NEW ATLANTIS. 



he was a Jew, and circumcised, for they have some few stirps of Jcw 

 yet remaining among them, whom they leave to their own religion, 

 which they may the better do, because they are of a far different dispo 

 sition from the Jews in other parts. For whereas they hate the name 

 of Christ, and have a secret inbred rancour against the people among 

 whom they live ; these contrariwise give unto our Saviour many high 

 attributes, and love the nation of Bcnsalcm extremely. Surely this 

 man of whom I speak, would ever acknowledge that Christ was born 

 of a virgin, and that he was more than a man; and he would tell how 

 God made him ruler of the scraphims which guard his throne: and 

 they call him also the Milken Way, and the Kliah of the Messiah, 

 and many other high names ; which, though they be inferior to his 

 Divine Majesty, yet they are far from the language of other Jews. 

 And for the country of Bensalem, this man would make no end of 

 commending it, l&amp;gt;eing desirous, by tradition among the Jews there, to 

 have it believed, that the people thereof were of the generations of 

 Abraham by another son, whom they called Nachoran ; and that 

 Moses by a secret cabala ordained the laws of Bensalcm, which they 

 now use ; and that when the Messiah should come and sit in his 

 throne at Jerusalem, the king of Bcnsalem should sit at his feet, 

 whereas other kings should keep at a great distance. Hut yet, setting 

 aside these Jewish dreams, the man was a wise man and learned, and 

 of great policy, and excellently seen in the laws and cus .oms of that 

 nation. Amongst other discourses, one day I told him, I was much 

 affected with the relation I had from some of the company, of their 

 custom in holding the feast of the family, for that mcthought I had 

 never heard of a solemnity wherein nature did so much preside. And 

 because propagation of families proccedcth from the nuptial copula 

 tion, I desired to know of him what laws and customs they had con 

 cerning marriage, and whether they kept marriage well, and whether 

 they were tied to one wife. For that where population is so much 

 affected, and such as with them it seemed to be, there is commonly 

 permission of plurality of wives. To this he said, &quot; You have reason 

 to commend that excellent institution of the feast of the family ; and 

 indeed we have experience that those families that arc partakers of 

 the blessings of that feast do flourish and prosj&amp;gt;er ever after in an 

 extraordinary manner. But hear me now, and 1 will tell you what I 

 know. You shall understand that there is not under the heavens so 

 chaste a nation as this of Bcnsalem, nor so free from all pollution or 

 foulness ; it is the virgin of the world. I remember I have read in one 

 of your Eurojxian books, of an huly hermit amongst you that desired 

 to see the spirit of fornication, and there appeared to him a little foul 

 ugly Ethiop. But if he had desired to see the spirit of chastity of 

 Bensalem, it would have appeared to him in the likeness of a fair 

 beautiful cherubim ; for there is nothing amongst mortal men more 

 fair and admirable than the chaste minds of this people. Know, there 

 fore, that with them there arc no stews, no dissolute houses, no cour 

 tezans, nor anything of that kind ; nay, they wonder with detestation at 

 you in Europe which permit such things. They say you have put 



