[xxxvi. 6]

1821. April 26.

First Lines

Constitutional Finance?

1. Sympathy being for the moment laid out of the question, the greater and more constant the need a man feels himself to have of the spontaneous or otherwise volutary good offices and services of other men, the greater /stronger and more constant and more effective/ in proportion as his conduct is directed by a correct view of his own interest, will be his disposition to render good offices to and have a regard to the feelings of, those other men. But, the higher a man's place is in that gorgeous scale, the less is the need he feels of any such spontaneous or otherwise voluntary good offices and services: by force and intimidation, the man who has a certain degree of power is enabled to extract, and does extract, from the millions to whom he is an object of well-grounded abhorrence, services much greater /beyond comparison/ in quantity and value than, by any good offices or manifestation of sympathy on his part, he could extract from any to whom he is an object of sympathy and love. In a word, in proportion as a man's place in that same scale is high, the quantity of the extrenal means of felicity possessed by him will be independent of good behaviour on his part: of good behaviour in relation to others: in the same proportion, his behaviour as towards others will, on this account, be naturally the reverse of good. Thus it is that the conduct of the most celebrated tyrants in all countries and in all ages is seen to be the natural, to which may be added in a certain degree the necessary, result of the place respectively occupied by them in this gorgeous scale.