nt was not at this moment very well pleased with the
Dissenters, as not very well affected to the monarchy; that, in general,
I conceived this to be a mistake,--but if it were not, the rejection of
a bill in favor _of others_, because something in favor of _them_ was
inserted, instead of humbling and mortifying, would infinitely exalt
them: for, if the legislature had no means of favoring those whom they
meant to favor, as long as the Dissenters could find means to get
themselves included, this would make them, instead of their only being
subject to restraint themselves, the arbitrators of the fate of others,
and that not so much by their own strength (which could not be prevented
in its operation) as by the cooeperation of those whom they opposed. In
the conclusion, I recommended, that, if they wished well to the measure
which was the main object of the bill, they must explicitly make it
their own, and stake themselves upon it; that hitherto all their
difficulties had arisen from their indecision and their wrong measures;
and to make Lord North sensible of the necessity of giving a firm
support to some part of the bill, and to add weighty authority to my
reasons, I read him your letter of the 10th of July. It seemed, in some
measure, to answer the purpose which I intended. I pressed the necessity
of the management of the affair, both as to conduct and as to gaining of
men; and I renewed my former advice, that the Lord Lieutenant should be
instructed to consult and cooperate with you in the whole affair. All
this was, apparently, very fairly taken.

In the evening of that day I saw the Lord Chancellor. With him, too, I
had much discourse. You know that he is intelligent, sagacious,
systematic, and determined. At first he seemed of opinion that the
relief contained in the bill was so inadequate to the mass of oppression
it was intended to remove, that it would be better to let it stand over,
until a more perfect and better digested plan could be settled. This
seemed to possess him very strongly. In order to combat this notion, and
to show that the bill, all things considered, was a very great
acquisition, and that it was rather a preliminary than an obstruction to
relief, I ventured to show him your letter. It had its effect. He
declared himself roundly against giving anything to a confederacy, real
or apparent, to distress government; that, if anything was done for
Catholics or Dissenters, it should be done on its own se