Latest / Classic Drama Book Collection / The New Atlantis - Francis Bacon
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- 0:00Speaker 1: Section zero introductory note. Bacon's literary executor, doctor Rowley, published
- 0:10Speaker 1: The New Atlantist in sixteen twenty seven, the year after
- 0:13Speaker 1: the author's death. It seems to have been written about
- 0:17Speaker 1: sixteen twenty three, during that period of literary activity which
- 0:20Speaker 1: followed Bacon's political fall. None of Bacon's writings gives in
- 0:25Speaker 1: short space so vivid a picture of his tastes and
- 0:29Speaker 1: aspirations as this fragment of the plan of an ideal commonwealth.
- 0:34Speaker 1: The generosity and enlightenment, the dignity and splendor, the piety
- 0:39Speaker 1: and public spirit of the inhabitants of Bensalem represent the
- 0:43Speaker 1: ideal qualities which Bacon the statesman desired, rather than hope
- 0:47Speaker 1: to see characteristic of his own country. And in Solomon's
- 0:51Speaker 1: house we have baconed the scientist, indulging without restriction his
- 0:56Speaker 1: prophetic vision of the future of human knowledge. No reader
- 1:01Speaker 1: acquainted in any degree with the processes and results of
- 1:04Speaker 1: modern scientific inquiry can fail to be struck by the
- 1:08Speaker 1: numerous approximations made by Bacon's imagination to the actual achievements
- 1:12Speaker 1: of modern times. The plan and organization of his great
- 1:16Speaker 1: College lay down the main lines of the modern research, university,
- 1:21Speaker 1: and both in pure and applied science. He anticipates a
- 1:24Speaker 1: strikingly large number of recent inventions and discoveries. In still
- 1:30Speaker 1: another way, is The New Atlantis typical of Bacon's attitude.
- 1:35Speaker 1: In spite of the enthusiastic and broad minded schemes he
- 1:38Speaker 1: laid down for the pursuit of truth, Bacon always had
- 1:41Speaker 1: an eye to utility. The advancement of science, which he sought,
- 1:46Speaker 1: was conceived by him as a means to a practical end,
- 1:49Speaker 1: the increase of man's control over nature and the comfort
- 1:53Speaker 1: and convenience of humanity. For pure metaphysics or any form
- 1:58Speaker 1: of abstract thinking that yielded no fruit, he had little interest.
- 2:03Speaker 1: And this leaning to the useful is shown in the
- 2:05Speaker 1: practical applications of the discoveries made by the scholars of
- 2:09Speaker 1: Solomon's House. Nor does the interest of the work stop here.
- 2:14Speaker 1: It contains much, both in its political and in its
- 2:17Speaker 1: scientific ideals, that we have as yet by no means achieved,
- 2:21Speaker 1: but which contained valuable elements of suggestion and stimulus for
- 2:26Speaker 1: the future. End of Section zero, The New Atlantis by
- 2:32Speaker 1: Francis Bacon. Section one. We sailed from Peru, where we
- 2:40Speaker 1: had continued for the space of one whole year for
- 2:42Speaker 1: China and Japan by the south sea, taking with us
- 2:47Speaker 1: victuals for twelve months, and had good winds from the east,
- 2:51Speaker 1: though soft and weak, for five months apace and more.
- 2:55Speaker 1: But the wind came about and settled in the west
- 2:57Speaker 1: for many days, so as we could make little or
- 3:00Speaker 1: no way, and were some time in purpose to turn back.
- 3:05Speaker 1: But then again there arose strong and great winds from
- 3:08Speaker 1: the south with a point east, which carried us up
- 3:11Speaker 1: for all that we could do towards the north, by
- 3:14Speaker 1: which time our vittals failed us, though we had made
- 3:19Speaker 1: good spare of them, so that, finding ourselves in the
- 3:22Speaker 1: midst of the greatest wilderness of waters in the world,
- 3:25Speaker 1: without vittals, we gave ourselves for lost men, and prepared
- 3:29Speaker 1: for death. Yet we did lift up our hearts and
- 3:32Speaker 1: voices to God above, who showeth his wonders in the deep,
- 3:35Speaker 1: beseeching him of his mercy, that, as in the beginning
- 3:39Speaker 1: he discovered the face of the deep and brought forth
- 3:42Speaker 1: dry land, so he would now discover land to us,
- 3:46Speaker 1: that we might not perish. And it came to pass
- 3:49Speaker 1: that the next day, about evening, we saw within a
- 3:52Speaker 1: canning before us towards the north, as it were thick clouds,
- 3:56Speaker 1: which did put us in some hope of land, knowing
- 3:59Speaker 1: how that part part of the South Sea was utterly
- 4:01Speaker 1: unknown and might have islands or continents that hitherto were
- 4:06Speaker 1: not come to light. Wherefore we bent our course thither
- 4:10Speaker 1: where we saw the appearance of land all that night,
- 4:13Speaker 1: and in the dawning of the next day we might
- 4:16Speaker 1: plainly discern that it was a land, flat to our
- 4:19Speaker 1: sight and full of baskage, which made it show the
- 4:22Speaker 1: more dark. And after an hour and a half's sailing,
- 4:26Speaker 1: we entered into a good haven, being the port of
- 4:29Speaker 1: a fair city, not great indeed, but well built, and
- 4:33Speaker 1: that gave a pleasant view from the sea. And we,
- 4:37Speaker 1: thinking every minute long till we were on land, came
- 4:40Speaker 1: close to the shore and offered to land. But straightways
- 4:44Speaker 1: we saw diverse of the people with bastions in their hands,
- 4:48Speaker 1: as it were forbidding us to land, yet without any
- 4:51Speaker 1: cries of fierceness, but only as warning us off by
- 4:54Speaker 1: signs that they made, whereupon, being not a little discomforted,
- 4:58Speaker 1: we were advising with ourselves what we should do, during
- 5:03Speaker 1: which time there made forth to us a small boat
- 5:06Speaker 1: with about eight persons in it, whereof one of them
- 5:09Speaker 1: had in his hand a tipstaff of a yellow cane,
- 5:12Speaker 1: tipped at both ends with blue, who came aboard our
- 5:15Speaker 1: ship without any show of distrust at all, And when
- 5:19Speaker 1: he saw one of our number present himself somewhat before
- 5:22Speaker 1: the rest, he drew forth a little scroll of parchment,
- 5:26Speaker 1: somewhat yellower than our parchment, and shining like the leaves
- 5:30Speaker 1: of writing tables, but otherwise soft and flexible, and delivered
- 5:34Speaker 1: it to our foremost man, in which scroll were written
- 5:38Speaker 1: in ancient Hebrew, and in ancient Greek, and in good
- 5:41Speaker 1: Latin of the school, and in Spanish, these words lend
- 5:46Speaker 1: ye not none of you, and provide to be gone
- 5:49Speaker 1: from this coast within sixteen days, except you have further
- 5:53Speaker 1: time given you. Meanwhile, if you want fresh water, or victuals,
- 5:58Speaker 1: or help for your sick, or that your ship needeth repairs,
- 6:02Speaker 1: write down your wants, and you shall have that which
- 6:04Speaker 1: belongeth to mercy. This scroll was signed with a stamp
- 6:08Speaker 1: of cherubim wings not spread but hanging downwards, and by
- 6:13Speaker 1: them across this being delivered, the officer returned and left
- 6:17Speaker 1: only a servant with us to receive our answer. Consulting
- 6:22Speaker 1: hereupon amongst ourselves we were much perplexed. The denial of
- 6:26Speaker 1: landing and hasty warning us away troubled us much. On
- 6:30Speaker 1: the other side, to find that the people had languages
- 6:33Speaker 1: and were so full of humanity did comfort us not
- 6:36Speaker 1: a little. And above all the sign of the cross
- 6:39Speaker 1: to that instrument was to us a great rejoicing, and
- 6:42Speaker 1: as it were a certain presage of good. Our answer
- 6:46Speaker 1: was in the Spanish tongue, that for our ship it
- 6:49Speaker 1: was well, for we had rather met with calms and
- 6:52Speaker 1: contrary winds than any tempests for our sick They were many,
- 6:57Speaker 1: and in very ill case, so that if they were
- 7:00Speaker 1: not permitted to land, they ran danger of their lives.
- 7:03Speaker 1: Our other wants we set down, in particular, adding that
- 7:06Speaker 1: we had some little store of merchandise, which, if it
- 7:09Speaker 1: pleased them to deal for it, might supply our wants
- 7:13Speaker 1: without being chargeable. Unto them. We offered some reward in
- 7:16Speaker 1: pistolets unto the servant, and a piece of crimson velvet
- 7:20Speaker 1: to be presented to the officer. But the servant took
- 7:23Speaker 1: them not, nor would Scarce look upon them, and so
- 7:26Speaker 1: left us and went back in another little boat, which
- 7:30Speaker 1: was sent for him. About three hours after we had
- 7:33Speaker 1: dispatched our answer, there came towards us a person, as
- 7:36Speaker 1: it seemed of place. He had on him a gown
- 7:40Speaker 1: with wide sleeves of a kind of water chemolet of
- 7:43Speaker 1: an excellent azure color, fair more glossy than ours. His
- 7:48Speaker 1: under apparel was green, and so was his hat, being
- 7:51Speaker 1: in the form of a turban, daintily made and not
- 7:54Speaker 1: so huge as the Turkish turbans, and the locks of
- 7:58Speaker 1: his hair came down below the brims of it. A
- 8:01Speaker 1: reverend man was he to behold. He came in a boat,
- 8:04Speaker 1: guilt in some part of it, with four persons more
- 8:07Speaker 1: only in that boat, and was followed by another boat,
- 8:10Speaker 1: wherein were some twenty. When he was come within a
- 8:13Speaker 1: flight shot of our ship, signs were made to us
- 8:16Speaker 1: that we should send forth some to meet him upon
- 8:19Speaker 1: the water, which we presently did in our shipboat, sending
- 8:23Speaker 1: the principal man amongst us, save one and four of
- 8:26Speaker 1: our number with him. When we were come within six
- 8:30Speaker 1: yards of their boat, they called to us to stay
- 8:33Speaker 1: and not to approach farther, which we did, and thereupon
- 8:37Speaker 1: the man whom I before described, stood up, and, with
- 8:40Speaker 1: a loud voice in Spanish, asked, are ye Christians? We answered,
- 8:46Speaker 1: we were fearing the less because of the cross we
- 8:48Speaker 1: had seen in the subscription, at which answer the said
- 8:52Speaker 1: person lifted up his right hand towards Heaven and drew
- 8:55Speaker 1: it softly to his mouth, which is the gesture they
- 8:58Speaker 1: use when they thanked God, and then said, if ye
- 9:02Speaker 1: will swear all of you by the merits of the Savior,
- 9:05Speaker 1: that ye are no pirates, nor have shed blood lawfully
- 9:08Speaker 1: nor unlawfully within forty days past, you may have license
- 9:12Speaker 1: to come on land. We said, we were all ready
- 9:17Speaker 1: to take that oath. Whereupon one of those that were
- 9:21Speaker 1: with him, being as it seemed, a notary, made an
- 9:23Speaker 1: entry of this act, which done Another of the attendants
- 9:27Speaker 1: of the great Person, which was with him in the
- 9:29Speaker 1: same boat, after his lord had spoken a little to him,
- 9:33Speaker 1: said aloud, my lord would have you know that it
- 9:37Speaker 1: is not of pride or greatness that he cometh not
- 9:40Speaker 1: aboard your ship, but for that in your answer you
- 9:43Speaker 1: declare that you have many sick amongst you. He was
- 9:46Speaker 1: warned by the Conservator of health of the city that
- 9:49Speaker 1: he should keep a distance. We bowed ourselves towards him,
- 9:53Speaker 1: and answered, we were his humble servants, and accounted for
- 9:57Speaker 1: great honor and singular humanity towards us us that which
- 10:01Speaker 1: was already done. But hoped well that the nature of
- 10:04Speaker 1: the sickness of our men was not infectious. So he returned,
- 10:09Speaker 1: and a while after came the notary to us aboard
- 10:11Speaker 1: our ship, holding in his hand a fruit of that country,
- 10:16Speaker 1: like an orange, but of color between orange, tawny and scarlet,
- 10:20Speaker 1: which cast a most excellent odor. He used it, as
- 10:23Speaker 1: it seemeth for a preservative against infection. He gave us
- 10:27Speaker 1: our oath by the name of Jesus and his merits,
- 10:32Speaker 1: and after told us that the next day, by six
- 10:35Speaker 1: of the clock of the morning, we should be sent
- 10:37Speaker 1: to and brought to the stranger's house, so he called it,
- 10:41Speaker 1: where we should be accommodated of things, both for our
- 10:44Speaker 1: whole and for our sick So he left us, and
- 10:48Speaker 1: when we offered him some pistolets, he smiling said he
- 10:51Speaker 1: must not be twice paid for one labor, meaning as
- 10:55Speaker 1: I take it that he had salary sufficient of the
- 10:57Speaker 1: state for his service. For as I after learned, they
- 11:01Speaker 1: call an officer that taketh rewards twice paid. The next morning,
- 11:06Speaker 1: early there came to us the same officer that came
- 11:09Speaker 1: to us at first with his cane, and told us
- 11:13Speaker 1: he came to conduct us to the stranger's house, and
- 11:16Speaker 1: that he had prevented the hour because we might have
- 11:18Speaker 1: the whole day before us for our business. Four said he,
- 11:23Speaker 1: if you will follow my advice, there shall first go
- 11:26Speaker 1: with me some few of you and see the place
- 11:29Speaker 1: and how it may be made convenient for you, and
- 11:32Speaker 1: then you may send for your sick and the rest
- 11:35Speaker 1: of your number, which ye will bring on land. We
- 11:38Speaker 1: thanked him and said that this care which he took
- 11:41Speaker 1: of desolate strangers, God would reward. And so six of
- 11:46Speaker 1: us went on land with him. And when we were
- 11:48Speaker 1: on land, he went before us and turned to us
- 11:51Speaker 1: and said he was but our servant and our guide.
- 11:55Speaker 1: He led us through three fair streets, and all the
- 11:58Speaker 1: way we went there were gathered some people on both sides,
- 12:01Speaker 1: standing in a row, but in so civil a fashion
- 12:04Speaker 1: as if it had been not to wonder at us,
- 12:07Speaker 1: but to welcome us. And diverse of them, as we
- 12:10Speaker 1: passed by them, put their arms a little abroad, which
- 12:13Speaker 1: is their gesture when they did bid any welcome. The
- 12:16Speaker 1: stranger's house is a fair and spacious house, built a
- 12:20Speaker 1: brick of somewhat a bluer color than our brick, and
- 12:23Speaker 1: with handsome windows, some of glass, some of a kind
- 12:27Speaker 1: of cambric oiled. He brought us first into a fair
- 12:30Speaker 1: parlor above stairs, and then asked us what number of
- 12:34Speaker 1: persons we were, and how many sick. We answered, we
- 12:38Speaker 1: were in all sick and whole one in fifty persons,
- 12:42Speaker 1: whereof our sick were seventeen. He desired us to have
- 12:46Speaker 1: patience a little and to stay till he came back
- 12:49Speaker 1: to us, which was about an hour after, and then
- 12:52Speaker 1: he led us to see the chambers which were provided
- 12:55Speaker 1: for us, being in number nineteen. They having cast it
- 12:59Speaker 1: as it seems that four of those chambers, which were
- 13:02Speaker 1: better than the rest, might receive four of the principal
- 13:05Speaker 1: men of our company and lodge them alone by themselves,
- 13:09Speaker 1: and the other fifteen chambers were to lodge us two
- 13:12Speaker 1: and two together. The chambers were handsome and cheerful chambers,
- 13:17Speaker 1: and furnished civilly. Then he led us to a long
- 13:21Speaker 1: gallery like a dorcher, where he showed us all along
- 13:24Speaker 1: the one side for the other side was but wall
- 13:27Speaker 1: and window, seventeen cells, very neat ones having partitions of
- 13:31Speaker 1: cedar wood, which gallery and cells being in all forty
- 13:36Speaker 1: many more than we needed, were instituted as an infirmary
- 13:39Speaker 1: for sick persons. And he told us withal that as
- 13:42Speaker 1: any of ours sick waxed well, he might be removed
- 13:46Speaker 1: from his cell to a chamber, for which purpose there
- 13:48Speaker 1: were set forth ten spare chambers, besides the number we
- 13:52Speaker 1: spake of. Before this done, he brought us back to
- 13:56Speaker 1: the parlor, and, lifting up his cane a little as
- 13:58Speaker 1: they do when they give any charge or command, said
- 14:01Speaker 1: to us, ye are to know that the custom of
- 14:04Speaker 1: the land requireth that after this day and tomorrow, which
- 14:08Speaker 1: we give you for removing your people from your ship,
- 14:11Speaker 1: you are to keep within doors for three days. But
- 14:14Speaker 1: let it not trouble you, nor do not think yourselves restrained,
- 14:18Speaker 1: but rather left to your rest and ease. You shall
- 14:21Speaker 1: want nothing. And there are six of our people appointed
- 14:24Speaker 1: to attend you for any business you may have abroad.
- 14:28Speaker 1: We gave him thanks with all affection and respect, and said,
- 14:32Speaker 1: God surely is manifested in this land. We offered him
- 14:36Speaker 1: also twenty pistolets, but he smiled and only said what
- 14:40Speaker 1: twice paid, and so he left us. Soon after. Our
- 14:46Speaker 1: dinner was served in which was right good viance, both
- 14:49Speaker 1: for bread and treat, better than any collegiate diet that
- 14:53Speaker 1: I have known in Europe. We had also drink of
- 14:55Speaker 1: three sorts, all wholesome and good wine of the grape
- 14:59Speaker 1: so which is with us our ale, but more clear,
- 15:02Speaker 1: and a kind of cider made of a fruit of
- 15:05Speaker 1: that country, a wonderful, pleasing and refreshing drink. Besides, they
- 15:10Speaker 1: were brought in to us great store of those scarlet
- 15:12Speaker 1: oranges for our sick, which they said were an assured
- 15:17Speaker 1: remedy for sickness taken at sea. There was given us
- 15:20Speaker 1: also a box of small gray or whitish pills, which
- 15:24Speaker 1: they wished our sick should take one of the pills
- 15:28Speaker 1: every night before sleep, which they said would hasten their recovery.
- 15:33Speaker 1: The next day. After that, our trouble of carriage and
- 15:36Speaker 1: removing of our men and goods out of our ship
- 15:39Speaker 1: was somewhat settled and quiet, I thought good to call
- 15:42Speaker 1: our company together, and when they were assembled, said, unto them,
- 15:47Speaker 1: my dear friends, let us know ourselves, and how it
- 15:51Speaker 1: standeth with us. We are men cast on land, as
- 15:54Speaker 1: Jonas was out of the whales belly, when we were
- 15:57Speaker 1: as buried in the deep. And we we are on land.
- 16:01Speaker 1: We are but between death and life, for we are
- 16:04Speaker 1: beyond both the old world and the new. Whether ever
- 16:08Speaker 1: we shall see Europe, God only knoweth. It is a
- 16:11Speaker 1: kind of miracle hath brought us hither, and it must
- 16:14Speaker 1: be little less that shall bring us. Hence, Therefore, in
- 16:18Speaker 1: regard of our deliverance past and our danger present and
- 16:21Speaker 1: to come, let us look up to God, and every
- 16:24Speaker 1: man reform his own ways. Besides, we are come here
- 16:28Speaker 1: amongst a Christian people full of piety and humanity. Let
- 16:32Speaker 1: us not bring that confusion of face upon ourselves, as
- 16:36Speaker 1: to show our vices or unworthiness before them. Yet there
- 16:40Speaker 1: is more, For they have by commandment, though in form
- 16:44Speaker 1: of courtesy, cloistered us within these walls for three days.
- 16:49Speaker 1: Who knoweth whether it be not to take some taste
- 16:51Speaker 1: of our manners and conditions, and if they find them bad,
- 16:55Speaker 1: to banish us straightways, if good, to give us further time.
- 17:01Speaker 1: For these men that they have given us for attendance,
- 17:03Speaker 1: may withal have an eye upon us Therefore, for God's love,
- 17:08Speaker 1: and as we love the weel of our souls and bodies,
- 17:11Speaker 1: let us so behave ourselves, as we may be at
- 17:14Speaker 1: peace with God and may find grace in the eyes
- 17:17Speaker 1: of this people. Our company with one voice thanked me
- 17:20Speaker 1: for my good admonition, and promised me to live soberly
- 17:24Speaker 1: and civilly, and without giving any the least occasion of offense.
- 17:28Speaker 1: So we spent our three days joyfully and without care
- 17:32Speaker 1: in expectation what would be done with us when they
- 17:34Speaker 1: were expired, during which time we had every hour joy
- 17:38Speaker 1: of the amendment of our sick, who thought themselves cast
- 17:42Speaker 1: into some divine pool of healing, they mended so kindly
- 17:46Speaker 1: and so fast. End of Section one, Section two, During
- 17:54Speaker 1: which time we had every hour joy of the amendment
- 17:57Speaker 1: of our sick, who thought themselves cast into some divine
- 18:00Speaker 1: pool of healing. They mended so kindly and so fast.
- 18:06Speaker 1: The morrow after our three days were past, there came
- 18:09Speaker 1: to us a new man that we had not seen before,
- 18:12Speaker 1: clothed in blue as the former was, save that his
- 18:15Speaker 1: turban was white with a small red cross on the top.
- 18:19Speaker 1: He had also a tippet of fine linen. At his
- 18:22Speaker 1: coming in. He did bend to us a little and
- 18:25Speaker 1: put his arms abroad. We of our parts saluted him
- 18:29Speaker 1: in a very lowly and submissive manner, as looking that
- 18:32Speaker 1: from him we should receive sentence of life or death.
- 18:36Speaker 1: He desired to speak with some few of us, whereupon
- 18:39Speaker 1: six of us only stayed, and the rest avoided the room.
- 18:43Speaker 1: He said, I am by office governor of this house
- 18:47Speaker 1: of strangers, and by vocation I am a Christian priest,
- 18:51Speaker 1: and therefore am come to you to offer you my service,
- 18:54Speaker 1: both as strangers and chiefly as Christians. Some things I
- 18:58Speaker 1: may tell you, which I think I think you will
- 19:00Speaker 1: not be unwilling to hear. The state hath given you
- 19:03Speaker 1: license to stay on land for the space of six weeks,
- 19:07Speaker 1: and let it not trouble you if your occasions ask
- 19:10Speaker 1: further time, for the law in this point is not precise,
- 19:14Speaker 1: and I do not doubt but myself shall be able
- 19:17Speaker 1: to obtain for you such further time as may be convenient.
- 19:22Speaker 1: Ye shall also understand that the stranger's house is at
- 19:25Speaker 1: this time rich and much aforehand for it hath laid
- 19:29Speaker 1: up revenue these thirty seven years for so long. It
- 19:32Speaker 1: is since any stranger arrived in this part, and therefore
- 19:36Speaker 1: take ye no care. The state will defray you all
- 19:39Speaker 1: the time you stay. Neither shall you stay one day
- 19:42Speaker 1: the less, for that, as for any merchandise you have brought,
- 19:46Speaker 1: ye shall be well used and have your return, either
- 19:49Speaker 1: in merchandise or in gold and silver. For to us
- 19:53Speaker 1: it is all one. And if you have any other
- 19:56Speaker 1: request to make, hide it not, for ye shall find.
- 19:59Speaker 1: We will now make your countenance to fall. By the
- 20:02Speaker 1: answer ye shall receive only this. I must tell you
- 20:06Speaker 1: that none of you must go above a karen, that is,
- 20:09Speaker 1: that is, with them, a mile and in half from
- 20:12Speaker 1: the walls of the city, without a special leave. We answered,
- 20:17Speaker 1: after we had looked awhile one upon another, admiring this
- 20:20Speaker 1: gracious and parent like usage, that we could not tell
- 20:24Speaker 1: what to say, for we wanted words to express our thanks,
- 20:28Speaker 1: and his noble, free offers left us nothing to ask.
- 20:31Speaker 1: It seemed to us that we had before us a
- 20:34Speaker 1: picture of our salvation in heaven. For we that were
- 20:38Speaker 1: a while since in the jaws of death, were now
- 20:40Speaker 1: brought into a place where we found nothing but consolations.
- 20:45Speaker 1: For the commandment laid upon us, we would not fail
- 20:47Speaker 1: to obey it, though it was impossible, but our hearts
- 20:50Speaker 1: should be inflamed to tread further upon this happy and
- 20:54Speaker 1: holy ground. We added that our tongues should first cleave
- 20:58Speaker 1: to the roofs of ourn ere we should forget either
- 21:02Speaker 1: his reverend person or this whole nation. In our prayers.
- 21:06Speaker 1: We also most humbly besought him to accept of us
- 21:10Speaker 1: as his true servants, by as just a right as
- 21:13Speaker 1: ever men on earth were bounden. Laying and presenting both
- 21:17Speaker 1: our persons and all we had at his feet, he
- 21:21Speaker 1: said he was a priest, and looked for a priest's reward,
- 21:25Speaker 1: which was our brotherly love and the good of our
- 21:28Speaker 1: souls and bodies. So he went from us not without
- 21:31Speaker 1: tears of tenderness in his eyes, and left us also
- 21:35Speaker 1: confused with joy and kindness, saying amongst ourselves that we
- 21:39Speaker 1: were come into a land of angels, which did appear
- 21:42Speaker 1: to us daily and prevent us with comforts which we
- 21:46Speaker 1: thought not of much less expected. The next day, about
- 21:51Speaker 1: ten of the clock, the Governor came to see us again,
- 21:53Speaker 1: and after salutations, said familiarly that he was come to
- 21:57Speaker 1: visit us, and called for a chair and him down,
- 22:01Speaker 1: And we being some ten of us, the rest were
- 22:03Speaker 1: of the meaner sort, or else gone abroad, sat down
- 22:06Speaker 1: with him, and when we were set he began, Thus,
- 22:10Speaker 1: we of this island of Bensalem, for so they call
- 22:13Speaker 1: it in their language, have this that, by means of
- 22:16Speaker 1: our solitary situation, and of the laws of secrecy which
- 22:20Speaker 1: we have for our travelers, and our rare admission of strangers,
- 22:25Speaker 1: we know well most part of the habitable world, and
- 22:27Speaker 1: are ourselves unknown. Therefore, because he that knoweth least is
- 22:32Speaker 1: fittest to ask questions, it is more reason for the
- 22:36Speaker 1: entertainment of the time that YE ask me questions than
- 22:40Speaker 1: that I ask you. We answered that we humbly thanked
- 22:43Speaker 1: him that he would give us leave so to do,
- 22:46Speaker 1: and that we conceived by the taste we had already
- 22:49Speaker 1: that there was no worldly thing on earth more worthy
- 22:52Speaker 1: to be known than the state of that happy land.
- 22:55Speaker 1: But above all, we said, since that we were met
- 22:58Speaker 1: from the several ends of the world, and I hoped
- 23:00Speaker 1: assuredly that we should meet one day in the Kingdom
- 23:03Speaker 1: of Heaven, for that we were both parts Christians. We
- 23:06Speaker 1: desired to know in respect that land was so remote
- 23:09Speaker 1: and so divided by vast and unknown seas, from the
- 23:12Speaker 1: land where our Savior walked on earth, Who was the
- 23:15Speaker 1: apostle of that nation, and how it was converted to
- 23:18Speaker 1: the faith? It appeared in his face that he took
- 23:21Speaker 1: great contentment in this our question. He said, YE knit
- 23:26Speaker 1: my heart to you by asking this question in the
- 23:28Speaker 1: first place, for it showeth that you first seek the
- 23:31Speaker 1: Kingdom of Heaven, and I shall gladly and briefly satisfy
- 23:35Speaker 1: your demand. About twenty years after the ascension of our Savior,
- 23:41Speaker 1: it came to pass that there was seen by the
- 23:43Speaker 1: people of Renfusa, a city upon the eastern coast of
- 23:46Speaker 1: our island. Within night. The night was cloudy and calm,
- 23:50Speaker 1: as it might be, some mile into the sea, a
- 23:53Speaker 1: great pillar of light, not sharp, but in form of
- 23:57Speaker 1: a column or cylinder, rising from the sea a great
- 24:00Speaker 1: way up towards heaven. And on the top of it
- 24:03Speaker 1: was seen a large cross of light, more bright and
- 24:06Speaker 1: resplendent than the body of the pillar, upon which so
- 24:09Speaker 1: strange a spectacle. The people of the city gathered apace
- 24:13Speaker 1: together upon the sands to wonder, and so after put
- 24:17Speaker 1: themselves into a number of small boats to go nearer
- 24:20Speaker 1: to this marvelous sight. But when the boats were come
- 24:24Speaker 1: within about sixty yards of the pillar, they found themselves
- 24:27Speaker 1: all bound, and could go no further. Yet, so as
- 24:31Speaker 1: they might move to go about, but might not approach nearer.
- 24:35Speaker 1: So as the boats stood all as in a theater,
- 24:38Speaker 1: beholding this light as an heavenly sign, it so fell
- 24:42Speaker 1: out that there was in one of the boats one
- 24:43Speaker 1: of the wise men of the Society of Salomon's House,
- 24:47Speaker 1: which house or college, my good brethren, is the very
- 24:51Speaker 1: eye of this kingdom, who, having a while attentively and
- 24:54Speaker 1: devoutly viewed and contemplated this pillar and cross, fell down
- 24:58Speaker 1: upon his face, and then raised himself upon his knees,
- 25:02Speaker 1: and lifting up his hands to Heaven, made his prayers
- 25:05Speaker 1: in this manner, Lord, God of Heaven and Earth, Thou
- 25:10Speaker 1: hast vouchsafed of thy grace to those of our order
- 25:14Speaker 1: to know Thy works of creation and the secrets of them,
- 25:17Speaker 1: and to discern as far as appertaineth to the generations
- 25:21Speaker 1: of men, between divine miracles, works of nature, works of art,
- 25:25Speaker 1: and impostures and illusions of all sorts. I do here
- 25:30Speaker 1: acknowledge and testify before this people that the thing which
- 25:33Speaker 1: we now see before our eyes is thy finger and
- 25:36Speaker 1: a true miracle. And forasmuch as we learn in our
- 25:40Speaker 1: books that thou never workest miracles but to divine and
- 25:43Speaker 1: excellent end. For the laws of nature are thine own laws,
- 25:47Speaker 1: and thou exceedest them not. But upon great cause, we
- 25:51Speaker 1: most humbly beseech THEE to prosper this great sign, and
- 25:55Speaker 1: to give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy,
- 25:59Speaker 1: which thou dost in some parts secretly promise by sending
- 26:03Speaker 1: it unto us. When he had made his prayer, he
- 26:07Speaker 1: presently found the boat he was in movable and unbound,
- 26:11Speaker 1: whereas all the rest remained still fast, And taking that
- 26:16Speaker 1: for an assurance of leave to approach, he caused the
- 26:19Speaker 1: boat to be softly and with silence, rowed towards the pillar.
- 26:23Speaker 1: But ere he came near it, the pillar and cross
- 26:26Speaker 1: of light brake up and cast itself abroad, as it were,
- 26:30Speaker 1: into a firmament of many stars, which also vanished soon after,
- 26:35Speaker 1: and there was nothing left to be seen but a
- 26:38Speaker 1: small arc or chest of cedar, dry and not wet
- 26:43Speaker 1: at all with water, though it swam, and in the
- 26:46Speaker 1: fore end of it, which was towards him, grew a
- 26:49Speaker 1: small green branch of palm, and when the wise man
- 26:52Speaker 1: had taken it with all reverence into his boat, it
- 26:55Speaker 1: opened of itself, and there were found in it a
- 26:58Speaker 1: book and a letter, both written in fine parchment and
- 27:02Speaker 1: wrapped up in sindons of linen. The book contained all
- 27:06Speaker 1: the canonical books of the Old and New Testament, according
- 27:10Speaker 1: as you have them, for we know well what the
- 27:13Speaker 1: churches with you receive. And the Apocalypse itself, and some
- 27:17Speaker 1: other books of the New Testament, which were not at
- 27:19Speaker 1: that time written, were nevertheless in the book, and for
- 27:22Speaker 1: the letter. It was in these words, I Bartholomew, a
- 27:27Speaker 1: servant of the Highest and apostle of Jesus Christ, was
- 27:31Speaker 1: warned by an angel that appereth to me in a
- 27:33Speaker 1: vision of glory, that I should commit this ark to
- 27:36Speaker 1: the floods of the sea. Therefore, I do testify and
- 27:39Speaker 1: declare unto that people where God shall ordain this ark
- 27:42Speaker 1: to come to land, that in the same day is
- 27:45Speaker 1: come unto them salvation and peace and good will from
- 27:49Speaker 1: the Father and from the Lord Jesus. There was also
- 27:53Speaker 1: in both these writings as well the book as the
- 27:55Speaker 1: letter wrought a great miracle conformed to that of the
- 27:59Speaker 1: Apostles in the original gift of tongues, for there being
- 28:03Speaker 1: at that time in this land Hebrews, Persians, and Indians,
- 28:06Speaker 1: besides the natives. Every one read upon the book and
- 28:10Speaker 1: letter as if they had been written in his own language.
- 28:13Speaker 1: And thus was this land saved from infidelity, as the
- 28:17Speaker 1: remainder of the old world was from water by an
- 28:20Speaker 1: ark through the apostolical and miraculous evangelism of Saint Bartholomew.
- 28:26Speaker 1: And here he paused, and a messenger came and called
- 28:29Speaker 1: him from us. So this was all that passed in
- 28:31Speaker 1: that conference. The next day, the same governor came again
- 28:35Speaker 1: to us immediately after dinner and excused himself, saying that
- 28:40Speaker 1: the day before he was called from us somewhat abruptly,
- 28:43Speaker 1: but now he would make us amends and spend time
- 28:46Speaker 1: with us if we held his company and conference agreeable.
- 28:50Speaker 1: We answered that we held it so agreeable and pleasing
- 28:53Speaker 1: to us, as we forgot both dangers past and fears
- 28:57Speaker 1: to come, for the time we hear him speak, and
- 29:00Speaker 1: that we thought an hour spent with him was worth
- 29:03Speaker 1: years of our former life. He bowed himself a little
- 29:07Speaker 1: to us, and after we were set again, he said, well,
- 29:11Speaker 1: the questions are in your part. One of our number said,
- 29:16Speaker 1: after a little pause, that there was a matter we
- 29:18Speaker 1: were no less desirous to know than fearful to ask,
- 29:22Speaker 1: lest we might presume too far. But encouraged by his
- 29:25Speaker 1: rare humanity towards us that could scarce think ourselves strangers,
- 29:29Speaker 1: being his vowed and professed servants, we would take the
- 29:33Speaker 1: heartiness to propound it, humbly, beseeching him if he thought
- 29:37Speaker 1: it was not fit to be answered, that he would
- 29:39Speaker 1: pardon it. Though he rejected it, we said, we well
- 29:43Speaker 1: observed those his words which he formerly spake, That this
- 29:47Speaker 1: happy island where we now stood, was known to few,
- 29:51Speaker 1: and yet knew most of the nations of the world,
- 29:54Speaker 1: which we found to be true, considering they had the
- 29:56Speaker 1: languages of Europe, and knew much of our state and
- 29:59Speaker 1: build business. And yet we in Europe, notwithstanding all the
- 30:03Speaker 1: remote discoveries and navigations of this last age, never heard
- 30:07Speaker 1: of the least inkling or glimpse of this island. This
- 30:11Speaker 1: we found wonderful strange, for that all nations have inter
- 30:15Speaker 1: knowledge one of another, either by voyage into foreign parts
- 30:19Speaker 1: or by strangers that come to them. And though the
- 30:22Speaker 1: traveler into a foreign country doth commonly know more by
- 30:25Speaker 1: the eye than he that stayeth at home can by
- 30:28Speaker 1: relation of the traveler, yet both ways suffice to make
- 30:32Speaker 1: a mutual knowledge in some degree on both parts. Before
- 30:36Speaker 1: this island we never heard tell of any ship of
- 30:38Speaker 1: Theirs that had been seen to arrive upon any shore
- 30:42Speaker 1: of Europe, nor of either the East or West Indies,
- 30:46Speaker 1: nor yet of any ship of any other part of
- 30:48Speaker 1: the world that had made return from them. And yet
- 30:51Speaker 1: the marvel rested not in this for the situation of it,
- 30:55Speaker 1: as his lordship said, in the secret conclave of such
- 30:58Speaker 1: a vast sea might but then that they should have
- 31:02Speaker 1: knowledge of the language's books affairs of those that lie
- 31:06Speaker 1: such a distance from them. It was a thing we
- 31:08Speaker 1: could not tell what to make of, for that it
- 31:11Speaker 1: seemed to us a conditioner and propriety of divine powers
- 31:15Speaker 1: and beings to be hidden and unseen to others, and
- 31:19Speaker 1: yet to have others open and as in a light
- 31:21Speaker 1: to them. At this speech, the Governor gave a gracious
- 31:26Speaker 1: smile and said that we did well to ask pardon
- 31:30Speaker 1: for this question. We now asked for that it imported,
- 31:33Speaker 1: as if we thought this land a land of magicians,
- 31:36Speaker 1: that set forth spirits of the air into all parts
- 31:39Speaker 1: to bring them news and intelligence of other countries. It
- 31:43Speaker 1: was answered by us, all in all possible humbleness, but
- 31:46Speaker 1: yet with a countenance, taking knowledge that we knew that
- 31:50Speaker 1: he spake it, but merrily that we were apt enough
- 31:53Speaker 1: to think that there was somewhat supernatural in this island,
- 31:56Speaker 1: but yet rather as angelical than magical. But to let
- 32:00Speaker 1: his lordship know truly what it was that made us
- 32:02Speaker 1: tender and doubtful to ask this question. It was not
- 32:06Speaker 1: any such conceit, but because we remembered he had given
- 32:09Speaker 1: a touch in his former speech that this land had
- 32:12Speaker 1: laws of secrecy touching strangers to this. He said, you
- 32:16Speaker 1: remember it, aright, And therefore in that I shall say
- 32:19Speaker 1: to you which it is not lawful for me to reveal.
- 32:23Speaker 1: But there will be enough left to give you satisfaction.
- 32:27Speaker 1: You shall understand that which perhaps you will scarce think credible,
- 32:31Speaker 1: that about three thousand years ago or somewhat more, the
- 32:34Speaker 1: navigation of the world, especially for remote voyages, was greater
- 32:39Speaker 1: than at this day. Do not think with yourselves that
- 32:42Speaker 1: I know not how much of it is increased with
- 32:45Speaker 1: you within these six score years. I know it well,
- 32:48Speaker 1: and yet I say greater then than now. Whether it
- 32:52Speaker 1: was that the example of the ark that saved the
- 32:54Speaker 1: remnant of men from the universal deluge gave men confidence
- 32:58Speaker 1: to adventure upon the waters, or what it was, But
- 33:02Speaker 1: such is the truth. The Phoenicians, and especially the Tyrians
- 33:06Speaker 1: had great fleets, so had the Carthaginians, their colony, which
- 33:10Speaker 1: is yet further west towards the east. The shipping of
- 33:13Speaker 1: Egypt and of Palestine was likewise great. China also and
- 33:17Speaker 1: the great Atlantis that you call America, which have now
- 33:21Speaker 1: but junks and canoes, abounded then in tall ships. This island,
- 33:26Speaker 1: as appeareth by faithful registers of those times, had then
- 33:30Speaker 1: fifteen hundred strong ships of great content. Of all this
- 33:35Speaker 1: there is with you sparing memory or none, but we
- 33:38Speaker 1: have large knowledge thereof. At that time this land was
- 33:43Speaker 1: known and frequented by the ships and vessels of all
- 33:45Speaker 1: the nations before named. And as it cometh to pass,
- 33:49Speaker 1: they had many times men of other countries that were
- 33:52Speaker 1: no sailors that came with them, as Persians, Chaldeans, Arabians,
- 33:58Speaker 1: so as almost all nations of might and fame resorted
- 34:01Speaker 1: hither of whom we have some stirps and little tribes
- 34:05Speaker 1: with us at this day, and for our own ships,
- 34:08Speaker 1: they went sundry voyages, as well as to your straits,
- 34:11Speaker 1: which you call the pillars of Hercules, as to other
- 34:14Speaker 1: parts in the Atlantic and mediterrane seas, as to Paguin,
- 34:19Speaker 1: which is the same with Cambelline and Quinsy, upon the
- 34:23Speaker 1: Oriental seas, as far as to the borders of the
- 34:25Speaker 1: East Tartary. At the same time, and an age after
- 34:30Speaker 1: or more, the inhabitants of the great Atlantis did flourish.
- 34:35Speaker 1: For though the narration and description which is made by
- 34:37Speaker 1: a great man with you, that the descendants of Neptune
- 34:40Speaker 1: planted there, and of the magnificent temple, palace, city, and hill,
- 34:45Speaker 1: and the manifold streams of goodly navigable rivers, which has
- 34:49Speaker 1: so many chains environed the same site and temple, and
- 34:52Speaker 1: the several degrees of ascent, whereby men did climb up
- 34:56Speaker 1: to the same as if it had been a scala coeli.
- 34:59Speaker 1: Be all poetical and fabulous, Yet so much is true
- 35:04Speaker 1: that the said country of Atlantis, as well as that
- 35:06Speaker 1: of Peru, then called Coya, as that of Mexico, then
- 35:10Speaker 1: named Tyrone Belle, were mighty and proud kingdoms in arms,
- 35:14Speaker 1: shipping and riches, so mighty as at one time, or
- 35:19Speaker 1: at least within the space of ten years, they both
- 35:21Speaker 1: made two great expeditions. They of Tyrone Belle through the
- 35:26Speaker 1: Atlantic to the mediterrane Sea, and they of Coya through
- 35:30Speaker 1: the South Sea upon this our island. And for the
- 35:33Speaker 1: former of these, which was into Europe. The same author
- 35:36Speaker 1: amongst you, as it seemeth, had some relation from the
- 35:40Speaker 1: Egyptian priest whom he cited end of section two, Section three.
- 35:49Speaker 1: And they of Coya through the South Sea upon this
- 35:51Speaker 1: our island, and for the former of these, which was
- 35:54Speaker 1: into Europe, the same author amongst you, as it seemeth,
- 35:58Speaker 1: had some relation from them the Egyptian priest whom he
- 36:01Speaker 1: sighted for assuredly such a thing there was. But whether
- 36:06Speaker 1: it were the ancient Athenians that had the glory of
- 36:09Speaker 1: the repulse and resistance of those forces, I can say
- 36:13Speaker 1: nothing but certain it is there never came back, either
- 36:16Speaker 1: ship or man from that voyage, neither had the other
- 36:20Speaker 1: voyage of those Koya upon us had better fortune if
- 36:23Speaker 1: they had not met with enemies of greater clemency for
- 36:27Speaker 1: the king of this island by name Altabin, a wise
- 36:31Speaker 1: man and a great warrior, knowing well both his own
- 36:34Speaker 1: strength and that of his enemies, handled the matter. So
- 36:38Speaker 1: as he cut off their land forces from their ships,
- 36:41Speaker 1: and entoiled both their navy and their tamp with a
- 36:44Speaker 1: greater power than theirs, both by sea and land, Arid
- 36:49Speaker 1: compelled them to render themselves without striking stroke, And after
- 36:53Speaker 1: they were at his mercy, contenting himself only with their
- 36:56Speaker 1: oath that they should no more bear arms against him,
- 37:00Speaker 1: dismissed them all in safety. But the divine revenge overtook
- 37:05Speaker 1: not long after those proud enterprises, for within less than
- 37:09Speaker 1: the space of one hundred years, the great Atlantis was
- 37:12Speaker 1: utterly lost and destroyed, not by a great earthquake, as
- 37:16Speaker 1: your man saith, for that whole tract is little subject
- 37:20Speaker 1: to earthquakes, but by a particular deluge or inundation, those
- 37:25Speaker 1: countries having at this day far greater rivers and far
- 37:28Speaker 1: higher mountains to pour down waters than any part of
- 37:32Speaker 1: the old world. But it is true that the same
- 37:35Speaker 1: inundation was not deep, not past forty foot in most
- 37:39Speaker 1: places from the ground, so that although it destroyed man
- 37:43Speaker 1: and beast generally. Yet some few wild inhabitants of the
- 37:47Speaker 1: wood escaped birds also were saved by flying to the
- 37:51Speaker 1: high trees and woods. For as for men, although they
- 37:55Speaker 1: had buildings in many places higher than the depth of
- 37:58Speaker 1: the water, yet that inundation, though it were shallow, had
- 38:02Speaker 1: a long continuance, whereby they of the veil that were
- 38:06Speaker 1: not drowned, perished for want of food and other things necessary.
- 38:12Speaker 1: So as marvel you not at the thin population of America,
- 38:16Speaker 1: nor at the rudeness and ignorance of the people, For
- 38:19Speaker 1: you must account your inhabitants of America as a young people,
- 38:22Speaker 1: younger a thousand years at the least than the rest
- 38:25Speaker 1: of the world, for that there was so much time
- 38:28Speaker 1: between the universal flood and their particular inundation. For the
- 38:32Speaker 1: poor remnant of human seed, which remained in their mountains
- 38:36Speaker 1: peopled the country again slowly by little and little, and
- 38:40Speaker 1: being simple and savage people, not like Noah and his sons,
- 38:44Speaker 1: which was the chief family of the earth, they were
- 38:47Speaker 1: not able to leave letters, arts, and civility to their posterity,
- 38:51Speaker 1: and having likewise in their mountainous habitations, been used in
- 38:55Speaker 1: respect of the extreme cold of these regions to clothe
- 38:58Speaker 1: themselves with the skins of tigers, bears, and great hairy
- 39:02Speaker 1: goats that they have in those parts. When after they
- 39:05Speaker 1: came down into the valley and found the intolerable heats
- 39:08Speaker 1: which are there, and knew no means of lighter apparel,
- 39:12Speaker 1: they were forced to begin the custom of going naked,
- 39:15Speaker 1: which continueth at this day. Only they take great pride
- 39:19Speaker 1: and delight in the feathers of birds, and this also
- 39:22Speaker 1: they took from those their ancestors of the mountains, who
- 39:26Speaker 1: were invited unto it by the infinite flights of birds
- 39:29Speaker 1: that came up to the high grounds while the waters
- 39:32Speaker 1: stood below. So you see, by this main accident of time,
- 39:37Speaker 1: we lost our traffic with the Americans, with whom, of
- 39:40Speaker 1: all others in regard they lay nearest to us, we
- 39:43Speaker 1: had most commerce. As for the other parts of the world,
- 39:47Speaker 1: it is most manifest that in the ages following, whether
- 39:51Speaker 1: it were in respective wars or by a natural revolution
- 39:54Speaker 1: of time, navigation did everywhere greatly decay, and specially far voyage.
- 40:00Speaker 1: The rather by the use of galleys and such vessels
- 40:03Speaker 1: as could hardly brook the ocean, were altogether left and
- 40:06Speaker 1: omitted so then that part of intercourse which could be
- 40:11Speaker 1: from other nations to sail to us. You see how
- 40:13Speaker 1: it hath long since ceased, except it were by some
- 40:17Speaker 1: rare accident as this of yours. But now of the
- 40:21Speaker 1: cessation of that other part of intercourse, which might be
- 40:24Speaker 1: by our sailing to other nations, I must yield you
- 40:28Speaker 1: some other cause. For I cannot say if I shall
- 40:31Speaker 1: say truly, but our shipping, for number, strength, mariners, pilots,
- 40:35Speaker 1: and all things that appertain to navigation, is as great
- 40:39Speaker 1: as ever. And therefore why we should sit at home.
- 40:42Speaker 1: I shall now give you an account by itself, and
- 40:45Speaker 1: it will draw nearer to give you satisfaction to your
- 40:49Speaker 1: principal question. There reigned in this land about nineteen hundred
- 40:54Speaker 1: years ago a king whose memory, of all others we
- 40:57Speaker 1: most adore, not superstitiously, but as a divine instrument. Though
- 41:01Speaker 1: a mortal man, his name was Solomona, and we esteem
- 41:06Speaker 1: him as the law giver of our nation. This king
- 41:10Speaker 1: had a large heart, inscrutable for good, and was wholly
- 41:13Speaker 1: bent to make his kingdom and people happy. He therefore,
- 41:17Speaker 1: taking into consideration how sufficient and substantive this land was,
- 41:21Speaker 1: to maintain itself, without any aid at all of the foreigner,
- 41:26Speaker 1: being five thousand, six hundred miles in circuit, and of
- 41:29Speaker 1: rare fertility of soil in the greatest part thereof, and
- 41:32Speaker 1: finding also the shipping of this country might be plentifully
- 41:36Speaker 1: set on work, both by fishing and by transportations from
- 41:39Speaker 1: port to port, and likewise by sailing unto some small
- 41:43Speaker 1: islands that are not far from us, and are under
- 41:46Speaker 1: the crown and laws of this state, and recalling into
- 41:49Speaker 1: his memory the happy and flourishing estate wherein this land
- 41:53Speaker 1: then was so as it might be a thousand ways
- 41:56Speaker 1: altered to the worse, but scarce any one way to
- 41:59Speaker 1: the better. Thought. Nothing wanted to his noble and heroical intentions,
- 42:04Speaker 1: but only as far as human foresight might reach, to
- 42:07Speaker 1: give perpetuity to that which was in his time so
- 42:10Speaker 1: happily established. Therefore, amongst his other fundamental laws of this kingdom,
- 42:16Speaker 1: he did ordain the interdicts and prohibitions which we have
- 42:19Speaker 1: touching entrance of strangers, which, at that time, though it
- 42:23Speaker 1: was after the calamity of America, was frequent, doubting novelties
- 42:28Speaker 1: and comixture of manners. It is true the like law
- 42:32Speaker 1: against the admission of strangers without license is an ancient
- 42:35Speaker 1: law in the Kingdom of China, and yet continued in use.
- 42:39Speaker 1: But there it is a poor thing, and hath made
- 42:42Speaker 1: them a curious, ignorant, fearful, foolish nation. But our law
- 42:46Speaker 1: giver made his law of another temper. For first he
- 42:50Speaker 1: hath preserved all points of humanity in taking order and
- 42:54Speaker 1: making provision for the relief of strangers distressed. Whereof you
- 42:57Speaker 1: have tasted, at which speech, as reason was we all
- 43:04Speaker 1: rose up and bowed ourselves. He went on that king, also,
- 43:10Speaker 1: still desiring to join humanity and policy together, and thinking
- 43:14Speaker 1: it against humanity to detain strangers here, against their wills,
- 43:18Speaker 1: and against policy, that they should return and discover their
- 43:21Speaker 1: knowledge of this estate, he took this course. He did
- 43:26Speaker 1: ordain that of the strangers that should be permitted to land,
- 43:29Speaker 1: as many at all times might depart as would, but
- 43:32Speaker 1: as many as would stay, should have very good conditions
- 43:35Speaker 1: and means to live from the state wherein he saw
- 43:39Speaker 1: so far that now, in so many ages since the prohibition,
- 43:42Speaker 1: we have memory not of one ship that ever returned,
- 43:46Speaker 1: and but of thirteen persons only at several times that
- 43:49Speaker 1: chose to return. In our bottoms. What those few that
- 43:54Speaker 1: returned may have reported abroad, I know not, but you
- 43:57Speaker 1: must think whatsoever they have said could be take and
- 44:00Speaker 1: where they came but for a dream. Now for our
- 44:04Speaker 1: traveling from Hannah into parts abroad, our lawgiver thought fit
- 44:08Speaker 1: altogether to restrain it. So is it not in China
- 44:12Speaker 1: for the Chinese sale where they will or can, which
- 44:15Speaker 1: sheweth that their law of keeping out strangers is a
- 44:18Speaker 1: law of pusillanimity and fear. But this restraint of ours
- 44:23Speaker 1: hath one only exception, which is admirable, preserving the good
- 44:28Speaker 1: which cometh by communicating with strangers and avoiding the hurt.
- 44:32Speaker 1: And I will now open it to you. And here
- 44:34Speaker 1: I shall seem a little to digress, but you will
- 44:37Speaker 1: by and by find it pertinent. Ye shall understand, my
- 44:41Speaker 1: dear friends, that amongst the excellent acts of that king,
- 44:45Speaker 1: one above all hath the pre eminence. It was the
- 44:48Speaker 1: erection and institution of an order or society, which we
- 44:52Speaker 1: call Salomon's House, the noblest foundation as we think that
- 44:57Speaker 1: ever was upon the earth, the lanthorn of this kingdom.
- 45:02Speaker 1: It is dedicated to the study of the works and
- 45:04Speaker 1: creatures of God. Some think it beareth the founder's name
- 45:08Speaker 1: a little corrupted, as if it should be Solomona's house.
- 45:12Speaker 1: But the records write it as it is spoken, so
- 45:15Speaker 1: as I take it to be denominate of the King
- 45:19Speaker 1: of the Hebrews, which is famous with you and no
- 45:22Speaker 1: stranger to us, For we have some parts of his
- 45:25Speaker 1: works which with you are lost, namely that natural history
- 45:30Speaker 1: which he wrote, of all plants from the cedar of
- 45:33Speaker 1: Libanus to the moss that groweth out of the wall,
- 45:36Speaker 1: and of all things that have life and motion. This
- 45:39Speaker 1: maketh me think that our King, finding himself to symbolize
- 45:43Speaker 1: in many things with that King of the Hebrews, which
- 45:46Speaker 1: lived many years before him, honored him with the title
- 45:49Speaker 1: of this foundation. And I am rather induced to be
- 45:53Speaker 1: of this opinion, for that I find in ancient records
- 45:56Speaker 1: this order or society is sometimes called Salomon's House, and
- 46:01Speaker 1: sometimes the College of the Six Days works, whereby I
- 46:05Speaker 1: am satisfied that our excellent King had learned from the
- 46:08Speaker 1: Hebrews that God had created the world and all that
- 46:11Speaker 1: therein is within six days, and therefore he instituting that
- 46:16Speaker 1: house for the finding out of the true nature of
- 46:19Speaker 1: all things, whereby God might have the more glory in
- 46:22Speaker 1: the workmanship of them, and insert the more fruit in
- 46:25Speaker 1: the use of them, did give it also that second name.
- 46:29Speaker 1: But now to come to our present purpose. When the
- 46:32Speaker 1: King had forbidden to all his people navigation into any
- 46:35Speaker 1: part that was not under his crown, he made nevertheless
- 46:39Speaker 1: this ordinance that every twelve years there should be set
- 46:43Speaker 1: forth out of this kingdom two ships appointed to several voyages.
- 46:47Speaker 1: That in either of these ships there should be a
- 46:49Speaker 1: mission of three of the fellows or brethren of Salomon's House,
- 46:54Speaker 1: whose errand was only to give us knowledge of the
- 46:56Speaker 1: affairs and state of those countries to which they were designed,
- 47:00Speaker 1: and especially of the sciences, arts, manufactures, and inventions of
- 47:05Speaker 1: all the world, and withal to bring unto us books, instruments,
- 47:09Speaker 1: and patterns in every kind. That the ships, after they
- 47:13Speaker 1: had landed the brethren should return, and that the brethren
- 47:17Speaker 1: should stay abroad till the new mission. These ships are
- 47:20Speaker 1: not otherwise fraught than with store of vitals and good
- 47:23Speaker 1: quantity of treasure, to remain with the brethren for the
- 47:26Speaker 1: buying of such things and rewarding of such persons as
- 47:29Speaker 1: they should think fit. Now for me to tell you
- 47:32Speaker 1: how the vulgar sort of mariners are contained from being
- 47:35Speaker 1: discovered at land. And how they that must be put
- 47:38Speaker 1: on shore for any time color themselves under the names
- 47:41Speaker 1: of other nations. And to what places these voyages have
- 47:44Speaker 1: been designed, and what places of rendezvous are appointed for
- 47:48Speaker 1: the new missions, and the like circumstances of the practique.
- 47:53Speaker 1: I may not do it, neither is it much to
- 47:55Speaker 1: your desire. But thus you see we maintain a trade,
- 47:59Speaker 1: not for gold, silver, or jewels, nor for silks, nor
- 48:03Speaker 1: for spices, nor any other commodity of matter, but only
- 48:07Speaker 1: for God's first creature, which was light, to have light,
- 48:11Speaker 1: I say, of the growth of all parts of the world.
- 48:14Speaker 1: And when he had said this, he was silent, and
- 48:17Speaker 1: so were we all, For indeed, we were all astonished
- 48:21Speaker 1: to hear so strange things so probably told. And he,
- 48:25Speaker 1: perceiving that we were willing to say somewhat, but had
- 48:28Speaker 1: it not ready, in great courtesy, took us off and
- 48:31Speaker 1: descended to ask us questions of our voyage and fortunes,
- 48:35Speaker 1: and in the end concluded that we might do well
- 48:37Speaker 1: to think with ourselves what time of stay we would
- 48:40Speaker 1: demand of the state, and bade us not to scant
- 48:43Speaker 1: ourselves for he would procure such time as we desired.
- 48:47Speaker 1: Whereupon we all rose up and presented ourselves to kiss
- 48:50Speaker 1: the skirt of his tippet. But he would not suffer us,
- 48:54Speaker 1: and so took his leave. But when it came once
- 48:57Speaker 1: amongst our people that the state used to offer conditions
- 49:00Speaker 1: to strangers that would stay, we had work enough to
- 49:03Speaker 1: get any of our men to look to our ship,
- 49:05Speaker 1: and to keep them from going presently to the governor
- 49:08Speaker 1: to crave conditions. But with much ado we refrained them
- 49:12Speaker 1: till we might agree what course to take. We took
- 49:16Speaker 1: ourselves now for free men, seeing there was no danger
- 49:20Speaker 1: of our utter perdition, and lived most joyfully, going abroad
- 49:24Speaker 1: and seeing what there was to be seen in the
- 49:26Speaker 1: city and places adjacent within our tetor, and obtaining acquaintance
- 49:31Speaker 1: with many of the city not of the meanest quality,
- 49:34Speaker 1: at whose hands we found such humanity, and such a
- 49:37Speaker 1: freedom and desire to take strangers, as it were, into
- 49:39Speaker 1: their bosom, as was enough to make us forget all
- 49:42Speaker 1: that was dear to us in our own countries. And
- 49:45Speaker 1: continually we met with many things right worthy of observation
- 49:49Speaker 1: and relation. As indeed, if there be a mirror in
- 49:53Speaker 1: the world worthy to hold men's eyes. It is that country.
- 49:57Speaker 1: One day there were two of our company bidden to
- 50:00Speaker 1: a feast of the family, as they call it, a
- 50:02Speaker 1: most natural, pious and reverend custom. It is shewing that
- 50:06Speaker 1: nation to be compounded of all goodness. This is the
- 50:10Speaker 1: manner of it. It is granted to any man that
- 50:12Speaker 1: shall live to see thirty persons descended of his body
- 50:15Speaker 1: alive together and all above three years old, to make
- 50:19Speaker 1: this feast, which is done at the cost of the state.
- 50:22Speaker 1: The father of the family, whom they call the Tirsan,
- 50:25Speaker 1: two days before the feast, taketh to him three of
- 50:28Speaker 1: such friends as he liketh to choose, and is assisted
- 50:32Speaker 1: also by the governor of the city or place where
- 50:34Speaker 1: the feast is celebrated, and all the persons of the
- 50:37Speaker 1: family of both sexes are summoned to attend him. These
- 50:42Speaker 1: two days the Tirsan sitteth in consultation concerning the good
- 50:46Speaker 1: estate of the family. There if there be any discord
- 50:50Speaker 1: or suits between any of the family, they are compounded
- 50:53Speaker 1: and appeased. There if any of the family be distressed
- 50:57Speaker 1: or decayed, order is taken for their relief and competent
- 51:01Speaker 1: means to live there. If any be subject to vice
- 51:05Speaker 1: or take ill courses, they are reproved and censured. So
- 51:09Speaker 1: likewise direction is given touching marriages and the courses of
- 51:12Speaker 1: life which any of them should take, with diverse other
- 51:16Speaker 1: the like orders and advices. The governor assisteth to the
- 51:20Speaker 1: end to put in execution by his public authority, the
- 51:24Speaker 1: decrees and orders of the Tirsan, if they should be disobeyed,
- 51:28Speaker 1: though that seldom needeth such reverence and obedience they give
- 51:32Speaker 1: to the order of nature. The Tirsan doth also, then ever,
- 51:36Speaker 1: choose one man from among his sons to live in
- 51:39Speaker 1: house with him, who is called ever after the son
- 51:42Speaker 1: of the Vine. The reason will hereafter appear on the
- 51:45Speaker 1: feast day. The father or Tiersan cometh forth after divine
- 51:49Speaker 1: service into a large room where the feast is celebrated,
- 51:52Speaker 1: which room hath and half pace at the upper end
- 51:56Speaker 1: against the wall. In the middle of the half pace
- 51:59Speaker 1: is a chair placed for him, with a table and
- 52:01Speaker 1: carpet before it. Over the chair is a state made
- 52:05Speaker 1: round or oval, and it is of ivy, an ivy
- 52:08Speaker 1: somewhat whiter than ours, like the leaf of a silver asp,
- 52:12Speaker 1: but more shining, for it is green all winter, and
- 52:15Speaker 1: the state is curiously wrought with silver and silk of
- 52:18Speaker 1: diverse colors, broiding or binding in the ivy, and is
- 52:23Speaker 1: ever the work of some of the daughters of the family,
- 52:26Speaker 1: and veiled over at the top with a fine net
- 52:29Speaker 1: of silk and silver. But the substance of it is
- 52:32Speaker 1: true ivy, whereof after it is taken down, the friends
- 52:36Speaker 1: of the family are desirous to have some leaf or
- 52:38Speaker 1: sprig to keep the Tiersen cometh forth with all his
- 52:43Speaker 1: generation or lineage, the males before him and the females
- 52:46Speaker 1: following him. And if there be a mother from whose
- 52:49Speaker 1: body the whole lineage is descended, there is a traverse
- 52:53Speaker 1: placed in aloft above on the right hand of the chair,
- 52:56Speaker 1: with a privy door and a carved window of glass
- 52:59Speaker 1: leaded with gold and blue, where she sitteth but is
- 53:03Speaker 1: not seen. End of section three, section four. And if
- 53:12Speaker 1: there be a mother from whose body the whole lineage
- 53:14Speaker 1: is descended, there is a traverse placed in a loft above,
- 53:18Speaker 1: on the right hand of the chair, with a privy
- 53:20Speaker 1: door and a carved window of glass leaded with gold
- 53:23Speaker 1: and blue, where she sitteth but is not seen. When
- 53:28Speaker 1: the tearsan is come forth. He sitteth down in the chair,
- 53:32Speaker 1: and all the lineage place themselves against the wall, both
- 53:35Speaker 1: at his back and upon the return of the half pace,
- 53:38Speaker 1: in order of their years, without difference of sex, and
- 53:41Speaker 1: stand upon their feet when he is set the room
- 53:45Speaker 1: being always full of company, but well captain without disorder.
- 53:48Speaker 1: After some pause, there cometh in from the lower end
- 53:51Speaker 1: of the room a taratan, which is as much as
- 53:54Speaker 1: an herald, and on either side of him two young lads,
- 53:58Speaker 1: whereof one carrieth a scroll of their sh shining yellow parchment,
- 54:01Speaker 1: and the other a cluster of grapes of gold with
- 54:04Speaker 1: a long foot or stalk. The herald and children are
- 54:07Speaker 1: clothed with mantles of sea water, green satin, but the
- 54:11Speaker 1: herald's mantle is streamed with gold, and hath a train.
- 54:15Speaker 1: Then the herald, with three curtsies, or rather inclinations, cometh
- 54:19Speaker 1: up as far as the half pace, and there first
- 54:22Speaker 1: taketh into his hand the scroll. This scroll is the
- 54:25Speaker 1: King's charter, containing gifts of revenue and many privileges, exemptions,
- 54:29Speaker 1: and points of honor granted to the father of the family,
- 54:33Speaker 1: and is ever styled and directed to such do one
- 54:36Speaker 1: our well beloved friend and creditor, which is a title
- 54:39Speaker 1: proper only to this case, For they say the king
- 54:43Speaker 1: is debtor to no man but for a propagation of
- 54:45Speaker 1: his subjects. The seal set to the king's charter as
- 54:49Speaker 1: the king's image embossed or molded in gold. And though
- 54:52Speaker 1: such charters be expedited, of course and as of right,
- 54:56Speaker 1: yet they are varied by discretion according to the number
- 54:59Speaker 1: and dignity of the Fan family. This charter, the Herald
- 55:02Speaker 1: readeth aloud, and while it is read, the father or
- 55:05Speaker 1: Tiarsan standeth up, supported by two of his sons, such
- 55:08Speaker 1: as he chooseth. Then the Herald mounteth the half pace
- 55:11Speaker 1: and delivereth the charter into his hand. And with that
- 55:14Speaker 1: there is an acclamation by all that are present in
- 55:17Speaker 1: their language, which is thus much happy are the people
- 55:20Speaker 1: of Bensalen. Then the Herald taketh into his hand from
- 55:24Speaker 1: the other child the cluster of grapes, which is of gold,
- 55:27Speaker 1: both the stalk and the grapes. But the grapes are
- 55:30Speaker 1: daintily enameled. And if the males of the family be
- 55:33Speaker 1: the greater number, the grapes are enameled purple with a
- 55:35Speaker 1: little son sat on the top. If the females, then
- 55:39Speaker 1: they are enameled into a greenish yellow with a crescent
- 55:42Speaker 1: on the top. The grapes are in number as many
- 55:44Speaker 1: as there are descendants of the family this golden cluster.
- 55:48Speaker 1: The herald delivereth also to the Tyrsan, who presently delivereth
- 55:52Speaker 1: it over to that son that he had formerly chosen
- 55:55Speaker 1: to be in house with him, who beareth it before
- 55:58Speaker 1: his father as an ensign of honor, when he goeth
- 56:00Speaker 1: in public ever after, and is thereupon called the son
- 56:04Speaker 1: of the Vine. After the ceremony endeth the father or
- 56:09Speaker 1: Tiersan retireth, and after some time cometh forth again to dinner,
- 56:13Speaker 1: where he sitteth alone under the state as before, and
- 56:16Speaker 1: none of his descendants sit with him, of what degree
- 56:19Speaker 1: or dignity soever, except he hap to be of Salomon's house.
- 56:23Speaker 1: He is served only by his own children, such as
- 56:26Speaker 1: are male, who perform unto him all service of the
- 56:28Speaker 1: table upon the knee, and the women only stand about
- 56:32Speaker 1: him leaning against the wall. The room below the half
- 56:35Speaker 1: pace hath tables on the sides for the guests that
- 56:38Speaker 1: are bidden, who are served with great and comely order,
- 56:43Speaker 1: which in the greatest feasts, with them lasteth never above
- 56:46Speaker 1: an hour and an half. There is a hymn sung
- 56:49Speaker 1: varied according to the invention of him that composeth it,
- 56:53Speaker 1: For they have excellent posy, but the subject of it
- 56:56Speaker 1: is always the praises of Adam and Noah and Abraham Ham,
- 57:01Speaker 1: whereof the former two people the world, and the last
- 57:03Speaker 1: was the Father of the faithful, concluding ever with a
- 57:06Speaker 1: thanksgiving for the nativity of our Savior, in whose birth
- 57:10Speaker 1: the births of all are only blessed. Dinner being done,
- 57:14Speaker 1: the tier san retireth again, and having withdrawn himself alone
- 57:18Speaker 1: into a place where he makes some private prayers, he
- 57:21Speaker 1: cometh forth the third time to give the blessing with
- 57:24Speaker 1: all his descendants who stand about him, as at the first.
- 57:27Speaker 1: Then he calleth them forth by one and by one
- 57:30Speaker 1: by name, as he pleaseth, though seldom the order of
- 57:33Speaker 1: age be inverted. The person that is called the table,
- 57:36Speaker 1: being before removed, kneeleth down before the chair, and the
- 57:40Speaker 1: Father layeth his hand upon his head or her head,
- 57:44Speaker 1: and giveth the blessing in these words, son of Bensalem,
- 57:47Speaker 1: or daughter of Bensalem, Thy Father with it the man
- 57:50Speaker 1: by whom thou hast breath and life. Speaketh the word
- 57:53Speaker 1: the blessing of the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,
- 57:56Speaker 1: and the Holy Dove, Be upon thee, and make the
- 57:59Speaker 1: days of the pilgrimage good and many. This he saith
- 58:03Speaker 1: to every of them, And that done. If there be
- 58:06Speaker 1: any of his sons of eminent birth and virtue, so
- 58:08Speaker 1: they be not above two, he calleth for them again,
- 58:12Speaker 1: and saith, laying his arm over their shoulders. They standing sons.
- 58:16Speaker 1: It is well ye are born. Give God the praise,
- 58:19Speaker 1: and persevere to the end, and withal deliberate to either
- 58:23Speaker 1: of them a jewel made in the figure of an
- 58:25Speaker 1: ear of wheat, which they ever after wear in the
- 58:28Speaker 1: front of their turban or hat. This done, they fall
- 58:31Speaker 1: to music and dances and other recreations after their manner
- 58:34Speaker 1: for the rest of the day. This is the full
- 58:36Speaker 1: order of that feast. By that time six or seven
- 58:41Speaker 1: days were spent. I was fallen into straight acquaintance with
- 58:45Speaker 1: a merchant of that city, whose name was Joabin. He
- 58:49Speaker 1: was a Jew and circumcised. For they have some few
- 58:52Speaker 1: stirps of Jews yet remaining among them, whom they leave
- 58:55Speaker 1: to their own religion, which they may the better do,
- 58:59Speaker 1: because they are of a far differing disposition from the
- 59:02Speaker 1: Jews in other parts. For whereas they hate the name
- 59:05Speaker 1: of Christ and have a secret inbred rancor against the
- 59:08Speaker 1: people among whom they live, these contrariwise give unto our
- 59:12Speaker 1: Savior many high attributes, and love the nation of Bensalem extremely. Surely,
- 59:17Speaker 1: this man of whom I speak would ever acknowledge that
- 59:20Speaker 1: Christ was born of a virgin, and that he was
- 59:22Speaker 1: more than a man, and he would tell how God
- 59:25Speaker 1: made him ruler of the Seraphims which guard his throne.
- 59:28Speaker 1: And they call him also the Milken Way and the
- 59:31Speaker 1: Eliah of the Messiah, and many other high names, which,
- 59:35Speaker 1: though they be inferior to his divine majesty, yet they
- 59:38Speaker 1: are far from the language of other Jews. And for
- 59:42Speaker 1: the country of Bensalem, this man would make no end
- 59:45Speaker 1: of commending it, being desirous by tradition among the Jews
- 59:48Speaker 1: there to have it believed that the people thereof were
- 59:51Speaker 1: of the generations of Abraham by another son, whom they
- 59:54Speaker 1: call Nacharon, and that Moses, by a secret Kabbalah, ordained
- 1:00:00Speaker 1: the laws of Bensalem, which they now use, and that
- 1:00:03Speaker 1: when the Messiah should come and sit in his throne
- 1:00:05Speaker 1: at Jerusalem, the king of Bensalem should sit at his feet,
- 1:00:09Speaker 1: whereas other kings should keep a great distance. But yet,
- 1:00:13Speaker 1: setting aside these Jewish dreams, the man was a wise man,
- 1:00:17Speaker 1: and learned, and of great policy, and excellently seen in
- 1:00:20Speaker 1: the laws and customs of that nation, amongst other discourses.
- 1:00:25Speaker 1: One day I told him I was much affected with
- 1:00:27Speaker 1: the relation I had from some of the company of
- 1:00:29Speaker 1: their custom in holding the feast of the family. For
- 1:00:32Speaker 1: that methought, I had never heard of a solemnity wherein
- 1:00:35Speaker 1: nature did so much preside. And because propagation of families
- 1:00:39Speaker 1: proceedeth from the nuptial copulation, I desired to know of
- 1:00:43Speaker 1: him what laws and customs they had concerning marriage, and
- 1:00:46Speaker 1: whether they kept marriage well, and whether they were tied
- 1:00:49Speaker 1: to one wife, for that where population is so much affected,
- 1:00:53Speaker 1: and such as with them it seemed to be, there
- 1:00:55Speaker 1: is commonly permission of plurality of wives. To this, he said,
- 1:01:01Speaker 1: you have reason for to commend that excellent institution of
- 1:01:04Speaker 1: the feast of the family. And indeed we have experienced
- 1:01:07Speaker 1: that those families that are partakers of the blessing of
- 1:01:09Speaker 1: that feast do flourish and prosper ever after in an
- 1:01:13Speaker 1: extraordinary manner. But hear me now, and I will tell
- 1:01:17Speaker 1: you what I know. You shall understand that there is
- 1:01:20Speaker 1: not under the heavens so chaste a nation as this
- 1:01:23Speaker 1: of Bensalem, nor so free from all pollution or foulness.
- 1:01:27Speaker 1: It is the virgin of the world. I remember, I
- 1:01:30Speaker 1: have read in one of your European books of an
- 1:01:32Speaker 1: holy hermit amongst you that desire to see the spirit
- 1:01:35Speaker 1: of fornication, and there appeared to him a little foul
- 1:01:39Speaker 1: ugly Athiop. But if he had desired to see the
- 1:01:42Speaker 1: spirit of chastity of Bensalem, it would have appeared to
- 1:01:45Speaker 1: him in the likeness of a fair, beautiful Cherubim. For
- 1:01:48Speaker 1: there is nothing amongst mortal men more fair and admirable
- 1:01:52Speaker 1: than the chaste minds of this people. Know therefore that
- 1:01:55Speaker 1: with them there are no stews, no dissolute houses, no courtesans,
- 1:02:00Speaker 1: nor anything of that kind. Nay, they wonder with detestation
- 1:02:04Speaker 1: at you in Europe, which permit such things. They say,
- 1:02:07Speaker 1: ye have put marriage out of office, for marriage is
- 1:02:10Speaker 1: ordained a remedy for unlawful concupiscence and natural concupiscence seemeth
- 1:02:16Speaker 1: as a spar to marriage. But when men have at
- 1:02:18Speaker 1: hand a remedy more agreeable to their corrupt will, marriage
- 1:02:22Speaker 1: is almost expulsed. And therefore there are with you seen
- 1:02:26Speaker 1: infinite men that marry not, but chose rather a libertine
- 1:02:29Speaker 1: and impure single life than to be yoked in marriage.
- 1:02:33Speaker 1: And many that do marry marry late, when the prime
- 1:02:36Speaker 1: and strength of their years is past. And when they
- 1:02:39Speaker 1: do marry, what is marriage to them but a very bargain,
- 1:02:43Speaker 1: wherein is sought alliance or portion or reputation, with some
- 1:02:47Speaker 1: desire almost indifferent of issue, and not the faithful nuptial
- 1:02:51Speaker 1: union of man and wife that was first instituted. Neither
- 1:02:55Speaker 1: is it possible that those that have cast away so basely,
- 1:02:58Speaker 1: so much of their strength, should greatly esteem children, being
- 1:03:02Speaker 1: of the same matter as chaste men do. So Likewise
- 1:03:05Speaker 1: during marriage, is the case much amended as it ought
- 1:03:08Speaker 1: to be if those things were tolerated only for necessity. No,
- 1:03:13Speaker 1: but they remain still as a very affront to marriage.
- 1:03:16Speaker 1: The haunting of those dissolute places or resort to courtesans
- 1:03:21Speaker 1: are no more punished in married men than in bachelors.
- 1:03:24Speaker 1: And the depraved custom of change, and the delight in
- 1:03:27Speaker 1: meretricious embracements where sin is turned into art maketh marriage
- 1:03:30Speaker 1: a dull thing, and a kind of imposition or tax.
- 1:03:34Speaker 1: They hear you defend these things as done to avoid
- 1:03:37Speaker 1: greater evils, as at voutries, deflowering of virgins, unnatural lust,
- 1:03:42Speaker 1: and the like. But they say this is a preposterous wisdom,
- 1:03:46Speaker 1: and they call it Lot's offer, who to save his
- 1:03:49Speaker 1: guests from abusing, offered his daughters. Nay, they say farther
- 1:03:53Speaker 1: that there is little gained in this, for that the
- 1:03:56Speaker 1: same vices and appetites do still remain and abound, unlawful
- 1:04:00Speaker 1: lust being like a furnace that if you stop the
- 1:04:02Speaker 1: flames altogether it will quench, but if you give it
- 1:04:06Speaker 1: an event, it will rage. As for masculine love, they
- 1:04:10Speaker 1: have no touch of it. And yet they are not
- 1:04:12Speaker 1: so faithful and inviolate friendships in the world again, as
- 1:04:16Speaker 1: are there. And to speak generally, as I said before,
- 1:04:19Speaker 1: I have not read of any such chastity in any
- 1:04:22Speaker 1: people as theirs, And their usual saying is that whosoever
- 1:04:26Speaker 1: is unchaste cannot reverence himself. And they say that the
- 1:04:31Speaker 1: reverence of a man's self is, next to religion, the
- 1:04:34Speaker 1: chiefest bridle of all vices. And when he had said this,
- 1:04:38Speaker 1: the good Jew paused a little. Whereupon, I, far more
- 1:04:41Speaker 1: willing to hear him speak on than to speak myself,
- 1:04:44Speaker 1: yet thinking it decent that upon his pause of speech,
- 1:04:47Speaker 1: I should not be altogether silent, said only this that
- 1:04:51Speaker 1: I would say to him, as the widow of Sarepta
- 1:04:53Speaker 1: said to Elias, that he was come to bring to
- 1:04:55Speaker 1: memory our sins, and that I confess the righteousness of
- 1:04:59Speaker 1: Bena Salem was greater than the righteousness of Europe. At
- 1:05:03Speaker 1: which speech he bowed his head and went on in
- 1:05:06Speaker 1: this manner. They have also many wise and excellent laws
- 1:05:10Speaker 1: touching marriage. They allow no polygamy. They have ordained that
- 1:05:14Speaker 1: none do intermarry or contract until a month be passed
- 1:05:17Speaker 1: from their first interview. Marriage without consent of parents, they
- 1:05:21Speaker 1: do not make void, but they mulched it in the inheritors,
- 1:05:25Speaker 1: for the children of such marriages are not admitted to
- 1:05:28Speaker 1: inherit above a third part of their parents inheritance. I
- 1:05:31Speaker 1: have read in a book of one of your men,
- 1:05:33Speaker 1: of a feigned commonwealth, where the married couple are permitted
- 1:05:36Speaker 1: before they contract to see one another naked. This they dislike,
- 1:05:41Speaker 1: for they think it a scorn to give a refusal
- 1:05:43Speaker 1: after so familiar knowledge. But because of many hidden defects
- 1:05:47Speaker 1: in men and women's bodies, they have a more civil way.
- 1:05:50Speaker 1: For they have near every town a couple of pools,
- 1:05:53Speaker 1: which they call Adam and Eve's pools, where it is
- 1:05:56Speaker 1: permitted to one of the friends of the men and
- 1:05:58Speaker 1: another of the friends of the woman to see them
- 1:06:00Speaker 1: severally bathed naked. And as we were thus in conference,
- 1:06:05Speaker 1: there came one that seemed to be a messenger in
- 1:06:07Speaker 1: a rich huke, that spake with the jew whereupon he
- 1:06:10Speaker 1: turned to me and said, you will pardon me, for
- 1:06:13Speaker 1: I am commanded away in haste. The next morning he
- 1:06:16Speaker 1: came to me again, joyful as it seemed, and said,
- 1:06:19Speaker 1: there is word come to the governor of the city
- 1:06:22Speaker 1: that one of the fathers of Salomon's house will be
- 1:06:25Speaker 1: here this day seven night. We have seen none of
- 1:06:28Speaker 1: them this dozen years. His coming is in state, but
- 1:06:31Speaker 1: the cause of his coming is secret. I will provide
- 1:06:34Speaker 1: you and your fellows of a good standing to see
- 1:06:36Speaker 1: his entry. I thanked him and told him I was
- 1:06:40Speaker 1: most glad of the news. The day being come, he
- 1:06:45Speaker 1: made his entry. He was a man of middle stature
- 1:06:48Speaker 1: and age, comely of person, and had an aspect as
- 1:06:51Speaker 1: if he pitied men. He was clothed in a robe
- 1:06:54Speaker 1: of fine black cloth, with wide sleeves and a cape.
- 1:06:57Speaker 1: His under garment was of excellent white linen, and down
- 1:07:00Speaker 1: to the foot girt, with a girdle of the same
- 1:07:03Speaker 1: and a sindon or tippet of the same about his neck.
- 1:07:06Speaker 1: He had gloves that were curious and set with stone,
- 1:07:10Speaker 1: and shoes of peach colored velvet. His neck was bare
- 1:07:13Speaker 1: to the shoulders. His hat was like a helmet or
- 1:07:16Speaker 1: Spanish montera, and his locks curled below it decently. They
- 1:07:20Speaker 1: were of color brown. His beard was cut round and
- 1:07:23Speaker 1: of the same color, with his hair somewhat lighter. He
- 1:07:26Speaker 1: was carried in a rich chariot without wheels, litter wise,
- 1:07:30Speaker 1: with two horses at either end, richly trapped in blue
- 1:07:33Speaker 1: velvet embroidered, and two footmen on each side in the
- 1:07:36Speaker 1: like attire. The chariot was all of cedar gilt and
- 1:07:40Speaker 1: adorned with crystal, save that the fore end had panels
- 1:07:43Speaker 1: of sapphires set in borders of gold, and the hinder
- 1:07:47Speaker 1: end the like of emeralds of the Peru color. There
- 1:07:50Speaker 1: was also a son of gold radiant upon the top
- 1:07:53Speaker 1: in the midst and on the top before a small
- 1:07:56Speaker 1: cherub of gold with rings displayed. The chariot was covered
- 1:08:00Speaker 1: with cloth of gold tissued upon blue. He had before
- 1:08:03Speaker 1: him fifty attendants, young men, all in white satin, loose
- 1:08:07Speaker 1: coats to the mid leg, and stockings of white silk,
- 1:08:10Speaker 1: and shoes of blue velvet, and hats of blue velvet
- 1:08:14Speaker 1: with fine plumes of diverse colors set round like hat bands.
- 1:08:19Speaker 1: Next before the chariot went two men, bare headed in
- 1:08:22Speaker 1: linen garments down to the foot, girt and shoes of
- 1:08:25Speaker 1: blue velvet, who carried though one a crozier, the other
- 1:08:29Speaker 1: a pastoral staff like a sheep hook, neither of them
- 1:08:32Speaker 1: of metal, but the crozier of balm wood, the pastoral
- 1:08:35Speaker 1: staff of cedar horsemen. He had none neither before nor
- 1:08:39Speaker 1: behind his chariot, as it seemeth to avoid all tumult
- 1:08:42Speaker 1: and trouble. Behind his chariot went all the officers and
- 1:08:46Speaker 1: principles of the companies of the city. He sat alone
- 1:08:49Speaker 1: upon cushions of a kind of excellent plush blue, and
- 1:08:53Speaker 1: under his foot curious carpets of silk of diverse colors,
- 1:08:57Speaker 1: like the Persian, but far finer. He held up his
- 1:09:00Speaker 1: bare hand as he went as blessing the people, but
- 1:09:03Speaker 1: in silence. The street was wonderfully well kept, so that
- 1:09:07Speaker 1: there was never any army had their men stand in
- 1:09:09Speaker 1: better battle array than the people stood. The windows likewise
- 1:09:14Speaker 1: were not crowded, but everyone stood in them as if
- 1:09:17Speaker 1: they had been placed. End of Section four. Section five.
- 1:09:25Speaker 1: The windows likewise were not crowded, but everyone stood in
- 1:09:29Speaker 1: them as if they had been placed. When the shoe
- 1:09:33Speaker 1: was passed, the Jew said to me, I shall not
- 1:09:35Speaker 1: be able to attend you as I would, in regard
- 1:09:38Speaker 1: of some charge the city hath laid upon me for
- 1:09:41Speaker 1: the entertaining of this great person. Three days after the
- 1:09:45Speaker 1: Jew came to me again and said, ye are happy men,
- 1:09:48Speaker 1: for the father of Salomon's house taketh knowledge of your
- 1:09:52Speaker 1: being here, and commandeth me to tell you that he
- 1:09:54Speaker 1: will admit all your company to his presence and have
- 1:09:57Speaker 1: private conference with one of you that ye shall choose.
- 1:10:01Speaker 1: And for this hath appointed the next day after tomorrow,
- 1:10:04Speaker 1: and because he meaneth to give you his blessing. He
- 1:10:06Speaker 1: hath appointed it in the forenoon. We came at our
- 1:10:10Speaker 1: day and hour, and I was chosen by my fellows
- 1:10:12Speaker 1: for the private access. We found him in a fair chamber,
- 1:10:16Speaker 1: richly hanged and carpeted underfoot, without any degrees to the state.
- 1:10:21Speaker 1: He was set upon a low throne, richly adorned, and
- 1:10:24Speaker 1: a rich cloth of state over his head of blue
- 1:10:27Speaker 1: satin embroidered. He was alone, save that he had two
- 1:10:30Speaker 1: pages of honor on either hand, one finally attired in white.
- 1:10:35Speaker 1: His undergarments were the like that we saw him wear
- 1:10:38Speaker 1: in the chariot, but instead of his gown he had
- 1:10:41Speaker 1: on him a mantle with a cape of the same
- 1:10:44Speaker 1: fine black fastened about him. When we came in, as
- 1:10:47Speaker 1: we were taught, we bowed low at our first entrance,
- 1:10:51Speaker 1: and when we were come near his chair, he stood up,
- 1:10:53Speaker 1: holding forth his hand ungloved and in posture of blessing,
- 1:10:57Speaker 1: and we every one of us stooped down and kissed
- 1:11:00Speaker 1: the hem of his tippet. That done, the rest departed,
- 1:11:04Speaker 1: and I remained. Then he warned the pages forth of
- 1:11:07Speaker 1: the room, and caused me to sit down beside him.
- 1:11:10Speaker 1: And spake to me. Thus in the Spanish tongue. God
- 1:11:14Speaker 1: bless THEE, my son, I will give THEE the greatest
- 1:11:17Speaker 1: jewel I have, for I will impart unto THEE for
- 1:11:20Speaker 1: the love of God and men a relation of the
- 1:11:22Speaker 1: true state of Salomon's house. Son, to make you know
- 1:11:27Speaker 1: the true state of Salomon's house, I will keep this order. First,
- 1:11:31Speaker 1: I will set forth unto you the end of our foundation.
- 1:11:34Speaker 1: Secondly the preparations and instruments we have for our works.
- 1:11:39Speaker 1: Thirdly the several employments and functions whereto our fellows are assigned.
- 1:11:45Speaker 1: And fourthly the ordinances and rights which we observe. The
- 1:11:50Speaker 1: end of our foundation is the knowledge of causes and
- 1:11:53Speaker 1: secret motions of things, and the enlarging of the bounds
- 1:11:56Speaker 1: of human empire to the effecting of all things possible.
- 1:12:01Speaker 1: The preparations and instruments are these. We have large and
- 1:12:05Speaker 1: deep caves of several depths. The deepest are sunk six
- 1:12:08Speaker 1: hundred fathom, and some of them are digged and made
- 1:12:11Speaker 1: under great hills and mountains, so that if you reckon
- 1:12:15Speaker 1: together the depth of the hill and the depth of
- 1:12:17Speaker 1: the cave, they are, some of them above three miles deep.
- 1:12:21Speaker 1: For we find that the depth of a hill and
- 1:12:23Speaker 1: the depth of a cave from the flat is the
- 1:12:26Speaker 1: same thing, both remote alike from the sun and Heaven's beams,
- 1:12:31Speaker 1: and from the open air. These caves we call the
- 1:12:35Speaker 1: lower region, and we use them for all coagulations, indurations, refrigerations,
- 1:12:41Speaker 1: and conservations of bodies. We use them likewise for the
- 1:12:45Speaker 1: imitation of natural minds, and the producing also of new
- 1:12:48Speaker 1: artificial metals by compositions and materials, which we use and
- 1:12:53Speaker 1: lay there for many years. We use them also, sometimes
- 1:12:57Speaker 1: which may seem strange, for curing of some disease diseases,
- 1:13:00Speaker 1: and for prolongation of life in some hermits that choose
- 1:13:04Speaker 1: to live there well accommodated of all things necessary, and
- 1:13:08Speaker 1: indeed live very long, by whom also we learn many things.
- 1:13:13Speaker 1: We have burials in several earths, where we put diverse cements,
- 1:13:17Speaker 1: as the Chineses do their porcelain, but we have them
- 1:13:20Speaker 1: in greater variety, and some of them more fine. We
- 1:13:23Speaker 1: have also a great variety of composts and soils for
- 1:13:27Speaker 1: the making of the earth fruitful. We have high towers,
- 1:13:31Speaker 1: the highest about half a mile in height, and some
- 1:13:34Speaker 1: of them likewise sat upon high mountains, so that the
- 1:13:37Speaker 1: vantage of the hill with the tower is in the
- 1:13:39Speaker 1: highest of them three miles at least. And these places
- 1:13:42Speaker 1: we call the upper region, accounting the air between the
- 1:13:46Speaker 1: high places and the low as a middle region. We
- 1:13:49Speaker 1: use these towers, according to their several heights and situations,
- 1:13:52Speaker 1: for insulation, refrigeration, conservation, and for the view of diverse
- 1:13:57Speaker 1: meteors as winds, snow, hail, and some of the fiery
- 1:14:03Speaker 1: meters also, and upon them in some places are dwellings
- 1:14:07Speaker 1: of hermits, whom we visit sometimes and instruct what to observe.
- 1:14:12Speaker 1: We have great lakes, both salt and fresh, whereof we
- 1:14:15Speaker 1: have use for the fish and fowl. We use them
- 1:14:18Speaker 1: also for burials of some natural bodies, for we find
- 1:14:21Speaker 1: a difference in things buried in earth or in air
- 1:14:23Speaker 1: below the earth, and things buried in water. We have
- 1:14:27Speaker 1: also pools, of which some do strain fresh water out
- 1:14:30Speaker 1: of salt, and others by art do turn fresh water
- 1:14:33Speaker 1: into salt. We have also some rocks in the midst
- 1:14:37Speaker 1: of the sea, and some bays upon the shore for
- 1:14:39Speaker 1: some works wherein is required the air and vapor of
- 1:14:42Speaker 1: the sea. We have likewise violent streams and cataracts which
- 1:14:47Speaker 1: serve us for many motions, and likewise engines for multiplying
- 1:14:51Speaker 1: and enforcing of winds to set also on going diverse motions.
- 1:14:58Speaker 1: We have also a number of artificial wells and fountains
- 1:15:01Speaker 1: made in imitation of the natural sources and baths as
- 1:15:05Speaker 1: tinked upon vitriol, sulfur, steel, brass, lead, niter, and other minerals.
- 1:15:11Speaker 1: And again we have little wells for infusions of many things,
- 1:15:14Speaker 1: where the waters take the virtue quicker and better than
- 1:15:17Speaker 1: in vessels or basins. And amongst them we have a
- 1:15:21Speaker 1: water which we call water of Paradise, being by that
- 1:15:24Speaker 1: we do to it made very sovereign for health and
- 1:15:27Speaker 1: prolongation of life. We have also great and spacious houses
- 1:15:32Speaker 1: where we imitate and demonstrate meteors as snow, hail, rain,
- 1:15:36Speaker 1: some artificial rains of bodies and not of water, thunders, lightnings,
- 1:15:41Speaker 1: also generations of bodies in air, as frogs, flies, and
- 1:15:45Speaker 1: diverse others. We have also certain chambers which we call
- 1:15:49Speaker 1: chambers of health, where we qualify the air as we
- 1:15:52Speaker 1: think good and proper for the cure of divers diseases
- 1:15:56Speaker 1: and preservation of health. We have also fair and life
- 1:16:00Speaker 1: large baths of several mixtures for the cure of diseases
- 1:16:03Speaker 1: and the restoring of man's body from our affection, and
- 1:16:06Speaker 1: others for the confirming of it in strength of sinews,
- 1:16:09Speaker 1: vital parts, and the very juice and substance of the body.
- 1:16:14Speaker 1: We have also large and various orchards and gardens, wherein
- 1:16:18Speaker 1: we do not so much respect beauty as variety of
- 1:16:21Speaker 1: ground and soil proper for divers, trees and herbs, and
- 1:16:25Speaker 1: some very spacious where trees and berries are set, whereof
- 1:16:29Speaker 1: we make diverse kinds of drinks. Besides the vineyards. In
- 1:16:33Speaker 1: these we practice likewise all conclusions of grafting and inoculating,
- 1:16:37Speaker 1: as well of wild trees as fruit trees, which produceth
- 1:16:41Speaker 1: many effects. And we make by art in the same
- 1:16:44Speaker 1: orchards and gardens trees and flowers to come earlier or
- 1:16:47Speaker 1: later than their seasons, and to come up and bear
- 1:16:50Speaker 1: more speedily than by their natural course they do. We
- 1:16:53Speaker 1: make them also by art greater much than their nature,
- 1:16:57Speaker 1: and their fruit greater and sweeter, and of differing tastes, smell, color,
- 1:17:01Speaker 1: and figure from their nature. And many of them we
- 1:17:04Speaker 1: so order as they become of medicinal use. We have
- 1:17:07Speaker 1: also means to make diverse plants rise by mixtures of
- 1:17:11Speaker 1: Earth's without seeds, and likewise to make diverse new plants
- 1:17:15Speaker 1: differing from the vulgar, and to make one tree or
- 1:17:18Speaker 1: plant turn into another. We have also parks and enclosures
- 1:17:22Speaker 1: of all sorts of beasts and birds, which we use
- 1:17:25Speaker 1: not only for view or rareness, but likewise for dissections
- 1:17:29Speaker 1: and trials, that thereby we may take light what may
- 1:17:33Speaker 1: be wrought upon the body of man, wherein we find
- 1:17:36Speaker 1: many strange effects as continuing life in them, though diverse
- 1:17:40Speaker 1: parts which you account vital, be perished and taken forth,
- 1:17:43Speaker 1: resuscitating of some that seem dead in appearance, and the like.
- 1:17:48Speaker 1: We try also all poisons and other medicines upon them,
- 1:17:52Speaker 1: as well of tyurgory as physic by art. Likewise, we
- 1:17:56Speaker 1: make them greater or taller than their kind is, and
- 1:17:59Speaker 1: contra wise dwarf them and stay their growth. We make
- 1:18:03Speaker 1: them more fruitful and bearing than their kind is, and
- 1:18:06Speaker 1: contrariwise barren and not generative. Also we make them differ
- 1:18:11Speaker 1: in color, shape, activity. Many ways we find means to
- 1:18:15Speaker 1: make commixtures and copulations of different kinds, which have produced
- 1:18:19Speaker 1: many new kinds, and them not barren, as the general
- 1:18:22Speaker 1: opinion is. We make a number of kinds of serpents, worms, flies,
- 1:18:27Speaker 1: fishes of futurefaction, whereof some are advanced in effect to
- 1:18:31Speaker 1: be perfect creatures, like beasts or birds, and have sexes
- 1:18:36Speaker 1: and do propagate. Neither do we this by chance, but
- 1:18:39Speaker 1: we know beforehand of what matter and commixture what kind
- 1:18:43Speaker 1: of those creatures will arise. We have also particular pools
- 1:18:48Speaker 1: where we make trials upon fishes, as we have said before,
- 1:18:51Speaker 1: beasts and birds. We have also places for breed and
- 1:18:54Speaker 1: generation of those kinds of worms and flies which are
- 1:18:57Speaker 1: of special use, such as are with you yours silkworms
- 1:19:00Speaker 1: and bees. I will not hold you long with recounting
- 1:19:04Speaker 1: of our brew houses, bake houses, and kitchens, where are
- 1:19:08Speaker 1: may diverse drinks, breads and meats rare and of special effects.
- 1:19:12Speaker 1: Wines we have of grapes and drinks, of other juice,
- 1:19:15Speaker 1: of fruits, of grains, and of roots, and of mixtures
- 1:19:19Speaker 1: with honey, sugar, mana, and fruits dried and decocted. Also
- 1:19:24Speaker 1: of the tears or woundings of trees, and of the
- 1:19:26Speaker 1: pulp of canes. And these drinks are of several ages
- 1:19:30Speaker 1: some to the age or last of forty years. We
- 1:19:33Speaker 1: have drinks also brewed with several herbs and roots and
- 1:19:36Speaker 1: spices yea, with several fleshes, and white meats, whereof some
- 1:19:40Speaker 1: of the drinks are such as they are in effect
- 1:19:43Speaker 1: meat and drink, both, so that diverse, especially in age,
- 1:19:47Speaker 1: do desire to live with them with little or no
- 1:19:49Speaker 1: meat or bread. And above all we strive to have
- 1:19:53Speaker 1: drink of extreme thin parts to insinuate into the body,
- 1:19:57Speaker 1: and yet without all biting, sharpness or fretting, insomuch as
- 1:20:01Speaker 1: some of them put upon the back of your hand,
- 1:20:03Speaker 1: will with a little stay pass through to the palm,
- 1:20:07Speaker 1: and yet taste mild to the mouth. We have also waters,
- 1:20:10Speaker 1: which we ripen in that fashion as they become nourishing,
- 1:20:14Speaker 1: so that they are indeed excellent drink, and many will
- 1:20:17Speaker 1: use no other breads. We have of several grains, roots
- 1:20:21Speaker 1: and kernels, yea, and some of flesh and fish, dried
- 1:20:24Speaker 1: with diverse kinds of leavenings and seasonings, so that some
- 1:20:28Speaker 1: do extremely move appetites, some do nourish, so as divers
- 1:20:32Speaker 1: do live of them without any other meat, who live
- 1:20:35Speaker 1: very long. So for meats we have some of them
- 1:20:38Speaker 1: so beaten and made tender and mortified, yet without all corrupting,
- 1:20:42Speaker 1: as a weak heat of the stomach will turn them
- 1:20:44Speaker 1: into good kylis, as well as a strong heat would
- 1:20:48Speaker 1: meet otherwise prepared. We have some meats, also in breads
- 1:20:51Speaker 1: and drinks, which taken by men enable them to fast
- 1:20:54Speaker 1: long after, and some other that used make the very
- 1:20:57Speaker 1: flesh of men's bodies sensibly more hard and tough, and
- 1:21:01Speaker 1: their strength far greater than otherwise it would be. We
- 1:21:05Speaker 1: have dispensatories or shops of medicines, wherein you may easily
- 1:21:09Speaker 1: think if we have such variety of plants and living creatures,
- 1:21:12Speaker 1: more than you have in Europe, for we know what
- 1:21:14Speaker 1: you have. The simples drugs and ingredients of medicines must
- 1:21:19Speaker 1: likewise be in so much the greater variety. We have them,
- 1:21:22Speaker 1: likewise of diverse ages and long fermentations. And for their preparations.
- 1:21:27Speaker 1: We have not only all manner of exquisite distillations and separations,
- 1:21:31Speaker 1: and especially by gentle heats and percolations through diverse strainers,
- 1:21:36Speaker 1: yeay and substances, but also exact forms of composition, whereby
- 1:21:40Speaker 1: they incorporate almost as they were natural simples. We have
- 1:21:45Speaker 1: also diverse mechanical arts which you have not, and stuffs
- 1:21:49Speaker 1: made by them, as papers, linen, silks, tissues, dainty works
- 1:21:54Speaker 1: of feathers, of wonderful luster, excellent dyes, and many others,
- 1:21:58Speaker 1: and shops likewise as well, for such as are not
- 1:22:01Speaker 1: brought into vulgar use amongst us, as for those that
- 1:22:04Speaker 1: are for you must know that of the things before
- 1:22:07Speaker 1: we cited, many of them are grown into use throughout
- 1:22:10Speaker 1: the kingdom. But yet if they did flow from our invention,
- 1:22:14Speaker 1: we have of them also for patterns and principles. We
- 1:22:18Speaker 1: have also furnaces of great diversities, and that keep great
- 1:22:21Speaker 1: diversity of heats, fierce and quick, strong and constant, soft
- 1:22:26Speaker 1: and mild, blown, quiet, dry, moist, and the like. But
- 1:22:31Speaker 1: above all we have heats in imitation of the suns
- 1:22:34Speaker 1: and heavenly bodies, heats that pass diverse inequalities, and as
- 1:22:39Speaker 1: it were, orbs progresses and returns, whereby we produce admirable effects. Besides,
- 1:22:46Speaker 1: we have heats of dungs, and of bellies and maws
- 1:22:49Speaker 1: of living creatures, and of their bloods and bodies, and
- 1:22:52Speaker 1: of haze and herbs laid up, moist of lime, unquenched
- 1:22:55Speaker 1: and such like instruments also which generate heat only by motion,
- 1:23:00Speaker 1: and farther places for strong insulations, and again places under
- 1:23:04Speaker 1: the earth, which, by nature or art yield heat. These
- 1:23:08Speaker 1: diverse heats we use as the nature of the operation
- 1:23:12Speaker 1: which we intend requireth We have also perspective houses, where
- 1:23:17Speaker 1: we make demonstrations of all lights and radiations, and of
- 1:23:20Speaker 1: all colors, and out of things uncolored and transparent. We
- 1:23:24Speaker 1: can represent unto you all several colors, not in rainbows,
- 1:23:28Speaker 1: as it is in gems and prisms, but of themselves single.
- 1:23:32Speaker 1: We represent also all multiplications of light, which we carry
- 1:23:35Speaker 1: to great distance and make so sharp as to discern
- 1:23:38Speaker 1: small points and lines, Also all colorations of light, all
- 1:23:43Speaker 1: delusions and deceits of the sight, in figures, magnitudes, motions, colors,
- 1:23:48Speaker 1: all demonstrations of shadows. We find also diverse means, yet
- 1:23:53Speaker 1: unknown to you, of producing of light originally from diverse bodies.
- 1:23:57Speaker 1: We procure means of seeing objects afar off as in
- 1:24:01Speaker 1: the heaven and remote places, and represent things near as
- 1:24:05Speaker 1: afar off and things afar off as near, making feigned distances.
- 1:24:09Speaker 1: We have also helps for the sight far above spectacles
- 1:24:12Speaker 1: and glasses in use. We have also glasses and means
- 1:24:15Speaker 1: to see small and minute bodies perfectly and distinctly, as
- 1:24:19Speaker 1: the shapes and colors of small flies and worms, grains
- 1:24:23Speaker 1: and flaws and gems which cannot otherwise be seen. Observations
- 1:24:27Speaker 1: in urine and blood not otherwise to be seen. We
- 1:24:30Speaker 1: make artificial rainbows, halos, and circles about light. We represent
- 1:24:35Speaker 1: also all manner of reflections, refractions, and multiplications of visual
- 1:24:40Speaker 1: beams of objects. We have also precious stones of all kinds,
- 1:24:44Speaker 1: many of them of great beauty, and to you unknown
- 1:24:48Speaker 1: crystals likewise, and glasses of diverse kinds, and amongst them
- 1:24:52Speaker 1: some of metals, vitrificated and other materials besides those of
- 1:24:57Speaker 1: which you make glass. Also a number of fire, muscles
- 1:25:00Speaker 1: and imperfect minerals, which you have not. Likewise, loadstones of
- 1:25:05Speaker 1: prodigious virtue, and other rare stones, both natural and artificial.
- 1:25:12Speaker 1: End of section five. Section six. Likewise, loadstones of prodigious
- 1:25:20Speaker 1: virtue and other rare stones, both natural and artificial. We
- 1:25:26Speaker 1: have also sound houses, where we practice and demonstrate all
- 1:25:30Speaker 1: sounds and their generation. We have harmonies, which you have not,
- 1:25:33Speaker 1: of quarter sounds and lesser slides of sounds diverse instruments
- 1:25:37Speaker 1: of music, likewise to you unknown, some sweeter than any
- 1:25:41Speaker 1: you have, together with bells and rings that are dainty
- 1:25:44Speaker 1: and sweet. We represent small sounds as great and deep.
- 1:25:49Speaker 1: Likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp. We make diverse tremblings
- 1:25:54Speaker 1: and warblings of sounds, which in their original are entire.
- 1:25:58Speaker 1: We represent and imitate all articulate sounds and letters, and
- 1:26:02Speaker 1: the voices and notes of beasts and birds. We have
- 1:26:05Speaker 1: certain helps, which set to the ear, do further the
- 1:26:08Speaker 1: hearing greatly. We have also divers strange and artificial echoes,
- 1:26:13Speaker 1: reflecting the voice many times and as it were tossing it,
- 1:26:16Speaker 1: And some that give back the voice louder than it came,
- 1:26:20Speaker 1: some shriller and some deeper yea, some rendering the voice
- 1:26:24Speaker 1: differing in the letters or articulate sound from that they receive.
- 1:26:28Speaker 1: We have also means to convey sounds in trunks and
- 1:26:31Speaker 1: pipes in strange lines and distances. We have also perfume houses,
- 1:26:36Speaker 1: wherewith we join also practices of taste. We multiply smells,
- 1:26:41Speaker 1: which may seem strange. We imitate smells, making all smells
- 1:26:45Speaker 1: to breathe out of other mixtures than those that give
- 1:26:47Speaker 1: them we make diverse imitations of taste likewise, so that
- 1:26:52Speaker 1: they will deceive any man's taste. And in this house
- 1:26:56Speaker 1: we contain also a confiture house, where we make all
- 1:27:00Speaker 1: all sweetmeats dry and moist, and diverse pleasant wines, milks, broths,
- 1:27:04Speaker 1: and salads in far greater variety than you have. We
- 1:27:09Speaker 1: have also engine houses, where are prepared engines and instruments
- 1:27:13Speaker 1: for all sorts of motions. There we imitate and practice
- 1:27:17Speaker 1: to make swifter motions than any you have, either out
- 1:27:20Speaker 1: of your muskets or any engine that you have, and
- 1:27:23Speaker 1: to make them and multiply them more easily and with
- 1:27:26Speaker 1: small force by wheels and other means, and to make
- 1:27:29Speaker 1: them stronger and more violent than yours, are exceeding your
- 1:27:32Speaker 1: greatest cannons and basilisks. We represent also ordnance and instruments
- 1:27:38Speaker 1: of war, and engines of all kinds, and likewise, new
- 1:27:42Speaker 1: mixtures and compositions of gunpowder, wildfires burning in water and unquenchable,
- 1:27:48Speaker 1: also fireworks of all variety, both for pleasure and use.
- 1:27:53Speaker 1: We imitate also flights of birds. We have some degrees
- 1:27:56Speaker 1: of flying in the air. We have ships and boats
- 1:27:59Speaker 1: for going under water and brooking of seas, also swimming
- 1:28:03Speaker 1: girdles and supporters. We have divers, curious clocks, and other
- 1:28:07Speaker 1: like motions of return, and some perpetual motions. We imitate
- 1:28:12Speaker 1: also motions of living creatures by images of men, beasts, birds, fishes,
- 1:28:17Speaker 1: and serpents. We have also a great number of other
- 1:28:20Speaker 1: various motions strange for equality, fineness, and subtlety. We have
- 1:28:26Speaker 1: also a mathematical house, where are represented all instruments, as
- 1:28:30Speaker 1: well of geometry, as astronomy exquisitely made. We have also
- 1:28:35Speaker 1: houses of deceits of the senses, where we represent all
- 1:28:38Speaker 1: manner of feats, of juggling, false apparitions, impostures and illusions,
- 1:28:44Speaker 1: and their fallacies. And surely you will easily believe that
- 1:28:47Speaker 1: we have so many things truly natural which induce admiration, could,
- 1:28:52Speaker 1: in a world of particulars, deceive the senses if we
- 1:28:55Speaker 1: would disguise those things and labor to make them seem
- 1:28:58Speaker 1: more miraculous. But we do hate all impostures and lies,
- 1:29:03Speaker 1: insomuch as we have severely forbidden it to all our
- 1:29:06Speaker 1: fellows under pain of ignominy, and finds that they do
- 1:29:10Speaker 1: not show any natural work or thing adorned or swelling.
- 1:29:13Speaker 1: But only pure as it is, and without all affectation
- 1:29:17Speaker 1: of strangeness. These are my son, the riches of Solomon's house.
- 1:29:22Speaker 1: For the several employments and offices of our fellows, we
- 1:29:26Speaker 1: have twelve that sail into foreign countries under the names
- 1:29:29Speaker 1: of other nations. For our own we conceal who bring
- 1:29:32Speaker 1: us the books and abstracts and patterns of experiments of
- 1:29:35Speaker 1: all other parts. These we call merchants of light. We
- 1:29:39Speaker 1: have three that collect the experiments which are in all books.
- 1:29:43Speaker 1: These we call depredators. We have three that collect the
- 1:29:47Speaker 1: experiments of all mechanical arts, and also of liberal sciences,
- 1:29:51Speaker 1: and also of practices which are not brought into arts.
- 1:29:54Speaker 1: These we call mystery men. We have three that try
- 1:29:58Speaker 1: new experiments, such as the themselves think good. These we
- 1:30:02Speaker 1: call pioneers or miners. We have three that draw the
- 1:30:06Speaker 1: experiments of the former four into titles and tables to
- 1:30:09Speaker 1: give the better light for the drawing of observations and
- 1:30:12Speaker 1: axioms out of them. These we call compilers. We have
- 1:30:16Speaker 1: three that bend themselves looking into the experiments of their fellows,
- 1:30:20Speaker 1: and cast about how to draw out of them things
- 1:30:23Speaker 1: of use and practice for man's life and knowledge. As
- 1:30:27Speaker 1: well for works, as for plain demonstration of causes, means
- 1:30:31Speaker 1: of natural divinations, and the easy and clear discovery of
- 1:30:34Speaker 1: the virtues and parts of bodies. These we call dowry
- 1:30:38Speaker 1: men or benefactors. Then, after diverse meetings and consults of
- 1:30:43Speaker 1: our whole number, to consider of the former labors and collections,
- 1:30:47Speaker 1: we have three that take care out of them to
- 1:30:50Speaker 1: direct new experiments of a higher light, more penetrating into
- 1:30:54Speaker 1: nature than the former. These we call lamps. We have
- 1:30:58Speaker 1: three others that do execute the experiments so directed and
- 1:31:02Speaker 1: report them. These we call inoculators. Lastly, we have three
- 1:31:08Speaker 1: that raise the former discoveries by experiments into greater observations, axioms,
- 1:31:13Speaker 1: and aphorisms. These we call interpreters of nature. We have, also,
- 1:31:18Speaker 1: as you must think, novices and apprentices, that the succession
- 1:31:22Speaker 1: of the former employed men do not fail, besides a
- 1:31:25Speaker 1: great number of servants and attendants, men and women. And
- 1:31:29Speaker 1: this we do. Also we have consultations which of the
- 1:31:32Speaker 1: inventions and experiences which we have discovered shall be published
- 1:31:36Speaker 1: and which not, And take all an oath of secrecy
- 1:31:40Speaker 1: for the concealing of those which we think fit to
- 1:31:43Speaker 1: keep secret, though some of those we do reveal, sometimes
- 1:31:46Speaker 1: to the state, and some not for our ordinances and rights.
- 1:31:51Speaker 1: We have two very long and fair galleries. In one
- 1:31:53Speaker 1: of these we place patterns and samples of all manner
- 1:31:57Speaker 1: of the more rare and excellent inventions, and the other
- 1:32:00Speaker 1: replaced the statues of all principal inventors. There we have
- 1:32:04Speaker 1: the statue of your Columbus that discover the West Indies,
- 1:32:07Speaker 1: also the inventor of ships, your Monk that was the
- 1:32:10Speaker 1: inventor of ordnance and gunpowder, the inventor of music, the
- 1:32:14Speaker 1: inventor of letters, the inventor of printing, the inventor of
- 1:32:18Speaker 1: observations of astronomy, the inventor of works in metal, the
- 1:32:22Speaker 1: inventor of glass, the inventor of silk of the worm,
- 1:32:25Speaker 1: the inventor of wine, the inventor of corn and bread,
- 1:32:29Speaker 1: the inventor of sugars, and all these by more certain
- 1:32:32Speaker 1: tradition than you have. Then have we diverse inventors of
- 1:32:36Speaker 1: our own, of excellent works, which, since you have not
- 1:32:39Speaker 1: seen it, were too long to make descriptions of them.
- 1:32:43Speaker 1: And besides, in the right understanding of those descriptions you
- 1:32:46Speaker 1: might easily air for upon every invention of value we
- 1:32:50Speaker 1: erect a statue to the inventor, and give him a
- 1:32:53Speaker 1: liberal and honorable reward. These statues are some of brass,
- 1:32:58Speaker 1: some of marble and touched stone, some of cedar and
- 1:33:01Speaker 1: other special woods, guilt and adorned, some of iron, some
- 1:33:05Speaker 1: of silver, some of gold. We have certain hymns and
- 1:33:09Speaker 1: services which we say daily of Lord and thanks to
- 1:33:12Speaker 1: God for his marvelous works, and forms of prayers, imploring
- 1:33:15Speaker 1: his aid and blessing for the illumination of our labors
- 1:33:19Speaker 1: and the turning of them into good and holy uses. Lastly,
- 1:33:23Speaker 1: we have circuits or visits of diverse principal cities of
- 1:33:26Speaker 1: the Kingdom. Where as it cometh to pass, we do
- 1:33:29Speaker 1: publish such new profitable inventions as we think good. And
- 1:33:34Speaker 1: we do also declare natural divinations of diseases, plagues, swarms
- 1:33:38Speaker 1: of hurtful creatures, scarcity, tempests, earthquakes, great inundations, comets, temperature
- 1:33:45Speaker 1: of the year, and diverse other things. And we give
- 1:33:48Speaker 1: counsel thereupon what the people shall do for the prevention
- 1:33:52Speaker 1: and remedy of them. And when he had said this,
- 1:33:56Speaker 1: he stood up, and I, as I had been taught,
- 1:34:00Speaker 1: neeled down, and he laid his right hand upon my head,
- 1:34:03Speaker 1: and said, God bless THEE, my son, and God bless
- 1:34:06Speaker 1: this relation which I have made. I give THEE leave
- 1:34:10Speaker 1: to publish it for the good of other nations, for
- 1:34:12Speaker 1: we here are in God's Bosom, a land unknown. And
- 1:34:17Speaker 1: so he left me, having assigned a value of about
- 1:34:20Speaker 1: two thousand ducats for a bounty to me and my fellows,
- 1:34:24Speaker 1: for they give great largesses where they come upon all occasions.
- 1:34:30Speaker 1: The rest was not perfected. End of Section six and
- 1:34:36Speaker 1: end of the New Atlantis by Francis Bacon