The punishment of treason was severe and even revolting. The traitor was to be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution, hanged by the neck, his head then severed from the body, the body divided into four quarters; and the head and quarters to be at the disposal of the crown. But in 1870 these barbarities were repealed, and the sentence is now changed into hanging. The consequence of a conviction of treason was forfeiture and corruption of blood; the corruption of blood having the effect that the attainted person could neither inherit lands from his ancestor, nor transmit them to any heir. But this was altered as regards England and Ireland in 1870 by the statute 33 and 34 Vict. c. 23. The convict forfeits and is disqualified for any public office; the court may order him to pay the costs of his conviction, and his whole property is transferred to adminis trators named by the crown, who administer it and retrausfer the surplus to his heirs and representatives.
There are certain minor offenses which are called misprision being those closely bordering on treason. Such are offenses which consist in the bare knowledge and concealment of treason, without any degree of assent thereto, for any assent makes the party a principal traitor. If a person. knowing of the treason, do not forthwith
reveal it to some judge of assize or justice of the peace, this is the crime of misprision of treason. The punishment of misprision of treason was loss of goods and lands (luring life. Another offense closely related to treason is the willfully pointing a gun at, or attempting to strike, the person of the sovereign, with 'intent to injure him (or her); the offense being recently reduced, by statute and 6 Vict. c. 51, to one punishable with three years' imprisonment. There is also a cognate offense created by 11 and 12 Vict. c. 12—that of intending to depose the queen, or levying war against her in order to. intimidate her or the houses of parliament. The offense of prmmunire (q.v.) was originally the introducing a foreign power into the country, and the name was extended to similar offenses. The law of treason in England and Scotland is nearly the same.