Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (4th ed, 1770, vol IV).djvu/188

 176 PUBLIC BOOK IV. CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH. OF HOMICIDE.

IN the ten preceding chapters we have conidered, firt, uch crimes and midemenors as are more immediately injurious to God and his holy religion; econdly, uch as violate or trangres the law of nations; thirdly, uch as more epecially affect the king, the father and repreentative of his people; fourthly, uch as more directly infringe the rights of the public or commonwealth, taken in it's collective capacity; and are now, latly, to take into conideration thoe which in a more peculiar manner affect and injure individuals or private ubjects.

WERE thee injuries indeed confined to individuals only, and did they affect none but their immediate objects, they would fall abolutely under the notion of private wrongs; for which a atisfaction would be due only to the party injured: the manner of obtaining which was the ubject of our enquiries in the preceding volume. But the wrongs, which we are now to treat of, are of a much more extenive conequence; 1. Becaue it is impoible they can be committed without a violation of the laws of nature; of the moral as well as political rules of right: 2. Becaue they include in them almot always a breach of the public peace: 3. Becaue by their example and evil tendency they threaten and endanger the ubverion of all civil o-

ciety.