8 April 1805

Evidence

Securities

Ch. Procedure Natural

''.11. Advantages

Such are the first lines of the natural system of Procedure. It presents nothing remarkable: nothing to [...?] the attention: much less to captivate /lead capture/ the imagination: no mystery: no licence[?]. There is nothing in it beyond what every body has been used to /what every body is acquainted with:/: what every body is [...?] /equal/ to: what every body understands. It is like the prose which to his great surprize Monsieur Jourdan had been talking all his life long, without ever having noticed it. It serves /mentions/ no ends but those of justice: it answers nobodys purposes but those of the nation, answers no purpose but those of justice: it is good for nothing but for use.

Simple however as is this system, or rather because it is so simple, it is there and as well as there only this[?] perfection. The force of reason can no further go: Skill /Art/ may preserve it, skill may be requisite and indeed is requisite to preserve it, from being spoilt but it is not in the power of skill /art/ to improve it much less to make /go beyond it, and/ a better in its stead.

It is like water: its excellence lies in its [...?]. Water may be bad /impure/ in a thousand ways: it is only in one that it can be good /excellent/ /pure/. /it can be good only in one/.