NEW ATLANTIS. 379 



woods. For as for men, although they had buildings 

 in many places higher than the depth of the water, 

 yet that inundation, though it were shallow, had a 

 long continuance ; whereby they of the vale that were 

 not drowned, perished for want of food and other 

 things necessary. So as marvel you not at the thin 

 population of America, nor at the rudeness and ig 

 norance of the people ; for you mast account your 

 inhabitants of America as a young people ; younger a 

 thousand years, at the least, than the rest of the world ;__ 

 for that there was so much time -between the universal 

 flood and their particular inundation. For the poor J 

 remnant of human seed which remained in their moun 

 tains peopled the country again slowly, by little and 

 little ; and being simple and savage people, (not like 

 Noah and his sons, which was the chief family of the 

 earth,) they were not able to leave letters, arts, and 

 civility to their posterity ; and having likewise in their 

 mountainous habitations been used (in respect of the 

 extreme cold of those regions) to clothe themselves 

 with the skins of tigers, bears, and great hairy goats, 

 that they have in those parts ; when after they came 

 down into the valley, and found the intolerable heats 

 which are there, and knew no means of lighter ap 

 parel, they were forced to begin the custom of going 

 naked, which continueth at this day. Only they take 

 great pride and delight in the feathers of birds, and 

 this also they took from those their ancestors of the 

 mountains, who were invited unto it by the infinite 

 flights of birds that came up to the high grounds, 

 while the waters stood below. So you see, by this 

 main accident of time, we lost our traffic with the 

 Americans, with whom of all others, in regard they 



