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In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people. Preface to 1828 Dictionary
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VE'NAL, a. [L. vena, a vein.] Pertaining to a vein or to veins; contained in the veins; as venal blood. [See Venous, which is generally used.]
VE'NAL, a. [L. venalis, from venco, to be sold.]
Of or pertaining to veins; venous; as, venal blood.
[R.] Capable of being bought or obtained for money or
other valuable consideration; made matter of trade or barter; held for
sale; salable; mercenary; purchasable; hireling; as, venal
services.
" Paid court to venal beauties."
Macaulay.
The venal cry and prepared vote of a passive senate. Burke. Syn. -- Mercenary; hireling; vendible. -- Venal, Mercenary. One is mercenary who is either actually a hireling (as, mercenary soldiers, a mercenary judge, etc.), or is governed by a sordid love of gain; hence, we speak of mercenary motives, a mercenary marriage, etc. Venal goes further, and supposes either an actual purchase, or a readiness to be purchased, which places a person or thing wholly in the power of the purchaser; as, a venal press. Brissot played ingeniously on the latter word in his celebrated saying, " My pen is venal that it may not be mercenary," meaning that he wrote books, and sold them to the publishers, in order to avoid the necessity of being the hireling of any political party. Thus needy wits a vile revenue made, This verse be thine, my friend, nor thou refuse | ||||||||