Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/271

 against the domination of the extreme men of both parties, against Shaftesbury and Buckingham, and also against the old Cavalier party. It was the first definite attempt of the wiser heads of the old order that was passing away to prevent the domination of party over the Crown, and it marks the opening of the constitutional struggle of which, in the next century, the schemes of Bolingbroke and the elder Pitt to break up party form the concluding chapter.

Temple proposed to remodel and extend the Irish Privy Council on similar lines, only excluding those who were known to be absolutely hostile to the maintenance of the Acts of Settlement and Explanation. In such a combination Sir William Petty was indicated by public opinion as finding a natural place.

'The news of the wonderful alterations in the Council,' he writes on April 29, 1679, to Southwell, 'hath made us all drunk with the new wine of further expectations. The change happened the same day 20 years, that I answered Col. Sankey in the Parliament at Westminster, the 21st of April 1659; and, on the 22nd, the 1st Parliament was dissolved—since which time I have been travailing in dark dirty crooked ways, and have been rowing against wind and tide. May I now come into some smoothings with Sir G. Carterett, the farmers, Kerry quit rents, Vernon, and my £1,100 disaster; and as my eyes and activity doe faile, may there be clean weather and a calm at sea; that I may stand the course for this little part of my life, which my own needle points at, and not be dashed to and fro whither the outrages of fooles and knaves doe force mee. The novaturient world is gaping here after the like alterations for Ireland. May whatever is done, tend to the resisting of the French, pulling out the sting of Popery, and pulling up the old Acts of 17 & 18 Car: prim: being 3 things I have forced on this many years, and which I believe need not bee forced, if moderate and easy remedies be timely applyed.'