semblies where they pray to God, and permits those in which the Divine Majesty is blasphemed." "Register, that is the sense of his reply, write it down."
"It is not," said I.
He then rose up in great anger, and said, "I am void of understanding if it mean any thing else."
Some of the judges were disposed to be more patient, and proposed that they should listen to what I had to say. This was good policy on their part, for an appeal to Parliament was open to me, and if I would not sign my name to the answers recorded, they might get into trouble, because they would then be required to verify upon oath every word they had made the Register write as coming from me.
"Gentlemen," said I, "the sense of what I did say I take to be this; that the King, by his declaration of such a date, never meant to prohibit assemblies where they pray to God, but much rather balls, and Sunday evening assemblies for dancing on the green, and more especially those wherein they conspire against the state."
"No," said the President, "that is not it."
"Well, gentlemen," said I, "to put an end to the dispute I am very willing to dictate, verbatim, to the Register all that I have said;" and I was about to begin.
"What!" cried the President, "you do not surely expect us to listen to that long sermon over again, no; that would be rather beyond endurance."
At last, in order to save the trouble of the long reply, they consented to take the following as the tenor of it:
"According to my judgment, the declaration of His Majesty of such a date does not forbid assemblies where they only pray to God, and I think those who extend its application so far, depart from the intention of His Majesty."
