But when a penalty is either annexed to the crime in the law itself, or hath been usually inflicted in the like cases; there the delinquent is excused from a greater penalty. For the punishment foreknown, if not great enough to deter men from the action, is an invitement to it: because when men compare the benefit of their injustice with the harm of their punishment, by necessity of nature they choose that which appeareth best for themselves; and therefore when they are punished more than the law had formerly determined, or more than others were punished for the same crime; it is the law that tempted and deceiveth them.
No law, made after a fact done, can make it a crime: because if the fact be against the law of Nature, the law was before the fact; and a positive law cannot be taken notice of, before it be made; and therefore cannot be obligatory. But when the law that forbiddeth a fact, is made before the fact be done; yet he that doth the fact, is liable to the penalty ordained after, in case no lesser penalty were made known before, neither by writing, nor by example, for the reason immediately before alleged.
From defect in reasoning, that is to say, from error, men are prone to violate the laws three ways. First, by presumption of false principles: as when men, from having observed how in all places and in all ages, unjust actions have been authorized, by the force and victories of those who have committed them; and that potent men, breaking through the cobweb laws of their country, the weaker sort and those that have failed in their enterprises, have been esteemed the only criminals; have thereupon taken for principles, and grounds of their reasoning, “that justice is but a vain word: that whatsoever a man can get by his own industry and hazard, is his own: that the practice of all nations cannot be unjust: that examples of former times are good arguments of doing the