NEW ATLANTIS. 479 



admirable, preserving the good which comcih by communicating with 

 strangers, and avoiding.thc hurt ; and I will now open it to you. And 

 here I shall seem a little to digress, but you will, by-and-by, find it 

 pertinent. You shall understand, my dear friends, that amongst the 

 excellent acts of that king, one above all hath the pre-eminence ; it 

 was the erection and institution of an order or society, which we call 

 Solomon s House, the noblest foundation, as we think, that ever was 

 upon the earth, and the lanthorn of this kingdom. It is dedicated to 

 the study of the works and creatures of God. Some think it bcarcth 

 the founder s name a little corrupted, as if it should be Solomona s 

 House ; but the records write it as it is spoken. So as I take it to be 

 denominate of the king of the Hebrews, which is famous with you, and 

 no stranger to us, for we have some parts of his works which with you 

 are lost ; namely, that natural history which he wrote of all plants, 

 from the cedar of Libanus to the moss that growcth out of the wall, 

 and of all things that have life and motion. This maketh me think 

 that our king, finding himself to symbolize in many things with that 

 king of the Hebrews which lived many years before him, honoured 

 him with the title of this foundation. And I am the rather induced to 

 be of this opinion, for that I find in ancient records this order or 

 society is sometimes called Solomon s House, and sometimes the 

 College of the Six Days Works ; whereby I am satisfied that our 

 excellent king had learned from the Hebrews that God had created 

 the world, and all that therein is, within six days, and therefore he 

 instituting that house for the finding out of the true nature of all things, 

 whereby God might have the more glory in the workmanship of them, 

 and men the more fruit in their use of them, did give it also that 

 second name. But now, to come to our present purpose. When the 

 king had forbidden to all his people navigation in any part that was 

 not under his crown, he made nevertheless this ordinance, that every 

 twelve years there should be set forth out of this kingdom two ships 

 appointed to several voyages; that in cither of these ships there should 

 be a mission of three of the fellows or brethren of Solomon s House, 

 whose errand was only to give us knowledge of the affairs and state of 

 those countries to which they were designed, and especially of the 

 sciences, arts, manufactures, and inventions of all the world ; and 

 withal to bring unto us books, instruments, and patterns in every kind : 

 that the ships, after they had landed the brethren, should return, and 

 that the brethren should stay abroad till vhe new mission. Tho ships 

 are not otherwise fraught than with store of victuals, and good quantity 

 of treasure, to remain with the brethren for the buying of such things 

 and rewarding of such persons as they should think lit. Now for me 

 to tell you, how the vulgar sort of mariners are contained from being 

 discovered at land, and how they that must be put on shore for any 

 time, colour themselves under the names of other nations, and to what 

 places these voyages have been designed, and what places of rendez 

 vous are appointed for the new missions, and the like circumstances 

 of the practice, I may not do it, neither is it much to your desire. But 

 thus you see we maintain a trade, not for gold, filvcr, or jewels, nor 



