1819 Dec. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

6

1

If the exclusion thus put upon discourse where[?] confined to spoken language /speech/, there would in some cases be not only /merely/ plausible pretence but sound reason. Why? Because by speech a man might be forced to receive into his mind that which would hurt his feelings subject him to a pain which there would be no use[?] as his being subjected to, at the pleasure of a wrongdoer /an offender[?]/ an unfailing person might be thus injured /afflicted/ /subjected to this affliction/ and he would have no means of saving himself from it. A man’s piety might thus be wounded by that which in his case is blasphemy: a woman’s modesty by that which in her case is indecent language.

But by written discourse how are any man’s feelings to be wounded unless he chooses they should be so. The book is in his hands: so long as he likes it, he reads it: the instant he comes to any thing which he does not like he lays it down what could any reasonable man wish /have/ for more.

Oh but the rising generation be[?] but children of blasphemy is[?] sedition be sufficed to circulate, their minds their tender minds may /will/ be pierced[?] by it. Their tender minds pierced[?] by it! Oh […?]! these children have they not Parents or other Guardians? Is it that their Guardians who knew them care nothing for them, and the only persons who care any thing for them, are gone[?] to where they are unknown[?] and have not any inducements[?] for caring for them comparable to that which you have for caring for your own dogs and horses.