Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (4th ed, 1770, vol IV).djvu/14

2 as principals or acceories ; fourthly, the everal pecies of crimes, with the punihment annexed to each by the laws of England ; fifthly, the means of preventing their perpetration ; and, ixthly, the method of inflicting thoe punimments, which the law has annexed to each everal crime and midemenor.

, as to the general nature of crimes and their punihment : the dicuion and admeaurement of which forms in every country the code of criminal law ; or, as it is more uually denominated with us in England, the doctrine of the pleas of the crown : o called, becaue the king, in whom centers the majety of the whole community, is uppoed by the law to be the peron injured by every infraction of the public rights belonging to that community, and is therefore in all caes the proper proecutor for every public offence.

knowlege of this branch of juriprudence, which teaches the nature, extent, and degrees of every crime, and adjuts to it it's adequate and neceary penalty, is of the utmot importance to every individual in the tate. For (as a very great mater of the crown law has oberved upon a imilar occaion) no rank or elevation in life, no uprightnes of heart, no prudence or circumpection of conduct, hould tempt a man to conclude, that he may not at ome time or other be deeply intereted in thee reearches. The infirmities of the bet among us, the vices and ungovernable paions of others, the intability of all human affairs, and the numberles unforeeen events, which the compas of a day may bring forth, will teach us (upon a moment's reflection) that to know with preciion what the laws of our country have forbidden, and the deplorable conequences to which a wilful diobedience may expoe us, is a matter of universal concern.

proportion to the importance of the criminal law, ought alo to be the care and attention of the legilature in properly Rh