Page:Petty 1660 Reflections.djvu/124

 to the place wherein I was, made me very frequently talked of, and consequently enviously stroke at, whilst on the other side, my own necessitated personal obscurity and reservedness, permitted every such stroke to pierce and wound me without defence.

14thly, I was contrary to Solomons rule, too just, having perhaps a vanity to administer that great work (lyable to so much Knavery) with exact method and uprightness, of which being too confident, I neglected all Clamours, thinking the worst of them unable to hurt the innocence I could boast of; especially for that I never observed, that even that Member of the Council who least affected me, was at all inclined to believe ill of my carriage in distributing the Lands: Hence it unhappily came to pass, That in slighting the said clamours I seemed withal to contemn the persons that made them, in which number (at one time or other, during the whole course of the affair) was everybody, viz. some of all sorts and factions, who all (blowing up and kindling one another, and the justice on my side yielding them no relief in their Complaints) became