date

1823 Feb. 21 Greece J.B. to Greek
1823 Feb. 21

Greece J.B. to Greek Legislators

Grounding myself on these observations, the first piece of advice which I shall take the liberty of submitting to you is © not to suffer yourselves to be turned aside from any thing that follows by the observation that not the least atom of flattery in any shape is offered to you or any of you that the inducements by which on this /each/ occasion I expect to find your conduct /practice/ determined are no other than those self©regarding ones which with few or no exceptions it has seemed to me that human conduct has in all places and at all times been determined

that as I do not in the instance of any public man or any public situation look for voluntary /willing/ self sacrifice in any shape, so neither can I look for any such thing in your situation in the instance of you or any of you

that accordingly I look not on any occasion for any such stile of conduct as can with any propriety be termed disinterested produced by any other cause than a mans own opinion /conception/ of what at the moment in question /of action/ is in the highest degree conducive to his own interest.

that when in this or that situation a sacrifice has been thought or [...?] to have been made by a man in this shape © a sacrifice of his own interest it /the sacrifice/ has been nothing more than a sacrifice of his interest in one shape to his interest in another the sacrifice of what has at the moment been in his eyes a lesser to what has in his eyes at that same moment his greater interest: the sacrifice for example of pecuniary interest to reputation: of a certain sum of money to such a quantity of general good opinion and good will and good offices at the hands of other men as according to his calculation would be worth more.
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  • Title: [1823. Feb 21 Greece. J.B. to Greek]
    Description: 1823. Feb 21

    Greece. J.B. to Greek Legislators

    Of the advice which I shall take the liberty of submitting to you three distinguishable sets of observations will be seen to be the sources.

    1. Observations made on human nature in general on human beings in every situation in life in all situations taken indiscriminately

    2. Observations made on the conduct of men and particularly men in ruling and other influential situations under such Constitutions as have had for their object or end in view the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
  • Title: [1823 Feb. 9. 1¼o Not employed but employable]
    Description: 1823 Feb. 9. 1¼o Not employed but employable or consultable

    Greek Constitution

    Principles

    1. Self regard predominant

    J.B.'s Observations

    Introductory Remarks

    To find the provisional Greek Constitution in so high a degree conformable to the principle of the greatest happiness of the greatest number has been matter of considerable and no less agreable surprize to me

    In the examination of it a matter /truth/ which should never for a single moment be lost sight of is the universal prevalence and predominance of the propensity to self preference in human nature

    So far from this propensity /universality/ being matter of doubt, it will on consideration be found that the existence of it is indispensably essential to the existence of the species: and that supposing it taken away the species would within a few months not to say weeks vanish from the face of the earth

    If this be correct So far then from being a subject of well grounded denial, it is not so much as the subject of well©grounded regret, unless the existence of the species were itself a subject of well©grounded regret.

    It is by its excess therefore and not by its existence that by this self©preference harm is done

    Included in this self©preference is a propensity and this a constant one on the part of each individual to sacrifice to his own self©regarding interests all other interests put together.

    In the case of a public functionary this sacrifice may without impropriety receive for shortness the denomination of the sinister sacrifice

    Sinister propensity likely to be less strong in Greece than in Spain etc: [...?...?] being still greater: [...?...?] of [...?] still stronger
  • Title: [1823. Feb. 22 Greece J.B. to Greek]
    Description: 1823. Feb. 22

    Greece J.B. to Greek Legislators

    You are not afflicted by the plague of spurious representatives: hundreds chosen by the thousands /nominate by their own creatures and dependents/ to plunder and oppress the millions. You have none of these bloodsuckers, these unpunishable malefactors stigmatized and abhorred under the name of Borough©monger by all who are not their accomplices

    Stationed on this eminence with the citizens of the Anglo©American United States on your side you will look down upon all these other nations, but with the best©deserved scorn and contempt upon England and upon France

    In your struggle to free yourselves from the yoke of your Mahometan oppressors, you have no Monarchs, no Nobles, no Priests, nor retainers of Monarchs, Nobles or Priests to join with the arch©tyrants and do their utmost to preserve /keep/ if that can not be to restore /reestablish/ the tyranny /[...?] it on your necks/. Your delegates /newly appointed Agents/ have therefore neither reason nor pretext for screening their malpractices in any shape from censure, by restraints on the liberty of public discussion and of the press. From imputations false in fact, as in the station of a private citizen so in the situation of a public functionary in any department and any grade protection will be given to reputation by the hand of law: for damage in any assignable and specific shape compensation will be awarded if produced by rashness, and /to which/ if by wilful falshood appropriate punishment will be added. But as in the Anglo©American United States so with you every man by whom any such imputation has been cast will be admitted to prove the truth of it: and since /considering that/ mischief capable of being done by functionaries is great in proportion to the power of which they are possessors or partakers while defence against unjust imputation is in a correspondent degree easier, more indulgence will be shewn by you to ungrounded imputations upon public functionaries /men/ than by the like upon private Citizens. Legislators! the stronger the protection a man has from any other source whatever, the less not the greater is the need he has of that which is afforded by the hand of law.