Under the Indian law, no prosecution of the _Freethinker_ could have been initiated; and, in support of this statement, I proceeded to quote from a letter by Professor W.A.Hunter, in the _Daily News_.
Judge North doubtless knew that I could cite no higher authority, and seeing how badly his friend Sir Hardinge was faring, he prudently came to his assistance.

Interrupting me very uncivilly, he inquired what Professor Hunter's letter had to do with the subject, and remarked that the jury had nothing to do with the law of India.

"Then, my lord," I retorted, "I will discontinue my remarks on this point, only expressing my regret that the learned counsel should have thought it necessary to occupy the time of the court with it." Whereat there was much laughter, and his lordship's face was covered with an angry flush.
Later in my address I had a long altercation with his lordship.

I wanted to show the jury that such heresy as I had published in the _Freethinker_ abounded in high-class publications, but Justice North endeavoured (vainly enough) to prevent me.

The verbatim report of what occurred is so rich that I give it here instead of a summary version: "Now, gentlemen, I told you before that one of the reasons, in my opinion, why the present prosecution was commenced, was that the alleged blasphemous libels were published in a cheap paper, and I asked you to bear in mind that there was plenty of heresy in expensive books, published at 10s., 12s., and even as much as L1 and more.