But they all rejected the propofal; and faid, they would have nothing to do with me any more, neither on board, or on fhore; and if I came on board, they would go on fhore. Well, faid the captain, if you are all of this mind, let me go on fhore, and talk with him fo away he came to me with this account, a little after the meffage had been brought to me from the cockfwain.

I was very glad to fee my nephew, I must confefs; for I was not without apprehensions that they would confine him by violence, fet fail, and run away with the fhip; and then I had been stript naked, in a remote country, and nothing to help myself: in fhort, I had been in a worse cafe than when I was all alone in the ifland.

But they had not come to that length, it seems, to my great fatisfaction; and when my nephew told me what they had said to him, and how they had fworn, and fhook hands, that they would one and all leave the fhip, if I was fuffered to come on board, I told him, he should not be concerned at it at all, for I would stay on fhore: I only defired he would take care and send me all my neceffary things on fhore, and leave me a fufficient fum of money, and I would find my way to England as well as I could.

This was a heavy piece of news to my nephew; but there was no way to help it, but to comply with it. So in fhort, he went on board the ship again, and fatisfied the men, that his uncle had yielded to their importunity, and had fent for his goods from on board the ship. So the matter was over in a very few hours the men returned to their duty, and I begun to confider what course I should steer.

I was now alone in the remoteft part of the world, as I think I may call it; for I was near three thoufand leagues, by fea, farther off from England than I was at my island; only, it is true, I might travel here by land, over the Great Mogul's country to Surat, might go from thence to Baffora by sea, up the gulph of Perfia, and from thence might take the way of the caravans, over the deferts of Arabia to Aleppo and Scanderoon; and from thence by fea again to Italy, and fo over land into France; and this, put together, might be, at leaft, a full diameter of the globe; but, if it were to be measured, I suppose it would appear to be a great deal more.

I had another way before me, which was to wait for fome English fhips, which were coming to Bengal, from Achin, on the island of Sumatra, and get paffage on board them for England: but as I came hither without any concern with the English EaftIndia Company, fo it would be difficult to go from hence without their licence, unless with great favour of the captains of the ships, or of the company's factors; and to both I was an utter ftranger.

Here I had the particular pleasure, fpeaking by contrarieties, to fee the fhip fet fail without me; a treatment, I think, a man in my circumftances fcarce ever met with, except from pirates running away with a fhip, and setting thofe that would not agree with their villainy on fhore: indeed, this was the next door to it, both ways. However, my nephew left me two fervants, or rather, one companion, and one servant the first was clerk to the purfer, whom he engaged to go with me; and the other was his own servant. I took me also a good lodging in the house VOL. II.

R

of

of an English woman, where feveral merchants lodged, fome French, two Italians, or rather Jews, and one Englishman. Here I was handfomely enough entertained; and, that I might not be faid to run rafhly upon any thing, I stayed here above nine months, confidering what course to take, and how to manage myfelf. I had fome English goods with me of value, and a confiderable fum of money; my nephew furnishing me with a thousand pieces of eight, and a letter of credit for more, if I had occafion, that I might not be ftraitened, whatever might happen.

I quickly difpofed of my goods, and to advantage too; and, as I originally intended, I bought here fome very good diamonds, which, of all other things, was the moft proper for me, in my circumstances, because I might always carry my whole eftate about me.

After a long stay here, and many propofals made for my return to England, but none falling to my mind, the English merchant, who lodged with me, and with whom I had contracted an intimate acquaintance, came to me one morning: Country. man, fays he, I have a project to communicate to you, which, as it fuits with my thoughts, may, for aught I know, fuit with your's alfo, when you shall have thoroughly confidered it.

Here we are pofted, fays he, you by accident, and I by my own choice, in a part of the world very re. mote from our own country; but it is in a country where, by us who understand trade and business, a great deal of money is to be got: if will put a thousand pounds to my thousand pounds, we will hire a fhip here, the first we can get to our minds,

you

you

you fhall be captain, I'll be merchant, and we will go a trading voyage to China: for what fhould we stand still for? The whole world is in motion, rolling round and round; all the creatures of GOD, heavenly bodies and earthly, are bufy and dili. gent why fhould we be idle? There are no drones, fays he, living in the world but men

we be of that number?

why fhould

I liked this propofal very well; and the more, because it seemed to be expreffed with fo much good will, and in fo friendly a manner. I will not fay, but that I might, by my loofe and unhinged circumstances, be the fitter to embrace a propofal for trade, and, indeed, for any thing else; or otherwife, trade was none of my element: however, I might, perhaps, fay, with fome truth, that if trade was not my element, rambling was; and no propofal for feeing any part of the world, which I had never seen before, could poffibly come amifs to

me.

It was, however, fome time before we could get a fhip to our mind; and when we got a vessel, it was not eafy to get English failors; that is to fay, fo many as were neceffary to govern the voyage, and manage the failors which we should pick up there. After fome time we got a mate, a boatfwain, and a gunner, English; a Dutch carpenter, and three Portuguese, foremaft men; with thefe, we found we could do well enough, having Indian feamen, fuch as they are, to make up.

There are so many travellers who have written the history of their voyages and travels this way, that it would be but very little diversion to any body, to

give a long account of the places we went to, and the people who inhabit there: those things I leave to others, and refer the reader to those journals and travels of Englishmen, many of which, I find, are published, and more promised every day. It is enough for me to tell you, that we made the voyage to Achin, in the island of Sumatra, first; and from thence to Siam, where we exchanged fome of our wares for opium, and for fome arrack; the firft, a commodity which bears a great price among the Chinese, and which, at that time, was very much wanted there in a word, we went up to Sufham; made a very great voyage; were eight months out; and returned to Bengal: and I was very well fatisfied with my adventure. I obferve, that our people in England, often admire how the officers, which the Company fend into India, and the merchants which generally stay there, get fuch very good estates as they do, and fometimes come home worth fixty, feventy, and an hundred thousand pounds at a time.

But it is no wonder, or, at least, we fhall fee so much farther into it, when we confider the innumerable ports and places where they have a free commerce, that it will then be no wonder; and much less will it be fo, when we confider, that all thofe places and ports where the English fhips come, there is so much, and fuch constant demand for the growth of all other countries, that there is a certain vent for the return, as well as a market abroad for the goods carried out.

In short, we made a very good voyage, and I got fo much money by the first adventure, and fuch an

infight