thing for them; but would take care, that what I did should be for the women and children, without them; and that unless they would give fome affurances that they would marry the women, I could not think it was convenient they should continue together as man and wife; for that it was both scandalous to men, and offenfive to GOD, who they could not think would blefs them, if they went on thus.

All this paffed as I expected; and they told me, especially Will Atkins, who feemed now to fpeak for the reft, that they loved their wives as well as if they had been born in their own native country, and would not leave them upon any account whatever; and they did verily believe their wives were as virtuous and as modeft, and did, to the utmost of their fkill, as much for them, and for their children, as any women could poffibly do; and they would not part with them on any account: And Will Atkins, for his own particular, added, if any man would take him away, and offer to carry him home to England, and to make him captain of the best man of war in the navy, he would not go with him, if he might not carry his wife and children with him; and if there was a clergyman in the fhip, he would be married to her now, with all his heart.

This was just as I would have it; the priest was not with me at that moment, but was not far off: So, to try him farther, I told him I had a clergyman with me, and, if he was fincere, I would have him married the next morning; and bade him confider of it, and talk with the reft: He faid, as for himfelf,

felf, he need not confider of it at all; for he was very ready to do it, and was glad I had a minifter with me; and he believed they would be all willing alfo. I then told him, that my friend, the minister, was a Frenchman, and could not speak English; but that I would act the clerk between them. He never fo much as asked me whether he was a Papist or Proteftant; which was indeed what I was afraid of. But, I fay, they never enquired about it. So we parted: I went back to my clergyman; and Will Atkins went in to talk with his companions. I defired the French gentleman not to fay any thing to them, till the bufinefs was thorough ripe; and I told him what answer the men had given me.

Before I went from their quarter, they all came to me, and told me, they had been confidering what I had faid; that they were very glad to hear I had a clergyman in my company; and they were very willing to give me the fatisfaction I defired, and to be formally married as foon as I pleased; for they were far from defiring to part from their wives; and that they meant nothing but what was very honeft, when they chose them: fo I appointed them to meet me the next morning; and that, in the mean time, they should let their wives know the meaning of the marriage law; and that it was not only to prevent any fcandal, but also to oblige them, that they fhould not forfake them, whatever might happen.

The women were eafily made fenfible of the meaning of the thing, and were very well fatisfied with it, as, indeed, they had reafon to be; fo they failed not to attend all together, at my apartment, the

next morning, where I brought out my clergyman: and though he had not on a minister's gown, after the manner of England, or the habit of a priest, after the manner of France; yet having a black veft, fomething like a caffock, with a fafh round it, he did not look very unlike a minister; and as for his language, I was interpreter.

But the seriousness of his behaviour to them, and the fcruples he made of marrying the women, because they were not baptized, and profeffed Chriftians, gave them an exceeding reverence for his perfon; and there was no need after that to enquire whether he was a clergyman or no.

Indeed I was afraid his fcruple would have been carried fo far, as that he would not have married them at all: nay, notwithstanding all I was able to fay to him, he refifted me, though modeftly, yet very steadily; and at last, refused absolutely to marry them, unless he had first talked with the men, and the women too; and though at first I was a little backward to it, yet at laft I agreed to it with a good will, perceiving the fincerity of his defign.

When he came to them, he let them know that I had acquainted him with their circumftances, and with the prefent defign; that he was very willing to perform that part of his function, and marry them, as I had defired; but that, before he could do it, he must take the liberty to talk with them; he told them, that in the fight of all different men, and in the fenfe of the laws of fociety, they had lived all this while in an open adultery; and that it was true, that nothing but the confenting to marry, or effec

tually

tually feparating them from one another now, could put an end to it; but there was a difficulty in it too, with respect to the laws of Christian matrimony, which he was not fully satisfied about, viz. That of marrying one that is a profeffed Chriftian, to a favage, an idolater and an heathen, one that is not baptized; and yet that he did not fee, that there was time left for it, to endeavour to perfuade the women to be baptized, or to profefs the name of Chrift, whom they had, he doubted, heard nothing of, and without which they could not be baptized.

He told me, he doubted they were but indifferent Christians themselves; that they had but little knowledge of GOD, or his ways; and therefore he could not expect, that they had faid much to their wives on that head yet; but that unlefs they would promife him to use their endeavours with their wives, to perfuade them to become Christians, and would as well as they could inftruct them in the knowledge and belief of GOD that made them, and to worship Jefus Chrift that redeemed them, he could not marry them; for he would have no hand in joining Chriftians with favages; nor was it confiftent with the principles of the Christian religion; and was, indeed, exprefsly forbidden in GoD's law.

They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very faithfully to them, from his mouth, as near his own words as I could, only fometimes adding something of my own, to convince them how juft it was, and how I was of his mind: And I always very faithfully distinguished between what I faid from

myself,

myself, and what were the clergyman's words. They
told me, it was very true what the gentleman had
faid, that they were but very indifferent Chriftians
themselves, and that they had never talked to their
wives about religion: Lord, Sir, fays Will Atkins,
how fhould we teach them religion? Why, we know
nothing ourselves; and befides, Sir, faid he, fhould
we go to talk to them of God, and Jefus Christ, and
heaven and hell, it would be to make them laugh at
us, and afk us, what we believe ourselves? And if
we should tell them, we believe all the things that
we speak of to them, fuch as of good people going
to heaven, and wicked people to the devil, they
would ask us, where we intended to go ourfelves,
who believe all this, and yet are fuch wicked fel-
lows, as we indeed are: Why, Sir, faid Will, 'tis
enough to give them a furfeit of religion, at first
hearing: folks must have some religion themfelves,
before they pretend to teach other people.-Will
Atkins, faid I to him, though I am afraid what
fay has too much truth in it, yet can you not tell
your wife, that fhe is in the wrong? that there is a
God, and a religion better than her own; that her
gods are idols; that they can neither hear nor speak;
that there is a great Being that made all things, and
that can destroy all that he has made; that he re-
wards the good, and punishes the bad; that we are
to be judged by him, at last, for all we do here: you
are not fo ignorant, but even nature itself will teach
you, that all this is true; and I am fatisfied you know
it all to be true, and believe it yourself.

you

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