PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 29 



modem Utilitarians. "We enquire therefore," says Tully, 

 in his ninth book, "what is the extreme, the ultimate of good; 

 because, in the opinion of all the philosophers, it ought to 

 be such, that all things should be referred to it. — * * * 

 This Epicurus places in pleasure, which he will have to be the 

 greatest good — (Summum Bonum,) and pain the greatest evil. 

 These, his institutes, he thus teaches — That every animal, as soon 

 as it is born, desires pleasure, and delights in it, as the greatest 

 good — spurns pain as the greatest evil, and wards it off from it- 

 self by every means in its power. This it does while yet unso- 

 phisticated, with only nature itself, unbribed and unbiassed, 

 to form a judgment, and therefore he affirms that there is no need 

 either of reasoning or of disputation to show why pleasure should 

 be sought — pain should be avoided ; but considers that this is to 

 he felt as that fire is hot, that snow is white, and that honey is 

 sweet; which it is not necessary to prove by subtle reasonings. " 

 Clearly not; but thus is the most illustrious Tully evidently a 

 Benthamite by anticipation; since the modern Utilitarian affirms 

 that " Happiness consists in the enjoyment of pleasure and se- 

 curity from pains, and this happiness is the object of every living 

 sentient being, what conduct will secure that happiness is the 

 first object of all enquiry. '^ This is a free translation of Cicero's 

 language, and thus in one highly important point, are the so- 

 called discoveries of Bentham shown to be identical with the dog- 

 mas of Epicurus, 



From a consideration of another branch of the Utilitarian 

 system which advocates the necessity of calculating consequen- 

 ces in the pursuit of happiness, the lecturer showed that this 

 much vaunted discovery, when stripped of its technical garni- 

 ture, and reduced to its native proportions, is no more than the 

 good old homely proverb, which every peasant has at his fingers' 

 ends, " Honesty is the best policy." But whether with peasant 

 or philosopher, however excellent the theory, the results are 

 found to be the same, when it comes to be reduced to practice. 

 Both find the difficulty of the application ; the one of his adage, 

 the other of his system to the actual condition, and every-day 

 practise of mankind. Countervailing checks continually step in, 

 in the shape of present advantage or enjoyment, and the firmest 

 resolutions, before the fire of passion, 



" Like fancy's fairy frost-work melt away." 



The mind may be thoroughly convinced of the propriety of a 

 particular course of conduct, but the passions are not so easily 

 held in abeyance. The confession of Medea is the motto of man, 



