Afflictions are common to all mankind; and whether they proceed from losses, disappointments, or the malice of men, they often bring their advantages along with them: For this shews man the vanity and deceitfulness of this life, and is an occasion of rectifying our measures, and bringing us to a more modest opinion of ourselves: It tells us, how necessary the a.s.sistance of divine grace is unto us, when life itself becomes a burden, and death even desirable: But when the greatest oppression comes upon us, we must have recourse to patience, begging of G.o.d to give us that virtue; and the more composed, we are under any trouble, the more commendable is our wisdom, and the larger will be our recompense. Let the provocation be what it will, whether from a good-natured and conscientious, or a wicked, perverse, and vexatious man; all this we should take as from the over-ruling hand of G.o.d, as a punishment for our sins. Many times injured innocence may be abused by false oaths, or the power of wicked, jealous, or malicious men; but we often find it, like the palm, rise the higher the more it is depressed; while the justice of G.o.d is eminently remarkable in punishing those, one way or other, who desire to endeavour to procure the downfal of an innocent man: Nor does G.o.d fail comforting an afflicted person, who with tears and prayers solicits the throne of Heaven for deliverance and protection. David says, _that his soul was full of trouble, and his life drew near unto the grave_. But certainly David"s afflictions made him eminently remarkable, as particularly when pursued by King Saul, and hunted as a partridge over the mountains. But one thing which stands by innocence, is the love of G.o.d; for were we to suffer disgrace, nay, an ignominious death itself, what consolation does our innocence procure at our latest conflict, our last moments!
CHAP. VI. _Of the immorality of conversation, and the vulgar errors of behaviour_.
As conversation is a great part of human happiness, so it is a pleasant sight to behold a sweet tempered man, who is always fit for it; to see an air of humour and pleasantness sit ever upon his brow, and even something angelic in his very countenance: Whereas, if we observe a designing man, we shall find a mark of involuntary sadness break in upon his joy, and a certain insurrection in the soul, the natural concomitant of profligate principles.
They err very much, who think religion, or a strict morality discomposes the mind, and renders it unfit for conversation; for it rather inspires us to innocent mirth, without such a counterfeit joy as vitious men appear with; and indeed wit is as consistent with religion, as religion is with good manners; nor is there any thing in the limitation of virtue and religion that should abate the pleasures of this world, but on the contrary rather serves to increase them.
On the other hand, many men, by their own vice and intemperance, disqualify themselves for conversation. Conversation is immoral, where the discourse is undecent, immodest, scandalous, slanderous, and abusive. How great is their folly, and how much do they expose themselves when they affront their best friend, even G.o.d himself, who laughs at the fool _when his fear cometh?_
The great scandal atheistical and immoral discourse gives to virtue, ought, methinks, to be punished by all good magistrates: Make a man once cease to believe a G.o.d, and he has nothing left to limit his soul. How incongruous is it to government, that a man shall be punished for drunkenness, and yet have liberty to affront, and even deny the Majesty of heaven? When if, even among men, one gives the lie to a gentleman in company, or perhaps speaks an affronting word, a quarrel will ensue, and a combat, and perhaps murder be the consequence: At the least, he, will prosecute him at law with the utmost virulence and oppression.
The next thing to be refrained, is obscene discourse, which is the language only of proficients in debauchery, who never repent, but in a gaol or hospital; and whose carcases relish no better than their discourse, till the body becomes too nasty for the soul to stay any longer in it.
Nor is false talking to be less avoided; for lying is the sheep"s clothing hung upon the wolf"s back: It is the Pharisee"s prayer, the wh.o.r.e"s buss, the hypocrite"s paint, the murderer"s smile, the thief"s cloak; it is Joab"s embrace, and Judah"s kiss; in a word, it is mankind"s darling sin, and the devil"s distinguishing character. Some add lies to lies, till it not only comes to be improbable, but even impossible too: Others lie for gain to deceive, delude, and betray: And a third lies for sport, or for fun. There are other liars, who are personal and malicious; who foment differences, and carry tales from one house to another, in order to gratify their own envious tempers, without any regard to reverence or truth.
THE
REMARKABLE HISTORY
OF
ALEXANDER SELKIRK
_From the voyage of Captain Woodes Rogers to the South Seas and round the World._
On February 1st, 1709, we came before that island,[1] having had a good observation the day before, and found our lat.i.tude to be 34 degrees 10 minutes south. In the afternoon, we hoisted out our pinnace; and Captain Dover, with the boat"s crew, went in her to go ash.o.r.e, though we could not be less that four leagues off. As soon as the pinnace was gone, I went on board the d.u.c.h.ess, who admired our boat attempting going ash.o.r.e at that distance from land. It was against my inclination: but, to oblige Captain Dover, I let her go: As soon as it was dark, we saw a light ash.o.r.e. Our boat was then about a league off the island, and bore away for the ship as soon as she saw the lights: We put our lights aboard for the boat, though some were of opinion, the lights we saw were our boat"s lights: But, as night came on, it appeared too large for that: We fired our quarter-deck gun, and several muskets, showing lights in our mizen and fore-shrouds, that our boat might find us whilst we were in the lee of the island: About two in the morning our boat came on board, having been two hours on board the d.u.c.h.ess, that took them up astern of us; we were glad they got well off, because it began to blow.
We were all convinces the light was on the sh.o.r.e, and designed to make our ships ready to engage, believing them to be French ships at anchor, and we must either fight them, or want water. All this stir and apprehension arose, as we afterwards found, from one poor naked man, who pa.s.sed in our imagination, at present, for a Spanish garrison, a body of Frenchmen, or a crew of pirates. While we were under these apprehensions, we stood on the backside of the island, in order to fall in with the southerly wind, till we were past the island; and then we came back to it again, and ran close aboard the land that begins to make the north-east side.
[Footnote 1: _Juan Fernandez._]
We still continued to reason upon this matter; and it is in a manner incredible, what strange notions many of our people entertained from the sight of the fire upon the island. It served, however, to show people"s tempers and spirits; and we were able to give a tolerable guess how our men would behave, in case there really were any enemies upon the island.
The flaws came heavy off the sh.o.r.e, and we were forced to reef our topsails when we opened the middle bay, where we expected to have found our enemy; but saw all clear, & no ships, nor in the other bay next the north-east end. These two bays are all that ships ride in, which recruit on this island; but the middle bay is by much the best. We guessed there had been ships there, but that they were gone on sight of us. We sent our yawl ash.o.r.e about noon, with Captain Dover, Mr. Fry, and six men, all armed: Mean while we and the d.u.c.h.ess kept turning to get in, and such heavy flaws came off the land, that we were forced to let go our top sail sheet, keeping all hands to stand by our sails, for fear of the winds carrying them away: But when the flaws were gone, we had little or no wind. These flaws proceeded from the land; which is very high in the middle of the island. Our boat did not return; we sent our pinnace with the men armed, to see what was the occasion of the yawl"s stay; for we were afraid, that the Spaniards had a garrison there, and might have seized them. We put out a signal for our boat, and the d.u.c.h.ess showed a French ensign. Immediately our pinnace returned from the sh.o.r.e, and brought abundance of cry-fish, with a man clothed in goats skins, who looked wilder than the first owners of them. He had been on the island four years and four months, being left there by Captain Stradling in the Cinque-ports, his name was Alexander Selkirk, a Scotchman, who had been master of the Cinque-ports, a ship that came here last with Captain Dampier, who told me, that this was the best man in her. I immediately agreed with him to be a mate on board our ship: It was he that made the fire last night when he saw our ships, which he judged to be English.
During his stay here he saw several ships pa.s.s by, but only two came in to anchors: As he went to view them; he found them to be Spaniards, and retired from them, upon which they shot at him: Had they been French, he would have submitted; but choose to risque his dying alone on the island, rather than fall into the hands of Spaniards in these parts; because he apprehended they would murder him, or make a slave of him in the mines; for he feared they would spare no stranger that might be capable of discovering the South Seas.
The Spaniards had landed, before he knew what they were; and they came so near him, that he had much ado to escape; for they not only shot at him, but pursued him to the woods, where he climbed to the top of a tree, at the foot of which they made water, and killed several goats just by, but went off again without discovering him. He told us that he was born at Largo, in the county of Fife, in Scotland, and was bred a sailor from his youth. The reason of his being left here was difference between him and his captain; which together with the ship"s being leaky, made him willing rather to stay here, than go along with him at first; but when he was at last willing to go, the captain would not receive him. He had been at the island before, to wood and water, when two of the ship"s company were left upon it for six mouths, till the Ship returned, being chased thence by two French South-sea ships. He had with him his cloaths and bedding, with a firelock, some powder, bullets and tobacco, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a bible, some practical pieces, and his mathematical instruments and books. He diverted and provided for himself as well as he could; but for the first eight months, had much ado to bear up against melancholy, and the terror of being left alone in such a desolate place. He built two huts with pimento trees, covered them with long gra.s.s, & lined them with the skins of goats, which be killed with his gun as he wanted, so long as his powder lasted, which was but a pound; and that being almost spent, he got fire by rubbing two sticks of pimento-wood together upon his knee. In the lesser hut, at some distance from the other, he dressed his victuals; and in the larger he slept; and employed himself in reading, singing psalms, and praying; so that he said. He was a better Christian, while in this solitude, than ever he was before, or than, he was afraid, he would ever be again.
At first he never ate anything till hunger constrained him, partly for grief, and partly for want of bread and salt: Nor did he go to bed, till he could watch no longer; the pimento-wood, which burnt very clear, served him both for fire and candle, and refreshed him with its fragrant smell. He might have had fish enough, but would not eat them for want of salt, because they occasioned a looseness, except crayfish which are as large as our lobsters, and very good: These he sometimes boiled, and at other times broiled, as he did his goat"s flesh, of, which he made very good broth, for they are not so rank as ours: he kept an account of 500 that he killed while there, and caught as many more, which he marked on the ear, and let go. When, his powder failed, he took them by speed of feet; for his way of living, continual exercise of walking and running cleared him of all gross humours; so that he ran with wonderful swiftness through the woods, and up the rocks and hills, as we perceived when we employed him to catch goats for us; We had a bull dog, which we lent with several of our nimblest runners, to help him in catching goats; but he distanced and tired both the dog and the men, caught the goats, and brought them to us on his back.
He told us, that his agility in pursuing a goat had once like to have cost him his life; he pursued it with so much eagerness, that he catched hold of it on the brink of a precipiece, of which he was not aware, the bushes hiding it from him; so, that he fell with the goat down the precipiece; a great height, and was to stunned and bruised with the fall, that he narrowly escaped with his life; and, when he came to his senses, found the goat dead under him: He lay there about twenty-four hours, and was scarce able to crawl to his hut, which was about a mile distant, or to stir abroad again in ten days.
He came at last to relish his meat well enough without salt or bread; and, in the season had plenty of good turreps, which had been sewed there by Captain Dampier"s men, and have now overspread some acres of ground. He had enough of good cabbage from the cabbage-trees, and seasoned his meat with the fruit of the pimento trees, which is the same as Jamaica pepper, and smells deliciously: He found also a black pepper, called Ma"azeta, which was very good to expel wind, and against gripping in the guts.
He soon wore out all his shoes and clothes by running in the woods; and at last, being forced to shift without them, his feet became so hard, that he ran everywhere without difficulty; and it was some time before he could wear shoes after we found him; for not being used to any so long, his feet swelled when he came first to wear them again.
After he had conquered his melancholy, he diverted himself sometimes with cutting his name in the trees, and the time of his being left, and continuance there. He was at first much pestered with cats and rats, that bred in great numbers, from some of each species which had got ash.o.r.e from ships that put in there to wood and water: The rats gnawed his feet and cloathes whilst asleep, which obliged him to cherish the cats with his goats flesh, by which many of them became so tame, that they would lie about him in hundreds, and soon delivered him from the rats: He likewise tamed some kids; and, to divert himself would, now and then, sing and dance with them, and his cats: So that by the favour of Providence, and vigour of his youth, being now but thirty years old, he came, at last, to conquer all the inconveniencies of his solitude, and to be very easy.
When his cloathes were worn out, he made himself a coat and a cap of goat-skins, which he stiched together with little thongs of the same, that he cut with his knife, He had no other needle but a nail; and, when his knife was worn to the back, he made others, as well as he could, of some iron hoops that were left ash.o.r.e, which he beat thin, and ground upon stones. Having some linnen cloth by him, he sewed him some shirts with a nail, and stiched them with the worsted of his old stockings, which he pulled out on purpose. He had his last shirt on, when we found him in the island.
At his first coming on board us, he had so much forgot his language, for want of use, that we could scarce understand him: for he seemed to speak his words by halve. We offered him a dram: but he would not touch it; having drank nothing but water since his being there; And it was sometime before he could relish our victuals. He could give us an account of no other product of the island, than what we have mentioned, except some black plums, which are very good, but hard to come at, the trees, which bear them, growing on high mountains and rocks.
Pimento-trees are plenty here, and we saw some of sixty feet high and about two yards thick; and cotton-trees higher, and near four fathoms round in the stock. The climate is so good that the trees and gra.s.s are verdant all the year round. The winter lasts no longer than June and July, and is not then severe, there being only a small frost, and a little hail: but sometimes great rains. The heat of the summer is equally moderate; and there is not much thunder, or tempestuous weather of any sort. He saw no venomous or savage creature on the island, nor any sort of beasts but goats, the first of which had been put ash.o.r.e here, on purpose for a breed, by Juan Fernandez, a Spaniard, who settled there with some families, till the continent of Chili began to submit to the Spaniards; which, being more profitable; tempted them to quit this island, capable however, of maintaining a good number of people, and being made so strong, that they could hot be easily dislodged from thence.
February 3d we got our smith"s forge on sh.o.r.e, set our coopers to work, and made a little tent for me to have the benefit of the air. The d.u.c.h.ess had also a tent for their sick men; so that we had a small town of our own here, and every body employed. A few men supplied us all with fish of several sorts, all very good, in such abundance, that, in a few hours, we could take as many as would serve 200. There were sea-fowls in the bay, as large as geese: but eat fishy. The governor never failed of procuring us two or three goats a day for our sick men; by which, with the help of the greens, and the wholesome air, they recovered very soon of the scurvy; so that Captain Dover and I thought it a very agreeable seat, the weather being neither too hot nor too cold. We spent our time, till the 10th, in refitting our ships, taking wood on board; and laying in water, that which we brought from England and St. Vincent being spoiled by the badness of the casks. We likewise boiled up about eighty gallons of sea-lions oil, as we might have done several tons, had we been provided with vessels. We refined it for our lamps, to save candles. The sailors sometimes use it to fry their meat, for want of b.u.t.ter, and find it agreeable enough. The men who worked on our rigging, eat young seals, which they preferred to our ships victuals, & said it was as good as English lamb, though I should have been glad of such an exchange. We made what haste we could to get all the necessaries on board, being willing to lose no time; for we were informed at the Canaries, that five stout French ships were coming together to those seas.