his feelings and his judgment, may tax an individual to
the detriment of his family and in wrong of his creditors. A pretence of
public spirit may disable him from the performance of his private
duties; it may disable him even from paying the legitimate contributions
which he is to furnish according to the prescript of law. But what is
the most dangerous of all is that malignant disposition to which this
mode of contribution evidently tends, and which at length leaves the
comparatively indigent to judge of the wealth, and to prescribe to the
opulent, or those whom they conceive to be such, the use they are to
make of their fortunes. From thence it is but one step to the
subversion of all property.

Far, very far, am I from supposing that such things enter into the
purposes of those excellent persons whose zeal has led them to this kind
of measure; but the measure itself will lead them beyond their
intention, and what is begun with the best designs bad men will
perversely improve to the worst of their purposes. An ill-founded
plausibility in great affairs is a real evil. In France we have seen the
wickedest and most foolish of men, the constitution-mongers of 1789,
pursuing this very course, and ending in this very event. These
projectors of deception set on foot two modes of voluntary contribution
to the state. The first they called patriotic gifts. These, for the
greater part, were not more ridiculous in the mode than contemptible in
the project. The other, which they called the patriotic contribution,
was expected to amount to a fourth of the fortunes of individuals, but
at their own will and on their own estimate; but this contribution
threatening to fall infinitely short of their hopes, they soon made it
compulsory, both in the rate and in the levy, beginning in fraud, and
ending, as all the frauds of power end, in plain violence. All these
devices to produce an involuntary will were under the pretext of
relieving the more indigent classes; but the principle of voluntary
contribution, however delusive, being once established, these lower
classes first, and then all classes, were encouraged to throw off the
regular, methodical payments to the state, as so many badges of slavery.
Thus all regular revenue failing, these impostors, raising the
superstructure on the same cheats with which they had laid the
foundation of their greatness, and not content with a portion of the
possessions of the rich, confiscated the whole,