In the eighteenth-century English publishing trades, a master could be convicted of seditious libel even if a servant sold libelous items without the master's knowledge or consent. Several trials early in the century highlighted the injustice of this situation, and when coupled with changing views about the nature of servants' work, a debate ensued about a jury's right to consider fully the intent of individuals charged with selling seditious works. This ultimately laid the basis for Fox's Libel Act of 1792, allowing juries to determine law as well as fact.

中文翻译：

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十八世纪英国的仆人、主人和煽动性诽谤

在 18 世纪的英国出版业中，即使仆人在主人不知情或未经主人同意的情况下出售诽谤物品，主人也可能被判犯有煽动性诽谤罪。本世纪早期的几次审判凸显了这种情况的不公正性，再加上对仆人工作性质的看法不断变化，随之而来的是关于陪审团是否有权充分考虑被控销售煽动性作品的个人意图的辩论。这最终为 1792 年福克斯的诽谤法奠定了基础，允许陪审团确定法律和事实。