to so dreadful a violation of humanity, we may well imagine that there is scarce any par|ticular practice so gross which it cannot au|thorize. Such a thing, we hear men every day saying, is commonly done, and they seem to think this a sufficient apology for what in itself is the most unjust and unreasonable con|duct.
There is an obvious reason why custom should never pervert our sentiments with re|gard to the general stile and character of con|duct and behaviour, in the same degree as with regard to the propriety or unlawfullness of particular usages. There never can be any such custom. No society could subsist a mo|ment in which the usual strain of mens con|duct and behaviour was of a piece with the horrible practice I just now mentioned.
