for’inhumanlymurdering’theirfellow-subjectsatLexingtonforthesolecrimeof’preferringdeathtoslavery。’Hewasimprisonedforthelibel,andthusbecameamartyrtothecause。Whenthecountryassociationswereformedin1780toprotestagainsttheabusesrevealedbythewar,Hornebecameamemberofthe’SocietyforConstitutionalInformation,’ofwhichMajorCartwright——afterwardstherevered,butrathertiresome,patriarchoftheRadicals——wascalledthe’father。’HorneTookeashewasnownamed,bytheseandotherexhibitionsofboundlesspugnacity,becamealeaderamongthemiddle-classWhigs,whofoundtheirmainsupportamongLondoncitizens,suchasBeckford,TroutbeckandOliver;supportedtheminhislaterdays;
andaftertheAmericanwar,preferredPitt,asanadvocateofparliamentaryreform,toFox,thefavouriteofthearistocraticWhigs。HedenouncedtheFoxcoalitionministry,andinlateryearsopposedFoxatWestminster。The’SocietyforConstitutionalInformation’,wasstillextantintherevolutionaryperiod,andTooke,abluff,jovialcompanion,whohadbythistimegotridofhisclericalcharacter,oftentookthechairatthetavernswheretheymettotalksoundpoliticsovertheirport。Therevolutioninfusednewspiritintopolitics。InMarch179157*Tooke’ssocietypassedavoteofthankstoPaineforthefirstpartofhisRightsofMan。NextyearThomasHardy,aradicalshoemaker,starteda’CorrespondingSociety。’Otherssprangupthroughoutthecountry,especiallyinthemanufacturingtowns。58*ThesesocietiestookPainefortheiroracle,andcirculatedhiswritingsastheirmanifesto。TheycommunicatedoccasionallywithHorneTooke’ssociety,whichmoreorlesssympathisedwiththem。TheWhigsoftheupperspherestartedthe’FriendsofthePeople’inApril1792,inordertodirectthediscontentintosaferchannels。Grey,SheridanandErskineweremembers;Foxsympathisedbutdeclinedtojoin;Mackintoshwassecretary;andSirPhilipFrancisdrewuptheopeningaddress,citingtheauthorityofPittandBlackstone,anddeclaringthatthesocietywished’nottochangebuttorestore。’59*Itremonstratedcautiouslywiththeothersocieties,andonlyexcitedtheirdistrust。Grey,asitsrepresentative,madeamotionforparliamentaryreformwhichwasrejectedMay1793bytwohundredandeighty-twotoforty-one。
LatermotionsinMay1797andApril1800showedthat,forthepresent,parliamentaryreformwasoutofthequestion。MeanwhiletheEnglishJacobinsgotupa’convention’
whichmetatEdinburghattheendof1793。Theverynamewasalarming:theleadersweretriedandtransported;thecrueltyofthesentencesandtheseverityofthejudges,especiallyBraxfield,shockedsuchmenasParrandJeffrey,andunsuccessfulappealsformercyweremadeinparliament。TheHabeasCorpusActwassuspendedin1794:HorneTookeandHardywerebotharrestedandtriedforhightreasoninNovember。AnEnglishjuryfortunatelyshoweditselflesssubservientthantheScottish;thejudgewasscrupulouslyfair:andbothHardyandHorneTookewereacquitted。Thesocieties,however,thoughtheywereencouragedforatime,wereattackedbyseveremeasurespassedbyPittin1795。The’FriendsofthePeople’ceasedtoexist。TheseizureofthecommitteeoftheCorrespondingSocietiesin1798putanendtotheiractivity。Areportpresentedtoparliamentin179960*declaresthatthesocietieshadgonetodangerouslengths:theyhadcommunicatedwiththeFrenchrevolutionistsandwiththe’UnitedIrishmen’founded1791;
andsocietiesof’UnitedEnglishmen’and’UnitedScotsmen’hadhadsomeconcerninthemutiniesofthefleetin1797andintheIrishrebellionof1798。
Placesays,probablywithtruth,thatthedangerwasmuchexaggerated:butinanycase,anactforthesuppressionoftheCorrespondingSocietieswaspassedin1799,andputanendtothemovement。
Thissummaryissignificantofthestateofopinion,Thegenuineold-fashionedWhigdreadedrevolution,andguardedhimselfcarefullyagainstanyappearanceofcomplicity。Jacobinism,ontheotherhand,wasalwaysanexotic。SuchmenastheleadingNonconformistsPriestleyandPricewerefamiliarwiththespeculativemovementonthecontinent,andsympathisedwiththeenlightenment。
Youngmenofgenius,likeWordsworthandColeridge,imbibedthesamedoctrinesmoreorlessthoroughly,andtookGodwinfortheirEnglishrepresentative。
Thesamecreedwasacceptedbytheartisansinthegrowingtowns,fromwhomtheCorrespondingSocietiesdrewtheirrecruits。Buttherevolutionarysentimentwasnotsowidelyspreadasitsadherentshopedoritsenemiesfeared。TheBirminghammobof1791acted,withacertainunconscioushumour,onthesideofchurchandking。Theyhadperhapsaninstinctiveperceptionthatitwasanadvantagetoplunderonthesideoftheconstable。Infact,however,thegeneralfeelinginallclasseswasanti-Jacobin。Place,anexcellentwitness,himselfamemberoftheCorrespondingSocieties,declaresthattherepressivemeasuresweregenerallypopularevenamongtheworkmen。61*Theywerecertainlynotpenetratedwithrevolutionaryfervour。Haditbeenotherwise,therepressivemeasures,severeastheywere,wouldhavestimulatedratherthansuppressedthesocieties,and,insteadofsilencingtherevolutionists,haveprovokedarising。
AttheearlyperiodtheJacobinandthehome-bredRadicalmightcombineagainstgovernment。AmanifestooftheCorrespondingSocietiesbeginsbydeclaringthat’allmenarebynaturefreeandequalandindependentofeachother,’andarguesalsothatthesearethe’originalprinciplesofEnglishgovernment。’62*MagnaChartaisanearlyexpressionoftheDeclarationofRights,andthuspurereasonconfirmsBritishtradition。Theadoptionofacommonplatform,however,coveredaprofounddifferenceofsentiment。
HorneTookerepresentstheoldtypeofreformer。Hewasfullyresolvednottobecarriedawaybytheenthusiasmofhisallies。’Mycompanionsinastage,’
hesaidtoCartwright,’maybegoingtoWindsor:IwillgowiththemtoHounslow。
ButthereIwillgetout:nofurtherwillIgo,byGod!’63*WhenSheridansupportedavoteofsympathyfortheFrenchrevolutionists,TookeinsisteduponaddingariderdeclaringthecontentofEnglishmenwiththeirownconstitution。64*
Heoffendedsomeofhisalliesbyassertingthatthe’maintimbers’oftheconstitutionweresoundthoughthedry-rothadgotintothesuperstructure。
Hemaintained,accordingtoGodwin,65*thatthebestofallgovernmentshadbeenthatofEnglandunderGeorgeI。ThoughCartwrightsaidatthetrialthatHorneTookewastakento’havenoreligionwhatever,’hewas,accordingtoStephens,’agreatsticklerforthechurchofEngland’:andstoodupfortheHouseofLordsaswellasthechurchongroundsofutility。66*HealwaysridiculedPaineandthedoctrineofabstractrights,67*andtoldCartwrightthatthoughallmenhadanequalrighttoashareofproperty,theyhadnotarighttoanequalshare。HorneTooke’sRadicalismIusethewordbyanticipation
wasthatofthesturdytradesman。Heopposedthegovernmentbecausehehatedwar,taxationandsinecures。Hearguedagainstuniversalsuffragewithequalpertinacity。Acomfortableoldgentleman,withagoodcellarofMadeira,andproudofhiswall-fruitinawell-tilledgarden,hadnodesiretoseeGeorgeIIIattheguillotine,andstilllesstoseeamobsupremeinLombardStreetorbanknotessupersededbyassignats。Hemightbejealousofthegreatnobles,buthedreadedmob-rule。Hecoulddenounceabuses,buthecouldnotdesireanarchy。HeissaidtohaveretorteduponsomeonewhohadboastedthatEnglishcourtsofjusticewereopentoallclasses:’SoistheLondontavern——toallwhocanpay。’68*ThatisinthespiritofBentham;andyetBenthamcomplainsthatHorneTooke’sdisciple,Burdett,believedinthecommonlaw,andreveredtheauthorityofCoke。69*Inbrief,thecreedofHorneTookemeant’liberty’foundedupontradition。Ishallpresentlynoticetheconsistencyofthiswithwhatmaybecalledhisphilosophy。Meanwhileitwasonlynaturalthatradicalsofthisvarietyshouldretirefromactivepolitics,havingsufficientlyburnttheirfingersbyflirtationwiththemorethorough-goingparty。Howtheycametolifeagainwillappearhereafter。
HorneTookehimselftookwarningfromhisnarrowescape。HestayedquietlyinhishouseatWimbledon。70*Therehedividedhistimebetweenhisbooksandhisgarden,andreceivedhisfriendstoSundaydinners。Bentham,Mackintosh,Coleridge,andGodwinwereamonghisvisitors。Coleridgecallshima’keenironman,’andreportsthathemadeabuttofGodwinashehaddoneofPaine。71*
PorsonandBoswellencounteredhimindrinkingmatchesandwerebothleftunderthetable。72*Thehousewasthusasmallcentreofintellectuallife,thoughthesymposiawerenotaltogethersuchasbecamephilosophers。HorneTookewasakeenandshrewddisputant,wellabletoimpressweakernatures。
Hisneighbour,SirFrancisBurdett,becamehispoliticaldisciple,andinlateryearswasacceptedastheradicalleader。TookediedatWimbledon18thMarch1812。
VI。INDIVIDUALISM
ThegeneraltendencieswhichIhavesofartriedtoindicatewillhavetobefrequentlynoticedinthecourseofthefollowingrages。Onepointmaybeemphasisedbeforeproceeding:amaincharacteristicofthewholesocialandpoliticalorderiswhatisnowcalledits’individualism。’Thatphraseisgenerallysupposedtoconveysomecensure。Itmayconnote,however,someofthemostessentialvirtuesthataracecanpossess。Energy,self-reliance,andindependence,astrongconvictionthataman’sfateshoulddependuponhisowncharacterandconduct,arequalitieswithoutwhichnonationcanbegreat。Theyaretheconditionsofitsvitalpower。TheyweremanifestedinahighdegreebytheEnglishmenoftheeighteenthcentury。Howfartheywereduetotheinheritedqualitiesoftherace,tothepoliticalorsocialhistory,ortoexternalcircumstances,Ineednotask。Theywerethequalitieswhichhadespeciallyimpressedforeignobservers。Thefierce,proud,intractableBritonwaselbowinghiswaytoahighplaceintheworld,andshowingavigournotalwaysamiable,butdestinedtobringhimsuccessfullythroughtremendousstruggles。Intheearlierpartofthecentury,VoltaireandFrenchphilosophersadmiredEnglishfreedomofthoughtandfreespeech,evenwhenitledtoeccentricityandbrutalityofmanners,andtobarbarisminmattersoftaste。Englishmen,consciousandproudoftheir’liberty,’werethemodelsofallwhodesiredlibertyforthemselves。Liberty,astheyunderstoodit,involved,amongotherthings,anassaultupontheoldrestrictivesystem,whichateveryturnhamperedtherisingindustrialenergy。Thisisthesenseinwhich’individualism,’
orthegospelaccordingtoAdamSmithlaissezfaire,andsoforthhasbeenspeciallydenouncedinrecenttimes。Withoutaskingatpresenthowfarsuchattacksarejustifiable,Imustbecontenttoassumethattheoldrestrictivesystemwasinitsactualformmischievous,guidedbyentirelyfalsetheories,andthegreatbarriertothedevelopmentofindustry。Thesamespiritappearedinpurelypoliticalquestions。’Liberty,’asisoftenremarked,maybeinterpretedintwoways,notnecessarilyconsistentwitheachother。itmeanssometimessimplythediminutionofthesphereoflawandthepoweroflegislators,or,again,thetransferencetosubjectsofthepoweroflegislating,and,therefore,notlesscontrol,butcontrolbyselfmadelawsalone。TheEnglishman,whowasinpresenceofnocentralisedadministrativepower,whoregardedtheGovernmentratherasreceivingRowerfromindividualsthanasdelegatingtheRowerofacentralbody,tooklibertymainlyinthesenseofrestrictinglaw。Governmentingeneralwasanuisance,thoughanecessity;andproperlyemployedonlyinmediatingbetweenconflictinginterests,andrestrainingtheviolenceofindividualsforcedintocontactbyoutwardcircumstances。
第17章