eye of this kingdom, who having a while attentively and devoutly viewed
and contemplated this pillar and cross, fell down upon his face; and
then raised himself upon his knees, and lifting up his hands to heaven,
made his prayers in this manner:

"'Lord God of heaven and earth; thou hast vouchsafed of thy grace, to
those of our order to know thy works of creation, and true secrets of
them; and to discern (as far as appertaineth to the generations of men)
between divine miracles, works of Nature, works of art and impostures,
and illusions of all sorts. I do here acknowledge and testify before
this people, that the thing we now see before our eyes, is thy finger,
and a true miracle. And forasmuch as we learn in our books, that thou
never workest miracles, but to a divine and excellent end (for the laws
of Nature are thine own laws, and thou exceedest them not but upon great
cause), we most humbly beseech thee to prosper this great sign, and to
give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy; which thou dost in
some part secretly promise, by sending it unto us.'

"When he had made his prayer, he presently found the boat he was in
movable and unbound; whereas all the rest remained still fast; and
taking that for an assurance of leave to approach, he caused the boat to
be softly and with silence rowed towards the pillar; but ere he came
near it, the pillar and cross of light broke up, and cast itself abroad,
as it were into a firmament of many stars, which also vanished soon
after; and there was nothing left to be seen but a small ark, or chest
of cedar, dry and not wet at all with water, though it swam; and in the
fore-end of it, which was towards him, grew a small green branch of
palm; and when the wise man had taken it with all reverence into his
boat, it opened of itself, and there were found in it a book and a
letter, both written in fine parchment, and wrapped in sindons of linen.
The book contained all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament,
according as you have them (for we know well what the churches with you
receive), and the Apocalypse itself; and some other books of the New
Testament, which were not at that time written, were nevertheless in the
book. And for the letter, it was in these words:

"'I Bartholomew, a servant of the Highest, and apostle of Jesus Christ,
was warned by an angel that appeared to me in a vision of glory, that I
should commit this ark to the floods of the sea. Therefore I do