472 NEW A TLANTIS. 



room. He said, &quot; I am by office governor of this House of Strangers, 

 and by vocation I am a Christian priest, and therefore am come to 

 offer you my service both as strangers, and chiefly as Chr stians. 

 Some things I may tell you, which I think you will not be unwilling to 

 hear. The state hath given you license to stay on land for the space 

 of six weeks. And let it not trouble you if your occasions ask further 

 time, for the law in this point is not precise ; and I do not doubt but 

 myself shall be able to obtain for you such further time as shall be 

 convenient. Ye shall also understand that the Strangers -Housc is at 

 this time rich and much aforehand, for it hath laid up revenue these 

 thirty-seven years ; for so long it is since any stranger arrived in 

 this part. And, therefore, take ye no care, the state will defray you all 

 the time you stay, neither shall you stay one day less for that. As for 

 any merchandise you have brought, ye shall be well used, and have 

 your return either in merchandise, or in gold and silver ; for to us it is 

 all one. And if you have any other request to make, hide it not, for 

 ye shall find we will not make your countenance to fall by the answer 

 ye shall receive. Only this I must tell you, that none of you must go 

 above a karan [that is with them a mile and a half] from the walls of 

 the city without special leave.&quot; We answered, after we had looked 

 awhile upon one another, admiring this gracious and parent-like usage, 

 &quot; That we could not tell what to say, for we wanted words to express 

 our thanks, and his noble free offers left us nothing to ask. It seemed 

 to us that we had before us a picture of our salvation in heaven ; for 

 \ve that were awhile since in the jaws of death, were now brought into 

 a place where we found nothing but consolations. For the command 

 ment laid upon us, we would not fail to obey it, though it was im 

 possible but our hearts should be inflamed to tread further upon this 

 happy and holy ground.&quot; We added, &quot; That our tongues should first 

 cleave to the roofs of our mouths ere we should forget either this 

 reverend person, or this whole nation in our prayers.&quot; We also most 

 humbly besought him to accept of us as his true servants, by as just a 

 right as ever men on earth were bounden, laying and presenting both 

 our persons and all we had at his feet. He said, &quot; He was a priest, 

 and looked for a priest s reward, which was our brotherly love, and the 

 good of our souls and bodies.&quot; So he went from us, not without tears 

 of tenderness in his eyes ; and left us also confused with joy and kind 

 ness, saying amongst ourselves, That we were come into a land of 

 angels which did appear to us daily, and present us with comforts 

 which we thought not of, much less expected.&quot; 



The next day, about ten o clock, the governor came to us again, 

 and after salutations said familiarly, &quot; That he was come to visit us,&quot; 

 and called for a chair, and sat him down: and being some ten of us 

 (the rest were of the meaner sort, or else gone abroad), sat down with 

 him. And when we were seated, he began thus, &quot; We of this island of 

 Bcnsalem [for so they call it in their language] have this, that by 

 means of our solitary situation, and the laws of secresy which we have 

 for our travellers, and our rare admission of strangers, we know well 

 most part of the habitable world, and are ourselves unknown. There- 



