queried "Your Honour?"
Judge: "Can we deny if a man chooses the name of virtue to guard against deceit?
Should we ask a man to bend his will of believe that it may fit the common mold; and thereupon make him less than he was? When we wish judge all he is, not some lesser part; while a good deal of himself is kept aloof from the proceedings.
And if we find a part guilty can we pass judgement on the whole, the rest being innocent? Or at least untried.
But if in the name of his God, his Truth, he thereby offers all of himself can we ask more or less?
Your lists are common and average, good clerk. But in court we try the exact man to the exact crime. There is no need for an average height, or size, or skin, or God. All the facts, the facts fit the man. We want no part of a man carved to fit the facts. Commonness pollutes the elite. And in court, the man is elite to his crime since only he can be it's cause, no other. He is unique to it as it to him. This path of rigidity from crime to fact to the man is essential for justice. Wavering, averaging cannot be allowed. The paths grow so large that all become guilty of everything.
If a man wishes to swear by your cap, my good clerk, so be it! So long as it is precisely just your cap. He cannot swear by your cap but secretly mean another. For in court it is the exactness of Truth which is sought not conformity. Since by its nature conformity is false; all truly stand to the right or left of it.
I would rather this man stand with truth than rebuke his inability to conform from it. If in justice conformity is deemed higher than truth, than why are not his prosecutors, those who bring suit of collective damage, his judges as well? Because Justice as Truth cares only for the one man and the one crime; did THIS man do THAT crime; whether done against one or hundreds. Those numbers are weighed in the sentence not the verdict.
Only the exact truth must be allowed. No compromise. If Truth is not on your lists, will I aggravate the error and have it said I would not allow truth in my court? For the sake of conformity, not justice?
I think not. We will allow the prisoner to have his god, truth. May they both serve each other well. Please continue, clerk."
"Thank you, your Honour" the clerk replied though his face denied any sincerity.
Turning to the young man, he asked "Does the prisoner have any BRIEF objections to the judge chosen this day to try your case? If so, another can be arranged if the objections are deemed warranted."
Judge: "As you are a stranger to our city, let me explain that this law was introduced to help reduce retrials due to objections as to the fairness or skill of a judge. This especially became excessive as judges of my gender became more numerous. Men first expected leniency but when justice was given out, they were disappointed. Though the sentences were no more severe then from a male judge, retrials were much in demand. As it always seems that those who reap much misfortune from their own misdeeds are the first to cry 'foul' amongst fair play."
To this, the young man answered: "As to gender who better to judge the crime of men's deeds than those by far the most recipient of the abuse?"
Judge: "In that case, would not one expect more reprisals or severity of judgement?"
Young Man: "Yes if they were like men. As men tend to lump; to group together; especially offences and offenders. In the street men will judge a group by one and judge one by the group. A tiny indifference with a tiny crime it does not matter. Upon that alone men will build great prejudices against entire groups or races even. That is why mobs are filled with men, not women.
But for a woman the world of injustice is more a singular essence. She can hate or love enormously but little of that will spill to another, or a group. This flare of intensity marking this and that is sparked by a profoundness gleaned from child-birthing. A woman knows in a deep spiritual fount that birth is unique by individual not mob or group or race. The truth of this ingrained so deep much deeper than a man, she can never entirely dispel it. And rightly so. If great crimes have been done upon her, she will despise those who did the crimes. If it be a man, she will not seek revenge on all men. Only the one man.
For this reason, Justice is thought as woman. She will pursue the one man for his one deed, obscure to his group or deeds before him.
So, your honour, I have no objections to your gender. As to your skill and fairness I have heard you speak. And believe you fair. As I have only truth to offer I do not fear ears that know its tune. I accept this Judge, High Clerk."
Clerk: "A final question, what is the name of your counsel for the defence of your case?"
Young man: "As the name is now acceptable I give you the Beggar's young son as my sole defender."
To this reply the clerk let out a quite melodious and loud groan and placed his face in his hands.
Judge: My troubled clerk, surely you cannot protest this self-defence is a common enough thing in court.
Clerk: I beg your pardon your Honour. For a moment I was overcome with grieve for my poor wife and children. With the prisoner himself asking and answering his own questions, I've no doubt I shall see my death before this trial staggers to an unheard of lengthy end. And thereby I fear my family will never see me alive again.
Chuckles and murmur of ascent were heard around the court.
Judge: "Have no fear, impertinent clerk, your family shall yet delight in your presence at the end of the day. One cannot drive justice faster like a dumb brute. It is the flight of a hawk and will swoop when the game is marked and the wind is right. Till then time is in the hands of the hare.Proceed with your readings."
Taking up the sheet of papers, the clerk had wrote upon he read:
"This man known as the Beggar's young sone is charged with Blasphemy and Fraud brought upon by selling false items as gods in the Market Place. How do you plead before your God Truth?"
Young man: "Not guilty"
Not allowing even a second for some addition or debate to begin the clerk blurted out, "I now call upon the Pointer of Prosecution to give statement" with this done, the clerk gratefully collapsed to his seat.
A bald stout man with a great beard arose or rather almost stepped out from his chair (so little change was there in his height) and came to the front of the court.
He spoke: "Your Honour, today we have seen a little already of the frivolous yet cunning machinations of the prisoner's tongue. We are amused because we here are learned and though can guffaw at his antics we would not be swayed to let them twist our minds or turn our hearts.
But the people, the common people of our city are perhaps not so used to the dance of a serpent's tongue. They were beguiled and bewitched. Their minds numbed and their hearts pulled and then their pockets turned inside out.
This young man came to the Market Place, unknown, unwelcomed. Created enough verbal disturbance with the other godly merchants to attract a crowd. He had upon himself a pile of mirrors wrapped in paper. To this crowd he weaved such a wondrous tale about gods and men that even now it is difficult to get a complete story. Each person at his selling spot seems to have heard so many different things.
And through his trickery of verse convinced each one to buy a mirror. But no one knew they were mirrors only that the prisoner promised them each a god.
A god of their own making, no less! Each was to go home and picture in their mind some god then unwrap and look at the mirror. Of course all only saw a picture of themselves. No god. None at all. This is fraud. Whether known or unknown before hand, whether seen or unseen before hand if one thing is promised and another thing, esp of lesser value, delivered then this is fraud!
And insidious throughout the package given is the idea that each person can be a god. This is sacrilege! Blasphemous! The gods are completely independent and above man. To attempt to persuade innocent simple folk that they are themselves gods is not only a perversion; it is dangerous. All that a man does; all that a man acts is kept confined and safe with the rigours of our Law, Society and Customs. But gods are not! and any men who would think themselves gods would no
t. Anarchy. Mayhem.
No, your Honour, this line between man and God is kept sharp and clear. This line called death. Till then man cannot degenerate the worth of the gods by calling himself one. We need only look around to understand why man's foul grasp must not soil the hem of the gods. All we have, all we are is based on a religion of godly purity. Let no blasphemous beggar tear this down! Look at him shut up in a cage of sticks. Is he a god? To be harnessed and chastised like any man? No he is no builder, but a leveller. No priest but a sham for he speaks of virtue yet cheats the poor. No beggar but a plotter. Two days in the city and dangerous words with his dangerous thought bring riot.
With blasphemy in his heart and fraud on his hands he is marked for imprisonment or death, your Honour."
His ending flourish complete with a wide fling of his arm, the Pointer of Prosecution sat down.
The Clerk then rose and asked for a statement from the Defence.
From the cage, the Beggar's young son spoke these words: "Blasphemy as accurately defined by the Pointer of Prosecution is to call something a god which cannot be a god. It can also be to deny something is a god when in fact it is a god. He also expertly pointed out that fraud was to deliver less than was promised. I promised a god; none was supposed seen. My case becomes an unusual twist. My defence demands a greater offence in that I must prove the Prosecution