240 NEW ATLANTIS 



his right hand towards Heaven, and drew it softly to 

 his mouth (which is the gesture they use, when they 

 thank God), and then said : 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 license to come on land. 

 We said, we were all ready to take that oath. Where 

 upon one of those that were with him, being (as it 

 seemed) a notary, made an entry of this act. Which 

 done, another of the attendants of the great person, 

 which was with him in the same boat, after his lord had 

 spoken a little to him, said aloud : 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. We bowed our 

 selves towards him, and answered, 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. 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 seemed) 

 for a preservative against infection. He gave us our 

 oath, By the name of Jesus, and His merits : 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 offered him some 

 pistolets, he smiling, said, he must not be twice paid 

 for one labour : meaning (as I take it) that he had 

 salary sufficient of the State for his service. For (as 

 I after learned) they call an officer that taketh rewards, 

 twice-paid. 



The next morning early, there came to us the same 

 officer that came to us at first with his cane, and told 



