farthing matter to the rest of his kind, whether he be dead or alive. This alfo was the thing which of all circumstances of life was the most my averfion, who had been all my days used to an active life; and I would often fay to myself, A fate of idleness is the very dregs of life; and indeed I thought I was much more fuitably employed, when I was 26 days making me a deal board.

It was now the beginning of the year 1693, when my nephew, whom as I have obferved before I had brought up to the fea, and had made him commander of a fhip, was come home from a fhort voyage to Bilboa, being the first he had made; he came to me, and told me, that fome merchants of his acquaintance had been propofing to him to go a voyage for them to the East Indies and to China, as private traders and now uncle, fays he, if you will go to fea with me, I'll engage to land you upon your old habitation in the ifland, for we are to touch at the Brafils.

Nothing can be a greater demonftration of a future. ftate, and of the existence of an invisible world, than the concurrence of fecond caufes with the ideas of things which we form in our minds, perfectly referved, and not communicated to any in the world.

My nephew knew nothing how far my diftemper of wandering was returned upon me, and I knew nothing of what he had in his thoughts to fay, when that very morning before he came to me I had, in a great deal of confufion of thought, and revolving every part of my circumftances in my mind, come to this refolution, viz. That I would go to Lisbon, and confult with my old fea-captain; and fo, if it was

rational

rational and practicable, I would go and fee the island again, and fee what was become of my people there. I had pleafed myself alfo with the thoughts of peopling the place, and carrying inhabitants from hence, getting a patent for the poffeffion, and I know not what; when, in the middle of all this, in comes my nephew, as I have faid, with his project of carrying me thither, in his way to the East Indies.

I paufed a while at his words, and looking steadily at him, What Devil, faid I, fent you of this unlucky errand? My nephew ftartled, as if he had been frighted at firft; but perceiving I was not much difpleafed with the propofal, he recovered himself. I hope it may not be an unlucky propofal, Sir, fays he I dare fay you would be pleafed to fee your new colony there, where you once reigned with more felicity than most of your brother monarchs in the world.

In a word, the scheme hit fo exactly with my temper, that is to fay, with the prepoffeffion I was under, and of which I have faid fo much, that I told him, in few words, if he agreed with the merchants, I would go with him: but I told him, I would not promise to go any farther than my own island. Why Sir, fays he, you don't want to be left there again, I hope? Why, faid I, can you not take me up again in your return? he told me, it could not be poffible that the merchants would allow him to come that way with a loaden fhip of fuch value, it being a month's fail out of his way, and might be three or four: Befides, Sir, if I fhould mifcarry, faid he, and not return at all, then you would be just reduced to the condition you were in before.

This was very rational; but we both found out a remedy for it, which was to carry a framed floop on board the fhip, which, being taken in pieces and fhipped on board the fhip, might, by the help of fome carpenters, who we agreed to carry with us, be fet up again in the island, and finished, fit to go to fea in a few days.

I was not long refolving; for indeed the importunities of my nephew joined in fo effectually with my inclination, that nothing could oppose me: on the other hand, my wife being dead, I had nobody concerned themselves fo much for me, as to perfuade me one way or other, except my ancient good friend the widow, who earnestly struggled with me to confider my years, my eafy circumftances, and the needlefs hazard of a long voyage; and, above all, my young children: but it was all to no purpofe; I had an irresistible defire to the voyage; and I told her I thought there was fomething fo uncommon in the impreffions I had upon my mind for the voyage, that it would be a kind of refifting Providence, if I fhould attempt to stay at home; after which fhe ceased her expoftulations, and joined with me, not only in making provifion for my voyage, but also in fettling my family affairs in my absence, and providing for the education of my children.

In order to this, I made my will, and fettled the estate I had in such a manner for my children, and placed in fuch hands, that I was perfectly easy and fatisfied they would have justice done them, whatever might befal me; and for their education, I left it wholly to my widow, with a fufficient maintenence to herself for her care: all which she richly deserved;

for

for no mother could have taken more care in their education, or understood it better; and as fhe lived till I came home, I alfo lived to thank her for it.

My nephew was ready to fail about the beginning of January 1694-5, and I with my man Friday went on board in the Downs the 8th, having besides that floop which I mentioned above, a very considerable cargo of all kinds of neceffary things for my colony, which, if I did not find in good condition, I refolved to leave fo.

First, I carried with me some servants, whom I purposed to place there, as inhabitants, or at least to set on work there upon my own account, while I stayed, and either to leave them there, or carry them forward, as they should appear willing; particularly, I carried two carpenters, a fmith, and a very handy ingenious fellow who was a cooper by trade, but was also a general mechanick; for he was dextrous at making wheels, and hand-mills to grind corn, was a good turner, and a good pot maker; he also made any thing that was proper to make of earth, or of wood; in a word, we called him our Jack of all trades.

With these I carried a taylor, who had offered himself to go paffenger to the East Indies with my nephew, but afterwards confented to stay on our new plantation, and proved a most necessary handy fellow as could be defired, in many other businesses besides that of this trade; for, as I obferved formerly, neceffity arms us for all employments.

My cargo, as near as I can recollect, for I have not kept an account of the particulars, confifted of a fufficient quantity of linen, and fome thin English

ftuffs

ftuffs for cloathing the Spaniards that I expected to find there, and enough of them as by my calculation might comfortably fupply them for feven years; if I remember right, the materials which I carried for cloathing them, with gloves, hats, shoes, stockings, and all fuch things as they could want for wearing, amounted to above 200 pounds, including fome beds, bedding, and houfhold-stuff, particularly kitchen utenfils, with pots, kettles, pewter, brass, &c. befides near a hundred pounds more in iron-work, nails, tools of every kind, staples, hooks, hinges, and every neceffary thing I could think of.

I carried also a hundred fpare arms, mufkets, and fuzees, befides fome piftols, a confiderable quantity of fhot of all fizes, three or four tons of lead, and two pieces of brafs cannon; and because I knew not what time, and what extremities I was providing for, I carried an hundred barrels of powder, befides fwords, cutlaffes, and the iron part of fome pikes, and halberts; so that in fhort we had a large maga. zine of all forts of stores; and I made my nephew carry two small quarter-deck guns more than he wanted for his fhip, to leave behind, if there was occafion; that when they came there, we might build a fort, and man it against all forts of enemies: and indeed, I at first thought there would be need enough of it all, and much more, if we hoped to maintain our poffeffion of the ifland, as fhall be feen in the course of the story.

I had not fuch bad luck in this voyage as I had been used to meet with; and therefore fhall have the lefs occafion to interrupt the reader, who perhaps may be impatient to hear how matters went with my colony; yet fome odd accidents, crofs winds,

and