My statement that a fine gives the victim no incentive to prosecute is not quite correct. A victim might begin a prosecution, even though he knew that if the offender was convicted the fine would go to the state, in the hope of being paid by the defendant to drop charges--perhaps to have a convenient failure of memory--at some point before the end of the trial. In the discussion of English criminal law in the 18th century in Chapter 17, I suggest that as one explanation of private prosecution of crimimal offenses in that system. In addition, a victim might push for prosecution in order to develop a reputation that would deter other offenders from injuring that particular victim--deterrence as a private good. That possibility is also discussed in later chapters.