474 NEW ATLANTIS. 



&quot; When he had made his prayer, he presently found the boat he 

 was in moveable and unbound, whereas all the rest remained still fast ; 

 and taking that for an assurance of leave to approach, he caused the 

 boat to be softly and with silence rowed towards the pillar : but ere 

 he came near it, the pillar and cross of light brake up, and cast itself 

 abroad, as it were, into a firmament of many stars ; which also van 

 ished soon after, and there was nothing left to be seen but a small 

 ark or chest of cedar, dry, and not wet at all with water, though it 

 swam ; and in the fore-end of it, which was towards him, grew a small 

 green branch of palm. And when the wise man had taken it with 

 all reverence into his boat, it opened of itself, and there was found in 

 it a book and a letter, both written in fine parchment, and wrapped in 

 sindons of linen. The book contained all the canonical books of the 

 Old and New Testament, according as you have them, for we know 

 well what the churches with you receive, and the Apocalypse itself ; 

 and some other books of the New Testament which were not at that 

 time written, were nevertheless in the book. And for the letter, it was 

 in these words : 



&quot; I, Bartholomew, a servant of the Highest, and apostle of Jesus 

 Christ, was warned by an angel that appeared to me in a vision of 

 glory, that I should commit this ark to the floods of the sea. There 

 fore I do testify and declare unto that people where God shall ordain 

 this ark to come to land, that in the same day is come unto them sal 

 vation, and peace, and goodwill from the Father, and from the Lord 

 Jesus. 



&quot; There were also in both these writings, as well the book as the 

 letter, wrought a great miracle, conformable to that of the apostles in 

 the original gift of tongues. For there being at that time in this 

 land Hebrews, Persians, and Indians, besides the natives, every one 

 read upon the book and letter as if they had been written in his own 

 language. And thus was this land saved from infidelity, as the 

 remain of the old world was from water, by an ark, through the 

 apostolical and miraculous evangelism of St. Bartholomew.&quot; And 

 here he paused, and a messenger came and called him forth from us. 

 So this was all that passed in that conference. 



The next day the same governor came again to us immediately 

 after dinner, and excused himself, saying, &quot; That the day before he 

 was called from us somewhat abruptly, but now he would make us 

 amends, and spend some time with us, if we held his company and 

 conference agreeable.&quot; We answered, &quot; That we held it so agreeable 

 and pleasing to us, as we forgot both dangers past and fears to come, 

 for the time we heard him speak, and that we thought an hour spen* 

 with him was worth ten years of our former life.&quot; He bowed himself a 

 little to us, and after we were set again he said, &quot; Well, the questions 

 are on your part.&quot; One of our number said, after a little pause, &quot; There 

 was a matter we were no less desirous to know than fearful to ask, 

 lest we might presume too far ; but encouraged by his rare humanity 

 towards us, that we could scarce think ourselves strangers, being his 

 vowed and professed servants, we would take the hardiness to pro- 



