An Enquiry into the Causes of the late Increase of Robbers/Introduction

INTRODUCTION.

The great Increae of Robberies within thee few Years, is an Evil which to me appears to deerve ome Attention; and the rather as it eems (tho' already become o flagrant) not yet to have arrived to that Height of which it is capable, and which it is likely to attain: For Dieaes in the Political, as in the Natural Body, eldom fail going on to their Criis, epecially when nourihed and encouraged by Faults in the Contitution. In Fact, I make no doubt, but that the Streets of this Town, and the Roads leading to it, will hortly be impasable without the utmot Hazard; nor are we threatned with eeing les dangerous Gangs of Rogues among us, than thoe which the Italians call the Banditi.

Should this ever happen to be the Cae, we hall have ufficient Reaon to lament that Remisnes by which this Evil was uffered to grow to o great a Height. All Ditempers, if I may once more reume the Alluion, the ooner they are oppoed, admit of the eaier and the afer Cure. The great Difficulty of extirpating deperate Gangs of Robbers, when once collected into a Body, appears from our own Hitory in former Times. France hath given us a later Example in the long Reign of Cartouche, and his Banditi; and this under an abolute Monarchy, which affords much more peedy and efficacious Remedies againt thee political Diorders, than can be adminitred in a free State, whoe Forms of Correction are extremely low and incertain, and whoe Punihments are the mildet and the mot void of Terror of any other in the known World.

For my own Part, I cannot help regarding thee Depredations in a mot erious Light: Nor can I help wondering that a Nation o jealous of her Liberties, that from the lightet Caue, and often without any Caue at all, we are always murmuring at our Superiors, hould tamely and quietly upport the Invaion of her Properties by a few of the lowet and vilet among us: Doth not this Situation in reality level us with the mot enlaved Countries? If I am to be asaulted and pillaged, and plundered; if I can neither leep in my own Houe, nor walk the Streets, nor travel in Safety; is not my Condition almot equally bad whether a licenced or unlicenced Rogue, a Dragoon or a Robber, be the Peron who asaults and plunders me? The only Difference which I can perceive is, that the latter Evil appears to be more eay to remove.

If this be, as I clearly think it is, the Cae, urely there are few Matters of more general Concern than to put an immediate End to thee Outrages, which are already become o notorious, and which, as I have oberved, do eem to threaten us with uch a dangerous Increae. What indeed may not the Public apprehend, when they are informed as an unquetionable Fact, that there is at this Time a great Gang of Rogues, whoe Number falls little hort of a Hundred, who are incorporated in one Body, have Officers and a Treaury; and have reduced Theft and Robbery into a regular Sytem. There are of this Society of Men who appear in all Diguies, and mix in mot Companies. Nor are they better vered in every Art of Cheating, Thieving, and Robbing, than they are armed with every Method of evading the Law, if they hould ever be dicovered, and an Attempt made to bring them to Jutice. Here, if they fail in recuing the Prioner, or (which eldom happens) in bribing or deterring the Proecutor, they have for their lat Reource ome rotten Members of the Law to forge a Defence for them, and a great Number of fale Witneses ready to upport it.

Having een the mot convincing Proofs of all this, I cannot help thinking it high Time to put ome Stop to the further Progres of uch impudent and audacious Inults, not only on the Properties of the Subject, but on the National Jutice, and on the Laws themelves. The Means of accomplihing this (the bet which ugget themelves to me) I hall ubmit to the public Conideration, after having firt enquired into the Caues of the preent Growth of this Evil, and whence we have great Reaon to apprehend its further Increae. Some of thee I am too well vered in the Affairs of this World to expect to ee removed, but there are others, which, without being over anguine, we may hope to remedy; and thus perhaps, one ill Conequence, at leat, of the more tubborn political Dieaes, may ceae.