cannot tell, how you feel, but I have no opinion more
deeply impressed on my mind than that the prosecution of such political
papers as this before you, as state libels, is perfectly unnecessary;
and, so far from doing good, is, if any mischief can be produced by such
writings, mischievous. Prosecution excites the public regard, and a
curiosity that will not rest till it is gratified, towards that which,
under silent neglect, would hardly gain attention; if indeed, it did not
drop quite dead-born from the press. But I deny wholly that any
political writings, whatever their nature, have done or ever could do any
harm to political society. Let those who advocate the contrary opinion
show you a single instance of a state injured or destroyed by
inflammatory political writings. The republic of Athens was not thrown
down by libels: no--she perished for want of that widely diffused
excitement to courage, and patriotism, and virtue, which a press
perfectly free and unshackled can alone spread throughout a whole people.
She was not ruined by anarchy into which she was thrown by seditious
writings, but because, sunk in luxury and enervated by refinement, it was
impossible to rouse the Athenians to the energy and ardour of facing and
withstanding the enemy in the field. Rome too--as little was her
gigantic power levelled with the dust by libels, but perished from the
corruptions of the tyrannical government of the Emperors, which drained
the nation of all its ancient virtue, and bred the slavery which produces
an utter debasement of the mind (and which never could have been, if a
free publication of political opinion had been suffered), and thus she
fell an easy conquest and prey to the barbarians and Goths. Both these
renowned states fell, because their governments and the people wanted the
goad of a free press to excite them to that public spirit and virtue,
without which no country is capable of political independence and
liberty. How our ears have been dinned with the French revolution, and
how often have we been gravely told, that it was caused by the writings
of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Helvetius. Ridiculous! I have read the
history of those times and have read it very differently. I am forced to
understand that the inextricable and utter embarrassment of the French
finances, the selfish and insolent luxury of the nobles, the desperate
wretchedness of the lower orders of the people, and the profligate
licentiousness