The New Atlantis | Page 8

of us,
(the rest were of the meaner sort, or else gone abroad,) sat down with
him, And when we were set, he began thus: " We of this island of
Bensalem," (for so they call it in their language,) "have this; that by
means of our solitary situation; and of the laws of secrecy, which we
have for our travellers, and our rare admission of strangers; we know

well most part of the habitable world, and are ourselves unknown.
Therefore because he that knoweth least is fittest to ask questions, it is
more reason, for the entertainment of the time, that ye ask me questions,
than that I ask you."
We answered; "That we humbly thanked him that he would give us
leave so to do: and that we conceived by the taste we had already, that
there was no worldly thing on earth, more worthy to be known than the
state of that happy land. But above all," (we said,) "since that we were
met from the several ends of the world, and hoped assuredly that we
should meet one day in the kingdom of Heaven, (for that we were both
parts Christians,) we desired to know, (in respect that land was so
remote, and so divided by vast and unknown seas, from the land where
our Saviour walked on earth,) who was the apostle of that nation, and
how it was converted to the faith?" It appeared in his face that he took
great contentment in this our question: he said; "Ye knit my heart to
you, by asking this question in the first place; for it sheweth that you
first seek the kingdom of heaven; and I shall gladly, and briefly, satisfy
your demand.
"About twenty years after the ascension of our Saviour, it came to pass,
that there was seen by the people of Renfusa, (a city upon the eastern
coast of our island,) within night, (the night was cloudy, and calm,) as
it might be some mile into the sea, a great pillar of light; not sharp, but
in form of a column, or cylinder, rising from the sea a great way up
towards heaven; and on the top of it was seen a large cross of light,
more bright and resplendent than the body of the pillar. Upon which so
strange a spectacle, the people of the city gathered apace together upon
the sands, to wonder; and so after put themselves into a number of
small boats, to go nearer to this marvellous sight. But when the boats
were come within (about) sixty yards of the pillar, they found
themselves all bound, and could go no further; yet so as they might
move to go about, but might not approach nearer: so as the boats stood
all as in a theatre, beholding this light as an heavenly sign. It so fell out,
that there was in one of the boats one of the wise men, of the society of
Salomon's House; which house, or college (my good brethren) is the
very eye of this kingdom; who having awhile attentively and devoutly
viewed and contemplated this pillar and cross, fell down upon his face;
and then raised himself upon his knees, and lifting up his hands to

heaven, made his prayers in this manner.
"`LORD God of heaven and earth, thou hast vouchsafed of thy grace to
those of our order, to know thy works of Creation, and the secrets of
them: and to discern (as far as appertaineth to the generations of men)
between divine miracles, works of nature, works of art, and impostures
and illusions of all sorts. I do here acknowledge and testify before this
people, that the thing which we now see before our eyes is thy Finger
and a true Miracle. And forasmuch as we learn in our books that thou
never workest miracles, but to divine and excellent end, (for the laws of
nature are thine own laws, and thou exceedest them not but upon great
cause,) we most humbly beseech thee to prosper this great sign, and to
give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy; which thou dost in
some part secretly promise by sending it unto us.'
"When he had made his prayer, he presently found the boat he was in,
moveable and unbound; whereas all the rest remained still fast; and
taking that for an assurance of leave to approach, he caused the boat to
be softly and with silence rowed towards the pillar. But ere he came
near it, the pillar and cross of light brake up, and cast itself abroad, as it
were, into a firmament of many stars; which also vanished soon after,
and there was nothing left to be seen, but a small ark, or chest of cedar,
dry, and