NEW ATLANTIS. 371 



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 mar 

 vellous sight. But when the boats were come within 



CJ 



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 near 

 er : so as the boats stood all as in a theatre, beholding 

 this light as an heavenly sign. 1 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 col 

 lege (my good brethren) is the very .e^^e. of this king 

 dom ; 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 : 



&quot; Lord God of heaven and earth, thou hast vouch 

 safed of thy grace to those of our order, to know thy 

 works of creation, and the secrets of them ; and to dis 

 cern (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. 2 I do 

 here acknowledge and testify before this people, that 

 the thing which we now see before our eyes is thy 



1 tanquam scenam c&lestem, in the translation. 



2 ittusiones dcemonum, cum imposturis omnimodis. 



