Hewas，thatis，totransplantafragmentofready-madeWesterncivilisationintoRussia。Benthamresolvedtopayavisittohisbrother，towhomheWasstronglyattached。HeleftEnglandinAugust1785，andstayedsometimeatConstantinople，wherehemetMariaJames1770-1836，thewifesuccessivelyofW。ReveleyandofJohnGisborne，andthefriendofShelley。ThencehetravelledbylandtoKritchev，andsettledwithhisbrotherattheneighbouringestateofZadobras。Benthamherepassedasecludedlife，interestedinhisbrother’soccupationsandmechanicalinventions，andatthesametimekeepinguphisownintellectuallabours。ThemostremarkableresultwastheDefenceofUsury，writteninthebeginningof1787。BenthamappendstoitarespectfullettertoAdamSmith，whohadsupportedthelawsagainstusuryinconsistentlywithhisowngeneralprinciples。Thedisciplewassimplycarryingoutthoseprinciplestothelogicalapplicationfromwhichthemasterhadshrunk。ThemanuscriptwassenttoWilson，whowishedtosuppressit。52*TheelderBenthamobtainedit，andsentittothepress。ThebookmetBenthamwasreturning。
ItwashighlypraisedbyThomasReid，53*andbytheMonthlyReview；itwastranslatedintovariouslanguages，andbecameoneofthesacredbooksoftheEconomists。Wilsonisdescribedas’coldandcautious，’andhesuppressedanotherpamphletuponprisondiscipline。54*InalettertoBentham，dated26thFebruary1787，however，Wilsondisavowsanyresponsibilityforthedelayinthepublicationofthegreatbook。’Thecause，’hesays，’liesinyourconstitution。Withone-tenthpartofyourgenius，andacommondegreeofsteadiness，bothSamandyouwouldlongsincehaverisentogreateminence。
Butyourhistory，sinceIhaveknownyou，hasbeentobealwaysrunningfromagoodschemetoabetter。Inthemeantimelifepassesawayandnothingiscompleted。’HeentreatedBenthamtoreturn，andhisentreatiesweresecondedbyTrail，whopointedoutvariousschemesofreform，especiallyofthepoor-laws，inwhichBenthammightbeuseful。Wilsonhadmentionedalreadyanotherinducementtopublication。’Thereis，’hesays，on24thSeptember1786，’aMrPaley，aparsonandarchdeaconofCarlisle，whohaswrittenabookcalledPrinciplesofMoralandPoliticalPhilosophy，inquarto，andithasgonethroughtwoeditionswithprodigiousapplause。’HefearsthatBenthamwillbechargedwithstealingfromPaley，andexhortshimtocomehomeand’establishagreatliteraryreputationinyourownlanguage，andinthiscountrywhichyoudespise。’55*
Benthamatlaststartedhomewards。HetravelledthroughPoland，Germany，andHolland，andreachedLondonatthebeginningofFebruary1788。HesettledatalittlefarmhouseatHendon，boughta’superbharpsichord，’resumedhisoccupations，andsawasmallcircleoffriends。WilsonurgedhimtopublishhisIntroductionwithoutwaitingtocompletethevastschemetowhichitwastobeaprologue。Copiesoftheprintedbookwerealreadyabroad，andtherewasadangerofplagiarism。Thusurged，Benthamatlastyielded，andtheIntroductiontothePrinciplesofMoralsandLegislationappearedin1789。Theprefaceapologisedforimperfectionsduetotheplanofhiswork。
Thebook，heexplained，laiddowntheprinciplesofallhisfuturelabours，andwastostandtohimintherelationofatreatiseuponpuremathematicstoatreatiseupontheappliedsciences。Heindicatedtenseparatedepartmentsoflegislation，eachofwhichwouldrequireatreatiseinordertothecompleteexecutionofhisscheme。