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C 39
Of Frauds relative to the Coin. Reasons
sake of making any difference in the Punishment . The Provisions
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Note
the Coinage more especially , not even both these circumstances taken
together , much less either of them singly, can fairly be taken for
conclusive evidence of such complicity. On this matter a man may
speak with confidence. I know for my own part that I am neither
a Coiner nor ever was in confederacy with such a criminal :
yet I suppose there has scarce been a week in my life in which
I have not been guilty of both these atrocious offences. I would even
venture to appeal to any man in England, let him be a man of
the strictest probity , whether it has never happened to him to have
two bad half pence in his pocket , which he was even satisfied were
bad ; to put off one of them ; and to do this twice in the compass of
two days. If this be the case it must follow I think incontestably
that such transactions, which are looked upon as conclusive evidences
of complicity, are far from being so, and the likliest effect which
such a Law can have is that of sacrificing any member of the community without exception , to the malice of any other who has a
mind to ruin him.
Presumptions drawn by the Legislator require more caution than when drawn by the Judge. A Judge or Juryman who in any one individual case that should
Identifier: | JB/071/169/003"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 71. |
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not numbered |
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071 |
penal code |
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169 |
of frauds relative to the coin |
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003 |
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copy/fair copy sheet |
4 |
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recto |
f37 / f38 / f39 / f40 |
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[[watermarks::myears [lion with crown motif]]] |
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caroline fox |
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23572 |
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