1820 Sept. 24

Emancipation Spanish

'. 5. Corruptive influence

Beginning

'. 5. To the subject many the dominion would in a Constitutional view be still

more hurtful, by its corruptive influence on the ruling few

Here, my friends, here I find myself in a perplexing /distressing/ straight. I cna

not bring to view that mischief /evil/ which is the greatest without speaking of the

injury /mischief to you/ with which the dominion is seen to be pregnant, when

contemplated /viewed/ in the constitutional point of view: I mean that mischief which

is the result of the matter of corruptive influence /quanitity of corruptive matter/

with which it loads and [...?] the body of the state /politic/: nor can any tolerably

adequate or clear conception be given of the nature and magnitude of this part of the

mischief /evil/, without bringing /calling/ to view the true view in nature of man

the universal the unalterable the unquestionable yet never confessed nature of man,

and the destructive nature of those forms of government purely monarchical despotism

/pure and despotic monarchy/, pure represnetative democracy, both /each/ in a state

of purity and those infinitely diversifiable instances which are a compound of both,

not to speak of aristocracy

Be the constitution on all point ever so excellent this one load upon it - the

ultramarian dominion - suffices to render all its excellence of no effect: and

suffices sooner or later to drag /replunge/ the natives back into the gulph of

monarchical despotism that scene of torment from which it so lately, and by such

prodigies of true wisdom and true valour it has emerged Seeing this how can I avoid

the endeavour to lead /conduct/ you into the region of abstractions, seeing that but

/without the contemplation of/ for these abstractions the nature of the case affords

not many people means of affording you a conception of the destruction which

eventually awaits you, nor consequently of the [...?] or your falling into it unless

you can bring yourselves to forego the poisonous fruit, with the prospect of which

you have so long been tempted and deluded.