HOW LITTLE " THE GENTLEMAN IN ITALY " CAN DO ! 173 How [easily] will it be in the power, thence, of any malicious and cunning person to raise trouble against innocent persons! for any [one of such] like persons to decline the due correction laid on him, by transferring the cause from home to such a distance! How much cost, howmuch trouble, how much hazard, must par- ties concerned be at to fetch light and justice thence! Put case: [suppose] a heresy, a schism, a doubt or debate of great moment should arise in China, how should the Gentleman in Italy proceed to confute that heresy, to quash that schism, to satisfy that doubt, to determine that cause? how longmust it be ere he can have notice thereof ! to how many cross accidents of weather and way must the transmitting of information be subject! how difficult will it prove to get a clear and sure knowledge concerning the state of things! How hard will it be to get the opposite parties to appear, so as to confront testimonies and probations requisite to a fair and just deci- sion ! how shall witnesses of infirm sex or age ramble so far? how easily will some of them prepossess and abuse him with false sug- gestions and misrepresentations of the case! how slippery, there- fore, will the result be, and how prone he to award a wrongful sen- tence!' How tedious, how expensive, how troublesome, how vexatious, how hazardous, must this course be to all parties!' Certainly, causes must needs proceed slowly and depend long; and, in the end, the resolution of them must be very uncertain.' What temptation will it be for any one (how justly soever cor- rected by his immediate superiors) to complain, hoping thereby to escape, to disguise the truth! &c.; who, being condemned, will not appeal to one at a distance, hoping by false suggestions to delude him? This necessarily will destroy all discipline, and induce impunity or frustration of justice.' Certainly much more convenient and equal it would be, that there should be near at hand a sovereign power, fully capable expe- ditely and seasonably to compose differences, to decide causes, to re- solve doubts, to settle things, without more stir and trouble. Very equal [just] it is that laws should rather be framed, inter- preted, and executed, in every country, with accommodation to the I Nunquid mirandum est de tam longinquis terris episcopos tuos tibi narrare impune quod volunt ?Aug. contra Crea,., iii. 34. " What marvel if the bishops from so re- mote countries tell you what they please without check or control P" 2 De luengas vias luengas mentiras.Hisp. Prov. [" From long ways long lies ;" a Spanish proverb, generally meant to signify that travellers have a privilege of lying. En.] 3 Syn. Bas., secs. xxxi. p. 86. ' Vid. Bern., Ep. clxxviii. de Consid.
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