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and to whom he could appeal if he were in that House , before the bill was proposed , and they had agreed that the corainon law respecting blasphemy was
not to be touched by it . He would not now touch the law of blasphemy , nor would he enter into the question whether blasphemy might not better be left to its own fate . He was sure of the
concurrence of an honourable and learned gentleman on the other side , in the opinion that Christianity needed not the support of the civil power . He was perfectly satisfied that it would occasion no danger to our religion if every statute for its
defence were done away , or had never existed in this country . Every government undoubtedly had the right to protect the religion which it established . But when Protestants contended against Catholics , they stood ^ precisely on the same foundation in Catholic countries as
those who opposed the constituted authorities and the established laws respecting religion . The Marquis of Tavistock said , that the honourable and learned gentleman had this nighjfc , in a tone very different from that of his honourable and learned
colleague on a former evening , brought forward a charge against those who contributed to the relief of Mr . Hone . He had hoped that , after what had passed in that House from time to time respecting the prosecution of that individual , it would not have been necessary for him to
say one word upon the subject . He had thought it had been clearly understood , that whatever might be the opinion with respect to the conduct of government in that prosecution , there could be but one feeling of disgust with respect to the parodies . ( Hear . ) One of the honourable
and learned gentlemen opposite had said , that it was owing to those who expressed their disapprobation of the prosecution of Mr . Hone , that blasphemy and sedition had gone unpunished . He ( the Marquis of Tavistock ) must request the indulgence of the House while he stated
shortly what the motives of his conduct had been . Having seen others not only not prosecuted , but loaded with honours and pensions , after having published parodies of a similar nature , ( loud cheers from the opposition , ) only that they were in favour of the Government ( hear , hear ) ; and having seen , in the case of Mr . Hone ,
that if the parodies had not been against hia Majesty ' s Government , we should not probably have ever heard of them ; having seen three prosecutions carried on by " the Attorney-General , and having observed that Mr . Hone , after the acquittal on the last of them , had given a promise—a promise which he had since
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kept—that he would not republish the parodies , he ( the Marquis of Tavistock ) thought it proper to mark his conduct of those proceedings , and his admiration of the abilities of Mr . Hone in conducting his defence against all the power and talents which had been arrayed against him . ( Hear , hear . ) He must beg to recall to the recollection of the honourable
and learned gentleman [ the Solicitor-General ] the sentiments Of his former , but perhaps less prudent days , and ask him whether a man might not entertain such sentiments in his breast , and yet feel the utmost abhorrence of blasphemy and sedition . ( Loud cheers , which were continued for some seconds . ) Mr . Scarlett . —Then came the case
of Mr . Hone , One prosecution was for a parody on the Litany , another for a parody on the Catechism , and a third for a parody on the Athanasian Creed . When he was brought up , the information was read at great length , and * every count but the last charged him with an intent to revile the Liturgy . He ( Mr . Scarlett )
thought that Mr . Hone would be acquitted , and he said so to Mr . Justice Richardson , who was then one of the counsel for the prosecution . His reason for so thinking , and he then stated it , was , that so many distinguished persons , bishops ,
deans and ministers of state , in all times and ages , had published parodies , that he did not believe that a jury could , on their oaths , conscientiously find a man guilty of blasphemy for doing what they had done before him . As he had
foretold , Mr . Hone was acquitted . The second prosecution was for a parody on the Catechism : this was something worse : but Mr . Hone had produced in his defenee a similar catechism , written by Dr . Arbuthnot , in the reign of Queen Anne , but which , by mistake , he had attributed to Mr . Wilkes . It was in fact written by
Dr . Arbuthnot , in favour of the Government of that day , and was thought to be a very useful composition . Mr . Hone was again acquitted . As to the third parody , on the Athanasian Creed , he ( Mr , Scarlett ) had no sooner read the record than he asserted that he had no
doubt of an acquittal . Indeed , a parody did not necessarily infer an intention to revile the thing parodied . How many parodies , for instance , ha $ been published on Pope ' s Letter of Eloisi to Abelar ^ ? It was well known that Mr . Porson was but
very fond of a parody on thai ; poem ; who would impute to him , ojr £ o the poem , any wish to revije t ^ poetical character of Mr . Pope ? He was <** & ° } those who thought that tjhese jcompositions ought not to ^ applauded . He did not think t ) ie present an irreligious age ;
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60 Intelligence . — Parliamentary .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1820, page 60, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2484/page/60/
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