★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
True Bastille
8 Jany 1803
Preface
Time was—time is fresh enough in my memory
I remember the time where in the case of a measure an exercise
of government of political power administration, in the reproach imputation of illegality every thing
that would call forth the indignation of the public was
supposed understood to be included. These were the times of General
Warrants—of Wilkes and Liberty.
Such in the conception
of the multitude at least
was the state of heads
and hearts on the part
of the servants of the
Crown. Knowledge
perfect, depravity
infinite: mistakes
abundant; yet none
but wilful ones.
In By/To the eye of candour and cool discernment, no the
such necessary connection is seen to exist. necessity of any such connection presents/ itself, On the
part of the possessors of superior power, as on the part of
those who are subject to it a misconception in point of
law may exist have taken place without any a particle of moral blame. Would
to God it were otherwise! Would to God the law
were in all points so clear in its dispensations, that
no mistakes misconceptions/misconstructions could ever take place concerning them that
were not wilful ones!
At the present time the public mind, in
the view
of illegal disposition it manifests towards, the possessors
of power seems to have fallen into the opposite extreme.
Illegal or illegal seems a new question scarce worth considering
a mere matter of form: not worth thinking about by any body
but a lawyer: nor
by him without a special
cause for thinking about it.
What if not legal? to become so nothing could
be wanting to the measure but an Act of Parliament.
To The measure being approved by Administration,
could there be a doubt with respect to the concurrence of Parliament?
Why not as well without If good to be
done through Parliament, still better without Parliament: so
much of the time of Parliament is saved.
It was not then in the latter part of the last contrary
but one: it was not so in the former and greater part
of that which has just closed. But the fathom of this world
passeth away. The Whig blood that till of late years
was
Identifier: | JB/116/343/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 116.
|
|||
---|---|---|---|
1803-01-08 |
|||
116 |
panopticon versus new south wales |
||
343 |
true bastile |
||
001 |
|||
text sheet |
1 |
||
recto |
|||
jeremy bentham |
|||
37876 |
|||