Bowring, vol. 1, p. 249; vol. X, p

3. Bentham se donne pour l'adversaire acharné de Blackstone, V a anti- Blackslone », depuis le moment où il écrit le Fragment on Government f jusqu'au moment où, en 1828, quatre ans avant sa mort, nous le trouvons encore occuper à réfuter Blackstone. Le titre de cet ouvrage projeté, qui ne fut jamais achevé, c'est <r A fumiliar view of Blackstone ; or say Blackstone jamiliarized ; or else Blackstane and Law familiarized », El voici le

(Pp. 56-57) NOTES. 303

début de rintroductioQ : Tiiis paper bas for its object or end in yiew, tlie ghing to tbe people of England and its dependencies in as fcw words as possible a conception as clear as possible of tbe state of the law as it is, in Eogbind. On oonsidering bow tbis cao bedone» it bas beenfoundtbatby no otber means could any conception be given of law as it is, so cléar, if at ail, as by means of law as it ought to be. — Bentbam projette de commencer cet écrit par une allégorie, le récit d'un rêve. 11 s^est endormi dans lé Lecture Boom de l'Université de Londres ; et quatre femmes lui api»araissent : Astraëa, déesse de la jastice, à sa droite Félicia, qui, en se fondant sur le principe du plus grand bonbcur, enseigne la loi telle qu'elle doil être, à sa gauche, Gubernia, qui enseigne la loi telle qu'elle est, et Oolosa, qui enseigne ce que la loi n'est pas, et cependant prétend être dans un cas donné. ~ « I observed, continue Bentbam, tbat tbe seat of the Professor Blackslone was part of it under one of Ihem [Gubernia and Dolûsa], part of it under tbe otlier, but he appeared a great favourite witli butli and tbat witbout interruption of amity be scemed to be in the possession of botb on the footing of joint tenancy ». Suit un dialogue auquel prennent part les quatre femmes et Blackstone (Mss. Univ. Coll. n° 31). — V. d'autre part (Mss. Univ. Coll. w* 73) la lettre imaginaire d'un Country 4ientleman qui a acheté les Commentaires pour appi*endre le droit et qui dit ses déceptions : « 1 am a Country Gentleman. — 1 wish to bave somc acquaintance witb the Laws under which I live. 1 hear from ail quartei's of tbere being a book by the help of which 1 may compass it with a plea- Bure wbicb can only be surpassed by the solidity of the instruction... tlie work being peculiarly calculated for the instruction ofsuch personsashave no more tban tbat sbare of prcliminar}' knowledge which 1 flatter myself to possess. It contains not indeed, 1 am told, the wholc law : for of tbis therc are but four volumes and of tliat thereare four hundred ; butthat so much as it does contain may be depended upon for true. — I purdiase it. — Et voici comment se termine la lettre : ^ In conclusion, if it be true that the use of language is, not to fumish terms for a man to shelter himself under, while he causes others to go astray, but to imprint ideas on the minds of those to whom it is addressed, conformable to the truth of things ; we may Tenture to establish it as an univcrsal and inviolable rule, for those who mean to give the reality, without contenting themsches with tlie delusivc shadow of right instruction, never to give the Law without tiue Equily which controuls it, nor the Common Law without the Statute which has altered it, nor tbe Letler witliout the Practice which modifies it into effect.