COMMENDAMS. 309 



ing my lord chancellor at the hearing. And when 

 my lord chancellor himself took some notice upon 

 that occasion openly in the chancery, that the Com- 

 mendams could not hold presently after, I heard the 

 judges were gone about the Commendams ; which I 

 thought at first had been only to adjourn the court, 

 but I heard after that they proceeded to argument. 



In this their doing, I conceive they must either 

 except to the nature of the commandment, or to the 

 credence thereof; both which, I assure myself, your 

 majesty will maintain. 



For if they should stand upon the general ground, 

 &quot; Nulli negabimus, nulli differemus justitiam,&quot; it re- 

 ceiveth two answers. The one, that reasonable and 

 mature advice may not be confounded with delay ; 

 and that they can well alledge when it pleaseth them. 

 The other is, that there is a great difference between 

 a case merely between subject and subject, and where 

 the king s interest is in question directly or by conse 

 quence. As for the attorney s place and commission, 

 it is as proper for him to signify the king s pleasure 

 to the judges, as for the secretary to signify the same 

 to the privy-council ; and so it hath ever been. 



These things were a little strange if there came 

 not so many of them together, as the one maketh the 

 other seem less strange : but your majesty hath fair 

 occasions to remedy all with small aid ; I say no more 

 for the present. 



I was a little plain with my lord Coke in these 

 matters ; and when his answer was, that he knew all 

 these things ; I said he could never profit too much 



