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THE RELATIVE DUTIES OF MANKIND. [Part III.

rially affect the general impression made by the narrative.*History is the greatest of earthly tribunals; but all its dignity andglory vanish, when truth no longer sits supreme on the seat ofjustice. Again, truth is violated by the biographer, when hesuppresses or omits incidents and traits of character, which arenecessary to the full understanding and estimate of the personwhose character he has undertaken to portray.

Does not the lawyer, also, violate truth in the same way, whenhe suppresses or omits facts, authorities, and circumstances,knowingly, and for the purpose of leading the court and juryastray ? I will permit the late Sir James Mackintosh to an-swer. “ He who is influenced by the spirit of integrity,” sayshe, “ will never himself misrepresent, or be knowingly thecause of others misrepresenting the truth in a court of jus-tice ; no prospect of advantage to himself or his client willtempt him to the commission of so gross an error. I willmention two modes (by way of caution) in which it may becommitted; 1. by giving a false color to facts, in his ownstatement of them to the jury ; 2. by turning the answers ofwitnesses to purposes eccentric from their original design. Boththese are very bold attacks upon the understanding and commonsense of men. Integrity is averse from a conduct like this ; itteaches its pupil to consider, that in a court of justice the grandaim is truth; and that a subversion of truth cannot be achieved,but at the expense of honor; an expense which no man of a rightmind will willingly incur. ”f

2. Truth is violated, by speaking or writing with a view toproduce a particular effect, but without much regard to thetruth of what is spoken or written, provided it is calculated toaccomplish the desired end. Controversial writers of every' de-scription are frequently guilty of violating truth in this way.Stimulated by the anticipated shouts of victory, or mortificationof defeat, truth, in too many cases, soon ceases to be their mainobject, if it was so at first; moral and equitable restraints aregradually cast aside ; and at length, blinded by prejudice, andheated by passion, nothing serves their purpose which does not

* Cicero, De Oratore, Lib. II. c. 15. 1 Study and Practice of the Law, pp.

245, 246.