1818 Sept. 20

Things as they are

2 o

Ch. Words and Phrases

§. Splendor

1

3. - subornation of universality No need of rewarding men for getting rich, no more than for eating or sexuality.

Pouring butter upon fat for fear it should not be rich enough

§ Splendor - lustre - of the Crown

Vast is the mass of mischief that may be seen lurking under this gorgeous covering.

Two distinct /separate/ masses of mischief may here be noted: / In this mass two distinguishable divisions may be noted/ 2. 1. the mischief flowing from /produced by/ the thing itself; 2. the mischief produced by the language by which it is thus brought to view.

1. Suppose it ever so innoxious, it is compleatly useless and /as well as/ needless. When the object is to impress men with the persuasion of its being needful or at any useful insinuation conveyed is - that it is useful at any rate if not needful to the securing of obedience and obsequiousness, to /on the part of the people at large, as towards/ the power which is seen lodged in the same hands: needful to the securing of obsequiousness as towards that individual will, obsequiousness as towards which is and on this occasion must be assumed to be necessary to the carrying on of the business of the government in a manner conducive to the universal interest.

A slight glance /consideration/ so it be an impartial one will suffice to shew how compleatly groundless this conception is. That of itself power should not suffice to support itself /for its own support/: that for its support it should require a quantity of the matter of wealth in enormous profusion, and in such shapes as to be productive /give birth/ to the most exaggerated conception of the same[?] magnitude, that whether for want of its ability to command respect or for whatever other cause power itself is of itself a feeble thing: so feeble that it requires glitter to support it.