JB/058/194/001

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30 May 1804
Evidence

In the making of laws, recognized as such, the plebeians
the great body of the people possessed an acknowledged share. But as to for the having a
part in any arrangements that run into detail, the body of
the people are essentially incapable. Some point of extreme
simplicity – to have war or peace, for such or such an office to have one man or
another: to adopt or reject a great body of regulations in a lump
often without any discussion of particulars of this sheet is the utmost share of which they
are susceptible.

For composing any thing like a regular system of procedure a system of general regulations
for the course of procedure (not to speak here of substantive law) every requisite
interest, power, skill, and above all things the seed and of skill, expression
was wanting, as well to patricians as to the comparability the comparatively informed, as to the altogether
misinformed class: Falling therefore into the hands of
the patricians, the power of judicature, with the power of virtual
legislation which in that state of things before the birth of statutory law is inseparably attached
to it, fell into them pure and without a check, under the
spur of such particular occasion, they acted as they thought
fit, that is as their each man found or thought it his interest
to act, always on condition of pronouncing the
word justice or something of that sort some other that was of kin to it.

By what precise steps and contrivances pretences they contrived
to extract the matter honey sweet of personal advantage emolument from the field
of public trust, it were in vain now to enquire: we have
not their tables of fees, nor their books of practice. But this thus
much we know in general we know that they wrought as with such effect, as to
reduce their suitors to a state of the most abject absolute dependence,
validity of contracts, of and conveyances and agreements of all sorts, validity of wills –
of any thing on which property depends – property, reputation,
condition in life, life itself – every thing was in their power
in their power, to be judged of, and to be judged of without rule –
whether a man who could not pay his debts should or should not be
cut to pieces, was amongst others a question for this or that patrician to pronounced upon –
in his closet perhaps
and at his leisure.

Identifier: | JB/058/194/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 58.
Date_1	1805-05-30	Marginal Summary Numbering	3-5
Box	058	Main Headings	evidence
Folio number	194	Info in main headings field	evidence
Image	001	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e3
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals	jeremy bentham	Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	18863
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