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

3. Bentham se donne pour l'adversaire acharné de Blackstone, Y « anti- Blackstone », depuis le moment où il écrit le Fragment on Government, 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 familiar view of Blackstone ; or say Blackstone familiarized ; or else Blackstone and Law familiarisée ». Et voici le

(Pp. o6-o7) NOTES. 30&

début de l'introduction : Tais paper lias for its object or end in view, the giving to the people of England and its dependencies in as few words as possible a conception as clear as possible of the state of the law as it is, in England. On considering how this can be done, it has been foundthat by no otber means could any conception be given of law as it is, so clear, if at ail, as by means of law as it ought to be. — Bentham projette de commencer cet écrit par une allégorie, le récit d'un rêve. 11 s'est endormi dans lé Lecture Room de l'Université de Londres ; et quatre femmes lui apparaissent: Astraea, déesse de la justice, à sa droite Félicia, qui, en se fondant sur le principe du plus grand bonheur, enseigne la loi telle qu'elle doit être, à sa gauche, Gubernia, qui enseigne la loi telle qu'elle est, et Dolosa, qui enseigne ce que la loi n'est pas, et cependant prétend être dans un cas donné. — « I observed, continue Bentham, that the seat of the Professor Blackstone was part of it under one of them [Gubernia and Dolosa, part of it under the other, but he appeared a great favourite with both and that without interruption ofamity he seemed to be in the possession of both on the footimj of joint tcnancy s. Suit un dialogue auquel prennent part les quatre femmes et Blackstone Mss. Univ. Coll. n° 31). — V. d'autre part (Mss. Univ. Coll. n° 73; la lettre imaginaire d'un Country 'ientleruan qui a acheté les Commentaires pour apprendre le droit et qui dit ses déceptions: a 1 am a Country Gentleman. — 1 wish to bave some acquaintance with the Laws under which I live. I hear from ail quarters of there being a book by the help of which 1 may compass it with a pleasure which can only be surpassed by the solidity of the instruction... the woik being peculiarly calculated for the instruction ofsuch personsas hâve no more than that share of preliminary knowledge which I flatter myself to possess. It contains not indeed, I am told, the vshole law : for of this there are but four volumes and of that there are four hundred ; but that so much as it does contain may be depended upon for true. — I purchase it. — Et \ oàci comment se termine la lettre : « In conclusion, if it be true that the use of language is, not to furnish 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 venture to establish it as an universal and inviolable rule, for those who mean to give the reality, without contenting themselves with the delusive shadow of right instruction, never to give the Law without the Equity which controuls it, nor the Common Law without the Stalule which has altered it, nor the Letter without the Practice which modifies it into effect.