1819 Dec. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

Utopian the Anti Reform hypothesis

2

Look to the Monarch, his Majesty is most excellent. Be his deportment and belief what it may he is by Act of Parliament not only Most gracious but “most religious”. Look to those who are in authority under him wrapped up in the renowned[?] pomps and vanities you see /of this wicked world/ Right Reverend Fathers in God < > in number, headed by six others each of whom is Most Reverend. On the other side you see Right Honourable and Noble persons /men[?]/ some hundred in number headed by < >, each of whom is a Noble and […?] Prince.

Look to the other House, there you see 658 persons the least of whom is Honourable, many of them learned as well as Honourable - not a few Noble, headed by a dozen or two each of whom is Right Honourable.

The Utopia of Lord Chancellor More the discourse was given by him as a fable /fabulous/. The Utopia shewn to us by Lord Sidmouth /Lord Liverpool/ and Lord Castlereagh and M r Vansittart and M r Canning and so many others is given to us as a reality: as a state of things so real that they act in any thing they do and there is a M r Copley is a M r Avey[?] body else who in the of /acting ex officio as/ Attorney General as often as Lord Liverpool or M r Vansittart will […?] […?] & will join in pressing him for it is ready without waiting for Judge or /and/ Jury to […?], and by […?] men as many as shall be perverse and profligate enough to question it.

1819 Dec r. 5

Bentham’s Radical

Prelim

II. Necessity

Utopian the Anti Reform hypothesis

3

Thus far is the United Kingdom an Utopia and that a perfect one. So it would be, yea and more excellent than Utopia itself were it not […?] it […?] for a vile appendage which is at the bottom of it and which it is scarce decent /decency will scarce suffer a man[?]/ to name[?] to secure[?] It is accordingly composed /So it may accordingly be observed[?]/ two regions, the Upper in Utopia, in which every thing is still literally as it should be: a Lower, a Cacotopia, in which every thing is as it should not be.

Seeing what I have seen - seeing my fellow countrymen /subjects/ by whom under so many cruel /galling/ provocations, such forbearance such temperance such self command in any virtuous shape has been manifested I feel inclined to accede to the hypothesis /theory/ of a Utopia with a Cacotopia attached. It is however with one /this/ amendment. In my view of it the Utopia is the region below; the Cacotopia the region above it.

Not without grief and shame if they were all not to speak of a House of Lords should I confess myself to have for my countrymen such men as those which /with whom/ Honourable House is filled with: those by whom with so little success the case of strangers[?] are attempted and /[…?]/ to be presumed. But when I look abroad and for every one of these see a thousand by whom in rags and with empty stomachs and in rags such pure and genuine virtue has been manifested my shame is converted /turned/ into pride and I say If on these /the[?] few/ would such the country as[?] be[?] merited infamy but the many keep up its honour among the nations.

[Marginal insertion:] will excepting a number two […?] /said/ to be thought of without agency