LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SHARP.- 305 



but had disapproved of that irregular way of 

 forcing it upon the House of Lords and the 

 ministry by a tack. And though it was a very 

 unusual thing with him to make use of his in- 

 terest in the House of Commons, yet, upon this 

 occasion, and also at the Queen's desire, he took 

 some pains to frustrate that design. And though 

 the 'party in the House of Commons put their whole 

 strength to the carrying this point (Burnet, vol. 

 11. p. 401), and icere confident (as he told the 

 Queen), that their number was great enough to 

 carry it (see below. Diary) ; yet the event was, 

 as the writer of the Annals of Queen Anne tells 

 us on this occasion, *' that, through a great pro^ 

 vidence, the sticklers for the Bill were strangely dis- 

 appointed, above an hundred of those who before 

 used to vote with them, having deserted them on this 

 critical occasion" 



And Bishop Burnet tells us, that upon the 

 division, 134 were for the tack, and 250 were against^ 

 so that design was lost by those who had built all their 

 hopes upon it, and were now highly offended with 

 some of their own party, who had, by their opposi- 

 tion, wrought themselves into good places, and forsook 

 that iiiterest to which they owed their advancement, 

 (Burnet, vol. II. p. 402.) But his Lordship, 

 when he assigned this reason, however true in 

 part, might not know that the Archbishop had 

 taken off several then in the House, to whom 



