UNION OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 17 



that time ; when neither your majesty was in that 

 your desire declared, nor myself in that service used 

 or trusted. But now that both your majesty hath 

 opened your desire and purpose with much admira 

 tion, even of those who give it not so full an appro 

 bation, and that myself was by the Commons graced 

 with the first vote of all the Commons selected for 

 that cause ; not in any estimation of my ability, for 

 therein so wise an assembly could not be so much 

 deceived, but in an acknowledgment of my extreme 

 labours and integrity ; in that business I thought 

 myself every way bound, both in duty to your 

 majesty, and in trust to that house of parliament, 

 and in consent to the matter itself, and in confor 

 mity to mine own travels and beginnings, not to 

 neglect any pains that may tend to the furtherance 

 of so excellent a work ; wherein I will endeavour 

 that that which I shall set down be &quot; nihil minus 

 &quot;quam verba :&quot; for length and ornament of speech are 

 to be used for persuasion of multitudes, and not for 

 information of kings ; especially such a king as is the 

 only instance that ever I knew to make a man of 

 Plato s opinion, &quot; that all knowledge is but remem- 

 &quot; brance, and that the mind of man knoweth all 

 &quot; things, and demandeth only to have her own 

 &quot; notions excited and awaked :&quot; which your ma~ 

 jesty s rare and indeed singular gift and faculty 

 of swift apprehension, and infinite expansion or mul* 

 tiplication of another man s knowledge by your 

 own, as I have often observed, so I did extremely 

 admire in Goodwin s cause, being a matter full of 

 VOL. v. c 



