I DOE not finde it straunge (excellent King,) that when Heraclitus, hee that was surnamed the ob­scure, had set foorth a certaine booke, which is not now extant: many men tooke it for a discourse [Page] of Nature, and many others tooke it for a Treatise of Policie, and mat­ter of estate. For, there is a great af­finitie and consent, betweene the rules of Nature, and the true rules of Policie: The one being nothing els but an order in the gouerne­ment of the world, and the other an order, in the gouernment of an estate. And therefore, the educa­tion and erudition of the Kings of Persia, was in a science, which was termed by a name, then of great reuerence, but now dege­nerate and taken in ill part. For, the Persian Magicke, which was the secret literature of their Kings, was an obseruation of the con­templation of Nature, and an ap­plication thereof to a sense poli­ticke [...] taking the fundamentall [Page] lawes of Nature, with the bran­ches and passages of them, as an originall, and first modell, whence to take and describe a co­pie and imitation for gouerne­ment.

After this manner, the foresaid Instructors fet before their Kings, the examples of the celestiall bo­dies, the Sunne, the Moone, and the rest, which haue great glo­rie and veneration, but no rest or intermission, beeing in a per­petuall office of motion, for the cherishing, in turne, and in course, of inferiour bodyes. Expressing likewise, the true man­ner of the motions of gouerne­ment, which though they ought to bee swifte and rapide in re­spect of occasion and dispatche, [Page] yet are they to be constant and re­gular, without wauering or con­fusion.

So did they represent vnto them, how that the Heauens do not inritch themselues by the Earth, and the Seas, nor keepe no dead stocke or vntouched treasure, of that they drawe to them from be­lowe, but whatsoeuer moysture they doe leuie and take from both the elements in vapours, they doe spend and turne backe againe in showers, onely houlding and sto­ring them vp for a time, to the end to issue and distribute them in season.

But chiefely they did expresse and expound vnto them, that fun­damentall lawe of Nature, where­by all things doe subsist and are [Page] preserued: which is, that euery thing in nature, although it hath his priuate and particular affecti­on and appetite, and doth follow and pursue the same in small mo­ments, and when it is deliuered and freed from more generall and common respects: yet neuerthe­lesse, when there is question or cause, for the sustaining of the more generall, they forsake their owne particularities and proprie­ties, and attend and conspire to vp­hold the publike.

So, we see the Yron in small quantitie will ascend and approach to the Load-stone, vpon a particu­lar Sympathie. But, if it bee any quantitie of moment, it leaues his appetite of amity with the Load-stone, and like a good Patriott, fal­leth [Page] to the earth, which is the place and region, of massy bodies.

So againe, the water, and o­ther like bodies, doe fall towardes the center of the earth: which is, as was saide, their region or Country. And yet, we see nothing more vsuall, in all water-workes and Ingens, then that the water (rather then to suffer any distracti­on, or disunion in Nature,) will ascend: forsaking the loue to his owne region or Country, and ap­plying it selfe to the body next ad­ioyning.

But, it were too large a digres­sion, to proceede to more exam­ples of this kinde. Your Maiesty your selfe, did fall vppon a pas­sage of this Nature, in your gratious speech of thankes vnto [Page] your Councell. When acknow­ledging Princely, their vigilan­cye and well deseruinges, it pleased you to note, that it was a successe and euent aboue the course of Nature, to haue so great a change, with so great a quiet: forasmuch as suddayne and great mutations, as well in state as in Nature, are rarely with­out violence and perturbation. So as still I conclude, there is, as was saide, a congruity betweene the principles of Nature, and and of Pollicie. And, least that Instance may seeme to appone to this assertion, I may, euen in that perticular, with your Maie­sties fauour, offer vnto you a Type or Patern in Nature much resem­bling this present euēt in your state: [Page] namely earthquakes, which many of them, bring euer much terror and wonder, but no actuall hurt; the earth trembling for a moment, and sodainely stablishing in per­fect quiet, as it was before.

This knowledge then, of ma­king the gouernment of the world, a mirror for the gouernement of a state, beeing a wisedome almost lost (whereof the reason I take to be, because of the difficulty, for one man to imbrace both Philo­sophies;) I haue thought good to make some proofe, (as farre as my weakenesse, and the straights of time will suffer,) to reuiue in the handling of one particular wherewith now I most humbly present your Maiesty. For, surely, as hath beene said, it is a forme of [Page] discourse, anciently vsed towardes Kings. And, to what King, should it be more proper then to a King, that is studious to conioyne con­templatiue virtue and actiue virtue together.

Your Maiesty is the first King, which hath had the honour, to be Lapis angularis, to vnite these two mighty and warlike nations of England and Scotland, vnder one Soueraignety and Monarchy. It dooth not appeare by the recordes and memories, of any true histo­ry, nor scarcly by the fiction and pleasure of any fabulous narrati­on, or tradition: that euer, of a­ny antiquity, this Iland of great Brittaine was vnited vnder one King, before this day. And yet, there be no Mountaines or races [Page] of hils, there be no seas, or great ri­uers, there is no diuersity of toung or language, that hath inuited or prouoked this ancient separation, or diuorce.

The lot of Spaine was, to haue the seuerall Kingdomes of that continent ( Portugal onely except,) to be vnited in an age, not long past: and, now in our age, that of Portugal also, which was the last that held out, to bee in­corporate with the rest. The lot of France hath beene, much a­bout the same time likewise, to haue reannexed vnto that crowne, the seuerall Duchies and portions, that were in former times dis­membred. The lotte of this I­land, is the last reserued for your Maiesties happye times, by the [Page] speciall prouidence and fauour of God: who hath brought your Ma­iesty to this happy coniunction, with great consent of harts, and in the strength of your yeares, and in the maturity of your experience. It resteth therefore, but that, (as I promised) I set before your Maie­sties Princelye consideration, the grounds of Nature, touching the Vnion and commixture of bodies; & the correspondence which they haue with the groundes of Polli­cie, in the coniunction of states and kingdomes.

First therefore that Position, vis vnita fortior, beeing one of the common notions of the minde, needeth not much to be induced or illustrate. We see the Sunne (when he enters, & while he con­tinues [Page] vnder the signe of Leo) cau­seth more vehement heates, then when he is in Cancer: what time his beames are neuerthelesse, more perpendicular. The reason where­of, in great part, hath beene truely ascribed, to the coniunction and Corradiation in that place of hea­uen, of the Sunne, with the foure Starres of the first magnitude, Syri­us, Canicula, Cor Leonis, & Cauda Leonis.

So, the Moone likewise, by an­cient tradition, while she is in the same signe of Leo, is saide to be at the heart, or, to respect the hart. Which is not for any affinity, which that place in heauen can haue, with that part of mans bo­dy: But onely, because the Moone is then (by reason of the coniunc­tion [Page] and neerenesse with the starres aforenamed) in greatest strength of influence: and so worketh vppon that part, in inferiour bodyes, which is most vitall and principall.

So, wee see waters and li­quors, in small quantity, do easi­ly purrifie and corrupt: but, in large quantity, subsist long, by reason of the strength, they re­ceiue, by Vnion.

So, in Earthquakes, the more generall doe little hurt, by rea­son of the vnited weight, that they offer to subuert: but, narrow and particular Earth­quakes, haue many times o­uerturned whole townes and Citties.

[Page]So then, this point tou­ching the force of Vnion is euident. And therefore it is more fitte to speake of the manner of Vnion. Wherein againe, it will not be pertinent, to handle one kinde of Vni­on, which is Vnion, by vic­tory: when one body, doth meerely subdue another, and conuerteth the same into his owne Nature, extinguishing and expulsing, what part so euer of it, it cannot ouercome. As, when the fire conuerteth the Wood into fire, purging awaye the Smoake and the Ashes, as vnapt matter to in­flame. Or, when the bodye of a liuing creature dooth con­uert [Page] and assimilate foode and nourishment: purging and expelling whatsoeuer it can­not conuerte. For, these re­presentations doe aunswere in matter of Pollicie, to Vnion of Countreyes by conquest: where the conquering State dooth extinguish, extirpate and expulse any parte of the estate conquered, which it findeth so contrarye, as it cannot alter and conuerte it. And therefore leauing violent Vnions: wee will consider onelye of naturall Vnions.

The difference is excel­lent, which the best obser­uers in Nature doe take, [Page] betweene Compositio and Mil­tio; putting together and ming­ling. The one beeing but a coniunction of bodyes in place, the other in quality, and consent: the one, the mother of sedition and alte­ration, the other of peace and continuance: The one rather a confusion, then an Vnion, the other properly a Vnion. Therefore we see those bodies which they call Imperfectè mil­tio, last not, but are speedi­ly dissolued. For, take for ex­ample, Snow or froth, which are Compositions of ayre and water: in them you may be­hold, how easily they seuer and dissolue, the water closing [Page] togeather, and excluding the ayre.

So, those three bodies, which the Alchymists doe so much celebrate, as the three princi­ples of things, that is to say, Earth, Water and Oyle, (which it pleaseth them to terme Salt, Mercury and Sulphur:) wee see, if they bee vnited onely by composition, or putting to­geather, how weakely and rude­ly they doe incorporate. For, water and earth, make but an vnperfect slime, and, if they be forced togeather by agitati­on, yet, vpon a little setling, the earth resides in the bot­tome. So, water and Oyle, though by agitation it be bea­ten [Page] into an Oyntment. Yet, after a little setling, the Oyle will floate vppon the toppe.

So as, such vnper­fect minglinges, continue no longer, then they are forced: and still in the ende, the worthiest getteth a­boue.

But, otherwise it is, of perfect mixture. For, wee see those three bodies, of Earth, Water and Oyle; when they are ioyned in a rege­table or Minerall, they are so vnited, as without great subtiltie of Arte, and force of extraction, they cannot [Page] bee seperated and reduced into the same simple bodyes againe. So as, the difference be­tweene Compositio and Mi­stio, cleerelye set downe is this:

That Compositio, is the ioyning or putting togeather of bodyes, without a new Forme: and Mistio, is the ioyning or putting togea­ther of bodies, vnder a new Forme.

For, the new Forme, is Commune Vinculum: and without that, the oulde Formes, will be at striefe and discorde.

[Page]Now, to reflect this light of Nature, vpon matter of estate: there hath beene put in practise in gouernment, these two seue­rall kindes of pollicie, in vniting & conioyning of states & king­domes. The one to retaine the auncient formes still seuered, and onely conioyned in Soue­raingtie; the other, to super­induce a new forme agreeable and conuenient to the entire estate. The former of these hath beene more vsuall, and is more easie: but the latter, is more happy. For, if a man doe atten­tiuely reuolue histories of all nations, and iudge truly there­vpon: hee will make this con­clusion, that there were neuer [Page] any State that were good com­mixtures, but the Romaines: which because it was the best state in the worlde, and is the best example of this pointe, wee will chiefely insist there­vpon.

In the Antiquities of Rome, Virgill brings in Iupiter, by way of Oracle or perdiction, speak­ing of the mixture of the Troy­ans and the Italians:

Wherein Iupiter maketh a kinde of partition or distribution, that Italy should giue the lan­guage and the lawes; Troye should giue a mixture of men, and some religious rites, and both people should meete in one name of Latines.

Soone after the foundation of the Citie of Rome, the peo­ple of the Romaines and the Sa­bines mingled vppon equall termes. Wherin the interchange went so euen, that (as Liui no­teth) the one nation gaue the name to the place, and the o­ther [Page] to the people. For, Rome continued the name: but, the people were called Quirites, which was the Sabine worde de­riued of Cures, the countrie of Tacitus.

But, that which is chiefly to be noted, in the whole conti­nuance of the Romaine gouern­ment, they were so liberall of their naturallizations, as in ef­fect, they made perpetuall mix­tures. For their manner was, to graunt the same, not onely to particular persons, but to Families and linages: and not onely so, but to whole Citties and Countries. So as, in the end it came to passe, that Rome was Communis patria, as some [Page] of the Ciuilians call it.

So, we read, that Saint Paul, after he had beene beaten with Roddes, and therevpon charged the Officer with violation of the priuiledge of a Citizen of Rome: the Captaine then sayde to him; Art thou then a Ro­maine? That priuiledge hath cost mee deere! To whome Saint Paul replyed: But I was so borne. And yet, in another place Saint Paul professeth of him­selfe that hee was a Iewe by tribe. So as it is manifest that some of his Ancestors were naturalli­zed, to him and to his descen­dents.

So, wee read, that it was one of the first despights that was [Page] done to Iulius Caesar, that where­as hee had obtayned Natura­lization for a Cittye in Gaul, one of the Cittizens of that Cittye, was beaten with roddes, by the commaunde­ment of the Consul Marcel­lus.

So wee read in Cornelius Tacitus, that, in the Empe­rour Claudius time, the nation of Gaul, that part which was called Comata, the wilder part, were suters to bee made capa­ble of the Honours of beeing Senators and Officers of Rome. His wordes are: Cùm de sup­plendo, Senatu agitaretur, Pri­moresque Galliae quae Commata ap­pellatur, foedera et Ciuitatem Ro­manam [Page] pridem assecuti, ius adi­piscendorum in vrbe honorum ex­peterent: multus ea super re, va­riusque rumor, et studijs diuersis apud Principem certabatur: and, in the ende, after long debate, it was ruled, they should be ad­mitted.

So likewise, the authoritie of Nicholas Machiauell, see­meth not to bee contemned: who, inquiring of the cau­ses of the growth of the Ro­maine Empire, dooth giue iudgement, there was not one greater then this, that the state did so easily compound, and incorporate with straun­gers.

It is most true, that most [Page] Estates and Kingdomes, haue taken the other course: of which this effect hath follow­ed, that the addition of fur­ther Empire and territorie, hath beene rather matter of bur­den, then matter of strength vnto them; yea, and further; it hath kepte aliue the seede and rootes of reuoltes and re­bellions, for many ages: As, wee may see in a freshe and notable example of the king­dome of Aragon, which though it were vnited to Ca­stile by mariadge, and not by conquest, and so descended inhereditarie vnion by the space of more then a hundreth years: [Page] yet, because it was continued in a diuided gouernement, and not well incorporated and cemented with the other Crownes; entred into a Rebel­lion, vpon point of their Fue­ros, or liberties, now, of very late yeares.

Now, to speake briefely, of the seuerall partes of that forme, whereby states and kingdomes are perfectly vnited: they are, besides the soueraignety it selfe, foure in number. Vnion in Name, Vnion in Language, Vnion in Lawes, and Vnion in Employ­mentes.

For Name, though it seeme but a superficiall and outward matter; yet it carrieth much [Page] impression and inchantment. The generall and common name of Grecia, made the Greekes alwayes apt to vnite (though otherwise full of diuisions a­mongst themselues:) against other nations, who they called Barbarous.

The He [...]tian name, is no small band to knit together, their leagues and confederacies, the faster. The common name of Spaine, no doubt hath beene a speciall meane of the better Vnion and conglutination, of the seuerall kindomes of Castile, Aragon, Granada, Nauarra, Valencia, Catalonia, and the rest: comprehending also now lately Portugall.

[Page]For Language, it is not need­full to insist vpon it: because both your Maiesties kingdoms, are of one language, though of seuerall Dialects: and the difference so small betweene them, as promiseth rather an inriching of one Language, then a continuance of two.

For lawes, which are the prin­cipall Synewes of gouernment, they be of three natures. Iura, which I will terme Freedomes, or abilities, Leges, and Mores.

For abilities and Freedoms, they were amongst the Romans; of foure kindes, or rather de­grees Ius Connubij, Ius Ciuitatis, Ius suffragij, and Ius Petitionis, or Ius honorum. Ius Connubij, is a [Page] thing, in these times, out of vse. For, marriage is open betweene all diuersity of Nations. Ius Ci­uitatis answereth to that we call Denization, or Naturalization. Ius suffragij answereth to voyce in Parliament, or voice in electi­on of such, as haue voyce in Parliament. Ius petitionis, aun­swereth to place in Councell and office. And, the Romanes did many times seuer these free­doms, granting Ius connubij, sine Ciuitate, and Ciuitatem sine suf­fragio, & Suffragium sine Iure pe­titionis, which was commonly with them the last.

For lawes, it is a matter of curiosity and inconuenience, to seeke eyther to extripate all [Page] particular customes, or, to draw all subiectes to one place or resort of Iudicature and Session. It sufficeth, there be an vniformity in the Principall and fundamentall Lawes, both Ecclesiasticall and ciuill. For, in this point the rule houldes, which was pronounced by an ancient Father, touching the diuersity of rites in the church. For, finding the vesture of the Queene, (in the Psalme) which did prefigure the church, was of diuerse colours: and, finding againe, that Christes Coate was without a seame: hee concludes well, In ves­te varietas sit, scissura non fit.

[Page]For Manners, a consent in them is to be sought industri­ously; but, not to bee in­forced. For, nothing a­mongst people, breedes so much pertinacie, in houlding their customes, as suddaine and violent offer to remooue them.

And, as for Employments; it is no more, but an in­different hand, and execution of that verse:

There remaineth onely, to remember out of the grounds of Nature, the two conditi­ons of perfect mixture: where­of the former is Time. For, the [Page] naturall Philosophers say well, that compositio, is opus homines: and Mistio, is opus Naturae. For it is the dutie of man, to make a fitte application of bodies to­gether. But, the perfect fermen­tation and incorporation of them, must bee left to Na­ture and Time: and vnnaturall hasting thereof, dooth disturbe the worke, and not dispatche it.

So, wee see, after the grift is put into the stock, and bound; it must bee left to Nature and Time, to make that continuum, which was at first but contigu­um. And, it is not any conti­nuall pressing, or thrusting together: that will preuent Na­tures [Page] season, but rather hinder it. And so, in liquors, those mixtures which are at the first troubled: growe after cleere and setled, by the benefit of rest and time.

The second condition is: that the greater drawe the lesse. So wee see, when two lights doe meete, the greater dooth darken and drowne the lesse. And, when a smaller riuer, runs into a greater, it leeseth both his name and streame.

And hereof to conclude, we see an excellent example in the Kingdomes of Iuda and Israel. The Kingdome of Iuda con­tained two Tribes; the King­dome of Israel, contained ten. [Page] King Dauid raigned first ouer Iuda, for certaine yeeres: &, after the death of Isbosheth, the sonne of Saul, obtayned likewise the Kingdome of Israel. This v­nion continued in him, and likewise in his sonne Salomon, by the space of seuentie yeares at least, betweene them both. But yet, because the seate of the kingdome was kept still in Iu­da, and so the lesse sought to drawe the greater; vppon the first occasion offered, the king­domes brake againe, and so continued, diuided for euer after.

Thus hauing in all humble­nesse made oblation vnto your Maiestie of these simple fruites, [Page] of my deuotion and studies: I do wish (and I do wish it, not in the nature of an impossibili­tie, to my thinking,) that this happye vnion of your Maie­sties two Kingdomes of Eng­land and Scotland; may bee in as good an houre; and vnder the like diuine prouidence, as that was, betweene the Romaines and the Sabines.