19 Dec r 1809

Parl y Reform

Ch. Mischief of Dependence

2

2

Does the fortune of his ward consist in his personal charms? He sells /consigns/ her to the Seraglio of some "great character" who has learnt in the East to reckon number among the necessaries of life the faculty of combining Oriental lubricity with Oriental despotism.

Is he a Member of a British House of Commons /delegate of the people/ /representative /agent/ of a great nation/ joined in commission with his Colleagues /others/ /commissioned to inspect in conjunction with his colleagues/ the conduct of a /the/ Monarch in a monarchy limited by law? He keeps on conniving or applauding, while the King keeps parcelling out among him and his connections the substance /produce of the taxes/ of the people in pensions and sinecures and over paid places /the emoluments/ and useless /needless/ places and jobs - keeping millions of his subjects in a state of misgovernment and degradation that the money wrung from them in pretence of payment /pay/ for spiritual consolation and religious instruction may be appropriated /applied/ to the maintenance of a corps of [...?] flatterers - that the country poor in every thing else may be rich in sinecures.

Consuming the blood and treason of {his} subjects in wars upon /after/ wars, engaged in upon the impulse of every sinister interest and every dissocial passion - wars of caprice /pride/ against unoffending powers - wars against subjects for the cause /nations for the sake of/ fellow kings - wars commenced in piracy for the sake of plunder /spoil/ to be divided among royal spendthrifts wars of conquest upon the antipodes - wars made upon subjects to convert them into slaves.