1818 Aug. 26.

Things as they are

§.5. Matter of Corruption

7

No folly to receive the Bill: folly to honour it.

7. Factitious Dignity. In the manufacture of this commodity as /a more/ curious an instance /may be seen/ of the union of human folly on the one part with human knavery on the other as is to be seen any where /will scarcely any where be to be found/. It is a manufacture the monopoly of which is in the hands of the Monarch for the purposes of the Monarch will the produce be therefore of course be bestowed, and though not an altogether unexampled one the case in which it is given /bestowed/ for any other purpose than that of corruption will always be a rare one. The pretence on which it is carried on is that of bestowing the produce of it in the character of a reward for the encouragement of merit of merit {or where merit means any thing beyond /other/ than the state of the affection on the part of him who applies the word as towards him to whom it is applied,} meritorious service rendered to the public. That of which it is evidence at the bar of common sense - and in all cases nearly conclusive evidence is merit of that sort which consists in /in the habit or supposed disposition to/ obsequiousness: in obsequiousness as towards the Monarch and those who in this behalf are his advisers.

Factitious dignity is either spiritual or temporal: in both cases it is of various sorts and sexes.

1. In the spiritual department according to the title employed in the giving the certificate, the quality or quantity or degree of merit rises in degrees designated by various appropriate epithets: in the ascending scale 1 Reverend, 2. Venerable 3. Very Reverend, 4. Right Reverend, 5. Most Reverend: Status and titles those of 1. Simple Clergymen by whom as such the holy Ghost has been received and whether by means of the holy Ghost money in the shape of benefit has or has not been made. 2. Very Reverend the Dean: 3. Venerable, the Archdeacon who in the office of doing nothing is to some purposes assistant and subordinate to the Bishop. 4. Right Reverend, the Bishop: 5. Most Reverend the Archbishop. 6. Most religious as well as Gracious, the Monarch, whose seat /sitting part/ whether male or female tops all the hierarchy.