Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (4th ed, 1770, vol IV).djvu/32

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AVING, in the preceding chapter, conidered in general the nature of crimes, and punihments, we are next led, in the order of our ditribution, to enquire what perons are, or are not, capable of committing crimes; or, which is all one, who are exempted from the cenures of the law upon the commiion of thoe acts, which in other perons would be everely punihed. In the proces of which enquiry, we mut have recoure to particular and pecial exceptions: for the general rule is, that no peron hall be excued from punihment for diobedience to the laws of his country, excepting uch as are exprely defined and exempted by the laws themelves.

the everal pleas and excues, which protect the committer of a forbidden act from the punihment which is otherwie annexed thereto, may be reduced to this ingle conideration, the want or defect of will. An involuntary act, as it has no claim to merit, o neither can it induce any guilt: the concurrence of the will, when it has it's choice either to do or to avoid the fact in quetion, being the only thing that renders Rh