hors fo lively related to me by the firft Spaniard and Friday's Father, that it was furprizing; they told me how they barbaroufly attempted to murder all the Spaniards, and that they fet Fire to the Provifions they had laid up, on Purpose to diftrefs and starve them, Things that I had never heard of, and that indeed were never all of them true in Fact: But it was fo warm in my Imagination, and fo realiz'd to me, that to the Hour I faw them, I could not be perfuaded, but that it was or would be true; alfo how I refented it, when the Spaniard complain'd to me, and how I brought them to Juftice, try'd them before me, and order'd them all three to be hang'd: What there was really in this, fhall be feen in its Place: For however, I came to form fuch Things in my Dream, and what fecret Converfe of Spirits injected it, yet there was very much of it true. I fay, I own, that this Dream had nothing in it literally and fpecifically true: But the general Part was fo true, the bafe villanious Behawiour of these three harden'd Rogues was fuch, and had been fo much worfe than all I can defcribe, that the Dream had too much Similitude of the Fact, and as I would afterwards have punished them severely; fo if I had hang'd them all, I had been much in the Right, and fhould ha' been juftifiable both by the Laws of God and Man.

But to return to my Story; in this Kind of Temper I had liv'd fome Years, I had no Enjoyment of my Life, no pleafant Hours, no agreeable Diverfion but what had fome Thing or other of this in its fo that my Wife, who faw my Mind fo wholly bent upon it, told me very seriously one Night, That the believ'd there was fome fecret powerful Impulfe of Providence upon me, which had determin'd me to go thither again; and that

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the found nothing hindred my going, but my being engag'd to a Wife and Children. She told me that it was true fhe could not think of parting with me; but as fhe was affur'd, that if the was dead, it would be the first Thing I would do: So as it feem'd to her, that the Thing was determin'd above, the would not be the only Obstruction: for if I thought fit, and rofolv'd to go here The found me very intent npon her Words, and that I look'd very earnestly at her; fo that it a lit tle diforder'd her, and the ftopp'd. I ask'd her, Why he did not go on, and fay out what she was going to fay? But I perceiv'd her Heart was too full, and fome Tears flood in her Eyes: Speak out my Dear, faid I, Are you willing I'fhould go? No, Jays be very affectionately, I am far from willing: But if you are refolv'd to go, fays fhe, and rather than I will be the only Hindrance, I will go with you; for tho I think it a moft preposterous Thing for one of your Years, and in your Condition, yet if it muft be, faid the agan weeping, I won't leave you'; for if it be of Heaven, you must do it: There is no refifting it; and if Heaven makes ic your Duty to go, he will alfo make it mine to go with you, or otherwife difpofe of me, that Imay not obftruct it.on. Dus พิมย์ รถ

This affectionate Behaviour of my Wife's Brought me a little out of the Vapours, and I began to confider what I was a doing; I corrected my wandring Fancy, and began to argue with my felf fedately, what Business I had after threescore Years, and after fuch a Life of tedious Sufferings. and Difafters, and clofed in fo happy and eafy a Manner, I fay, what Bufinefs I had to rush into new Hazards. and put my felf upon Adventures, fit only for Youth and Poverty to run into.

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With

With thofe Thoughts, I confidered my new Engagement, that I had a Wife, one Child born, and my Wife then great with Child of another; that I had all the World could give me, and had no Need to feek Hazards for Gain; that I was declining in Years, and ought to think rather of lea ving what I had gain'd, than of feeking to en crease it; that as to what my Wife had faid, of its being an Impulse from Heaven, and that it fhould be my Duty to go, I had no Notion of that; fo after many of thefe Cogitations, I ftruggled with the Power of my Imagination, reafon'd my of felf our it, as I believe People may always do in like Cafes, if they will and, in a Word, I conquer'd it; compos'd my felf with fuch Arguments as occur'd to my Thought, and which my present Condition furnish'd me plentifully with, and particularly, as the most effectual Method, I refolv'd to divert my felf with other Things, and to engage in fome Bufinefs that might effectually tye me up from any more Excurfions of this Kind; for I found that Thing return upon me chiefly when I was idle, had nothing to do, or any Thing of Moment immediately before me.

To this Purpose I bought a little Farm in the Country of Bedford, and refolv'd to remove my felf thither. I had a little convenient Houfe upon it, and the Land about it I found was capable of great Improvement, and that it was many Ways fuited to my Inclination, which delighted in Cultivating, Managing, Planting and Improving of Land; and particularly, being an Inland Country, 1 was remov'd from converfing among Ships, Sailors, and Things relating to the remote Part of the World.

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In a Word, I went down to my Farm, fettled my Family, bought me Ploughs, Harrows, a Cart, Wagon, Horfes, Cows, Sheep; and fetting fetiously to Work, became in one half Year, a meer Country Gentleman; my Thoughts were entiret ly taken up in managing my Servants, cultivating the Ground, Enclofing, Planting, &c. and I liv'd, as I thought, the moft agreeable Life that Nature was capable of directing, or that a Man always bred to Misfortunes was capable of being retrea ted to.

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I farm'd upon my own Land, I had no Rent to pay, was limited by no Articles; I could pull up or cut down as I pleafed: What I planted, was for my felf, and what I improved, was for my Family; and having thus left off the Thoughts of Wandring, I had not the leaft Difcomfort in any Part of Life, as to this World. Now I thought indeed, that I enjoy'd the middle State of Life, that my

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and lived her fo earnestly recommended to me,

and livid a kind of heavenly Life, fomething like what is defcribed by the Poet upon the Subject of a Country Life.

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Free from Vices, free from Care,

Age has no Pain, and Youth no Snare.

But in the Middle of all this Felicity, one Blow from unforeseen Providence unhing'd me at once and not only made a Breach upon me inevitable and incurable, but drove me, by its Confequences, into a deep Relapfe into the wandring Difpofition, which, as I may fay, being born in my very Blood, foon recover'd its hold of me, and like the Returns of a violent Diftemper, came on with an

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irrefiftible Force upon me; fo that nothing could make any more Impreffion upon me. This Blow was the Lofs of my Wife.

It is not my Business here to write an Elegy upon my Wife, give a Character of her particular Virtues, and make my Court to the Sex by the Flattery of a Funeral Sermon. She was, in a few Words, the Stay of all my Affairs, the Center of all my Enterprizes, the Engine, that by her Prudence reduc'd me to that happy Compafs I was in, from the most extravagant and ruinous Project that flutter'd in my Head, as above; and did more to guide my rambling Genius, than a Mother's Tears, a Father's Inftructions, a Friend's Counsel, or all my own reafoning Powers could do. I was happy in liftening to her Tears, and in being mov'd by her Entreaties,, and to the laft Degree defolate and diflocated in the World by the Lofs of her. daklw p

When she was gone, the World look'd aukwardly round me; I was as much a Stranger in it, in my Thoughts, as I was in the Brafils, when I went firft on Shore there; and as much alone, except as to the Affiftances of Servants, as I was in my Inland. I knew neither what to do, or what not to do. I faw the World bufy round me, one Part labouring for Bread, and the other Part fquandring in vile Exceffes or empty Pleafures, equally miferable, because the End they propos'd ftill fled from them; for the Man of Pleafure every Day furfeited of his Vice, and heap'd up Work for Sorrow and Repentance; and the Man of Labour spent their Strength in daily Strugglings for Breadto maintain the vital Strength they labour'd with, fo living in a daily Circulation of Sorrow, living but

to