Benthamwasinmanyrespectsachildthroughlife：150*achildinsimplicity，goodhumour，andvivacity；hishealthwasunbroken；heknewnogreatsorrow；
　　andafteremergingfromthediscouragementofhisyouth，hewasplacidlycontemplatingacontinuousgrowthoffameandinfluence。Heissaidtohaveexpressedthewisthathecouldawakeonceinacenturytocontemplatethprospectofaworldgraduallyadoptinghisprinciplesandsomakingsteadyprogressinhappinessandwisdom。
　　Nomancouldleadasimplerlife。Hischiefluxuriesattablewerefruit，bread，andtea。Hehada’sacredteapot’calledDick，withassociationsofitsown，andcarefullyregulateditsfunctions。Herefrainedfromwineduringthegreatestpartofhislife，andwasneverguiltyofasingleactofintemperance。
　　Inlaterlifehetookadailyhalf-glassofMadeira。Hewasscrupulouslyneatinperson，andworeaQuaker-likebrowncoat，browncassimerebreeches，whiteworstedstockingsandastrawhat。Hewalkedor’rathertrotted’withhisstickDapple，andtookhis’ante-prandial’andother’circumgyrations’
　　withabsolutepunctuality。Helovedpets；hehadaseriesofattachedcats；
　　andcherishedthememoryofa’beautifulpig’atHendon，andofadonkeyatFordAbbey。Heencouragedmicetoplayinhisstudy——atastewhichinvolvedsometroublewithhiscats，andsuggestsproblemsastothegreatesthappinessofthegreatestnumber。Kindnesstoanimalswasanessentialpointofhismoralcreed。’Iloveeverything，’hesaid，’thathasfourlegs。’Hehadapassionforflowers，andtriedtointroduceusefulplants。Helovedmusic——especiallyHandel——andhadanorganinhishouse。Hecarednothingforpoetry：’Prose，’hesaid，151*’iswhenallthelinesexceptthelastgoontothemargin。Poetryiswhensomeofthemfallshortofit。’Hewascourteousandattentivetohisguests，thoughoccasionallyirritablewhenhisfavouritecrotchetsweretransgressed，orespeciallyifhisfixedhoursofworkwerederanged。
　　Hisregularityinliteraryworkwasabsolute。Helivedbyatime-table，workinginthemorningandturningoutfromtentofifteenfoliopagesdaily。
　　Hereadthenewspapersregularly，butfewbooks，andcarednothingforcriticismsonhisownwritings。Hisonlysubstantialmealwasadinneratsixorhalf-past，towhichheoccasionallyadmittedafewfriendsasahighprivilege。Helikedtodiscussthetopicsofwhichhismindwasfull，andmadenotesbeforehandofparticularpointstobeintroducedinconversation。Hewasinvariablyinaccessibletovisitors，evenfamousones，likelytodistracthisthoughts。
　　’TellMrBenthamthatMrRichardLovellEdgeworthdesirestoseehim。’’TellMrRichardLovellEdgeworththatMrBenthamdoesnotdesiretoseehim’wasthereply。WhenMme。deStaelcametoEngland，shesaidtoDumont：’TellBenthamIshallseenobodytillIhaveseenhim。’’Iamsorryforit，’saidBentham，’forthenshewillneverseeanybody。’AndhesummeduphisopinionofthefamousauthorofCorinnebycallingher’atrumperymagpie。’152*
　　ThereisasimplicityandvivacityaboutsomeofthesayingsreportedbyBowring，whichprovethatBenthamcouldtalkwell，andincreaseourregretfortheabsenceofamoreefficientBoswell。AttenBenthamhadhistea，atelevenhisnightcap，andbytwelveallhisguestswereignominiouslyexpelled。
　　Hewaslefttosleeponahardbed。Hissleepwaslight，andmuchdisturbedbydreams。
　　Benthamwascertainlyamiable。The’surestwaytogainmen，’hesaid，’istoappeartolovethem，andthesurestwaytoappeartolovethemistolovetheminreality。’Theleastpleasingpartofhischaracter，however，istheapparentlevityofhisattachments。Hewas，aswehaveseen，partlyalienatedfromDumont，thoughsomefriendlycommunicationsarerecordedinlateryears，andDumontspokewarmlyofBenthamonlyafewdaysbeforehisdeathin1829。153*HenotonlycooledtowardsJamesMill，but，ifBowringistobetrusted，spokeofhimwithgreatharshness。154*Bowringwasnotajudiciousreporter，indeed，andcapableoftakinghastyphrasestooseriously。
　　WhatBentham’sremarksupontheseandotherfriendssuggestisnotmaliceorresentment，buttheflippantutteranceofamanwhosefeelingsarewantingindepthratherthankindliness。Itisnoticeablethat，afterhisearlyvisitatBowood，nowomanseemstohavecountedforanythinginBentham’slife。
　　Hewasnotonlyneverinlove，butitlooksasifhenevereventalkedtoanywomanexcepthiscookorhousemaid。
　　TheoneconclusionthatIneeddrawconcernsaquestionnot，Ithink，hardtobesolved。ItwouldbeeasytomakeaparadoxbycallingBenthamatoncethemostpracticalandmostunpracticalofmen。Thisistopointouttheone-sidednatureofBentham’sdevelopment。Bentham’shabitsremindusinsomewaysofKant；andthethoughtmaybesuggestedthathewouldhavebeenmoreinhiselementasaGermanprofessorofphilosophies。Insuchapositionhemighthavedevotedhimselftothedelightofclassifyingandco-ordinatingtheories，andhavefoundsufficientenjoymentinpurelyintellectualactivity。Afterafashionthatwastheactualresult。Howfar，indeed，Benthamcouldhaveachievedmuchinthesphereofpurephilosophy，andwhatkindofphilosophyhewouldhaveturnedout，mustbelefttoconjecture。Thecircumstancesofhistimeandcountry，andpossiblyhisowntemperamentgenerally，turnedhisthoughtstoproblemsoflegislationandpolitics，thatistosay，ofdirectpracticalinterest。Hewasthereforealwaysdealingwithconcretefacts，andagreatpartofhiswritingsmaybeconsideredasrawmaterialforactsofparliament。Benthamremained，however，unpractical，inthesensethathehadnotthatknowledgewhichweascribeeithertothePoetortothemanoftheworld。Hehadneitherthepassionnorthesympatheticimagination。
　　ThespringsofactiveconductwhichByronknewfromexperienceweretoBenthamnothingmorethannamesinacarefulclassification。AnyshrewdattorneyorBowStreetrunnerwouldhavebeenabetterjudgeofthemanagementofconvicts；andhereweredozensofpartypoliticians，suchasRigbyandBarré；，whocouldhaveexplainedtohimbeforehandthosemysteriesintheworkingofthepoliticalmachinery，whichittookhimhalfalifetimetodiscover。
　　InthissenseBenthamwasunpracticalinthehighestdegree，forateightyhehadnotfoundoutofwhatmenarereallymade。Andyetbyhisextraordinaryintellectualactivityandtheconcentrationofallhisfacultiesuponcertainproblems，hesucceededinpreservinganexample，andthoughnotauniqueyetanalmostunsurpassableexample，ofthepowerwhichbelongstothemanofoneidea。
　　NOTES：
　　1。ThemainauthorityforBentham’sLifeisBowring’saccountinthetwolastvolumesoftheWorks。Bain’sLifeofJamesMillgivessomeusefulfactsastothelaterperiod。ThereiscomparativelylittlementionofBenthamincontemporarymemoirs。LittleissaidofhiminRomilly’sLife。Parr’sWorks，iandviii，containssomeletters。SeealsoR。DaleOwen’sThreadingmyWay，pp。175-78。AlittlebookcalledUtilitarianismUnmasked，bytheRev。J。F。Collis，D。D。1844，givessomereminiscencesbyColls，whohadbeenBentham’samanuensisforfourteenyears。Colls，whotookorders，dislikedBentham’sreligiouslevity，anddenounceshisvanity，butadmitshisearlykindness。VoluminouscollectionsofthepapersusedbyBowringareUniversityCollege，andattheBritishMuseum。
　　2。Works，x，33。
　　3。Ibid。，x，31。
　　4。Ibid。，ix，84。
　　5。Ibid。，x，18。
　　6。SoutheywasexpelledfromWestminsterin1792forattackingthebirchinaschoolboypaper。
　　7。Works，x，38。Bowring’sconfusedstatement，Itakeit，meansthis，Bentham，inanycase，wasnotonthefoundation。SeeWelsh’sAlumniWest。
　　8。Works，x，37。
　　9。Ibid。，viii，113，217。
　　10。Works，x。45。
　　11。Ibid。，x，51，78，83。
　　12。Works，v，35，77。ReferencesaregiventothisbookinWorks，vii，219-20’RationaleofEvidence。Severaleditionsappearedfrom1725to1762。
　　SeeWorks，vi，465，forarecollectionofsimilarexperiences。
　　13。Ibid。，viii，148n。；x，183。
　　14。Works，x，66。
　　15。Ibid。，xi，95。
　　16。Works，v，54。
　　17。Ibid。，i，268n。
　　18。Works，x，121。
　　19。Ibid。，i，227。
　　20。Ibid。，x，79，142。SeealsoDeontology，i，298-302，whereBenthamspeaksofdiscoveringthephraseinPriestley’sEssayonGovernmentin1768。
　　Priestleysayp。17that’thegoodandhappinessofthemembers，thatisofthemajorityofthemembers，ofanystateisthegreatstandardbywhicheverythingrelatingtothatstatemustbefinallydetermined。”SoLeMercierdelaRiviè；resays，in1767，thattheultimateendofsocietyisassurerlaplusgrandbonheurpossibleà；laplusgrandepopulationpossibleDaire’sEconomistes，p。470。Hutcheson’sEnquiryconcerningMoralGoodandEvil，1725，seeiii，section8’thatactionisbestwhichsecuresthegreatesthappinessofthegreatestnumber。’Beccaria，intheprefacetohisessay，speaksoflamassimafelicità；divsanelmaggiornumero。
　　J。S。Millsaysthathefoundthewor’Utilitarian’inGalt’sAnnalsoftheParish，andgavethenametothesocietyfoundedbyhimin1822-1823Autobiography，p。79。ThewordhadbeenusedbyBenthamhimselfin1781，andhesuggestedittoDumontin1802asthepropernameoftheparty，insteadof’Benhamite’
　　Works，x，92，390。Heafterwardsthoughtitabadname，becauseitgavea’vagueidea’Works，x，582，andsubstituted’greatesthappinessprinciple’