See also:

• BLASPHEMY (through the Fr. from Gr. PXaa4o ta, profane language, slander, probably derived from root of )3X

BLASPHEMY (through the Fr. from Gr. PXaa4o ta, profane See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language, See also:

• SLANDER

slander, probably derived from See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

root of )3X  Cirri-au, to injure, and 0-See also:

• BUN

bun, speech), literally, See also:

• DEFAMATION (from the classical Lat. diffamare, to spread abroad an evil report—the English form in de is taken from the Late Lat. defamare)

defamation or evil speaking, but more peculiarly restricted to an indignity offered to the Deity by words or See also:

• WRITING
• WRITING (the verbal noun of " to write," O. Eng. writan, to inscribe)

writing . By the See also:

• MOSAIC (corresponding to Lat. opus musivum, from Gr. µovoeiov, an artificial grotto often decorated with mosaics; the word is only found in the sense of mosaic in late Greek, which generally uses k oXI yrlµa)

Mosaic See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law See also:

• DEATH

death by stoning was the See also:

• PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

punishment for See also:

• BLASPHEMY (through the Fr. from Gr. PXaa4o ta, profane language, slander, probably derived from root of )3X

blasphemy (Lev. See also:

• XXIV

xxiv . 16) . The 71th Novel of Justinian assigned death as the See also:

• PENALTY (Lat. poena, punishment)

penalty, as did also the Capitularies . The See also:

• COMMON

common law of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England treats blasphemy as an indictable offence . All blasphemies against See also:

• GOD

God, as denying His being, or See also:

• PROVIDENCE

providence, all contumelious reproaches of Jesus See also:

• CHRIST (Gr. X pLQTOS, Anointed)
• CHRIST, WILHELM VON (1831-1906)

Christ, all profane scoffing at the See also:

• HOLY

Holy Scriptures, or exposing any See also:

• PART

part thereof to contempt or ridicule, are punishable by the temporal courts with See also:

• FINE

fine, imprisonment and also infamous See also:

• CORPORAL

corporal punishment . An See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act of See also:

• EDWARD

Edward VI . (2547; repealed 1553, and revived 1558) enacts that persons reviling the See also:

• SACRAMENT

sacrament of the See also:

• LORD
• LORD (O. Eng. hldford, i.e. hldfweard, the warder or keeper of bread, hlIf, loaf; the word is not represented in any other Teutonic language)
• LORD, JOHN (1810-1894)

Lord's Supper, by contemptuous words or otherwise, shall suffer imprisonment . Persons denying the Trinity were deprived of the benefit of the Act of See also:

• TOLERATION (from Lat. tolerare, to endure)

Toleration by an act of 1688 . An act of 1697—1698, commonly called the Blasphemy Act, enacts that if any See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person, educated in or having made profession of the See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion, should by writing, See also:

• PREACHING (Fr. preecher, from Lat. praedicare, to proclaim)

preaching, teaching or advised speaking, deny any one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity to be God, or should assert or maintain that there are more gods than one, or should deny the Christian religion to be true, or the Holy Scriptures to be of divine authority, he should, upon the first offence, be rendered incapable of holding any See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office or See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of See also:

• TRUST

trust, and for the second incapable of bringing any See also:

• ACTION

action, of being See also:

• GUARDIAN

guardian or executor, or of taking a See also:

• LEGACY (Lat. legatum)

legacy or See also:

• DEED (in O. Eng. dead, from the stem of the verb " to do ")

deed of See also:

• GIFT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. die Gift, gift, das Gift, poison, formed from the Teut. stem gab-, to give, cf. Dutch geven, Ger. geben; in O. Eng. the word appears with initial y, the guttural of later English is due to Scandinavian influence)

gift, and should suffer three years' imprisonment without See also:

• BAIL

bail . It has been held that a person offending under the See also:

• STATUTE

statute is also indictable at common law (Rex v . See also:

• CARLISLE
• CARLISLE, EARLS OF

Carlisle, 1819, where Mr See also:

• JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

Justice Best remarks, " In the See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age of toleration, when that statute passed, neither churchmen nor sectarians wished to protect in their infidelity those who disbelieved the Holy Scriptures ") .

An act of 1812—1813 excepts from these enactments " persons denying as therein mentioned respecting the Holy Trinity," but otherwise the common and the statute law on the subject remain as stated . In the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of Rex v . See also:

• WOOLSTON, THOMAS (1669—1731)

Woolston (1728) the See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court declared that they would not suffer it to be debated whether to write against See also:

• CHRISTIANITY

Christianity in See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general was not an offence punishable in the temporal courts at common law, but they did not intend to include disputes between learned men on particular controverted points . The law against blasphemy has practically ceased to be put in active operation . In 1841 Edward See also:

• MOXON, EDWARD (18o1-1858)

Moxon was found guilty of the publication of a blasphemous See also:

• LIBEL

libel (See also:

• SHELLEY, MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (1797-1851)
• SHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE (1792-1822)

Shelley's See also:

• QUEEN
• QUEEN (O.E. cwen, wife, related to "quean," O.E. cwene, a hussy; cf. Gr. yvvi7: from root gan-, to produce; cf. genus, " kin," &c.)

Queen Mab), the See also:

• PROSECUTION

prosecution having been instituted by See also:

• HENRY
• HENRY (1129-1195)
• HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
• HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
• HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
• HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
• HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
• HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
• HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
• HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
• HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
• HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
• HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
• HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)

Henry Hetherington, who had previously been condemned to four months' imprisonment for a similar offence, and wished to test the law under which he was punished . In the case of Cowan v . Milbourn (1867) the See also:

• DEFENDANT

defendant had broken his See also:

• CONTRACT
• CONTRACT (Lat. contract us, from contrahere, to draw together, to bind)

contract to let a lecture-See also:

• ROOM

room to the See also:

• PLAINTIFF

plaintiff, on discovering that the intended lectures were to maintain that " the See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of Christ is defective, and his teaching misleading, and that the See also:

• BIBLE
• BIBLE, ENGLISH

Bible is no more inspired than any other See also:

• BOOK

book," and the court of See also:

• EXCHEQUER

exchequer held that the publication of such See also:

• DOCTRINE

doctrine was blasphemy, and the contract therefore illegal . On that occasion the court. reaffirmed the dictum of See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

Chief Justice See also:

• HALE, EDWARD EVERETT (1822-1909)
• HALE, HORATIO (1817–1896)
• HALE, JOHN PARKER (1806–1873)
• HALE, NATHAN (1756-1776)
• HALE, SIR MATTHEW (1609-1676)
• HALE, WILLIAM GARDNER (1849- )

Hale, that Christianity is part of the See also:

• LAWS

laws of England . The commissioners on criminal law (See also:

• SIXTH

sixth See also:

• REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report) remark that " although the law forbids all denial of the being and providence of God or the Christian religion, it is only when irreligion assumes the See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of an insult to God and See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man that the interference of the criminal law has taken place." In England the last prominent prosecution for blasphemy was the case of R. v . See also:

• RAMSEY
• RAMSEY, SIR ANDREW CROMBIE (1814—1891)

Ramsey er See also:

• FOOTE
• FOOTE, ANDREW HULL (1806-1863)
• FOOTE, SAMUEL (1720-1777)

Foote, 1883, 48 L.T . 739, when the editor, publisher and printer of the Freethinker were sentenced to imprisonment; but See also:

• POLICE (Fr. police, government, civil administration, a police force, Gr. sroXumeia, constitution, condition of a state, roars, city, state)

police court proceedings were taken as See also:

• LATE

late as 1908 against an obscure See also:

• HYDE
• HYDE, THOMAS (1636-1703)

Hyde See also:

• PARK (Fr. part; Ital. parco; Sp. Marque; O.Eng. pearroc; connected with Ger. pferch, fold, and pfarrei, district, translating med. Lat. parochia, parish)
• PARK, EDWARDS AMASA (1808–1900)
• PARK, MUNGO (1771-1806?)

Park orator who had become a public See also:

• NUISANCE (through Fr. noisance, nuisance, from Lat. nocere, to hurt)

nuisance . Profane cursing and See also:

• SWEARING (O. Eng. swerian, to swear, originally to speak aloud, cf. andswerian, to answer, Ger. schworen, Dan. svaerge, &c., all from root sorer-, to make a sound, cf. " swarm," properly the buzzing of bees, Lat. susurrus)

swearing is made punishable by the Profane Oaths Act 1745, which directs the offender to be brought before a justice of the See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace, and fined five shillings, two shillings or one See also:

• SHILLING

shilling, according as he is a See also:

• GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

gentleman, below the See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank of gentleman, or a common labourer, soldier, &c .

By the law of See also:

• SCOTLAND
• SCOTLAND, CHURCH OF
• SCOTLAND, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF

Scotland, as it originally stood, the punishment of blasphemy was death, but by an act of 1825, amended in 1837, blasphemy was made punishable by fine or imprisonment or both . In See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France, blasphemy (which included, also, speaking against the Holy Virgin and the See also:

• SAINTS, BATTLE OF THE

saints, denying one's faith, or speaking with impiety of holy things) was from very See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early times punished with See also:

• GREAT

great severity . The punishment was death in various forms, burning alive, See also:

• MUTILATION (from Lat. mutilus, maimed)

mutilation, See also:

• TORTURE (from Lat. torquere, to twist)

torture or corporal punishment . In the See also:

• UNITED

United States the common law of England was largely followed, and in most of the states, also, statutes were enacted against the offence, but, as in England, the law is practicallynever put in force . In See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany, the punishment for blasphemy is imprisonment varying from one See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day to three years, according to the gravity of the offence . To constitute the offence, the blasphemy must be uttered in public, be offensive in character, and have wounded the religious susceptibilities of some other person . In See also:

• AUSTRIA
• AUSTRIA, LOWER (Ger. Niederosterreich or Osterreich unter der Enns, " Austria below the river Enns ")
• AUSTRIA, UPPER (Ger. Oberosterreich or Osterreich ob der Enns, " Austria above the river Enns ")

Austria, whoever commits blasphemy by speech or writing is liable to imprisonment for any See also:

• TERM

term from six months up to ten years, according to the seriousness of the offence .