THE STRANGERS HOUSE 241 



us : * He came to conduct us to the Strangers House : 

 and th^t he had prevented the hour, because we might 

 have the whole day before us for our business. For 

 (said he) if you will follow my advice, there shall first 

 go with me some few of you, and see the place, and how 

 it may be made convenient for you ; and then you may 

 send for your sick, and the rest of your number, which 

 ye will bring on land. We thanked him, and said, that 

 this care which he took of desolate strangers, God would 

 reward. And so six of us went on land with him ; and 

 when we were on land, he went before us, and turned 

 to us, and said, he was but our servant, and our guide. 

 He led us through three fair streets ; and all the way 

 we went there were gathered some people on both sides, 

 standing in a row ; but in so civil a fashion, as if it had 

 been, not to wonder at us, but to welcome us ; and 

 divers of them, as we passed by them, put their arms 

 a little abroad, which is their gesture when they bid 

 any welcome. 



The Strangers House is a fair and spacious house, 

 built of brick, of somewhat a bluer colour than our 

 brick ; and with handsome windows, some of glass, 

 some of a kind of cambric oiled. He brought us first 

 into a fair parlour above stairs, and then asked us, 

 what number of persons we were ? and how many sick ? 

 We answered, we were in all (sick and whole) one and 

 fifty persons, whereof our sick were seventeen. He 

 desired us to have patience a little, and to stay till he 

 came back to us, which was about an hour after ; and 

 then he led us to see the chambers which were provided 

 for us, being in number nineteen. They having cast 

 it (as it seemeth) that four of those chambers, which 

 were better than the rest, might receive four of the 

 principal men of our company ; and lodge them alone 

 by themselves ; and the other fifteen chambers were 

 to lodge us, two and two together. The chambers were 

 handsome and cheerful chambers, and furnished civilly. 

 Then he led us to a long gallery, like a dorture, where 

 he showed us all along the one side (for the other side 

 was but wall and window) seventeen cells, very neat 



