HANNAH MORE, difficulties on all sides. With her warm ally, Patty, she took up her abode in a little inn at Cheddar ; and, commencing operations, was not discouraged by the gloomy aspect of affairs. Her account, written to Mr. Wilberforce of the first proceedings is very graphic :- " I was told we shouldmeet with great opposition if I did not try to propitiate the chief despot of the village, who is very rich and very brutal ; so I ven- tured into the den of this monster, in a country as savage as himself, near Bridgewater. He begged I would not think of bringing any religion into the country ; it was the worst thing in the world for the poor, for it made them lazy and useless. In vain did I represent to him that they would be more in- dustrious as they were better principled, and that, for my own part, I had no selfish views in what I was doing. He gave me to understand that he knew the world too well to believe either the one or the other. Somewhat dismayed to find that my success bore no proportion to my submission, I was almost discouraged from more visits ; but I found that friends must be secured at all events, for that if those rich savages set their faces against us, and influenced the poor people, it was clear that nothing but hostilities would ensue ; so I made eleven more of these agreeable visits, and as I improved in the art of canvassing, had better success. Miss Wilber- force would have been shocked had she seen the petty tyrants whose insolence I stroked and tamed, 33
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