During Paterson's visit to Ham burgh, Law assisted in spreading, his doctrines, but when England withdrew from the undertaking he seems also to have abandoned it. He gave credit to the foresight of the cold, clear-headed monarch. He saw that unless Wil liam was prepared to enter on a war with Spain, he could not countenance a trespass on a country to which she advanced a claim, however ridiculous in its foundation. Therefore, while Law cursed for his country's and his friend's sake the permission at first freely given to the Darien scheme, and then cruelly withdrawn, he thought he saw in that withdrawal a proof of the king's future policy towards Spain 3 aud he contented himself ..with specu lating on the result of that policy. In Edinburgh, his secession was con temptuously spoken of. ' What did it signify,' they said, ' on what side " Jes samy John " staked his card f But those who had observed John's depth of penetration argued differently.
