usury, and the statute declares that he is not bound to pay principal or interest, or, in short, anything at all. The benefits he may have derived from the use of the money are of no account ; the fortune he may have made or preserved with it cannot be urged; and even the gratitude which he owes, along with the money, is ignored. This is surely encouraging a debtor to ask and receive from a court of justice the annulling of a bond which he has solemnly promised to keep and perform. It is no argument to say that it is seldom done, and that many lenders guard against it; the law permits it, and is, therefore, de- fective. What else can this be called than repudiation, sanctioned by law? This is another risk encountered by the creditor, for which the borrower must pay.
Again, how are individuals aflfected in the eye of the law by the operation of those we are discussing ?
" Without some profits [adequate to the risks run) allowed by law, there will be but few lenders, and those principally had men, who will break through the law, and make a profit, and then will