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When a banker had even made this discovery, he might sometimes

make it too late, and might find that he had already discounted

the bills of those projectors to so great an extent, that, by

refusing to discount any more, he would necessarily make them all

bankrupts; and thus by ruining them, might perhaps ruin himself.

For his own interest and safety, therefore, he might find it

necessary, in this very perilous situation, to go on for some

time, endeavouring, however, to withdraw gradually, and, upon

that account, making every day greater and greater difficulties

about discounting, in order to force these projectors by degrees

to have recourse, either to other bankers, or to other methods of

raising money: so as that he himself might, as soon as possible,

get out of the circle.