JB/096/005/002

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thus binding upon all. I have a sort And yet I have an
sort of pressentiment that our Author will be as much
puzzled to tell us, what this law of Nature is, as of old
the a Recorder of London was puzzled to tell William
Penn See trial of William Penn & William Mead at the new old 1670 Bayley. A. D. - 1670 what the common Law was, who This "troublesome and impertinent Fellow" to use the
worthy recorders words was impertinent enough words of that humane Recorder/ took it into his head,
to believe that common a law which was even after thirty
or forty years study a man can not make could not be made intelligible to a common capacity, was was
hard to believe be understand could not with any
not a propriety be called common Law and to say truth the name does seem only by some
to be the quaint conceit of an the one etymologist — who derived as lucus a non lucendo.
But as to As this law of Nature; it which was coeval with, && to be binding over all mankind. was coeval with mankind & it was dictated
by a Legislator, who could neither err himself, nor lead others into
error, we shall certainly find it in that every nation in every large
assemblage men, has preserved it as the common groundwork of all
every their its own laws, and appeals to it as the general Criterion of
right and wrong.
Unluckily our Author has not told us in whatWe

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thus binding upon all. And were we
even to suppose, what, after this account
of it, is too much to suppose, that here, and
there an individual, had not arrived at
the knowledge of it: still in every nation:
in every large assemblage of men, this
will must be known: must be be allowed.
would be seen some ruling Principles
In a word, it must make
some permanent maxim, which would
be the common ground work of every legislation
upon earth: There would be some one It must be the one
general Criterion, to which all nations would do
appeal as the measure of right, and wrong.
Before our Author can take to himself assume the credit
Now where are we to look for this; shall we
of having found out this general criterion, he must great law of Nature, universally
binding & universally obeyed he must take a wider circuit than the narrow limits of a little Island.
Let him go to Sparta, where theft was permitted, allowed, nay applauded

16)

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Identifier: | JB/096/005/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 96.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	096	Main Headings	comment on the commentaries
Folio number	005	Info in main headings field
Image	002	Titles	section ii / of the authors account of the laws of nature
Category	collectanea	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	c15 / c16 / c17 / c18
Penner	168	Watermarks	[[watermarks::gr [quartered royal arms motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections	jeremy bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	[[notes_public::"to be copied" [note not in bentham's hand]]]	ID Number	31009
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