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1819 July 1
To Erskine
(4)
But the Monarchy, Sir, the Monarchy! the Aristocracy, Sir,
the Aristocracy! would you have wished, would you now wish to see the satisfied?
My Lord, as to what I could have wished, or do wish with submission, as to what any such person as myself could or might wish
permit me to afford what I shall do boldly and say what more is it I then this leave to say it ?
You will your it matters not a straw. Upon
no it this lot would no depend lest upon that of others by whom, unless
possibly in case of civil war, it would not be satisfied.
But as to my own notion of these matters, so far as can
be done in a few lines Your Lordship shall have them gratis.
Were the a plan form of government to be settled de nove, I should as soon should
as soon think of sitting a royal tiger at the head of the government, as
I should a King, Monarch as soon a herd of wolves as a House of Lords
not for any good that was so much as looked for with reference to
the people was the Monarch planned where he is; not as little for any
such clause cause were the Lords planned where they are. At the conquest
beginning that is at the Conquest the King was where he was, because
the Lords and the people could not help him being there: the Lords
were where they were because the King and the People could not
help their being there. Whatever government exists the of
be it ever so justly excrable are one, the business of all who having have begun in from it being under
it write and talk any thing about it is to prove that it is the best possible one. The
For this purpose that: it is so is always assumed and the object of question
inquiry is — not whether always a prize question, or how far it is good, but to by what causes the unspeakable
goodness of it has been produced.
But under the Constitution as it stands, I mean as it is should have said
there exists a Monarch, and there exists a House of
Lords. The Monarch interest of the Monarch forms as large
a picture of the universal interest as does the interest if every other man
does, the interest of each Member of the House of Lords, forms as
large a position of the universal interest as the interest of any other
man does: the same thing observation holds equally true in regard to the
interest of each Members of that other House of Lords called the House
of Commons: the same observation holds again equally true in regard to the would be sufferers by it,
every one of their d relatives of all sorts of these Lords of both sorts who would be losers by a change: lastly,
the equally true in regard to every individual of those who in case of a conflict
would
ulto
Letter
§5 Posit Why ?
or 13 or 1
E. Would you wish to
see the Monarchy end
the Aristocracy sacrificed?
or 14 or 2
J.B. Why wish matters
not. It would depend
on those by whom neither
would be sacrificed
or 15 or 3
Follow J.B.'s notion
as far as expressible in
a few lines.
Suppose a government
to be established de nove
sit as well at the hand
of the government or royal high on a Throne
a herd of wolves as a
House of Lords.
or 16 or 4
Not because it were<lb?> good they should be so
were their predispositions
planned, but because they
were there, and it could
not be helped
or 17 or 5
Under every government
but a popular one,
prize question is —
not whether or how far
it is good, but by what
arguments it
may be proved good,
and by what cause its
goodness has been produced
or 18 or 6
But under the Constitution
as it is existing, the
uselessness of each member
of the ruling , with
that of his dependants,
forms as large a part
of the universal interest
as that of any other
person does.
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Identifier: | JB/137/015/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 137. |
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1819-07-01 |
or 13 or 1 - or 18 or 6 |
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parliamentary reform |
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to erskine |
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jeremy bentham |
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