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fect white, would have paffed for handfome women, even in London itself, having very pleafant agreeable countenances, and of a very modest behaviour, efpecially when they came afterwards to be clothed, and dreffed, as they called it, though that dress was very indifferent, it must be confeffed; of which hereafter.

The fight, you may be fure, was something uncouth to our Spaniards, who were (to give them a juft character) men of the best behaviour, of the most calm, fedate tempers, and perfect good-humour that ever I met with; and, in particular, of the most modefty, as will presently appear: I fay the fight was very uncouth, to fee three naked men, and five naked women, all together bound, and in the most miferable circumftances that human nature could be fuppofed to be, viz. to be expecting every moment to be dragged out, and have their brains knocked out, and then to be eaten up like a calf that is killed for a dainty.

The first thing they did was to cause the old Indian, Friday's father, to go in, and fee firft if he knew any of them; and then, if he understood any of their fpeech as foon as the old man came in, he looked seriously at them, but knew none of them; ; neither could any of them understand a word he faid, or a fign he could make, except one of the

women.

However, this was enough to answer the end, which was to fatisfy them, that the men into whose hands they were fallen, were Christians; that they abhorred eating of men or women, and that they might be fure they would not be killed; as foon as they

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they were affured of this, they discovered fuch a joy, and by fuch awkward and feveral ways, as is hard to defcribe; for it feems they were of feveral nations.

The woman, who was their interpreter, was bid, in the next place, to afk them if they were willing to be fervants, and to work for the men who had brought them away, to fave their lives? At which they all fell a dancing; and prefently one fell to taking up this, and another that, any thing that lay next, to carry on their fhoulders, to intimate, that they were willing to work.

The governor, who found that the having women among them, would presently be attended with some inconveniency, and might occafion fome ftrife, and perhaps blood, afked the three men, what they intended to do with these women, and how they intended to use them, whether as fervants, or as women? One of the Englishmen anfwered very boldly and readily, that they would ufe them as both. To which the governor faid, I am not going to restrain you from it; you are your own mafters as to that: but this I think is but juft, for avoiding diforders and quarrels among you, and I defire it of you for that reafon only, viz. that you will all engage, that if any of you take any of these women, as a woman, or wife, he fhall take but one; and that, having taken one, none else fhould touch her; for though we cannot marry any of you, yet it is but reasonable, that while you stay here, the woman any of you takes fhould be maintained by the man that takes her, and should be his wife; I mean fays he, while he continues here; and that none else should have

any

any thing to do with her. All this appeared fo juft, that every one agreed to it without any difficulty.

Then the Englishmen asked the Spaniards, if they defigned to take any of them? But every one anfwered, No: fome of them faid they had wives in Spain; and the others did not like women that were not Christians; and altogether declared, that they would not touch one of them; which was an inftance of fuch virtue, as I have not met with in all my travels; on the other hand, to be short, the five Englishmen took them every one a wife; that is to fay, a temporary wife; and fo they fet up a new form of living; for the Spaniards and Friday's father lived in my old habitation, which they had enlarged exceedingly within; the three fervants, which they had taken in the late battle of the favages, lived with them; and these carried on the main part of the colony, fupplying all the rest with food, and affifting them in any thing as they could, or as they found neceffity required.

But the wonder of this ftory was, how five fuch refractory, ill-matched fellows fhould agree about thefe women, and that two of them fhould not pitch upon the fame woman, efpecially feeing two or three of them were, without comparifon, more agreeable than the others: but they took a good way enough to prevent quarrelling among themfelves for they fet the five women by themselves in one of their huts, and they went all into the other hut, and drew lots among them who fhould choose first.

He that drew to choose firft, went away by himfelf to the hut, where the poor naked creatures were,

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and fetched out her he chofe; and it was worth ob. ferving, that he that chose first, took her that was reckoned the homelieft, and the oldeft of the five, which made mirth enough among the reft; and even the Spaniards laughed at it; but the fellow confidered better than any of them, that it was application and bufinefs that they were to expect affistance in, as much as any thing else; and the proved the best wife in the parcel.

When the poor women faw themfelves in a row thus, and fetched out one by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon them again, and they firmly believed, that they were now going to be devoured: accordingly, when the English failor came in and fetched out one of them, the reft fet up a moft lamentable cry, and hung about her, and took their leave of her with fuch agonies and such affection, as would have grieved the hardest heart in the world; nor was it poffible for the Englishmen to fatisfy them that they were not to be immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man, Friday's father, who inftantly let them know, that the five men who had fetched them out one by one, had chofen them for their wives.

When they had done this, and the fright the women were in was a little over, the men went to work, and the Spaniards came and helped them; and, in a few hours, they had built them every one a new hut or tent for their lodging apart; for those they had already were crowded with their tools, household ftuff, and provifions: The three wicked ones had pitched fartheft off, and the two honeft ones nearer, but both on the north fhore of the

ifland,

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ifland, fo that they continued feparate as before: and thus my island was peopled in three places, and, as I might fay, three towns were begun to be planted.

And here it is very well worth obferving, that as it often happens in the world (what the wife ends of God's providences are in fuch a disposition of things, I cannot fay) the two honeft fellows had the two worst wives; and the three reprobates, that were scarce worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and neither feemed born to do themfelves good, or any one elfe, had three clever, diligent, careful, and ingenious wives; not that the two firft were ill wives as to their temper or humour; for all the five were most willing, quiet, paffive, and fubjected creatures, rather like flaves than wives; but my meaning is, they were not alike capable, ingenious, or induftrious, or alike cleanly and neat.

Another obfervation I must make, to the honour of a diligent application on the one hand, and to the difgrace of a flothful, negligent, idle temper on the other, that when I came to the place, and viewed the feveral improvements, planting, and management of the feveral little colonies; the two men had fo far outgone the three, that there was no comparifon; they had indeed both of them as much ground laid out for corn as they wanted; and the reafon was, becaufe, according to my rule, nature dictated, that it was to no purpofe to fow more corn than they wanted; but the difference of the cultivation, of the planting, of the fences, and indeed every thing elfe, was eafy to be feen at first view.

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