Henry Crabb Robinson, Bury St. Edmunds, to Thomas Amyot, Norwich, 13 March 1796.  

       I think I may fairly retort the Charge of Dulness upon you – You seem in your last Letter to have strained hard to fill your Paper And therefore you adopted a Circumlocutory Style And very kindly for my own Instruction repeated my own Arguments – This Practice is certainly useful to Controversialists who, by prefacing their Reasoning with an Analysis of that of their Opponents, enable their Readers more easily to decide on the Controversy –

       Of the 7 half sides of your Letter – The 1st was a long winded apologetick Dissertation on the Rights of Correspondents, pleasantly seasoned with some happy Puns – The 2d & 3d Contd a Statemt of my Opinions on Genius And some Observations on a Subject with which you modestly tell me at the Close, you have no Business – The 5th & 6th & 7th Sides consist of Argumts to prove that Learning is not subversive of Poetic Genius, in which perhaps you are right; but I am not quite convinced – I wish

      I wish you had not persisted in requesting me to write on Political I wa Science  Since you might have received every Information on that Subjt from a Writer whose Name I will not mention because I suspect it is not so much esteemed by you, As it will be when you have sufficiently conquered the Prejudices of Education Infancy, To attend calmly to his Reasonings, I shall of Necessity feebly retail his Sentiments. With reluctance I comply with your Request.

On the Importance of Political Science

  It is not my Intention to consider this Subject so generally as the Title imports. To display minutely the Importance of political Science would be to write a History of Human laws; And the Effects they have produced; Since they are the Result of Political Institutions. I must refer you to the most eminent Lawyers, Politicians, Moralists and Historians; And content myself with exhibiting in this Essay, a very general and in Course a very superficial Picture of the Subject –

       The sentiment which I mean principally to oppose is that which has been uttered by Men who from Circumstances of personal Prosperity, feel themselves exempt from the Evils of Poverty; whose Attention has never been directed to Acts of Oppression and whose Habits & Employms have led them to the more pleasant Studies of Literature and Philosophy. Many a man under such Circumstances has often been induced to Exclaim

       “It matters not to me whether the Nation be governed by an hereditary Magistrate or 500 elected Deputies Representatives It is of more Importance that I shod cultivate Dispositions of social Benevolence, I will seek for ffriends among the pure of heart And I will secure their Affections by Acts ^of kindness^ I will cultivate Learning, the ffine Arts And the Sciences And leave to th Men of the World the Task of Governing their fellow Creatures. – I will keep the Noiseless Tenor of my way aloof from the Dissensions of Party and the Machinations of Intriguers, unruffled by the Blasts of Political Contention; And heedless of the progress of Political Opinions –[”]

      I trust I shall not be accused of drawing an unamiable Portrait. I will concede more, I will suppose that this Person is activated by the most benevolent Motives, And really thinks that he is pursuing the Course of public utility as well as private Happiness – Indeed it is ^to^ such Persons only, I would address myself. The preceding Sentiments which I fear are too generally diffused arise, I suspect, from mistaken Notions of Man – We perceive ourselves placed ourselves in the Society of t grossly corrupted Beings, And without asking how that Corruption arose; we presume that it is in their Nature –

       That Class of Men which includes the privileged Orders are almost altogether Slaves of Sensuality, vanity, or pernicious Ambition; their Days and Nights are devoted to Acts of ffrivolity or Vice – The Order of Tradesmen and the Numerous Body of men who by having the Power, feel the Desire to accumulate are carried away by that Passion And devote the Energies of Intellect to the Accumulation of wealth – The Myriads who are sufficiently described by an affecting monosyllable The Poor afford a Picture disgusting and distressful – Deprived of that Independence of Character which is essential to virtue – their whole Life is spent in the Means of living – The Labour of the Day barely produces the ffood & cloathing which are expended in it, And after a Life of Youth spent in unremitted ffatigue the miserable wretch is dependant in old Age upon the Charitable Assistance of the Age Rich – Such are the Mass of men – Exceptions may be produced from every Class –

       It has been commonly supposed that this State of Society arises from the Nature of Man – I mean to shew that it proceeds from Political Institutions

       It shall be admitted that the Produce of the Earth or, to confine myself to this Country, that the Produce of Great Britain is sufficient, with moderate Labour, to supply the ^Animal^ wants of its Inhabitants which may be confined to ffood, Cloathing, & Shelter from the weather –

      It will also be granted, I suppose, that the greater Portion of the moral Evils of Society misery of Mankind may be attributed to the Moral Evils of Society – And that could vice be diminished, unhappiness wod decrease in an equal Ratio – Some are rendered unhappy by the Attacks of Disease, but many more from the Errors of the mind –

       It has been justly remarked by a modern writer that the two great Evils of Society are Robbery and ffraud And that these arise from extreme Poverty And from the Ostentation and Tyranny of the Rich, And from the Love of Splendour & Wealth excited by the Government of the Country –

       It may be presumed that no man wod hasard [sic] the Contempt of his Associates, nor the Punishment which attends the Commission of Acts to which men have affixed the Appellation of Crimes; if he were not impelled by the strongest Motives –

       The Rich are ready to associate in punishing with the utmost severity, the violations of Property by the Poor; And are forgetful that they are every Day holding forth the most tempting Lures – They make a pompous Display of splendid Apparel & Equipage by wch the poor man’s Envy is awakened. They treat him as if he were of an inferior Nature, And they arouse a strong sense of Injustice which might otherwise have lain dormant. They every hour torture him by their Pride and Extravagance – They drive him to Acts of ffrenzy And then hang him because he has not the Powers of that sublime virtue from which his State debars him – There is not a Truth of which I am more firmly persuaded than that the aggregate of National Happiness will be increased in a greater or less ^smaller^ degree as the Inequalities of Property are more or less diminished – The Importance of Political Science will appear when we consider that the Political Institutions of Mankind regulate almost altogether the Sentiments of its subjects, particularly of those who are the least informed – Whilst the Inequalities of Property continue, the Opinions of the lower Class will always be influenced by those of the immediately or higher Order – This Principle will extend upward till we find that the Governors of a Country lead the National Opinions – In a monarchical State the Love of Dress and Equipage must be generated – The Love of Money as the mean[s] of procuring these, of course will be excited – In such a Country, Poverty will be the greatest Crime – All men will be careful, as it is called, to better their Condition – The Impulse of Benevolence will be lessened – And the utmost Inequality of Property produced – Again Political Science includes the Study of Laws And independently, of the Consideration that Law restrains the Actions of all Men; it affects indirectly the Opinions also: It is always presumed that Laws are founded on Wisdom And if in Reality they be built upon Maxims of gross Absurdity – Gross Errors are in Consequence dissemind thro’ the Society – But Political Science is of the ^ut^most Importance because it directs the Conduct of those who have not only the most extensive Influence over the Morals, Manners, Habits, Opinions, of men but who have also an immense Coercive Power on every Individual in the Country – By Taxes levied by the supreme Power of a State, The Articles of Subsistence and Convenience may be made so difficult of Access as almost to preclude the Poor from Participating in them – Of this we have some Examples in the malt, soap, Candle Tax &c independently of [paper torn] high price of Provisions – By Law the poor man may be deprived of the power, of residing where his convenience suits – And of the power of disposg to the best advantage of his only Property – his Labour – And above all the Legislature of the Country may mortgage the Labour of the poor man And by the Accumulation of a publick Debt, doom him to a Life of incessant ffatigue – By the Evils wch arise to the poor man from such a System, he is driven into Acts of Desperation, but I have considered this before –.

       When we reflect upon the immense Power wch the Legislature of every Country possesses in its external as well as internal Regulations, we surely cannot prize too highly that Science which teaches the most useful Exercise of that Power – Political Institutions are such Powerful In Engines that I know not where their Influence extends not – According to [the] Character of the governing Power such has been invariably been that of all Subjects for a Time – Opinion as well as Knowledge is Power – And therefore a General Disapprobn of any Institution must accelerate its Downfall – We see an Illustration of this in the late wonderful Revolution in ffrance, A revolution which tho’ rising in Storms presages the Dissemination of general Happiness – And even the more firmly established Institutions of Great Britain are mouldering away where they have lost the Cement of public Opinion Many Innovators Speculatists and Reformers have long inveighed agt the System of poor Laws and Game Laws Their fall, I believe, approaches for the Minister himself is in this Respect an Reformer – It is probable also that the Game Laws that vile Remnant of ffeudal It has appeared Tyranny will be offered a Sacrifice to the rising Spirit of Philosophy

       It has appeared in the Course of this History Essay that Political Institutions influence in a great Degree the public Opinion particularly of the lower Classes – By the A Incitems to Avarice, Ambition & other fatal vices which Monarchies have furnished; All the Evils of polished Society have arisen – Can we any longer doubt how necessary Political Science is to correct the Evils which past Errors have occasioned – The true Philosophy of Mind and Men requires that Men shod be proved not by other Political Institutions but by depriving those that exist of their Evil Tendencies – We shod leave Truth to precede alone in the world nor retard its Progress by Laws which check the ffreedom of Opinion and Thought – To return again to the Man of Taste Literature and Benevolence: It is expected that from the Impression of these Truths he will not refuse to labour in the Cause of Moral & Improvem Political Improvemt.  Tho’ he may have to contend with the Ignorant and the <–> Erring; Tho’ the Motives of his Conduct may be attacked by those who are interested in the Continu[an]ce of Abuses; he will persevere in what he deems the path of Reformation And as he will consider that tho’ his Situation may exempt him from the more immediate Operation of the present System of Policy. Yet that the Happiness of the Mass depends upon the political Institution of a Country: he will deem it his Duty to desert his the more pleasing Employments of Philosophy & Literature that all his ffaculties may be employed in the Study & Improvemt of Poll Science

[HCR now continues the letter down the left hand margin of each page, each section numbered]

1

I have to thank you heartily for yr kind Intimation of the Norfolk Tanyard I wrote with a view to obtain a Situation for one of my Brothers who in Consequence of your Letter went to the Spot and with quite satisfied with the Est. By Satisfied I mean that he had quite enough of it in the bare Examinn

2

And now I must inform you that this is the last Letter I purpose writg to yo before you have fulfilled yr Promise in visitg me. I expect to leave Suff: in April I therefore ^request^ you will in your next Letter (wch I shall receive within a week at furthest) fix the Time of yr Arrival And remember I shall not be satisfd with a mere Call – I count highly of yr Company – Some weeks ^since^ J. Woodward told me that he had heard from yr ffriend Marsh [the bookseller March of Norwich] who proposed visitg him when you visit me – This wod on some Accots be pleasant But it occurred that if you came with him you might also think proper to return with him And by that means your visit wod be shorter than I desire & expect – I shod much like the Plan if yo wod stay after Marsh as then I shod have yr Company alone if you adopt this latter plan I shall highly approve of meetg your ffriend Marsh here –

3

I will for the 1st time propose a Law Questn to be answered in yr next – [what follows is a highly abbreviated account of a legal case]

4

ffor the Subjt of yr next Letter I scarcely know what to propose – give me something of your own – An Origl Essay on some Branch of Law & Literature If I were writing to a person of different Sentiments, I wod ask “is a National Bankruptcy to be dreaded or desired[”] You I know would determine it to be a most dreadful Thing indeed But “much may be said on both Sides” – But consult your own Taste & write upon whatever Subject has most engrossed your Attention lately

5

I have the Testimony of a Man, eminently qualified to give an Opinion on the Subjt (T. Clarkson) in favor of Pitts sincery in behalf of the Aboln of the Slave Trade – I understand from him that Mr Pitt is sincere in his wishes for the Abolition yet he has never exerted his Ministerial Influence – Had he a few years since, when his Popularity was at the heighth insisted upon the Abolition & threatened to resign if the Cabinet refused to comply with him beyond a Doubt that Stain upon Britain wod have ceased – We cant doubt the Power of the Governmt since the passing of some abominable & detestable Acts – But Pitt wanted this virtue –

6th

With Respect to Pitt’s Reform of the Poor Laws I am ready to exclaim “Can any good thing come out of Bethlehem”  It seems to have been the Policy of certain Governs to strain the Chord Cord of popular Misery as far as they can with Safety shod it break; they know that the Bonds of Obedce wod be broken And that they wod fall the first victims of popular ffury – Yet I will not prejudge what may be good  I certainly approved of Pitt’s Speech on Whitbreads Bill And nothg but my Detestation of the Man And the Suspicion with which I receive whatr falls from his Lips that ^the^ preventd my rejoicg in the prospect of a Reform in one of the many Evils under wch this Country groans

7

I have ffinished [illegible name] but I have not a clear Recollection of the outlines – I am much dissatisfd with the Outlines Powells Notes – My Law Question arose from a part of which his work in wch he opposes Butler, I think unsuccessfully But I wish to see of whom you are a Disciple

8

Have just recd a kind Lre from our dear ffriend P. [Pattisson] in wch he has given me a minute Accot of his Situation – There is no fear that London will injure him – I am happy to hear that yo consent to adorn the Mon: Mag: with your Poetry, from this new miscy I have favorable Expects & I doubt not that it will eclipse the setting Star of Sylvanius Urban – The Gent. Mag. was for many yrs a most valuable Miscelly; it has of late sunk into the Contempt even of Aristocrats tho’ it still subsists upon its Stock reputation acquired of yore. I think it must be nearly expandd –  Perhaps this Opposn will awaken dormant ffire –

              Upon reviewg the above I think I am entitled to a long and early Ansr

              In my zeal to prove Political Science of more importance than any Private ^other^ Study however pleasant And to shew that Public Duties are superior to those wch are Private – I have <–> almost disabled myself from expressing that I am your sincere & affectionate ffriend

                                                            H. C. Robinson

Bury March 13th 1796

Address:  For | Mr T. Amyot | At Mr P. Amyot’s. | Briggs’s Lane  | Norwich.  | Single only.  Postmark: Bury [date illegible].  Other notation (probably by Amyot):  HCR 12 | 13 March 96   

Text: Pforz MS (MISC 1984), Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, New York Public Library.