s in the dock to
plead to it.

It was evidently drawn up by someone grossly ignorant of the Bible. The
Apocalypse was described as the "Book of Revelations," and the Gadarean
swine came out as Gadderean. Probably Sir Henry Tyler and Sir Hardinge
Giffard knew as much of the Scriptures they strove to imprison us for
disputing as the person who drew up our Indictment. Mr. Cluer caused
some amusement in the Court of Queen's Bench when, in the gravest
manner, he drew attention to these errors. Lord Coleridge as gravely
replied that he could not take judicial cognisance of them. Whereupon
Mr. Cluer quietly observed that he was ready to produce the authorised
version of the Bible in court in a few minutes, as he had a copy in his
chambers. This remark elicited a smile from Lord Coleridge, a broad grin
from the lawyers in Court, and a titter from the crowd. It was perfectly
understood that a gentleman of the long robe might prosecute anybody for
blasphemy against the Bible and its Deity, but the idea of a barrister
having a copy of the "sacred volume" in his chambers was really too
absurd for belief.

The preamble charged us, in the stock language of Indictments for
Blasphemy, as may be seen on reference to Archibold, with "being wicked
and evil-disposed persons, and disregarding the laws and religion of the
realm, and wickedly and profanely devising and intending to asperse and
vilify Almighty God, and to bring the Holy Scriptures and the Christian
Religion into disbelief and contempt."

The first observation I have to make on this wordy jumble is, that
it seems highly presumptuous on the part of weak men to defend the
character of "Almighty God." Surely they might leave him to protect
himself. Omnipotence is _able_ to punish those who offend it, and
Omniscience knows _when_ to punish. Man's interference is grossly
impertinent. When the emperor Tiberius was asked by an informer to allow
proceedings against one who had "blasphemed the gods," he replied: "No,
let the gods defend their own honor." Christian rulers have not yet
reached that level of justice and common sense.

Next, it was flagrantly unjust to accuse us of aspersing and vilifying
Almighty God at all. The _Freethinker_ had simply assailed the
reputation of the god of the Bible, a tribal deity of the Jews,
subsequently adopted by the Christians, whom James Mill had described
as "the most perfect conception of wickedness which the human mind
can devise." What dif