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03 - The New Atlantis - Sir Francis Bacon · Classic Science Fiction Books

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Speaker 1: Section three, and they of Coya through the south sea
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Speaker 1: upon this our island, and for the former of these,
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Speaker 1: which was into Europe. The same author amongst you, as
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Speaker 1: it seemeth, had some relation from the Egyptian priests whom
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Speaker 1: he cited for assuredly such a thing there was. But
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Speaker 1: whether it were the ancient Athenians that had the glory
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Speaker 1: of the repulse and resistance of those forces, I can
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Speaker 1: say nothing, but certain it is there never came back,
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Speaker 1: either ship or man from that voyage. Neither had the
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Speaker 1: other voyage of those Coya upon us had better fortune
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Speaker 1: if they had not met with enemies of greater clemency.
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Speaker 1: For the king of this island by name Altabin, a
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Speaker 1: wise man and a great warrior, knowing well both his
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Speaker 1: own strength and that of his enemies, handled the matter.
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Speaker 1: So as he cut off their land forces from their ships,
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Speaker 1: and entoiled both their navy and their tamp with a
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Speaker 1: greater power than they both by sea and land, Arid
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Speaker 1: compelled them to render themselves without striking stroke, And after
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Speaker 1: they were at his mercy, contenting himself only with their
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Speaker 1: oath that they should no more bear arms against him,
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Speaker 1: dismissed them all in safety But the divine revenge overtook
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Speaker 1: not long after those proud enterprises, For within less than
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Speaker 1: the space of one hundred years, the great Atlantis was
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Speaker 1: utterly lost and destroyed. Not by a great earthquake, as
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Speaker 1: your man saith, for that whole tract is little subject
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Speaker 1: to earthquakes, but by a particular deluge or inundation, those
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Speaker 1: countries having at this day far greater rivers and far
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Speaker 1: higher mountains to pour down waters than any part of
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Speaker 1: the old world. But it is true that the same
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Speaker 1: inundation was not deep, not past forty foot in most
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Speaker 1: places from the ground, so that although it destroyed man
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Speaker 1: and beast generally, yet some few wild inhabitants of the
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Speaker 1: wood escaped. Birds also were saved by flying to the
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Speaker 1: high trees and woods. For as for men, although they
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Speaker 1: had buildings in many places higher than the depth of
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Speaker 1: the water, yet that inundation, though it were shallow, had
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Speaker 1: a long continuance, whereby they of the vale that were
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Speaker 1: not drowned, perished for want of food and other things necessary.
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Speaker 1: So as marvel you not at the thin population of America,
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Speaker 1: nor at the rudeness and ignorance of the people, For
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Speaker 1: you must account your inhabitants of America as a young people,
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Speaker 1: younger a thousand years at the least than the rest
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Speaker 1: of the world, for that there was so much time
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Speaker 1: between the universal flood and their particular inundation. For the
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Speaker 1: poor remnant of human seed, which remained in their mountains
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Speaker 1: peopled the country again slowly by little and little, and
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Speaker 1: being simple and savage people, not like Noah and his sons,
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Speaker 1: which was the chief family of the earth, they were
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Speaker 1: not able to leave letters, arts and civility to their posterity,
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Speaker 1: and having likewise, in their mountainous habitations, been used in
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Speaker 1: respect of the extreme cold of these regions, to clothe
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Speaker 1: themselves with the skins of tigers, bears, and great hairy
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Speaker 1: goats that they have in those parts. When after they
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Speaker 1: came down into the valley and found the intolerable heats
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Speaker 1: which are there, and knew no means of lighter apparel,
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Speaker 1: they were forced to begin the custom of going naked,
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Speaker 1: which continueth at this day. Only they take great pride
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Speaker 1: and delight in the feathers of birds, and this also
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Speaker 1: they took from those their ancestors of the mountains, who
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Speaker 1: were invited unto it by the infinite flights of birds
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Speaker 1: that came up to the high grounds while the waters
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Speaker 1: stood below. So you see, by this main accident of time,
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Speaker 1: we lost our traffic with the Americans, with whom, of
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Speaker 1: all others in regard they lay nearest to us, we
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Speaker 1: had most commerce. As for the other parts of the world.
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Speaker 1: It is most manifest that in the ages following, whether
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Speaker 1: it were in respective wars or by a natural revolution
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Speaker 1: of time, navigation did everywhere greatly decay, and specially far
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Speaker 1: voyages the rather by the use of galleys and such
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Speaker 1: vessels as could hardly brook the ocean, were altogether left
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Speaker 1: and omitted. So then that part of intercourse which could
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Speaker 1: be from other nations to sail to us. You see
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Speaker 1: how it hath long since ceased, except it were by
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Speaker 1: some rare accident as this of yours. But now of
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Speaker 1: the cessation of that other part of intercourse, which might
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Speaker 1: be by our sailing to other nations, I must yield
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Speaker 1: you some other cause. For I cannot say if I
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Speaker 1: shall say truly, but our shipping, for numbers, strength, mariners, pilots,
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Speaker 1: and all things that appertain to navigation, is as great
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Speaker 1: as ever. And therefore why we should sit at home.
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Speaker 1: I shall now give you an account by itself, and
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Speaker 1: it will we're all nearer to give you satisfaction to
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Speaker 1: your principal question. There reigned in this land about nineteen
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Speaker 1: hundred years ago a king whose memory, of all others
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Speaker 1: we most adore, not superstitiously, but as a divine instrument.
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Speaker 1: Though a mortal man, his name was Solomona, and we
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Speaker 1: esteem him as the law giver of our nation. This
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Speaker 1: king had a large heart, inscrutable for good, and was
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Speaker 1: wholly bent to make his kingdom and people happy. He therefore,
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Speaker 1: taking into consideration how sufficient and substantive this land was
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Speaker 1: to maintain itself without any aid at all of the foreigner,
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Speaker 1: being five thousand, six hundred miles in circuit, and of
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Speaker 1: rare fertility of soil in the greatest part thereof, and
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Speaker 1: finding also the shipping of this country might be plentifully
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Speaker 1: set on work, both by fishing and by transportations from
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Speaker 1: port to port, and likewise by sailing onto some small
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Speaker 1: islands that are not far from us and our under
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Speaker 1: the crown and laws of this state, and recalling into
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Speaker 1: his memory the happy and flourishing estate wherein this land
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Speaker 1: then was so as it might be a thousand ways
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Speaker 1: altered to the worse, but scarce any one way to
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Speaker 1: the better thought. Nothing wanted to his noble and heroical intentions,
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Speaker 1: but only as far as human foresight might reach, to
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Speaker 1: give perpetuity to that which was in his time so
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Speaker 1: happily established. Therefore, amongst his other fundamental laws of this kingdom,
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Speaker 1: he did ordain the interdicts and prohibitions which we have
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Speaker 1: touching entrance of strangers, which, at that time, though it
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Speaker 1: was after the calamity of America, was frequent, doubting novelties
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Speaker 1: and comixture of manners. It is true the like law
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Speaker 1: against the admission of strangers without license is an ancient
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Speaker 1: law in the Kingdom of China, and yet continued in use.
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Speaker 1: But there it is a poor thing, And hath made
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Speaker 1: them a curious, ignorant, fearful, foolish nation. But our law
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Speaker 1: giver made his law of another temper. For first he
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Speaker 1: hath preserved all points of humanity in taking order and
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Speaker 1: making provision for the relief of strangers distressed. Whereof you
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Speaker 1: have tasted at which speech, as reason was we all
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Speaker 1: rose up and bowed ourselves. He went on that king, also,
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Speaker 1: still desiring to join humanity and policy together, and thinking
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Speaker 1: it against humanity to detain strangers here, against their wills,
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Speaker 1: and against policy, that they should return and discover their
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Speaker 1: knowledge of this estate, he took this course. He did
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Speaker 1: ordain that of the strangers that should be permitted to land,
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Speaker 1: as many at all times might depart as would, but
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Speaker 1: as many as would stay should have very good conditions
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Speaker 1: and means to live from the state wherein he saw
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Speaker 1: so far that now, in so many ages since the prohibition,
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Speaker 1: we have memory not of one ship that ever returned,
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Speaker 1: and but of thirteen persons only at several times, that
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Speaker 1: chose to return in our bottoms. What those few that
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Speaker 1: returned may have reported abroad, I know not, but you
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Speaker 1: must think whatsoever they have said could be taken where
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Speaker 1: they came. But for a dream now for our traveling
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Speaker 1: from Hannah into parts abroad, our law giver thought fit
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Speaker 1: altogether to restrain it. So is it not in China
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Speaker 1: for the Chinese sail where they will or can, which
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Speaker 1: sheweth that their law of keeping out strangers is a
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Speaker 1: law of pusillanimity and fear. But this restraint of ours
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Speaker 1: hath one only exception, which is admirable, preserving the good
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Speaker 1: which cometh by communicating with strangers and avoiding the hurt.
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Speaker 1: And I will now open it to you. And here
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Speaker 1: I shall seem a little to digress, but you will
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Speaker 1: by and by find it pertinent. Ye shall understand, my
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Speaker 1: dear friends, that amongst the excellent acts of that king,
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Speaker 1: one above all hath the pre eminence. It was the
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Speaker 1: erection and institution of an order or society, which we
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Speaker 1: call Salomon's House, the noblest foundation as we think that
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Speaker 1: ever was upon the earth, and the lanthorn of this kingdom.
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Speaker 1: It is dedicated to the study of the works and
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Speaker 1: creatures of God. Some think it beareth the founder's name
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Speaker 1: a little corrupted, as if it should be Solomona's house.
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Speaker 1: But the records write it as it is spoken, So
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Speaker 1: as I take it to be denominate of the King
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Speaker 1: of the Hebrews, which is famous with you and no
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Speaker 1: stranger to us. For we have some parts of his
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Speaker 1: works which with you are lost, namely that natural history
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Speaker 1: which he wrote of all plants, from the cedar of
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Speaker 1: Libanus to the moss that groweth out of the wall,
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Speaker 1: and of all things that have life and motion. This
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Speaker 1: maketh me think that our King, finding himself to symbolize
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Speaker 1: in many things with that King of the Hebrews, which
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Speaker 1: lived many years before him, honored him with the title
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Speaker 1: of this foundation. And I am rather induced to be
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Speaker 1: of this opinion, for that I find in ancient records
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Speaker 1: this order or society is sometimes called Salomon's House, and
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Speaker 1: sometimes the College of the six Days works, whereby I
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Speaker 1: am satisfied that our excellent King had learned from the
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Speaker 1: Hebrews that God had created the world and all that
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Speaker 1: therein is within six days, and therefore he instituting that
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Speaker 1: house for the finding out of the true nature of
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Speaker 1: all things, whereby God might have the more glory in
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Speaker 1: the workmanship of them, and insert the more fruit in
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Speaker 1: the use of them, did give it also that second name.
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Speaker 1: But now to come to our present purpose, when the
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Speaker 1: King had forbidden to all his people navigation into any
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Speaker 1: part that was not under his crown, he made nevertheless
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Speaker 1: this ordinance that every twelve years there should be set
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Speaker 1: forth out of this kingdom two ships, a point to
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Speaker 1: several voyages, that in either of these ships there should
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Speaker 1: be a mission of three of the fellows or brethren
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Speaker 1: of Salomon's House, whose errand was only to give us
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Speaker 1: knowledge of the affairs and state of those countries to
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Speaker 1: which they were designed, and especially of the sciences, arts, manufactures,
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Speaker 1: and inventions of all the world, and withal to bring
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Speaker 1: unto us books, instruments, and patterns in every kind. That
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Speaker 1: the ships, after they had landed the brethren should return,
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Speaker 1: and that the brethren should stay abroad till the new mission.
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Speaker 1: These ships are not otherwise fraught than with store of
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Speaker 1: victuals and good quantity of treasure, to remain with the
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Speaker 1: brethren for the buying of such things and rewarding of
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Speaker 1: such persons as they should think fit. Now for me
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Speaker 1: to tell you how the vulgar sort of mariners are
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Speaker 1: contained from being discovered at land, and how they that
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Speaker 1: must be put on shore for any time color themselves
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Speaker 1: under the names of other nations, And to what places
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Speaker 1: these voyages have been designed, and what places of rendezvous
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Speaker 1: are appointed for the new missions, and the like circumstances
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Speaker 1: of the practique. I may not do it, neither is
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Speaker 1: it much to your desire. But thus you see we
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Speaker 1: maintain a trade, not for gold, silver, or jewels, nor
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Speaker 1: for silks, nor for spices, nor any other commodity of matter,
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Speaker 1: but only for God's first creature, which was light, to
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Speaker 1: have light, I say, of the growth of all parts
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Speaker 1: of the world. And when he had said this, he
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Speaker 1: was silent, and so were we all, for indeed, we
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Speaker 1: were all astonished to hear so strange things so probably told.
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Speaker 1: And he, perceiving that we were willing to say somewhat,
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Speaker 1: but had it not ready, in great courtesy, took us
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Speaker 1: off and descended to ask us questions of our voyage
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Speaker 1: and fortunes, and in the end concluded that we might
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Speaker 1: do well to think with ourselves what time of stay
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Speaker 1: we would demand of the state, and bade us not
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Speaker 1: to scant ourselves, for he would procure such time as
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Speaker 1: we desired. Whereupon we all rose up and presented ourselves
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Speaker 1: to kiss the skirt of his tippet. But he would
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Speaker 1: not suffer us, and so took his leave. But when
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Speaker 1: it came once amongst our people that the state used
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Speaker 1: to offer conditions to strangers that would stay, we had
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Speaker 1: work enough to get any of our men to look
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Speaker 1: to our ship, and to keep them from going presently
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Speaker 1: to the governor to crave conditions. But with much ado
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Speaker 1: we refrained them till we might agree what course to take.
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Speaker 1: We took ourselves now for free men, seeing there was
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Speaker 1: no danger of our utter perdition, and lived most joyfully,
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Speaker 1: going abroad and seeing what there was to be seen
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Speaker 1: in the city and places adjacent within our tttor, and
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Speaker 1: obtaining acquaintance with many of the city not of the
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Speaker 1: meanest quality, at whose hands we found such humanity, and
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Speaker 1: such a freedom and desire to take strangers, as it were,
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Speaker 1: into their bosom, as was enough to make us forget
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Speaker 1: all that was dear to us in our own countries.
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Speaker 1: And continue we met with many things right worthy of
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Speaker 1: observation and relation. As indeed, if there be a mirror
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Speaker 1: in the world worthy to hold men's eyes, it is
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Speaker 1: that country. One day there were two of our company
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Speaker 1: bidden to a feast of the family, as they call it,
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Speaker 1: a most natural, pious and reverend custom. It is shewing
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Speaker 1: that nation to be compounded of all goodness. This is
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Speaker 1: the manner of it. It is granted to any man
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Speaker 1: that shall live to see thirty persons descended of his body,
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Speaker 1: alive together and all above three years old, to make
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Speaker 1: this feast, which is done at the cost of the state.
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Speaker 1: The father of the family whom they call the Tirsan.
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Speaker 1: Two days before the feast, taketh to him three of
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Speaker 1: such friends as he liketh to choose, and is assisted
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Speaker 1: also by the governor of the city or place where
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Speaker 1: the feast is celebrated, and all the persons of the
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Speaker 1: family of both sexes are summoned to attend him. These
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Speaker 1: two days the Tirsan sitteth in consultation concern learning the
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Speaker 1: good estate of the family. There. If there be any
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Speaker 1: discord or suits between any of the family, they are
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Speaker 1: compounded and appeased. There. If any of the family be
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Speaker 1: distressed or decayed, order is taken for their relief and
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Speaker 1: competent means to live. There, If any be subject to
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Speaker 1: vice or take ill courses, they are reproved and censured.
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Speaker 1: So likewise direction is given touching marriages, and the courses
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Speaker 1: of life which any of them should take would diverse.
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Speaker 1: Other the like orders and advices, the governor assisteth to
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Speaker 1: the end to put in execution by his public authority,
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Speaker 1: the decrees and orders of the Tirsan, if they should
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Speaker 1: be disobeyed, though that seldom needeth such reverence and obedience
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Speaker 1: they give to the order of nature. The tiirsan doth
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Speaker 1: also then ever choose one man from among his sons
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Speaker 1: to live in house with him, who is called ever after,
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Speaker 1: the son of the Vine. The reason will hereafter appear
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Speaker 1: on the feast day. The father or Tiersan cometh forth
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Speaker 1: after divine service into a large room where the feast
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Speaker 1: is celebrated, which room hath and half pace at the
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Speaker 1: upper end against the wall. In the middle of the
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Speaker 1: half pace is a chair placed for him, with a
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Speaker 1: table and carpet before it. Over the chair is a
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Speaker 1: state made round or oval, and it is of ivy,
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Speaker 1: an ivy somewhat whiter than ours, like the leaf of
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Speaker 1: a silver asp, but more shining, for it is green
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Speaker 1: all winter. And the state is curiously wrought with silver
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Speaker 1: and silk of diverse colors, broiding or binding in the ivy,
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Speaker 1: and is ever the work of some of the daughters
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Speaker 1: of the family, and veiled over at the top with
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Speaker 1: a fine net of silk and silver. But the substance
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Speaker 1: of it is true ivy, whereof after it is taken down,
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Speaker 1: the friends of the family are desirous to have some
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Speaker 1: leaf or sprig to keep The Tiersan cometh forth with
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Speaker 1: all his generation or lineage, the mails before him and
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Speaker 1: the females following him, and if there be a mother
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Speaker 1: from whose body the whole lineage is descended. There is
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Speaker 1: a traverse placed in aloft above on the right hand
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Speaker 1: of the chair, with a privy door and a carved
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Speaker 1: window of glass leaded with gold and blue, where she
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Speaker 1: sitteth but is not seen. End of Section three.