treatise on taxes and contributions-第15章

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ngerous　Novelties　in　Religion　which　the　patient　suffering　of　the　worst　man　would　much　spread　and　encourage。　　　　　6。　Mutilations　suppose　of　Ears；　Nose；　etc。　are　used　for　perpetual　disgrace；　as　standing　in　the　Pillory　is　for　temporary　and　tansient；　whichand　such　other　punishments　have　（by　the　way）　made　some　corrigible　offenders；　to　become　desperate　and　incurable。　　　　　7。　Mutilations　of　parts　of　Fingers；　are　proper　to　disable　such　as　have　abused　their　dextrous　use　of　them；　by　Pocket…picking；　Counterfeiting　of　Seals　and　Writings；　etc。　Mutilations　of　other　parts；　may　serve　to　punish　and　prevent　Adulteries；　Rapes；　Incests；　etc。　And　the　smaller　Corporal　pains；　serve　to　punish　those；　who　can　pay　no　pecuinary　mulcts。　　　　　8。　Imprisonment　seems　rather　to　be　the　punishments　of　suspected　then　guilty　persons；　and　such　as　by　their　carriage　give　the　Magistrate　occasion　to　think；　either　they　have　done　some　smaller　particular　Crime；　as　Thefts；　etc。　or　that　they　would　commit　greater；　as　Treasons　and　Seditions。　But　where　Imprisonment　is　not　a　securing　men　untill　their　Trialls；　but　a　sentence　after　Triall；　it　seems　to　me　proper　onely　to　seclude　such　men　from　conversation；　whose　Discourses　are　bewitching；　and　Practices　infectious；　and　in　whom　neverthelesse　remains　some　hopes　of　their　future　Amendments；　or　usefulnesse　for　some　service　not　yet　appearing。　　　　　9。　As　for　perpetual　Imprisonment　by　sentence；　it　seems　but　the　same　with　death　it　self；　to　be　executed　by　nature　it　self；　quickened　with　such　Diseases；　as　close　living；　sadness；　solitude；　and　reflections　upon　a　past　and　better　condition；　doth　commonly　beget：　Nor　do　men　sentenced　hereunto　live　longer；　though　they　be　longer　in　dying。　　　　　10。　Here　we　are　to　remember　in　consequence　of　our　opinion。　＇That　Labour　is　the　Father　and　active　principle　of　Wealth；　as　Lands　are　the　Mother＇　that　the　State　by　killing；　mutilating；　or　imprisoning　their　members；　do　withall　punish　themselves；　wherefore　such　punishments　ought　（as　much　as　possible）　to　be　avoided　and　commuted　for　pecuniary　mulcts；　which　will　encrease　labour　and　publick　wealth。　　　　　11。　Upon　which　account；　why　should　not　a　man　of　Estate；　found　guilty　of　man…slaughter；　rather　pay　a　certain　proportion　of　his　whole　Estate；　then　be　burnt　in　the　hand？　　　　　12。　Why　should　not　insolvent　Thieves　be　rather　punished　with　slavery　then　death？　so　as　being　slaves　they　may　be　forced　to　as　much　labour；　and　as　cheap　fare；　as　nature　will　endure；　and　thereby　become　as　two　men　added　to　the　Commonwealth；　and　not　as　one　taken　away　from　it；　for　if　England　be　under…peopled；　（suppose　by　half）　I　say　that　next　to　the　bringing　in　of　as　many　more　as　now　are；　is　the　making　these　that　are；　to　do　double　the　work　which　now　they　do；　that　is；　to　make　some　slaves；　but　of　this　elsewhere。　　　　　13。　And　why　should　not　the　solvent　Theives　and　Cheats　be　rather　punished　with　multiple　Resitutions　then　Death；　Pillory；　Whipping？　etc。　But　it　will　be　asked；　with　how　manifold　Restitutions　should　picking　a　pocket　（for　example）　be　punished？　I　say；　'twere　good　in　order　to　the　solution　hereof；　to　enquire　of　some　candid　Artists　in　that　Trade；　how　often　they　are　taken　one　time　with　another　practising　in　the　work？　If　but　once　in　ten　times；　then　to　restore　but　ten…fold；　that　is；　double　to　the　hazard；　is　rather　the　true　ratio　and　measure　of　punishment　by　double　reparation。　　　　　14。　And　surely　the　restoring　two；　three；　four；　and　sevenfold　mentioned　in　Moses　Law　must　be　thus　understood；　or　else　a　man　might　make　thieving　a　very　fair　and　lawful　profession。　　　　　15。　The　next　question　is；　in　such　multiple　Restitutions　how　many　parts　should　be　given　to　the　sufferer。　To　which　I　answer；　never　above　one；　and　scarce　that；　to　oblige　him　to　more　care；　and　self…preservation；　with　three　parts　to　discoverers；　and　the　rest　to　publick　uses。　　　　　16。　Thirdly；　In　the　case　of　Fornications；　most　of　the　punishments　not　made　by　pecuniary　mulcts　and　commuted；　are　but　shame；　and　that　too　but　towards　some　few　persons；　which　shame　for　ever　after　obdurates　the　Offender；　what　ever　it　work　upon　such　whose　fames　ae　yet　intire：　Of　all　which　men　take　little　consideration；　standing　upon　the　brink　of　such　precipices　as　makes　them　giddy；　and　when　they　are　in　danger　of　such　faults　as　are　rather　madnesses；　distempers；　and　alienations　of　the　minde　and　reason；　as　also　insurrections　of　the　passions；　then　deliberate　acts　of　the　understanding。　　　　　17。　Moreover；　according　to　that　Axiom　of；　In　quo　quis　peccat；　in　eodem　puniatur；　if　the　Ratio　formalis　of　the　sin　of　Concubitus　Vagi；　be　the　hindering　of　procreation；　let　those　who　by　their　miscarriages　of　this　kinde　are　guilty　thereof；　repair　unto　the　State　the　misse　of　another　pair　of　hands　with　the　double　labour　of　their　own；　or　which　is　all　one；　by　a　pecuniary　mulct；　and　this　is　the　practice　of　some　wise　States　in　punishing　what　theywill　never　be　able　to　prevent：　Nor　doth　the　Gospel　specifie　any　punishment　in　this　world；　onely　declaring　they　shall　not　be　received　into　the　joyes　of　the　next。　　　　　18。　I　could　instance　in　more　particulars；　but　if　what　I　have　already　said　be　reasonable；　this　little　is　enough；　if　not；　then　all　the　rest　would　be　too　little　also：　wherefore　I　shall　adde　but　one　instance　more；　as　most　suitable　to　our　present　times　and　occasions；　which　is　the　way　of　punishing　Heterdox　Professors　of　Religion。　　　　　19。　That　the　Magistrate　may　punish　false　Believers；　if　he　believe　he　shall　offend　God　in　forbearing　it；　is　true；　for　the　same　reasons　that　men　give　for　Liberty　of　Conscience；　and　universal　tolleration；　and　on　the　other　side；　that　he　may　permit　false　Worships；　seems　clearly　at　least　by　the　practice　of　all　States；　who　allow　Ambassadours　their　freedom　（be　the　Worship　never　so　abominable）　even　when　they　come　to　negociate　but　upon　temporal　and　small　matters。　　　　　20。　Wherefore；　since　the　Magistrate　may　allow　or　connive　at　such　Worships　as　himself　thinks　fit；　and　yet　may　also　punish；　and　since　by　Death；　Mutilations；　and　imprisonments　of　the　Subjects；　the　State　not　onley　punisheth　it　self；　but　spreadeth　the　Pseudoxies；　it　follows；　that　pecuniary　Mulcts　are　the　fittest　wayes　of　checking　the　wantonness　of　men　in　this　particular：　forasmuch　as　that　course　savours　of　no　bitterness　at　all；　but　rather　argues　a　desire　to　indulge；　provided　such　indulgence　may　consist　with　the　indempnity　of　the　State；　for　no　Heterodox　will　desire　to　be　tollerated　longer　then　he　keeps　the　Publick　Peace；　the　which　if　he　means　to　do；　he　cannot　take　it　ill　of　the　Magistrate；　to　keep　him　steddy　unto　that　his　duty；　nor　grudge　to　contribute　towards　so　much　charge　for　that　purpose　as　himself　occasions。　　　　　21。　Moreover；　as　there　seems　a　reason　for　indulging　some　conscientious　misbelievers；　so　there　is　as　mcuh　for　being　severe　towards　Hypocrites；　expecially　such　as　abuse　holy　Religion　to　cloak　and　vizzard　worldly　ends：　Now　what　more　easie　and　yet　effectual　way　is　there　to　discern　between　these　two；　then　well　proportioned　pecuniary　mulcts？　for　who　desiring　to　serve　God　without　fear；　and　labouring　ten　hours　per　diem　at　his　Calling；　would　not　labour　one　hour　more　for　such　a　freedom？　even　as　religious　men　spend　an　hour　per　diem　more　than　the　looser　sort　do　at　their　Devotions；　or　who　weaving　Cloth　of　one　and　twenty　shillings；　for　the　same　advantage　of