On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
When we look into the true nature of his authority, he appears to be nothing more than a chief of bumbailiffs, sergeants-at-mace, catchpoles, jailers, and hangmen.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “When we look into the true nature of his authority, he appears to be nothing more than a chief of bumbailiffs…”
Editor's note · Context
From his critique of the French Revolution, Burke describes the diminished authority of the French King under the National Assembly.
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They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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Let us add, if we please, but let us preserve what they have left; and standing on the firm ground of the British Constitution, let us be satisfied to admire, rather than attempt to follow in their desperate flights, the aëronauts of…
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The improvements of the National Assembly are superficial, their errors fundamental.
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