​

AN


ESSAY


ON


CRIMES


AND


PUNISHMENTS,


TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN;


WITH A


COMMENTARY,


ATTRIBUTED TO


Mons. De VOLTAIRE,


TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.


THE FOURTH EDITION


In rebus quibuscumque difficilioribus non expectandum, ut quis simul, & serat, & metat, sed praeparatione opus est, ut per gradus maturescant.

Bacon.

LONDON.

Printed for F. Newbery, at the Corner of
St. Paul's Church-Yard.

MDCCLXXV.



TABLE OF CONTENTS.


    INTRODUCTION     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .      . Page    1
Chap.    I. Of the Origin of Punishments     .     .     .     .     .      . 5
II. Of the Right to punish  . . .  7
III. Consequences of the foregoing Principles  . . .  10
IV. Of the Interpretation of laws  . . .  12
V. Of the Obscurity of laws  . . .  18
VI.
 		 Of the Proportion between Crimes and
Punishments		  
 . . . 		  
21
VII. Of estimating the Degree of Crimes  . . .  26
VIII. Of the Division of Crimes  . . .  29
IX. Of Honour  . . .  33
X. Of Duelling  . . .  38
XI. Of Crimes which disturb the public Tranquillity  . . .  40
XII. Of the Intent of Punishments  . . .  43
XIII. Of the Credibility of Witnesses  . . .  44
XIV.
 		 Of Evidence, and the Proofs of a Crime, and of
the Form of Judgment		  
 . . . 		  
49
XV. Of secret Accusations  . . .  53
XVI. Of Torture  . . .  57
XVII. Of pecuniary Punishments  . . .  69
XVIII. Of Oaths  . . .  72
XIX. Of the Advantage of immediate Punishment  . . .  74
XX. Of Acts of Violence  . . .  79
XXI. Of the Punishment of the Nobles  . . .  80
XXII. Of Robbery  . . .  83
XXIII. Of Infamy, considered as a Punishment  . . .  85
XXIV. Of Idleness  . . .  87
XXV. Of Banishment and Confiscation  . . .  89
XXVI. Of the Spirit of Family in States  . . .  92
XXVII. Of the Mildness of Punishments  . . .  98
XXVIII. Of the Punishment of Death  . . .  102
XXIX. Of Imprisonment  . . .  117
XXX. Of Prosecution and Prescription  . . .  120
XXXI. Of Crimes of difficult Proof  . . .  125
XXXII. Of Suicide  . . .  132
XXXIII. Of Smuggling  . . .  139
XXXIV. Of Bankrupts  . . .  142
XXXV. Of Sanctuaries  . . .  147
XXXVI.
 		 Of Rewards for apprehending, or killing
Criminals		  
 . . . 		  
150
XXXVII. Of Attempts, Accomplices, and Pardon  . . .  152
XXXVIII. Of suggestive Interrogations  . . .  156
XXXIX. Of a particular Kind of Crimes  . . .  158
XL. Of false Ideas of Utility  . . .  160
XLI. Of the Means of preventing Crimes  . . .  164
XLII. Of the Sciences  . . .  167
XLIII. Of Magistrates  . . .  172
XLIV. Of Rewards  . . .  173
XLV. Of Education  . . .  174
XLVI. Of Pardons  . . .  175
XLVII. Conclusion  . . .  178


  This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1927, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

 
Translation:

This work was published before January 1, 1927, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

 

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