date

1820 Feb. 19 Radicalism not dangerous
1820 Feb. 19

Radicalism not dangerous

III. Experience

II. Ireland

Radicalism - its origin

Factitious dignity

20

9

This immense mass of the instruments of felicity thus poured into his coffers is it so much as professed /pretended/, that it has for its object the rendering him any better than he would be without it? No: this is not so much as pretended. He is, even without it he is already as good as any man can be: better than any other man be who is not thus pampered: to render him such his power, his power is of itself sufficient: what the money is of use for what the money is necessary for is to cause him to be deemed to be - deemed to be by the people in general - by the people who are thus […?] to pamper him deemed to be as good as he really is: or at any deemed to be as near to that mark as by such means they can be brought to believe him to be.

Oh silly people! such of you as really are thus deluded how long will you suffer yourselves to be thus deluded? /so to be?/

It has been proved - proved beyond all power of contestation - that by every particle of the matter with which he is thus pampered a man /man/ in that situation is rendered so much the worse. Yet in the making this application of the money, the object is - to produce and keep up in your minds the pernicion[?] that by every particle of it he is either rendered so much the better, or at any rate rendered the more able being already so fearfully[?] working to render your condition better than it would be otherwise. Such is the object: and alas! such has hitherto been the effect.
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  • Title: [1820 Feb. 19 Radicalism not dangerous]
    Description: 1820 Feb. 19

    Radicalism not dangerous

    III. Experience

    II. Ireland

    Radicalism - its origin

    Factitious dignity

    19

    8

    What /That which/ never can be proved is that by the money thus expended or any the least particular of it the condition of the people is in any degree improved that it is not necessary to the keeping the condition of the people from growing worse. But that which […?] to view[?] - seen by any man and without the pains of its being proved to him is that it is necessary - not only conducive but necessary to his keeping up the notion the delusive and pernicious notion of the existence of the indefinable quality called excellence in the possession of the individual in whom is invested the […?] as well as the power of being to so vast an amount an instrument of mischief /suffering/ to the people without any thing in his situation to restrain him from becoming so, in so much as applying any official check to the amount /quantity/ of that disastrous produce.

    In any intelligible and useful sense of the word better, in what shape or degree is the Monarch the better for all this money, for this expensive and burthensome support to that his /the[?]/ needless useless and pernicious quality and appendage his factitious dignity? Exactly as much better as his gingerbread representative is made /rendered the/ sweeter by the gold /gilding/ with which to encrease the resemblance it is wont to be covered.
  • Title: [1820 Feb. 19 Radicalism not dangerous]
    Description: 1820 Feb. 19

    Radicalism not dangerous

    III. Experience

    II. Ireland

    Radicalism - its origin

    Factitious dignity

    18

    7

    Dignity of the Crown. Dignity of the Peerage of the Judges.

    Thus it has been seen all of it so much […?] evil is this factitious dignity when it stands alone. But there are cases there are and those but too numerous and too important where it is deemed incapable of standing alone: incapable of maintaining itself without support: without the support of money: money the produce of taxes - money wrung for this purely pernicious purpose from the necessities of the people.

    The case first in eminence - the case preeminent in mischief is that of the Crown. Without money coming from the people, money in that vast quantity which every body sees and feels, the dignity of the crown the dignity of the Monarch the dignity of that one individual could not be supported. And suppose it {were} not supported - suppose it fallen to the ground - in what assignable particular would the condition of the people be the worse? This is what remains to be proved: this is what never has been proved - this is what never has been attempted to be proved - this is what never will be never can be proved.
  • Title: [1820 Feb. 19 Radicalism not dangerous]
    Description: 1820 Feb. 19

    Radicalism not dangerous

    III Experience

    II Ireland.

    Radicalism - its origin?

    Factitious dignity

    *22

    Apply it from top to bottom. Conjoined with office the purpose and supposed or pretended use of factitious dignity is to secure respect to office. Apply it /the/ from top to bottom. The more the respect is paid to the man’s office, the less the respect that is deserved by the man who bears it. Be it what it may that a man desires to have, that which he can obtain without sacrifice, he will not make self-sacrifice for the obtainment of it.

    Money power factitious dignity - the more a man has of them: the more he wants of them /leaner[?] is his hunger for them/. Thus far so much the worse for himself. But under matchless constitutions, the more he /a man/ has of any one of them the more he is able to get if always at the expence of the people, of the elements /political instruments/ of felicity in that sense as well as all the other shapes. And This - need it be said? is so much the worse for the poor people.

    Seeing this men were not ashamed /deterred by shame/ to say - the more power the more virtue the more money the more virtue the more dignity meaning always that which is lump of wax or by a ribbon by a tap of the shoulder, the more dignity the more virtue. Yes Property is probity: in sound there is little difference, in substance none. Money is virtue: power is virtue: factitious dignity is virtue. Behold here the real tread of which the only sincere and real worship is bestowed.

    Seeing this men there are who are not ashamed indeed who is it that /where will you see him who/ is ashamed to say Give to each man as much of all these supports to righteousness as he has an appetite for, as you have no righteousness. The daughters of Danaus says the Greek fable /pagan[?] history/ - the Daughters of Danaus and not without good cause are kept by pouring water in hell till they have kept for a certain time in a state of constant fulness a tub the bottom of which has more cavity than wood in it.