cross thosemountains again; I think I would much rather go a thousand leagues bysea, though I were sure to meet with a storm once a week.
I have nothing uncommon to take notice of in my passage through France;nothing but what other travellers have given an account of, with muchmore advantage than I can. I travelled from Tholouse to Paris, andwithout any considerable stay came to Calais, and landed safe at Dover,the fourteenth of January, after having had a severe cold season totravel in.
I was now come to the centre of my travels, and had in a little time allmy new-discovered estate safe about me, the bills of exchange, which Ibrought with me, having been very currently paid.
My principal guide and privy-counsellor was my good ancient widow, who,in gratitude for the money I had sent her, thought no pains too much, orcare too great, to employ for me; and I trusted her so entirely withevery thing, that I was perfectly easy as to the security of my effects;and indeed I was very happy from my beginning, and now to the end, inthe unspotted integrity of this good gentlewoman.
And now I began to think of leaving my effects with this woman, andsetting out for Lisbon, and so to the Brasils. But now another scruplecame in the way, and that was religion; for as I had entertained somedoubts about the Roman religion, even while I was abroad, especially inmy state of solitude; so I knew there was no going to the Brasils forme, much less going to settle there, unless I resolved to embrace theRoman Catholic religion, without any reserve; except on the other hand Iresolved to be a sacrifice to my principles, be a martyr for religion,and die in the Inquisition: so I resolved to stay at home, and, if Icould find means for it, to dispose of my plantation.
To this purpose I wrote to my old friend at Lisbon, who in return gaveme notice, that he could easily dispose of it there: but that if Ithought fit to give him leave to offer it in my name to the twomerchants, the survivors of my trustees, who lived in the Brasils, whomust fully understand the value of it, who lived just upon the spot, andwho I knew to be very rich, so that he believed they would be fond ofbuying it; he did not doubt, but I should make 4 or 5000 pieces of eightthe more of it.
Accordingly I agreed, gave him orders to offer it to them, and he didso; and in about eight months more, the ship being then returned, hesent me an account, that they had accepted the offer, and had remitted33,000 pieces of eight to a correspondent of theirs at Lisbon, topay for it.
In return, I signed the instrument of sale in the form which they sentfrom Lisbon, and sent it to my old man, who sent me the bills ofexchange for 32,800 pieces of eight for the estate; reserving thepayment of 100 moidores a year, to him (the old man) during his life,and 50 moidores afterwards to his son for his life, which I had promisedthem; and which the plantation was to make good as a rent charge. Andthus I have given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure, alife of Providence's chequer-work, and of a variety which the world willseldom be able to shew the like of: beginning foolishly, but closingmuch more happily than any part of it ever gave me leave to much asto hope for.
Any one would think, that in this state of complicated good fortune, Iwas past running any more hazards, and so indeed I had been, if othercircumstances had concurred: but I was inured to a wandering life, hadno family, nor many relations; nor, however rich, had I contracted muchacquaintance; and though I had sold my estate in the Brasils, yet Icould not keep that country out of my head, and had a great mind to beupon the wing again; especially I could not resist the stronginclination I had to see my island, and to know if the poor Spaniardswere in being there; and how the rogues I left there had used them.
My true friend the widow earnestly dissuaded me from it, and so farprevailed with me, that almost for seven years she prevented my runningabroad; during which time I took my two nephews, the children of one ofmy brothers, into my care: the eldest having something of his own, Ibred up as a gentleman and gave him a settlement of some addition to hisestate, after my decease; the other I put out to a captain of a ship;and after five years, finding him a sensible, bold, enterprising youngfellow, I put him into a good ship, and sent him to sea: and this youngfellow afterwards drew me in, as old as I was, to fartheradventures myself.
In the meantime, I in part settled myself here; for, first of all, Imarried, and that not either to my disadvantage or dissatisfaction; andhad three children, two sons and one daughter: but my wife dying, and mynephew coming home with good success from a voyage to Spain, myinclination to go abroad, and his importunity, prevailed, and engaged meto go in his ship as a private trader to the East Indies. This in theyear 1694.
In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island, saw my successorsthe Spaniards, had the whole story of their lives, and of the villains Ileft there; how at first they insulted the poor Spaniards, how theyafterwards agreed, disagreed, united, separated, and how at last theSpaniards were obliged to use violence with them; how they weresubjected to the Spaniards; how honestly the Spaniards used them; anhistory, if it were entered into, as full of variety and wonderfulaccidents as my own part: particularly also as to their battles with theCaribbeans, who landed several times upon the island, and as to theimprovement they made upon the island itself; and how five of them madean attempt upon the main land, and brought away eleven men and fivewomen prisoners; by which, at my coming, I found about twenty youngchildren on the island.
Here I stayed about twenty days; left them supplies of all necessarythings, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, clothes, tools, and twoworkmen, which I brought from England with me; viz. a carpenter anda smith.
Besides this, I shared the lands into parts with them, reserved tomyself the property of the whole, but gave them such parts respectively,as they agreed on; and, having settled all things with them, and engagedthem not to leave the place, I left them there.
From thence I touched at the Brasils, from whence I sent a bark, which Ibought there, with more people to the island; and in it, besides othersupplies, I sent seven women, being such as I found proper for service,or for wives to such as would take them. As for the Englishmen, Ipromised them to send them some women from England, with a good cargo ofnecessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting; which Iafterwards could not perform: the fellows proved very honest anddiligent, after they were mastered, and had their properties set apartfor them, I sent them also from the Brasils five cows, three of thembeing big with calf, some sheep, and some hogs, which, when I cameagain, were considerably increased.
But all these things, with an account how three hundred Caribbees cameand invaded them, and ruined their plantations, and how they fought withthat whole number twice, and were at first defeated and some of themkilled; but at last a storm destroying their enemies' canoes, theyfamished or destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered thepossession of their plantation, and still lived upon the island:--
All these things, with some very surprising incidents in some newadventures of my own, for ten years more I may, perhaps, give a furtheraccount of hereafter.
* * * * *
That homely proverb used on so many occasions in England, viz. "Thatwhat is bred in the bone will not go out of the flesh," was never moreverified than in the story of my Life. Any one would think, that afterthirty-five years affliction, and a variety of unhappy circumstances,which few men, if any, ever went through before, and after near sevenyears of peace and enjoyment in the fulness of all things; grown old,and when, if ever, it might be allowed me to have had experience ofevery state of middle life, and to know which was most adapted to make aman completely happy; I say, after all this, any one would have thoughtthat the native propensity to rambling, which I gave an account of in myfirst setting out into the world to have been so predominant in mythoughts, should be worn out, the volatile part be fully evacuated, orat least condensed, and I might at sixty-one years of age have been alittle inclined to stay at home, and have done venturing life andfortune any more.
Nay farther, the common motive of foreign adventures was taken away inme; for I had
no fortune to make, I had nothing to seek: if I had gainedten thousand pounds, I had been no richer; for I had already sufficientfor me, and for those I had to leave it to, and that I had was visiblyincreasing; for having no great family, I could not spend the income ofwhat I had, unless I would set up for an expensive way of living, suchas a great family, servants, equipage, gaiety, and the like, which werethings I had no notion of, or inclination to; so that I had nothingindeed to do, but to sit still, and fully enjoy what I had got, and seeit increase daily upon my hands.
Yet all these things, had no effect upon me, or at least not enough toresist the strong inclination I had to go abroad again, which hung aboutme like a chronical distemper; particularly the desire of seeing my newplantation in the island, and the colony I left there, ran in my headcontinually. I dreamed of it all night, and my imagination ran upon itall day; it was uppermost in all my thoughts, and my fancy worked sosteadily and strongly upon it, that I talked of it in my sleep; inshort,