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362
HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS.
again slowly, and, being simple and savage,
were not able
to leave letters, arts, and civility to their posterity. Having
likewise in their mountainous habitations been used (in
respect of the exbream cold) to cloathe themselves with
skins of tygers, bears, and great hairy goates, when they
came down into the valley and found the intolerable heats
which are there, they were forced to begin the custome of
going naked, which continueth at this day, onely they take
great pride in the feathers of birds. ... By this main accident
of time we lost our traffique with the Americans, with
whom, in regard they lay nearest to us, we had most com-
merce. As for other parts of the world, navigation did every-
where greatly decay, so that part of entercourse which could
be from other nations to sayle to us hath long since ceased.
But now of the cessation of intercourse which mought
be by our sayling to other nations, I cannot say but our ship-
ping for number, strength, marriners, pilots, and all things
is as great as ever ; and, therefore, why we should set at
home I shall now give you an account by
itself. There
raigned in this island, about nineteen hundred years agoe,
a King whose memory of all others we most adore, not
superstitiously, but as a divine instrument, though a mortall
man. His name was Eugenius Theodidactus (you may read
this at large in our " Idea of the Law "), and we esteem
him as the lawgiver of our nation. This Xing had a large
heart, inscrutable for good, and was wholly bent to make
his kingdome and people happy. He, therefore, takeing
into consideration how sufficient this land was to maintain
itself without any aid of the forrainer, being 5600 miles in
circuit and of rare fertility in the greatest part thereof;
finding also the shipping might be plentifully set on worke
by fishing and by transportation from port to port, and