Bill of Pains and Penalties
Preserved but no longer current.
A legislative Act imposing punishment (less than capital) upon a person charged with treason or other high crimes. It is like a Bill of Attainder (q. v.), differing from it in that the punishment is never capital and the children are not affected.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Bill of Pains and Penalties” mean?
A legislative Act imposing punishment (less than capital) upon a person charged with treason or other high crimes. It is like a Bill of Attainder (q. v.), differing from it in that the punishment is never capital and the children are not affected.
Is “Bill of Pains and Penalties” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.