with him, And when we were set, he began thus: " We of this island of
Bensalem," (for so they call it in their language,) "have this; that
by means of our solitary situation; and of the laws of secrecy, which
we have for our travellers, and our rare admission of strangers; we
know well most part of the habitable world, and are ourselves unknown.
Therefore because he that knoweth least is fittest to ask questions,
it is more reason, for the entertainment of the time, that ye ask me
questions, than that I ask you."

We answered; "That we humbly thanked him that he would give us leave
so to do: and that we conceived by the taste we had already, that
there was no worldly thing on earth, more worthy to be known than the
state of that happy land. But above all," (we said,) "since that we
were met from the several ends of the world, and hoped assuredly that
we should meet one day in the kingdom of Heaven, (for that we were
both parts Christians,) we desired to know, (in respect that land was
so remote, and so divided by vast and unknown seas, from the land
where our Saviour walked on earth,) who was the apostle of that nation,
and how it was converted to the faith?" It appeared in his face that
he took great contentment in this our question: he said; "Ye knit my
heart to you, by asking this question in the first place; for it
sheweth that you first seek the kingdom of heaven; and I shall gladly,
and briefly, satisfy your demand.

"About twenty years after the ascension of our Saviour, it came to
pass, that there was seen by the people of Renfusa, (a city upon the
eastern coast of our island,) within night, (the night was cloudy, and
calm,) as it might be some mile into the sea, a great pillar of light;
not sharp, but in form of a column, or cylinder, rising from the sea a
great way up towards heaven; and on the top of it was seen a large