A FATHER OP SALOMON'S HOUSE 265 



a fair chamber, richly hanged, and carpeted under foot, 

 without any degrees to the state. He was set upon 

 a low throne richly adorned, and a rich cloth of state 

 over his head, of blue satin embroidered. He was alone, 

 save that he had two pages of honour, on either hand 

 one, finely attired in white. His under garments were 

 the like that we saw him wear in the chariot ; but in- 

 stead of his gown, he had on him a mantle with a cape, 

 of the same fine black, fastened about him. When we 

 came in, as we were taught, we bowed low at our first 

 entrance ; and when we were come near his chair, he 

 stood up, holding forth his hand ungloved, and in pos- 

 ture of blessing ; and we every one of us stooped down, 

 and kissed the hem of his tippet. That done, the rest 

 departed, and I remained. Then he warned the pages 

 forth of the room, and caused me to sit down beside 

 him, and spake to me thus in the Spanish tongue : 



' God bless thee, my son ; I will give thee the greatest 

 jewel I have. For I will impart unto thee, for the love 

 of God and men, a relation of the true state of Salomon's 

 House. Son, to make you know the true state of Salo- 

 mon's House, I will keep this order. First, I will set 

 forth unto you the end of our foundation. Secondly, 

 the preparations and instruments we have for our works. 

 Thirdly, the several employments and functions whereto 

 our fellows are assigned. And fourthly, the ordinances 

 and rites which we observe. 



' The end of our foundation is the knowledge of 

 causes, and secret motions of things ; and the enlarging 

 of the bounds of human empire, to the effecting of all 

 things possible. 



' The preparations and instruments are these. We 

 have large and deep caves of several depths : the deepest 

 are sunk six hundred fathoms ; and some of them are 

 digged and made under great hills and mountains ; so 

 that if you reckon together the depth of the hill, and 

 the depth of the cave, they are, some of them, above 

 three miles deep. For we find that the depth of a hill, 

 and the depth of a cave from the flat, is the same thing ; 

 both remote alike from the sun and heaven's beamt--. 



