La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII

La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII
2. “If a man do violate the king's companion, or the king's eldest daughter unmarried, or the
wife of the king's eldest son and heir.” 85 This aspect pertains to carnal knowledge, forced or
unforced, of a royal female. The intention of this law is to guard the royal blood from any
suspicion of bastardy, whereby the succession to the crown might be rendered dubious 86 . It is
important to note that in a monarchy, the transition of rule and the reign of the monarch must
be unquestioned, less civil unrest result.
3. “If a man do levy war against our lord the king in his realm” 87 .
4. “If a man be adherent to the king's enemies in his realm, giving to them aid and comfort in
the realm, or elsewhere.” 88 This aspect of the treason law pertains to trading with enemy
nations, as well as trading with pirates. Many English colonies, including the American
colonies, trading openly with pirates because the merchants could avoid the high English tariffs.
Puesto que la Alta Traición era el delito más grave, se requería el
testimonio de dos testigos para poder condenar a un reo. Generalmente se
castigaba con la muerte. Según Blackstone:
“The punishment of high treason in general is very solemn and terrible” 89
Ya he hecho mención al episodio en Tom Jones en el que Squire Western
tras una discusión con su hermana dice que podría acusarla de traición y así el
estado se quedaría con sus propiedades.
85 Ibidem, p. 889.
86 Ibidem, p. 890.
87 Ibidem, p. 891.
88 Ibidem, p. 892-3.
89 “1. That the offender be drawn to the gallows, and not be carried or walk: though usually (by connivance length
ripened by humanity into law) a sledge or hurdle is allowed, to preserve the offender from the extreme torment of being
dragged on the ground or pavement.
2. That he be hanged by the neck and then cut down alive.
3. That his entrails be taken out and burned, while he is yet alive.
4. That his head be cut off.
5. That his body be divided in four parts
6. That his head and quarters be at the king's disposal.” BLACKSTONE, Commentaries, p. 891.
El castigo no terminaba con el sufrimiento personal del considerado traidor, sino que se extendía a
toda su familia. La ley establecía que cuando una persona era declarada culpable de traición debía
también sufrir la perdida de todos sus bienes (forfeiture) y lo que se daba en llamar “corrupción de
sangre”(corruption of blood).Por lo tanto, la persona se veía forzada a dar todas sus tierras y
propiedades al estado. La corrupción de sangre impedía que la familia cerca de la persona y sus
herederos poseyesen tierra o tuviesen negocios, con lo que se arruinaba a la familia del convicto para
siempre. El castigo para las mujeres acusadas de este delito era similar, pero difería del de los
hombres: “For as the decency due to the sex forbids the exposing and publicly mangling their bodies, their sentence
(which it to the full as terrible to sensation as the other) is to be drawn to the gallows, and there to be burned alive.”
BLACKSTONE, Commentaries, pp. 892-3.
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