284 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

CHAP

I.XVT.

167S.

cover itself under an appearance of law; a situa-tion which rendered it extremely aukward in itsmotions, and by provoking opposition, extendedthe violence of its oppressions.

The rigors exercised against conventicles,instead of breaking the spirit of the fanatics, hadtended only, as is usual, to render them moreobstinate, to increase the fervor of their zeal,to link them more closely together, and to in-flame them against the established hierarchy. Thecommonalty, almost every where in the south ,particularly in the western counties , frequentedconventicles without reserve; and the gentry,though they themselves commonly abstained fromthese illegal places of worship , connived at thisirregularity in their inferiors. In order to interestthe former on the side of the persecutors, a bondor contract was by order of the privy counciltendered to the landlords in the west , by whichthey were to engage for the good behaviour oftheir tenants ; and in cafe any tenant frequenteda conventicle, the landlord was to subject himselfto the same fine as could by law be exactedfrom the delinquent. It was ridiculous to givesanction to laws by voluntary contracts: It wasiniquitous to make one man answerable for theconduct of another: It was illegal to imposesuch hard conditions upon men, who had no-wise offended. For these reasons, the greaterpart of the gentry refused to sign these bonds ;and Lauderdale, enraged at this opposition, en-deavoured to break their spirit by expedients,