It depends wholly on this, whether it be a bonâ fide charity to a party, and a prudent precaution with regard to yourself, or whether, under the pretence of aiding one of the parties in a nation, you act in such a manner as to aggravate its calamities and accomplish its final destruction.
Edmund Burke: “It depends wholly on this, whether it be a bonâ fide charity to a party, and a prudent precaution with regard to…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke distinguishes between genuine charity and harmful interference in foreign affairs.
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