Edmund Waller

I have heard him say that he so much admired Mr. Thomas Hobbes's book De Cive, when it came forth, that he was very desirous to have it done into English, and Mr. Hobbes was most willing it should be done by Mr.Waller's hand, for that he was so great a Master of our English language. Mr. Waller freely promised to do it, but first he would desire Mr. Hobbes to make an essay ; he (T. H.) did the first book, and did it so extremely well, that Mr. Waller would meddle with it, for that nobody else could do it so well.