NE W A TLANTIS. 469 



About three hours after we had despatched our answer, there came 

 towards us a person, as it seemed, of place. He had on him a gown, 

 with wide sleeves of a kind of water-chainlet, of an excellent azure 

 colour, far more glossy than ours ; his undcr-apparcl was green, and 

 so was his hat, being in the form of a turban, daintily made, and not 

 so huge as the Turkish turbans ; and the locks of his hair came down 

 below the brims of it. A reverend man was he to behold. He came 

 in a boat, gilt in some part of it, with four persons more only in that 

 boat, and was followed by another boat, wherein were some twenty. 

 When he was come within a llight-shot of cur ship, signs were made 

 to us that we should send forth sonic to meet him upon the water : 

 which we presently did in our ship s boat, sending the principal man 

 amongst us, save one, and four of our number with him. When we 

 were come within six yards of their boat, they called to us to stay, 

 and not to approach further, which we did. And thereupon the man 

 whom I before described stood up, and with a loud voice, in Spanish, 

 asked, &quot; Are ye Christians?&quot; We answered, &quot;We were i&quot; fearing the 

 less because of the cross we had seen in the subscription. At which 

 answer the said person lifted up his right haul towards heaven, and 

 drew it softly to his mouth, which is the ^es.iirc they use when they 

 thank God, and then said, &quot; If you will swear, all of you, by the merits 

 of the Saviour, that ye arc no pirates, nor have shed blood, lawfully or 

 unlawfully, within forty days past, you may have license to come on 

 land. We said, &quot;We were all ready to take that oath.&quot; Whereupon 

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

 spoken a little to him, said aloud, &quot; 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 at a distance.&quot; We bowed ourselves towards 

 him, and answered, &quot; 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.&quot; So he returned ; and a while after came the 

 notary to us aboard our ship, holding in his hand a fruit of thai 

 country, like an orange, but of colour between orange-tawny and 

 scarlet, which casts a most excellent odour : he used it, as it secmcth, 

 for a preservative against infection. He gave us our oath, &quot; By the 

 name of Jesus and his merits ;&quot; and aftei told us that the next day, by 

 six o clock in the morning, we should l&amp;gt;c sent to, and brought to the 

 Strangers - House, so he called it, where we should be accommodated 

 of things both lor our whole and for our sick. So he left us ; and 

 when we offered him some pistolets, he, smiling, said, &quot; He must not 

 be twice paid for one labour ; &quot; 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 takcth rewards &quot; twice paid.&quot; 



The next mousing early there came to us the same officer that came 



