下载辰思小说免费APP
Bentham，aswehaveseen，wasalreadyknowntosomeoftheFrenchleaders，andhewasnowtakingtimebytheforelock。HesenttotheAbbé；MorelletapartofhistreatiseonPoliticalTactics，hopingtohaveitfinishedbythetimeofthemeetingoftheStatesGeneral。(61*)Thistreatise，civillyacceptedbyMorellet，andapprovedwithsomequalificationsbyBentham’scounsellors，Romilly，Wilson，andTrail，wasanelaborateaccountoftheorganisationandprocedureofalegislativeassembly，foundedchieflyonthepracticeoftheHouseofCommons。Itwaspublishedin1816byDumontincompanywithAnarchicFallacies，avigorousexposureoftheDeclarationofRights，whichBenthamhadjudiciouslykeptonhisshelf。HadtheFrenchknownofit，heremarksafterwards，theywouldhavebeenlittledisposedtowelcomehim。(62*)AnelaborateschemefortheorganisationoftheFrenchjudiciarywassuggestedbyareporttotheNationalAssembly，andpublishedinMarch1790。In1791，BenthamofferedtogotoFrancehimselfinordertoestablishaprisononhisnewscheme(tobementioneddirectly)，andbecome’gratuitouslythegaolerthereof，’(63*)TheAssemblyacknowledgedhis’ardentloveofhumanity，’andorderedanextractfromhisschemetobeprintedfortheirinstruction。ThetacticsactuallyadoptedbytheFrenchrevolutionistsformanagingassembliesandtheirmethodsofexecutingjusticeformaqueercommentaryonthephilosopherwho，likeVoltaire’sMamresintheWhiteBull，continuedto’meditateprofoundly’inplaciddisregardoffacts。Hewasinfactproposingthatthelavaboilingupinavolcaniceruptionshouldarrangeitselfentirelyaccordingtohisarchitecturaldesigns。Buthisproposaltobecomeagaolerduringtherevolutionreachesthepatheticbyitsamiableinnocence。On26thAugust1792，BenthamwasoneofthemenuponwhomtheexpiringAssembly，anxioustoshowitsdesireofuniversalfraternity，conferredthetitleofcitizen。WithBenthamwerejoinedPriestley，Paine，Wilberforce，Clarkson，Washington，andothers。TheSeptembermassacresfollowed。On18thOctoberthehonourwascommunicatedtoBentham。Herepliedinapoliteletter，pointingoutthathewasaroyalistinLondonforthesamereasonwhichwouldmakehimarepublicaninFrance。Heendedbyacalmargumentagainsttheproscriptionofrefugees。(64*)TheConvention，ifitreadtheletter，andhadanysenseofhumour，musthavebeenamused。ThewarandtheReignofTerrorfollowed。Benthamturnedtheoccasiontoaccountbywritingapamphlet(notthenpublished)exhortingtheFrenchto’emancipatetheircolonies。’
Colonieswereanaimlessburthen，andtogetridofthemwoulddomorethanconquesttorelievetheirfinances。BritishfleetsandtheinsurrectionofSt。Domingowereemancipatingbyverydifferentmethods。
Benthamwas，ofcourse，disgustedbythedivergenceofhisclientsfromthelineschalkedoutbyproperrespectforlawandorder。On31stOctober1793hewritestoafriend，expressinghiswishthatJacobinismcouldbeextirpated；nopricecouldbetooheavytopayforsucharesult：buthedoubtswhetherwarorpeacewouldbethebestmeanstotheend，andprotestsagainstthepolicyofappropriatinguselessandexpensivecoloniesinsteadof’drivingattheheartofthemonster。’(65*)Neverwasanadvisermoreatcross-purposeswiththeadvised。Itwouldbeimpossibletodrawamorestrikingportraitoftheabstractreasoner，whosecalculationsastohumanmotivesomitallreferencetopassion，andwhofanciedthatallprejudicecanbedispelledbyafewbitsoflogic。
Meanwhileavarietyofsuggestionsmoreorlessimportantandconnectedwithpassingeventswereseethinginhisfertilebrain。Hewroteoneofhismoststingingpamphlets，’TruthversusAshhurst’inDecember1792，directedagainstajudgewho，inthepanicsuggestedbytheSeptembermassacres，hadeulogisedtheEnglishlaws。Bentham’saversiontoJacobinmeasuresbynomeanssoftenedhisantipathytoEnglishsuperstitions；andhisattackwassosharpthatRomillyadvisedandobtaineditssuppressionforthetime。
Projectsastowar-taxessuggestedacoupleofinterestingpamphletswrittenin1793，andpublishedin1795。Inconnectionwiththis，schemessuggestedthemselvestohimforimprovedsystemsofpatent
