1822 May 17

Economy etc

These things considered, to propose any such thing as a law prohibiting

/inhibiting/ a member of the legislative body from accepting /the acceptance of/

any such endowed office, and this too under any such notion as that of its

preventing him from doing the will of the Chief functionary /giver of these good

gifts/ to the detriment of the whole community is either imbecillity or

hypocrisy and imposture. It is imbecillity if by the proposer of the law in

question the utter inefficiency of it to its professed end is not observed:

imposture and hypocrisy if it is observed: imposture because a design /desire/

is expressed which in fact is not entertained: hypocrisy because the design

/desire/ if really entertained and pursued and the gratification of it

endeavoured at would be a publickly beneficial and laudable one. So far from

contributing to prevent the supreme legislative functionaries from sacrificing

the universal interest to their own personal and sinister interests in

partnership with that of the Chief Executive functionary so far from preventing

or contributing to prevent the sinister sacrifice, the tendency of any such law

would be to give facility and encrease to it. How? even by producing on the part

of the community at large a /the/ persuasion that by this means the formation

and carrying on of the sinister partnership was /stands/ prevented, and thereby

preventing men from looking out for any arrangements which should in any degree

/reality as well as profession/ be preventive of it.

Qui facit per alium facit per se. Qui recipit per alium recipit per se. Qui

recipit patitur. Qui recipit bonum, bene patitur.