Title page from The Black Book: An Exposition of Abuses in Church and State (1835)

The Black Book: An Exposition of Abuses in Church and State (1835)

An extraordinary document which details the corruption and financial abuses of the British government as well as the sinecures and privileges of the army, church, and other groups. It was drawn up by John Wade as part of the radical movement to expand the franchise in England. It went through many editions. The work is an excellent example of the Philosophic Radicals class theory of political power. This edition is the revised and expanded edition of 1835.

Key Quotes

The State

The object of the Editor at first was, and now has been, to show the manifold abuses of an unjust and oppressive system; to show the dire calamities it has inflicted on the country, and by what ramifications of influence it has been supported. Government has been a corporation, and had the same…