1823. Feb. 23 Greece. J.B. to Greek Legislators Independence Division of power

Better? Yes: but why? Only because, and in so far as when a mass of power which

is thus independent of the people is thus divided, there is at all times a

chance of disagreement as between the possessors, and in so far as such

disagreement leads to /is productive of/ public discussion a certainty of a sort

of appeal on both parts to the people In this /in which/ case though the people

not being capable of acting in a body as the two contending parties are can not

make formal demands for themselves nor therefore obtain contracts as between

equal and equal, yet the two contending parties while contending or the

predominant one at the close of the contest, may feel or fancy itself under the

necessity of doing something even /though it were/ at its own expence for the

benefit of the people, or of the most influential part of it.

Thus it was that in the days of King John of England, the contest for power

between the King /Monarch/ and the Aristocracy terminated in that sort of paper

security so celebrated under the name of Magna Charta. At the close of this

contest as neither party could have contended with the other or could see any

prospect of contending with the other in future without the assistance that part

of the great mass of the people which were in the state of freedom as

contradistinguished from domestic or [...?] slavery: so the security such as it

was was extended to all such freedom. Now then taking the people in a body

consisting suppose of four millions it was better then that sort of security

whatever it was that was enjoyed /possessed/ as against depredation and

oppression at the hands of a single despot should be in possession of each one

of the number of two hundred thousand than that it should be confined to no more

than two hundred: and such /this/ was the utility of the division of power such

as it was that had place in that state of things compared with unity of power in

the hands of one single despot.