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Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: Law

Bentham to Lord Lansdowne. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 10 (Memoirs Part I and Correspondence) [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 10.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

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Bentham to Lord Lansdowne.

“1792, August 8.

“O the tyranny of aristocracy!—give it a furlong, and it will take a mile,—a veto stopped me once from going to Brussels: and now comes a Lettre de cachet ordering me to Paris. The Belgic work was hot enough: my blood was to be reserved to dye the handkerchiefs of the Parisian amphitrites. See what comes of keeping bad company. It is an observation I have collected from high authority, nothing short of instantaneous obedience will satisfy Kings and Monsters. A conspiracy is formed against me between ‘persons who are always in the right,’ and the ci-devant servants of persons who can do no wrong:—but wherefore? why serve me like Uriah! I have no wife. No consideration for the shock which the loss would give to Mr Dundas, who, for this fortnight past has been waiting for ‘an early day to solicit permission to see the Pavilion at the side* of St James’s Park.’

“What is said about the Budding-Machine, I take to be a libellous method of accusing me of not accusing the reception of it—but did not I an age ago?

Those monsters, and an ex-Minister, jammed in a soi-disant cottage, and amongst all four ‘nothing left to wish for’—a pretty story indeed! I would as soon believe the most miserable of all miserable cottagers had nothing left to wish for. Pauvre miserable! thou art not the only me-content, if thou art the only honest one!—as if, for example, a cottage as far from London as the old castle, could supersede the necessity of one at half-an-hours’ distance, like the one at Streatham for example, or that at Hendon.

“A low bow for the antediluvian shells: but the gardener laid me in t’other day a stock of brooms, and while there is a ‘single stick’ left, there will be food enough for philosophy, which must forget itself strangely ere it can think of going to fish for antediluvian shells among sea-monsters. As to precedents, there need be no want of them—I speak of those in point, and unexceptionable ones: the thing wanting is a disposition to make use of them. At present, the Pavilion is turned into an hospital for refugees—Vaughan consigns me a cargo on Saturday: I have obligations of the same sort to Dumont: and now, while I am writing, comes a note from Romilly, announcing similar ones for to-morrow; and what, after all, if I should have to house poor L. Rochefoucauld instead of his housing me? What a terrible thing is hunger! While the great Inn in Berkeley Square is shut up, it will send French dogs to eat dirty pudding at my poor ale-house. Be pleased to observe that action lies (ask Jekyll else) for shutting up the doors of houses of call when travellers are hardpinched: and to take notice that, if they do not thrive with me, I shall put them on board a Hoy, and send them to Christ Church to fatten upon antediluvian shell-fish. In the meantime, as I have scarce French enough to cry, kindly-welcome, gentlemen, would not Mr Debary be prevailed on to lend me his little ragamuffin now and then, to serve as waiter and interpreter. If I had him here, with such another as himself, I could make them earn their living at one of the colonel’s sawing-machines.

“As to ladies and offences—for the first moment, possibly, but for the second no living being, cat, dog, man, lady, monster, ever gave me offence that had not studied it.”

On the 26th August, 1792, several distinguished foreigners were honoured with the title of Citizens of France, by the National Assembly. Among this number was Jeremy Bentham. The law is to this effect:—

[* ] “A fac-simile—Was not there malice at the bottom of the original?—Did not the idea come from Derbyshire? This is writing libels—stopping at the end of the avenue, on pretence that the carriage could not come up, was acting one.”