17G LIFE, TIMES, AND SCIENTIFIC LABOURS [1646-7. 



Kilkenny, as I have absolutely disowned any such 

 thing to my Lord Nuncio, and denied to patronise the 

 same 5 so I think myself bound to acquaint your Excel 

 lency, and by your means the Council Table, how 

 mindful I am of the favours I there received, so as not 

 to incur the least censure of yours and theirs by enacting 

 anything, for which I had already a check. And cer 

 tainly it cannot be imagined that the Supreme Council 

 which was, could expect or desire any such thing at my 

 hands, since they never urged to take off my recogni 

 zance, which through innocency I also neglected, and I 

 joy to be disengaged from so perilous a business, pro 

 testing before Almighty God, that since that time I have 

 entered into no new engagements unto them ; and what 

 hath passed before (conditions not having been held 

 with me), none of the Commissioners themselves can 

 think them obligatory, all other reasons also considered. 

 Besides, when they had first thought to make use of 

 them, it was resolved, that after the completing of con 

 ditions with your Excellency, they might bear a true 

 date subsequent thereunto ; and how invalid they are 

 without the same is sufficiently evident, abstracting from 

 the King s declaration, which (though enforced upon 

 him), I esteem it yet a waming for further proceedings 

 therein, and fit only for great persons, who can maintain 

 the same, to go contrary to the intimation of his Majes 

 ty s pleasure, though never so compulsorily granted. 

 For as I never have, nor will esteem, and be frighted 

 at the contradiction of any others, when the intimation 

 of his Majesty s pleasure continues to me in any parti 

 cular unrevoked ; so, on the contrary, can I never be 

 drawn, for any man s pleasure, to go immediately con 

 trary to what proceedeth from him, deeming it not my 

 part to enter into dispute which way his Majesty is 

 induced, when I see his positive act extant. Let this, 



