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27 Jany 1808
A native, being necessarily as above a lawyer, could not natural
be accustomed to look view trained up in the habit of looking the law in the character of a
source of pecuniary profit, could not naturally speaking be expected to
undertake a task so laborious in its nature, so long long continued in its
duration, without the expectation of retribution in otherwise than with the expectation, if not altogether for the sake of that
shape. Here then would be come a deterrence: continued to him
during the continuance of the work, his retribution remuneration would be
a bounty on delay: postponed too the time of completion, it
would be a bounty on precipitation.
To many a willing hand, and those, so far as regards
intellectual qualifications of the intellectual class not among
the least able, it might happen to be unable in point of pecuniary sufficiency, not to be able to serve
upon such terms. Antecedently to trial could their ability be known
withholding the necessary means would in such a case be bad economy indeed:
but this foreknowledge being possible, good economy could never
in appearance at least,
warrant the accept of
willingness as being ca capable
affording when coupled with such
conditions, as sufficient
presumption of all
other qualifications.
In the present instance it so happens that in devoting
his time to the work the proposed workman would have no sacrifice
to make. His desire to engage in it has been produced
by inducements in which such as they are the desire of profit has no shares.
In the shape of encouragement his demand all he demands is an adequate
assurance that his work when should it eventually be produced will receive a
measure of attention not inferior to that which would hereon been bestowed
upon it had it been the work of a set of hands regularly
commissioned and of course regularly remunerated in assured of a regular remuneration in the ordinary
shape: which is as much as to say that his labour when bestowed
would not be compleatly thrown away.
On these terms, if it be be the work worth ever so much, or be it worth nothing, nothing will be paid
for it: a less value it is not easy for any workman man to set upon
any work: a higher value the workman does not set upon it himself.
Identifier: | JB/091/243/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 91.
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1808-01-27 |
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jeremy bentham |
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