But in his defence we have him quite in another character,--no longer the frugal, attentive servant, bred to business, bred to book-keeping, as all the Company's servants are; he now knows nothing of his own affairs, knows not whether he is rich or poor, knows not what he has in the world.
Edmund Burke: “But in his defence we have him quite in another character,--no longer the frugal, attentive servant, bred to business…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke describes a transformation in Hastings' character from a diligent servant to someone oblivious to his own affairs, illustrating a fall from grace.
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