第75章 BENTHAM'S LIFE(19)

Another light of the Edinburgh Review，who at this time took Brougham at his own valuation，did an incidental service to Bentham.Upon the publication of the Book of Fallacies in 1825，Sydney Smith reviewed or rather condensed it in the Edinburgh Review，and gave the pith of the whole in his famous Noodle's Oration.The noodle utters all the commonplaces by which the stupid conservatives，with Eldon at their head，met the demands of reformers.Nothing could be wittier than Smith's brilliant summary.Whigs and Radicals for the time agreed in ridiculing blind prejudice.The day was to come when the Whigs at least would see that some principles might be worse than prejudice.All the fools，said Lord Melbourne，'were against Catholic Emancipation，and the worst of it is，the fools were in the right.'Sydney Smith was glad to be Bentham's mouthpiece for the moment：though，when Benthamism was applied to church reform，Smith began to perceive that Noodle was not so silly as he seemed.

One other ally of Bentham deserves notice.O'Connell had in 1828，in speaking of legal abuses，called himself 'an humble disciple of the immortal Bentham.'(143)Bentham wrote to acknowledge the compliment.He invited O'Connell to become an inmate of his hermitage at Queen's Square Place，and O'Connell responded warmly to the letters of his 'revered master.'Bentham's aversion to Catholicism was as strong as his objection to Catholic disqualifications，and he took some trouble to smooth down the difficulties which threatened an alliance between ardent believers and thorough-going sceptics.O'Connell had attacked some who were politically upon his side.'Dan，dear child，'says Bentham，'whom in imagination I am at this moment pressing to my fond bosom，put off，if it be possible，your intolerance.'(144)Their friendship，however，did not suffer from this discord，and their correspondence is in the same tone till the end.In one of Bentham's letters he speaks of a contemporary correspondence with another great man，whom he does not appear to have met personally.He was writing long letters，entreating the duke of Wellington to eclipse Cromwell by successfully attacking the lawyers.The duke wrote 'immediate answers in his own hand，'and took good-humouredly a remonstrance from Bentham upon the duel with Lord Winchilsea in 1829.(145)Bentham was ready to the end to seek allies in any quarter.When Lord Sidmouth took office in 1812，Bentham had an interview with him，and had some hopes of being employed to prepare a penal code.(146)Although experience had convinced him of the futility of expectations from the Sidmouths and Eldons，he was always on the look out for sympathy；and the venerable old man was naturally treated with respect by people who had little enough of real interest in his doctrines.

During the last ten years of his life，Bentham was cheered by symptoms of the triumph of his creed.The approach of the millennium seemed to be indicated by the gathering of the various forces which carried Roman Catholic Emancipation and the Reform Bill.Bentham still received testimonies of his fame abroad.In 1825he visited Paris to consult some physicians.He was received with the respect which the French can always pay to intellectual eminence.(147)All the lawyers in a court of justice rose to receive him，and he was placed at the president's right hand.On the revolution of 1830，he addressed some good advice to the country of which he had been made a citizen nearly forty years before.In 1832，Talleyrand，to whom he had talked about the Panopticon in 1792，dined with him alone in his hermitage.(148)When Bowring observed to the prince that Bentham's works had been plundered，the polite diplomatist replied，et pilléde tout le monde，il est toujours riche.Bentham was by this time failing.At eighty-two he was still，as he put it，'codifying like any dragon.'(149)On 18th May 1832he did his last bit of his life-long labour，upon the 'Constitutional Code.'The great reform agitation was reaching the land of promise，but Bentham was to die in the wilderness.He sank without a struggle on 6th June 1832，his head resting on Bowring's bosom.He left the characteristic direction that his body should be dissected for the benefit of science.An incision was formally made；and the old gentleman，in his clothes as he lived，his face covered by a wax mask，is still to be seen at University College in Gower Street.

Bentham，as we are told，had a strong personal resemblance to Benjamin Franklin.Sagacity，benevolence，and playfulness were expressed in both physiognomies.

Bentham，however，differed from the man whose intellect presents many points of likeness，in that he was not a man of the market-place or the office.

Bentham was in many respects a child through life：(150)a child in simplicity，good humour，and vivacity；his health was unbroken；he knew no great sorrow；and after emerging from the discouragement of his youth，he was placidly contemplating a continuous growth of fame and influence.He is said to have expressed the wis that he could awake once in a century to contemplate th prospect of a world gradually adopting his principles and so making steady progress in happiness and wisdom.

No man could lead a simpler life.His chief luxuries at table were fruit，bread，and tea.He had a 'sacred teapot'called Dick，with associations of its own，and carefully regulated its functions.He refrained from wine during the greatest part of his life，and was never guilty of a single act of intemperance.