him to retain the Great Seal. They soon found that it would have
been wise to propose a gentler censure. Great numbers of their
adherents, convinced by Cowper's arguments, or unwilling to put a
cruel stigma on a man of whose genius and accomplishments the
nation was proud, stole away before the door was closed. To the
general astonishment there were only one hundred and thirty-three
Ayes to one hundred and eighty-nine Noes. That the City of London
did not consider Somers as the destroyer, and his enemies as the
protectors, of trade, was proved on the following morning by the
most unequivocal of signs. As soon as the news of his triumph
reached the Royal Exchange, the price of stocks went up.

Some weeks elapsed before the Tories ventured again to attack
him. In the meantime they amused themselves by trying to worry
another person whom they hated even more bitterly. When, in a
financial debate, the arrangements of the household of the Duke
of Gloucester were incidentally mentioned, one or two members
took the opportunity of throwing reflections on Burnet. Burnet's
very name sufficed to raise among the High Churchmen a storm of
mingled merriment and anger. The Speaker in vain reminded the
orators that they were wandering from the question. The majority
was determined to have some fun with the Right Reverend Whig, and
encouraged them to proceed. Nothing appears to have been said on
the other side. The chiefs of the opposition inferred from the
laughing and cheering of the Bishop's enemies, and from the
silence of his friends, that there would be no difficulty in
driving from Court, with contumely, the prelate whom of all
prelates they most detested, as the personification of the
latitudinarian spirit, a Jack Presbyter in lawn sleeves. They,
therefore, after the lapse of a few hours, moved quite