be printed "For James affleck, 74, Adam's Square, Edinburgh," and denying the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures and of the Christian Religion, and tending to asperse, vilify, and ridicule, or bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures and the Christian Religion, particularly in the following passage: "That you may understand the extent of the boon I ask, I shall quote the passage for your consideration :-' Howbeit, Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite; for there was peace between Jaben, the king of Hazor, and the House of Lieber, the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, Turn in my lord, turn into me, fear not. And, when he turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her,Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, aud gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here,that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a nail of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went |