But his hope had been disappointed.

He saw that, unless he abjured his religion, he had no chance of sitting on the metropolitan throne of York.

He was too goodnatured to find any pleasure in tyranny, and too discerning not to see the signs of the coming retribution.

He therefore determined to resign his odious functions; and he communicated his determination to his colleagues in a letter written, like all his prose compositions, with great propriety and dignity of style.

It was impossible, he said, that he could longer continue to be a member of the Commission.