As we walked along the High Street with our books under our arms
Lancelot gave me many particulars concerning his uncle's scheme and his
means for furthering it.

It would appear that Captain Marmaduke had for some time cherished the
notion of an ideal colony. The thought came originally into his head, so
Lancelot fancied, from his study of such books as the 'Republic' of
Plato and the 'Utopia' of Sir Thomas More, works I had then never heard
of, and have found no occasion since that time to study. But, as I
gathered from Lancelot, they were volumes that treated of ideal
commonwealths.

Captain Amber's first idea, it appeared, was to establish his little
following in one of His Majesty's American colonies. But while he was in
the Low Countries he had heard much of those new lands at the end of the
world, wherein the Dutch are so much interested, and it seems that the
Dutch Government, in gratitude to him for some services rendered, were
willing to make him a concession of land wherein to try his venture. At
least I think, as well as I can remember, that this was so; I know that
somehow or other the Dutch Government was mixed up in the matter.

What further resolved Captain Amber to go so far afield was, it seems,
the friendship he had formed while at Leyden with Cornelys Jensen. This
Jensen was a fellow of mixed parentage, a Dutch father and an English
mother, who had followed the sea all his life, and knew, it seemed, very
intimately those parts of the world whereto Captain Amber's thoughts
were turned.

Jensen was such a plausible fellow, and professed to be so enraptured
with Captain Amber's enterprise, that the Captain's heart was quite won
by the fellow, and from that time out he and Cornelys Jensen were hand
and glove together in the matter. Very valuable Jensen proved, according
to the Captain; full of experience, expeditious, and a rare hand at the
picking up of stout fellows for a crew. I found that Lancelot did not
hold him in such high regard as his uncle did, but that out of respect
for Captain Amber's judgment he held his peace.

As for the Captain's brother Nathaniel, his whole share in the
enterprise consisted in the advancing of moneys, on those ungentle terms
I have recorded, upon the broad lands and valuables which made my
Captain a man of much worldly gear.

Lancelot brought me to my door, we still talking of this and of that.

Lancelot came within for a little while and kissed my mother, who