473 NEW ATLANTIS. 



and it will draw nearer to give you satisfaction to your principal 

 question. 



&quot; There reigned in this island, about nineteen hundred years ago, * 

 king, whose memory of all others we most adore, not superstitiously, 

 but as a divine instrument, though a mortal man : his name was 

 Solomona, and we esteem him as the lawgiver of our nation. This 

 king had a large heart, inscrutable for good, and was wholly bent to 

 make his kingdom and people happy. He therefore, taking into con 

 sideration how sufficient and substantive this land was to maintain 

 itself without any aid at all of the foreigner, being five thousand six 

 hundred miles in circuit, and of rare fertility of soil in the greatest part 

 thereof; and finding also the shipping of this country might be plenti 

 fully set on work, both by fishing and by transportations from port to 

 port, and likewise by sailing unto some small islands that are not far 

 from us, and are under the crown and laws of this state, and recalling 

 into his memory the happy and flourishing estate wherein this land 

 then was, so as it might be a thousand ways altered to the worse, but 

 scarce any one way to the better ; thought nothing wanted to his 

 noble and heroical intentions, but only, as far as human foresight 

 might reach, to give perpetuity to that which was in his time so happily 

 established ; therefore amongst his other fundamental laws of this 

 kingdom he did ordain the interdicts and prohibitions which we have 

 touching the entrance of strangers, which at that time, though it was 

 after the calamity of America, was frequent ; doubting novelties and 

 commixture of manners. It is true, the like law against the admission 

 of strangers without licence is an ancient law in the kingdom of China, 

 and yet continued in use ; but there it is a poor thing, and hath made 

 them a curious, ignorant, fearful, foolish nation. But our lawgiver 

 made his law of another temper. For, first, he hath preserved all 

 points of humanity, in taking order and making provision for the re 

 lief of strangers distressed, whereof you have tasted. At which 

 speech, as reason was, we all rose up and bowed ourselves. He went 

 on. &quot; That king also still desiring to join humanity and policy to 

 gether, and thinking it against humanity to detain strangers here 

 against their wills, and against policy, that they should return and 

 discover their knowledge of this state, he took this course. He did 

 ordain, that of the strangers that should be permitted to land, as many, 

 at all times, might depart as would, but as many as would stay should 

 have very good conditions and means to live from the state. Wherein 

 he saw so far, that now in so many ages since the prohibition, we have 

 memory not of one ship that ever returned, and but of thirteen persons 

 only at several times that chose to return in our bottoms. What those 

 few that returned may have reported abroad, I know not ; but you 

 must think, whatsoever they have said could be taken where they 

 came but for a dream. Now for our travelling from hence into parts 

 abroad, our lawgiver thought fit altogether to restrain it. So is it not 

 in China, for the Chinese sail where they will, or can ; which showeth 

 that their law of keeping out strangers is a law of pusillanimity and 

 fear. But this restraint of ours hath one only exception, which is 



