NEW ATLANTIS. 363 



they use when they thank God,) and then said : &quot; If 

 ye will swear (all of you) by the merits of the Saviour 

 that ye are no pirates, nor have shed blood lawfully 

 nor unlawfully within forty days past, you may have 

 licence to come on land.&quot; We said, &quot; We were all 

 ready to take that oath.&quot; Whereupon one of those that 

 were with him, being (as it seemed) a notary, made 

 an entry of this act. Which done, another of the at 

 tendants of the great person, which was with him in 

 the same boat, after his lord had spoken a little to him, 

 said aloud ; &quot; My lord would have you know, that it is 

 not of pride or greatness that he cometh not aboard 

 your ship ; but for that in your answer you declare 

 that you have many sick amongst you, he was warned 

 by the Conservator of Health of the city that he should 

 keep a distance.&quot; We bowed ourselves towards him, 

 and answered, &quot; We were his humble servants ; and 

 accounted for great honour and singular humanity 

 towards us that which was already done ; but hoped 

 well that the nature of the sickness of our men was 

 not infectious.&quot; So he returned ; and a while after 

 came the notary to us aboard our ship ; holding in 

 his hand a fruit of that country, like an orange, but of 

 colour between orange-tawney and scarlet, which cast a 

 most excellent odour. He used it (as it seemeth) for a 

 preservative against infection. He gave us our oath ; 

 &quot; By the name of Jesus and his merits : &quot; and after 

 told us that the next day by six of the clock in the 

 morning we should be sent to, and brought to the 

 Strangers House, (so he called it,) where we should 

 be accommodated of things both for our whole and for 

 our sick. So he left us ; and when we l offered him 

 i So ed. 1635. Ed. 1629 has he. 



