WILLIAM THE THIliD.

19

change his mind. He at length told those who pressed thisimmense bribe on him, that if they persisted in insulting him by -such an offer, they would make him an enemy of their Com-pany. Many people wondered at the probity which he showedon this occasion, for he was generally thought interested andgrasping. The truth seems to be that he loved money, but thathe was a man of strict integrity and honour. He took, withoutscruple, whatever he thought that he could honestly take, butwas incapable of stooping to an act of baseness. Indeed, he re-sented as affronts the compliments which were paid him on thisoccasion.* The integrity of Nottingham could excite no sur-prise. Ten thousand pounds had been offered to him, and hadbeen refused. The number of cases in which bribery was fullymade out was small. A large part of the sum which Cook haddrawn from the Company’s treasury had probably been em-bezzled by the brokers whom he had employed in the work ofcorruption; and what had become of the rest it was not easy tolean), from the reluctant witnesses who were brought before thecommittee. One glimpse of light however was caught: it wasfollowed; and it led to a discovery of the highest moment. Alarge sum was traced from Cook to an agent named Firebrace,and from Firebrace to another agent namedBates, who was wellknown to be closely connected with the High Church party andespecially with Leeds. Bates was summoned, but absconded:messengers were sent in pursuit of him: he was caught, broughtinto the Exchequer Chamber and sworn. The story which hetold showed that he was distracted between the fear of losinghis ears and the fear of injuring his patron. He owned that hehad undertaken to bribe Leeds, had been for that purposefurnished with five thousand five hundred guineas, had offeredthose guineas to His Grace, and had, by His Grace’s per-

* L’llermitage, 109S; Portland to Lexington, 2 ) 3 - ’

2 *

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