首页 >出版文学> Jeremy Bentham>第29章

第29章

  Thewholesystemturnedupontheprofittobemadefromthecriminals’labourbyBenthamandhisbrother。Thecommitteeobservedthat,howeverunimpeachablemightbethecharactersofthefounders,theschememightleadtoabusesinthehandsoftheirsuccessors。Theadoptionofthisprincipleof’farming’
  hadinfactledtogrossabusesbothingaolsandinworkhouses;butitwas,asIhavesaid,inharmonywiththewhole’individualist’theory。Thecommitteerecommendedadifferentplan;andtheresultwasthefoundationofMillbankpenitentiary,openedin1816。86*Benthamultimatelyreceived£;23,000
  bywayofcompensationin1813。87*Theobjectionsofthecommitteewouldnowbeacommonplace,butBenthamsawinthemanotherproofofthedesiretoincreasegovernmentpatronage。Hewaswelloutoftheplan。TherewereprobablyfewmeninEnglandlesscapableofmanagingathousandconvicts,inspiteofhistheoriesabout’springsofaction。’Ifanythingelsehadbeenrequiredtoensurefailure,itwouldhavebeenassociationwithasanguineinventorofbrilliantabilities。
  Bentham’sagitationhadnotbeenaltogetherfruitless。HisplanhadbeenpartlyadoptedatEdinburghbyoneoftheAdams,88*andhisworkformedanimportantstageinthedevelopmentofthepenalsystem。
  Bentham,thoughhecouldnotseethathisfailurewasablessingindisguise,hadlearnedonelessonworthlearning。Hewasill-treated,accordingtoimpartialobservers。’Never,’saysWilberforce,89*’wasanyoneworseused。Ihaveseenthetearsrundownthecheeksofthatstrong-mindedmanthroughvexationatthepressingimportunityofhiscreditors,andtheindolenceofofficialunderlingswhendayafterdayhewasbeggingattheTreasuryforwhatwasindeedamerematterofright。’WilberforceaddsthatBenthamwas’quitesoured,’andattributeshislateropinionstothiscause。WhentheQuarterlyReviewlongafterwardstauntedhimasadisappointedman,Benthamdeclaredhimselftobein’astateofperpetualandunruffledgaiety,’andthe’mainspring’
  ofthegaietyofhisowncircle。90*Noone,indeed,couldbeless’soured’
  sofarashishabitualtemperwasconcerned。ButWilberforce’sremarkcontainedaserioustruth。Benthamhadmadeadiscovery。Hehadvowedwarinhisyouthagainstthe’demonofchicane。’Hehadnowlearnedthatthenameofthedemonwas’Legion。’Tocasthimout,itwouldbenecessarytocastoutthedemonofofficialism;andweshallseewhatthisbitofknowledgepresentlyimplied。
  IV。THEUTILITARIANPROPAGANDA。
  Benthamin1802hadreachedtherespectableageoffifty-four。Hehadpublishedhisfirstworktwenty-sixyears,andhismostelaboratetreatisethirteenyears,previously。Hehadbeenbroughtintocontactwithmanyoftheeminentpoliticiansandphilanthropistsoftheday。Lansdownehadbeenafriendlypatron:hisadvicehadbeentreatedwithrespectbyPitt,Dundas,andevenbyBlackstone;hewasonfriendlytermswithColquhoun,SirF。Eden,ArthurYoung,Wilberforce,andothersinterestedinphilanthropicmovements,andhisnameatleastwasknowntosomeFrenchpoliticians。Buthisreputationwasstillobscure;andhisconnectionsdidnotdevelopintointimacies。Helivedasarecluseandavoidedsociety。HisintroductiontogreatpeopleatBowoodhadapparentlyratherincreasedthansoftenedhisshyness。Thelittlecircleofintimates,RomillyandWilsonandhisownbrother,musthavesatisfiedhisneedsforsocialintercourse。ItrequiredanelaboratenegotiationtobringaboutameetingbetweenhimandDrParr,thegreatWhigprophet,althoughtheyhadbeenpreviouslyacquainted,andParrwas,asRomillysaidbywayofintroduction,aprofoundadmireranduniversalpanegyrist。91*
  HerefusedtobeintroducedbyParrtoFox,becausehehad’nothingparticulartosay’tothestatesman,andconsideredthattobe’alwaysasufficientreasonfordecliningacquaintance。’92*
  But,atlast,Bentham’sfamewastotakeastart。Bentham,Isaid,hadlongbeforefoundhimself。DumonthadnowfoundBentham。Afterlongandtediouslaboursandmultipliedcommunicationsbetweenthemasterandthedisciple,Dumontinthespringof1802broughtouthisTraité;sdeLé;gislationdeM。Jé;ré;mieBentham。ThebookwaspartlyatranslationfromBentham’spublishedandunpublishedworks,93*andpartlyastatementofthepithofthenewdoctrineinDumont’sownlanguage。IthadthegreatmeritofputtingBentham’smeaningvigorouslyandcompactly,andfreefrommanyofthedigressions,minutediscussionsofminorpointsandargumentsrequiringaspecialknowledgeofEnglishlaw,whichhadimpededthepopularityofBentham’spreviousworks。
  TheJacobincontroversieswerepassingintothebackground:andBenthambegantoattainahearingasareformerupondifferentlines。In1803DumontvisitedSt。Petersburg,andsenthomeglowingreportsofBentham’srisingfame。AsmanycopiesoftheTraité;shadbeensoldthereasinLondon。
  Codeswerewanted;lawswerebeingdigested;andBentham’sworkwouldsupplytheprinciplesandtheclassification。Amagnificenttranslationwasordered,andRussianofficialswroteglowinglettersinwhichBenthamwasplacedinalinewithBacon,Newton,andAdamSmith——eachthefounderofanewscience。94*
  AthomethenewbookwasoneoftheobjectsofwhatDumontcallsthe’scandalousirreverence,oftheEdinburghReview。95*ThisreferstoareviewoftheTraité;sintheEdinburghReviewofApril1804。Althoughpatronisingintone,andridiculingsomeofBentham’sdoctrinesascommonplaceandcondemningothersascriminal,itpaidsomehighcomplimentstohisability。TheirreverencemeantatleastthatBenthamhadbecomeoneofthepersonsworthtalkingabout,andthathewashenceforthtoinfluencetherisinggeneration。InJanuary1807theEdinburghitselfprobablyJeffreysuggestedthatBenthamshouldbeemployedinaproposedreformoftheScottishjudicialsystem。Hisoldfriend,Lansdowne,diedon7thMay1805,andinoneofhislastlettersexpressesahopethatBentham’sprinciplesareatlastbeginningtospread。96*Thehopewasfulfilled。
  DuringtheeighteenthcenturyBenthamismhadgonethroughitsperiodofincubation。Itwasnowtobecomeanactiveagency,togatherproselytes,andtohaveamarkedinfluencenotonlyuponlegislativebutuponpoliticalmovements。TheimmediateeffectuponBenthamofthedeclineofthePanopticon,andhisconsequentemancipationfromimmediatelypracticalwork,wasapparentlyhisreturntohismorelegitimateemploymentofspeculativelabour。HesenttoDumontatSt。Petersburg97*partofthetreatiseuponPoliticalEconomy,whichhadbeennaturallysuggestedbyhislaterwork:andheappliedhimselftotheScottishjudiciaryquestion,towhichmanyofhisspeculationshadacloseapplication。Hepublishedaworkuponthissubjectin1808。Totheperiodbetween1802and1812belongsalsothebook,orratherthecollectionofpapers,afterwardstransformedintothebook,UponEvidence,whichisoneofhismostvaluableperformances。
  Aletter,dated1stNovember1810,givesacharacteristicaccountofhisposition。HereferstohopesoftheacceptanceofsomeofhisprinciplesinSouthAmerica。InSpainSpaniardsarepreparedtoreceivehislaws’asoracles。’’Nowatlength,whenIamjustreadytodropintothegrave’hehadstilltwentyyearsofenergeticworkbeforehim,’myfamehasspreaditselfalloverthecivilisedworld。’Dumont’spublicationof1802isconsideredtohavesupersededallpreviouswritingsonlegislation。InGermanyandFrancecodeshavebeenpreparedbyauthorisedlawyers,whohave’soughttodothemselvescreditbyreferencestothatwork。’98*IthasbeentranslatedintoRussian。
  EveninEnglandheisoftenmentionedinbooksandinparliament。’MeantimeIamherescribblingoninmyhermitage,neverseeinganybodybutforsomespecialreason,alwaysbearingrelationtotheserviceofmankind。’99*
  Makingalldueallowanceforthedeceptiveviewsoftheouterworldwhichhauntevery’hermitage,’itremainstruethatBentham’sfamewasemergingfromobscurity。
  Theendofthisperiod,moreover,wasbringinghimintoclosercontactwithEnglishpoliticallife。Bentham,aswehaveseen,rejectedthewholeJacobindoctrineofabstractrights。SolongasEnglishpoliticsmeanteithertheacceptanceofatheorywhich,forwhateverreason,gatheredrounditnosolidbodyofsupport,or,ontheotherhand,theacceptanceofanobstructiveandpurelyconservativeprinciple,towhichallreformwasradicallyopposed,Benthamwasnecessarilyinanisolatedposition。Hehad’nothingparticulartosay’toFox。HewasneitheraTorynoraJacobin,andcaredlittlefortheparalysedWhigs。Healliedhimselftherefore,sofarashewasalliedwithanyone,withthephilanthropicagitatorswhostood,likehim,outsidethelinesofparty。Theimprovementofprisonswasnotapartyquestion。
  Amarkedchange——notalways,Ithink,sufficientlyemphasisedbyhistorians——hadfollowedthesecondwar。Theparty-divisionsbegantotaketheformwhichwastobecomemoremarkedastimewenton。TheoldissuesbetweenJacobinandAnti-Jacobinnolongerexisted。Napoleonhadbecometheheiroftherevolution。
  ThegreatstrugglewasbeginninginwhichEnglandcommandedtheocean,whiletheContinentwasatthefeetoftheempire。ForatimethequestionwaswhetherEngland,too,shouldbeinvaded。AfterTrafalgarinvasionbecamehopeless。TheNapoleonicvictoriesthreatenedtoexcludeEnglishtradefromtheContinent:whileEnglandretortedbydeclaringthattheContinentshouldtradewithnobodyelse。Upononesidethewarwasnowappealingtohigherfeelings。Itwasnolongeracrusadeagainsttheories,butastrugglefornationalexistenceandfortheexistenceofothernationsthreatenedbyagiganticdespotism。MenlikeWordsworthandColeridge,whocouldnotbeAnti-Jacobins,hadbeenfirstshockedbytheJacobintreatmentofSwitzerland,andnowthrewthemselvesenthusiasticallyintothecausewhichmeanttherescueofSpainandGermanyfromforeignoppression。ThegenerousfeelingwhichhadresentedtheattempttoforbidFrenchmentobreaktheirownbonds,nowresentedtheattemptsofFrenchmentoimposebondsuponothers。Thepatriotismwhichpromptedtoacrusadehadseemedunworthy,butthepatriotismwhichwasnowalliedwiththepatriotismofSpainandGermanyinvolvednosacrificeofothersentiment。
  Manymenhadsympathisedwiththeearlyrevolution,notsomuchfromanystrongsentimentofevilsathomeasfromabeliefthattheFrenchmovementwasbutafullerdevelopmentoftheveryprincipleswhichwerepartiallyembodiedintheBritishConstitution。TheyhadnolongertochoosebetweensympathisingwiththeenemiesofEnglandandsympathisingwiththesuppressorsoftheoldEnglishliberties。
  But,ontheotherhand,anoppositechangetookplace。ThedisappearanceoftheJacobinmovementallowedtheRadicalismofhomegrowthtodisplayitselfmorefully。EnglishWhigsofallshadeshadopposedthewarwithcertainmisgivings。TheyhadbeennervouslyanxiousnottoidentifythemselveswiththesentimentsoftheJacobins。TheydesiredpeacewiththeFrench,buthadtoprotestthatitwasnotforloveofFrenchprinciples。Thatdifficultywasremoved。Therewasnolongeravision——suchasGillrayhadembodiedinhiscaricatures——ofaguillotineinSt。James’sStreet:orofaCommitteeofPublicSafetyformedbyFox,Paine,andHorneTooke。MeanwhileWhigpropheciesofthefailureofthewarwerenotdisprovedbyitsresults。ThoughtheEnglishnavyhadbeenvictorious,EnglishinterferenceontheContinenthadbeenfutile。Millionsofmoneyhadbeenwasted:andmillionswereflowingfreely。
  Evennowwestandastonishedattherecklessprofusionofthefinanciersofthetime。Andwhatwastheretoshowforit?TheFrenchempire,sofarfrombeingdestroyed,hadbeenconsolidated。Ifweescapedforthetime,couldwepermanentlyresistthewholepowerofEurope?WhenthePeninsularWarbeganwehadbeenfighting,exceptfortheshorttruceofAmiens,forsixteenyears;andthereseemednoreasontobelievethattheexpeditiontoPortugalin1808wouldsucceedbetterthanpreviousefforts。TheWalcherenexpeditionof1809wasafreshproofofourcapacityforblundering。Pauperismwasstillincreasingrapidly,andforebodingsofawarwithAmericabeginningtotroublemeninterestedincommerce。TheEnglishOppositionhadampletextsfordiscourses;andademandforchangebegantospringupwhichwasnolongerarefectionofforeignsympathies。AnarticleintheEdinburghofJanuary1808,whichprofessedtodemonstratethehopelessnessofthePeninsularWar,rousedthewrathoftheTories。TheQuarterlyReviewwasstartedbyCanningandScott,andtheEdinburgh,inreturn,tookamoredecidedlyWhigcolour。
  TheRadicalsnowshowedthemselvesbehindtheWhigs。Cobbett,whohadbeenthemostvigorousofJohnBullAnti-Jacobins,wasdrivenbyhishatredofthetax-gathererandthemiseryoftheagriculturallabourersintotheoppositecamp,andhisRegisterbecamethemosteffectiveorganofRadicalism。demandsforreformbeganagaintomakethemselvesheardinparliament。SirFrancisBurdett,whohadsatatthefeetofHorneTooke,andwhosereturnwithCochraneforWestminsterin1807wasthefirstparliamentarytriumphofthereformers,proposedamotionon15thJune1809,whichwas,ofcourse,rejected,butwhichwasthefirstofaseries,andmarkedtherevivalofaseriousagitationnottoceasetillthetriumphof1832。
  MeanwhileBentham,meditatingprofoundlyuponthePanopticoin,hadatlastfoundoutthathehadbegunatthewrongend。Hisreasoninghadbeenthrownawayuponthehugedeadweightofofficialindifference,orworsethanindifference。Whydidtheynotacceptthemeansforproducingthegreatesthappinessofthegreatestnumber?Becausestatesmendidnotdesiretheend。
  Andwhynot?Toanswerthatquestion,andtoshowhowagovernmentcouldbeconstructedwhichshoulddesireit,becameamainoccupationofBentham’slife。Henceforward,therefore,insteadofmerelytreatingofpenalcodesandotherspecialreforms,hisattentionisdirectedtothepreviousquestionofpoliticalorganisation;whileattimeshedivergestoillustrateincidentallytheabusesofwhatheironicallycallsthe’matchlessconstitution。’Bentham’sprincipaloccupation,inaword,wastoprovidepoliticalphilosophyforradicalreformers。100*