Bacon, Francis, Sylva sylvarum : or, a natural history in ten centuries

List of thumbnails

< >
361
361 (7) 		362
362 (8)
363
363 (9) 		364
364 (10)
365
365 (11) 		366
366 (12)
367
367 (13) 		368
368 (14)
369
369 (15) 		370
370 (16)
< >
page |< < (15) of 389 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div1697" type="section" level="1" n="146">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12725" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="15" file="0369" n="369" rhead="New Atlantis."/>
            other part of enter courſe, which might be by our ſailing to other Nauons,
              <lb/>
            I muſt yield you ſome other cauſe: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12726" xml:space="preserve">For I cannot ſay (if I ſhould ſay traly)
              <lb/>
            but our ſhipping for number, ſtrength, Mariners, Pilon, and all things that
              <lb/>
            appertain to Navigation, is as great as ever; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12727" xml:space="preserve">and thereſore why we ſhould
              <lb/>
            ſit at home, I ſhall now give you an account by it ſalf, and it will draw nearer
              <lb/>
            to give you ſatisfaction to your principal Queſtion.</s>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12728" xml:space="preserve">There reigned in this I ſland about One thouſand nine liundred years
              <lb/>
            “ago, a King, whoſe memory of all others we moſt adore, not ſuperſtitiouſly,
              <lb/>
            “but as a Divine Inſtrument, though a Mortal Man; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12729" xml:space="preserve">his name was Salomona,
              <lb/>
            “and we eſteem him as the Law-giver of our Nation. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12730" xml:space="preserve">This King had alarge
              <lb/>
            “heart inſe
              <unsure/>
            rutable for good, and was wholly bent to make his Kingdom and
              <lb/>
            “People happy: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12731" xml:space="preserve">He therefore taking into conſideration, how ſufficient and
              <lb/>
            “ſubſtantive this Land was to maintain it ſelf with out any aid (at all) of the
              <lb/>
            “Foreigner, being Five thouſand ſix hundred miles in circuit, and of rare
              <lb/>
            “fertility of ſoil in the greateſt part thereof; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12732" xml:space="preserve">and finding alſo the ſhipping of
              <lb/>
            “this Countrey might be plentiſully ſet on work, both by Fiſhing, and by
              <lb/>
            “Tranſportations from Port to Port, and likewiſe by ſailing unto ſome ſmall
              <lb/>
            “Iſlands that are not far from us, and are under the Crown and Laws of this
              <lb/>
            “State; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12733" xml:space="preserve">and recalling into his memory the happy and flouriſhing eſtate
              <lb/>
            “wherein this Land then was, ſo as it might be a thouſand ways altered to
              <lb/>
            “the worſe, but ſcarce any one way to the better; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12734" xml:space="preserve">thought nothing wanted
              <lb/>
            “to his Noble and Heroical Intentions, but onely (as far as Humane fore-
              <lb/>
            “ſight might reach) to give perpetuity to that which was in his time ſo happily
              <lb/>
            “eſtabliſhed; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12735" xml:space="preserve">therefore amongſt his other Fundamental Laws of this King-
              <lb/>
            “dom, he did ordain the Interdicts and Prohibitions which we have touch-
              <lb/>
            “ing entrance of ſtrangers, which at that time (though it was after the cala-
              <lb/>
            “mity of America) was ſrequent, doubting novelties and commixture of
              <lb/>
            “manners. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12736" xml:space="preserve">It is true, the like Law againſt the admiſſion of ſtrangers, with-
              <lb/>
            “out licence, is an ancient Law in the Kingdom of China, and yet continued
              <lb/>
            “in uſe; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12737" xml:space="preserve">but there it is a poor thing, and hath made them a curious, igno-
              <lb/>
            “rant, fearful, fooliſh Nation. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12738" xml:space="preserve">But our Law-giver made his Law of another
              <lb/>
            “temper. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12739" xml:space="preserve">For firft, he hath preſerved all points of humanity, in taking or-
              <lb/>
            “der and making proviſion for the relief of ſtrangers diſtreſſed, whereof you
              <lb/>
            “have taſted. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12740" xml:space="preserve">At which Speech (as reaſon was) we all roſe up and bowed our ſelves.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12741" xml:space="preserve">He went on. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12742" xml:space="preserve">“That King alſoſtill deſiring to joyn Humanity and Policy to-
              <lb/>
            “gether, and thinking it againſt Humanity to detain Strangers here againſt
              <lb/>
            “their Wills, and againſt Policy, that they ſhould return and diſcover their
              <lb/>
            “knowledge of this State, he took this courſe. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12743" xml:space="preserve">He did ordain, that of the
              <lb/>
            “Strangers that ſhould be permitred to Land, as many (at all times) might
              <lb/>
            “depart as would, but as many as would ſtay, ſhould have very good con-
              <lb/>
            “ditions and means to live from the State. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12744" xml:space="preserve">Wherein he ſaw ſo far, that
              <lb/>
            “now in ſo many Ages, ſince the Prohibition, we have memory not of one
              <lb/>
            “Ship that ever returned, and but of thirteen perſons onely at ſeveral times
              <lb/>
            “that choſe to return in our Bottoms. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12745" xml:space="preserve">What thoſe ſew that returned, may
              <lb/>
            “have reported abroad, I know not; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12746" xml:space="preserve">but you muſt think, whatſoever they
              <lb/>
            “have ſaid, could be taken where they came, but ſor a dream. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12747" xml:space="preserve">Now for
              <lb/>
            “our travelling from hence into parts abroad, our Law-giver thought fit al-
              <lb/>
            “together to reſtrain it. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12748" xml:space="preserve">So is it not in China, for the Chineſes fail where they
              <lb/>
            “will, or can; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12749" xml:space="preserve">which ſheweth, that their Law of keeping our Strangers, is
              <lb/>
            “a Law of puſillanimity and fear. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12750" xml:space="preserve">But this reſtraint of ours hath one onely
              <lb/>
            “exception, which is admirable, preſerving the good which cometh by
              <lb/>
            “communicating with ſtrangers, and avoiding the hurt; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s12751" xml:space="preserve">and I will </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum