The Upper House. 507

and blindfold give a mere passive Sanction to your Proceedings?
we must add to what has been said that if you would have been
prepared to send up to us an additional Bill as soon as the Original
passed we can see no good Reason why the Provisions intended by
your additional Bill could not have been inserted in the Original and
thereby made subject as well to our as your Determination.

Our Objection to the Narrowness of your Exemption of Persons
to be Assessors it seems has but little Weight with you because you
think there is little Probability of the Persons we would have ex-

U. H. J.
Liber No. 35
May 4

empted being appointed Now we are persuaded that there is as much
Probability, at least, that these we have added might be appointed as
the Members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly and
Persons practising Law and Physic the only Persons included in your
Exemption and that therefore there is the same Reason for having
no express Exemption as for not extending it.

What we meant by Persons under like Circumstances were such
as are within the Reason of an Exemption for Instance the Judges
of the Land Office and other Officers and Ministers and Persons
employed in Furnaces & Forges.

As to the double Tax upon Nonjurors which it seems you are
now willing to put upon a different Footing than it was by your Bill,
you have made it necessary for us to consider it more fully than we
did in our former Message, as well to explain the Motives of our
former Conduct & vindicate it against your Assertions as to shew
that your Attempt was inconsistent with Justice and Humanity.

The Papists Gentlemen are so far the principal Objects of our
Regard as your Design is to address them by the Measure you
would introduce, and we do most sincerely declare to you that any
Men let their Persuasion in religious Matters be what they will in
the same Circumstance with the Papists would be as much the
Objects of our Regard as they are, and that popular Applause to be
purchased by the inhumane Act of wantonly persecuting any
Christians, nay any Infidels we not only do not desire but abhor, and
shall despise any Calumny for not doing what our Consciences
forbid us to do.

What you mean by waving your undoubted Right we can't com-
prehend; is it your undoubted Right to banish them because they are
obnoxious to you ?

The double Tax upon Nonjurors in the Act for granting £40000 :
you were gratified in, at the Time that Act passed it was not appre-
hended it would be so considerable as it is likely to prove : this double
Tax amounted only to 1/: p. 100, Acres of Land, & tho' it was
thought of trifling Consequence at that Time the Act passed, it met
with great Difficulties, and those Gentlemen by whose Concurrence
it was established can satisfy you that if they had perceived it was

p. 316