JB/537/322/002

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take to matters collateral to the principal subject seem in some places too wide
and too long continued. You stick not close enough to his words: you put a sense
upon his words, and draw inferences from that sense after you have expressed
it in words of your own: in this you are sometimes much too bountiful;
and by such undmerited bounty expose yourself to censure. If he had a
sense, that sense might be put into other words: but the truth is he had none;
and so departing from his words you depart from every thing. If your inferences
run counter to his words, it is your fault: and will be laid to you if his own words run counter to
his own words, it is his fault, and will be laid to him. What you should do
therefore is to rake up his words from all quarters, bring drag them to the light together, &
drive them bring against each other (Rather too blunt upon him ( I these have added) here & there I think: tho this might be alter'd) . What I write now is from memory, and
as things struck me in the general: I will not answer for being exact: I cannot
nor will you expect, I should in the compass of a letter support my
observations by particular examples. Nor can I answer for it absolutely that
every observation I have seen cause to make is includable in the heads that
I have mentioned. At the same time few alterations occurred to me that could
be made in the compass of a line or two. You wish I am persuaded sincerely
for my opinion. I give it you as sincerely. For the sake of your
present satisfaction, my endeavour would be to represent it as favourable to
the book as it could warrant: for the sake of your future more lasting
satisfaction, not a little more so. This then is my opinion concerning the probable
success of it: supposing it finished as begun, without further alteration
or amendments. I think it is a work by which something might be printed to gain by, supposing it printed at your
own expence: I think it is a work which deserves that it be gained by: I think for
example that it is much better, much more instinctive, bulk for bulk, than
the short treatise on Obligation for which Payne gave a hundred Pound.
But I do not think it a work, take it in it's present state that would
fulfil the expectations that could be entertained of a man known to be the Author of the Polish Letters
or of Ibrahim to Hoje. All this while you ought to look upon me
as a very incompetent representative of the public judgment, from the particular circumstances
in my case that tend to make the merits of it appear less to
me than they are. The principal merit of the observations in it, novelty, a merit

worked up and magnified by my foolish sons I tremble at the thought of having offended you: for never mortal loved another, if I don't you
Many things I now recollect are in my last that are expected much otherwise than I would wish them for I had not time nor sang-froid to ponder

Identifier: | JB/537/322/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 537.
Date_1	1774-??-??	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	537	Main Headings
Folio number	322	Info in main headings field
Image	002	Titles
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages
Recto/Verso		Page Numbering
Penner	Jeremy Bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number
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