226 A REPORT OF THE SPANISH GRIEVANCES. 



plies, the vents of our abundance, Neptune s alms 

 men, and fortune s adventurers. His lordship pro 

 ceeded and said, this question was new to us, but 

 ancient to them ; assuring us, that the king did not 

 bear in vain the device of the thistle, with the word, 

 &quot; Nemo me lacessit impune ; and that as the multi 

 plying of his kingdoms maketh him feel his own 

 power ; so the multiplying of our loves and affections 

 made him to feel our griefs. 



For the arguments or reasons, they were five in 

 number, which his lordship used for satisfying us why 

 their lordships might not concur with us in this peti 

 tion. The first was the composition of our house, 

 which he took in the first foundation thereof to be 

 merely democratical, consisting of knights of shires 

 and burgesses of towns, and intended to be of those 

 that have their residence, vocation, and employment 

 in the places for which they serve : and therefore to 

 have a private and local wisdom, according to that 

 compass, and so not fit to examine or determine 

 secrets of estate, which depend upon such variety 

 of circumstances ; and therefore added to the pre 

 cedent formerly vouched, of the seventeenth of king 

 Richard II. when the commons disclaimed to inter 

 meddle in matter of war and peace ; that their 

 answer was, that they would not presume to treat of so 

 high and variable a matter. And although his lord 

 ship acknowledged that there be divers gentlemen, 

 in the mixture of our house, that are of good capacity 

 and insight in matters of estate ; yet that was the 

 accident of the person, and not the intention of the 



