[clxii. 56]

1820 May 4

Emancipation Spanish

'9 Rulers arguments

Virtues no security

Against the danger from corruption, you have for security the virtues of your deliverers. These virtues will accordingly be made the most of. I dispute not the existence of these virtues: I contemplate them with admiration, and with a pleasure with pleasure as sincere as beauty in any shape was ever contemplated by human eye. But against any such danger as that in question I can not behold in them any the least chance of security if now so long as they continue to seek to retain that dominion which it is the object of the address to persuade all parties to join in the remuneration of.

The virtues of your deliverers are the virtues of our Whigs. I mean of our Whigs of 1688. You can find no reason to rate them much higher: it is impossible they /these or any man/ can stand[?] their[?] bridle[?] higher if you believe these namesakes of the present day these namesakes who because they have assumed the name, and a pair of them have in their view the blood, take credit for their virtues.

In speaking of your deliverers I will name no names, I have no need of names, names are of no use to me. All I know of them all I want to know of them is they are men, and men in certain universally known situations. This is quite enough to make me to know that whatever /to any/ virtues which it is possible for them to possess it is not possible in the case in question to afford any tolerably trustworthy security.