3639New Atlantis.
of the amendment of our ſick, who thought themſelves caſt into ſome di-
vine Pool of Healing, they mended ſo kindly and ſo faſt.
vine Pool of Healing, they mended ſo kindly and ſo faſt.
The morrow after our three days were paſt, there came to us a new Man
that we had not ſeen before, cloathed in blew as the ſormer was, ſave that
his Turbant was white with a ſmall Red Croſs on the top; he had alſo a
Tippet of fine Linnen. At his coming in he did bend to us a little, and put
his arms abroad. We of our parts ſaluted him in a very lowly and ſubmiſſive
manner, as looking, that ſrom him we ſhould receive ſentence of Life or
Death. He deſired to ſpeak with ſome ſew of us; whereupon ſix of us
onely ſtaid, and the reſt avoided theroom. He ſaid, “I am by office Go-
“vernor of this Houſe of Strangers, and by Vocation I am a Chriſtian Prieſt;
“and therefore am come to you to offer you my ſervice, both as Strangers,
“and chiefly as Chriſtians. Some things I may tell you, which I think you
“will not be un willing to hear. The State hath given you licence to ſtay on
“Land for the ſpace of ſix weeks; and let it not trouble you, if your occa-
“ſions ask further time, for the Law in this Point is not preciſe; and I do
“not doubt, but my ſelf ſhall be able to obtain for you ſuch ſurther time as
“ſhall be convenient. Ye ſhall alſo underſtand, that the Strangers Houſe is at
“this time rich and much aforehand, for it hath laid up Revenue theſe Thir-
“ty ſeven years; for ſo long it is ſince any Stranger arrived in this part: And
“there fore take ye no care, the State will deſray you all the time you ſtay,
“neither ſhall you ſtay one day leſs for that. As for any Merchandize you
“have brought, ye ſhall be well uſed, and have your Return, either in Mer-
“chandize, or in Gold and Silver; for to us it is all one. And iſ you have
“any other requeſt to make, hide it not, for ye ſhall finde we will not make
“your countenance to fall by the anſwer ye ſhall receive. Onely this I muſt
“tell you, that none of you muſt go above a Karan (that is with them a mile and
“an half) from the Walls of the City without ſpecial leave. We anſwered,
after we had looked a while upon one another, admiring this gracious and
parent-like uſage, “That we could not tell what to ſay, for we wanted
“words to expreſs our thanks, and his noble free offers leſt us nothing to
“ask. It ſeemed to us, that we had before us a Picture of our Salvation in
“Heaven; for we that were a while ſince in the Jaws of Death, were now
“brought into a place where we found nothing but Conſolations. For the
“Commandment laid upon us, we would not fail to obey it, though it
“was impoſſible but our hearts ſhould be inflamed to tread further upon
“this happy and holy Ground. We added, “That our Tongues ſhould firſt
“cleave to the Roofs of our Mouths, ere we ſhould forget either this Re-
“verend Perſon, or this whole Nation, in our Prayers. We alſo moſt
humbly beſought him to accept of us as his true Servants, by as juſt a right
as ever Men on Earth were bounden, laying and preſenting both our per-
ſons and all we had at his feet. He ſaid, He was a Prieſt, and looked for a Prieſts
re ward, which was our Brotherly love, and the good of our Souls and Bodies. So he
went from us, not without tears of tenderneſs in his eyes; and leſt us alſo
confuſed with joy and kindneſs, ſaying amongſt our ſelves, That vve vvere
come into a Land of Angels, which did appear to us daily, and prevent us with comforts
which we thought not of, much leß expected.
that we had not ſeen before, cloathed in blew as the ſormer was, ſave that
his Turbant was white with a ſmall Red Croſs on the top; he had alſo a
Tippet of fine Linnen. At his coming in he did bend to us a little, and put
his arms abroad. We of our parts ſaluted him in a very lowly and ſubmiſſive
manner, as looking, that ſrom him we ſhould receive ſentence of Life or
Death. He deſired to ſpeak with ſome ſew of us; whereupon ſix of us
onely ſtaid, and the reſt avoided theroom. He ſaid, “I am by office Go-
“vernor of this Houſe of Strangers, and by Vocation I am a Chriſtian Prieſt;
“and therefore am come to you to offer you my ſervice, both as Strangers,
“and chiefly as Chriſtians. Some things I may tell you, which I think you
“will not be un willing to hear. The State hath given you licence to ſtay on
“Land for the ſpace of ſix weeks; and let it not trouble you, if your occa-
“ſions ask further time, for the Law in this Point is not preciſe; and I do
“not doubt, but my ſelf ſhall be able to obtain for you ſuch ſurther time as
“ſhall be convenient. Ye ſhall alſo underſtand, that the Strangers Houſe is at
“this time rich and much aforehand, for it hath laid up Revenue theſe Thir-
“ty ſeven years; for ſo long it is ſince any Stranger arrived in this part: And
“there fore take ye no care, the State will deſray you all the time you ſtay,
“neither ſhall you ſtay one day leſs for that. As for any Merchandize you
“have brought, ye ſhall be well uſed, and have your Return, either in Mer-
“chandize, or in Gold and Silver; for to us it is all one. And iſ you have
“any other requeſt to make, hide it not, for ye ſhall finde we will not make
“your countenance to fall by the anſwer ye ſhall receive. Onely this I muſt
“tell you, that none of you muſt go above a Karan (that is with them a mile and
“an half) from the Walls of the City without ſpecial leave. We anſwered,
after we had looked a while upon one another, admiring this gracious and
parent-like uſage, “That we could not tell what to ſay, for we wanted
“words to expreſs our thanks, and his noble free offers leſt us nothing to
“ask. It ſeemed to us, that we had before us a Picture of our Salvation in
“Heaven; for we that were a while ſince in the Jaws of Death, were now
“brought into a place where we found nothing but Conſolations. For the
“Commandment laid upon us, we would not fail to obey it, though it
“was impoſſible but our hearts ſhould be inflamed to tread further upon
“this happy and holy Ground. We added, “That our Tongues ſhould firſt
“cleave to the Roofs of our Mouths, ere we ſhould forget either this Re-
“verend Perſon, or this whole Nation, in our Prayers. We alſo moſt
humbly beſought him to accept of us as his true Servants, by as juſt a right
as ever Men on Earth were bounden, laying and preſenting both our per-
ſons and all we had at his feet. He ſaid, He was a Prieſt, and looked for a Prieſts
re ward, which was our Brotherly love, and the good of our Souls and Bodies. So he
went from us, not without tears of tenderneſs in his eyes; and leſt us alſo
confuſed with joy and kindneſs, ſaying amongſt our ſelves, That vve vvere
come into a Land of Angels, which did appear to us daily, and prevent us with comforts
which we thought not of, much leß expected.
The next day about ten of the clock the Governor came to us again,
and after ſalutations, ſaid familiarly, That he vvas come to viſit us, and called for
a Chair, and ſate him down; and we being ſome ten of us (the reſt were of
the meaner ſort, or elſe gone abroad) ſite down with him: And when we
were ſet, he began thus, “We of this Iſland of Benſalem (for ſo they call it
and after ſalutations, ſaid familiarly, That he vvas come to viſit us, and called for
a Chair, and ſate him down; and we being ſome ten of us (the reſt were of
the meaner ſort, or elſe gone abroad) ſite down with him: And when we
were ſet, he began thus, “We of this Iſland of Benſalem (for ſo they call it