It was moved that leave should be given to bring in a bill according to the prayer of the petition; the motion was carried by a hundred and seventy-five votes to a hundred and forty-eight; and the whole question of the trade with the Eastern seas was reopened.

The bill was brought in, but was, with great difficulty and by a very small majority, thrown out on the second reading.

[17] On other financial questions Montague, so lately the oracle of the Committee of Supply, was now heard with malevolent distrust.

If his enemies were unable to detect any flaw in his reasonings and calculations, they could at least whisper that Mr.
Montague was very cunning, that it was not easy to track him, but that it might be taken for granted that for whatever he did he had some sinister motive, and that the safest course was to negative whatever he proposed.

Though that House of Commons was economical even to a vice, the majority preferred paying high interest to paying low interest, solely because the plan for raising money at low interest had been framed by him.