date

1822 March 10 Codification Offer
1822 March 10

Codification Offer

J.B. to People

Jeremy Bentham to all people professing liberal opinions - to the people and those who are in authority under them.

Men and Brethren

By this title ye are all embraced: and the embarrassment of looking out for other title saved.

My desire is to receive from each your acceptance for that which if accepted will be to each the basis of a legislative rule, to all by whom it is accepted a bond of union.

To any by whom liberal opinions are not so much as professed any thing that could be said from the author of a proposal such as this would be plainly useless: to the deaf adder in any of his shapes the voice were that of a charmer /every thing that could be said in this [-------?]/ would be useless.

By the /Of the/ phrases a people /government/ professing liberal opinions the import meant to be conveyed is not dubious /exposed to doubt/: a people a government professing to take the greatest happiness of the greatest number for the object and end in view of every thing it does /all its arrangements/

Let not either self-regard or self-esteem be in the mind of any of you so cruel an enemy to self love /self-regard/ as to prevent any of you from receiving his share in that which would be a benefit to all. If in any shape the proffered service afford a hope of use, punish /let/ not any of you punish himself to punish him /for the pleasure of punishing the man/ who proffers it.

Resist as many of you as are able /have strength enough/ a propensity so natural to human weakness.

Superiority none that can be excluded from the case is claimed: none in addition to that without which the service could not be rendered: none but that which he who by practice has learnt /enabled himself/ to make a shoe possesses over /in comparison of/ him who for want of practice remains unable.
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    This title will embrace you all. Spare me the embarrassment of looking out for others.

    My desire is - for ambition would not be the proper word - my desire is to be admitted to lay before you a professed legislative rule: and the ---- draught of an all-comprehensive(?)

    My endeavour has been and is - to supply you not only with an apt /legitimate/ rule of action for each - but in that ---- has been done /furbished/ for you by nature rule an additional bond of ---- for you all, over and above whatever /----/ has been ---- /wrought/ for you by the hand of nature.

    Let not self sufficiency let not pride or vanity, /national, or/ personal or ---- of national stand in the way of a --- and universal interest /benefit/. /Let not any such ---- ----/. Reject those propensities which in human nature are so universal. Reject not a proffered service, for no better ---- than that it can not be rendered without a hand to render it. In the tender made of this service, superiority is involved - it is only in that sort and degree without which the service could not be rendered. Punish not therefore yourselves to avenge yourselves on /in the hope of punishing/ one whose endeavour it is to become your benefactor, unpleasant as are in some eyes the ideas associated with that of a benefit received.

    Testimonials excepted, such as you will see, on this basis rests all the claim he makes to superiority or any sort or shape or degree - on this basis alone: can there be /see whether there can be/ a more ----- one? A man who /-- to hand/ for more than fifty years together has been occupied /occupying //exercising// himself/ in shooting /aiming/ at a certain mark /-----/ is he not thus far more likely to hit it /has he not a better chance for hitting it/ than one who has never aimed at it?

    With relation to all of you he is -----, a foreigner. But in that very circumstance, supposing him in other respects not inferior, he ---- a claim of superiority in the scale of probable usefulness: the grounds of them as --- are before you. In this circumstance at any rate there is nothing to gratify vanity on the one head or wound it on the other.

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    Vain /Unavailing/ in any country whatsoever would be the plea /excuse/ of him who should say © To what use publish /make public/ any such invitation? by no one will it be accepted. Vain indeed: for in neither case will the invitation be void of /without its/ use. If accepted by any one then, by the supposition it has its use. /is followed by use./ If not accepted by any one, the constituted legislators have done their part, and the glory of this /so transcendent magnaminous and conspicuous an/ act of self denial and self©sacrifice is their reward. If accepted by any, let the degree of inaptitude manifested by the best of them be ever so flagrant, /flagrant © suppose for argument sake that there is not in any one of them so much as a single point of useful information visible ©/ still will they not be without their use. The more conspicuous the comparative inaptitude of the unofficial Draughtsman the more conspicuous /illustrious whatever may be the amount /[...?]/ /degree/ of it/ is the comparative aptitude of the official draughtsman: by the contrast whatsoever may be the merit of his work, by the contrast it is placed in the most advantageous light possible.