outbraved justice, and triumphed over the law, and so stands secure as to all temporal retribution. But still, after all this, may we not ask concerning such an one, is all well within? How fares it with him in the court of conscience? Is he able to keep off the grim arrests of that? Can he drown the cry of blood, and bribe his own thoughts to let him alone? Can he fray off the vulture from his breast, that night and day is gnawing his heart, and wounding it with ghastly and amazing reflections?"

"Whether it is, that God has done it for the defence of mens lives, or whether it is the unnaturalness of the sin, or whatsoever else may be the cause, certain it is, that there is nothing which dogs the conscience so incessantly, fastens upon it so closely, and tears it so furiously, as the dismal sense of bloodguiltiness."

-"The man perhaps endeavours to be merry, goes about his business, he enjoys his cups,

he

and his jolly company; and possibly, if he fought for revenge, he is applauded and admired by some; if he fought for a mistress, he is smiled upon for a day. But when, in the midst of all his gaieties, his conscience shall come and round him in the ear: Sir, you are to remember, that you have murdered a man, and what is more, you have murdered a soul; you have sacrificed an immortal nature, the image of God, and the price of Christ's blood, to a pique, a punctilio, to the loves of a pitiful creature, lighter than vanity, and emptier than the air: and these are the worthy causes for which your brother now lies in the regions of darkness and misery, without relief, without recovery; an eternal sacrifice, to a short passion, a rash anger, and a sudden revenge."

"Now when these reasonings shall be joined with the considerations of the divine justice, and the retributions that heaven reserves for blood; these sad reckonings, that are in store

for

for the successful acquitted murderer: believe it, where these thoughts shall lay hold of the conscience, they will leave their marks behind them.".

In the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, may be seen this salutary law:-

"Let the abominable custom of Duelling brought in by the invention of the Devil, that by the bloody and cruel death of mens bodies, he might accomplish the destruction of their souls, be quite exterminated and banished out of the Christian World. If any Emperor, Kings, Dukes, Princes, Marquisses, Earls, or other Temporal Lords, by what name soever they be called, shall grant liberty of fighting duels between Christians any where within their Dominions, they shall upon this very account be excommunicated. And they shall be deprived of the jurisdiction and government of the city, castle, or

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place wherein, or at which, they suffered the duel to be fought, if they held of the church; and if they be copyhold, they shall forthwith escheat to the Lords of the Manor." And the persons that fought, and those that are called their seconds, shall incur the penalty of excommunication, and of forfeiting their goods and chattels, and of perpetual infamy. And they ought to be punished as murderers, according to the holy Canons. And if they die in the combat they shall never have Christian burial. And those who were accessaries to the duel, by advising or abetting it, or shall, by any way whatsoever, persuade any one to it; and the spectators also shall be liable to excommunication and an everlasting curse. Any privilege or evil custom whatsoever, though beyond the memory of man, to the contrary notwithstanding."

It cannot be too seriously lamented, that in those instances, where satisfaction is not

to be obtained either for real or imaginary affronts, society have not contrived among themselves some mode of punishment adequate to the nature and extent of the injury, and such, as should be inflicted on the offender, and him only. For the protection of pro perty against thieves and swindlers there is wisely instituted a Guardian Society: for the preservation of what is so often misnamed Honor, against the assaults of turbulent or desperate characters, it would seem, by the apology of the duellist, there is no law, except in the decision of a bullet.

To redress such a defect, if that in truth were the case, why are not tribunals of Honor established in every city, town, and country, where references should be made on all those points, for which challenges are now sent? Those who were adjudged to be defaulters, and refused to comply with the terms of satisfaction decreed by an appeal to them, ought, with a publicity of their

names,