contriving, and wickedly and maliciously intending, to injure the said plaintiff in his said good name and credit, and in his said trade or business, and to bring him into public scandal, infamy, and disgrace, and to cause it to be suspected and believed that he the said plaintiff was guilty of fraud and dishonesty, and of cheating and imposing on his customers in his said trade or business, and to oppress and ruin him the said plaintiff, heretofore, to wit, on, &c., at, &c., in a certain discourse which he the said defendant then and there had of and concerning the said plaintiff in his said trade or business, in the presence and hearing of divers good and worthy subjects of the realm, falsely and maliciously spoke and published of and concerning the said plaintiff in his said trade or business, in the presence and hearing of the last-mentioned subjects, the several false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory words following; [set out the words with inuendos.] By means whereof he the said plaintiff hath been and is greatly injured in his aforesaid good name and credit, and brought into public scandal, infamy, and disgrace with and amongst all his neighbours and other good and worthy subjects of this realm, insomuch that divers of those neighbours and subjects have, by reason of the committing of the said grievances, from thence hitherto suspected and believed and still do suspect and believe the said plaintiff to be guilty of fraud and dishonesty in his said trade or business, and have by reason thereof wholly refused to have any further dealings or transactions with the said plaintiff in the way of his trade or business, or otherwise; and the said plaintiff hath been and is greatly injured and damnified in his said trade or business, and otherwise; and, in particular, by reason of the premises, one John Doe and one Richard Roe, who, before the committing

of the said grievances, had been and were customers and employers of the said plaintiff in his said trade or business, not knowing the innocence of the said plaintiff in the premises, have, by reason of the committing the said grievances, suspected the said plaintiff to have been guilty of fraud and dishonesty in his said trade or business, and have wholly refused further to retain or employ the said plaintiff, or to have any further dealing with him in his said trade or business, as, but for the committing of the said grievances, they otherwise would have done, to the plaintiff's damage, &c.

SECT. 6. In the following Form of Declaration for Slander of a Grocer and Beer-shop Keeper in his Trades the slanderous Words are set out.

COMMENCE with the usual commencement and inducement of good character, and proceed :

And whereas also the plaintiff was, before and at the time of the committing of the grievances by the defendant as herein-after mentioned, and from thence hitherto hath been and still is, a grocer and beer-shop keeper, and has always exercised and carried on the same trades and businesses with integrity, honesty, and propriety of conduct: And whereas the plaintiff hath not ever been guilty, or, until the time of the com mitting of the said several grievances by the defendant as herein-after mentioned, been suspected to have been guilty, of the offences and misconduct as hereinafter stated to have been charged upon and imputed to him by the defendant, or of any other offences or misconduct whatever; by means of which premises the plaintiff, before the committing of the said several grievances by the defendant as herein-after mentioned, had deservedly obtained the good opinion and credit

of all his neighbours and other good and worthy sub. jects of the realm to whom he was in anywise known, and had also thereby acquired and was then daily and honestly acquiring great gains and profits in his said. trades and businesses to the comfortable support of himself and his family; yet the defendant, well knowing the premises, but greatly envying the happy state and condition of the plaintiff, and contriving, and wickedly and maliciously intending, to injure the plaintiff in his said good name, fame, and credit, and to bring him into public scandal, infamy, and disgrace with and amongst all his neighbours and other good and worthy subjects of this kingdom, and to cause it to be suspected and believed by those neighbours and subjects that the plaintiff had been and was guilty of the offences and misconduct herein-after stated to have been charged upon and imputed to him by the defendant, and to vex, harass, oppress, impoverish, and wholly ruin the plaintiff in his said trades and businesses, heretofore, to wit, on the 1st day of March, A. D. 1842, in a certain discourse which the defendant then had of and concerning the plaintiff, and of and concerning him in his said trades and businesses of grocer and beer-shop keeper as aforesaid, in the presence and hearing of divers good and worthy subjects of our lady the Queen, then, in the presence and hearing of the said last-mentioned subjects, falsely and maliciously spoke and published of and concerning the plaintiff, and of and concerning him in his said trades and businesses, the false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory words following; that is to say, "He (meaning the plaintiff) uses false weights; do "not deal with him (meaning that the said last-men"tioned subjects should not deal with the plaintiff) for "you (meaning the said last-mentioned subjects) will

"be cheated; he (meaning the plaintiff) mixes some"thing with his (meaning the plaintiff's) sugar, and "adulterates his (meaning the plaintiff's) beer." By means of the speaking and publishing of which said several false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory words by the defendant as aforesaid the plaintiff hath been and is greatly injured in his said good name, fame, and credit, and also greatly injured in his said trades and businesses, and brought into public scandal, infamy, and disgrace with and amongst all his neighbours and other good and worthy subjects of this realm, insomuch that divers of those neighbours and subjects, to whom the innocence and integrity of the plaintiff in the premises were unknown, have, on account of the speaking and publishing of the said several false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory words by the defendant as aforesaid, from thence hitherto suspected and believed and still do suspect and believe the plaintiff to have been and to be a person guilty of dishonesty and fraudulent practices, and to have acted dishonestly, fraudulently, and improperly in his said trades and businesses of grocer and beer-shop keeper as aforesaid; and have, by reason of the committing of the said grievances by the defendant as aforesaid, from thence hitherto wholly refused and still do refuse to have any transaction, acquaintance, or discourse with the plaintiff in the way of his said trades and businesses as they were before used and accustomed to have and otherwise would have had; and also by means of the premises the plaintiff hath been and is otherwise much injured and damnified to the damage of the plaintiff of £100, and thereupon he brings suit, &c.

It is unnecessary to insert the forms of the general and special demurrer, as they are common to all actions.

The general issue in actions for defamation is Not Guilty.

The following form of pleading to a special inducement, giving a libellous sense to words in themselves indifferent, was used in the case of M'Gregor v. Gregory (a), and was held good on demurrer.

The form of the inducement itself will be found among the forms of declaration, ante, p. 322; and the decision upon the points raised upon special demurrer to those pleas is stated, ante, pp.119. 127.

(a) 2 D. P. R. 775. See the form of the declaration, ante

p. 322.