[It being nearly four o'clock the Jury asked leave to retire, to which Mr. Holyoake consenting, they left the Court for a short time. Some ladies who represented themselves as wives of clergymen, came round the dock offering Mr. Holyoake confections and refreshment, and expressing their regret at the treatment he had received, and the position in which he was placed.]
Mr. Holyoake, on resuming, said--According to a calculation that has never been disputed, the
Catholics, numbering... 124,672,000... £6,106,000 Protestants ... 54,046,000... 11,906,000 Greek Church ... 41,000,000... 760,000
Total of Christians 219,718,000 £18,762,000
'Of which England, for twenty-one millions of people, pays more than one-half.'* Thus the English pay five times more according to their numbers--I proposed a reduction of only one-half.
* 'Cheap Salvation.' By Henry Hetheringten.
Mr. W. J. Fox has told us--'If the government of the country disposed of the mismanaged funds of the clergy, they would have sufficient for their annual needful expenditure.'
Mr. Justice Erskine. If you can convince the jury that you only meaning was that the incomes of the clergy ought to be reduced, and that you did not intend to insult God, I should tell the jury you ought not to be convicted. You need not go into a laboured defence of that.
Mr. Holyoake. It was stated by one of the witnesses at Cheltenham that I said Christians are worshippers of Mammon. I thought it necessary for me to refer to it.
Mr. Justice Erskine. There is no evidence of that.
Mr. Holyoake. Then turn to the question _What is blasphemy?_ In the case of Mr. Southwell, one of the witnesses for the prosecution stated his opinion that the crime was '_bringing a scandal on the religion of the magistrates_.' Perhaps this is as correct a definition as can be given. It has been said to be 'an injury to God,' Men who could not string six sentences together grammatically, have told me they would defend God--men whom I should be ashamed to have defending me. But blasphemy is impossible in the sense of annoyance to God. Jonathan Edwards says--'The following things may be laid down as maxims of plain truth and indisputable evidence:--
'1. That God is a perfectly happy being, in the most absolute and highest sense possible.