by death: it certainly deprives the offender of the means of future mischief. But what should we say of the watchmaker, who, because a watch should gain upon time, cast it on the pavement, where it is broken to fragments? Yet this is the conduct those defend, who, because death fulfils this last intention of punishment, advise the retaining of capital inflictions.
The impolicy of the punishment must be evident from what has been said above, for not only have we found that it does not hinder the commission of the smaller crimes, but even that it has a tendency to corrupt the people, by rendering them neglectful of their oaths, and to render frequent the more horrible crime of murder. For when the same punishment is awarded to many crimes, human nature is such, that when once it has thrown off religious fear and moral restraint, it will always seek to gain the most at the same price, and will hence try to gain security as well as the purse, when the punishment threatened is equal for murder and robbery.
The very impolicy of retaining, shows the expediency of altering them. For justice is always expedient, and whatever may be the doctrines of some that in the government and policy of nations justice may be set aside, still these are but the visions of near-sighted men, who look but to the apparent immediate advantage, and see not the train of evils that follows the violation of justice. To those who maintain the contrary doctrine, we would point out the inhabitant of St. Helena, who once held the destinies of Europe, apparently in his hand, but lost them by his want of faith and political justice—when sacrificing all to his power, when treading upon all that binds man to virtue in his career, he did not think that those steps would prove at last the stumbling blocks in his way. And is there any difference in external and internal politics?—No; justice is the surest and most glorious path for all to tread in, and no less be-
