第63章 BENTHAM'S LIFE(7)

There he was to be 'Jack-of-all-trades --building ships，like Harlequin，of odds and ends --a rope-maker，a sailmaker，a distiller，brewer，malster，tanner，glass-man，glass-grinder，potter，hemp-spinner，smith，and coppersmith.'(51)He was，that is，to transplant a fragment of ready-made Western civilisation into Russia.Bentham resolved to pay a visit to his brother，to whom he Was strongly attached.He left England in August 1785，and stayed some time at Constantinople，where he met Maria James (1770-1836)，the wife successively of W.Reveley and of John Gisborne，and the friend of Shelley.Thence he travelled by land to Kritchev，and settled with his brother at the neighbouring estate of Zadobras.Bentham here passed a secluded life，interested in his brother's occupations and mechanical inventions，and at the same time keeping up his own intellectual labours.The most remarkable result was the Defence of Usury，written in the beginning of 1787.Bentham appends to it a respectful letter to Adam Smith，who had supported the laws against usury inconsistently with his own general principles.The disciple was simply carrying out those principles to the logical application from which the master had shrunk.The manu was sent to Wilson，who wished to suppress it.(52)The elder Bentham obtained it，and sent it to the press.The book met Bentham was returning.

It was highly praised by Thomas Reid，(53)and by the Monthly Review；it was translated into various languages，and became one of the sacred books of the Economists.Wilson is described as 'cold and cautious，'and he suppressed another pamphlet upon prison discipline.(54)In a letter to Bentham，dated 26th February 1787，however，Wilson disavows any responsibility for the delay in the publication of the great book.'The cause，'he says，'lies in your constitution.With one-tenth part of your genius，and a common degree of steadiness，both Sam and you would long since have risen to great eminence.

But your history，since I have known you，has been to be always running from a good scheme to a better.In the meantime life passes away and nothing is completed.'He entreated Bentham to return，and his entreaties were seconded by Trail，who pointed out various schemes of reform，especially of the poor-laws，in which Bentham might be useful.Wilson had mentioned already another inducement to publication.'There is，'he says，on 24th September 1786，'a Mr Paley，a parson and archdeacon of Carlisle，who has written a book called Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy，in quarto，and it has gone through two editions with prodigious applause.'He fears that Bentham will be charged with stealing from Paley，and exhorts him to come home and 'establish a great literary reputation in your own language，and in this country which you despise.'(55)Bentham at last started homewards.He travelled through Poland，Germany，and Holland，and reached London at the beginning of February 1788.He settled at a little farmhouse at Hendon，bought a 'superb harpsichord，'resumed his occupations，and saw a small circle of friends.Wilson urged him to publish his Introduction without waiting to complete the vast scheme to which it was to be a prologue.Copies of the printed book were already abroad，and there was a danger of plagiarism.Thus urged，Bentham at last yielded，and the Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation appeared in 1789.The preface apologised for imperfections due to the plan of his work.

The book，he explained，laid down the principles of all his future labours，and was to stand to him in the relation of a treatise upon pure mathematics to a treatise upon the applied sciences.He indicated ten separate departments of legislation，each of which would require a treatise in order to the complete execution of his scheme.

The book gives the essence of Bentham's theories，and is the one large treatise published by himself.The other works were only brought to birth by the help of disciples.Dumont，in the discourse prefixed to the Traités，explains the reason.Bentham，he says，would suspend a whole work and begin a new one because a single proposition struck him as doubtful.A problem of finance would send him to a study of Political Economy in general.A question of procedure would make him pause until he had investigated the whole subject of judicial organisation.While at work，he felt only the pleasure of composition.

When his materials required form and finish，he felt only the fatigue.Disgust succeeded to charm；and he could scarcely be induced to interrupt his labours upon fresh matter in order to give to his interpreter the explanations necessary for the elucidation of his previous writings.He was without the literary vanity or the desire for completion which may prompt to premature publication，but may at least prevent the absolute waste of what has been already achieved.

His method of writing was characteristic.He began by forming a complete logical scheme for the treatment of any subject，dividing and subdividing so as to secure an exhaustive classification of the whole matter of discussion.