The inference was too much against me to leave me at rest. I called to my recollection, how prone the world is to say, “like master, like man;” and in the first paroxysms of my fear, had half a mind to send a line to the Secretary, and request that my name might be withdrawn. This seemed, however, too strong a measure to be adopted in so early a stage of the business; besides, though I could not wholly suppress my alarms, yet I had some little scruple about proclaiming them publicly to the world. In these moments of irresolution, it occurred to my mind, that you might perhaps, without any malicious design, have overstated the mischief; that the evils which you predicted as likely to follow from this unhallowed project, might in reality have nothing to do with it; and that, at all events, your frightful statement exhibited only _one side_ of the case. Perhaps, thought I, some “liberal-basis’d” {3a} gentleman will overthrow this high-church reasoning, and try to bring this bilious Country Priest to a better temper: I may then be inclined to wish, that I had paid less homage to that ex-parte evidence by which he sought to discredit a noble cause. Unluckily for me, the printers had scarcely struck off the large impression of your Address, when they came to a resolution to print nothing further. {3b} Now though I did not suspect any confederacy in the business, yet I could not help thinking that _you_ were much obliged to them. However that may be, it was evidently in vain to wait for Replies: if fifty had been written (and I suppose that at least as many were expected), not one could find its way before the public. At length I hit upon a project; and what do you think it was? But _you_ would be the last to guess. It was that of _reading your pamphlet over again_. I had observed that the birds in my garden who were scared away by the first sight of my man-of-straw, would, after a second view, pursue their instinctive robberies with as much composure as if they had really discovered how little mischief he could do them. I was pleased with the thought, and anticipated much the same consequences. Well, Sir, I made the experiment; and the event, I assure you, exceeded my highest expectation. I rose from the _second_ reading of your Address with feelings so different from those of conviction or alarm, that if I did not think it would ruffle a temper so irritable as yours, I could almost find it in my heart to tell you what they were. However, as I shall have occasion to speak my mind pretty freely in the course of this Letter, you will have no difficulty in discovering what I ultimately thought both of you and your performance.