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02 - The New Atlantis - Sir Francis Bacon · Daily Classic Sci Fi Books

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Section two, during which time we had every hour joy of the amendment of
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our sick, who thought themselves cast into some divine pool of healing. They
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mended so kindly and so fast. The morrow after our three days were past,
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there came to us a new man that we had not seen before,
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clothed in blue as the former was, save that his turban was white with
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a small red cross on the top. He had also a tippet of fine
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linen. At his coming in, he did bend to us a little and
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put his arms abroad. We of our parts saluted him in a very lowly
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and submissive manner, as looking that from him we should receive sentence of life
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or death. He desired to speak with some few of us, whereupon six
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of us only stayed, and the rest avoided the room. He said,
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I am by office governor of this house of strangers, and by vocation I
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am a Christian priest, and therefore am come to you to offer you my
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service, both as strangers and chiefly as Christians. Some things I may tell
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you, which I think you will not be unwilling to hear. The State
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hath given you license to stay on land for the space of six weeks,
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and let it not trouble you if your occasions ask further time, for the
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law in this point is not precise, and I do not doubt but myself
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shall be able to obtain for you such further time as may be convenient.
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Ye shall also understand that the stranger's house is at this time rich and much
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aforehand, for it hath laid up revenue these thirty seven years for so long
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it is since any stranger arrived in this part. And therefore take ye no
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care. The state will defray you all the time you stay. Neither shall
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you stay one day the less for that, as for any merchandise you have
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brought, ye shall be well used and have your return, either in merchandise
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or in gold and silver. For to us it is all one. And
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if you have any other request to make, hide it not, for ye
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shall find we will not make your countenance to fall. By the answer ye
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shall receive only this. I must tell you that none of you must go
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above a karan, that is, that is, with them, a mile
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and in half from the walls of the city, without a special leave.
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We answered, after we had looked awhile one upon another, admiring this gracious
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and parent like usage, that we could not tell what to say, for
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we wanted words to express our thanks, and his noble, free offers left
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us nothing to ask. It seemed to us that we had before us a
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picture of our salvation in heaven. For we that were a while since in
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the jaws of death, were now brought into a place where we found nothing
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but consolations. For the commandment laid upon us, we would not fail to
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obey it, though it was impossible, but our heart should be inflamed to
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tread further upon this happy and holy ground. We added that our tongues should
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first cleave to the roofs of our mouths, ere we should forget either his
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reverend person or this whole nation in our prayers. We also, most humbly
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besought him to accept of us as his true servants, by as just a
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right as ever men on earth were bounden. Laying and presenting both our persons
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and all we had at his feet. He said he was a priest and
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looked for a priest's reward, which was our brotherly love and the good of
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our souls and bodies. So he went from us not without tears of tenderness
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in his eyes, and left us also confused with joy and kindness, saying
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amongst ourselves that we were come into a land of angels, which did appear
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to us daily and prevent us with comforts which we thought not of much less
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expected. The next day, about ten of the clock, the governor came
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to see us again, and after salutations, said familiarly that he was come
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to visit us, and called for a chair, and sat him down,
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And we, being some ten of us, the rest were of the meaner
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sort or else gone abroad, sat down with him. And when we were
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set he began, Thus, we, of this island of Bensalem, for
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so they call it in their language, have this that, by means of
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our solitary situation, and of the laws of secrecy which we have for our
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travelers, and our rare admission of strangers, we know well most part of
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the habitable world, and are ourselves unknown. Therefore, because he that knoweth
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least is fittest to ask questions, it is more reason for the entertainment of
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the time that YE ask me questions than that I ask you. We answered
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that we humbly thanked him that he would give us leave so to do,
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and that we conceived by the taste we had already that there was no worldly
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thing on earth more worthy to be known than the state of that happy land.
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But above all we said, since that we were met from the several
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ends of the world, and hoped assuredly that we should meet one day in
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the Kingdom of Heaven, for that we were both parts Christians. We desired
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to know in respect that land was so remote and so divided by vast and
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unknown seas, from the land where our Savior walked on earth, who was
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the apostle of that nation, and how it was converted to the faith.
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It appeared in his face that he took great contentment in this our question.
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He said, YE knit my heart to you by asking this question in the
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first place, for it sheweth that you first seek the Kingdom of Heaven,
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and I shall gladly and briefly satisfy your demand. About twenty years after the
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ascension of our Savior, it came to pass that there was seen by the
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people of Renfusa, a city upon the eastern coast of our island. Within
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night. The night was cloudy and calm, as it might be some mile
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into the sea, a great pillar of light, not sharp, but in
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form of a column or cylinder, rising from the sea a great way up
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towards heaven. And on the top of it was seen a large cross of
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light, more bright and resplendent than the body of the pillar, upon which
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so strange a spectacle. The people of the city gathered apace together upon the
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sands to wonder, and so after put themselves into a number of small boats
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to go nearer to this marvelous sight. But when the boats were come within
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about sixty yards of the pillar, they found themselves all bound, and could
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go no further. Yet, so as they might move to go about,
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but might not approach nearer. So as the boats stood all as in a
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theater, beholding this light as an heavenly sign. It so fell out that
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there was in one of the boats one of the wise men of the society
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of Salomon's House, which house or college, my good brethren, is the
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very eye of this kingdom, who, having awhile attentively and devoutly viewed and
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contemplated this pillar and cross, fell down upon his face, and then raised
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himself upon his knees, and lifting up his hands to heaven made his prayers
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in this manner, Lord, God of heaven and Earth, Thou hast vouchsafed
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of thy grace to those of our order, to know Thy works of creation
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and the secrets of them, and to discern, as far as appertaineth to
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the generations of men, between divine miracles, works of nature, works of
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art, and impostures and illusions of all sorts. I do here acknowledge and
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testify before this people that the thing which we now see before our eyes is
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thy finger and a true miracle. And forasmuch as we learn in our books
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that thou never workest miracles but to divine and excellent end. For the laws
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of nature are thine own laws, and thou exceedest them not. But upon
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great death cause we most humbly beseech THEE to prosper this great sign, and
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to give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy, which thou dost
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in some part secretly promise by sending it unto us. When he had made
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his prayer, he presently found the boat he was in movable and unbound,
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whereas all the rest remained still fast, And taking that for an assurance of
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leave to approach, he caused the boat to be softly and with silence rowed
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towards the pillar. But ere he came near it, the pillar and cross
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of light break up and cast itself abroad, as it were, into a
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firmament of many stars, which also vanished soon after, and there was nothing
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left to be seen but a small arc or chest of cedar, dry and
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not wet at all with water, though it swam. And in the fore
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end of it, which was towards him, grew a small green branch of
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pond. And when the wise man had taken it with all reverence into his
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boat, it opened of itself, and there were found in it a book
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and a letter, both written in fine parchment and wrapped up in sindons of
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linen. The book contained all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament,
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according as you have them, for we know well what the churches with
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you receive. And the Apocalypse itself and some other books of the New Testament,
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which were not at that time written, were nevertheless in the book.
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And for the letter, it was in these words. I Bartholomew, a
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servant of the Highest and apostle of Jesus Christ, was warned by an angel
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that appereth to me in a vision of glory, that I should commit this
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ark to the floods of the sea. Therefore I do testify and declare unto
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that people, where God shall ordain this ark to come to land, that
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in the same day is come unto them salvation and peace and good will from
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the Father and from the Lord Jesus. There was also in both these writings
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as well the book as the letter wrought a great miracle conformed to that of
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the Apostles in the original gift of tongues. For there being at that time
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in this land Hebrews, Persians, and Indians, besides the natives. Every
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one read upon the book and letter as if they had been written in his
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own language. And thus was this land saved from infidelity, as the remainder
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of the old world was from water by an ark through the apostolical and miraculous
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evangelism of Saint Bartholomew. And here he paused, and a messenger came and
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called him from us. So this was all that passed in that conference.
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The next day, the same governor came again to us immediately after dinner and
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excused himself, saying that the day before he was called from us somewhat abruptly,
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But now he would make us amends and spend time with us if we
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held his company and conference agreeable. We answered that we held it so agreeable
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and pleasing to us, as we forgot both dangers past and fears to come
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for the time we hear him speak, and that we thought an hour spent
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with him was worth years of our former life. He bowed himself a little
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to us, and after we were set again, he said, well,
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the questions are in your part. One of our number said, after a
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little pause, that there was a matter we were no less desirous to know
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than fearful to ask, lest we might presume too far. But encouraged by
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his rare humanity towards us, that could scarce think ourselves strangers, being his
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vowed and professed servants, we would take the heartiness to propound it. Humbly,
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beseeching him if he thought it was not fit to be answered that he
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would pardon it. Though he rejected it, we said, we well observed
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those his words which he formerly spake, That this happy island where we now
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stood was known to few, and yet knew most of the nations of the
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world, which we found to be true, considering they had the languages of
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Europe and knew much of our state and business. And yet we in Europe,
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notwithstanding all the remote discoveries and navigations of this last age, never heard
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of the least inkling or glimpse of this island. This we found wonderful strange,
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for that all nations have inter knowledge one of another, either by voyage
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into foreign parts or by strangers that come to them. And though the traveler
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into a foreign country doth commonly know more by the eye than he that stayeth
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at home can by relation of the traveler, yet both ways suffice to make
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a mutual knowledge in some degree on both parts. But for this island we
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never heard tell of any ship of Theirs that had been seen to arrive upon
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any shore of Europe, nor of either the East or West Indies, nor
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yet of any ship of any other part of the world that had made return
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from them. And yet the marvel rested not in this, for the situation
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of it, as his lordship said in the secret conclave, of such a
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vast sea, might cause it. But then that they should have knowledge of
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the language's books, affairs of those that lie such a distance from them.
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It was a thing we could not tell what to make of, for that
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it seemed to us a conditioner and propriety of divine powers and beings to be
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hidden and unseen to others, and yet to have others open and as in
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a light to them. At this speech, the Governor gave a gracious smile
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and said that we did well to ask pardon for this question. We now
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asked for that it imported as if we thought this land a land of magicians,
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that set forth spirits of the air into all parts to bring them news
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and intelligence of other countries. It was answered by us all in all possible
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humbleness, but yet with a countenance, taking knowledge that we knew that he
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spake it, but merrily that we were apt enough to think that there was
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somewhat supernatural in this island, but yet rather as angelical than magical. But
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to let his lordship know truly what it was that made us tender and doubtful
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to ask this question. It was not any such conceit, but because we
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remembered he had given a touch in his former speech that this land had laws
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of secrecy, touching strangers to this he said, you remember it aright.
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And therefore in that I shall say to you which it is not lawful for
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me to reveal, but there will be enough left to give you satisfaction.
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You shall understand that which perhaps you will scarce think credible, that about three
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thousand years ago or somewhat more, the navigation of the world, especially for
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remote voyages, was greater than at this day. Do not think with yourselves
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that I know not how much of it is increased with you within these six
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score years. I know it well, And yet I say greater then and
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now. Whether it was that the example of the ark that saved the remnant
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of men from the universal deluge gave men confidence to adventure upon the waters,
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or what it was, but such is the truth. The Phoenicians and especially
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the Tyrians had great fleets, so had the Carthaginians, their colony, which
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is yet further west toward the east. The shipping of Egypt and of Palestine
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was likewise great. China also and the great Atlantis that you call America,
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which have now but junks and canoes, abounded then in tall ships. This
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island, as appeareth by faithful registers of those times, had then fifteen hundred
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strong ships of great content. Of all this there is with you sparing memory
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or none, but we have large knowledge thereof. At that time this land
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was known and frequented by the ships and vessels of all the nations before named,
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And as it cometh to pass, they had many times men of other
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countries that were no sailors that came with them, as Persians, Chaldeans,
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Arabians, so as almost all nations of might and fame resorted hither of whom
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we have some stirps and little tribes with us at this day, and for
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our own ships. They went sundry voyages, as well as to your straits,
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which you call the pillars of Hercules, as to other parts in the
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Atlantic and mediterrane seas, as to Paguin, which is the same with Cambellene
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and Quinsy, upon the Oriental seas, as far as to the borders of
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the East Tartary. At the same time, and an age after or more,
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the inhabitants of the great Atlantis did flourish. For though the narration and
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description which is made by a great man with you, that the descendants of
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Neptune planted there, and of the magnificent temple, palace, city, and
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hill, and the manifold streams of goodly navigable rivers, which has so many
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chains environed the same site and temple, and the several degrees of ascent,
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whereby men did climb up to the same as if it had been a scala
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coele be all poetical and fabulous. Yet so much as true that the said
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country of Atlantis, as well as that of Peru, then called Coya,
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as that of Mexico, then named Tyrone Belle, were mighty and proud kingdoms
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in arms, shipping and riches, so mighty as at one time, or
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at least within the space of ten years, they both made two great expeditions,
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they of Tyrone Belle through the Atlantic to the mediterrane Sea, and they
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of Coya through the South Sea upon this hour island. And for the former
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of these, which was into Europe, the same author amongst you, as
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it seemeth, had some relation from the Egyptian priest whom he cited end of Section two