Page:The Wentworth Papers 1715-1739.djvu/406

390 some proof that itt has been by misfortune and not neglgence that I have been so long without putting your Lordship in mind of me. This day the bill was read the third time and past, carried by a majority of eight only. They have made severall alterations but in substance itt is still the same as itt was sent up from the Commons, only a clause is now added which makes itt take effect in Ireland as well as England. Yesterday the Lord L——t of Ireland came into the House and spoke against itts being extended to Ireland, the reasons he gave were because they had no act of Toleration there and that the Act of Uniformity was putt in Execution, and that as long as he had any thing to do there itt shou'd be putt in Execution; therefore he thought it needless, and besides to take a whole Kingdom in by a clause he thought not so proper as to bring in a Bill for that purpose. My Lord Chancellour answered him and took notice that his Lordship thought that putting the Act of Uniformity in Execution in Ireland wou'd do no manner of Harm, which was a great satisfaction to him to hear from a Noble Lord who was just come from there, and gave a full answer to all the Objections that were rais'd in the last day's debate by Lord Wharton and others who threatned dismall consequences from itt. As to the Objection that itt was not proper or necessary nor decent to do itt by a clause, he thought nothing cou'd so properly be done by a clause in relation to that Kingdom (as a great many Instances cou'd be giv'n of things that had been done in that matter) as this, which was only to invigourate an act that they already had and that was thought to be a good one, and which upon Experience they had found to be so; this was chiefly intended to make the prosecution more easy and to remove an evill which every body acknowledg'd to be one and some thought a very growing one. Upon that his Grace gott up and desir'd to explain himself as to one matter, he said he did not alledge that there had been any one brought to punishment upon that Act in his time; but that there had been a prosecution began and that the person had submitted, and so the prosecution was stopt. Lord Anglesey then gott up and said he had known Ireland some time, but he never