21 Oct r 1807

Eldon's Bill

'.6.7 Quorums

'.6 (1) ( Quorums) '.7 (1) (a Quorum thereof)

Taken together, (and it would be indeed hard upon them indeed not to be taken together) these two sections may be termed Quorum Sections. The first of them is occupied in saying that each of the two divisions shall be a Quorum: the other in saying, or rather in endeavouring to say, and not being able to say, what /shall be/ that Quorum shall be.

(On an occasion such as this a plain man /To a plain man it might /would/ would have been apt to come out) bluntly and without any preparation a plain man, meaning to have /make/ a Quorum number[?], would have come out bluntly with the declaration what that number was: and for this declaration one section would to his plain understanding have seemed sufficient. The refined genius of the learned Advisor would not stoop to any such coarse and vulgar practise. For a matter of such delicacy a smaller number of sections than two could not with any propriety have been made to serve. It required one, a sort of introductory section to prepare the mind of the reader for the other: to prepare him, and by giving him to understand that in some future undeclared section, which by due industry seconded by good fortune, it might happen /be his fortune/ to find out, the design would be accomplished, occupy and exercise his mind in conjectures what that /the so promised/ Quorum was destined to be.

Of the sort /species/ of Members to which our legislator appears to belong an intimation was given at the outset of this commentary. To him who is one beside himeself a machine for splitting of hairs is a necessary implement: and the same machine may upon occasion, serve for splitting sections. Under such hands, a section like a polypus[?], is /becomes/ divisible in infinitum: convertible by fission into any given number of sections, each of them as perfect a section as the whole.