he could have got the same
Temporal Advantage by holding his Tongue.

This shews the Usefulness of such a Law, and at the same Time the
Wisdom of the Politician, by whose skilful Management the Private Vices
of the Worst of Men are made to turn to a Publick Benefit. There are
Men who are of Opinion, that no positive Evil may be done or commanded,
that Good may come of it, on any Account whatever: Should any one of
these be in doubt whether there is not some Reasonableness or other
Merit in this Law, besides its contributing to the Welfare of the
Society; I would ask him, if it would not be an unpardonable Folly, nay
a wicked Action in any Legislature, to enact, that a most abandon'd
Wretch, who has been guilty of many Capital Crimes, should, without
having shewn any Remorse, not only be pardon'd, but likewise with a
Reward in Money be let loose again upon the Publick; if what is
design'd by such an extraordinary Conduct, to wit, the Decrease of
Thefts and Villanies, might be obtain'd by any other Method, less
clashing with the common Notions we have of Justice: Which being
undeniably true, the only Reason that can be given, why Enacting this
is neither Wickedness nor Folly, is Necessity, and the Publick Benefit,
which is expected from it.

If All I have said hitherto in Defence of the _Fable of the Bees_, and
what I have quoted from it, have not alter'd the Opinion you seem to
have had of the Book, I believe it is in vain to say any more: Other
Readers, I hope, will be less obdurate, and convinced by this Time,
that it was not wrote for the Encouragement of Vice and to debauch the
Nation; which is all I want; for as to the Performance, whether good or
bad, I shall say Nothing about it, whatever I think. I sincerely
believe, Sir, that most Authors (whatever they say to the Contrary)
have a better Opinion of their Works than they deserve; and I fancy,
that most People believe so too: Therefore whether it is well or ill
wrote, as to the Diction, Manner, and whatever regards the Composition,
is what I would never have troubled my Head about, tho' it had been
more generally condemn'd than it has been.

The Censurers of the Book themselves, who have publickly attack'd it,
are not unanimous about the Merit of it; and Two of them, who have both
wrote against it by Name, differ very widely in their Opinion
concerning this Composition. A noted[24] Critick, who seems to hate all
Books that sell, and no other, has, in his Anger