Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/153

 Apollo is their own, as it was said by the best Poet of this Age, of one of the most excellent of their Number.

Of our Nobility and Gentry,the most noble and illustrious have condescended to labour here with their Hands, to impart their Discoveries, to propose their Doubts, to assist and defray the Charge of their Trials. And this they have done with such a universal Agreement, that it is almost the only thing, wherein the Nobility of all the three Kingdoms are united. In their Assemblies for making Laws they are separated; in their Customs and Manners of Life they differ; in their Humouas too, they are thought not much of kin to each other. But in the Royal Society the Scotch, the Irish, the English Gentry do meet, and communicate, without any Distinction of Countries or Affections. From hence no doubt very much political, as well as philosophical Benefit will arise. By this means, there is a good Foundation laid for removing of that Aversion, which the English are sometimes observ'd to express to the Natives of those Kingdoms; which though perhaps it arises from the Knowledge of their own Advantages above the other, yet it is a great Hindrance to the Growth of the British Power. For as a Kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand; so three Kingdoms divided from each other, in Tempers, Studies, and Inclinations, can never be great, upon one common Interest.

Of our Ministers of State at home, and our Embassadors abroad, there have been very few employ'd, who are not Fellows of the Royal Society: and especially these latter have bestow'd their Pains in foreign Courts, to collect Relations and Secrets of Nature, as well as Rh