Publishers, God bless 'em

“Now Barabbas was a publisher.” (Thomas Campbell 1777-1844), and often wrongly attributed to Lord Byron. Which probably explains why he ended up where he did – Barabbas, not Byron.
But that’s beside the point. According to “Notes and Queries” there was a famous incident when Napoleon ordered the execution of Johann Palm, a German publisher who had been printing subversive pamphlets. Later, at an authors’ dinner, Campbell gave the toast, “To Napoleon!” Consternation reigned. Campbell went on, “I agree with you that Napoleon is a tyrant, a monster, the sworn foe of our nation. But, gentlemen – he once shot a publisher!”