JB_111_231.xml

Title: [1819 Dec. 5 Bentham’s Radical]

Description: 1819 Dec. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

Utopian the Anti Reform hypothesis

2

Look to the Monarch, his Majesty is most excellent. Be his deportment and belief what it may he is by Act of Parliament not only Most gracious but “most religious”. Look to those who are in authority under him wrapped up in the renowned[?] pomps and vanities you see /of this wicked world/ Right Reverend Fathers in God < > in number, headed by six others each of whom is Most Reverend. On the other side you see Right Honourable and Noble persons /men[?]/ some hundred in number headed by < >, each of whom is a Noble and […?] Prince.

Look to the other House, there you see 658 persons the least of whom is Honourable, many of them learned as well as Honourable - not a few Noble, headed by a dozen or two each of whom is Right Honourable.

The Utopia of Lord Chancellor More the discourse was given by him as a fable /fabulous/. The Utopia shewn to us by Lord Sidmouth /Lord Liverpool/ and Lord Castlereagh and M r Vansittart and M r Canning and so many others is given to us as a reality: as a state of things so real that they act in any thing they do and there is a M r Copley is a M r Avey[?] body else who in the of /acting ex officio as/ Attorney General as often as Lord Liverpool or M r Vansittart will […?] […?] & will join in pressing him for it is ready without waiting for Judge or /and/ Jury to […?], and by […?] men as many as shall be perverse and profligate enough to question it.

1819 Dec r. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

Utopian the Anti Reform hypothesis

3

Thus far is the United Kingdom an Utopia and that a perfect one. So it would be, yea and more excellent than Utopia itself were it not […?] it […?] for a vile appendage which is at the bottom of it and which it is scarce decent /decency will scarce suffer a man[?]/ to name[?] to secure[?] It is accordingly composed /So it may accordingly be observed[?]/ two regions, the Upper in Utopia, in which every thing is still literally as it should be: a Lower, a Cacotopia, in which every thing is as it should not be.

Seeing what I have seen - seeing my fellow countrymen /subjects/ by whom under so many cruel /galling/ provocations, such forbearance such temperance such self command in any virtuous shape has been manifested I feel inclined to accede to the hypothesis /theory/ of a Utopia with a Cacotopia attached. It is however with one /this/ amendment. In my view of it the Utopia is the region below; the Cacotopia the region above it.

Not without grief and shame if they were all not to speak of a House of Lords should I confess myself to have for my countrymen such men as those which /with whom/ Honourable House is filled with: those by whom with so little success the case of strangers[?] are attempted and /[…?]/ to be presumed. But when I look abroad and for every one of these see a thousand by whom in rags and with empty stomachs and in rags such pure and genuine virtue has been manifested my shame is converted /turned/ into pride and I say If on these /the[?] few/ would such the country as[?] be[?] merited infamy but the many keep up its honour among the nations.

[Marginal insertion:] will excepting a number two […?] /said/ to be thought of without agency

JB_111_232.xml

Title: [1819 Dec r. 5 Bentham’s Radical]

Description: 1819 Dec r. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

Utopian &c

4

What simpleton has there ever been more silly, than the men who not only are in the constant […?] indulge themselves in this sort of lines sort of language but ground all their measure upon the assumption of the truth of it, would be were there a grain[?] of […?] among them, be all be. But among them there is no such silliness: to assert it of them would be calumny Not one of them so ignorant as not to know himself, and that fully for which he is not to know not only what he himself is but to what the idol is, upon that he himself may […?] in for his share of the worship to worship. (a)

Note (a)

(a) If among the vendors of blasphemy some of the most mischievous was to be punished, the vendors of Blackstone’s Commentaries[?] would be thus punished. plus[?] If to ascribe to man the attributes of Almighty God to blasphemy, the Power of blasphemy was that Blackstone for to the King of England to every King of England he ascribes in so many words the attributes of Almighty God, and page after page, calls upon subjects to worship him as such.

JB_111_224.xml

Title: [1819 Dec r 5 §.4 Bentham’s Radical]

Description: 1819 Dec r 5 §.4

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

2

This is the case in particular in regard to politics. On that field whatsoever were the question that happen to be brought forward of whatsoever importance right […?] would be /is/ with reference to their own interests, if they were supposed to hear what could be said on both sides, they would be sure to decide wrong, and if their own destruction were to be the consequence of wrong decision, to rush headlong into destruction accordingly.

On the part of the ruling ones To save them from such self-destruction it might be sufficient (some would suppose) to take care on every occasion /question/ that an ample supply of arguments on the right side of the question should be present to their view - Alas! vain would be any /every/ such hope: so sure as in favour of on the wrong side any argument how weak soever were present to their view so sure would they /their minds/ be to be poisoned and deluded by that weak argument so sure would they be to throw themselves with /to run with/ violence into that wrong side.

So in regard to religion  Continue this, if advisable on another sheet