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Not Paul, But Jesus
BY JEREMY BENTHAM, ESQR.,—The Eminent
Philosopher of Sociology, Jurisprudence,
&c., of London.
With Preface Containing Sketches of His Life and
Works Together with Critical Notes by John
J. Crandall, Esqr., of the New Jersey Bar—
author of Right to Begin and Reply
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
Jeremy Bentham, an eminent English judicial orjural philosopher, was born in London, February15, 1748, and died at Westminster, his residence forsix years previously, June 6, 1832. His grandfatherwas a London Attorney; his father, who followedthe same profession, was a shrewd man of business,and added considerably to his patrimony by landspeculations. These London Benthams were probablyan offshoot from an ancient York family ofthe same name, which boasted a Bishopric among itsmembers; but our author did not trouble himself totrace his genealogy beyond the pawnbroker. Hismother, Alicia Groove, was the daughter of an Andovershopkeeper. Jeremy, the eldest, and for nineyears the only child of this marriage, was for thefirst sixteen years of his life exceedingly puny, smalland feeble. At the same time, he exhibited a remarkableprecocity which greatly stimulated the prideand affection of his father. At five years of age heacquired a knowledge of musical notes and learnedto play the violin. At four or earlier, having previouslylearned to write, he was initiated into Latingrammar, and in his seventh year entered WestminsterSchool. Meanwhile, he was taught Frenchby a private master at home and at seven readTelemaque, a book which strongly impressed him.Learning to dance was a much more serious undertaking,as he was so weak in his legs.
Young as he was, he acquired distinction at Westminsteras a fabricator of Latin and Greek verses,the great end and aim of the instruction given there.
When twelve years old, he was entered as a Commonerat Queen's College, Oxford, where he spentthe next three years. Though very uncomfortableat Oxford, he went through the exercises of theCollege with credit and even with some distinction.Some Latin verses of his, on the accession of GeorgeIII, attracted a great deal of attention as the productionof one so young. Into all of the disputationswhich formed a part of the College exercises, he enteredwith zeal and much satisfaction; yet he neverfelt at home in the University because of its historicalmonotony, and of all of which he retainedthe most unfavorable recollections.
In 1763, while not yet sixteen, he took the degreeof A.B. Shortly after this he began his course ofLaw in Lincoln's Inn, and journeyed back and forthto Oxford to hear Blackstone's Lectures. Theselectures were published and read throughout therealm of England and particularly in the AmericanColonies. These were criticised by the whole schoolof Cromwell, Milton and such followers as Priestlyand others in England and many in the Colonies inAmerica. Young Bentham returned to London andattended as a student the Court of the King's Bench,then presided over by Mansfield, of whom he continuedfor some years a great admirer.
Among the advocates, Dunning's clearness, directnessand precision most impressed him. He tookthe degree of A.M. at the age of 18, the youngestgraduate that had been known at the Universities;and in 1772 he was admitted to the Bar.
Young Bentham had breathed from infancy, athome, at