Now concerning the first part, we hold this, that the Meditations, knowledge and inventions of our loving Christian Father (of all that, which from the beginning of the world, Man's Wisdom, either through God's revelation, or through the service of the Angels and spirits, or through the sharpness and deepness of understanding, or through long observation, use and experience, hath found out, invented, brought forth, corrected, and till now hath been propagated and transplanted) are so excellent, worthy and great, that if all books should perish, and by God Almighty's sufrance, all writings, and all learning should be lost, yet the posterity will be able only thereby to lay a new foundation, and bring truth to light again; the which perhaps would not be so hard to do as if one should begin to pull down and destroy the old ruinous building, and begin to enlarge the fore Court, afterwards bring the lights in the Lodgings, and then change the doors, staples and other things according to our intention. But to whom would this not be acceptable, for to be manifested to every one rather than to have it kept and spared, as an especial ornament for the appointed time to come. Wherefore should we not with all our hearts rest and remain in the only truth (which men through so many erroneous and crooked ways do seek) if it had only pleased God to lighten unto us the sixth Candelabrum, were it not good that we needed not to care, not to fear hunger, poverty, sickness and age. Were it not a precious thing that you could always live so, as if you had lived from the beginning of the world, and moreover as you should still live to the end therof. Were it not excellent, you dwell in one place, that neither the people which dwell beyond the River Ganges in the Indies could hide anything, nor those which live in Peru might be able to keep secret their counsels from thee. Were it not a precious thing that you could so read in one only book, and withal by reading understand and remember all that, which in all other books (which heretofore have been, and are now and hereafter shall come out) hath been, is, and shall be learned, and found out of them. How pleasant were it that you could so sing, that instead of stony rocks you could draw to thee pearls and precious stones, instead of wilde beasts, spirits, and instead of hellish Pluto, move the mighty Princes of the world. O ye people, God's counsel is far otherwise, who hath concluded now to increase and enlarge the number of our Fraternity, the which we with such joy have undertaken as we have heretofore obtained this great treasure without our merits, yea without any our hopes and thoughts, and purpose with the like fidelity to put the same in practice, that neither the compassion nor pity of our own children (which some of us in the Fraternity have) shall draw us from it, because we know that these unhoped for goods cannot be inherited, nor by chance be obtained.