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Article THOUGHTS ON CALUMNY. Page 1 of 2 →
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Thoughts On Calumny.
THOUGHTS ON CALUMNY .
FOR THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
CALUMNY may be defined a false , injurious detraction from the character of any person , either in speech or writing . The most abandoned and sordid minds have the least abhorrence of Calumny . He who is but moderately wicked , dursc not venture upon it ; he who has but a spark of ingenuity in his temper , disdains it . One asked a Spartan whether his sword was sharp ? Fie answered ,
" Sharper than Calumny . " The Calumniator is a general Misanthropist , he spares no age 5 , order , nor sex . He is a general calamity , and wants power , not will , to be the Phaeton of the world . He wishes the destruction of the human race , but the best and most useful men are his principal objects ; for he that aims at the overthrow of a buildingwill bend his »
, strength against the pillars . ^ United measures for the public good give the Calumniator nothing but torment , and he will stick at nothing to break the connection—he cannot bear to see individuals happy and , if he knows two of kindred souls , he is restless , until , by secret arts and
insinuations , he breaks the sacred bands , and separates Lcelius from Scipio , Pylades from Orestes . . Calumny is one of those evils , which , for reasons infinitely wise , ' ( G p d has permitted in every age of the world , and the greatest , the wisest , the best of men , have suffered by Calumny . Moses , though meek to a proverb , was calumniated b y his own
brother and sister . Socrates , among the Greeks , lost his life by Calumny . Calumny banished Rutilius from Old Rome , and Calumny deposed Lord Somers , the greatest , the best Chancellor that had ever been in England . If Calumny , thenbe so pernicious to human societyif it be a vies
, , in its nature so detestable , why is it not every where ranked in the first class , and an adequate punishment provided by all legislatures ? k has been seen in different li ghts by different states , and in different ages . Among the Athenians , the Calumniator was only subject to a pecuniary mulct . The Romans branded him on the forehead .
In some ofthe present governments in Europe , Calumny is a capital offence . A delicate sense of honour had made duelling as frequent as libelling and Calumny ; and the only way to prevent the former , was effectually to suppress the latter . In some other governments and their dependencies , Calumny seems to be tolerated . Is it because it prevails like a torrent , and that it would break through all banks made to stop it ? or , are the people less sensible of its stings , of have they mere virtue to bear , ¦ thejn- ? Possibly false notions of liberty may be the true cause .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Thoughts On Calumny.
THOUGHTS ON CALUMNY .
FOR THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
CALUMNY may be defined a false , injurious detraction from the character of any person , either in speech or writing . The most abandoned and sordid minds have the least abhorrence of Calumny . He who is but moderately wicked , dursc not venture upon it ; he who has but a spark of ingenuity in his temper , disdains it . One asked a Spartan whether his sword was sharp ? Fie answered ,
" Sharper than Calumny . " The Calumniator is a general Misanthropist , he spares no age 5 , order , nor sex . He is a general calamity , and wants power , not will , to be the Phaeton of the world . He wishes the destruction of the human race , but the best and most useful men are his principal objects ; for he that aims at the overthrow of a buildingwill bend his »
, strength against the pillars . ^ United measures for the public good give the Calumniator nothing but torment , and he will stick at nothing to break the connection—he cannot bear to see individuals happy and , if he knows two of kindred souls , he is restless , until , by secret arts and
insinuations , he breaks the sacred bands , and separates Lcelius from Scipio , Pylades from Orestes . . Calumny is one of those evils , which , for reasons infinitely wise , ' ( G p d has permitted in every age of the world , and the greatest , the wisest , the best of men , have suffered by Calumny . Moses , though meek to a proverb , was calumniated b y his own
brother and sister . Socrates , among the Greeks , lost his life by Calumny . Calumny banished Rutilius from Old Rome , and Calumny deposed Lord Somers , the greatest , the best Chancellor that had ever been in England . If Calumny , thenbe so pernicious to human societyif it be a vies
, , in its nature so detestable , why is it not every where ranked in the first class , and an adequate punishment provided by all legislatures ? k has been seen in different li ghts by different states , and in different ages . Among the Athenians , the Calumniator was only subject to a pecuniary mulct . The Romans branded him on the forehead .
In some ofthe present governments in Europe , Calumny is a capital offence . A delicate sense of honour had made duelling as frequent as libelling and Calumny ; and the only way to prevent the former , was effectually to suppress the latter . In some other governments and their dependencies , Calumny seems to be tolerated . Is it because it prevails like a torrent , and that it would break through all banks made to stop it ? or , are the people less sensible of its stings , of have they mere virtue to bear , ¦ thejn- ? Possibly false notions of liberty may be the true cause .