Herman Melville Quote

In the light of that martial code whereby it was formally to be judged, innocence and guilt personified in Claggart and Budd in effect changed places. In a legal view the apparent victim of the tragedy was he who had sought to victimize a man blameless; and the indisputable deed of the latter, navally regarded, constituted the most heinous of military crimes.


Ch. 21 - Billy Budd, the Sailor (1891)


In the light of that martial code whereby it was formally to be judged, innocence and guilt personified in Claggart and Budd in effect changed...

In the light of that martial code whereby it was formally to be judged, innocence and guilt personified in Claggart and Budd in effect changed...

In the light of that martial code whereby it was formally to be judged, innocence and guilt personified in Claggart and Budd in effect changed...

In the light of that martial code whereby it was formally to be judged, innocence and guilt personified in Claggart and Budd in effect changed...