[129b-491]

15 April 1817

Plan Cat

Note (a)

Introd

§. Attendance

Speakers illness

2

That to the Member who has been appointed Speaker to the House /M r[?] Speaker/ bodily indisposition so […?] – bodily disposition in any such shape and degree as to render attendance for the purpose of the business absolutely impossible – Even to Honourable House – is there a time at which this could ever have been a secret even to Honourable House? That when there is no Speaker /without a Speaker in the | |/ when the House as a House, the case of a Committee apart the House can not sit? Can this too[?] have ever been a secret to Honourable House, and that those, be the exigency ever so urgent, the business of the house must continue at a stand Well now rather than be guilty of any such departure /violation/ from principle as to shut the stable door before a steed has been stolen, no matter what may be the urgency of the pending or impending business no matter what the country no matter what the whole earth may suffer from the non-completion of it /the business/ never yet has the prevention of such incalculable a mischief, been numbered by Honourable House among its cares.

Now if neglect – if indifference to human suffering – if neglect carried to such a pitch what can have been the moral – the psychological cause? Stupidity? honest stupidity? In no other place at any rate is stupidity so deplorable to be found. Stupidity: no: but in that state of interests, of which, in the character of the cause of general non-attendance viz by means of the profit made by the nursing of that disorder intimation has been already given.