The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

268 NEW ATLANTIS.
cines; wherein you may easily think, if we have also glasses and means, to see small and minute
such variety of plants and living creatures more bodies perfectly and distinctly; as the shapes and
than you have in Europe, (for we know what you colours of small flies and worms, grains and
have,) the simples, drugs, and ingredients of me- flaws in gems, which cannot otherwise be seen;
dicines, must likewise be in so much the greater observations in urine and blood, not otherwise
variety. We have them likewise of divers ages, to be seen. We make artificial rainbows, halos,
and long fermentations. And for their prepara- and circles about light. We represent also all
tions, we have not only all manner of exquisite manner of reflections, refractions, and multiplicadistillations and separations, and especially by tions of visual beams of objects.
gentle heats and percolations through divers ",We have also precious stones of all kinds,
strainers, yea, and substances; but also exact many of them of great beauty, to you unknown;
forms of' composition, whereby they incorporate crystals likewise; and glasses of divers kinds;
almost as they were natural simples. and amongst them some of metals vitrificated, and
" We have also divers mechanical arts, which other materials, besides those of which you make
you have not; and stuffs made by them; as pa- glass. Also a number of fossils, and imperfect
pers, linen, silks, tissues: dainty works of feath- minerals, which you have not. Likewise loaders of wonderful lustre; excellent dyes, and many stones of prodigious virtue; and other rare stones,
others; and shops likewise as well for such as both natural and artificial.
are not brought into vulgar use among us, as for, "We have also sound-houses, where we practhose that are. For you must know, that of the tise and demonstrate all sounds, and their genethings before recited, many of them are grown ration. We have harmonies which you have not
into use throughout the kingdom; but yet, if they of quarter-sounds, and lesser slides of sounds.
did flow from our invention, we have of them also Divers instruments of music likewise to you
for patterns and principals. unknown, some sweeter than any you have; to6 "We have also furnaces of great diversities, gether with bells and rings that are dainty and
and that keep great diversities of heats; fierce sweet. We represent small sounds as great and
and quick; strong and constant; soft and mild; deep; likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp;
blown, quiet, dry, moist; and the like. But we make divers tremblings and warblings of
above all, we have heats in imitation of the sun's sounds, which in their original are entire. We
and heavenly bodies'- heats, that pass divers ine- represent and imitate all articulate sounds and
qualities, and, as it were, orbs, progresses and re- letters, and the voice and notes of beasts and
turns, whereby, we produce admirable effects. birds. We have certain helps, which set to the
Besides, we have heats of dungs, and of bellies ear do further the hearing greatly. We have
and maws of living creatures, and of their bloods also divers strange and artificial echoes, reflectand bodies; and of hays and herbs laid up moist; ing the voice many times, and as it were tossing it:
of lime unquenched; and such like. Instruments and some that give back the voice louder than it
also which generate heat only by motion. And came; some shriller, and some deeper; yea,
farther, places for strong insolations; and again, some rendering the voice differing in the letters
places under the earth, which by nature or art, or articulate sound from that they receive. We
yield heat. These divers heats we use, as the have also means to convey sounds in trunks and
nature of the operation which we intend requir- pipes, in strange lines and distances.
eth. ", We have also perfume-houses; wherewith we
", We have also perspective houses, where we join also practices of taste. We multiply smells,
make demonstrations of lights and radiations; and which may seem strange. We imitate smells,
of all colours; and out of things uncoloured and making all smells to breathe out of other mixtures
transparent, we can represent unto you all several than those that give them. We make divers imicolours; not in rainbows as it is in gems and tations of taste likewise, so that they will deceive
prisms, but of themselves single. We represent any man's taste. And in this house we contain
also all multiplications of light, which we carry also a comfiture-house; where we make all sweetto great distance; and make so sharp, as to dis- meats, dry and moist, and divers pleasant wines,
cern small points and lines; also all colorations milks, broths, and salads, in far greater variety
of light: all delusions and deceits of the sight, than you have.
in figures, magnitudes, motions, colours; all de- "We have also engine-houses, where are premonstrations of shadows. We find also divers pared engines and instruments for all sorts of momeans yet unknown to you, of producing of light tions. There we imitate and practise to make
originally from divers bodies. We procure means swifter motions than any you have, either out of
of seeing objects afar off; as in the heaven and your muskets, or any engine that you have; and
iemote places; and represent things near as far to make them, and multiply them more easily
off; and things afar off as near; making feigned and with small force, by wheels and other means:
distances. We have also helps for the sight, far and to make them stronger, and more violent than
above spectacles and glasses in use. We have yours are; exceeding your greatest cannons and