in the second place, they could be turned to very good account, either by confiscating the estates of the assassins, or by making the criminals pay heavy compensations to the judge. The judge could wave the pursuit of justice by saying, 'Non procedatur. Let there be no process;' which could easily be cloaked under the pretence of some defect in point of form; or could even acquit the deepest offenders from his own will alone, by what was called 'Ex informata conscientia, The information of his own conscience;' of which he was not obliged to give any account.
It was not till the year 1738, that Genoa made an edict against this most dreadful abuse.
M. De Montesquieu thus writes concerning it, with that calm dignity which becomes so great a matter: 'Une république d'Italie tenoit des insulaires sous son obéissance; mais son droit politique et civil a leur égard étoit vicieux. On se souvient de cet acte d'amnistie, qui porte qu'on ne les condamneroit plus a des peines afflictives sur la conscience informeé du gouverneur. On a vu souvent des peuples demander des privileges; ici le souverain accorde le droit de toutes les nations[1].'
'A republick in Italy held a nation of islanders
- ↑ Esprit des Loix, edit. Edin. liv. x. cap. 8.
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