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1820. Septr. 7. 19
J.B. to Mora
(6)
No such call, however, and, in particular, from Spain, does it
seem my destiny to receive. In the Español Constitucional, (a
monthly periodical published here in Spanish) – in the Espanol
Constitucional of the first of this month, a report is mentioned
as from Madrid, I know not on what authority – of an intention
in the Cortes to give me an invitation to repair to Madrid for the general
purpose of giving assistance in the business of Legislation. For
the sort of compliment thus paid, I know not, nor can we I guess,
to whom I am indebted: I would not answer unless Sir, a it were yourself.
But, supposing any such measure started there, I see no symptoms
of its being adopted. Nor, supposing any such invitation given, should
I regard the object as promising to be, in any considerable degree, promoted
by a literal acceptance.⊞ ⊞ By drawing up, in
outline at least, a
proposed Code in terminis,
upon the plan explained
in the already translated work, with a
perpetual commentary
of Reasons – yes, in
that way I could do
what nobody else could
do. By repairing to
Madrid, I should consume
time (at the age of 72
time requires frugality).
I should incapacitate
myself from that by
far the most useful of my
possible labours; and the
greatest service I could
render would, in comparison,
be nothing. In
the way of giving reasons
pro and con, for
legislators arrangements
I have by long experience had very little,
in comparison of what
may be done by writing
can be done, towards
reaching the end in view
by comp conversation,
even tête-à-tête between man and
would where language
is the same. In Spanish
I could not converse at
all; in French not without
some difficu but in
a manner more or less
inadequate; in Latin
not but in a manner
considerable more so. I
could not maintain any
totally adequate conversation without
making friends; nor make make
friends without making
enemies: and so many
enemies to my person, so many enemies to my proposed arrangements, over and above the hosts which by opposition to these it a private personal and other private interests those the arrangements themselves would secure to me. The matter of a Code of Laws may, for
a purpose such as the present, be considered as divisible into two parts:
the one, composed of arrangements, the propriety of which will
depend upon such circumstances as, if not common to all men,
are, at any rate, common to all the inhabitants of the Europeans more or less civilized
or, at least, the Christian say in the world: the other of such of arrangements not as required to be subjected
to this or that modification, according to the circumstances, peculiar
to this or that country, in that same world. The two sorts
of arrangements are, in my view of the matter, capable of being
separated from each other with perfect facility: in my own mind,
they stand, on every each occasion, already separated. By the arrangements
that belong to the former class, all the great problems should would be solved
and by far the most considerable part of the task performed: these
would stand expressed by the text in terminis: for the others, I shall should
give instructions: the work would contain instructions.
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Identifier: | JB/013/236/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 13.
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1820-09-19 |
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013 |
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236 |
jb to mora letter i |
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001 |
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correspondence |
1 |
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recto |
c6 / d7 / e7 |
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john flowerdew colls |
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draft of letter 2689, vol. 10 |
4685 |
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