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Moll Flanders

Daniel Defoe

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Notice by Luarna Ediciones

This book is in the public domain becausethe copyrights have expired under Spanish law.

Luarna presents it here as a gift to its cus-tomers, while clarifying the following:

1) Because this edition has not been super-vised by our editorial deparment, wedisclaim responsibility for the fidelity ofits content.

2) Luarna has only adapted the work tomake it easily viewable on common six-inch readers.

3) To all effects, this book must not be con-sidered to have been published byLuarna.

www.luarna.com

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THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE

The world is so taken up of late with novelsand romances, that it will be hard for a privatehistory to be taken for genuine, where thenames and other circumstances of the personare concealed, and on this account we must becontent to leave the reader to pass his ownopinion upon the ensuing sheet, and take it justas he pleases.

The author is here supposed to be writing herown history, and in the very beginning of heraccount she gives the reasons why she thinks fitto conceal her true name, after which there isno occasion to say any more about that.

It is true that the original of this story is putinto new words, and the style of the famouslady we here speak of is a little altered; particu-larly she is made to tell her own tale in mode-ster words that she told it at first, the copy

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which came first to hand having been writtenin language more like one still in Newgate thanone grown penitent and humble, as she after-wards pretends to be.

The pen employed in finishing her story, andmaking it what you now see it to be, has had nolittle difficulty to put it into a dress fit to beseen, and to make it speak language fit to beread. When a woman debauched from heryouth, nay, even being the offspring of de-bauchery and vice, comes to give an account ofall her vicious practices, and even to descend tothe particular occasions and circumstances bywhich she ran through in threescore years, anauthor must be hard put to it wrap it up soclean as not to give room, especially for viciousreaders, to turn it to his disadvantage.

All possible care, however, has been taken togive no lewd ideas, no immodest turns in thenew dressing up of this story; no, not to theworst parts of her expressions. To this purpose

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some of the vicious part of her life, which couldnot be modestly told, is quite left out, and sev-eral other parts are very much shortened. Whatis left 'tis hoped will not offend the chastestreader or the modest hearer; and as the best useis made even of the worst story, the moral 'tishoped will keep the reader serious, even wherethe story might incline him to be otherwise. Togive the history of a wicked life repented of,necessarily requires that the wicked partshould be make as wicked as the real history ofit will bear, to illustrate and give a beauty to thepenitent part, which is certainly the best andbrightest, if related with equal spirit and life.

It is suggested there cannot be the same life, thesame brightness and beauty, in relating thepenitent part as is in the criminal part. If thereis any truth in that suggestion, I must be al-lowed to say 'tis because there is not the sametaste and relish in the reading, and indeed it isto true that the difference lies not in the real

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worth of the subject so much as in the gust andpalate of the reader.

But as this work is chiefly recommended tothose who know how to read it, and how tomake the good uses of it which the story allalong recommends to them, so it is to be hopedthat such readers will be more leased with themoral than the fable, with the application thanwith the relation, and with the end of the writerthan with the life of the person written of.

There is in this story abundance of delightfulincidents, and all of them usefully applied. The-re is an agreeable turn artfully given them inthe relating, that naturally instructs the reader,either one way or other. The first part of herlewd life with the young gentleman at Colches-ter has so many happy turns given it to exposethe crime, and warn all whose circumstancesare adapted to it, of the ruinous end of suchthings, and the foolish, thoughtless, and ab-horred conduct of both the parties, that it

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abundantly atones for all the lively descriptionshe gives of her folly and wickedness.

The repentance of her lover at the Bath, andhow brought by the just alarm of his fit of sick-ness to abandon her; the just caution giventhere against even the lawful intimacies of thedearest friends, and how unable they are topreserve the most solemn resolutions of virtuewithout divine assistance; these are partswhich, to a just discernment, will appear tohave more real beauty in them all the amorouschain of story which introduces it.

In a word, as the whole relation is carefullygarbled of all the levity and looseness that wasin it, so it all applied, and with the utmost care,to virtuous and religious uses. None can, with-out being guilty of manifest injustice, cast anyreproach upon it, or upon our design in pub-lishing it.

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The advocates for the stage have, in all ages,made this the great argument to persuade peo-ple that their plays are useful, and that theyought to be allowed in the most civilised and inthe most religious government; namely, thatthey are applied to virtuous purposes, and thatby the most lively representations, they fail notto recommend virtue and generous principles,and to discourage and expose all sorts of viceand corruption of manners; and were it truethat they did so, and that they constantly ad-hered to that rule, as the test of their acting onthe theatre, much might be said in their favour.

Throughout the infinite variety of this book,this fundamental is most strictly adhered to;there is not a wicked action in any part of it, butis first and last rendered unhappy and unfor-tunate; there is not a superlative villain broughtupon the stage, but either he is brought to anunhappy end, or brought to be a penitent; thereis not an ill thing mentioned but it is con-

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demned, even in the relation, nor a virtuous,just thing but it carries its praise along with it.What can more exactly answer the rule laiddown, to recommend even those representa-tions of things which have so many other justobjections leaving against them? namely, ofexample, of bad company, obscene language,and the like.

Upon this foundation this book is recom-mended to the reader as a work from everypart of which something may be learned, andsome just and religious inference is drawn, bywhich the reader will have something of in-struction, if he pleases to make use of it.

All the exploits of this lady of fame, in her dep-redations upon mankind, stand as so manywarnings to honest people to beware of them,intimating to them by what methods innocentpeople are drawn in, plundered and robbed,and by consequence how to avoid them. Herrobbing a little innocent child, dressed fine by

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the vanity of the mother, to go to the dancing-school, is a good memento to such people here-after, as is likewise her picking the gold watchfrom the young lady's side in the Park.

Her getting a parcel from a hare-brained wenchat the coaches in St. John Street; her booty madeat the fire, and again at Harwich, all give usexcellent warnings in such cases to be morepresent to ourselves in sudden surprises ofevery sort.

Her application to a sober life and industriousmanagement at last in Virginia, with her trans-ported spouse, is a story fruitful of instructionto all the unfortunate creatures who are obligedto seek their re-establishment abroad, whetherby the misery of transportation or other disas-ter; letting them know that diligence and appli-cation have their due encouragement, even inthe remotest parts of the world, and that nocase can be so low, so despicable, or so emptyof prospect, but that an unwearied industry

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will go a great way to deliver us from it, will intime raise the meanest creature to appear againthe world, and give him a new case for his life.

There are a few of the serious inferences whichwe are led by the hand to in this book, andthese are fully sufficient to justify any man inrecommending it to the world, and much moreto justify the publication of it.

There are two of the most beautiful parts stillbehind, which this story gives some idea of,and lets us into the parts of them, but they areeither of them too long to be brought into thesame volume, and indeed are, as I may callthem, whole volumes of themselves, viz.: 1. Thelife of her governess, as she calls her, who hadrun through, it seems, in a few years, all theeminent degrees of a gentlewoman, a whore,and a bawd; a midwife and a midwife-keeper,as they are called; a pawnbroker, a childtaker, areceiver of thieves, and of thieves' purchase,that is to say, of stolen goods; and in a word,

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herself a thief, a breeder up of thieves and thelike, and yet at last a penitent.

The second is the life of her transported hus-band, a highwayman, who it seems, lived atwelve years' life of successful villainy upon theroad, and even at last came off so well as to be avolunteer transport, not a convict; and inwhose life there is an incredible variety.

But, as I have said, these are things too long tobring in here, so neither can I make a promiseof the coming out by themselves.

We cannot say, indeed, that this history is car-ried on quite to the end of the life of this fa-mous Moll Flanders, as she calls herself, fornobody can write their own life to the full endof it, unless they can write it after they aredead. But her husband's life, being written by athird hand, gives a full account of them both,how long they lived together in that country,and how they both came to England again, af-

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ter about eight years, in which time they weregrown very rich, and where she lived, it seems,to be very old, but was not so extraordinary apenitent as she was at first; it seems only thatindeed she always spoke with abhorrence ofher former life, and of every part of it.

In her last scene, at Maryland and Virginia,many pleasant things happened, which makesthat part of her life very agreeable, but they arenot told with the same elegancy as those ac-counted for by herself; so it is still to the moreadvantage that we break off here.

MOLL FLANDERS

My true name is so well known in the recordsor registers at Newgate, and in the Old Bailey,and there are some things of such consequence

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still depending there, relating to my particularconduct, that it is not be expected I should setmy name or the account of my family to thiswork; perhaps, after my death, it may be betterknown; at present it would not be proper, nonot though a general pardon should be issued,even without exceptions and reserve of personsor crimes.

It is enough to tell you, that as some of myworst comrades, who are out of the way of do-ing me harm (having gone out of the world bythe steps and the string, as I often expected togo ), knew me by the name of Moll Flanders, soyou may give me leave to speak of myself un-der that name till I dare own who I have been,as well as who I am.

I have been told that in one of neighbour na-tions, whether it be in France or where else Iknow not, they have an order from the king,that when any criminal is condemned, either todie, or to the galleys, or to be transported, if

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they leave any children, as such are generallyunprovided for, by the poverty or forfeiture oftheir parents, so they are immediately takeninto the care of the Government, and put into ahospital called the House of Orphans, wherethey are bred up, clothed, fed, taught, andwhen fit to go out, are placed out to trades or toservices, so as to be well able to provide forthemselves by an honest, industrious behav-iour.

Had this been the custom in our country, I hadnot been left a poor desolate girl withoutfriends, without clothes, without help or helperin the world, as was my fate; and by which Iwas not only exposed to very great distresses,even before I was capable either of understand-ing my case or how to amend it, but broughtinto a course of life which was not only scan-dalous in itself, but which in its ordinary coursetended to the swift destruction both of soul andbody.

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But the case was otherwise here. My motherwas convicted of felony for a certain petty theftscarce worth naming, viz. having an opportu-nity of borrowing three pieces of fine holland ofa certain draper in Cheapside. The circum-stances are too long to repeat, and I have heardthem related so many ways, that I can scarce becertain which is the right account.

However it was, this they all agree in, that mymother pleaded her belly, and being foundquick with child, she was respited for aboutseven months; in which time having broughtme into the world, and being about again, shewas called down, as they term it, to her formerjudgment, but obtained the favour of beingtransported to the plantations, and left meabout half a year old; and in bad hands, youmay be sure.

This is too near the first hours of my life for meto relate anything of myself but by hearsay; it isenough to mention, that as I was born in such

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an unhappy place, I had no parish to have re-course to for my nourishment in my infancy;nor can I give the least account how I was keptalive, other than that, as I have been told, somerelation of my mother's took me away for awhile as a nurse, but at whose expense, or bywhose direction, I know nothing at all of it.

The first account that I can recollect, or couldever learn of myself, was that I had wanderedamong a crew of those people they call gypsies,or Egyptians; but I believe it was but a verylittle while that I had been among them, for Ihad not had my skin discoloured or blackened,as they do very young to all the children theycarry about with them; nor can I tell how Icame among them, or how I got from them.

It was at Colchester, in Essex, that those peopleleft me; and I have a notion in my head that Ileft them there (that is, that I hid myself andwould not go any farther with them), but I amnot able to be particular in that account; only

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this I remember, that being taken up by some ofthe parish officers of Colchester, I gave an ac-count that I came into the town with the gyp-sies, but that I would not go any farther withthem, and that so they had left me, but whitherthey were gone that I knew not, nor could theyexpect it of me; for though they send round thecountry to inquire after them, it seems theycould not be found.

I was now in a way to be provided for; forthough I was not a parish charge upon this orthat part of the town by law, yet as my casecame to be known, and that I was too young todo any work, being not above three years old,compassion moved the magistrates of the townto order some care to be taken of me, and I be-came one of their own as much as if I had beenborn in the place.

In the provision they made for me, it was mygood hap to be put to nurse, as they call it, to awoman who was indeed poor but had been in

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better circumstances, and who got a little liveli-hood by taking such as I was supposed to be,and keeping them with all necessaries, till theywere at a certain age, in which it might be sup-posed they might go to service or get their ownbread.

This woman had also had a little school, whichshe kept to teach children to read and to work;and having, as I have said, lived before that ingood fashion, she bred up the children she tookwith a great deal of art, as well as with a greatdeal of care.

But that which was worth all the rest, she bredthem up very religiously, being herself a verysober, pious woman, very house-wifely andclean, and very mannerly, and with good be-haviour. So that in a word, expecting a plaindiet, coarse lodging, and mean clothes, we werebrought up as mannerly and as genteelly as ifwe had been at the dancing-school.

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I was continued here till I was eight years old,when I was terrified with news that the magis-trates (as I think they called them) had orderedthat I should go to service. I was able to do butvery little service wherever I was to go, exceptit was to run of errands and be a drudge tosome cookmaid, and this they told me of often,which put me into a great fright; for I had athorough aversion to going to service, as theycalled it (that is, to be a servant), though I wasso young; and I told my nurse, as we called her,that I believed I could get my living withoutgoing to service, if she pleased to let me; for shehad taught me to work with my needle, andspin worsted, which is the chief trade of thatcity, and I told her that if she would keep me, Iwould work for her, and I would work veryhard.

I talked to her almost every day of workinghard; and, in short, I did nothing but work andcry all day, which grieved the good, kind wo-

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man so much, that at last she began to be con-cerned for me, for she loved me very well.

One day after this, as she came into the roomwhere all we poor children were at work, shesat down just over against me, not in her usualplace as mistress, but as if she set herself onpurpose to observe me and see me work. I wasdoing something she had set me to; as I re-member, it was marking some shirts which shehad taken to make, and after a while she beganto talk to me. 'Thou foolish child,' says she,'thou art always crying (for I was crying then);'prithee, what dost cry for?' 'Because they willtake me away,' says I, 'and put me to service,and I can't work housework.' 'Well, child,' saysshe, 'but though you can't work housework, asyou call it, you will learn it in time, and theywon't put you to hard things at first.' 'Yes, theywill,' says I, 'and if I can't do it they will beatme, and the maids will beat me to make me dogreat work, and I am but a little girl and I can't

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do it'; and then I cried again, till I could notspeak any more to her.

This moved my good motherly nurse, so thatshe from that time resolved I should not go toservice yet; so she bid me not cry, and shewould speak to Mr. Mayor, and I should not goto service till I was bigger.

Well, this did not satisfy me, for to think of go-ing to service was such a frightful thing to me,that if she had assured me I should not havegone till I was twenty years old, it would havebeen the same to me; I should have cried, I be-lieve, all the time, with the very apprehensionof its being to be so at last.

When she saw that I was not pacified yet, shebegan to be angry with me. 'And what wouldyou have?' says she; 'don't I tell you that youshall not go to service till your are bigger?' 'Ay,'said I, 'but then I must go at last.' 'Why, what?'said she; 'is the girl mad? What would you be—

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a gentlewoman?' 'Yes,' says I, and cried heartilytill I roared out again.

This set the old gentlewoman a-laughing at me,as you may be sure it would. 'Well, madam,forsooth,' says she, gibing at me, 'you would bea gentlewoman; and pray how will you come tobe a gentlewoman? What! will you do it byyour fingers' end?'

'Yes,' says I again, very innocently.

'Why, what can you earn?' says she; 'what canyou get at your work?'

'Threepence,' said I, 'when I spin, and four-pence when I work plain work.'

'Alas! poor gentlewoman,' said she again, laug-hing, 'what will that do for thee?'

'It will keep me,' says I, 'if you will let me livewith you.' And this I said in such a poor peti-

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tioning tone, that it made the poor woman'sheart yearn to me, as she told me afterwards.

'But,' says she, 'that will not keep you and buyyou clothes too; and who must buy the littlegentlewoman clothes?' says she, and smiled allthe while at me.

'I will work harder, then,' says I, 'and you shallhave it all.'

'Poor child! it won't keep you,' says she; 'it willhardly keep you in victuals.'

'Then I will have no victuals,' says I, again veryinnocently; 'let me but live with you.'

'Why, can you live without victuals?' says she.

'Yes,' again says I, very much like a child, youmay be sure, and still I cried heartily.

I had no policy in all this; you may easily see itwas all nature; but it was joined with so much

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innocence and so much passion that, in short, itset the good motherly creature a-weeping too,and she cried at last as fast as I did, and thentook me and led me out of the teaching-room.'Come,' says she, 'you shan't go to service; youshall live with me'; and this pacified me for thepresent.

Some time after this, she going to wait on theMayor, and talking of such things as belongedto her business, at last my story came up, andmy good nurse told Mr. Mayor the whole tale.He was so pleased with it, that he would callhis lady and his two daughters to hear it, and itmade mirth enough among them, you may besure.

However, not a week had passed over, but on asudden comes Mrs. Mayoress and her twodaughters to the house to see my old nurse, andto see her school and the children. When theyhad looked about them a little, 'Well, Mrs. ——,' says the Mayoress to my nurse, 'and pray

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which is the little lass that intends to be a gen-tlewoman?' I heard her, and I was terriblyfrighted at first, though I did not know whyneither; but Mrs. Mayoress comes up to me.'Well, miss,' says she, 'and what are you atwork upon?' The word miss was a languagethat had hardly been heard of in our school,and I wondered what sad name it was shecalled me. However, I stood up, made a curtsy,and she took my work out of my hand, lookedon it, and said it was very well; then she tookup one of the hands. 'Nay,' says she, 'the childmay come to be a gentlewoman for aught any-body knows; she has a gentlewoman's hand,'says she. This pleased me mightily, you may besure; but Mrs. Mayoress did not stop there, butgiving me my work again, she put her hand inher pocket, gave me a shilling, and bid memind my work, and learn to work well, and Imight be a gentlewoman for aught she knew.

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Now all this while my good old nurse, Mrs.Mayoress, and all the rest of them did not un-derstand me at all, for they meant one sort ofthing by the word gentlewoman, and I meantquite another; for alas! all I understood by be-ing a gentlewoman was to be able to work formyself, and get enough to keep me withoutthat terrible bugbear going to service, whereasthey meant to live great, rich and high, and Iknow not what.

Well, after Mrs. Mayoress was gone, her twodaughters came in, and they called for the gen-tlewoman too, and they talked a long while tome, and I answered them in my innocent way;but always, if they asked me whether I resolvedto be a gentlewoman, I answered Yes. At lastone of them asked me what a gentlewomanwas? That puzzled me much; but, however, Iexplained myself negatively, that it was onethat did not go to service, to do housework.They were pleased to be familiar with me, and

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like my little prattle to them, which, it seems,was agreeable enough to them, and they gaveme money too.

As for my money, I gave it all to my mistress-nurse, as I called her, and told her she shouldhave all I got for myself when I was a gentle-woman, as well as now. By this and some otherof my talk, my old tutoress began to under-stand me about what I meant by being a gen-tlewoman, and that I understood by it no morethan to be able to get my bread by my ownwork; and at last she asked me whether it wasnot so.

I told her, yes, and insisted on it, that to do sowas to be a gentlewoman; 'for,' says I, 'there issuch a one,' naming a woman that mended laceand washed the ladies' laced-heads; 'she,' saysI, 'is a gentlewoman, and they call her madam.'

'Poor child,' says my good old nurse, 'you maysoon be such a gentlewoman as that, for she is a

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person of ill fame, and has had two or threebastards.'

I did not understand anything of that; but Ianswered, 'I am sure they call her madam, andshe does not go to service nor do housework';and therefore I insisted that she was a gentle-woman, and I would be such a gentlewoman asthat.

The ladies were told all this again, to be sure,and they made themselves merry with it, andevery now and then the young ladies, Mr. Ma-yor's daughters, would come and see me, andask where the little gentlewoman was, whichmade me not a little proud of myself.

This held a great while, and I was often visitedby these young ladies, and sometimes theybrought others with them; so that I was knownby it almost all over the town.

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I was now about ten years old, and began tolook a little womanish, for I was mighty graveand humble, very mannerly, and as I had oftenheard the ladies say I was pretty, and would bea very handsome woman, so you may be surethat hearing them say so made me not a littleproud. However, that pride had no ill effectupon me yet; only, as they often gave memoney, and I gave it to my old nurse, she, hon-est woman, was so just to me as to lay it all outagain for me, and gave me head-dresses, andlinen, and gloves, and ribbons, and I went veryneat, and always clean; for that I would do, andif I had rags on, I would always be clean, or elseI would dabble them in water myself; but, I say,my good nurse, when I had money given me,very honestly laid it out for me, and wouldalways tell the ladies this or that was boughtwith their money; and this made them often-times give me more, till at last I was indeedcalled upon by the magistrates, as I understoodit, to go out to service; but then I was come to

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be so good a workwoman myself, and the la-dies were so kind to me, that it was plain Icould maintain myself—that is to say, I couldearn as much for my nurse as she was able by itto keep me—so she told them that if theywould give her leave, she would keep the gen-tlewoman, as she called me, to be her assistantand teach the children, which I was very wellable to do; for I was very nimble at my work,and had a good hand with my needle, though Iwas yet very young.

But the kindness of the ladies of the town didnot end here, for when they came to under-stand that I was no more maintained by thepublic allowance as before, they gave memoney oftener than formerly; and as I grew upthey brought me work to do for them, such aslinen to make, and laces to mend, and heads todress up, and not only paid me for doing them,but even taught me how to do them; so thatnow I was a gentlewoman indeed, as I under-

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stood that word, I not only found myselfclothes and paid my nurse for my keeping, butgot money in my pocket too beforehand.

The ladies also gave me clothes frequently oftheir own or their children's; some stockings,some petticoats, some gowns, some one thing,some another, and these my old woman man-aged for me like a mere mother, and kept themfor me, obliged me to mend them, and turnthem and twist them to the best advantage, forshe was a rare housewife.

At last one of the ladies took so much fancy tome that she would have me home to her house,for a month, she said, to be among her daugh-ters.

Now, though this was exceeding kind in her,yet, as my old good woman said to her, unlessshe resolved to keep me for good and all, shewould do the little gentlewoman more harmthan good. 'Well,' says the lady, 'that's true; and

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therefore I'll only take her home for a week,then, that I may see how my daughters and sheagree together, and how I like her temper, andthen I'll tell you more; and in the meantime, ifanybody comes to see her as they used to do,you may only tell them you have sent her outto my house.'

This was prudently managed enough, and Iwent to the lady's house; but I was so pleasedthere with the young ladies, and they sopleased with me, that I had enough to do tocome away, and they were as unwilling to partwith me.

However, I did come away, and lived almost ayear more with my honest old woman, andbegan now to be very helpful to her; for I wasalmost fourteen years old, was tall of my age,and looked a little womanish; but I had such ataste of genteel living at the lady's house that Iwas not so easy in my old quarters as I used tobe, and I thought it was fine to be a gentle-

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woman indeed, for I had quite other notions ofa gentlewoman now than I had before; and as Ithought, I say, that it was fine to be a gentle-woman, so I loved to be among gentlewomen,and therefore I longed to be there again.

About the time that I was fourteen years and aquarter old, my good nurse, mother I rather tocall her, fell sick and died. I was then in a sadcondition indeed, for as there is no great bustlein putting an end to a poor body's family whenonce they are carried to the grave, so the poorgood woman being buried, the parish childrenshe kept were immediately removed by thechurch-wardens; the school was at an end, andthe children of it had no more to do but juststay at home till they were sent somewhereelse; and as for what she left, her daughter, amarried woman with six or seven children,came and swept it all away at once, and remov-ing the goods, they had no more to say to methan to jest with me, and tell me that the little

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gentlewoman might set up for herself if shepleased.

I was frighted out of my wits almost, and knewnot what to do, for I was, as it were, turned outof doors to the wide world, and that which wasstill worse, the old honest woman had two-and-twenty shillings of mine in her hand, whichwas all the estate the little gentlewoman had inthe world; and when I asked the daughter forit, she huffed me and laughed at me, and toldme she had nothing to do with it.

It was true the good, poor woman had told herdaughter of it, and that it lay in such a place,that it was the child's money, and had calledonce or twice for me to give it me, but I was,unhappily, out of the way somewhere or other,and when I came back she was past being in acondition to speak of it. However, the daughterwas so honest afterwards as to give it me,though at first she used me cruelly about it.

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Now was I a poor gentlewoman indeed, and Iwas just that very night to be turned into thewide world; for the daughter removed all thegoods, and I had not so much as a lodging to goto, or a bit of bread to eat. But it seems some ofthe neighbours, who had known my circum-stances, took so much compassion of me as toacquaint the lady in whose family I had been aweek, as I mentioned above; and immediatelyshe sent her maid to fetch me away, and two ofher daughters came with the maid though un-sent. So I went with them, bag and baggage,and with a glad heart, you may be sure. Thefright of my condition had made such an im-pression upon me, that I did not want now tobe a gentlewoman, but was very willing to be aservant, and that any kind of servant theythought fit to have me be.

But my new generous mistress, for she ex-ceeded the good woman I was with before, ineverything, as well as in the matter of estate; I

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say, in everything except honesty; and for that,though this was a lady most exactly just, yet Imust not forget to say on all occasions, that thefirst, though poor, was as uprightly honest as itwas possible for any one to be.

I was no sooner carried away, as I have said, bythis good gentlewoman, but the first lady, thatis to say, the Mayoress that was, sent her twodaughters to take care of me; and another fam-ily which had taken notice of me when I wasthe little gentlewoman, and had given me workto do, sent for me after her, so that I was might-ily made of, as we say; nay, and they were not alittle angry, especially madam the Mayoress,that her friend had taken me away from her, asshe called it; for, as she said, I was hers byright, she having been the first that took anynotice of me. But they that had me would notpart with me; and as for me, though I shouldhave been very well treated with any of the

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others, yet I could not be better than where Iwas.

Here I continued till I was between seventeenand eighteen years old, and here I had all theadvantages for my education that could be ima-gined; the lady had masters home to the houseto teach her daughters to dance, and to speakFrench, and to write, and other to teach themmusic; and I was always with them, I learnedas fast as they; and though the masters werenot appointed to teach me, yet I learned by imi-tation and inquiry all that they learned by in-struction and direction; so that, in short, Ilearned to dance and speak French as well asany of them, and to sing much better, for I hada better voice than any of them. I could not soreadily come at playing on the harpsichord orspinet, because I had no instrument of my ownto practice on, and could only come at theirs inthe intervals when they left it, which was un-certain; but yet I learned tolerably well too, and

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the young ladies at length got two instruments,that is to say, a harpsichord and a spinet too,and then they taught me themselves. But as todancing, they could hardly help my learningcountry-dances, because they always wantedme to make up even number; and, on the otherhand, they were as heartily willing to learn meeverything that they had been taught them-selves, as I could be to take the learning.

By this means I had, as I have said above, allthe advantages of education that I could havehad if I had been as much a gentlewoman asthey were with whom I lived; and in somethings I had the advantage of my ladies, thoughthey were my superiors; but they were all thegifts of nature, and which all their fortunescould not furnish. First, I was apparently hand-somer than any of them; secondly, I was bettershaped; and, thirdly, I sang better, by which Imean I had a better voice; in all which you will,I hope, allow me to say, I do not speak my own

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conceit of myself, but the opinion of all thatknew the family.

I had with all these the common vanity of mysex, viz. that being really taken for very hand-some, or, if you please, for a great beauty, Ivery well knew it, and had as good an opinionof myself as anybody else could have of me;and particularly I loved to hear anybody speakof it, which could not but happen to me some-times, and was a great satisfaction to me.

Thus far I have had a smooth story to tell ofmyself, and in all this part of my life I not onlyhad the reputation of living in a very good fam-ily, and a family noted and respected every-where for virtue and sobriety, and for everyvaluable thing; but I had the character too of avery sober, modest, and virtuous youngwoman, and such I had always been; neitherhad I yet any occasion to think of anything else,or to know what a temptation to wickednessmeant.

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But that which I was too vain of was my ruin,or rather my vanity was the cause of it. Thelady in the house where I was had two sons,young gentlemen of very promising parts andof extraordinary behaviour, and it was my mis-fortune to be very well with them both, butthey managed themselves with me in a quitedifferent manner.

The eldest, a gay gentleman that knew the townas well as the country, and though he had lev-ity enough to do an ill-natured thing, yet hadtoo much judgment of things to pay too dearfor his pleasures; he began with the unhappysnare to all women, viz. taking notice upon alloccasions how pretty I was, as he called it, howagreeable, how well-carriaged, and the like;and this he contrived so subtly, as if he hadknown as well how to catch a woman in his netas a partridge when he went a-setting; for hewould contrive to be talking this to his sisterswhen, though I was not by, yet when he knew I

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was not far off but that I should be sure to hearhim. His sisters would return softly to him,'Hush, brother, she will hear you; she is but inthe next room.' Then he would put it off andtalk softlier, as if he had not know it, and beginto acknowledge he was wrong; and then, as ifhe had forgot himself, he would speak aloudagain, and I, that was so well pleased to hear it,was sure to listen for it upon all occasions.

After he had thus baited his hook, and foundeasily enough the method how to lay it in myway, he played an opener game; and one day,going by his sister's chamber when I was there,doing something about dressing her, he comesin with an air of gaiety. 'Oh, Mrs. Betty,' said heto me, 'how do you do, Mrs. Betty? Don't yourcheeks burn, Mrs. Betty?' I made a curtsy andblushed, but said nothing. 'What makes youtalk so, brother?' says the lady. 'Why,' says he,'we have been talking of her below-stairs thishalf-hour.' 'Well,' says his sister, 'you can say

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no harm of her, that I am sure, so 'tis no matterwhat you have been talking about.' 'Nay,' sayshe, ''tis so far from talking harm of her, that wehave been talking a great deal of good, and agreat many fine things have been said of Mrs.Betty, I assure you; and particularly, that she isthe handsomest young woman in Colchester;and, in short, they begin to toast her health inthe town.'

'I wonder at you, brother,' says the sister. 'Bettywants but one thing, but she had as good wanteverything, for the market is against our sexjust now; and if a young woman have beauty,birth, breeding, wit, sense, manners, modesty,and all these to an extreme, yet if she have notmoney, she's nobody, she had as good wantthem all for nothing but money now recom-mends a woman; the men play the game allinto their own hands.'

Her younger brother, who was by, cried, 'Hold,sister, you run too fast; I am an exception to

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your rule. I assure you, if I find a woman soaccomplished as you talk of, I say, I assure you,I would not trouble myself about the money.'

'Oh,' says the sister, 'but you will take care notto fancy one, then, without the money.'

'You don't know that neither,' says the brother.

'But why, sister,' says the elder brother, 'why doyou exclaim so at the men for aiming so muchat the fortune? You are none of them that wanta fortune, whatever else you want.'

'I understand you, brother,' replies the ladyvery smartly; 'you suppose I have the money,and want the beauty; but as times go now, thefirst will do without the last, so I have the bet-ter of my neighbours.'

'Well,' says the younger brother, 'but yourneighbours, as you call them, may be even withyou, for beauty will steal a husband sometimes

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in spite of money, and when the maid chancesto be handsomer than the mistress, she often-times makes as good a market, and rides in acoach before her.'

I thought it was time for me to withdraw andleave them, and I did so, but not so far but thatI heard all their discourse, in which I heardabundance of the fine things said of myself,which served to prompt my vanity, but, as Isoon found, was not the way to increase myinterest in the family, for the sister and theyounger brother fell grievously out about it;and as he said some very disobliging things toher upon my account, so I could easily see thatshe resented them by her future conduct to me,which indeed was very unjust to me, for I hadnever had the least thought of what she sus-pected as to her younger brother; indeed, theelder brother, in his distant, remote way, hadsaid a great many things as in jest, which I hadthe folly to believe were in earnest, or to flatter

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myself with the hopes of what I ought to havesupposed he never intended, and perhapsnever thought of.

It happened one day that he came running up-stairs, towards the room where his sisters usedto sit and work, as he often used to do; andcalling to them before he came in, as was hisway too, I, being there alone, stepped to thedoor, and said, 'Sir, the ladies are not here, theyare walked down the garden.' As I steppedforward to say this, towards the door, he wasjust got to the door, and clasping me in hisarms, as if it had been by chance, 'Oh, Mrs.Betty,' says he, 'are you here? That's better still;I want to speak with you more than I do withthem'; and then, having me in his arms, hekissed me three or four times.

I struggled to get away, and yet did it butfaintly neither, and he held me fast, and stillkissed me, till he was almost out of breath, and

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then, sitting down, says, 'Dear Betty, I am inlove with you.'

His words, I must confess, fired my blood; allmy spirits flew about my heart and put me intodisorder enough, which he might easily haveseen in my face. He repeated it afterwards sev-eral times, that he was in love with me, and myheart spoke as plain as a voice, that I liked it;nay, whenever he said, 'I am in love with you,'my blushes plainly replied, 'Would you were,sir.'

However, nothing else passed at that time; itwas but a surprise, and when he was gone Isoon recovered myself again. He had stayedlonger with me, but he happened to look out atthe window and see his sisters coming up thegarden, so he took his leave, kissed me again,told me he was very serious, and I should hearmore of him very quickly, and away he went,leaving me infinitely pleased, though sur-prised; and had there not been one misfortune

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in it, I had been in the right, but the mistake layhere, that Mrs. Betty was in earnest and thegentleman was not.

From this time my head ran upon strangethings, and I may truly say I was not myself; tohave such a gentleman talk to me of being inlove with me, and of my being such a charmingcreature, as he told me I was; these were thingsI knew not how to bear, my vanity was ele-vated to the last degree. It is true I had my headfull of pride, but, knowing nothing of the wick-edness of the times, I had not one thought ofmy own safety or of my virtue about me; andhad my young master offered it at first sight, hemight have taken any liberty he thought fitwith me; but he did not see his advantage,which was my happiness for that time.

After this attack it was not long but he foundan opportunity to catch me again, and almostin the same posture; indeed, it had more of de-sign in it on his part, though not on my part. It

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was thus: the young ladies were all gone a-visiting with their mother; his brother was outof town; and as for his father, he had been inLondon for a week before. He had so wellwatched me that he knew where I was, thoughI did not so much as know that he was in thehouse; and he briskly comes up the stairs and,seeing me at work, comes into the room to medirectly, and began just as he did before, withtaking me in his arms, and kissing me for al-most a quarter of an hour together.

It was his younger sister's chamber that I wasin, and as there was nobody in the house butthe maids below-stairs, he was, it may be, theruder; in short, he began to be in earnest withme indeed. Perhaps he found me a little tooeasy, for God knows I made no resistance tohim while he only held me in his arms andkissed me; indeed, I was too well pleased withit to resist him much.

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However, as it were, tired with that kind ofwork, we sat down, and there he talked withme a great while; he said he was charmed withme, and that he could not rest night or day tillhe had told me how he was in love with me,and, if I was able to love him again, and wouldmake him happy, I should be the saving of hislife, and many such fine things. I said little tohim again, but easily discovered that I was afool, and that I did not in the least perceivewhat he meant.

Then he walked about the room, and taking meby the hand, I walked with him; and by and by,taking his advantage, he threw me down uponthe bed, and kissed me there most violently;but, to give him his due, offered no manner ofrudeness to me, only kissed a great while. Afterthis he thought he had heard somebody comeupstairs, so got off from the bed, lifted me up,professing a great deal of love for me, but toldme it was all an honest affection, and that he

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meant no ill to me; and with that he put fiveguineas into my hand, and went away down-stairs.

I was more confounded with the money than Iwas before with the love, and began to be soelevated that I scarce knew the ground I stoodon. I am the more particular in this part, that ifmy story comes to be read by any innocentyoung body, they may learn from it to guardthemselves against the mischiefs which attendan early knowledge of their own beauty. If ayoung woman once thinks herself handsome,she never doubts the truth of any man that tellsher he is in love with her; for if she believesherself charming enough to captivate him, 'tisnatural to expect the effects of it.

This young gentleman had fired his inclinationas much as he had my vanity, and, as if he hadfound that he had an opportunity and wassorry he did not take hold of it, he comes upagain in half an hour or thereabouts, and falls

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to work with me again as before, only with alittle less introduction.

And first, when he entered the room, he turnedabout and shut the door. 'Mrs. Betty,' said he, 'Ifancied before somebody was coming upstairs,but it was not so; however,' adds he, 'if theyfind me in the room with you, they shan't catchme a-kissing of you.' I told him I did not knowwho should be coming upstairs, for I believedthere was nobody in the house but the cookand the other maid, and they never came upthose stairs. 'Well, my dear,' says he, ''tis goodto be sure, however'; and so he sits down, andwe began to talk. And now, though I was stillall on fire with his first visit, and said little, hedid as it were put words in my mouth, tellingme how passionately he loved me, and thatthough he could not mention such a thing tillhe came to this estate, yet he was resolved tomake me happy then, and himself too; that is tosay, to marry me, and abundance of such fine

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things, which I, poor fool, did not understandthe drift of, but acted as if there was no suchthing as any kind of love but that which tendedto matrimony; and if he had spoke of that, I hadno room, as well as no power, to have said no;but we were not come that length yet.

We had not sat long, but he got up, and, stop-ping my very breath with kisses, threw meupon the bed again; but then being both wellwarmed, he went farther with me than decencypermits me to mention, nor had it been in mypower to have denied him at that moment, hadhe offered much more than he did.

However, though he took these freedoms withme, it did not go to that which they call the lastfavour, which, to do him justice, he did notattempt; and he made that self-denial of his aplea for all his freedoms with me upon otheroccasions after this. When this was over, hestayed but a little while, but he put almost ahandful of gold in my hand, and left me, mak-

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ing a thousand protestations of his passion forme, and of his loving me above all the womenin the world.

It will not be strange if I now began to think,but alas! it was but with very little solid reflec-tion. I had a most unbounded stock of vanityand pride, and but a very little stock of virtue. Idid indeed case sometimes with myself whatyoung master aimed at, but thought of nothingbut the fine words and the gold; whether heintended to marry me, or not to marry me,seemed a matter of no great consequence to me;nor did my thoughts so much as suggest to methe necessity of making any capitulation formyself, till he came to make a kind of formalproposal to me, as you shall hear presently.

Thus I gave up myself to a readiness of beingruined without the least concern and am a fairmemento to all young women whose vanityprevails over their virtue. Nothing was ever sostupid on both sides. Had I acted as became

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me, and resisted as virtue and honour require,this gentleman had either desisted his attacks,finding no room to expect the accomplishmentof his design, or had made fair and honourableproposals of marriage; in which case, whoeverhad blamed him, nobody could have blamedme. In short, if he had known me, and howeasy the trifle he aimed at was to be had, hewould have troubled his head no farther, buthave given me four or five guineas, and havelain with me the next time he had come at me.And if I had known his thoughts, and howhard he thought I would be to be gained, Imight have made my own terms with him; andif I had not capitulated for an immediate mar-riage, I might for a maintenance till marriage,and might have had what I would; for he wasalready rich to excess, besides what he had inexpectation; but I seemed wholly to have aban-doned all such thoughts as these, and wastaken up only with the pride of my beauty, andof being beloved by such a gentleman. As for

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the gold, I spent whole hours in looking uponit; I told the guineas over and over a thousandtimes a day. Never poor vain creature was sowrapt up with every part of the story as I was,not considering what was before me, and hownear my ruin was at the door; indeed, I think Irather wished for that ruin than studied toavoid it.

In the meantime, however, I was cunningenough not to give the least room to any in thefamily to suspect me, or to imagine that I hadthe least correspondence with this young gen-tleman. I scarce ever looked towards him inpublic, or answered if he spoke to me whenanybody was near us; but for all that, we hadevery now and then a little encounter, wherewe had room for a word or two, an now andthen a kiss, but no fair opportunity for the mis-chief intended; and especially considering thathe made more circumlocution than, if he hadknown by thoughts, he had occasion for; and

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the work appearing difficult to him, he reallymade it so.

But as the devil is an unwearied tempter, so henever fails to find opportunity for that wicked-ness he invites to. It was one evening that I wasin the garden, with his two younger sisters andhimself, and all very innocently merry, whenhe found means to convey a note into my hand,by which he directed me to understand that hewould to-morrow desire me publicly to go ofan errand for him into the town, and that Ishould see him somewhere by the way.

Accordingly, after dinner, he very gravely saysto me, his sisters being all by, 'Mrs. Betty, Imust ask a favour of you.' 'What's that?' sayshis second sister. 'Nay, sister,' says he verygravely, 'if you can't spare Mrs. Betty to-day,any other time will do.' Yes, they said, theycould spare her well enough, and the sisterbegged pardon for asking, which they did butof mere course, without any meaning. 'Well,

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but, brother,' says the eldest sister, 'you musttell Mrs. Betty what it is; if it be any privatebusiness that we must not hear, you may callher out. There she is.' 'Why, sister,' says thegentleman very gravely, 'what do you mean? Ionly desire her to go into the High Street' (andthen he pulls out a turnover), 'to such a shop';and then he tells them a long story of two fineneckcloths he had bid money for, and hewanted to have me go and make an errand tobuy a neck to the turnover that he showed, tosee if they would take my money for the neck-cloths; to bid a shilling more, and haggle withthem; and then he made more errands, and socontinued to have such petty business to do,that I should be sure to stay a good while.

When he had given me my errands, he toldthem a long story of a visit he was going to ma-ke to a family they all knew, and where was tobe such-and-such gentlemen, and how merrythey were to be, and very formally asks his sis-

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ters to go with him, and they as formally ex-cused themselves, because of company thatthey had notice was to come and visit them thatafternoon; which, by the way, he had contrivedon purpose.

He had scarce done speaking to them, and giv-ing me my errand, but his man came up to tellhim that Sir W—— H——'s coach stopped atthe door; so he runs down, and comes up againimmediately. 'Alas!' says he aloud, 'there's allmy mirth spoiled at once; sir W—— has senthis coach for me, and desires to speak with meupon some earnest business.' It seems this SirW—— was a gentleman who lived about threemiles out of town, to whom he had spoken onpurpose the day before, to lend him his chariotfor a particular occasion, and had appointed itto call for him, as it did, about three o'clock.

Immediately he calls for his best wig, hat, andsword, and ordering his man to go to the otherplace to make his excuse— that was to say, he

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made an excuse to send his man away—he pre-pares to go into the coach. As he was going, hestopped a while, and speaks mighty earnestlyto me about his business, and finds an oppor-tunity to say very softly to me, 'Come away, mydear, as soon as ever you can.' I said nothing,but made a curtsy, as if I had done so to whathe said in public. In about a quarter of an hour Iwent out too; I had no dress other than before,except that I had a hood, a mask, a fan, and apair of gloves in my pocket; so that there wasnot the least suspicion in the house. He waitedfor me in the coach in a back-lane, which heknew I must pass by, and had directed thecoachman whither to go, which was to a certainplace, called Mile End, where lived a confidantof his, where we went in, and where was all theconvenience in the world to be as wicked as wepleased.

When we were together he began to talk verygravely to me, and to tell me he did not bring

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me there to betray me; that his passion for mewould not suffer him to abuse me; that he re-solved to marry me as soon as he came to hisestate; that in the meantime, if I would granthis request, he would maintain me very hon-ourably; and made me a thousand protestationsof his sincerity and of his affection to me; andthat he would never abandon me, and as I maysay, made a thousand more preambles than heneed to have done.

However, as he pressed me to speak, I told himI had no reason to question the sincerity of hislove to me after so many protestations, but—and there I stopped, as if I left him to guess therest. 'But what, my dear?' says he. 'I guess whatyou mean: what if you should be with child? Isnot that it? Why, then,' says he, 'I'll take care ofyou and provide for you, and the child too; andthat you may see I am not in jest,' says he, 'he-re's an earnest for you,' and with that he pullsout a silk purse, with an hundred guineas in it,

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and gave it me. 'And I'll give you such another,'says he, 'every year till I marry you.'

My colour came and went, at the sight of thepurse and with the fire of his proposal together,so that I could not say a word, and he easilyperceived it; so putting the purse into my bo-som, I made no more resistance to him, but lethim do just what he pleased, and as often as hepleased; and thus I finished my own destruc-tion at once, for from this day, being forsakenof my virtue and my modesty, I had nothing ofvalue left to recommend me, either to God'sblessing or man's assistance.

But things did not end here. I went back to thetown, did the business he publicly directed meto, and was at home before anybody thoughtme long. As for my gentleman, he stayed out,as he told me he would, till late at night, andthere was not the least suspicion in the familyeither on his account or on mine.

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We had, after this, frequent opportunities torepeat our crime —chiefly by his contrivance—especially at home, when his mother and theyoung ladies went abroad a-visiting, which hewatched so narrowly as never to miss; knowingalways beforehand when they went out, andthen failed not to catch me all alone, and se-curely enough; so that we took our fill of ourwicked pleasure for near half a year; and yet,which was the most to my satisfaction, I wasnot with child.

But before this half-year was expired, his youn-ger brother, of whom I have made some men-tion in the beginning of the story, falls to workwith me; and he, finding me alone in the gar-den one evening, begins a story of the samekind to me, made good honest professions ofbeing in love with me, and in short, proposesfairly and honourably to marry me, and thatbefore he made any other offer to me at all.

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I was now confounded, and driven to such anextremity as the like was never known; at leastnot to me. I resisted the proposal with obsti-nacy; and now I began to arm myself with ar-guments. I laid before him the inequality of thematch; the treatment I should meet with in thefamily; the ingratitude it would be to his goodfather and mother, who had taken me into theirhouse upon such generous principles, andwhen I was in such a low condition; and, inshort, I said everything to dissuade him fromhis design that I could imagine, except tellinghim the truth, which would indeed have put anend to it all, but that I durst not think of men-tioning.

But here happened a circumstance that I didnot expect indeed, which put me to my shifts;for this young gentleman, as he was plain andhonest, so he pretended to nothing with me butwhat was so too; and, knowing his own inno-cence, he was not so careful to make his having

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a kindness for Mrs. Betty a secret I the house, ashis brother was. And though he did not letthem know that he had talked to me about it,yet he said enough to let his sisters perceive heloved me, and his mother saw it too, which,though they took no notice of it to me, yet theydid to him, an immediately I found their car-riage to me altered, more than ever before.

I saw the cloud, though I did not foresee thestorm. It was easy, I say, to see that their car-riage to me was altered, and that it grew worseand worse every day; till at last I got informa-tion among the servants that I should, in a verylittle while, be desired to remove.

I was not alarmed at the news, having a fullsatisfaction that I should be otherwise providedfor; and especially considering that I had rea-son every day to expect I should be with child,and that then I should be obliged to removewithout any pretences for it.

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After some time the younger gentleman tookan opportunity to tell me that the kindness hehad for me had got vent in the family. He didnot charge me with it, he said, for he know wellenough which way it came out. He told me hisplain way of talking had been the occasion of it,for that he did not make his respect for me somuch a secret as he might have done, and thereason was, that he was at a point, that if Iwould consent to have him, he would tell themall openly that he loved me, and that he in-tended to marry me; that it was true his fatherand mother might resent it, and be unkind, butthat he was now in a way to live, being bred tothe law, and he did not fear maintaining meagreeable to what I should expect; and that, inshort, as he believed I would not be ashamed ofhim, so he was resolved not to be ashamed ofme, and that he scorned to be afraid to own menow, whom he resolved to own after I was hiswife, and therefore I had nothing to do but to

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give him my hand, and he would answer for allthe rest.

I was now in a dreadful condition indeed, andnow I repented heartily my easiness with theeldest brother; not from any reflection of con-science, but from a view of the happiness Imight have enjoyed, and had now made im-possible; for though I had no great scruples ofconscience, as I have said, to struggle with, yet Icould not think of being a whore to one brotherand a wife to the other. But then it came intomy thoughts that the first brother had prom-ised to made me his wife when he came to hisestate; but I presently remembered what I hadoften thought of, that he had never spoken aword of having me for a wife after he had con-quered me for a mistress; and indeed, till now,though I said I thought of it often, yet it gaveme no disturbance at all, for as he did not seemin the least to lessen his affection to me, so nei-ther did he lessen his bounty, though he had

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the discretion himself to desire me not to layout a penny of what he gave me in clothes, orto make the least show extraordinary, becauseit would necessarily give jealousy in the family,since everybody know I could come at suchthings no manner of ordinary way, but by someprivate friendship, which they would presentlyhave suspected.

But I was now in a great strait, and knew notwhat to do. The main difficulty was this: theyounger brother not only laid close siege to me,but suffered it to be seen. He would come intohis sister's room, and his mother's room, and sitdown, and talk a thousand kind things of me,and to me, even before their faces, and whenthey were all there. This grew so public that thewhole house talked of it, and his mother re-proved him for it, and their carriage to me ap-peared quite altered. In short, his mother hadlet fall some speeches, as if she intended to putme out of the family; that is, in English, to turn

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me out of doors. Now I was sure this could notbe a secret to his brother, only that he might notthink, as indeed nobody else yet did, that theyoungest brother had made any proposal to meabout it; but as I easily could see that it wouldgo farther, so I saw likewise there was an abso-lute necessity to speak of it to him, or that hewould speak of it to me, and which to do first Iknew not; that is, whether I should break it tohim or let it alone till he should break it to me.

Upon serious consideration, for indeed now Ibegan to consider things very seriously, andnever till now; I say, upon serious considera-tion, I resolved to tell him of it first; and it wasnot long before I had an opportunity, for thevery next day his brother went to London uponsome business, and the family being out a-visiting, just as it had happened before, and asindeed was often the case, he came according tohis custom, to spend an hour or two with Mrs.Betty.

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When he came had had sat down a while, heeasily perceived there was an alteration in mycountenance, that I was not so free and pleasantwith him as I used to be, and particularly, that Ihad been a-crying; he was not long before hetook notice of it, and asked me in very kindterms what was the matter, and if anythingtroubled me. I would have put it off if I could,but it was not to be concealed; so after sufferingmany importunities to draw that out of mewhich I longed as much as possible to disclose,I told him that it was true something did trou-ble me, and something of such a nature that Icould not conceal from him, and yet that Icould not tell how to tell him of it neither; thatit was a thing that not only surprised me, butgreatly perplexed me, and that I knew not whatcourse to take, unless he would direct me. Hetold me with great tenderness, that let it bewhat it would, I should not let it trouble me, forhe would protect me from all the world.

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I then began at a distance, and told him I wasafraid the ladies had got some secret informa-tion of our correspondence; for that it was easyto see that their conduct was very much chan-ged towards me for a great while, and that nowit was come to that pass that they frequentlyfound fault with me, and sometimes fell quiteout with me, though I never gave them the leastoccasion; that whereas I used always to lie withthe eldest sister, I was lately put to lie by my-self, or with one of the maids; and that I hadoverheard them several times talking very un-kindly about me; but that which confirmed itall was, that one of the servants had told methat she had heard I was to be turned out, andthat it was not safe for the family that I shouldbe any longer in the house.

He smiled when he herd all this, and I askedhim how he could make so light of it, when hemust needs know that if there was any discov-ery I was undone for ever, and that even it

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would hurt him, though not ruin him as itwould me. I upbraided him, that he was like allthe rest of the sex, that, when they had thecharacter and honour of a woman at theirmercy, oftentimes made it their jest, and at leastlooked upon it as a trifle, and counted the ruinof those they had had their will of as a thing ofno value.

He saw me warm and serious, and he changedhis style immediately; he told me he was sorry Ishould have such a thought of him; that he hadnever given me the least occasion for it, but hadbeen as tender of my reputation as he could beof his own; that he was sure our correspon-dence had been managed with so much ad-dress, that not one creature in the family had somuch as a suspicion of it; that if he smiledwhen I told him my thoughts, it was at the as-surance he lately received, that our understand-ing one another was not so much as known orguessed at; and that when he had told me how

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much reason he had to be easy, I should smileas he did, for he was very certain it would giveme a full satisfaction.

'This is a mystery I cannot understand,' says I,'or how it should be to my satisfaction that I amto be turned out of doors; for if our correspon-dence is not discovered, I know not what else Ihave done to change the countenances of thewhole family to me, or to have them treat me asthey do now, who formerly used me with somuch tenderness, as if I had been one of theirown children.'

'Why, look you, child,' says he, 'that they areuneasy about you, that is true; but that theyhave the least suspicion of the case as it is, andas it respects you and I, is so far from beingtrue, that they suspect my brother Robin; and,in short, they are fully persuaded he makeslove to you; nay, the fool has put it into theirheads too himself, for he is continually banter-ing them about it, and making a jest of himself.

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I confess I think he is wrong to do so, becausehe cannot but see it vexes them, and makesthem unkind to you; but 'tis a satisfaction tome, because of the assurance it gives me, thatthey do not suspect me in the least, and I hopethis will be to your satisfaction too.'

'So it is,' says I, 'one way; but this does notreach my case at all, nor is this the chief thingthat troubles me, though I have been concernedabout that too.' 'What is it, then?' says he. Withwhich I fell to tears, and could say nothing tohim at all. He strove to pacify me all he could,but began at last to be very pressing upon meto tell what it was. At last I answered that Ithought I ought to tell him too, and that he hadsome right to know it; besides, that I wantedhis direction in the case, for I was in such per-plexity that I knew not what course to take, andthen I related the whole affair to him. I told himhow imprudently his brother had managedhimself, in making himself so public; for that if

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he had kept it a secret, as such a thing out tohave been, I could but have denied him posi-tively, without giving any reason for it, and hewould in time have ceased his solicitations; butthat he had the vanity, first, to depend upon itthat I would not deny him, and then had takenthe freedom to tell his resolution of having meto the whole house.

I told him how far I had resisted him, and toldhim how sincere and honourable his offers we-re. 'But,' says I, 'my case will be doubly hard;for as they carry it ill to me now, because hedesires to have me, they'll carry it worse whenthey shall find I have denied him; and they willpresently say, there's something else in it, andthen out it comes that I am married already tosomebody else, or that I would never refuse amatch so much above me as this was.'

This discourse surprised him indeed verymuch. He told me that it was a critical pointindeed for me to manage, and he did not see

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which way I should get out of it; but he wouldconsider it, and let me know next time we met,what resolution he was come to about it; and inthe meantime desired I would not give my con-sent to his brother, nor yet give him a flat de-nial, but that I would hold him in suspense awhile.

I seemed to start at his saying I should not givehim my consent. I told him he knew very well Ihad no consent to give; that he had engagedhimself to marry me, and that my consent wasthe same time engaged to him; that he had allalong told me I was his wife, and I looked uponmyself as effectually so as if the ceremony hadpassed; and that it was from his own mouththat I did so, he having all along persuaded meto call myself his wife.

'Well, my dear,' says he, 'don't be concerned atthat now; if I am not your husband, I'll be asgood as a husband to you; and do not let thosethings trouble you now, but let me look a little

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farther into this affair, and I shall be able to saymore next time we meet.'

He pacified me as well as he could with this,but I found he was very thoughtful, and thatthough he was very kind to me and kissed me athousand times, and more I believe, and gaveme money too, yet he offered no more all thewhile we were together, which was above twohours, and which I much wondered at indeedat that time, considering how it used to be, andwhat opportunity we had.

His brother did not come from London for fiveor six days, and it was two days more before hegot an opportunity to talk with him; but thengetting him by himself he began to talk veryclose to him about it, and the same evening gotan opportunity (for we had a long conferencetogether) to repeat all their discourse to me,which, as near as I can remember, was to thepurpose following. He told him he heardstrange news of him since he went, viz. that he

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made love to Mrs. Betty. 'Well, says his brothera little angrily, 'and so I do. And what then?What has anybody to do with that?' 'Nay,' sayshis brother, 'don't be angry, Robin; I don't pre-tend to have anything to do with it; nor do Ipretend to be angry with you about it. But Ifind they do concern themselves about it, andthat they have used the poor girl ill about it,which I should take as done to myself.' 'Whomdo you mean by THEY?' says Robin. 'I meanmy mother and the girls,' says the elderbrother. 'But hark ye,' says his brother, 'are youin earnest? Do you really love this girl? Youmay be free with me, you know.' 'Why, then,'says Robin, 'I will be free with you; I do loveher above all the women in the world, and Iwill have her, let them say and do what theywill. I believe the girl will not deny me.'

It struck me to the heart when he told me this,for though it was most rational to think I wouldnot deny him, yet I knew in my own conscience

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I must deny him, and I saw my ruin in my be-ing obliged to do so; but I knew it was mybusiness to talk otherwise then, so I interruptedhim in his story thus.

'Ay!' said I, 'does he think I cannot deny him?But he shall find I can deny him, for all that.'

'Well, my dear,' says he, 'but let me give youthe whole story as it went on between us, andthen say what you will.'

Then he went on and told me that he repliedthus: 'But, brother, you know she has nothing,and you may have several ladies with goodfortunes.'

''Tis no matter for that,' said Robin; 'I love thegirl, and I will never please my pocket in mar-rying, and not please my fancy.' 'And so, mydear,' adds he, 'there is no opposing him.'

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'Yes, yes,' says I, 'you shall see I can opposehim; I have learnt to say No, now though I hadnot learnt it before; if the best lord in the landoffered me marriage now, I could very cheer-fully say No to him.'

'Well, but, my dear,' says he, 'what can you sayto him? You know, as you said when we talkedof it before, he well ask you many questionsabout it, and all the house will wonder whatthe meaning of it should be.'

'Why,' says I, smiling, 'I can stop all theirmouths at one clap by telling him, and themtoo, that I am married already to his elderbrother.'

He smiled a little too at the word, but I couldsee it startled him, and he could not hide thedisorder it put him into. However, he returned,'Why, though that may be true in some sense,yet I suppose you are but in jest when you talk

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of giving such an answer as that; it may not beconvenient on many accounts.'

'No, no,' says I pleasantly, 'I am not so fond ofletting the secret come out without your con-sent.'

'But what, then, can you say to him, or to them,'says he, 'when they find you positive against amatch which would be apparently so much toyour advantage?'

'Why,' says I, 'should I be at a loss? First of all, Iam not obliged to give me any reason at all; onthe other hand, I may tell them I am marriedalready, and stop there, and that will be a fullstop too to him, for he can have no reason toask one question after it.'

'Ay,' says he; 'but the whole house will teaseyou about that, even to father and mother, andif you deny them positively, they will be dis-obliged at you, and suspicious besides.'

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'Why,' says I, 'what can I do? What would haveme do? I was in straight enough before, and as Itold you, I was in perplexity before, and ac-quainted you with the circumstances, that Imight have your advice.'

'My dear,' says he, 'I have been consideringvery much upon it, you may be sure, andthough it is a piece of advice that has a greatmany mortifications in it to me, and may at firstseem strange to you, yet, all things considered,I see no better way for you than to let him goon; and if you find him hearty and in earnest,marry him.'

I gave him a look full of horror at those words,and, turning pale as death, was at the verypoint of sinking down out of the chair I sat in;when, giving a start, 'My dear,' says he aloud,'what's the matter with you? Where are you a-going?' and a great many such things; and withjogging and called to me, fetched me a little tomyself, though it was a good while before I

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fully recovered my senses, and was not able tospeak for several minutes more.

When I was fully recovered he began again.'My dear,' says he, 'what made you so sur-prised at what I said? I would have you con-sider seriously of it? You may see plainly howthe family stand in this case, and they would bestark mad if it was my case, as it is mybrother's; and for aught I see, it would be myruin and yours too.'

'Ay!' says I, still speaking angrily; 'are all yourprotestations and vows to be shaken by thedislike of the family? Did I not always objectthat to you, and you made light thing of it, aswhat you were above, and would value; and isit come to this now?' said I. 'Is this your faithand honour, your love, and the solidity of yourpromises?'

He continued perfectly calm, notwithstandingall my reproaches, and I was not sparing of

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them at all; but he replied at last, 'My dear, Ihave not broken one promise with you yet; Idid tell you I would marry you when I wascome to my estate; but you see my father is ahale, healthy man, and may live these thirtyyears still, and not be older than several areround us in town; and you never proposed mymarrying you sooner, because you knew itmight be my ruin; and as to all the rest, I havenot failed you in anything, you have wantedfor nothing.'

I could not deny a word of this, and had noth-ing to say to it in general. 'But why, then,' saysI, 'can you persuade me to such a horrid step asleaving you, since you have not left me? Willyou allow no affection, no love on my side,where there has been so much on your side?Have I made you no returns? Have I given notestimony of my sincerity and of my passion?Are the sacrifices I have made of honour and

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modesty to you no proof of my being tied toyou in bonds too strong to be broken?'

'But here, my dear,' says he, 'you may comeinto a safe station, and appear with honour andwith splendour at once, and the remembranceof what we have done may be wrapt up in aneternal silence, as if it had never happened; youshall always have my respect, and my sincereaffection, only then it shall be honest, and per-fectly just to my brother; you shall be my dearsister, as now you are my dear——' and therehe stopped.

'Your dear whore,' says I, 'you would have saidif you had gone on, and you might as well havesaid it; but I understand you. However, I desireyou to remember the long discourses you havehad with me, and the many hours' pains youhave taken to persuade me to believe myself anhonest woman; that I was your wife intention-ally, though not in the eyes of the world, andthat it was as effectual a marriage that had

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passed between us as is we had been publiclywedded by the parson of the parish. You knowand cannot but remember that these have beenyour own words to me.'

I found this was a little too close upon him, butI made it up in what follows. He stood stock-still for a while and said nothing, and I went onthus: 'You cannot,' says I, 'without the highestinjustice, believe that I yielded upon all thesepersuasions without a love not to be ques-tioned, not to be shaken again by anything thatcould happen afterward. If you have such dis-honourable thoughts of me, I must ask youwhat foundation in any of my behaviour have Igiven for such a suggestion?

'If, then, I have yielded to the importunities ofmy affection, and if I have been persuaded tobelieve that I am really, and in the essence ofthe thing, your wife, shall I now give the lie toall those arguments and call myself yourwhore, or mistress, which is the same thing?

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And will you transfer me to your brother? Canyou transfer my affection? Can you bid mecease loving you, and bid me love him? It is inmy power, think you, to make such a change atdemand? No, sir,' said I, 'depend upon it 'tisimpossible, and whatever the change of yourside may be, I will ever be true; and I had muchrather, since it is come that unhappy length, beyour whore than your brother's wife.'

He appeared pleased and touched with theimpression of this last discourse, and told methat he stood where he did before; that he hadnot been unfaithful to me in any one promisehe had ever made yet, but that there were somany terrible things presented themselves tohis view in the affair before me, and that on myaccount in particular, that he had thought ofthe other as a remedy so effectual as nothingcould come up to it. That he thought this wouldnot be entire parting us, but we might love asfriends all our days, and perhaps with more

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satisfaction than we should in the station wewere now in, as things might happen; that hedurst say, I could not apprehend anything fromhim as to betraying a secret, which could notbut be the destruction of us both, if it came out;that he had but one question to ask of me thatcould lie in the way of it, and if that questionwas answered in the negative, he could not butthink still it was the only step I could take.

I guessed at his question presently, namely,whether I was sure I was not with child? As tothat, I told him he need not be concerned aboutit, for I was not with child. 'Why, then, my de-ar,' says he, 'we have no time to talk furthernow. Consider of it, and think closely about it; Icannot but be of the opinion still, that it will bethe best course you can take.' And with this hetook his leave, and the more hastily too, hismother and sisters ringing at the gate, just atthe moment that he had risen up to go.

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He left me in the utmost confusion of thought;and he easily perceived it the next day, and allthe rest of the week, for it was but Tuesdayevening when we talked; but he had no oppor-tunity to come at me all that week, till the Sun-day after, when I, being indisposed, did not goto church, and he, making some excuse for thelike, stayed at home.

And now he had me an hour and a half againby myself, and we fell into the same argumentsall over again, or at least so near the same, as itwould be to no purpose to repeat them. At lastI asked him warmly, what opinion he musthave of my modesty, that he could suppose Ishould so much as entertain a thought of lyingwith two brothers, and assured him it couldnever be. I added, if he was to tell me that hewould never see me more, than which nothingbut death could be more terrible, yet I couldnever entertain a thought so dishonourable tomyself, and so base to him; and therefore, I

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entreated him, if he had one grain of respect oraffection left for me, that he would speak nomore of it to me, or that he would pull hissword out and kill me. He appeared surprisedat my obstinacy, as he called it; told me I wasunkind to myself, and unkind to him in it; thatit was a crisis unlooked for upon us both, andimpossible for either of us to foresee, but thathe did not see any other way to save us bothfrom ruin, and therefore he thought it the moreunkind; but that if he must say no more of it tome, he added with an unusual coldness, that hedid not know anything else we had to talk of;and so he rose up to take his leave. I rose uptoo, as if with the same indifference; but whenhe came to give me as it were a parting kiss, Iburst out into such a passion of crying, thatthough I would have spoke, I could not, andonly pressing his hand, seemed to give him theadieu, but cried vehemently.

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He was sensibly moved with this; so he satdown again, and said a great many kind thingsto me, to abate the excess of my passion, butstill urged the necessity of what he had pro-posed; all the while insisting, that if I did re-fuse, he would notwithstanding provide forme; but letting me plainly see that he woulddecline me in the main point—nay, even as amistress; making it a point of honour not to liewith the woman that, for aught he knew, mightcome to be his brother's wife.

The bare loss of him as a gallant was not somuch my affliction as the loss of his person,whom indeed I loved to distraction; and theloss of all the expectations I had, and which Ialways had built my hopes upon, of havinghim one day for my husband. These things op-pressed my mind so much, that, in short, I fellvery ill; the agonies of my mind, in a word,threw me into a high fever, and long it was,that none in the family expected my life.

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I was reduced very low indeed, and was oftendelirious and light-headed; but nothing lay sonear me as the fear that, when I was light-headed, I should say something or other to hisprejudice. I was distressed in my mind also tosee him, and so he was to see me, for he reallyloved me most passionately; but it could not be;there was not the least room to desire it on oneside or other, or so much as to make it decent.

It was near five weeks that I kept my bed andthough the violence of my fever abated in threeweeks, yet it several times returned; and thephysicians said two or three times, they coulddo no more for me, but that they must leavenature and the distemper to fight it out, onlystrengthening the first with cordials to maintainthe struggle. After the end of five weeks I grewbetter, but was so weak, so altered, so melan-choly, and recovered so slowly, that they phy-sicians apprehended I should go into a con-sumption; and which vexed me most, they gave

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it as their opinion that my mind was oppressed,that something troubled me, and, in short, thatI was in love. Upon this, the whole house wasset upon me to examine me, and to press me totell whether I was in love or not, and withwhom; but as I well might, I denied my beingin love at all.

They had on this occasion a squabble one dayabout me at table, that had like to have put thewhole family in an uproar, and for some timedid so. They happened to be all at table but thefather; as for me, I was ill, and in my chamber.At the beginning of the talk, which was just asthey had finished their dinner, the old gentle-woman, who had sent me somewhat to eat,called her maid to go up and ask me if I wouldhave any more; but the maid brought downword I had not eaten half what she had sent mealready.

'Alas, says the old lady, 'that poor girl! I amafraid she will never be well.'

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'Well!' says the elder brother, 'how should Mrs.Betty be well? They say she is in love.'

'I believe nothing of it,' says the old gentle-woman.

'I don't know,' says the eldest sister, 'what tosay to it; they have made such a rout about herbeing so handsome, and so charming, and Iknow not what, and that in her hearing too,that has turned the creature's head, I believe,and who knows what possessions may followsuch doings? For my part, I don't know what tomake of it.'

'Why, sister, you must acknowledge she is veryhandsome,' says the elder brother.

'Ay, and a great deal handsomer than you, sis-ter,' says Robin, 'and that's your mortification.'

'Well, well, that is not the question,' says hissister; 'that girl is well enough, and she knows

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it well enough; she need not be told of it tomake her vain.'

'We are not talking of her being vain,' says theelder brother, 'but of her being in love; it maybe she is in love with herself; it seems my sis-ters think so.'

'I would she was in love with me,' says Robin;'I'd quickly put her out of her pain.'

'What d'ye mean by that, son,' says the oldlady; 'how can you talk so?'

'Why, madam,' says Robin, again, very hon-estly, 'do you think I'd let the poor girl die forlove, and of one that is near at hand to be had,too?'

'Fie, brother!', says the second sister, 'how canyou talk so? Would you take a creature that hasnot a groat in the world?'

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'Prithee, child,' says Robin, 'beauty's a portion,and good-humour with it is a double portion; Iwish thou hadst half her stock of both for thyportion.' So there was her mouth stopped.

'I find,' says the eldest sister, 'if Betty is not inlove, my brother is. I wonder he has not brokehis mind to Betty; I warrant she won't say No.'

'They that yield when they're asked,' says Ro-bin, 'are one step before them that were neverasked to yield, sister, and two steps beforethem that yield before they are asked; andthat's an answer to you, sister.'

This fired the sister, and she flew into a pas-sion, and said, things were come to that passthat it was time the wench, meaning me, wasout of the family; and but that she was not fit tobe turned out, she hoped her father and motherwould consider of it as soon as she could beremoved.

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Robin replied, that was business for the masterand mistress of the family, who where not to betaught by one that had so little judgment as hiseldest sister.

It ran up a great deal farther; the sister scolded,Robin rallied and bantered, but poor Betty lostground by it extremely in the family. I heard ofit, and I cried heartily, and the old lady cameup to me, somebody having told her that I wasso much concerned about it. I complained toher, that it was very hard the doctors shouldpass such a censure upon me, for which theyhad no ground; and that it was still harder,considering the circumstances I was under inthe family; that I hoped I had done nothing tolessen her esteem for me, or given any occasionfor the bickering between her sons and daugh-ters, and I had more need to think of a coffinthan of being in love, and begged she wouldnot let me suffer in her opinion for anybody'smistakes but my own.

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She was sensible of the justice of what I said,but told me, since there had been such a clam-our among them, and that her younger sontalked after such a rattling way as he did, shedesired I would be so faithful to her as to an-swer her but one question sincerely. I told her Iwould, with all my heart, and with the utmostplainness and sincerity. Why, then, the ques-tion was, whether there way anything betweenher son Robert and me. I told her with all theprotestations of sincerity that I was able tomake, and as I might well, do, that there wasnot, nor every had been; I told her that Mr.Robert had rattled and jested, as she knew itwas his way, and that I took it always, as I sup-posed he meant it, to be a wild airy way of dis-course that had no signification in it; and againassured her, that there was not the least tittle ofwhat she understood by it between us; and thatthose who had suggested it had done me agreat deal of wrong, and Mr. Robert no serviceat all.

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The old lady was fully satisfied, and kissed me,spoke cheerfully to me, and bid me take care ofmy health and want for nothing, and so tookher leave. But when she came down she foundthe brother and all his sisters together by theears; they were angry, even to passion, at hisupbraiding them with their being homely, andhaving never had any sweethearts, never hav-ing been asked the question, and their being soforward as almost to ask first. He rallied themupon the subject of Mrs. Betty; how pretty, howgood-humoured, how she sung better then theydid, and danced better, and how much hand-somer she was; and in doing this he omitted noill-natured thing that could vex them, and in-deed, pushed too hard upon them. The old ladycame down in the height of it, and to put a stopit to, told them all the discourse she had hadwith me, and how I answered, that there wasnothing between Mr. Robert and I.

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'She's wrong there,' says Robin, 'for if there wasnot a great deal between us, we should becloser together than we are. I told her I lovedher hugely,' says he, 'but I could never makethe jade believe I was in earnest.' 'I do not knowhow you should,' says his mother; 'nobody intheir senses could believe you were in earnest,to talk so to a poor girl, whose circumstancesyou know so well.

'But prithee, son,' adds she, 'since you tell methat you could not make her believe you werein earnest, what must we believe about it? Foryou ramble so in your discourse, that nobodyknows whether you are in earnest or in jest; butas I find the girl, by your own confession, hasanswered truly, I wish you would do so too,and tell me seriously, so that I may dependupon it. Is there anything in it or no? Are you inearnest or no? Are you distracted, indeed, orare you not? 'Tis a weighty question, and I wishyou would make us easy about it.'

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'By my faith, madam,' says Robin, ''tis in vain tomince the matter or tell any more lies about it; Iam in earnest, as much as a man is that's goingto be hanged. If Mrs. Betty would say she lovedme, and that she would marry me, I'd have hertomorrow morning fasting, and say, 'To haveand to hold,' instead of eating my breakfast.'

'Well,' says the mother, 'then there's one sonlost'; and she said it in a very mournful tone, asone greatly concerned at it.

'I hope not, madam,' says Robin; 'no man is lostwhen a good wife has found him.'

'Why, but, child,' says the old lady, 'she is abeggar.'

'Why, then, madam, she has the more need ofcharity,' says Robin; 'I'll take her off the handsof the parish, and she and I'll beg together.'

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'It's bad jesting with such things,' says the mot-her.

'I don't jest, madam,' says Robin. 'We'll comeand beg your pardon, madam; and your bless-ing, madam, and my father's.'

'This is all out of the way, son,' says the mother.'If you are in earnest you are undone.'

'I am afraid not,' says he, 'for I am really afraidshe won't have me; after all my sister's huffingand blustering, I believe I shall never be able topersuade her to it.'

'That's a fine tale, indeed; she is not so far out ofher senses neither. Mrs. Betty is no fool,' saysthe younger sister. 'Do you think she has learntto say No, any more than other people?'

'No, Mrs. Mirth-wit,' says Robin, 'Mrs. Betty'sno fool; but Mrs. Betty may be engaged someother way, and what then?'

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'Nay,' says the eldest sister, 'we can say nothingto that. Who must it be to, then? She is neverout of the doors; it must be between you.'

'I have nothing to say to that,' says Robin. 'Ihave been examined enough; there's mybrother. If it must be between us, go to workwith him.'

This stung the elder brother to the quick, andhe concluded that Robin had discovered some-thing. However, he kept himself from appear-ing disturbed. 'Prithee,' says he, 'don't go toshame your stories off upon me; I tell you, Ideal in no such ware; I have nothing to say toMrs. Betty, nor to any of the Mrs. Bettys in theparish'; and with that he rose up and brushedoff.

'No,' says the eldest sister, 'I dare answer formy brother; he knows the world better.'

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Thus the discourse ended, but it left the elderbrother quite confounded. He concluded hisbrother had made a full discovery, and he be-gan to doubt whether I had been concerned init or not; but with all his management he couldnot bring it about to get at me. At last he was soperplexed that he was quite desperate, and re-solved he would come into my chamber andsee me, whatever came of it. In order to do this,he contrived it so, that one day after dinner,watching his eldest sister till he could see hergo upstairs, he runs after her. 'Hark ye, sister,'says he, 'where is this sick woman? May not abody see her?' 'Yes,' says the sister, 'I believeyou may; but let me go first a little, and I'll tellyou.' So she ran up to the door and gave menotice, and presently called to him again.'Brother,' says she, 'you may come if youplease.' So in he came, just in the same kind ofrant. 'Well,' says he at the door as he came in,'where is this sick body that's in love? How doye do, Mrs. Betty?' I would have got up out of

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my chair, but was so weak I could not for agood while; and he saw it, and his sister to, andshe said, 'Come, do not strive to stand up; mybrother desires no ceremony, especially nowyou are so weak.' 'No, no, Mrs. Betty, pray sitstill,' says he, and so sits himself down in achair over against me, and appeared as if hewas mighty merry.

He talked a lot of rambling stuff to his sisterand to me, sometimes of one thing, sometimesof another, on purpose to amuse his sister, andevery now and then would turn it upon the oldstory, directing it to me. 'Poor Mrs. Betty,' sayshe, 'it is a sad thing to be in love; why, it hasreduced you sadly.' At last I spoke a little. 'I amglad to see you so merry, sir,' says I; 'but I thinkthe doctor might have found something betterto do than to make his game at his patients. If Ihad been ill of no other distemper, I know theproverb too well to have let him come to me.'

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'What proverb?' says he, 'Oh! I remember itnow. What—

"Where love is the case,The doctor's an ass."

Is not that it, Mrs. Betty?' I smiled and said not-hing. 'Nay,' says he, 'I think the effect has pro-ved it to be love, for it seems the doctor hasbeen able to do you but little service; you mendvery slowly, they say. I doubt there's somewhatin it, Mrs. Betty; I doubt you are sick of the in-curables, and that is love.' I smiled and said,'No, indeed, sir, that's none of my distemper.'

We had a deal of such discourse, and some-times others that signified as little. By and byhe asked me to sing them a song, at which Ismiled, and said my singing days were over. Atlast he asked me if he should play upon hisflute to me; his sister said she believe it wouldhurt me, and that my head could not bear it. Ibowed, and said, No, it would not hurt me.

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'And, pray, madam.' said I, 'do not hinder it; Ilove the music of the flute very much.' Then hissister said, 'Well, do, then, brother.' With thathe pulled out the key of his closet. 'Dear sister,'says he, 'I am very lazy; do step to my closetand fetch my flute; it lies in such a drawer,'naming a place where he was sure it was not,that she might be a little while a-looking for it.

As soon as she was gone, he related the wholestory to me of the discourse his brother hadabout me, and of his pushing it at him, and hisconcern about it, which was the reason of hiscontriving this visit to me. I assured him I hadnever opened my mouth either to his brother orto anybody else. I told him the dreadful exi-gence I was in; that my love to him, and hisoffering to have me forget that affection andremove it to another, had thrown me down;and that I had a thousand times wished I mightdie rather than recover, and to have the samecircumstances to struggle with as I had before,

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and that his backwardness to life had been thegreat reason of the slowness of my recovering. Iadded that I foresaw that as soon as I was well,I must quit the family, and that as for marryinghis brother, I abhorred the thoughts of it afterwhat had been my case with him, and that hemight depend upon it I would never see hisbrother again upon that subject; that if hewould break all his vows and oaths and en-gagements with me, be that between his con-science and his honour and himself; but heshould never be able to say that I, whom he hadpersuaded to call myself his wife, and who hadgiven him the liberty to use me as a wife, wasnot as faithful to him as a wife ought to be,whatever he might be to me.

He was going to reply, and had said that hewas sorry I could not be persuaded, and was a-going to say more, but he heard his sister a-coming, and so did I; and yet I forced out thesefew words as a reply, that I could never be per-

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suaded to love one brother and marry another.He shook his head and said, 'Then I am ruined,'meaning himself; and that moment his sisterentered the room and told him she could notfind the flute. 'Well,' says he merrily, 'this lazi-ness won't do'; so he gets up and goes himselfto go to look for it, but comes back without ittoo; not but that he could have found it, butbecause his mind was a little disturbed, and hehad no mind to play; and, besides, the errandhe sent his sister on was answered anotherway; for he only wanted an opportunity tospeak to me, which he gained, though notmuch to his satisfaction.

I had, however, a great deal of satisfaction inhaving spoken my mind to him with freedom,and with such an honest plainness, as I haverelated; and though it did not at all work theway I desired, that is to say, to oblige the per-son to me the more, yet it took from him allpossibility of quitting me but by a downright

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breach of honour, and giving up all the faith ofa gentleman to me, which he had so often en-gaged by, never to abandon me, but to makeme his wife as soon as he came to his estate.

It was not many weeks after this before I wasabout the house again, and began to grow well;but I continued melancholy, silent, dull, andretired, which amazed the whole family, excepthe that knew the reason of it; yet it was a greatwhile before he took any notice of it, and I, asbackward to speak as he, carried respectfully tohim, but never offered to speak a word to himthat was particular of any kind whatsoever;and this continued for sixteen or seventeenweeks; so that, as I expected every day to bedismissed the family, on account of what dis-taste they had taken another way, in which Ihad no guilt, so I expected to hear no more ofthis gentleman, after all his solemn vows andprotestations, but to be ruined and abandoned.

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At last I broke the way myself in the family formy removing; for being talking seriously withthe old lady one day, about my own circum-stances in the world, and how my distemperhad left a heaviness upon my spirits, that I wasnot the same thing I was before, the old ladysaid, 'I am afraid, Betty, what I have said to youabout my son has had some influence uponyou, and that you are melancholy on his ac-count; pray, will you let me know how the mat-ter stands with you both, if it may not be im-proper? For, as for Robin, he does nothing butrally and banter when I speak of it to him.''Why, truly, madam,' said I 'that matter standsas I wish it did not, and I shall be very sincerewith you in it, whatever befalls me for it. Mr.Robert has several times proposed marriage tome, which is what I had no reason to expect,my poor circumstances considered; but I havealways resisted him, and that perhaps in termsmore positive than became me, considering theregard that I ought to have for every branch of

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your family; but,' said I, 'madam, I could neverso far forget my obligation to you and all yourhouse, to offer to consent to a thing which Iknow must needs be disobliging to you, andthis I have made my argument to him, andhave positively told him that I would neverentertain a thought of that kind unless I hadyour consent, and his father's also, to whom Iwas bound by so many invincible obligations.'

'And is this possible, Mrs. Betty?' says the oldlady. 'Then you have been much juster to usthan we have been to you; for we have all loo-ked upon you as a kind of snare to my son, andI had a proposal to make to you for your re-moving, for fear of it; but I had not yet men-tioned it to you, because I thought you werenot thorough well, and I was afraid of grievingyou too much, lest it should throw you downagain; for we have all a respect for you still,though not so much as to have it be the ruin of

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my son; but if it be as you say, we have allwronged you very much.'

'As to the truth of what I say, madam,' said I,'refer you to your son himself; if he will do meany justice, he must tell you the story just as Ihave told it.'

Away goes the old lady to her daughters andtells them the whole story, just as I had told ither; and they were surprised at it, you may besure, as I believed they would be. One said shecould never have thought it; another said Robinwas a fool; a third said she would not believe aword of it, and she would warrant that Robinwould tell the story another way. But the oldgentlewoman, who was resolved to go to thebottom of it before I could have the least oppor-tunity of acquainting her son with what hadpassed, resolved too that she would talk withher son immediately, and to that purpose sentfor him, for he was gone but to a lawyer'shouse in the town, upon some petty business of

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his own, and upon her sending he returnedimmediately.

Upon his coming up to them, for they were allstill together, 'Sit down, Robin,' says the oldlady, 'I must have some talk with you.' 'With allmy heart, madam,' says Robin, looking verymerry. 'I hope it is about a good wife, for I amat a great loss in that affair.' 'How can that be?'says his mother; 'did not you say you resolvedto have Mrs. Betty?' 'Ay, madam,' says Robin,'but there is one has forbid the banns.' 'Forbid,the banns!' says his mother; 'who can that be?''Even Mrs. Betty herself,' says Robin. 'How so?'says his mother. 'Have you asked her the ques-tion, then?' 'Yes, indeed, madam,' says Robin. 'Ihave attacked her in form five times since shewas sick, and am beaten off; the jade is so stoutshe won't capitulate nor yield upon any terms,except such as I cannot effectually grant.' 'Ex-plain yourself,' says the mother, 'for I am sur-

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prised; I do not understand you. I hope you arenot in earnest.'

'Why, madam,' says he, 'the case is plainenough upon me, it explains itself; she won'thave me, she says; is not that plain enough? Ithink 'tis plain, and pretty rough too.' 'Well,but,' says the mother, 'you talk of conditionsthat you cannot grant; what does she want—asettlement? Her jointure ought to be accordingto her portion; but what fortune does she bringyou?' 'Nay, as to fortune,' says Robin, 'she isrich enough; I am satisfied in that point; but 'tisI that am not able to come up to her terms, andshe is positive she will not have me without.'

Here the sisters put in. 'Madam,' says the sec-ond sister, ''tis impossible to be serious withhim; he will never give a direct answer to any-thing; you had better let him alone, and talk nomore of it to him; you know how to dispose ofher out of his way if you thought there wasanything in it.' Robin was a little warmed with

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his sister's rudeness, but he was even with her,and yet with good manners too. 'There are twosorts of people, madam,' says he, turning to hismother, 'that there is no contending with; thatis, a wise body and a fool; 'tis a little hard Ishould engage with both of them together.'

The younger sister then put in. 'We must befools indeed,' says she, 'in my brother's opinion,that he should think we can believe he has seri-ously asked Mrs. Betty to marry him, and thatshe has refused him.'

'Answer, and answer not, say Solomon,' repliedher brother. 'When your brother had said toyour mother that he had asked her no less thanfive times, and that it was so, that she positivelydenied him, methinks a younger sister need notquestion the truth of it when her mother didnot.' 'My mother, you see, did not understandit,' says the second sister. 'There's some differ-ence,' says Robin, 'between desiring me to ex-plain it, and telling me she did not believe it.'

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'Well, but, son,' says the old lady, 'if you aredisposed to let us into the mystery of it, whatwere these hard conditions?' 'Yes, madam,' saysRobin, 'I had done it before now, if the teasershere had not worried my by way of interrup-tion. The conditions are, that I bring my fatherand you to consent to it, and without that sheprotests she will never see me more upon thathead; and to these conditions, as I said, I sup-pose I shall never be able to grant. I hope mywarm sisters will be answered now, and blusha little; if not, I have no more to say till I hearfurther.'

This answer was surprising to them all, thoughless to the mother, because of what I had said toher. As to the daughters, they stood mute agreat while; but the mother said with somepassion, 'Well, I had heard this before, but Icould not believe it; but if it is so, they we haveall done Betty wrong, and she has behaved bet-ter than I ever expected.' 'Nay,' says the eldest

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sister, 'if it be so, she has acted handsomelyindeed.' 'I confess,' says the mother, 'it wasnone of her fault, if he was fool enough to takea fancy to her; but to give such an answer tohim, shows more respect to your father and methan I can tell how to express; I shall value thegirl the better for it as long as I know her.' 'But Ishall not,' says Robin, 'unless you will giveyour consent.' 'I'll consider of that a while,' saysthe mother; 'I assure you, if there were notsome other objections in the way, this conductof hers would go a great way to bring me toconsent.' 'I wish it would go quite through it,'says Robin; 'if you had a much thought aboutmaking me easy as you have about making merich, you would soon consent to it.'

'Why, Robin,' says the mother again, 'are youreally in earnest? Would you so fain have heras you pretend?' 'Really, madam,' says Robin, 'Ithink 'tis hard you should question me uponthat head after all I have said. I won't say that I

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will have her; how can I resolve that point,when you see I cannot have her without yourconsent? Besides, I am not bound to marry atall. But this I will say, I am in earnest in, that Iwill never have anybody else if I can help it; soyou may determine for me. Betty or nobody isthe word, and the question which of the twoshall be in your breast to decide, madam, pro-vided only, that my good-humoured sistershere may have no vote in it.'

All this was dreadful to me, for the mother be-gan to yield, and Robin pressed her home on it.On the other hand, she advised with the eldestson, and he used all the arguments in the worldto persuade her to consent; alleging his brot-her's passionate love for me, and my generousregard to the family, in refusing my own ad-vantages upon such a nice point of honour, anda thousand such things. And as to the father, hewas a man in a hurry of public affairs and get-ting money, seldom at home, thoughtful of the

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main chance, but left all those things to his wi-fe.

You may easily believe, that when the plot wasthus, as they thought, broke out, and that everyone thought they knew how things were car-ried, it was not so difficult or so dangerous forthe elder brother, whom nobody suspected ofanything, to have a freer access to me than be-fore; nay, the mother, which was just as he wis-hed, proposed it to him to talk with Mrs. Betty.'For it may be, son,' said she, 'you may see far-ther into the thing than I, and see if you thinkshe has been so positive as Robin says she hasbeen, or no.' This was as well as he could wish,and he, as it were, yielding to talk with me athis mother's request, she brought me to himinto her own chamber, told me her son hadsome business with me at her request, and de-sired me to be very sincere with him, and thenshe left us together, and he went and shut thedoor after her.

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He came back to me and took me in his arms,and kissed me very tenderly; but told me hehad a long discourse to hold with me, and itwas not come to that crisis, that I should makemyself happy or miserable as long as I lived;that the thing was now gone so far, that if Icould not comply with his desire, we wouldboth be ruined. Then he told the whole storybetween Robin, as he called him, and his mot-her and sisters and himself, as it is above. 'Andnow, dear child,' says he, 'consider what it willbe to marry a gentleman of a good family, ingood circumstances, and with the consent ofthe whole house, and to enjoy all that he worldcan give you; and what, on the other hand, tobe sunk into the dark circumstances of a wo-man that has lost her reputation; and thatthough I shall be a private friend to you while Ilive, yet as I shall be suspected always, so youwill be afraid to see me, and I shall be afraid toown you.'

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He gave me no time to reply, but went on withme thus: 'What has happened between us,child, so long as we both agree to do so, may beburied and forgotten. I shall always be yoursincere friend, without any inclination to nearerintimacy, when you become my sister; and weshall have all the honest part of conversationwithout any reproaches between us of havingdone amiss. I beg of you to consider it, and tonot stand in the way of your own safety andprosperity; and to satisfy you that I am sincere,'added he, 'I here offer you #500 in money, tomake you some amends for the freedoms Ihave taken with you, which we shall look uponas some of the follies of our lives, which 'tishoped we may repent of.'

He spoke this in so much more moving termsthan it is possible for me to express, and withso much greater force of argument than I canrepeat, that I only recommend it to those whoread the story, to suppose, that as he held me

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above an hour and a half in that discourse, sohe answered all my objections, and fortified hisdiscourse with all the arguments that humanwit and art could devise.

I cannot say, however, that anything he saidmade impression enough upon me so as to giveme any thought of the matter, till he told me atlast very plainly, that if I refused, he was sorryto add that he could never go on with me inthat station as we stood before; that though heloved me as well as ever, and that I was asagreeable to him as ever, yet sense of virtue hadnot so far forsaken him as to suffer him to liewith a woman that his brother courted to makehis wife; and if he took his leave of me, with adenial in this affair, whatever he might do forme in the point of support, grounded on hisfirst engagement of maintaining me, yet hewould not have me be surprised that he wasobliged to tell me he could not allow himself to

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see me any more; and that, indeed, I could notexpect it of him.

I received this last part with some token of sur-prise and disorder, and had much ado to avoidsinking down, for indeed I loved him to an ex-travagance not easy to imagine; but he per-ceived my disorder. He entreated me to con-sider seriously of it; assured me that it was theonly way to preserve our mutual affection; thatin this station we might love as friends, withthe utmost passion, and with a love of relationuntainted, free from our just reproaches, andfree from other people's suspicions; that heshould ever acknowledge his happiness owingto me; that he would be debtor to me as long ashe lived, and would be paying that debt as longas he had breath. Thus he wrought me up, inshort, to a kind of hesitation in the matter; hav-ing the dangers on one side represented inlively figures, and indeed, heightened by myimagination of being turned out to the wide

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world a mere cast-off whore, for it was no less,and perhaps exposed as such, with little to pro-vide for myself, with no friend, no acquaint-ance in the whole world, out of that town, andthere I could not pretend to stay. All this terri-fied me to the last degree, and he took careupon all occasions to lay it home to me in theworst colours that it could be possible to bedrawn in. On the other hand, he failed not toset forth the easy, prosperous life which I wasgoing to live.

He answered all that I could object from affec-tion, and from former engagements, with tell-ing me the necessity that was before us of tak-ing other measures now; and as to his promisesof marriage, the nature of things, he said, hadput an end to that, by the probability of mybeing his brother's wife, before the time towhich his promises all referred.

Thus, in a word, I may say, he reasoned me outof my reason; he conquered all my arguments,

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and I began to see a danger that I was in, whichI had not considered of before, and that was, ofbeing dropped by both of them and left alonein the world to shift for myself.

This, and his persuasion, at length prevailedwith me to consent, though with so much reluc-tance, that it was easy to see I should go tochurch like a bear to the stake. I had some littleapprehensions about me, too, lest my newspouse, who, by the way, I had not the leastaffection for, should be skillful enough to chal-lenge me on another account, upon our firstcoming to bed together. But whether he did itwith design or not, I know not, but his elderbrother took care to make him very much fud-dled before he went to bed, so that I had thesatisfaction of a drunken bedfellow the firstnight. How he did it I know not, but I con-cluded that he certainly contrived it, that hisbrother might be able to make no judgment ofthe difference between a maid and a married

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woman; nor did he ever entertain any notionsof it, or disturb his thoughts about it.

I should go back a little here to where I left off.The elder brother having thus managed me, hisnext business was to manage his mother, andhe never left till he had brought her to acqui-esce and be passive in the thing, even withoutacquainting the father, other than by post let-ters; so that she consented to our marrying pri-vately, and leaving her to mange the fatherafterwards.

Then he cajoled with his brother, and per-suaded him what service he had done him, andhow he had brought his mother to consent,which, though true, was not indeed done toserve him, but to serve himself; but thus dili-gently did he cheat him, and had the thanks ofa faithful friend for shifting off his whore intohis brother's arms for a wife. So certainly doesinterest banish all manner of affection, and sonaturally do men give up honour and justice,

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humanity, and even Christianity, to securethemselves.

I must now come back to brother Robin, as wealways called him, who having got his mother'sconsent, as above, came big with the news tome, and told me the whole story of it, with asincerity so visible, that I must confess it grie-ved me that I must be the instrument to abuseso honest a gentleman. But there was no rem-edy; he would have me, and I was not obligedto tell him that I was his brother's whore,though I had no other way to put him off; so Icame gradually into it, to his satisfaction, andbehold we were married.

Modesty forbids me to reveal the secrets of themarriage-bed, but nothing could have hap-pened more suitable to my circumstances thanthat, as above, my husband was so fuddledwhen he came to bed, that he could not re-member in the morning whether he had hadany conversation with me or no, and I was

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obliged to tell him he had, though in reality hehad not, that I might be sure he could make toinquiry about anything else.

It concerns the story in hand very little to enterinto the further particulars of the family, or ofmyself, for the five years that I lived with thishusband, only to observe that I had two chil-dren by him, and that at the end of five yearshe died. He had been really a very good hus-band to me, and we lived very agreeably to-gether; but as he had not received much fromthem, and had in the little time he lived ac-quired no great matters, so my circumstanceswere not great, nor was I much mended by thematch. Indeed, I had preserved the elder brot-her's bonds to me, to pay #500, which he of-fered me for my consent to marry his brother;and this, with what I had saved of the moneyhe formerly gave me, about as much more bymy husband, left me a widow with about #1200in my pocket.

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My two children were, indeed, taken happilyoff my hands by my husband's father and mot-her, and that, by the way, was all they got byMrs. Betty.

I confess I was not suitably affected with theloss of my husband, nor indeed can I say that Iever loved him as I ought to have done, or aswas proportionable to the good usage I hadfrom him, for he was a tender, kind, good-humoured man as any woman could desire;but his brother being so always in my sight, atleast while we were in the country, was a con-tinual snare to me, and I never was in bed withmy husband but I wished myself in the arms ofhis brother; and though his brother never of-fered me the least kindness that way after ourmarriage, but carried it just as a brother out todo, yet it was impossible for me to do so tohim; in short, I committed adultery and incestwith him every day in my desires, which, with-

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out doubt, was as effectually criminal in thenature of the guilt as if I had actually done it.

Before my husband died his elder brother wasmarried, and we, being then removed to Lon-don, were written to by the old lady to comeand be at the wedding. My husband went, but Ipretended indisposition, and that I could notpossibly travel, so I stayed behind; for, in short,I could not bear the sight of his being given toanother woman, though I knew I was never tohave him myself.

I was now, as above, left loose to the world,and being still young and handsome, as every-body said of me, and I assure you I thoughtmyself so, and with a tolerable fortune in mypocket, I put no small value upon myself. I wascourted by several very considerable trades-men, and particularly very warmly by one, alinen-draper, at whose house, after my hus-band's death, I took a lodging, his sister beingmy acquaintance. Here I had all the liberty and

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all the opportunity to be gay and appear incompany that I could desire, my landlord's sis-ter being one of the maddest, gayest things ali-ve, and not so much mistress of her virtue as Ithought as first she had been. She brought meinto a world of wild company, and evenbrought home several persons, such as she li-ked well enough to gratify, to see her prettywidow, so she was pleased to call me, and thatname I got in a little time in public. Now, asfame and fools make an assembly, I was herewonderfully caressed, had abundance of ad-mirers, and such as called themselves lovers;but I found not one fair proposal among themall. As for their common design, that I under-stood too well to be drawn into any moresnares of that kind. The case was altered withme: I had money in my pocket, and had noth-ing to say to them. I had been tricked once bythat cheat called love, but the game was over; Iwas resolved now to be married or nothing,and to be well married or not at all.

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I loved the company, indeed, of men of mirthand wit, men of gallantry and figure, and wasoften entertained with such, as I was also withothers; but I found by just observation, that thebrightest men came upon the dullest errand—that is to say, the dullest as to what I aimed at.On the other hand, those who came with thebest proposals were the dullest and most dis-agreeable part of the world. I was not averse toa tradesman, but then I would have atradesman, forsooth, that was something of agentleman too; that when my husband had amind to carry me to the court, or to the play, hemight become a sword, and look as like agentleman as another man; and not be one thathad the mark of his apron-strings upon hiscoat, or the mark of his hat upon his periwig;that should look as if he was set on to hissword, when his sword was put on to him, andthat carried his trade in his countenance.

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Well, at last I found this amphibious creature,this land-water thing called a gentleman-tradesman; and as a just plague upon my folly,I was catched in the very snare which, as Imight say, I laid for myself. I said for myself,for I was not trepanned, I confess, but I be-trayed myself.

This was a draper, too, for though my comradewould have brought me to a bargain with herbrother, yet when it came to the point, it was, itseems, for a mistress, not a wife; and I kept trueto this notion, that a woman should never bekept for a mistress that had money to keep her-self.

Thus my pride, not my principle, my money,not my virtue, kept me honest; though, as itproved, I found I had much better have beensold by my she-comrade to her brother, thanhave sold myself as I did to a tradesman thatwas rake, gentleman, shopkeeper, and beggar,all together.

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But I was hurried on (by my fancy to a gentle-man) to ruin myself in the grossest manner thatevery woman did; for my new husband comingto a lump of money at once, fell into such a pro-fusion of expense, that all I had, and all he hadbefore, if he had anything worth mentioning,would not have held it out above one year.

He was very fond of me for about a quarter of ayear, and what I got by that was, that I had thepleasure of seeing a great deal of my moneyspent upon myself, and, as I may say, had someof the spending it too. 'Come, my dear,' says heto me one day, 'shall we go and take a turn intothe country for about a week?' 'Ay, my dear,'says I, 'whither would you go?' 'I care not whit-her,' says he, 'but I have a mind to look likequality for a week. We'll go to Oxford,' says he.'How,' says I, 'shall we go? I am no horse-woman, and 'tis too far for a coach.' 'Too far!'says he; 'no place is too far for a coach-and-six.If I carry you out, you shall travel like a duch-

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ess.' 'Hum,' says I, 'my dear, 'tis a frolic; but ifyou have a mind to it, I don't care.' Well, thetime was appointed, we had a rich coach, verygood horses, a coachman, postillion, and twofootmen in very good liveries; a gentleman onhorseback, and a page with a feather in his hatupon another horse. The servants all called himmy lord, and the inn-keepers, you may be sure,did the like, and I was her honour the Count-ess, and thus we traveled to Oxford, and a verypleasant journey we had; for, give him his due,not a beggar alive knew better how to be a lordthan my husband. We saw all the rarities atOxford, talked with two or three Fellows ofcolleges about putting out a young nephew,that was left to his lordship's care, to the Uni-versity, and of their being his tutors. We di-verted ourselves with bantering several otherpoor scholars, with hopes of being at least hislordship's chaplains and putting on a scarf; andthus having lived like quality indeed, as to ex-pense, we went away for Northampton, and, in

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a word, in about twelve days' ramble camehome again, to the tune of about #93 expense.

Vanity is the perfection of a fop. My husbandhad this excellence, that he valued nothing ofexpense; and as his history, you may be sure,has very little weight in it, 'tis enough to tellyou that in about two years and a quarter hebroke, and was not so happy to get over intothe Mint, but got into a sponging-house, beingarrested in an action too heavy from him togive bail to, so he sent for me to come to him.

It was no surprise to me, for I had foreseen so-me time that all was going to wreck, and hadbeen taking care to reserve something if I could,though it was not much, for myself. But whenhe sent for me, he behaved much better than Iexpected, and told me plainly he had playedthe fool, and suffered himself to be surprised,which he might have prevented; that now heforesaw he could not stand it, and therefore hewould have me go home, and in the night take

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away everything I had in the house of any va-lue, and secure it; and after that, he told me thatif I could get away one hundred or two hun-dred pounds in goods out of the shop, I shoulddo it; 'only,' says he, 'let me know nothing of it,neither what you take nor whither you carry it;for as for me,' says he, 'I am resolved to get outof this house and be gone; and if you neverhear of me more, my dear,' says he, 'I wish youwell; I am only sorry for the injury I have doneyou.' He said some very handsome things tome indeed at parting; for I told you he was agentleman, and that was all the benefit I had ofhis being so; that he used me very handsomelyand with good manners upon all occasions,even to the last, only spent all I had, and left meto rob the creditors for something to subsist on.

However, I did as he bade me, that you may besure; and having thus taken my leave of him, Inever saw him more, for he found means tobreak out of the bailiff's house that night or the

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next, and go over into France, and for the restof the creditors scrambled for it as well as theycould. How, I knew not, for I could come at noknowledge of anything, more than this, that hecame home about three o'clock in the morning,caused the rest of his goods to be removed intothe Mint, and the shop to be shut up; and hav-ing raised what money he could get together,he got over, as I said, to France, from whence Ihad one or two letters from him, and no more. Idid not see him when he came home, for hehaving given me such instructions as above,and I having made the best of my time, I hadno more business back again at the house, notknowing but I might have been stopped thereby the creditors; for a commission of bankruptbeing soon after issued, they might havestopped me by orders from the commissioners.But my husband, having so dexterously got outof the bailiff's house by letting himself down ina most desperate manner from almost the topof the house to the top of another building, and

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leaping from thence, which was almost twostoreys, and which was enough indeed to havebroken his neck, he came home and got awayhis goods before the creditors could come toseize; that is to say, before they could get outthe commission, and be ready to send theirofficers to take possession.

My husband was so civil to me, for still I say hewas much of a gentleman, that in the first letterhe wrote me from France, he let me know whe-re he had pawned twenty pieces of fine hollandfor #30, which were really worth #90, and en-closed me the token and an order for the takingthem up, paying the money, which I did, andmade in time above #100 of them, having lei-sure to cut them and sell them, some and some,to private families, as opportunity offered.

However, with all this, and all that I had se-cured before, I found, upon casting things up,my case was very much altered, any my for-tune much lessened; for, including the hollands

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and a parcel of fine muslins, which I carried offbefore, and some plate, and other things, Ifound I could hardly muster up #500; and mycondition was very odd, for though I had nochild (I had had one by my gentleman draper,but it was buried), yet I was a widow be-witched; I had a husband and no husband, andI could not pretend to marry again, though Iknew well enough my husband would neversee England any more, if he lived fifty years.Thus, I say, I was limited from marriage, whatoffer might soever be made me; and I had notone friend to advise with in the condition I wasin, least not one I durst trust the secret of mycircumstances to, for if the commissioners wereto have been informed where I was, I shouldhave been fetched up and examined upon oath,and all I have saved be taken away from me.

Upon these apprehensions, the first thing I didwas to go quite out of my knowledge, and goby another name. This I did effectually, for I

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went into the Mint too, took lodgings in a veryprivate place, dressed up in the habit of a wi-dow, and called myself Mrs. Flanders.

Here, however, I concealed myself, and thoughmy new acquaintances knew nothing of me, yetI soon got a great deal of company about me;and whether it be that women are scarceamong the sorts of people that generally are tobe found there, or that some consolations in themiseries of the place are more requisite than onother occasions, I soon found an agreeablewoman was exceedingly valuable among thesons of affliction there, and that those that wan-ted money to pay half a crown on the pound totheir creditors, and that run in debt at the signof the Bull for their dinners, would yet findmoney for a supper, if they liked the woman.

However, I kept myself safe yet, though I be-gan, like my Lord Rochester's mistress, thatloved his company, but would not admit himfarther, to have the scandal of a whore, without

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the joy; and upon this score, tired with the pla-ce, and indeed with the company too, I beganto think of removing.

It was indeed a subject of strange reflection tome to see men who were overwhelmed in per-plexed circumstances, who were reduced somedegrees below being ruined, whose familieswere objects of their own terror and other peo-ple's charity, yet while a penny lasted, nay,even beyond it, endeavouring to drown them-selves, labouring to forget former things, whichnow it was the proper time to remember, mak-ing more work for repentance, and sinning on,as a remedy for sin past.

But it is none of my talent to preach; these menwere too wicked, even for me. There was some-thing horrid and absurd in their way of sin-ning, for it was all a force even upon them-selves; they did not only act against conscience,but against nature; they put a rape upon theirtemper to drown the reflections, which their

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circumstances continually gave them; and noth-ing was more easy than to see how sighs wouldinterrupt their songs, and paleness and anguishsit upon their brows, in spite of the forcedsmiles they put on; nay, sometimes it wouldbreak out at their very mouths when they hadparted with their money for a lewd treat or awicked embrace. I have heard them, turningabout, fetch a deep sigh, and cry, 'What a dogam I! Well, Betty, my dear, I'll drink thy health,though'; meaning the honest wife, that perhapshad not a half-crown for herself and three orfour children. The next morning they are attheir penitentials again; and perhaps the poorweeping wife comes over to him, either bringshim some account of what his creditors are do-ing, and how she and the children are turnedout of doors, or some other dreadful news; andthis adds to his self-reproaches; but when hehas thought and pored on it till he is almostmad, having no principles to support him,nothing within him or above him to comfort

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him, but finding it all darkness on every side,he flies to the same relief again, viz. to drink itaway, debauch it away, and falling into com-pany of men in just the same condition withhimself, he repeats the crime, and thus he goesevery day one step onward of his way to de-struction.

I was not wicked enough for such fellows asthese yet. On the contrary, I began to considerhere very seriously what I had to do; howthings stood with me, and what course I oughtto take. I knew I had no friends, no, not onefriend or relation in the world; and that little Ihad left apparently wasted, which when it wasgone, I saw nothing but misery and starvingwas before me. Upon these considerations, Isay, and filled with horror at the place I was in,and the dreadful objects which I had alwaysbefore me, I resolved to be gone.

I had made an acquaintance with a very sober,good sort of a woman, who was a widow too,

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like me, but in better circumstances. Her hus-band had been a captain of a merchant ship,and having had the misfortune to be cast awaycoming home on a voyage from the West In-dies, which would have been very profitable ifhe had come safe, was so reduced by the loss,that though he had saved his life then, it brokehis heart, and killed him afterwards; and hiswidow, being pursued by the creditors, wasforced to take shelter in the Mint. She soonmade things up with the help of friends, andwas at liberty again; and finding that I ratherwas there to be concealed, than by any particu-lar prosecutions and finding also that I agreedwith her, or rather she with me, in a just abhor-rence of the place and of the company, she in-vited to go home with her till I could put my-self in some posture of settling in the world tomy mind; withal telling me, that it was ten toone but some good captain of a ship might takea fancy to me, and court me, in that part of thetown where she lived.

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I accepted her offer, and was with her half ayear, and should have been longer, but in thatinterval what she proposed to me happened toherself, and she married very much to her ad-vantage. But whose fortune soever was uponthe increase, mine seemed to be upon the wane,and I found nothing present, except two orthree boatswains, or such fellows, but as for thecommanders, they were generally of two sorts:1. Such as, having good business, that is to say,a good ship, resolved not to marry but withadvantage, that is, with a good fortune; 2. Suchas, being out of employ, wanted a wife to helpthem to a ship; I mean (1) a wife who, havingsome money, could enable them to hold, asthey call it, a good part of a ship themselves, soto encourage owners to come in; or (2) a wifewho, if she had not money, had friends whowere concerned in shipping, and so could helpto put the young man into a good ship, whichto them is as good as a portion; and neither of

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these was my case, so I looked like one that wasto lie on hand.

This knowledge I soon learned by experience,viz. that the state of things was altered as tomatrimony, and that I was not to expect at Lon-don what I had found in the country: that mar-riages were here the consequences of politicschemes for forming interests, and carrying onbusiness, and that Love had no share, or butvery little, in the matter.

That as my sister-in-law at Colchester had said,beauty, wit, manners, sense, good humour,good behaviour, education, virtue, piety, or anyother qualification, whether of body or mind,had no power to recommend; that money onlymade a woman agreeable; that men chose mis-tresses indeed by the gust of their affection, andit was requisite to a whore to be handsome,well-shaped, have a good mien and a gracefulbehaviour; but that for a wife, no deformitywould shock the fancy, no ill qualities the

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judgment; the money was the thing; the portionwas neither crooked nor monstrous, but themoney was always agreeable, whatever thewife was.

On the other hand, as the market ran very un-happily on the men's side, I found the womenhad lost the privilege of saying No; that it was afavour now for a woman to have the Questionasked, and if any young lady had so much ar-rogance as to counterfeit a negative, she neverhad the opportunity given her of denying twi-ce, much less of recovering that false step, andaccepting what she had but seemed to decline.The men had such choice everywhere, that thecase of the women was very unhappy; for theyseemed to ply at every door, and if the manwas by great chance refused at one house, hewas sure to be received at the next.

Besides this, I observed that the men made noscruple to set themselves out, and to go a-fortunehunting, as they call it, when they had

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really no fortune themselves to demand it, ormerit to deserve it; and that they carried it sohigh, that a woman was scarce allowed to in-quire after the character or estate of the personthat pretended to her. This I had an example of,in a young lady in the next house to me, andwith whom I had contracted an intimacy; shewas courted by a young captain, and thoughshe had near #2000 to her fortune, she did butinquire of some of his neighbours about hischaracter, his morals, or substance, and he tookoccasion at the next visit to let her know, truly,that he took it very ill, and that he should notgive her the trouble of his visits any more. Iheard of it, and I had begun my acquaintancewith her, I went to see her upon it. She enteredinto a close conversation with me about it, andunbosomed herself very freely. I perceived pre-sently that though she thought herself very illused, yet she had no power to resent it, andwas exceedingly piqued that she had lost him,

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and particularly that another of less fortunehad gained him.

I fortified her mind against such a meanness, asI called it; I told her, that as low as I was in theworld, I would have despised a man thatshould think I ought to take him upon his ownrecommendation only, without having the lib-erty to inform myself of his fortune and of hischaracter; also I told her, that as she had a goodfortune, she had no need to stoop to the disas-ter of the time; that it was enough that the mencould insult us that had but little money to rec-ommend us, but if she suffered such an affrontto pass upon her without resenting it, shewould be rendered low-prized upon all occa-sions, and would be the contempt of all thewomen in that part of the town; that a womancan never want an opportunity to be revengedof a man that has used her ill, and that therewere ways enough to humble such a fellow as

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that, or else certainly women were the mostunhappy creatures in the world.

I found she was very well pleased with the dis-course, and she told me seriously that shewould be very glad to make him sensible of herjust resentment, and either to bring him onagain, or have the satisfaction of her revengebeing as public as possible.

I told her, that if she would take my advice, Iwould tell her how she should obtain her wis-hes in both those things, and that I would en-gage I would bring the man to her door again,and make him beg to be let in. She smiled atthat, and soon let me see, that if he came to herdoor, her resentment was not so great as to giveher leave to let him stand long there.

However, she listened very willingly to myoffer of advice; so I told her that the first thingshe ought to do was a piece of justice to herself,namely, that whereas she had been told by sev-

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eral people that he had reported among theladies that he had left her, and pretended togive the advantage of the negative to himself,she should take care to have it well spreadamong the women—which she could not fail ofan opportunity to do in a neighbourhood soaddicted to family news as that she live inwas—that she had inquired into his circum-stances, and found he was not the man as toestate he pretended to be. 'Let them be told,madam,' said I, 'that you had been well in-formed that he was not the man that you ex-pected, and that you thought it was not safe tomeddle with him; that you heard he was of anill temper, and that he boasted how he hadused the women ill upon many occasions, andthat particularly he was debauched in his mor-als', etc. The last of which, indeed, had sometruth in it; but at the same time I did not findthat she seemed to like him much the worse forthat part.

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As I had put this into her head, she came mostreadily into it. Immediately she went to work tofind instruments, and she had very little diffi-culty in the search, for telling her story in gen-eral to a couple of gossips in the neighbour-hood, it was the chat of the tea-table all overthat part of the town, and I met with it wher-ever I visited; also, as it was known that I wasacquainted with the young lady herself, myopinion was asked very often, and I confirmedit with all the necessary aggravations, and setout his character in the blackest colours; butthen as a piece of secret intelligence, I added, aswhat the other gossips knew nothing of, viz.that I had heard he was in very bad circum-stances; that he was under a necessity of a for-tune to support his interest with the owners ofthe ship he commanded; that his own part wasnot paid for, and if it was not paid quickly, hisowners would put him out of the ship, and hischief mate was likely to command it, who of-

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fered to buy that part which the captain hadpromised to take.

I added, for I confess I was heartily piqued atthe rogue, as I called him, that I had heard arumour, too, that he had a wife alive at Ply-mouth, and another in the West Indies, a thingwhich they all knew was not very uncommonfor such kind of gentlemen.

This worked as we both desire it, for presentlythe young lady next door, who had a father andmother that governed both her and her fortune,was shut up, and her father forbid him the hou-se. Also in one place more where he went, thewoman had the courage, however strange itwas, to say No; and he could try nowhere buthe was reproached with his pride, and that hepretended not to give the women leave to in-quire into his character, and the like.

Well, by this time he began to be sensible of hismistake; and having alarmed all the women on

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that side of the water, he went over to Ratcliff,and got access to some of the ladies there; butthough the young women there too were, ac-cording to the fate of the day, pretty willing tobe asked, yet such was his ill-luck, that his cha-racter followed him over the water and hisgood name was much the same there as it wason our side; so that though he might have hadwives enough, yet it did not happen among thewomen that had good fortunes, which waswhat he wanted.

But this was not all; she very ingeniously man-aged another thing herself, for she got a younggentleman, who as a relation, and was indeed amarried man, to come and visit her two orthree times a week in a very fine chariot andgood liveries, and her two agents, and I also,presently spread a report all over, that this gen-tleman came to court her; that he was a gentle-man of a #1000 a year, and that he was fallen inlove with her, and that she was going to her

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aunt's in the city, because it was inconvenientfor the gentleman to come to her with his coachin Redriff, the streets being so narrow and diffi-cult.

This took immediately. The captain was laug-hed at in all companies, and was ready to hanghimself. He tried all the ways possible to comeat her again, and wrote the most passionateletters to her in the world, excusing his formerrashness; and in short, by great application,obtained leave to wait on her again, as he said,to clear his reputation.

At this meeting she had her full revenge of him;for she told him she wondered what he tookher to be, that she should admit any man to atreaty of so much consequence as that to mar-riage, without inquiring very well into his cir-cumstances; that if he thought she was to behuffed into wedlock, and that she was in thesame circumstances which her neighboursmight be in, viz. to take up with the first good

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Christian that came, he was mistaken; that, in aword, his character was really bad, or he wasvery ill beholden to his neighbours; and thatunless he could clear up some points, in whichshe had justly been prejudiced, she had no mo-re to say to him, but to do herself justice, andgive him the satisfaction of knowing that shewas not afraid to say No, either to him or anyman else.

With that she told him what she had heard, orrather raised herself by my means, of his char-acter; his not having paid for the part he pre-tended to own of the ship he commanded; ofthe resolution of his owners to put him out ofthe command, and to put his mate in his stead;and of the scandal raised on his morals; hishaving been reproached with such-and-suchwomen, and having a wife at Plymouth and inthe West Indies, and the like; and she askedhim whether he could deny that she had goodreason, if these things were not cleared up, to

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refuse him, and in the meantime to insist uponhaving satisfaction in points to significant asthey were.

He was so confounded at her discourse that hecould not answer a word, and she almost beganto believe that all was true, by his disorder,though at the same time she knew that she hadbeen the raiser of all those reports herself.

After some time he recovered himself a little,and from that time became the most humble,the most modest, and most importunate manalive in his courtship.

She carried her jest on a great way. She askedhim, if he thought she was so at her last shiftthat she could or ought to bear such treatment,and if he did not see that she did not want tho-se who thought it worth their while to comefarther to her than he did; meaning the gentle-man whom she had brought to visit her by wayof sham.

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She brought him by these tricks to submit to allpossible measures to satisfy her, as well of hiscircumstances as of his behaviour. He broughther undeniable evidence of his having paid forhis part of the ship; he brought her certificatesfrom his owners, that the report of their intend-ing to remove him from the command of theship and put his chief mate in was false andgroundless; in short, he was quite the reverse ofwhat he was before.

Thus I convinced her, that if the men madetheir advantage of our sex in the affair of mar-riage, upon the supposition of there being suchchoice to be had, and of the women being soeasy, it was only owing to this, that the womenwanted courage to maintain their ground andto play their part; and that, according to myLord Rochester,

'A woman's ne'er so ruined but she canRevenge herself on her undoer, Man.'

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After these things this young lady played herpart so well, that though she resolved to havehim, and that indeed having him was the mainbent of her design, yet she made his obtainingher be to him the most difficult thing in theworld; and this she did, not by a haughty re-served carriage, but by a just policy, turning thetables upon him, and playing back upon himhis own game; for as he pretended, by a kind oflofty carriage, to place himself above the occa-sion of a character, and to make inquiring intohis character a kind of an affront to him, shebroke with him upon that subject, and at thesame time that she make him submit to all pos-sible inquiry after his affairs, she apparentlyshut the door against his looking into her own.

It was enough to him to obtain her for a wife.As to what she had, she told him plainly, thatas he knew her circumstances, it was but justshe should know his; and though at the sametime he had only known her circumstances by

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common fame, yet he had made so many prot-estations of his passion for her, that he couldask no more but her hand to his grand request,and the like ramble according to the custom oflovers. In short, he left himself no room to askany more questions about her estate, and shetook the advantage of it like a prudent woman,for she placed part of her fortune so in trustees,without letting him know anything of it, that itwas quite out of his reach, and made him bevery well content with the rest.

It is true she was pretty well besides, that is tosay, she had about #1400 in money, which shegave him; and the other, after some time, shebrought to light as a perquisite to herself,which he was to accept as a mighty favour,seeing though it was not to be his, it might easehim in the article of her particular expenses;and I must add, that by this conduct the gen-tleman himself became not only the more hum-ble in his applications to her to obtain her, but

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also was much the more an obliging husbandto her when he had her. I cannot but remindthe ladies here how much they place them-selves below the common station of a wife,which, if I may be allowed not to be partial, islow enough already; I say, they place them-selves below their common station, and pre-pare their own mortifications, by their submit-ting so to be insulted by the men beforehand,which I confess I see no necessity of.

This relation may serve, therefore, to let theladies see that the advantage is not so much onthe other side as the men think it is; and thoughit may be true that the men have but too muchchoice among us, and that some women may befound who will dishonour themselves, becheap, and easy to come at, and will scarce waitto be asked, yet if they will have women, as Imay say, worth having, they may find them asuncomeatable as ever and that those that areotherwise are a sort of people that have such

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deficiencies, when had, as rather recommendthe ladies that are difficult than encourage themen to go on with their easy courtship, andexpect wives equally valuable that will come atfirst call.

Nothing is more certain than that the ladiesalways gain of the men by keeping theirground, and letting their pretended lovers seethey can resent being slighted, and that they arenot afraid of saying No. They, I observe, insultus mightily with telling us of the number ofwomen; that the wars, and the sea, and trade,and other incidents have carried the men somuch away, that there is no proportion be-tween the numbers of the sexes, and thereforethe women have the disadvantage; but I am farfrom granting that the number of women is sogreat, or the number of men so small; but ifthey will have me tell the truth, the disadvan-tage of the women is a terrible scandal uponthe men, and it lies here, and here only; name-

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ly, that the age is so wicked, and the sex so de-bauched, that, in short, the number of such menas an honest woman ought to meddle with issmall indeed, and it is but here and there that aman is to be found who is fit for a woman toventure upon.

But the consequence even of that too amountsto no more than this, that women ought to bethe more nice; for how do we know the justcharacter of the man that makes the offer? Tosay that the woman should be the more easy onthis occasion, is to say we should be the for-warder to venture because of the greatness ofthe danger, which, in my way of reasoning, isvery absurd.

On the contrary, the women have ten thousandtimes the more reason to be wary and back-ward, by how much the hazard of being be-trayed is the greater; and would the ladies con-sider this, and act the wary part, they woulddiscover every cheat that offered; for, in short,

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the lives of very few men nowadays will bear acharacter; and if the ladies do but make a littleinquiry, they will soon be able to distinguishthe men and deliver themselves. As for womenthat do not think their own safety worth theirthought, that, impatient of their perfect state,resolve, as they call it, to take the first goodChristian that comes, that run into matrimonyas a horse rushes into the battle, I can say noth-ing to them but this, that they are a sort of la-dies that are to be prayed for among the rest ofdistempered people, and to me they look likepeople that venture their whole estates in alottery where there is a hundred thousandblanks to one prize.

No man of common-sense will value a womanthe less for not giving up herself at the first at-tack, or for accepting his proposal without in-quiring into his person or character; on the con-trary, he must think her the weakest of all crea-tures in the world, as the rate of men now goes.

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In short, he must have a very contemptible opi-nion of her capacities, nay, every of her under-standing, that, having but one case of her life,shall call that life away at once, and make mat-rimony, like death, be a leap in the dark.

I would fain have the conduct of my sex a littleregulated in this particular, which is the thingin which, of all the parts of life, I think at thistime we suffer most in; 'tis nothing but lack ofcourage, the fear of not being married at all,and of that frightful state of life called an oldmaid, of which I have a story to tell by itself.This, I say, is the woman's snare; but would theladies once but get above that fear and managerightly, they would more certainly avoid it bystanding their ground, in a case so absolutelynecessary to their felicity, that by exposingthemselves as they do; and if they did not ma-rry so soon as they may do otherwise, theywould make themselves amends by marryingsafer. She is always married too soon who gets

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a bad husband, and she is never married toolate who gets a good one; in a word, there is nowoman, deformity or lost reputation excepted,but if she manages well, may be married safelyone time or other; but if she precipitates herself,it is ten thousand to one but she is undone.

But I come now to my own case, in which therewas at this time no little nicety. The circum-stances I was in made the offer of a good hus-band the most necessary thing in the world tome, but I found soon that to be made cheap andeasy was not the way. It soon began to befound that the widow had no fortune, and tosay this was to say all that was ill of me, for Ibegan to be dropped in all the discourses ofmatrimony. Being well-bred, handsome, witty,modest, and agreeable; all which I had allowedto my character—whether justly or no is not thepurpose—I say, all these would not do withoutthe dross, which way now become more valu-

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able than virtue itself. In short, the widow, theysaid, had no money.

I resolved, therefore, as to the state of my pre-sent circumstances, that it was absolutely nec-essary to change my station, and make a newappearance in some other place where I wasnot known, and even to pass by another nameif I found occasion.

I communicated my thoughts to my intimatefriend, the captain's lady, whom I had so faith-fully served in her case with the captain, andwho was as ready to serve me in the same kindas I could desire. I made no scruple to lay mycircumstances open to her; my stock was butlow, for I had made but about #540 at the closeof my last affair, and I had wasted some of that;however, I had about #460 left, a great manyvery rich clothes, a gold watch, and some jew-els, though of no extraordinary value, andabout #30 or #40 left in linen not disposed of.

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My dear and faithful friend, the captain's wife,was so sensible of the service I had done her inthe affair above, that she was not only a steadyfriend to me, but, knowing my circumstances,she frequently made me presents as moneycame into her hands, such as fully amounted toa maintenance, so that I spent none of my own;and at last she made this unhappy proposal tome, viz. that as we had observed, as above,how the men made no scruple to set themselvesout as persons meriting a woman of fortune,when they had really no fortune of their own, itwas but just to deal with them in their own wayand, if it was possible, to deceive the deceiver.

The captain's lady, in short, put this project intomy head, and told me if I would be ruled byher I should certainly get a husband of fortune,without leaving him any room to reproach mewith want of my own. I told her, as I had rea-son to do, that I would give up myself whollyto her directions, and that I would have neither

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tongue to speak nor feet to step in that affairbut as she should direct me, depending that shewould extricate me out of every difficulty shebrought me into, which she said she wouldanswer for.

The first step she put me upon was to call hercousin, and to to a relation's house of hers inthe country, where she directed me, and whereshe brought her husband to visit me; and call-ing me cousin, she worked matters so about,that her husband and she together invited memost passionately to come to town and be withthem, for they now live in a quite different pla-ce from where they were before. In the nextplace, she tells her husband that I had at least#1500 fortune, and that after some of my rela-tions I was like to have a great deal more.

It was enough to tell her husband this; thereneeded nothing on my side. I was but to sit stilland wait the event, for it presently went allover the neighbourhood that the young widow

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at Captain ——'s was a fortune, that she had atleast #1500, and perhaps a great deal more, andthat the captain said so; and if the captain wasasked at any time about me, he made no scru-ple to affirm it, though he knew not one wordof the matter, other than that his wife had toldhim so; and in this he thought no harm, for hereally believed it to be so, because he had itfrom his wife: so slender a foundation will tho-se fellows build upon, if they do but think thereis a fortune in the game. With the reputation ofthis fortune, I presently found myself blessedwith admirers enough, and that I had my choi-ce of men, as scarce as they said they were,which, by the way, confirms what I was sayingbefore. This being my case, I, who had a subtlegame to play, had nothing now to do but tosingle out from them all the properest man thatmight be for my purpose; that is to say, the manwho was most likely to depend upon the hear-say of a fortune, and not inquire too far into the

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particulars; and unless I did this I did nothing,for my case would not bear much inquiry.

I picked out my man without much difficulty,by the judgment I made of his way of courtingme. I had let him run on with his protestationsand oaths that he loved me above all the world;that if I would make him happy, that wasenough; all which I knew was upon supposi-tion, nay, it was upon a full satisfaction, that Iwas very rich, though I never told him a wordof it myself.

This was my man; but I was to try him to thebottom, and indeed in that consisted my safety;for if he baulked, I knew I was undone, as sure-ly as he was undone if he took me; and if I didnot make some scruple about his fortune, it wasthe way to lead him to raise some about mine;and first, therefore, I pretended on all occasionsto doubt his sincerity, and told him, perhaps heonly courted me for my fortune. He stoppedmy mouth in that part with the thunder of his

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protestations, as above, but still I pretended todoubt.

One morning he pulls off his diamond ring,and writes upon the glass of the sash in mychamber this line—

'You I love, and you alone.'

I read it, and asked him to lend me his ring,with which I wrote under it, thus—

'And so in love says every one.'

He takes his ring again, and writes another linethus—

'Virtue alone is an estate.'

I borrowed it again, and I wrote under it—

'But money's virtue, gold is fate.'

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He coloured as red as fire to see me turn soquick upon him, and in a kind of a rage told mehe would conquer me, and writes again thus—

'I scorn your gold, and yet I love.'

I ventured all upon the last cast of poetry, asyou'll see, for I wrote boldly under his last—

'I'm poor: let's see how kind you'll prove.'

This was a sad truth to me; whether he believedme or no, I could not tell; I supposed then thathe did not. However, he flew to me, took me inhis arms, and, kissing me very eagerly, andwith the greatest passion imaginable, he heldme fast till he called for a pen and ink, and thentold me he could not wait the tedious writingon the glass, but, pulling out a piece of paper,he began and wrote again—

'Be mine, with all your poverty.'

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I took his pen, and followed him immediately,thus—

'Yet secretly you hope I lie.'

He told me that was unkind, because it was notjust, and that I put him upon contradicting me,which did not consist with good manners, anymore than with his affection; and therefore,since I had insensibly drawn him into this po-etical scribble, he begged I would not obligehim to break it off; so he writes again—

'Let love alone be our debate.'

I wrote again—

'She loves enough that does not hate.'

This he took for a favour, and so laid down thecudgels, that is to say, the pen; I say, he took iffor a favour, and a mighty one it was, if he hadknown all. However, he took it as I meant it,

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that is, to let him think I was inclined to go onwith him, as indeed I had all the reason in theworld to do, for he was the best-humoured,merry sort of a fellow that I ever met with, andI often reflected on myself how doubly criminalit was to deceive such a man; but that necessity,which pressed me to a settlement suitable tomy condition, was my authority for it; and cer-tainly his affection to me, and the goodness ofhis temper, however they might argue againstusing him ill, yet they strongly argued to methat he would better take the disappointmentthan some fiery-tempered wretch, who mighthave nothing to recommend him but those pas-sions which would serve only to make a wo-man miserable all her days.

Besides, though I jested with him (as he sup-posed it) so often about my poverty, yet, whenhe found it to be true, he had foreclosed allmanner of objection, seeing, whether he was injest or in earnest, he had declared he took me

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without any regard to my portion, and,whether I was in jest or in earnest, I had de-clared myself to be very poor; so that, in aword, I had him fast both ways; and though hemight say afterwards he was cheated, yet hecould never say that I had cheated him.

He pursued me close after this, and as I sawthere was no need to fear losing him, I playedthe indifferent part with him longer than pru-dence might otherwise have dictated to me. ButI considered how much this caution and indif-ference would give me the advantage over him,when I should come to be under the necessityof owning my own circumstances to him; and Imanaged it the more warily, because I found heinferred from thence, as indeed he ought to do,that I either had the more money or the morejudgment, and would not venture at all.

I took the freedom one day, after we had talkedpretty close to the subject, to tell him that it wastrue I had received the compliment of a lover

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from him, namely, that he would take me with-out inquiring into my fortune, and I wouldmake him a suitable return in this, viz. that Iwould make as little inquiry into his as con-sisted with reason, but I hoped he would allowme to ask a few questions, which he wouldanswer or not as he thought fit; and that Iwould not be offended if he did not answer meat all; one of these questions related to ourmanner of living, and the place where, becauseI had heard he had a great plantation in Vir-ginia, and that he had talked of going to livethere, and I told him I did not care to be trans-ported.

He began from this discourse to let me volun-tarily into all his affairs, and to tell me in afrank, open way all his circumstances, by whichI found he was very well to pass in the world;but that great part of his estate consisted ofthree plantations, which he had in Virginia,which brought him in a very good income, ge-

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nerally speaking, to the tune of #300, a year,but that if he was to live upon them, wouldbring him in four times as much. 'Very well,'thought I; 'you shall carry me thither as soon asyou please, though I won't tell you so before-hand.'

I jested with him extremely about the figure hewould make in Virginia; but I found he woulddo anything I desired, though he did not seemglad to have me undervalue his plantations, soI turned my tale. I told him I had good reasonnot to go there to live, because if his plantationswere worth so much there, I had not a fortunesuitable to a gentleman of #1200 a year, as hesaid his estate would be.

He replied generously, he did not ask what myfortune was; he had told me from the beginninghe would not, and he would be as good as hisword; but whatever it was, he assured me hewould never desire me to go to Virginia with

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him, or go thither himself without me, unless Iwas perfectly willing, and made it my choice.

All this, you may be sure, was as I wished, andindeed nothing could have happened moreperfectly agreeable. I carried it on as far as thiswith a sort of indifferency that he often won-dered at, more than at first, but which was theonly support of his courtship; and I mention itthe rather to intimate again to the ladies thatnothing but want of courage for such an indif-ferency makes our sex so cheap, and preparesthem to be ill-used as they are; would they ven-ture the loss of a pretending fop now and then,who carries it high upon the point of his ownmerit, they would certainly be less slighted,and courted more. Had I discovered really andtruly what my great fortune was, and that in allI had not full #500 when he expected #1500, yetI had hooked him so fast, and played him solong, that I was satisfied he would have had mein my worst circumstances; and indeed it was

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less a surprise to him when he learned the truththan it would have been, because having notthe least blame to lay on me, who had carried itwith an air of indifference to the last, he wouldnot say one word, except that indeed hethought it had been more, but that if it hadbeen less he did not repent his bargain; onlythat he should not be able to maintain me sowell as he intended.

In short, we were married, and very happilymarried on my side, I assure you, as to theman; for he was the best-humoured man thatevery woman had, but his circumstances werenot so good as I imagined, as, on the otherhand, he had not bettered himself by marryingso much as he expected.

When we were married, I was shrewdly put toit to bring him that little stock I had, and to lethim see it was no more; but there was a neces-sity for it, so I took my opportunity one daywhen we were alone, to enter into a short dia-

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logue with him about it. 'My dear,' said I, 'wehave been married a fortnight; is it not time tolet you know whether you have got a wife withsomething or with nothing?' 'Your own time forthat, my dear,' says he; 'I am satisfied that Ihave got the wife I love; I have not troubledyou much,' says he, 'with my inquiry after it.'

'That's true,' says I, 'but I have a great difficultyupon me about it, which I scarce know how tomanage.'

'What's that, m' dear?' says he.

'Why,' says I, ''tis a little hard upon me, and 'tisharder upon you. I am told that Captain ——'(meaning my friend's husband) 'has told you Ihad a great deal more money than I ever pre-tended to have, and I am sure I never employedhim to do so.'

'Well,' says he, 'Captain —— may have told meso, but what then? If you have not so much,

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that may lie at his door, but you never told mewhat you had, so I have no reason to blame youif you have nothing at all.'

'That's is so just,' said I, 'and so generous, that itmakes my having but a little a double afflictionto me.'

'The less you have, my dear,' says he, 'the wor-se for us both; but I hope your affliction youspeak of is not caused for fear I should be un-kind to you, for want of a portion. No, no, ifyou have nothing, tell me plainly, and at once; Imay perhaps tell the captain he has cheated me,but I can never say you have cheated me, fordid you not give it under your hand that youwere poor? and so I ought to expect you to be.'

'Well,' said I, 'my dear, I am glad I have notbeen concerned in deceiving you before mar-riage. If I deceive you since, 'tis ne'er the worse;that I am poor is too true, but not so poor as tohave nothing neither'; so I pulled out some

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bank bills, and gave him about #160. 'There'ssomething, my dear,' said I, 'and not quite allneither.'

I had brought him so near to expecting nothing,by what I had said before, that the money,though the sum was small in itself, was doublywelcome to him; he owned it was more than helooked for, and that he did not question by mydiscourse to him, but that my fine clothes, goldwatch, and a diamond ring or two, had been allmy fortune.

I let him please himself with that #160 two orthree days, and then, having been abroad thatday, and as if I had been to fetch it, I broughthim #100 more home in gold, and told him the-re was a little more portion for him; and, inshort, in about a week more I brought him #180more, and about #60 in linen, which I madehim believe I had been obliged to take with the#100 which I gave him in gold, as a composi-

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tion for a debt of #600, being little more thanfive shillings in the pound, and overvalued too.

'And now, my dear,' says I to him, 'I am verysorry to tell you, that there is all, and that Ihave given you my whole fortune.' I added,that if the person who had my #600 had notabused me, I had been worth #1000 to him, butthat as it was, I had been faithful to him, andreserved nothing to myself, but if it had beenmore he should have had it.

He was so obliged by the manner, and so plea-sed with the sum, for he had been in a terriblefright lest it had been nothing at all, that heaccepted it very thankfully. And thus I got overthe fraud of passing for a fortune without mo-ney, and cheating a man into marrying me onpretence of a fortune; which, by the way, I taketo be one of the most dangerous steps a womancan take, and in which she runs the most haz-ard of being ill-used afterwards.

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My husband, to give him his due, was a man ofinfinite good nature, but he was no fool; andfinding his income not suited to the manner ofliving which he had intended, if I had broughthim what he expected, and being under a dis-appointment in his return of his plantations inVirginia, he discovered many times his inclina-tion of going over to Virginia, to live upon hisown; and often would be magnifying the wayof living there, how cheap, how plentiful, howpleasant, and the like.

I began presently to understand this meaning,and I took him up very plainly one morning,and told him that I did so; that I found his es-tate turned to no account at this distance, com-pared to what it would do if he lived upon thespot, and that I found he had a mind to go andlive there; and I added, that I was sensible hehad been disappointed in a wife, and that find-ing his expectations not answered that way, Icould do no less, to make him amends, than tell

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him that I was very willing to go over to Vir-ginia with him and live there.

He said a thousand kind things to me upon thesubject of my making such a proposal to him.He told me, that however he was disappointedin his expectations of a fortune, he was not dis-appointed in a wife, and that I was all to himthat a wife could be, and he was more than sat-isfied on the whole when the particulars wereput together, but that this offer was so kind,that it was more than he could express.

To bring the story short, we agreed to go. Hetold me that he had a very good house there,that it was well furnished, that his mother wasalive and lived in it, and one sister, which wasall the relations he had; that as soon as he camethere, his mother would remove to anotherhouse, which was her own for life, and his afterher decease; so that I should have all the houseto myself; and I found all this to be exactly ashe had said.

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To make this part of the story short, we put onboard the ship which we went in, a large quan-tity of good furniture for our house, with storesof linen and other necessaries, and a good car-go for sale, and away we went.

To give an account of the manner of our voy-age, which was long and full of dangers, is outof my way; I kept no journal, neither did myhusband. All that I can say is, that after a terri-ble passage, frighted twice with dreadfulstorms, and once with what was still more ter-rible, I mean a pirate who came on board andtook away almost all our provisions; and whichwould have been beyond all to me, they hadonce taken my husband to go along with them,but by entreaties were prevailed with to leavehim;—I say, after all these terrible things, wearrived in York River in Virginia, and comingto our plantation, we were received with all thedemonstrations of tenderness and affection, by

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my husband's mother, that were possible to beexpressed.

We lived here all together, my mother-in-law,at my entreaty, continuing in the house, for shewas too kind a mother to be parted with; myhusband likewise continued the same as at first,and I thought myself the happiest creature ali-ve, when an odd and surprising event put anend to all that felicity in a moment, and ren-dered my condition the most uncomfortable, ifnot the most miserable, in the world.

My mother was a mighty cheerful, good-humoured old woman —I may call her oldwoman, for her son was above thirty; I say shewas very pleasant, good company, and used toentertain me, in particular, with abundance ofstories to divert me, as well of the country wewere in as of the people.

Among the rest, she often told me how thegreatest part of the inhabitants of the colony

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came thither in very indifferent circumstancesfrom England; that, generally speaking, theywere of two sorts; either, first, such as werebrought over by masters of ships to be sold asservants. 'Such as we call them, my dear,' saysshe, 'but they are more properly called slaves.'Or, secondly, such as are transported fromNewgate and other prisons, after having beenfound guilty of felony and other crimes pun-ishable with death.

'When they come here,' says she, 'we make nodifference; the planters buy them, and theywork together in the field till their time is out.When 'tis expired,' said she, 'they have encour-agement given them to plant for themselves;for they have a certain number of acres of landallotted them by the country, and they go towork to clear and cure the land, and then toplant it with tobacco and corn for their ownuse; and as the tradesmen and merchants willtrust them with tools and clothes and other

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necessaries, upon the credit of their crop beforeit is grown, so they again plant every year alittle more than the year before, and so buywhatever they want with the crop that is beforethem.

'Hence, child,' says she, 'man a Newgate-birdbecomes a great man, and we have,' continuedshe, 'several justices of the peace, officers of thetrained bands, and magistrates of the townsthey live in, that have been burnt in the hand.'

She was going on with that part of the story,when her own part in it interrupted her, andwith a great deal of good-humoured confidenceshe told me she was one of the second sort ofinhabitants herself; that she came away openly,having ventured too far in a particular case, sothat she was become a criminal. 'And here's themark of it, child,' says she; and, pulling off herglove, 'look ye here,' says she, turning up thepalm of her hand, and showed me a very fine

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white arm and hand, but branded in the insideof the hand, as in such cases it must be.

This story was very moving to me, but my mot-her, smiling, said, 'You need not think a thingstrange, daughter, for as I told you, some of thebest men in this country are burnt in the hand,and they are not ashamed to own it. There'sMajor ——,' says she, 'he was an eminent pick-pocket; there's Justice Ba——r, was a shoplifter,and both of them were burnt in the hand; and Icould name you several such as they are.'

We had frequent discourses of this kind, andabundance of instances she gave me of the like.After some time, as she was telling some storiesof one that was transported but a few weeksago, I began in an intimate kind of way to askher to tell me something of her own story,which she did with the utmost plainness andsincerity; how she had fallen into very ill com-pany in London in her young days, occasionedby her mother sending her frequently to carry

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victuals and other relief to a kinswoman of herswho was a prisoner in Newgate, and who lay ina miserable starving condition, was afterwardscondemned to be hanged, but having got res-pite by pleading her belly, dies afterwards inthe prison.

Here my mother-in-law ran out in a long ac-count of the wicked practices in that dreadfulplace, and how it ruined more young peoplethat all the town besides. 'And child,' says mymother, 'perhaps you may know little of it, or,it may be, have heard nothing about it; but de-pend upon it,' says she, 'we all know here thatthere are more thieves and rogues made by thatone prison of Newgate than by all the clubs andsocieties of villains in the nation; 'tis that cursedplace,' says my mother, 'that half peopled thiscolony.'

Here she went on with her own story so long,and in so particular a manner, that I began tobe very uneasy; but coming to one particular

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that required telling her name, I thought Ishould have sunk down in the place. She per-ceived I was out of order, and asked me if I wasnot well, and what ailed me. I told her I was soaffected with the melancholy story she hadtold, and the terrible things she had gonethrough, that it had overcome me, and I beggedof her to talk no more of it. 'Why, my dear,'says she very kindly, 'what need these thingstrouble you? These passages were long beforeyour time, and they give me no trouble at allnow; nay, I look back on them with a particularsatisfaction, as they have been a means to bringme to this place.' Then she went on to tell mehow she very luckily fell into a good family,where, behaving herself well, and her mistressdying, her master married her, by whom shehad my husband and his sister, and that by herdiligence and good management after her hus-band's death, she had improved the plantationsto such a degree as they then were, so that mostof the estate was of her getting, not her hus-

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band's, for she had been a widow upwards ofsixteen years.

I heard this part of they story with very littleattention, because I wanted much to retire andgive vent to my passions, which I did soon af-ter; and let any one judge what must be theanguish of my mind, when I came to reflectthat this was certainly no more or less than myown mother, and I had now had two children,and was big with another by my own brother,and lay with him still every night.

I was now the most unhappy of all women inthe world. Oh! had the story never been toldme, all had been well; it had been no crime tohave lain with my husband, since as to his be-ing my relation I had known nothing of it.

I had now such a load on my mind that it keptme perpetually waking; to reveal it, whichwould have been some ease to me, I could notfind would be to any purpose, and yet to con-

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ceal it would be next to impossible; nay, I didnot doubt but I should talk of it in my sleep,and tell my husband of it whether I would orno. If I discovered it, the least thing I could ex-pect was to lose my husband, for he was toonice and too honest a man to have continuedmy husband after he had known I had been hissister; so that I was perplexed to the last degree.

I leave it to any man to judge what difficultiespresented to my view. I was away from mynative country, at a distance prodigious, andthe return to me unpassable. I lived very well,but in a circumstance insufferable in itself. If Ihad discovered myself to my mother, it mightbe difficult to convince her of the particulars,and I had no way to prove them. On the otherhand, if she had questioned or doubted me, Ihad been undone, for the bare suggestionwould have immediately separated me frommy husband, without gaining my mother orhim, who would have been neither a husband

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nor a brother; so that between the surprise onone hand, and the uncertainty on the other, Ihad been sure to be undone.

In the meantime, as I was but too sure of thefact, I lived therefore in open avowed incestand whoredom, and all under the appearanceof an honest wife; and though I was not muchtouched with the crime of it, yet the action hadsomething in it shocking to nature, and mademy husband, as he thought himself, even nau-seous to me.

However, upon the most sedate consideration,I resolved that it was absolutely necessary toconceal it all and not make the least discoveryof it either to mother or husband; and thus Ilived with the greatest pressure imaginable forthree years more, but had no more children.

During this time my mother used to be fre-quently telling me old stories of her formeradventures, which, however, were no ways

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pleasant to me; for by it, though she did not tellit me in plain terms, yet I could easily under-stand, joined with what I had heard myself, ofmy first tutors, that in her younger days shehad been both whore and thief; but I verily be-lieved she had lived to repent sincerely of both,and that she was then a very pious, sober, andreligious woman.

Well, let her life have been what it would then,it was certain that my life was very uneasy tome; for I lived, as I have said, but in the worstsort of whoredom, and as I could expect nogood of it, so really no good issue came of it,and all my seeming prosperity wore off, andended in misery and destruction. It was sometime, indeed, before it came to this, for, but Iknow not by what ill fate guided, everythingwent wrong with us afterwards, and that whichwas worse, my husband grew strangely altered,forward, jealous, and unkind, and I was as im-patient of bearing his carriage, as the carriage

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was unreasonable and unjust. These things pro-ceeded so far, that we came at last to be in suchill terms with one another, that I claimed a pro-mise of him, which he entered willingly intowith me when I consented to come from Eng-land with him, viz. that if I found the countrynot to agree with me, or that I did not like tolive there, I should come away to Englandagain when I pleased, giving him a year's warn-ing to settle his affairs.

I say, I now claimed this promise of him, and Imust confess I did it not in the most obligingterms that could be in the world neither; but Iinsisted that he treated me ill, that I was remotefrom my friends, and could do myself no jus-tice, and that he was jealous without cause, myconversation having been unblamable, and hehaving no pretense for it, and that to remove toEngland would take away all occasion fromhim.

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I insisted so peremptorily upon it, that he couldnot avoid coming to a point, either to keep hisword with me or to break it; and this, notwith-standing he used all the skill he was master of,and employed his mother and other agents toprevail with me to alter my resolutions; indeed,the bottom of the thing lay at my heart, andthat made all his endeavours fruitless, for myheart was alienated from him as a husband. Iloathed the thoughts of bedding with him, andused a thousand pretenses of illness and hu-mour to prevent his touching me, fearing noth-ing more than to be with child by him, which tobe sure would have prevented, or at least de-layed, my going over to England.

However, at last I put him so out of humour,that he took up a rash and fatal resolution; inshort, I should not go to England; and thoughhe had promised me, yet it was an unreason-able thing for me to desire it; that it would beruinous to his affairs, would unhinge his whole

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family, and be next to an undoing him in theworld; that therefore I ought not to desire it ofhim, and that no wife in the world that valuedher family and her husband's prosperity wouldinsist upon such a thing.

This plunged me again, for when I consideredthe thing calmly, and took my husband as hereally was, a diligent, careful man in the mainwork of laying up an estate for his children,and that he knew nothing of the dreadful cir-cumstances that he was in, I could not but con-fess to myself that my proposal was very un-reasonable, and what no wife that had the goodof her family at heart would have desired.

But my discontents were of another nature; Ilooked upon him no longer as a husband, butas a near relation, the son of my own mother,and I resolved somehow or other to be clear ofhim, but which way I did not know, nor did itseem possible.

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It is said by the ill-natured world, of our sex,that if we are set on a thing, it is impossible toturn us from our resolutions; in short, I neverceased poring upon the means to bring to passmy voyage, and came that length with my hus-band at last, as to propose going without him.This provoked him to the last degree, and hecalled me not only an unkind wife, but an un-natural mother, and asked me how I could en-tertain such a thought without horror, as that ofleaving my two children (for one was dead)without a mother, and to be brought up bystrangers, and never to see them more. It wastrue, had things been right, I should not havedone it, but now it was my real desire never tosee them, or him either, any more; and as to thecharge of unnatural, I could easily answer it tomyself, while I knew that the whole relationwas unnatural in the highest degree in theworld.

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However, it was plain there was no bringingmy husband to anything; he would neither gowith me nor let me go without him, and it wasquite out of my power to stir without his con-sent, as any one that knows the constitution ofthe country I was in, knows very well.

We had many family quarrels about it, andthey began in time to grow up to a dangerousheight; for as I was quite estranged form myhusband (as he was called) in affection, so Itook no heed to my words, but sometimes gavehim language that was provoking; and, inshort, strove all I could to bring him to a part-ing with me, which was what above all thingsin the world I desired most.

He took my carriage very ill, and indeed hemight well do so, for at last I refused to bedwith him, and carrying on the breach upon alloccasions to extremity, he told me once hethought I was mad, and if I did not alter myconduct, he would put me under cure; that is to

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say, into a madhouse. I told him he should findI was far enough from mad, and that it was notin his power, or any other villain's, to murderme. I confess at the same time I was heartilyfrighted at his thoughts of putting me into amadhouse, which would at once have de-stroyed all the possibility of breaking the truthout, whatever the occasion might be; for thatthen no one would have given credit to a wordof it.

This therefore brought me to a resolution, wha-tever came of it, to lay open my whole case; butwhich way to do it, or to whom, was an inextri-cable difficulty, and took me many months toresolve. In the meantime, another quarrel withmy husband happened, which came up to sucha mad extreme as almost pushed me on to tell ithim all to his face; but though I kept it in so asnot to come to the particulars, I spoke so muchas put him into the utmost confusion, and inthe end brought out the whole story.

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He began with a calm expostulation upon mybeing so resolute to go to England; I defendedit, and one hard word bringing on another, as isusual in all family strife, he told me I did nottreat him as if he was my husband, or talk ofmy children as if I was a mother; and, in short,that I did not deserve to be used as a wife; thathe had used all the fair means possible withme; that he had argued with all the kindnessand calmness that a husband or a Christianought to do, and that I made him such a vilereturn, that I treated him rather like a dog thana man, and rather like the most contemptiblestranger than a husband; that he was very lothto use violence with me, but that, in short, hesaw a necessity of it now, and that for the fu-ture he should be obliged to take suchmeasures as should reduce me to my duty.

My blood was now fired to the utmost, thoughI knew what he had said was very true, andnothing could appear more provoked. I told

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him, for his fair means and his foul, they wereequally contemned by me; that for my going toEngland, I was resolved on it, come whatwould; and that as to treating him not like ahusband, and not showing myself a mother tomy children, there might be something more init than he understood at present; but, for hisfurther consideration, I thought fit to tell himthus much, that he neither was my lawful hus-band, nor they lawful children, and that I hadreason to regard neither of them more than Idid.

I confess I was moved to pity him when I spokeit, for he turned pale as death, and stood muteas one thunderstruck, and once or twice Ithought he would have fainted; in short, it puthim in a fit something like an apoplex; he trem-bled, a sweat or dew ran off his face, and yet hewas cold as a clod, so that I was forced to runand fetch something for him to keep life in him.When he recovered of that, he grew sick and

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vomited, and in a little after was put to bed,and the next morning was, as he had been in-deed all night, in a violent fever.

However, it went off again, and he recovered,though but slowly, and when he came to be alittle better, he told me I had given him a mor-tal wound with my tongue, and he had onlyone thing to ask before he desired an explana-tion. I interrupted him, and told him I was so-rry I had gone so far, since I saw what disorderit put him into, but I desired him not to talk tome of explanations, for that would but makethings worse.

This heightened his impatience, and, indeed,perplexed him beyond all bearing; for now hebegan to suspect that there was some mysteryyet unfolded, but could not make the leastguess at the real particulars of it; all that ran inhis brain was, that I had another husband alive,which I could not say in fact might not be true,but I assured him, however, there was not the

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least of that in it; and indeed, as to my otherhusband, he was effectually dead in law to me,and had told me I should look on him as such,so I had not the least uneasiness on that score.

But now I found the thing too far gone to con-ceal it much longer, and my husband himselfgave me an opportunity to ease myself of thesecret, much to my satisfaction. He had la-boured with me three or four weeks, but to nopurpose, only to tell him whether I had spokenthese words only as the effect of my passion, toput him in a passion, or whether there was any-thing of truth in the bottom of them. But I con-tinued inflexible, and would explain nothing,unless he would first consent to my going toEngland, which he would never do, he said,while he lived; on the other hand, I said it wasin my power to make him willing when I plea-sed—nay, to make him entreat me to go; andthis increased his curiosity, and made him im-

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portunate to the highest degree, but it was all tono purpose.

At length he tells all this story to his mother,and sets her upon me to get the main secret outof me, and she used her utmost skill with meindeed; but I put her to a full stop at once bytelling her that the reason and mystery of thewhole matter lay in herself, and that it was myrespect to her that had made me conceal it; andthat, in short, I could go no farther, and there-fore conjured her not to insist upon it.

She was struck dumb at this suggestion, andcould not tell what to say or to think; but, lay-ing aside the supposition as a policy of mine,continued her importunity on account of herson, and, if possible, to make up the breachbetween us two. As to that, I told her that itwas indeed a good design in her, but that it wasimpossible to be done; and that if I should re-veal to her the truth of what she desired, shewould grant it to be impossible, and cease to

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desire it. At last I seemed to be prevailed on byher importunity, and told her I dared trust herwith a secret of the greatest importance, andshe would soon see that this was so, and that Iwould consent to lodge it in her breast, if shewould engage solemnly not to acquaint her sonwith it without my consent.

She was long in promising this part, but ratherthan not come at the main secret, she agreed tothat too, and after a great many other prelimi-naries, I began, and told her the whole story.First I told her how much she was concerned inall the unhappy breach which had happenedbetween her son and me, by telling me her ownstory and her London name; and that the sur-prise she saw I was in was upon that occasion.The I told her my own story, and my name, andassured her, by such other tokens as she couldnot deny, that I was no other, nor more or less,than her own child, her daughter, born of herbody in Newgate; the same that had saved her

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from the gallows by being in her belly, and thesame that she left in such-and-such handswhen she was transported.

It is impossible to express the astonishment shewas in; she was not inclined to believe the sto-ry, or to remember the particulars, for she im-mediately foresaw the confusion that must fol-low in the family upon it. But everything con-curred so exactly with the stories she had toldme of herself, and which, if she had not toldme, she would perhaps have been content tohave denied, that she had stopped her ownmouth, and she had nothing to do but to takeme about the neck and kiss me, and cry mostvehemently over me, without speaking oneword for a long time together. At last she brokeout: 'Unhappy child!' says she, 'what miserablechance could bring thee hither? and in the armsof my own son, too! Dreadful girl,' says she,'why, we are all undone! Married to thy ownbrother! Three children, and two alive, all of the

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same flesh and blood! My son and my daughterlying together as husband and wife! All confu-sion and distraction for ever! Miserable family!what will become of us? What is to be said?What is to be done?' And thus she ran on for agreat while; nor had I any power to speak, or ifI had, did I know what to say, for every wordwounded me to the soul. With this kind ofamazement on our thoughts we parted for thefirst time, though my mother was more sur-prised than I was, because it was more news toher than to me. However, she promised againto me at parting, that she would say nothing ofit to her son, till we had talked of it again.

It was not long, you may be sure, before wehad a second conference upon the same subject;when, as if she had been willing to forget thestory she had told me of herself, or to supposethat I had forgot some of the particulars, shebegan to tell them with alterations and omis-sions; but I refreshed her memory and set her

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to rights in many things which I supposed shehad forgot, and then came in so opportunelywith the whole history, that it was impossiblefor her to go from it; and then she fell into herrhapsodies again, and exclamations at the se-verity of her misfortunes. When these thingswere a little over with her, we fell into a closedebate about what should be first done beforewe gave an account of the matter to my hus-band. But to what purpose could be all ourconsultations? We could neither of us see ourway through it, nor see how it could be safe toopen such a scene to him. It was impossible tomake any judgment, or give any guess at whattemper he would receive it in, or what meas-ures he would take upon it; and if he shouldhave so little government of himself as to makeit public, we easily foresaw that it would be theruin of the whole family, and expose mymother and me to the last degree; and if at lasthe should take the advantage the law wouldgive him, he might put me away with disdain

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and leave me to sue for the little portion that Ihad, and perhaps waste it all in the suit, andthen be a beggar; the children would be ruinedtoo, having no legal claim to any of his effects;and thus I should see him, perhaps, in the armsof another wife in a few months, and be myselfthe most miserable creature alive.

My mother was as sensible of this as I; and,upon the whole, we knew not what to do. Aftersome time we came to more sober resolutions,but then it was with this misfortune too, thatmy mother's opinion and mine were quite dif-ferent from one another, and indeed inconsis-tent with one another; for my mother's opinionwas, that I should bury the whole thing en-tirely, and continue to live with him as my hus-band till some other event should make thediscovery of it more convenient; and that in themeantime she would endeavour to reconcile ustogether again, and restore our mutual comfortand family peace; that we might lie as we used

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to do together, and so let the whole matter re-main a secret as close as death. 'For, child,' saysshe, 'we are both undone if it comes out.'

To encourage me to this, she promised to makeme easy in my circumstances, as far as she wasable, and to leave me what she could at herdeath, secured for me separately from my hus-band; so that if it should come out afterwards, Ishould not be left destitute, but be able to standon my own feet and procure justice from him.

This proposal did not agree at all with myjudgment of the thing, though it was very fairand kind in my mother; but my thoughts ranquite another way.

As to keeping the thing in our own breasts, andletting it all remain as it was, I told her it wasimpossible; and I asked her how she couldthink I could bear the thoughts of lying withmy own brother. In the next place, I told herthat her being alive was the only support of the

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discovery, and that while she owned me for herchild, and saw reason to be satisfied that I wasso, nobody else would doubt it; but that if sheshould die before the discovery, I should betaken for an impudent creature that had forgedsuch a thing to go away from my husband, orshould be counted crazed and distracted. ThenI told her how he had threatened already to putme into a madhouse, and what concern I hadbeen in about it, and how that was the thingthat drove me to the necessity of discovering itto her as I had done.

From all which I told her, that I had, on themost serious reflections I was able to make inthe case, come to this resolution, which I hopedshe would like, as a medium between both, viz.that she should use her endeavours with herson to give me leave to go to England, as I haddesired, and to furnish me with a sufficientsum of money, either in goods along with me,or in bills for my support there, all along sug-

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gesting that he might one time or other think itproper to come over to me.

That when I was gone, she should then, in coldblood, and after first obliging him in the sol-emnest manner possible to secrecy, discoverthe case to him, doing it gradually, and as herown discretion should guide her, so that hemight not be surprised with it, and fly out intoany passions and excesses on my account, or onhers; and that she should concern herself toprevent his slighting the children, or marryingagain, unless he had a certain account of mybeing dead.

This was my scheme, and my reasons weregood; I was really alienated from him in theconsequences of these things; indeed, I mortallyhated him as a husband, and it was impossibleto remove that riveted aversion I had to him. Atthe same time, it being an unlawful, incestuousliving, added to that aversion, and though Ihad no great concern about it in point of con-

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science, yet everything added to make cohabit-ing with him the most nauseous thing to me inthe world; and I think verily it was come tosuch a height, that I could almost as willinglyhave embraced a dog as have let him offer any-thing of that kind to me, for which reason Icould not bear the thoughts of coming betweenthe sheets with him. I cannot say that I wasright in point of policy in carrying it such alength, while at the same time I did not resolveto discover the thing to him; but I am giving anaccount of what was, not of what ought orought not to be.

In their directly opposite opinion to one an-other my mother and I continued a long time,and it was impossible to reconcile our judg-ments; many disputes we had about it, but wecould never either of us yield our own, or bringover the other.

I insisted on my aversion to lying with my ownbrother, and she insisted upon its being impos-

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sible to bring him to consent to my going fromhim to England; and in this uncertainty we con-tinued, not differing so as to quarrel, or any-thing like it, but so as not to be able to resolvewhat we should do to make up that terriblebreach that was before us.

At last I resolved on a desperate course, andtold my mother my resolution, viz. that, inshort, I would tell him of it myself. My motherwas frighted to the last degree at the verythoughts of it; but I bid her be easy, told her Iwould do it gradually and softly, and with allthe art and good-humour I was mistress of, andtime it also as well as I could, taking him ingood-humour too. I told her I did not questionbut, if I could be hypocrite enough to feign mo-re affection to him than I really had, I shouldsucceed in all my design, and we might part byconsent, and with a good agreement, for Imight live him well enough for a brother,though I could not for a husband.

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All this while he lay at my mother to find out, ifpossible, what was the meaning of that dread-ful expression of mine, as he called it, which Imentioned before: namely, that I was not hislawful wife, nor my children his legal children.My mother put him off, told him she couldbring me to no explanations, but found therewas something that disturbed me very much,and she hoped she should get it out of me intime, and in the meantime recommended tohim earnestly to use me more tenderly, andwin me with his usual good carriage; told himof his terrifying and affrighting me with histhreats of sending me to a madhouse, and thelike, and advised him not to make a womandesperate on any account whatever.

He promised her to soften his behaviour, andbid her assure me that he loved me as well asever, and that he had so such design as that ofsending me to a madhouse, whatever he mightsay in his passion; also he desired my mother to

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use the same persuasions to me too, that ouraffections might be renewed, and we might lietogether in a good understanding as we used todo.

I found the effects of this treaty presently. Myhusband's conduct was immediately altered,and he was quite another man to me; nothingcould be kinder and more obliging than he wasto me upon all occasions; and I could do no lessthan make some return to it, which I did as wellas I could, but it was but in an awkward man-ner at best, for nothing was more frightful tome than his caresses, and the apprehensions ofbeing with child again by him was ready tothrow me into fits; and this made me see thatthere was an absolute necessity of breaking thecase to him without any more delay, which,however, I did with all the caution and reserveimaginable.

He had continued his altered carriage to menear a month, and we began to live a new kind

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of life with one another; and could I have satis-fied myself to have gone on with it, I believe itmight have continued as long as we had con-tinued alive together. One evening, as we weresitting and talking very friendly together undera little awning, which served as an arbour atthe entrance from our house into the garden, hewas in a very pleasant, agreeable humour, andsaid abundance of kind things to me relating tothe pleasure of our present good agreement,and the disorders of our past breach, and whata satisfaction it was to him that we had room tohope we should never have any more of it.

I fetched a deep sigh, and told him there wasnobody in the world could be more delightedthan I was in the good agreement we had al-ways kept up, or more afflicted with the breachof it, and should be so still; but I was sorry totell him that there was an unhappy circum-stance in our case, which lay too close to myheart, and which I knew not how to break to

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him, that rendered my part of it very miserable,and took from me all the comfort of the rest.

He importuned me to tell him what it was. Itold him I could not tell how to do it; that whileit was concealed from him I alone was un-happy, but if he knew it also, we should beboth so; and that, therefore, to keep him in thedark about it was the kindest thing that I coulddo, and it was on that account alone that I kepta secret from him, the very keeping of which, Ithought, would first or last be my destruction.

It is impossible to express his surprise at thisrelation, and the double importunity which heused with me to discover it to him. He told me Icould not be called kind to him, nay, I couldnot be faithful to him if I concealed it from him.I told him I thought so too, and yet I could notdo it. He went back to what I had said before tohim, and told me he hoped it did not relate towhat I had said in my passion, and that he hadresolved to forget all that as the effect of a rash,

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provoked spirit. I told him I wished I couldforget it all too, but that it was not to be done,the impression was too deep, and I could notdo it: it was impossible.

He then told me he was resolved not to differwith me in anything, and that therefore hewould importune me no more about it, resolv-ing to acquiesce in whatever I did or said; onlybegged I should then agree, that whatever itwas, it should no more interrupt our quiet andour mutual kindness.

This was the most provoking thing he couldhave said to me, for I really wanted his furtherimportunities, that I might be prevailed with tobring out that which indeed it was like death tome to conceal; so I answered him plainly that Icould not say I was glad not to be importuned,thought I could not tell how to comply. 'Butcome, my dear,' said I, 'what conditions willyou make with me upon the opening this affairto you?'

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'Any conditions in the world,' said he, 'that youcan in reason desire of me.' 'Well,' said I, 'come,give it me under your hand, that if you do notfind I am in any fault, or that I am willinglyconcerned in the causes of the misfortune thatis to follow, you will not blame me, use me theworse, do my any injury, or make me be thesufferer for that which is not my fault.'

'That,' says he, 'is the most reasonable demandin the world: not to blame you for that which isnot your fault. Give me a pen and ink,' says he;so I ran in and fetched a pen, ink, and paper,and he wrote the condition down in the verywords I had proposed it, and signed it with hisname. 'Well,' says he, 'what is next, my dear?'

'Why,' says I, 'the next is, that you will not bla-me me for not discovering the secret of it to youbefore I knew it.'

'Very just again,' says he; 'with all my heart'; sohe wrote down that also, and signed it.

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'Well, my dear,' says I, 'then I have but one con-dition more to make with you, and that is, thatas there is nobody concerned in it but you andI, you shall not discover it to any person in theworld, except your own mother; and that in allthe measures you shall take upon the discov-ery, as I am equally concerned in it with you,though as innocent as yourself, you shall donothing in a passion, nothing to my prejudiceor to your mother's prejudice, without myknowledge and consent.'

This a little amazed him, and he wrote downthe words distinctly, but read them over andover before he signed them, hesitating at themseveral times, and repeating them: 'My mot-her's prejudice! and your prejudice! What mys-terious thing can this be?' However, at last hesigned it.

'Well, says I, 'my dear, I'll ask you no more un-der your hand; but as you are to hear the mostunexpected and surprising thing that perhaps

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ever befell any family in the world, I beg you topromise me you will receive it with composureand a presence of mind suitable to a man ofsense.'

'I'll do my utmost,' says he, 'upon condition youwill keep me no longer in suspense, for youterrify me with all these preliminaries.'

'Well, then,' says I, 'it is this: as I told you beforein a heat, that I was not your lawful wife, andthat our children were not legal children, so Imust let you know now in calmness and inkindness, but with affliction enough, that I amyour own sister, and you my own brother, andthat we are both the children of our mothernow alive, and in the house, who is convincedof the truth of it, in a manner not to be deniedor contradicted.'

I saw him turn pale and look wild; and I said,'Now remember your promise, and receive itwith presence of mind; for who could have said

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more to prepare you for it than I have done?'However, I called a servant, and got him a littleglass of rum (which is the usual dram of thatcountry), for he was just fainting away. Whenhe was a little recovered, I said to him, 'Thisstory, you may be sure, requires a long expla-nation, and therefore, have patience and com-pose your mind to hear it out, and I'll make itas short as I can'; and with this, I told him whatI thought was needful of the fact, and particu-larly how my mother came to discover it to me,as above. 'And now, my dear,' says I, 'you willsee reason for my capitulations, and that I nei-ther have been the cause of this matter, norcould be so, and that I could know nothing of itbefore now.'

'I am fully satisfied of that,' says he, 'but 'tis adreadful surprise to me; however, I know aremedy for it all, and a remedy that shall put anend to your difficulties, without your going toEngland.' 'That would be strange,' said I, 'as all

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the rest.' 'No, no,' says he, 'I'll make it easy; the-re's nobody in the way of it but myself.' Helooked a little disordered when he said this, butI did not apprehend anything from it at thattime, believing, as it used to be said, that theywho do those things never talk of them, or thatthey who talk of such things never do them.

But things were not come to their height withhim, and I observed he became pensive andmelancholy; and in a word, as I thought, a littledistempered in his head. I endeavoured to talkhim into temper, and to reason him into a kindof scheme for our government in the affair, andsometimes he would be well, and talk withsome courage about it; but the weight of it laytoo heavy upon his thoughts, and, in short, itwent so far that he made attempts upon him-self, and in one of them had actually strangledhimself and had not his mother come into theroom in the very moment, he had died; but

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with the help of a Negro servant she cut himdown and recovered him.

Things were now come to a lamentable heightin the family. My pity for him now began torevive that affection which at first I really hadfor him, and I endeavoured sincerely, by all thekind carriage I could, to make up the breach;but, in short, it had gotten too great a head, itpreyed upon his spirits, and it threw him into along, lingering consumption, though it hap-pened not to be mortal. In this distress I did notknow what to do, as his life was apparentlydeclining, and I might perhaps have marriedagain there, very much to my advantage; it hadbeen certainly my business to have stayed inthe country, but my mind was restless too, anduneasy; I hankered after coming to England,and nothing would satisfy me without it.

In short, by an unwearied importunity, myhusband, who was apparently decaying, as Iobserved, was at last prevailed with; and so my

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own fate pushing me on, the way was madeclear for me, and my mother concurring, I ob-tained a very good cargo for my coming toEngland.

When I parted with my brother (for such I amnow to call him), we agreed that after I arrivedhe should pretend to have an account that Iwas dead in England, and so might marryagain when he would. He promised, and en-gaged to me to correspond with me as a sister,and to assist and support me as long as I lived;and that if he died before me, he would leavesufficient to his mother to take care of me still,in the name of a sister, and he was in some re-spects careful of me, when he heard of me; butit was so oddly managed that I felt the disap-pointments very sensibly afterwards, as youshall hear in its time.

I came away for England in the month of Au-gust, after I had been eight years in that coun-try; and now a new scene of misfortunes at-

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tended me, which perhaps few women havegone through the life of.

We had an indifferent good voyage till we ca-me just upon the coast of England, and wherewe arrived in two-and-thirty days, but werethen ruffled with two or three storms, one ofwhich drove us away to the coast of Ireland,and we put in at Kinsdale. We remained thereabout thirteen days, got some refreshment onshore, and put to sea again, though we metwith very bad weather again, in which the shipsprung her mainmast, as they called it, for Iknew not what they meant. But we got at lastinto Milford Haven, in Wales, where, though itwas remote from our port, yet having my footsafe upon the firm ground of my native coun-try, the isle of Britain, I resolved to venture itno more upon the waters, which had been soterrible to me; so getting my clothes and moneyon shore, with my bills of loading and otherpapers, I resolved to come for London, and

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leave the ship to get to her port as she could;the port whither she was bound was to Bristol,where my brother's chief correspondent lived.

I got to London in about three weeks, where Iheard a little while after that the ship was ar-rived in Bristol, but at the same time had themisfortune to know that by the violent weathershe had been in, and the breaking of hermainmast, she had great damage on board, andthat a great part of her cargo was spoiled.

I had now a new scene of life upon my hands,and a dreadful appearance it had. I was comeaway with a kind of final farewell. What Ibrought with me was indeed considerable, hadit come safe, and by the help of it, I might havemarried again tolerably well; but as it was, Iwas reduced to between two or three hundredpounds in the whole, and this without anyhope of recruit. I was entirely without friends,nay, even so much as without acquaintance, forI found it was absolutely necessary not to re-

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vive former acquaintances; and as for my subtlefriend that set me up formerly for a fortune, shewas dead, and her husband also; as I was in-formed, upon sending a person unknown toinquire.

The looking after my cargo of goods soon afterobliged me to take a journey to Bristol, andduring my attendance upon that affair I tookthe diversion of going to the Bath, for as I wasstill far from being old, so my humour, whichwas always gay, continued so to an extreme;and being now, as it were, a woman of fortunethough I was a woman without a fortune, I ex-pected something or other might happen in myway that might mend my circumstances, as hadbeen my case before.

The Bath is a place of gallantry enough; expen-sive, and full of snares. I went thither, indeed,in the view of taking anything that might offer,but I must do myself justice, as to protest Iknew nothing amiss; I meant nothing but in an

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honest way, nor had I any thoughts about me atfirst that looked the way which afterwards Isuffered them to be guided.

Here I stayed the whole latter season, as it iscalled there, and contracted some unhappyacquaintances, which rather prompted the fol-lies I fell afterwards into than fortified meagainst them. I lived pleasantly enough, keptgood company, that is to say, gay, fine com-pany; but had the discouragement to find thisway of living sunk me exceedingly, and that asI had no settled income, so spending upon themain stock was but a certain kind of bleedingto death; and this gave me many sad reflectionsin the interval of my other thoughts. However,I shook them off, and still flattered myself thatsomething or other might offer for my advan-tage.

But I was in the wrong place for it. I was notnow at Redriff, where, if I had set myself tol-erably up, some honest sea captain or other

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might have talked with me upon the honour-able terms of matrimony; but I was at the Bath,where men find a mistress sometimes, but veryrarely look for a wife; and consequently all theparticular acquaintances a woman can expect tomake there must have some tendency that way.

I had spent the first season well enough; forthough I had contracted some acquaintancewith a gentleman who came to the Bath for hisdiversion, yet I had entered into no felonioustreaty, as it might be called. I had resisted somecasual offers of gallantry, and had managedthat way well enough. I was not wickedenough to come into the crime for the mere viceof it, and I had no extraordinary offers mademe that tempted me with the main thing whichI wanted.

However, I went this length the first season,viz. I contracted an acquaintance with a womanin whose house I lodged, who, though she didnot keep an ill house, as we call it, yet had none

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of the best principles in herself. I had on alloccasions behaved myself so well as not to getthe least slur upon my reputation on any ac-count whatever, and all the men that I had con-versed with were of so good reputation that Ihad not given the least reflection by conversingwith them; nor did any of them seem to thinkthere was room for a wicked correspondence, ifthey had any of them offered it; yet there wasone gentleman, as above, who always singledme out for the diversion of my company, as hecalled it, which, as he was pleased to say, wasvery agreeable to him, but at that time therewas no more in it.

I had many melancholy hours at the Bath afterthe company was gone; for though I went toBristol sometime for the disposing my effects,and for recruits of money, yet I chose to comeback to Bath for my residence, because being ongood terms with the woman in whose house Ilodged in the summer, I found that during the

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winter I lived rather cheaper there than I coulddo anywhere else. Here, I say, I passed the win-ter as heavily as I had passed the autumncheerfully; but having contracted a nearer inti-macy with the said woman in whose house Ilodged, I could not avoid communicating to hersomething of what lay hardest upon my mindand particularly the narrowness of my circum-stances, and the loss of my fortune by the dam-age of my goods at sea. I told her also, that Ihad a mother and a brother in Virginia in goodcircumstances; and as I had really written backto my mother in particular to represent mycondition, and the great loss I had received,which indeed came to almost #500, so I did notfail to let my new friend know that I expected asupply from thence, and so indeed I did; and asthe ships went from Bristol to York River, inVirginia, and back again generally in less timefrom London, and that my brother corre-sponded chiefly at Bristol, I thought it wasmuch better for me to wait here for my returns

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than to go to London, where also I had not theleast acquaintance.

My new friend appeared sensibly affected withmy condition, and indeed was so very kind asto reduce the rate of my living with her to solow a price during the winter, that she con-vinced me she got nothing by me; and as forlodging, during the winter I paid nothing at all.

When the spring season came on, she contin-ued to be as kind to me as she could, and Ilodged with her for a time, till it was foundnecessary to do otherwise. She had some per-sons of character that frequently lodged in herhouse, and in particular the gentleman who, asI said, singled me out for his companion thewinter before; and he came down again withanother gentleman in his company and twoservants, and lodged in the same house. I sus-pected that my landlady had invited him thit-her, letting him know that I was still with her;

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but she denied it, and protested to me that shedid not, and he said the same.

In a word, this gentleman came down and con-tinued to single me out for his peculiar confi-dence as well as conversation. He was a com-plete gentleman, that must be confessed, andhis company was very agreeable to me, as mi-ne, if I might believe him, was to him. He madeno professions to be but of an extraordinaryrespect, and he had such an opinion of my vir-tue, that, as he often professed, he believed if heshould offer anything else, I should reject himwith contempt. He soon understood from methat I was a widow; that I had arrived at Bristolfrom Virginia by the last ships; and that I wai-ted at Bath till the next Virginia fleet shouldarrive, by which I expected considerable effects.I understood by him, and by others of him, thathe had a wife, but that the lady was distem-pered in her head, and was under the conductof her own relations, which he consented to, to

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avoid any reflections that might (as was notunusual in such cases) be cast on him for mis-managing her cure; and in the meantime hecame to the Bath to divert his thoughts from thedisturbance of such a melancholy circumstanceas that was.

My landlady, who of her own accord encour-aged the correspondence on all occasions, gaveme an advantageous character of him, as a manof honour and of virtue, as well as of great es-tate. And indeed I had a great deal of reason tosay so of him too; for though we lodged bothon a floor, and he had frequently come into mychamber, even when I was in bed, and I alsointo his when he was in bed, yet he never of-fered anything to me further than a kiss, or somuch as solicited me to anything till long after,as you shall hear.

I frequently took notice to my landlady of hisexceeding modesty, and she again used to tellme, she believed it was so from the beginning;

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however, she used to tell me that she thought Iought to expect some gratification from him formy company, for indeed he did, as it were, en-gross me, and I was seldom from him. I toldher I had not given him the least occasion tothink I wanted it, or that I would accept of itfrom him. She told me she would take that partupon her, and she did so, and managed it sodexterously, that the first time we were to-gether alone, after she had talked with him, hebegan to inquire a little into my circumstances,as how I had subsisted myself since I came onshore, and whether I did not want money. Istood off very boldly. I told him that thoughmy cargo of tobacco was damaged, yet that itwas not quite lost; that the merchant I had beenconsigned to had so honestly managed for methat I had not wanted, and that I hoped, withfrugal management, I should make it hold outtill more would come, which I expected by thenext fleet; that in the meantime I had re-trenched my expenses, and whereas I kept a

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maid last season, now I lived without; andwhereas I had a chamber and a dining-roomthen on the first floor, as he knew, I now hadbut one room, two pair of stairs, and the like.'But I live,' said I, 'as well satisfied now as I didthen'; adding, that his company had been ameans to make me live much more cheerfullythan otherwise I should have done, for which Iwas much obliged to him; and so I put off allroom for any offer for the present. However, itwas not long before he attacked me again, andtold me he found that I was backward to trusthim with the secret of my circumstances, whichhe was sorry for; assuring me that he inquiredinto it with no design to satisfy his own curios-ity, but merely to assist me, if there was anyoccasion; but since I would not own myself tostand in need of any assistance, he had but onething more to desire of me, and that was, that Iwould promise him that when I was any waystraitened, or like to be so, I would frankly tellhim of it, and that I would make use of him

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with the same freedom that he made the offer;adding, that I should always find I had a truefriend, though perhaps I was afraid to trusthim.

I omitted nothing that was fit to be said by oneinfinitely obliged, to let him know that I had adue sense of his kindness; and indeed from thattime I did not appear so much reserved to himas I had done before, though still within thebounds of the strictest virtue on both sides; buthow free soever our conversation was, I couldnot arrive to that sort of freedom which he de-sired, viz. to tell him I wanted money, though Iwas secretly very glad of his offer.

Some weeks passed after this, and still I neverasked him for money; when my landlady, acunning creature, who had often pressed me toit, but found that I could not do it, makes a sto-ry of her own inventing, and comes in bluntlyto me when we were together. 'Oh, widow!'says she, 'I have bad news to tell you this morn-

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ing.' 'What is that?' said I; 'are the Virginiaships taken by the French?'—for that was myfear. 'No, no,' says she, 'but the man you sent toBristol yesterday for money is come back, andsays he has brought none.'

Now I could by no means like her project; Ithough it looked too much like prompting him,which indeed he did not want, and I clearlysaw that I should lose nothing by being back-ward to ask, so I took her up short. 'I can't im-age why he should say so to you,' said I, 'for Iassure you he brought me all the money I senthim for, and here it is,' said I (pulling out mypurse with about twelve guineas in it); and ad-ded, 'I intend you shall have most of it by andby.'

He seemed distasted a little at her talking asshe did at first, as well as I, taking it, as I fan-cied he would, as something forward of her;but when he saw me give such an answer, hecame immediately to himself again. The next

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morning we talked of it again, when I found hewas fully satisfied, and, smiling, said he hopedI would not want money and not tell him of it,and that I had promised him otherwise. I toldhim I had been very much dissatisfied at mylandlady's talking so publicly the day before ofwhat she had nothing to do with; but I sup-posed she wanted what I owed her, which wasabout eight guineas, which I had resolved togive her, and had accordingly given it her thesame night she talked so foolishly.

He was in a might good humour when heheard me say I had paid her, and it went offinto some other discourse at that time. But thenext morning, he having heard me up aboutmy room before him, he called to me, and Ianswering, he asked me to come into his cham-ber. He was in bed when I came in, and he ma-de me come and sit down on his bedside, for hesaid he had something to say to me which wasof some moment. After some very kind expres-

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sions, he asked me if I would be very honest tohim, and give a sincere answer to one thing hewould desire of me. After some little cavil atthe word 'sincere,' and asking him if I had evergiven him any answers which were not sincere,I promised him I would. Why, then, his requestwas, he said, to let him see my purse. I imme-diately put my hand into my pocket, and, laug-hing to him, pulled it out, and there was in itthree guineas and a half. Then he asked me ifthere was all the money I had. I told him No,laughing again, not by a great deal.

Well, then, he said, he would have me promiseto go and fetch him all the money I had, everyfarthing. I told him I would, and I went into mychamber and fetched him a little private dra-wer, where I had about six guineas more, andsome silver, and threw it all down upon thebed, and told him there was all my wealth,honestly to a shilling. He looked a little at it,but did not tell it, and huddled it all into the

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drawer again, and then reaching his pocket,pulled out a key, and bade me open a littlewalnut-tree box he had upon the table, andbring him such a drawer, which I did. In whichdrawer there was a great deal of money in gold,I believe near two hundred guineas, but I knewnot how much. He took the drawer, and takingmy hand, made me put it in and take a wholehandful. I was backward at that, but he heldmy hand hard in his hand, and put it into thedrawer, and made me take out as many guin-eas almost as I could well take up at once.

When I had done so, he made me put them intomy lap, and took my little drawer, and pouredout all my money among his, and bade me getme gone, and carry it all home into my ownchamber.

I relate this story the more particularly becauseof the good-humour there was in it, and toshow the temper with which we conversed. Itwas not long after this but he began every day

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to find fault with my clothes, with my laces andheaddresses, and, in a word, pressed me to buybetter; which, by the way, I was willing enoughto do, though I did not seem to be so, for I lo-ved nothing in the world better than fine clot-hes. I told him I must housewife the money hehad lent me, or else I should not be able to payhim again. He then told me, in a few words,that as he had a sincere respect for me, andknew my circumstances, he had not lent methat money, but given it me, and that hethought I had merited it from him by givinghim my company so entirely as I had done.After this he made me take a maid, and keephouse, and his friend that come with him toBath being gone, he obliged me to diet him,which I did very willingly, believing, as it ap-peared, that I should lose nothing by it, nor didthe woman of the house fail to find her accountin it too.

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We had lived thus near three months, when thecompany beginning to wear away at the Bath,he talked of going away, and fain he wouldhave me to go to London with him. I was notvery easy in that proposal, not knowing whatposture I was to live in there, or how he mightuse me. But while this was in debate he fellvery sick; he had gone out to a place in Somer-setshire, called Shepton, where he had somebusiness and was there taken very ill, and so illthat he could not travel; so he sent his manback to Bath, to beg me that I would hire acoach and come over to him. Before he went, hehad left all his money and other things of valuewith me, and what to do with them I did notknow, but I secured them as well as I could,and locked up the lodgings and went to him,where I found him very ill indeed; however, Ipersuaded him to be carried in a litter to theBath, where there was more help and betteradvice to be had.

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He consented, and I brought him to the Bath,which was about fifteen miles, as I remember.Here he continued very ill of a fever, and kepthis bed five weeks, all which time I nursed himand tended him myself, as much and as care-fully as if I had been his wife; indeed, if I hadbeen his wife I could not have done more. I satup with him so much and so often, that at last,indeed, he would not let me sit up any longer,and then I got a pallet-bed into his room, andlay in it just at his bed's feet.

I was indeed sensibly affected with his condi-tion, and with the apprehension of losing sucha friend as he was, and was like to be to me,and I used to sit and cry by him many hourstogether. However, at last he grew better, andgave hopes that he would recover, as indeed hedid, though very slowly.

Were it otherwise than what I am going to say,I should not be backward to disclose it, as it isapparent I have done in other cases in this ac-

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count; but I affirm, that through all this conver-sation, abating the freedom of coming into thechamber when I or he was in bed, and abatingthe necessary offices of attending him nightand day when he was sick, there had not pas-sed the least immodest word or action betweenus. Oh that it had been so to the last!

After some time he gathered strength and grewwell apace, and I would have removed my pal-let-bed, but he would not let me, till he wasable to venture himself without anybody to situp with him, and then I removed to my ownchamber.

He took many occasions to express his sense ofmy tenderness and concern for him; and whenhe grew quite well, he made me a present offifty guineas for my care and, as he called it, forhazarding my life to save his.

And now he made deep protestations of a sin-cere inviolable affection for me, but all along

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attested it to be with the utmost reserve for myvirtue and his own. I told him I was fully satis-fied of it. He carried it that length that he pro-tested to me, that if he was naked in bed withme, he would as sacredly preserve my virtue ashe would defend it if I was assaulted by a rav-isher. I believed him, and told him I did so; butthis did not satisfy him, he would, he said, waitfor some opportunity to give me an undoubtedtestimony of it.

It was a great while after this that I had occa-sion, on my own business, to go to Bristol,upon which he hired me a coach, and would gowith me, and did so; and now indeed our inti-macy increased. From Bristol he carried me toGloucester, which was merely a journey ofpleasure, to take the air; and here it was ourhap to have no lodging in the inn but in onelarge chamber with two beds in it. The masterof the house going up with us to show hisrooms, and coming into that room, said very

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frankly to him, 'Sir, it is none of my business toinquire whether the lady be your spouse or no,but if not, you may lie as honestly in these twobeds as if you were in two chambers,' and withthat he pulls a great curtain which drew quiteacross the room and effectually divided thebeds. 'Well,' says my friend, very readily, 'thesebeds will do, and as for the rest, we are too nearakin to lie together, though we may lodge nearone another'; and this put an honest face on thething too. When we came to go to bed, he de-cently went out of the room till I was in bed,and then went to bed in the bed on his ownside of the room, but lay there talking to me agreat while.

At last, repeating his usual saying, that hecould lie naked in the bed with me and not of-fer me the least injury, he starts out of his bed.'And now, my dear,' says he, 'you shall see howjust I will be to you, and that I can keep myword,' and away he comes to my bed.

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I resisted a little, but I must confess I should nothave resisted him much if he had not madethose promises at all; so after a little struggle, asI said, I lay still and let him come to bed. Whenhe was there he took me in his arms, and so Ilay all night with him, but he had no more todo with me, or offered anything to me, otherthan embracing me, as I say, in his arms, no,not the whole night, but rose up and dressedhim in the morning, and left me as innocent forhim as I was the day I was born.

This was a surprising thing to me, and perhapsmay be so to others, who know how the laws ofnature work; for he was a strong, vigorous,brisk person; nor did he act thus on a principleof religion at all, but of mere affection; insistingon it, that though I was to him to most agree-able woman in the world, yet, because he lovedme, he could not injure me.

I own it was a noble principle, but as it waswhat I never understood before, so it was to me

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perfectly amazing. We traveled the rest of thejourney as we did before, and came back to theBath, where, as he had opportunity to come tome when he would, he often repeated the mod-eration, and I frequently lay with him, and hewith me, and although all the familiarities be-tween man and wife were common to us, yethe never once offered to go any farther, and hevalued himself much upon it. I do not say that Iwas so wholly pleased with it as he thought Iwas, for I own much wickeder than he, as youshall hear presently.

We lived thus near two years, only with thisexception, that he went three times to Londonin that time, and once he continued there fourmonths; but, to do him justice, he always sup-plied me with money to subsist me very hand-somely.

Had we continued thus, I confess we had hadmuch to boast of; but as wise men say, it is illventuring too near the brink of a command, so

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we found it; and here again I must do him thejustice to own that the first breach was not onhis part. It was one night that we were in bedtogether warm and merry, and having drunk, Ithink, a little more wine that night, both of us,than usual, although not in the least to disordereither of us, when, after some other follieswhich I cannot name, and being clasped closein his arms, I told him (I repeat it with shameand horror of soul) that I could find in my heartto discharge him of his engagement for onenight and no more.

He took me at my word immediately, and afterthat there was no resisting him; neither indeedhad I any mind to resist him any more, let whatwould come of it.

Thus the government of our virtue was broken,and I exchanged the place of friend for thatunmusical, harsh-sounding title of whore. Inthe morning we were both at our penitentials; Icried very heartily, he expressed himself very

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sorry; but that was all either of us could do atthat time, and the way being thus cleared, andthe bars of virtue and conscience thus removed,we had the less difficult afterwards to strugglewith.

It was but a dull kind of conversation that wehad together for all the rest of that week; I loo-ked on him with blushes, and every now andthen started that melancholy objection, 'What ifI should be with child now? What will becomeof me then?' He encouraged me by telling me,that as long as I was true to him, he would beso to me; and since it was gone such a length(which indeed he never intended), yet if I waswith child, he would take care of that, and ofme too. This hardened us both. I assured him ifI was with child, I would die for want of amidwife rather than name him as the father ofit; and he assured me I should never want if Ishould be with child. These mutual assuranceshardened us in the thing, and after this we re-

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peated the crime as often as we pleased, till atlength, as I had feared, so it came to pass, and Iwas indeed with child.

After I was sure it was so, and I had satisfiedhim of it too, we began to think of taking mea-sures for the managing it, and I proposed trust-ing the secret to my landlady, and asking heradvice, which he agreed to. My landlady, awoman (as I found) used to such things, madelight of it; she said she knew it would come tothat at last, and made us very merry about it.As I said above, we found her an experiencedold lady at such work; she undertook every-thing, engaged to procure a midwife and a nur-se, to satisfy all inquiries, and bring us off withreputation, and she did so very dexterouslyindeed.

When I grew near my time she desired my gen-tleman to go away to London, or make as if hedid so. When he was gone, she acquainted theparish officers that there was a lady ready to lie

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in at her house, but that she knew her husbandvery well, and gave them, as she pretended, anaccount of his name, which she called Sir Wal-ter Cleve; telling them he was a very worthygentleman, and that she would answer for allinquiries, and the like. This satisfied the parishofficers presently, and I lay in with as muchcredit as I could have done if I had really beenmy Lady Cleve, and was assisted in my travailby three or four of the best citizens' wives ofBath who lived in the neighbourhood, which,however, made me a little the more expensiveto him. I often expressed my concern to himabout it, but he bid me not be concerned at it.

As he had furnished me very sufficiently withmoney for the extraordinary expenses of mylying in, I had everything very handsome aboutme, but did not affect to be gay or extravagantneither; besides, knowing my own circum-stances, and knowing the world as I had done,and that such kind of things do not often last

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long, I took care to lay up as much money as Icould for a wet day, as I called it; making himbelieve it was all spent upon the extraordinaryappearance of things in my lying in.

By this means, and including what he had gi-ven me as above, I had at the end of my lyingin about two hundred guineas by me, includingalso what was left of my own.

I was brought to bed of a fine boy indeed, and acharming child it was; and when he heard of ithe wrote me a very kind, obliging letter aboutit, and then told me, he thought it would lookbetter for me to come away for London as soonas I was up and well; that he had providedapartments for me at Hammersmith, as if I ca-me thither only from London; and that after alittle while I should go back to the Bath, and hewould go with me.

I liked this offer very well, and accordinglyhired a coach on purpose, and taking my child,

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and a wet-nurse to tend and suckle it, and amaid-servant with me, away I went for Lon-don.

He met me at Reading in his own chariot, andtaking me into that, left the servant and thechild in the hired coach, and so he brought meto my new lodgings at Hammersmith; withwhich I had abundance of reason to be verywell pleased, for they were very handsomerooms, and I was very well accommodated.

And now I was indeed in the height of what Imight call my prosperity, and I wanted nothingbut to be a wife, which, however, could not bein this case, there was no room for it; and there-fore on all occasions I studied to save what Icould, as I have said above, against a time ofscarcity, knowing well enough that such thingsas these do not always continue; that men thatkeep mistresses often change them, grow wea-ry of them, or jealous of them, or something orother happens to make them withdraw their

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bounty; and sometimes the ladies that are thuswell used are not careful by a prudent conductto preserve the esteem of their persons, or thenice article of their fidelity, and then they arejustly cast off with contempt.

But I was secured in this point, for as I had noinclination to change, so I had no manner ofacquaintance in the whole house, and so notemptation to look any farther. I kept no com-pany but in the family when I lodged, and withthe clergyman's lady at next door; so that whenhe was absent I visited nobody, nor did he everfind me out of my chamber or parlour when-ever he came down; if I went anywhere to takethe air, it was always with him.

The living in this manner with him, and hiswith me, was certainly the most undesignedthing in the world; he often protested to me,that when he became first acquainted with me,and even to the very night when we first brokein upon our rules, he never had the least design

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of lying with me; that he always had a sincereaffection for me, but not the least real inclina-tion to do what he had done. I assured him Inever suspected him; that if I had I should notso easily have yielded to the freedom whichbrought it on, but that it was all a surprise, andwas owing to the accident of our having yiel-ded too far to our mutual inclinations thatnight; and indeed I have often observed since,and leave it as a caution to the readers of thisstory, that we ought to be cautious of gratifyingour inclinations in loose and lewd freedoms,lest we find our resolutions of virtue fail us inthe junction when their assistance should bemost necessary.

It is true, and I have confessed it before, thatfrom the first hour I began to converse withhim, I resolved to let him lie with me, if he of-fered it; but it was because I wanted his helpand assistance, and I knew no other way ofsecuring him than that. But when were that

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night together, and, as I have said, had gonesuch a length, I found my weakness; the incli-nation was not to be resisted, but I was obligedto yield up all even before he asked it.

However, he was so just to me that he neverupbraided me with that; nor did he ever ex-press the least dislike of my conduct on anyother occasion, but always protested he was asmuch delighted with my company as he wasthe first hour we came together: I mean, cametogether as bedfellows.

It is true that he had no wife, that is to say, shewas as no wife to him, and so I was in no dan-ger that way, but the just reflections of con-science oftentimes snatch a man, especially aman of sense, from the arms of a mistress, as itdid him at last, though on another occasion.

On the other hand, though I was not withoutsecret reproaches of my own conscience for thelife I led, and that even in the greatest height of

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the satisfaction I ever took, yet I had the terribleprospect of poverty and starving, which lay onme as a frightful spectre, so that there was nolooking behind me. But as poverty brought meinto it, so fear of poverty kept me in it, and Ifrequently resolved to leave it quite off, if Icould but come to lay up money enough tomaintain me. But these were thoughts of noweight, and whenever he came to me they van-ished; for his company was so delightful, thatthere was no being melancholy when he wasthere; the reflections were all the subject of tho-se hours when I was alone.

I lived six years in this happy but unhappy con-dition, in which time I brought him three chil-dren, but only the first of them lived; andthough I removed twice in those six years, yet Icame back the sixth year to my first lodgings atHammersmith. Here it was that I was one mor-ning surprised with a kind but melancholy let-ter from my gentleman, intimating that he was

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very ill, and was afraid he should have anotherfit of sickness, but that his wife's relations beingin the house with him, it would not be practi-cable to have me with him, which, however, heexpressed his great dissatisfaction in, and thathe wished I could be allowed to tend and nursehim as I did before.

I was very much concerned at this account, andwas very impatient to know how it was withhim. I waited a fortnight or thereabouts, andheard nothing, which surprised me, and I be-gan to be very uneasy indeed. I think, I maysay, that for the next fortnight I was near todistracted. It was my particular difficulty that Idid not know directly where he was; for I un-derstood at first he was in the lodgings of hiswife's mother; but having removed myself toLondon, I soon found, by the help of the direc-tion I had for writing my letters to him, how toinquire after him, and there I found that he wasat a house in Bloomsbury, whither he had, a

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little before he fell sick, removed his whole fa-mily; and that his wife and wife's mother werein the same house, though the wife was notsuffered to know that she was in the same hou-se with her husband.

Here I also soon understood that he was at thelast extremity, which made me almost at thelast extremity too, to have a true account. Onenight I had the curiosity to disguise myself likea servant-maid, in a round cap and straw hat,and went to the door, as sent by a lady of hisneighbourhood, where he lived before, andgiving master and mistress's service, I said Iwas sent to know how Mr. —— did, and howhe had rested that night. In delivering this mes-sage I got the opportunity I desired; for, speak-ing with one of the maids, I held a long gossip'stale with her, and had all the particulars of hisillness, which I found was a pleurisy, attendedwith a cough and a fever. She told me also whowas in the house, and how his wife was, who,

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by her relation, they were in some hopes mightrecover her understanding; but as to the gen-tleman himself, in short she told me the doctorssaid there was very little hopes of him, that inthe morning they thought he had been dying,and that he was but little better then, for theydid not expect that he could live over the nextnight.

This was heavy news for me, and I began nowto see an end of my prosperity, and to see alsothat it was very well I had played to good hou-sewife, and secured or saved something whilehe was alive, for that now I had no view of myown living before me.

It lay very heavy upon my mind, too, that I hada son, a fine lovely boy, about five years old,and no provision made for it, at least that Iknew of. With these considerations, and a sadheart, I went home that evening, and began tocast with myself how I should live, and in what

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manner to bestow myself, for the residue of mylife.

You may be sure I could not rest without in-quiring again very quickly what was become ofhim; and not venturing to go myself, I sent sev-eral sham messengers, till after a fortnight'swaiting longer, I found that there was hopes ofhis life, though he was still very ill; then I aba-ted my sending any more to the house, and insome time after I learned in the neighbourhoodthat he was about house, and then that he wasabroad again.

I made no doubt then but that I should soonhear of him, and began to comfort myself withmy circumstances being, as I thought, recov-ered. I waited a week, and two weeks, and withmuch surprise and amazement I waited neartwo months and heard nothing, but that, beingrecovered, he was gone into the country for theair, and for the better recovery after his distem-per. After this it was yet two months more, and

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then I understood he was come to his city hou-se again, but still I heard nothing from him.

I had written several letters for him, and di-rected them as usual, and found two or three ofthem had been called for, but not the rest. Iwrote again in a more pressing manner thanever, and in one of them let him know, that Imust be forced to wait on him myself, repre-senting my circumstances, the rent of lodgingsto pay, and the provision for the child wanting,and my own deplorable condition, destitute ofsubsistence for his most solemn engagement totake care of and provide for me. I took a copyof this letter, and finding it lay at the housenear a month and was not called for, I foundmeans to have the copy of it put into his ownhands at a coffee-house, where I had by inquiryfound he used to go.

This letter forced an answer from him, bywhich, though I found I was to be abandoned,yet I found he had sent a letter to me some time

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before, desiring me to go down to the Bathagain. Its contents I shall come to presently.

It is true that sick-beds are the time when suchcorrespondences as this are looked on withdifferent countenances, and seen with othereyes than we saw them with, or than they ap-peared with before. My lover had been at thegates of death, and at the very brink of eternity;and, it seems, had been struck with a due re-morse, and with sad reflections upon his pastlife of gallantry and levity; and among the rest,criminal correspondence with me, which wasneither more nor less than a long-continued lifeof adultery, and represented itself as it reallywas, not as it had been formerly thought byhim to be, and he looked upon it now with ajust and religious abhorrence.

I cannot but observe also, and leave it for thedirection of my sex in such cases of pleasure,that whenever sincere repentance succeedssuch a crime as this, there never fails to attend a

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hatred of the object; and the more the affectionmight seem to be before, the hatred will be themore in proportion. It will always be so, indeedit can be no otherwise; for there cannot be atrue and sincere abhorrence of the offence, andthe love to the cause of it remain; there will,with an abhorrence of the sin, be found a detes-tation of the fellow-sinner; you can expect noother.

I found it so here, though good manners andjustice in this gentleman kept him from carry-ing it on to any extreme but the short history ofhis part in this affair was thus: he perceived bymy last letter, and by all the rest, which hewent for after, that I was not gone to Bath, thathis first letter had not come to my hand; uponwhich he write me this following:—

'MADAM,—I am surprised that my letter, da-ted the 8th of last month, did not come to yourhand; I give you my word it was delivered atyour lodgings, and to the hands of your maid.

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'I need not acquaint you with what has beenmy condition for some time past; and how,having been at the edge of the grave, I am, bythe unexpected and undeserved mercy of Hea-ven, restored again. In the condition I havebeen in, it cannot be strange to you that ourunhappy correspondence had not been the leastof the burthens which lay upon my conscience.I need say no more; those things that must berepented of, must be also reformed.

I wish you would think of going back to theBath. I enclose you here a bill for #50 for clear-ing yourself at your lodgings, and carrying youdown, and hope it will be no surprise to you toadd, that on this account only, and not for anyoffence given me on your side, I can see you nomore. I will take due care of the child; leavehim where he is, or take him with you, as youplease. I wish you the like reflections, and thatthey may be to your advantage.—I am,' etc.

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I was struck with this letter as with a thousandwounds, such as I cannot describe; the re-proaches of my own conscience were such as Icannot express, for I was not blind to my owncrime; and I reflected that I might with less of-fence have continued with my brother, andlived with him as a wife, since there was nocrime in our marriage on that score, neither ofus knowing it.

But I never once reflected that I was all thiswhile a married woman, a wife to Mr. —— thelinen-draper, who, though he had left me bythe necessity of his circumstances, had no po-wer to discharge me from the marriage contractwhich was between us, or to give me a legalliberty to marry again; so that I had been noless than a whore and an adulteress all thiswhile. I then reproached myself with the liber-ties I had taken, and how I had been a snare tothis gentleman, and that indeed I was principalin the crime; that now he was mercifully snat-

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ched out of the gulf by a convincing work uponhis mind, but that I was left as if I was forsakenof God's grace, and abandoned by Heaven to acontinuing in my wickedness.

Under these reflections I continued very pen-sive and sad for near month, and did not godown to the Bath, having no inclination to bewith the woman whom I was with before; lest,as I thought, she should prompt me to somewicked course of life again, as she had done;and besides, I was very loth she should know Iwas cast off as above.

And now I was greatly perplexed about mylittle boy. It was death to me to part with thechild, and yet when I considered the danger ofbeing one time or other left with him to keepwithout a maintenance to support him, I thenresolved to leave him where he was; but then Iconcluded also to be near him myself too, that Ithen might have the satisfaction of seeing him,without the care of providing for him.

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I sent my gentleman a short letter, therefore,that I had obeyed his orders in all things butthat of going back to the Bath, which I couldnot think of for many reasons; that howeverparting from him was a wound to me that Icould never recover, yet that I was fully satis-fied his reflections were just, and would be ve-ry far from desiring to obstruct his reformationor repentance.

Then I represented my own circumstances tohim in the most moving terms that I was able. Itold him that those unhappy distresses whichfirst moved him to a generous and an honestfriendship for me, would, I hope, move him toa little concern for me now, though the criminalpart of our correspondence, which I believedneither of us intended to fall into at the time,was broken off; that I desired to repent as sin-cerely as he had done, but entreated him to putme in some condition that I might not be ex-posed to the temptations which the devil never

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fails to excite us to from the frightful prospectof poverty and distress; and if he had the leastapprehensions of my being troublesome to him,I begged he would put me in a posture to goback to my mother in Virginia, from when heknew I came, and that would put an end to allhis fears on that account. I concluded, that if hewould send me #50 more to facilitate my goingaway, I would send him back a general release,and would promise never to disturb him morewith any importunities; unless it was to hear ofthe well-doing of the child, whom, if I foundmy mother living and my circumstances able, Iwould send for to come over to me, and takehim also effectually off his hands.

This was indeed all a cheat thus far, viz. that Ihad no intention to go to Virginia, as the ac-count of my former affairs there may convinceanybody of; but the business was to get this last#50 of him, if possible, knowing well enough itwould be the last penny I was ever to expect.

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However, the argument I used, namely, of giv-ing him a general release, and never troublinghim any more, prevailed effectually with him,and he sent me a bill for the money by a personwho brought with him a general release for meto sign, and which I frankly signed, and re-ceived the money; and thus, though full soreagainst my will, a final end was put to this af-fair.

And here I cannot but reflect upon the un-happy consequence of too great freedoms be-tween persons stated as we were, upon the pre-tence of innocent intentions, love of friendship,and the like; for the flesh has generally so greata share in those friendships, that is great oddsbut inclination prevails at last over the mostsolemn resolutions; and that vice breaks in atthe breaches of decency, which really innocentfriendship ought to preserve with the greateststrictness. But I leave the readers of these thingsto their own just reflections, which they will be

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more able to make effectual than I, who so soonforgot myself, and am therefore but a very in-different monitor.

I was now a single person again, as I may callmyself; I was loosed from all the obligationseither of wedlock or mistress-ship in the world,except my husband the linen-draper, whom, Ihaving not now heard from in almost fifteenyears, nobody could blame me for thinkingmyself entirely freed from; seeing also he hadat his going away told me, that if I did not hearfrequently from him, I should conclude he wasdead, and I might freely marry again to whom Ipleased.

I now began to cast up my accounts. I had bymany letters and much importunity, and withthe intercession of my mother too, had a secondreturn of some goods from my brother (as Inow call him) in Virginia, to make up the dam-age of the cargo I brought away with me, andthis too was upon the condition of my sealing a

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general release to him, and to send it him by hiscorrespondent at Bristol, which, though Ithought hard of, yet I was obliged to promise todo. However, I managed so well in this case,that I got my goods away before the releasewas signed, and then I always found somethingor other to say to evade the thing, and to put offthe signing it at all; till at length I pretended Imust write to my brother, and have his answer,before I could do it.

Including this recruit, and before I got the last#50, I found my strength to amount, put alltogether, to about #400, so that with that I hadabout #450. I had saved above #100 more, but Imet with a disaster with that, which was this—that a goldsmith in whose hands I had trustedit, broke, so I lost #70 of my money, the man'scomposition not making above #30 out of his#100. I had a little plate, but not much, and waswell enough stocked with clothes and linen.

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With this stock I had the world to begin again;but you are to consider that I was not now thesame woman as when I lived at Redriff; for,first of all, I was near twenty years older, anddid not look the better for my age, nor for myrambles to Virginia and back again; and thoughI omitted nothing that might set me out to ad-vantage, except painting, for that I never stoo-ped to, and had pride enough to think I did notwant it, yet there would always be some differ-ence seen between five-and-twenty and two-and-forty.

I cast about innumerable ways for my futurestate of life, and began to consider very seri-ously what I should do, but nothing offered. Itook care to make the world take me for some-thing more than I was, and had it given out thatI was a fortune, and that my estate was in myown hands; the last of which was very true, thefirst of it was as above. I had no acquaintance,which was one of my worst misfortunes, and

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the consequence of that was, I had no adviser,at least who could assist and advise together;and above all, I had nobody to whom I could inconfidence commit the secret of my circum-stances to, and could depend upon for theirsecrecy and fidelity; and I found by experience,that to be friendless is the worst condition, nextto being in want that a woman can be reducedto: I say a woman, because 'tis evident men canbe their own advisers, and their own directors,and know how to work themselves out of diffi-culties and into business better than women;but if a woman has no friend to communicateher affairs to, and to advise and assist her, 'tisten to one but she is undone; nay, and the moremoney she has, the more danger she is in ofbeing wronged and deceived; and this was mycase in the affair of the #100 which I left in thehands of the goldsmith, as above, whose credit,it seems, was upon the ebb before, but I, thathad no knowledge of things and nobody to

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consult with, knew nothing of it, and so lost mymoney.

In the next place, when a woman is thus leftdesolate and void of counsel, she is just like abag of money or a jewel dropped on the high-way, which is a prey to the next comer; if a manof virtue and upright principles happens tofind it, he will have it cried, and the owner maycome to hear of it again; but how many timesshall such a thing fall into hands that will makeno scruple of seizing it for their own, to oncethat it shall come into good hands?

This was evidently my case, for I was now aloose, unguided creature, and had no help, noassistance, no guide for my conduct; I knewwhat I aimed at and what I wanted, but knewnothing how to pursue the end by directmeans. I wanted to be placed in a settle state ofliving, and had I happened to meet with a so-ber, good husband, I should have been as faith-ful and true a wife to him as virtue itself could

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have formed. If I had been otherwise, the vicecame in always at the door of necessity, not atthe door of inclination; and I understood toowell, by the want of it, what the value of a set-tled life was, to do anything to forfeit the felic-ity of it; nay, I should have made the better wifefor all the difficulties I had passed through, bya great deal; nor did I in any of the time that Ihad been a wife give my husbands the leastuneasiness on account of my behaviour.

But all this was nothing; I found no encourag-ing prospect. I waited; I lived regularly, andwith as much frugality as became my circum-stances, but nothing offered, nothing presented,and the main stock wasted apace. What to do Iknew not; the terror of approaching poverty layhard upon my spirits. I had some money, butwhere to place it I knew not, nor would theinterest of it maintain me, at least not in Lon-don.

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At length a new scene opened. There was in thehouse where I lodged a north-country womanthat went for a gentlewoman, and nothing wasmore frequent in her discourse than her ac-count of the cheapness of provisions, and theeasy way of living in her country; how plentifuland how cheap everything was, what goodcompany they kept, and the like; till at last Itold her she almost tempted me to go and livein her country; for I that was a widow, though Ihad sufficient to live on, yet had no way of in-creasing it; and that I found I could not livehere under #100 a year, unless I kept no com-pany, no servant, made no appearance, andburied myself in privacy, as if I was obliged toit by necessity.

I should have observed, that she was alwaysmade to believe, as everybody else was, that Iwas a great fortune, or at least that I had threeor four thousand pounds, if not more, and all inmy own hands; and she was mighty sweet

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upon me when she thought me inclined in theleast to go into her country. She said she had asister lived near Liverpool, that her brother wasa considerable gentleman there, and had a greatestate also in Ireland; that she would go downthere in about two months, and if I would giveher my company thither, I should be as wel-come as herself for a month or more as Ipleased, till I should see how I liked the coun-try; and if I thought fit to live there, she wouldundertake they would take care, though theydid not entertain lodgers themselves, theywould recommend me to some agreeable fam-ily, where I should be placed to my content.

If this woman had known my real circum-stances, she would never have laid so manysnares, and taken so many weary steps to catcha poor desolate creature that was good for littlewhen it was caught; and indeed I, whose casewas almost desperate, and thought I could notbe much worse, was not very anxious about

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what might befall me, provided they did me nopersonal injury; so I suffered myself, thoughnot without a great deal of invitation and greatprofessions of sincere friendship and real kind-ness—I say, I suffered myself to be prevailedupon to go with her, and accordingly I packedup my baggage, and put myself in a posture fora journey, though I did not absolutely knowwhither I was to go.

And now I found myself in great distress; whatlittle I had in the world was all in money, ex-cept as before, a little plate, some linen, and myclothes; as for my household stuff, I had little ornone, for I had lived always in lodgings; but Ihad not one friend in the world with whom totrust that little I had, or to direct me how todispose of it, and this perplexed me night andday. I thought of the bank, and of the othercompanies in London, but I had no friend tocommit the management of it to, and keep andcarry about with me bank bills, tallies, orders,

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and such things, I looked upon at as unsafe;that if they were lost, my money was lost, andthen I was undone; and, on the other hand, Imight be robbed and perhaps murdered in astrange place for them. This perplexed mestrangely, and what to do I knew not.

It came in my thoughts one morning that Iwould go to the bank myself, where I had oftenbeen to receive the interest of some bills I had,which had interest payable on them, and whereI had found a clerk, to whom I applied myself,very honest and just to me, and particularly sofair one time that when I had mistold my mo-ney, and taken less than my due, and was com-ing away, he set me to rights and gave me therest, which he might have put into his own poc-ket.

I went to him and represented my case veryplainly, and asked if he would trouble himselfto be my adviser, who was a poor friendlesswidow, and knew not what to do. He told me,

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if I desired his opinion of anything within thereach of his business, he would do his endeav-our that I should not be wronged, but that hewould also help me to a good sober personwho was a grave man of his acquaintance, whowas a clerk in such business too, though not intheir house, whose judgment was good, andwhose honesty I might depend upon. 'For,' ad-ded he, 'I will answer for him, and for everystep he takes; if he wrongs you, madam, of onefarthing, it shall lie at my door, I will make itgood; and he delights to assist people in suchcases—he does it as an act of charity.'

I was a little at a stand in this discourse; butafter some pause I told him I had rather havedepended upon him, because I had found himhonest, but if that could not be, I would take hisrecommendation sooner than any one's else. 'Idare say, madam,' says he, 'that you will be aswell satisfied with my friend as with me, andhe is thoroughly able to assist you, which I am

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not.' It seems he had his hands full of the busi-ness of the bank, and had engaged to meddlewith no other business that that of his office,which I heard afterwards, but did not under-stand then. He added, that his friend shouldtake nothing of me for his advice or assistance,and this indeed encouraged me very much.

He appointed the same evening, after the bankwas shut and business over, for me to meet himand his friend. And indeed as soon as I saw hisfriend, and he began but to talk of the affair, Iwas fully satisfied that I had a very honest manto deal with; his countenance spoke it, and hischaracter, as I heard afterwards, was every-where so good, that I had no room for anymore doubts upon me.

After the first meeting, in which I only saidwhat I had said before, we parted, and he ap-pointed me to come the next day to him, tellingme I might in the meantime satisfy myself of

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him by inquiry, which, however, I knew nothow well to do, having no acquaintance myself.

Accordingly I met him the next day, when Ientered more freely with him into my case. Itold him my circumstances at large: that I was awidow come over from America, perfectly de-solate and friendless; that I had a little money,and but a little, and was almost distracted forfear of losing it, having no friend in the worldto trust with the management of it; that I wasgoing into the north of England to live cheap,that my stock might not waste; that I wouldwillingly lodge my money in the bank, but thatI durst not carry the bills about me, and thelike, as above; and how to correspond about it,or with whom, I knew not.

He told me I might lodge the money in thebank as an account, and its being entered intothe books would entitle me to the money at anytime, and if I was in the north I might drawbills on the cashier and receive it when I would;

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but that then it would be esteemed as runningcash, and the bank would give no interest for it;that I might buy stock with it, and so it wouldlie in store for me, but that then if I wanted todispose if it, I must come up to town on pur-pose to transfer it, and even it would be withsome difficulty I should receive the half-yearlydividend, unless I was here in person, or hadsome friend I could trust with having the stockin his name to do it for me, and that wouldhave the same difficulty in it as before; andwith that he looked hard at me and smiled alittle. At last, says he, 'Why do you not get ahead steward, madam, that may take you andyour money together into keeping, and thenyou would have the trouble taken off yourhands?' 'Ay, sir, and the money too, it may be,'said I; 'for truly I find the hazard that way is asmuch as 'tis t'other way'; but I remember I saidsecretly to myself, 'I wish you would ask methe question fairly, I would consider very seri-ously on it before I said No.'

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He went on a good way with me, and I thoughtonce or twice he was in earnest, but to my realaffliction, I found at last he had a wife; butwhen he owned he had a wife he shook hishead, and said with some concern, that indeedhe had a wife, and no wife. I began to think hehad been in the condition of my late lover, andthat his wife had been distempered or lunatic,or some such thing. However, we had notmuch more discourse at that time, but he toldme he was in too much hurry of business then,but that if I would come home to his house af-ter their business was over, he would by thattime consider what might be done for me, toput my affairs in a posture of security. I toldhim I would come, and desired to know wherehe lived. He gave me a direction in writing, andwhen he gave it me he read it to me, and said,'There 'tis, madam, if you dare trust yourselfwith me.' 'Yes, sir,' said I, 'I believe I may ven-ture to trust you with myself, for you have awife, you say, and I don't want a husband; be-

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sides, I dare trust you with my money, which isall I have in the world, and if that were gone, Imay trust myself anywhere.'

He said some things in jest that were veryhandsome and mannerly, and would havepleased me very well if they had been in ear-nest; but that passed over, I took the directions,and appointed to attend him at his house atseven o'clock the same evening.

When I came he made several proposals for myplacing my money in the bank, in order to myhaving interest for it; but still some difficulty orother came in the way, which he objected as notsafe; and I found such a sincere disinterestedhonesty in him, that I began to muse with my-self, that I had certainly found the honest man Iwanted, and that I could never put myself intobetter hands; so I told him with a great deal offrankness that I had never met with a man orwoman yet that I could trust, or in whom Icould think myself safe, but that I saw he was

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so disinterestedly concerned for my safety, thatI said I would freely trust him with the man-agement of that little I had, if he would acceptto be steward for a poor widow that could givehim no salary.

He smiled and, standing up, with great respectsaluted me. He told me he could not but take itvery kindly that I had so good an opinion ofhim; that he would not deceive me, that hewould do anything in his power to serve me,and expect no salary; but that he could not byany means accept of a trust, that it might bringhim to be suspected of self-interest, and that if Ishould die he might have disputes with myexecutors, which he should be very loth to en-cumber himself with.

I told him if those were all his objections Iwould soon remove them, and convince himthat there was not the least room for any diffi-culty; for that, first, as for suspecting him, ifever I should do it, now is the time to suspect

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him, and not put the trust into his hands, andwhenever I did suspect him, he could butthrow it up then and refuse to go any further.Then, as to executors, I assured him I had noheirs, nor any relations in England, and Ishould alter my condition before I died, andthen his trust and trouble should cease to-gether, which, however, I had no prospect ofyet; but I told him if I died as I was, it should beall his own, and he would deserve it by beingso faithful to me as I was satisfied he would be.

He changed his countenance at this discourse,and asked me how I came to have so muchgood-will for him; and, looking very muchpleased, said he might very lawfully wish hewas a single man for my sake. I smiled, andtold him as he was not, my offer could have nodesign upon him in it, and to wish, as he did,was not to be allowed, 'twas criminal to hiswife.

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He told me I was wrong. 'For,' says he, 'madam,as I said before, I have a wife and no wife, and'twould be no sin to me to wish her hanged, ifthat were all.' 'I know nothing of your circum-stances that way, sir,' said I; 'but it cannot beinnocent to wish your wife dead.' 'I tell you,'says he again, 'she is a wife and no wife; youdon't know what I am, or what she is.'

'That's true,' said I; 'sir, I do not know what youare, but I believe you to be an honest man, andthat's the cause of all my confidence in you.'

'Well, well,' says he, 'and so I am, I hope, too.But I am something else too, madam; for,' sayshe, 'to be plain with you, I am a cuckold, andshe is a whore.' He spoke it in a kind of jest, butit was with such an awkward smile, that I per-ceived it was what struck very close to him,and he looked dismally when he said it.

'That alters the case indeed, sir,' said I, 'as tothat part you were speaking of; but a cuckold,

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you know, may be an honest man; it does notalter that case at all. Besides, I think,' said I,'since your wife is so dishonest to you, you aretoo honest to her to own her for your wife; butthat,' said I, 'is what I have nothing to do with.'

'Nay,' says he, 'I do not think to clear my handsof her; for, to be plain with you, madam,' addedhe, 'I am no contended cuckold neither: on theother hand, I assure you it provokes me thehighest degree, but I can't help myself; she thatwill be a whore, will be a whore.'

I waived the discourse and began to talk of mybusiness; but I found he could not have donewith it, so I let him alone, and he went on to tellme all the circumstances of his case, too long torelate here; particularly, that having been out ofEngland some time before he came to the posthe was in, she had had two children in themeantime by an officer of the army; and thatwhen he came to England and, upon her sub-mission, took her again, and maintained her

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very well, yet she ran away from him with alinen-draper's apprentice, robbed him of whatshe could come at, and continued to live fromhim still. 'So that, madam,' says he, 'she is awhore not by necessity, which is the commonbait of your sex, but by inclination, and for thesake of the vice.'

Well, I pitied him, and wished him well rid ofher, and still would have talked of my business,but it would not do. At last he looks steadily atme. 'Look you, madam,' says he, 'you came toask advice of me, and I will serve you as faith-fully as if you were my own sister; but I mustturn the tables, since you oblige me to do it,and are so friendly to me, and I think I mustask advice of you. Tell me, what must a poorabused fellow do with a whore? What can I doto do myself justice upon her?'

'Alas! sir,' says I, ''tis a case too nice for me toadvise in, but it seems she has run away fromyou, so you are rid of her fairly; what can you

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desire more?' 'Ay, she is gone indeed,' said he,'but I am not clear of her for all that.'

'That's true,' says I; 'she may indeed run youinto debt, but the law has furnished you withmethods to prevent that also; you may cry herdown, as they call it.'

'No, no,' says he, 'that is not the case neither; Ihave taken care of all that; 'tis not that part thatI speak of, but I would be rid of her so that Imight marry again.'

'Well, sir,' says I, 'then you must divorce her. Ifyou can prove what you say, you may certainlyget that done, and then, I suppose, you arefree.'

'That's very tedious and expensive,' says he.

'Why,' says I, 'if you can get any woman youlike to take your word, I suppose your wife

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would not dispute the liberty with you that shetakes herself.'

'Ay,' says he, 'but 'twould be hard to bring anhonest woman to do that; and for the othersort,' says he, 'I have had enough of her tomeddle with any more whores.'

It occurred to me presently, 'I would have ta-ken your word with all my heart, if you hadbut asked me the question'; but that was to my-self. To him I replied, 'Why, you shut the dooragainst any honest woman accepting you, foryou condemn all that should venture upon youat once, and conclude, that really a woman thattakes you now can't be honest.'

'Why,' says he, 'I wish you would satisfy methat an honest woman would take me; I'd ven-ture it'; and then turns short upon me, 'Will youtake me, madam?'

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'That's not a fair question,' says I, 'after whatyou have said; however, lest you should think Iwait only for a recantation of it, I shall answeryou plainly, No, not I; my business is of an-other kind with you, and I did not expect youwould have turned my serious application toyou, in my own distracted case, into a comedy.'

'Why, madam,' says he, 'my case is as distractedas yours can be, and I stand in as much need ofadvice as you do, for I think if I have not reliefsomewhere, I shall be made myself, and I knownot what course to take, I protest to you.'

'Why, sir,' says I, ''tis easy to give advice inyour case, much easier than it is in mine.''Speak then,' says he, 'I beg of you, for now youencourage me.'

'Why,' says I, 'if your case is so plain as you sayit is, you may be legally divorced, and then youmay find honest women enough to ask the

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question of fairly; the sex is not so scarce thatyou can want a wife.'

'Well, then,' said he, 'I am in earnest; I'll takeyour advice; but shall I ask you one questionseriously beforehand?'

'Any question,' said I, 'but that you did before.'

'No, that answer will not do,' said he, 'for, inshort, that is the question I shall ask.'

'You may ask what questions you please, butyou have my answer to that already,' said I.'Besides, sir,' said I, 'can you think so ill of meas that I would give any answer to such a ques-tion beforehand? Can any woman alive believeyou in earnest, or think you design anythingbut to banter her?'

'Well, well,' says he, 'I do not banter you, I amin earnest; consider of it.'

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'But, sir,' says I, a little gravely, 'I came to youabout my own business; I beg of you to let meknow, what you will advise me to do?'

'I will be prepared,' says he, 'against you comeagain.'

'Nay,' says I, 'you have forbid my coming anymore.'

'Why so?' said he, and looked a little surprised.

'Because,' said I, 'you can't expect I should visityou on the account you talk of.'

'Well,' says he, 'you shall promise me to comeagain, however, and I will not say any more ofit till I have gotten the divorce, but I desire youwill prepare to be better conditioned whenthat's done, for you shall be the woman, or Iwill not be divorced at all; why, I owe it to yourunlooked-for kindness, if it were to nothingelse, but I have other reasons too.'

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He could not have said anything in the worldthat pleased me better; however, I knew thatthe way to secure him was to stand off whilethe thing was so remote, as it appeared to be,and that it was time enough to accept of itwhen he was able to perform it; so I said veryrespectfully to him, it was time enough to con-sider of these things when he was in a condi-tion to talk of them; in the meantime, I toldhim, I was going a great way from him, and hewould find objects enough to please him better.We broke off here for the present, and he mademe promise him to come again the next day, forhis resolutions upon my own business, whichafter some pressing I did; though had he seenfarther into me, I wanted no pressing on thataccount.

I came the next evening, accordingly, andbrought my maid with me, to let him see that Ikept a maid, but I sent her away as soon as Iwas gone in. He would have had me let the

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maid have stayed, but I would not, but orderedher aloud to come for me again about nine o'-clock. But he forbade that, and told me hewould see me safe home, which, by the way, Iwas not very well please with, supposing hemight do that to know where I lived and in-quire into my character and circumstances.However, I ventured that, for all that the peo-ple there or thereabout knew of me, was to myadvantage; and all the character he had of me,after he had inquired, was that I was a womanof fortune, and that I was a very modest, soberbody; which, whether true or not in the main,yet you may see how necessary it is for allwomen who expect anything in the world, topreserve the character of their virtue, evenwhen perhaps they may have sacrificed thething itself.

I found, and was not a little please with it, thathe had provided a supper for me. I found alsohe lived very handsomely, and had a house

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very handsomely furnished; all of which I wasrejoiced at indeed, for I looked upon it as all myown.

We had now a second conference upon the sub-ject-matter of the last conference. He laid hisbusiness very home indeed; he protested hisaffection to me, and indeed I had no room todoubt it; he declared that it began from the firstmoment I talked with him, and long before Ihad mentioned leaving my effects with him.''Tis no matter when it began,' thought I; 'if itwill but hold, 'twill be well enough.' He thentold me how much the offer I had made of trus-ting him with my effects, and leaving them tohim, had engaged him. 'So I intended it should,'thought I, 'but then I thought you had been asingle man too.' After we had supped, I ob-served he pressed me very hard to drink two orthree glasses of wine, which, however, I de-clined, but drank one glass or two. He then toldme he had a proposal to make to me, which I

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should promise him I would not take ill if Ishould not grant it. I told him I hoped hewould make no dishonourable proposal to me,especially in his own house, and that if it wassuch, I desired he would not propose it, that Imight not be obliged to offer any resentment tohim that did not become the respect I professedfor him, and the trust I had placed in him incoming to his house; and begged of him hewould give me leave to go away, and accord-ingly began to put on my gloves and prepare tobe gone, though at the same time I no moreintended it than he intended to let me.

Well, he importuned me not to talk of going; heassured me he had no dishonourable thing inhis thoughts about me, and was very far fromoffering anything to me that was dishonour-able, and if I thought so, he would choose tosay no more of it.

That part I did not relish at all. I told him I wasready to hear anything that he had to say, de-

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pending that he would say nothing unworthyof himself, or unfit for me to hear. Upon this, hetold me his proposal was this: that I would ma-rry him, though he had not yet obtained thedivorce from the whore his wife; and to satisfyme that he meant honourably, he would prom-ise not to desire me to live with him, or go tobed with him till the divorce was obtained. Myheart said yes to this offer at first word, but itwas necessary to play the hypocrite a little mo-re with him; so I seemed to decline the motionwith some warmth, and besides a little con-demning the thing as unfair, told him that sucha proposal could be of no signification, but toentangle us both in great difficulties; for if heshould not at last obtain the divorce, yet wecould not dissolve the marriage, neither couldwe proceed in it; so that if he was disappointedin the divorce, I left him to consider what acondition we should both be in.

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In short, I carried on the argument against thisso far, that I convinced him it was not a pro-posal that had any sense in it. Well, then hewent from it to another, and that was, that Iwould sign and seal a contract with him,conditioning to marry him as soon as thedivorce was obtained, and to be void if hecould not obtain it.I told him such a thing was more rational thanthe other; but as this was the first time that everI could imagine him weak enough to be in ear-nest in this affair, I did not use to say Yes atfirst asking; I would consider of it.

I played with this lover as an angler does witha trout. I found I had him fast on the hook, so Ijested with his new proposal, and put him off. Itold him he knew little of me, and bade himinquire about me; I let him also go home withme to my lodging, though I would not ask himto go in, for I told him it was not decent.

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In short, I ventured to avoid signing a contractof marriage, and the reason why I did it wasbecause the lady that had invited me so ear-nestly to go with her into Lancashire insisted sopositively upon it, and promised me such greatfortunes, and such fine things there, that I wastempted to go and try. 'Perhaps,' said I, 'I maymend myself very much'; and then I made noscruple in my thoughts of quitting my honestcitizen, whom I was not so much in love withas not to leave him for a richer.

In a word, I avoided a contract; but told him Iwould go into the north, that he should knowwhere to write to me by the consequence of thebusiness I had entrusted with him; that I wouldgive him a sufficient pledge of my respect forhim, for I would leave almost all I had in theworld in his hands; and I would thus far givehim my word, that as soon as he had sued out adivorce from his first wife, he would send mean account of it, I would come up to London,

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and that then we would talk seriously of thematter.

It was a base design I went with, that I mustconfess, though I was invited thither with adesign much worse than mine was, as the se-quel will discover. Well, I went with my friend,as I called her, into Lancashire. All the way wewent she caressed me with the utmost appear-ance of a sincere, undissembled affection; trea-ted me, except my coach-hire, all the way; andher brother brought a gentleman's coach to Wa-rrington to receive us, and we were carriedfrom thence to Liverpool with as much cere-mony as I could desire. We were also enter-tained at a merchant's house in Liverpool threeor four days very handsomely; I forbear to tellhis name, because of what followed. Then shetold me she would carry me to an uncle's houseof hers, where we should be nobly entertained.She did so; her uncle, as she called him, sent a

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coach and four horses for us, and we were car-ried near forty miles I know not whither.

We came, however, to a gentleman's seat, whe-re was a numerous family, a large park, ex-traordinary company indeed, and where shewas called cousin. I told her if she had resolvedto bring me into such company as this, sheshould have let me have prepared myself, andhave furnished myself with better clothes. Theladies took notice of that, and told me very gen-teelly they did not value people in their countryso much by their clothes as they did in London;that their cousin had fully informed them of myquality, and that I did not want clothes to setme off; in short, they entertained me, not likewhat I was, but like what they thought I hadbeen, namely, a widow lady of a great fortune.

The first discovery I made here was, that thefamily were all Roman Catholics, and the cou-sin too, whom I called my friend; however, Imust say that nobody in the world could be-

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have better to me, and I had all the civilityshown me that I could have had if I had been oftheir opinion. The truth is, I had not so muchprinciple of any kind as to be nice in point ofreligion, and I presently learned to speak fa-vourably of the Romish Church; particularly, Itold them I saw little but the prejudice of edu-cation in all the difference that were amongChristians about religion, and if it had so hap-pened that my father had been a Roman Catho-lic, I doubted not but I should have been aswell pleased with their religion as my own.

This obliged them in the highest degree, and asI was besieged day and night with good com-pany and pleasant discourse, so I had two orthree old ladies that lay at me upon the subjectof religion too. I was so complaisant, thatthough I would not completely engage, yet Imade no scruple to be present at their mass,and to conform to all their gestures as theyshowed me the pattern, but I would not come

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too cheap; so that I only in the main encour-aged them to expect that I would turn RomanCatholic, if I was instructed in the Catholic doc-trine as they called it, and so the matter rested.

I stayed here about six weeks; and then myconductor led me back to a country village,about six miles from Liverpool, where herbrother (as she called him) came to visit me inhis own chariot, and in a very good figure, withtwo footmen in a good livery; and the nextthing was to make love to me. As it had hap-pened to me, one would think I could not havebeen cheated, and indeed I thought so myself,having a safe card at home, which I resolvednot to quit unless I could mend myself verymuch. However, in all appearance this brotherwas a match worth my listening to, and theleast his estate was valued at was #1000 a year,but the sister said it was worth #1500 a year,and lay most of it in Ireland.

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I that was a great fortune, and passed for such,was above being asked how much my estatewas; and my false friend taking it upon a fool-ish hearsay, had raised it from #500 to #5000,and by the time she came into the country shecalled it #15,000. The Irishman, for such I un-derstood him to be, was stark mad at this bait;in short, he courted me, made me presents, andran in debt like a madman for the expenses ofhis equipage and of his courtship. He had, togive him his due, the appearance of an extraor-dinary fine gentleman; he was tall, well-shaped, and had an extraordinary address; tal-ked as naturally of his park and his stables, ofhis horses, his gamekeepers, his woods, histenants, and his servants, as if we had been inthe mansion-house, and I had seen them allabout me.

He never so much as asked me about my for-tune or estate, but assured me that when wecame to Dublin he would jointure me in #600 a

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year good land; and that we could enter into adeed of settlement or contract here for the per-formance of it.

This was such language indeed as I had notbeen used to, and I was here beaten out of allmy measures; I had a she-devil in my bosom,every hour telling me how great her brotherlived. One time she would come for my orders,how I would have my coaches painted, andhow lined; and another time what clothes mypage should wear; in short, my eyes were daz-zled. I had now lost my power of saying No,and, to cut the story short, I consented to bemarried; but to be the more private, we werecarried farther into the country, and married bya Romish clergyman, who I was assured wouldmarry us as effectually as a Church of Englandparson.

I cannot say but I had some reflections in thisaffair upon the dishonourable forsaking myfaithful citizen, who loved me sincerely, and

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who was endeavouring to quit himself of ascandalous whore by whom he had been in-deed barbarously used, and promised himselfinfinite happiness in his new choice; whichchoice was now giving up herself to another ina manner almost as scandalous as hers couldbe.

But the glittering shoe of a great estate, and offine things, which the deceived creature thatwas now my deceiver represented every hourto my imagination, hurried me away, and gaveme no time to think of London, or of anythingthere, much less of the obligation I had to aperson of infinitely more real merit than whatwas now before me.

But the thing was done; I was now in the armsof my new spouse, who appeared still the sameas before; great even to magnificence, and noth-ing less than #1000 a year could support theordinary equipage he appeared in.

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After we had been married about a month, hebegan to talk of my going to West Chester inorder to embark for Ireland. However, he didnot hurry me, for we stayed near three weekslonger, and then he sent to Chester for a coachto meet us at the Black Rock, as they call it, overagainst Liverpool. Thither we went in a fineboat they call a pinnace, with six oars; his ser-vants, and horses, and baggage going in theferry-boat. He made his excuse to me that hehad no acquaintance in Chester, but he wouldgo before and get some handsome apartmentfor me at a private house. I asked him how longwe should stay at Chester. He said, not at all,any longer than one night or two, but he wouldimmediately hire a coach to go to Holyhead.Then I told him he should by no means givehimself the trouble to get private lodgings forone night or two, for that Chester being a greatplace, I made no doubt but there would be verygood inns and accommodation enough; so we

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lodged at an inn in the West Street, not far fromthe Cathedral; I forget what sign it was at.

Here my spouse, talking of my going to Ire-land, asked me if I had no affairs to settle atLondon before we went off. I told him No, notof any great consequence, but what might bedone as well by letter from Dublin. 'Madam,'says he, very respectfully, 'I suppose the great-est part of your estate, which my sister tells meis most of it in money in the Bank of England,lies secure enough, but in case it required trans-ferring, or any way altering its property, itmight be necessary to go up to London andsettle those things before we went over.'

I seemed to look strange at it, and told him Iknew not what he meant; that I had no effectsin the Bank of England that I knew of; and Ihoped he could not say that I had ever told himI had. No, he said, I had not told him so, but hissister had said the greatest part of my estate laythere. 'And I only mentioned it, me dear,' said

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he, 'that if there was any occasion to settle it, ororder anything about it, we might not be obli-ged to the hazard and trouble of another voy-age back again'; for he added, that he did notcare to venture me too much upon the sea.

I was surprised at this talk, and began to con-sider very seriously what the meaning of itmust be; and it presently occurred to me thatmy friend, who called him brother, had repre-sented me in colours which were not my due;and I thought, since it was come to that pitch,that I would know the bottom of it before Iwent out of England, and before I should putmyself into I knew not whose hands in astrange country.Upon this I called his sister into my chamberthe next morning, and letting her know thediscourse her brother and I had been upon theevening before, I conjured her to tell me whatshe had said to him, and upon what foot it wasthat she had made this marriage. She ownedthat she had told him that I was a great fortune,

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and said that she was told so at London. 'Toldso!' says I warmly; 'did I ever tell you so?' No,she said, it was true I did not tell her so, but Ihad said several times that what I had was inmy own disposal. 'I did so,' returned I veryquickly and hastily, 'but I never told you I hadanything called a fortune; no, not that I had#100, or the value of #100, in the world. Anyhow did it consist with my being a fortune,'said I, 'that I should come here into the north ofEngland with you, only upon the account ofliving cheap?' At these words, which I spokewarm and high, my husband, her brother (asshe called him), came into the room, and I de-sired him to come and sit down, for I hadsomething of moment to say before them both,which it was absolutely necessary he shouldhear.

He looked a little disturbed at the assurancewith which I seemed to speak it, and came andsat down by me, having first shut the door;

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upon which I began, for I was very much pro-voked, and turning myself to him, 'I am afraid,'says I, 'my dear' (for I spoke with kindness onhis side), 'that you have a very great abuse putupon you, and an injury done you never to berepaired in your marrying me, which, however,as I have had no hand in it, I desire I may befairly acquitted of it, and that the blame may liewhere it ought to lie, and nowhere else, for Iwash my hands of every part of it.'

'What injury can be done me, my dear,' says he,'in marrying you. I hope it is to my honour andadvantage every way.' 'I will soon explain it toyou,' says I, 'and I fear you will have no reasonto think yourself well used; but I will convinceyou, my dear,' says I again, 'that I have had nohand in it'; and there I stopped a while.

He looked now scared and wild, and began, Ibelieve, to suspect what followed; however,looking towards me, and saying only, 'Go on,'he sat silent, as if to hear what I had more to

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say; so I went on. 'I asked you last night,' said I,speaking to him, 'if ever I made any boast toyou of my estate, or ever told you I had anyestate in the Bank of England or anywhere else,and you owned I had not, as is most true; and Idesire you will tell me here, before your sister,if ever I gave you any reason from me to thinkso, or that ever we had any discourse about it';and he owned again I had not, but said I hadappeared always as a woman of fortune, andhe depended on it that I was so, and hoped hewas not deceived. 'I am not inquiring yet whet-her you have been deceived or not,' said I; 'Ifear you have, and I too; but I am clearing my-self from the unjust charge of being concernedin deceiving you.

'I have been now asking your sister if ever Itold her of any fortune or estate I had, or gaveher any particulars of it; and she owns I neverdid. Any pray, madam,' said I, turning myselfto her, 'be so just to me, before your brother, to

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charge me, if you can, if ever I pretended toyou that I had an estate; and why, if I had,should I come down into this country with youon purpose to spare that little I had, and livecheap?' She could not deny one word, but saidshe had been told in London that I had a verygreat fortune, and that it lay in the Bank of Eng-land.

'And now, dear sir,' said I, turning myself tomy new spouse again, 'be so just to me as to tellme who has abused both you and me so muchas to make you believe I was a fortune, andprompt you to court me to this marriage?' Hecould not speak a word, but pointed to her;and, after some more pause, flew out in themost furious passion that ever I saw a man inmy life, cursing her, and calling her all thewhores and hard names he could think of; andthat she had ruined him, declaring that she hadtold him I had #15,000, and that she was tohave #500 of him for procuring this match for

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him. He then added, directing his speech to me,that she was none of his sister, but had been hiswhore for two years before, that she had had#100 of him in part of this bargain, and that hewas utterly undone if things were as I said; andin his raving he swore he would let her heart'sblood out immediately, which frightened herand me too. She cried, said she had been told soin the house where I lodged. But this aggra-vated him more than before, that she shouldput so far upon him, and run things such alength upon no other authority than a hearsay;and then, turning to me again, said very hon-estly, he was afraid we were both undone. 'For,to be plain, my dear, I have no estate,' says he;'what little I had, this devil has made me runout in waiting on you and putting me into thisequipage.' She took the opportunity of his be-ing earnest in talking with me, and got out ofthe room, and I never saw her more.

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I was confounded now as much as he, andknew not what to say. I thought many waysthat I had the worst of it, but his saying he wasundone, and that he had no estate neither, putme into a mere distraction. 'Why,' says I to him,'this has been a hellish juggle, for we are mar-ried here upon the foot of a double fraud; youare undone by the disappointment, it seems;and if I had had a fortune I had been cheatedtoo, for you say you have nothing.'

'You would indeed have been cheated, my de-ar,' says he, 'but you would not have been un-done, for #15,000 would have maintained usboth very handsomely in this country; and Iassure you,' added he, 'I had resolved to havededicated every groat of it to you; I would nothave wronged you of a shilling, and the rest Iwould have made up in my affection to you,and tenderness of you, as long as I lived.'

This was very honest indeed, and I really be-lieve he spoke as he intended, and that he was

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a man that was as well qualified to make mehappy, as to his temper and behaviour, as anyman ever was; but his having no estate, andbeing run into debt on this ridiculous accountin the country, made all the prospect dismaland dreadful, and I knew not what to say, orwhat to think of myself.

I told him it was very unhappy that so muchlove, and so much good nature as I discoveredin him, should be thus precipitated into misery;that I saw nothing before us but ruin; for as tome, it was my unhappiness that what little Ihad was not able to relieve us week, and withthat I pulled out a bank bill of #20 and elevenguineas, which I told him I had saved out of mylittle income, and that by the account that crea-ture had given me of the way of living in thatcountry, I expected it would maintain me threeor four years; that if it was taken from me, Iwas left destitute, and he knew what the condi-tion of a woman among strangers must be, if

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she had no money in her pocket; however, Itold him, if he would take it, there it was.

He told me with a great concern, and I thoughtI saw tears stand in his eyes, that he would nottouch it; that he abhorred the thoughts of strip-ping me and make me miserable; that, on thecontrary, he had fifty guineas left, which wasall he had in the world, and he pulled it outand threw it down on the table, bidding metake it, though he were to starve for want of it.

I returned, with the same concern for him, thatI could not bear to hear him talk so; that, on thecontrary, if he could propose any probable met-hod of living, I would do anything that becameme on my part, and that I would live as closeand as narrow as he could desire.

He begged of me to talk no more at that rate,for it would make him distracted; he said hewas bred a gentleman, though he was reducedto a low fortune, and that there was but one

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way left which he could think of, and thatwould not do, unless I could answer him onequestion, which, however, he said he wouldnot press me to. I told him I would answer ithonestly; whether it would be to his satisfactionor not, that I could not tell.

'Why, then, my dear, tell me plainly,' says he,'will the little you have keep us together in anyfigure, or in any station or place, or will it not?'

It was my happiness hitherto that I had notdiscovered myself or my circumstances at all—no, not so much as my name; and seeing thesewas nothing to be expected from him, howevergood-humoured and however honest he see-med to be, but to live on what I knew wouldsoon be wasted, I resolved to conceal every-thing but the bank bill and the eleven guineaswhich I had owned; and I would have beenvery glad to have lost that and have been setdown where he took me up. I had indeed an-other bank bill about me of #30, which was the

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whole of what I brought with me, as well tosubsist on in the country, as not knowing whatmight offer; because this creature, the go-between that had thus betrayed us both, hadmade me believe strange things of my marry-ing to my advantage in the country, and I wasnot willing to be without money, whatevermight happen. This bill I concealed, and thatmade me the freer of the rest, in considerationof his circumstances, for I really pitied himheartily.

But to return to his question, I told him I neverwillingly deceived him, and I never would. Iwas very sorry to tell him that the little I hadwould not subsist us; that it was not sufficientto subsist me alone in the south country, andthat this was the reason that made me put my-self into the hands of that woman who calledhim brother, she having assured me that Imight board very handsomely at a town calledManchester, where I had not yet been, for about

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#6 a year; and my whole income not beingabout #15 a year, I thought I might live easyupon it, and wait for better things.

He shook his head and remained silent, and avery melancholy evening we had; however, wesupped together, and lay together that night,and when we had almost supped he looked alittle better and more cheerful, and called for abottle of wine. 'Come, my dear,' says he,'though the case is bad, it is to no purpose to bedejected. Come, be as easy as you can; I willendeavour to find out some way or other tolive; if you can but subsist yourself, that is bet-ter than nothing. I must try the world again; aman ought to think like a man; to be discour-aged is to yield to the misfortune.' With this hefilled a glass and drank to me, holding myhand and pressing it hard in his hand all thewhile the wine went down, and protesting af-terwards his main concern was for me.

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It was really a true, gallant spirit he was of, andit was the more grievous to me. 'Tis somethingof relief even to be undone by a man of honour,rather than by a scoundrel; but here the great-est disappointment was on his side, for he hadreally spent a great deal of money, deluded bythis madam the procuress; and it was very re-markable on what poor terms he proceeded.First the baseness of the creature herself is to beobserved, who, for the getting #100 herself,could be content to let him spend three or fourmore, though perhaps it was all he had in theworld, and more than all; when she had not theleast ground, more than a little tea-table chat, tosay that I had any estate, or was a fortune, orthe like. It is true the design of deluding a wo-man of fortune, if I had been so, was baseenough; the putting the face of great thingsupon poor circumstances was a fraud, and badenough; but the case a little differed too, andthat in his favour, for he was not a rake thatmade a trade to delude women, and, as some

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have done, get six or seven fortunes after oneanother, and then rifle and run away fromthem; but he was really a gentleman, unfortu-nate and low, but had lived well; and though, ifI had had a fortune, I should have been en-raged at the slut for betraying me, yet really forthe man, a fortune would not have been ill be-stowed on him, for he was a lovely person in-deed, of generous principles, good sense, andof abundance of good-humour.

We had a great deal of close conversation thatnight, for we neither of us slept much; he wasas penitent for having put all those cheats uponme as if it had been felony, and that he wasgoing to execution; he offered me again everyshilling of the money he had about him, andsaid he would go into the army and seek theworld for more.

I asked him why he would be so unkind to ca-rry me into Ireland, when I might suppose hecould not have subsisted me there. He took me

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in his arms. 'My dear,' said he, 'depend upon it,I never designed to go to Ireland at all, muchless to have carried you thither, but came hitherto be out of the observation of the people, whohad heard what I pretended to, and withal, thatnobody might ask me for money before I wasfurnished to supply them.'

'But where, then,' said I, 'were we to have gonenext?'

'Why, my dear,' said he, 'I'll confess the wholescheme to you as I had laid it; I purposed hereto ask you something about your estate, as yousee I did, and when you, as I expected youwould, had entered into some account with meof the particulars, I would have made an excuseto you to have put off our voyage to Ireland forsome time, and to have gone first towards Lon-don.

'Then, my dear,' said he, 'I resolved to haveconfessed all the circumstances of my own af-

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fairs to you, and let you know I had indeedmade use of these artifices to obtain your con-sent to marry me, but had now nothing to dobut ask to your pardon, and to tell you howabundantly, as I have said above, I would en-deavour to make you forget what was past, bythe felicity of the days to come.'

'Truly,' said I to him, 'I find you would soonhave conquered me; and it is my affliction now,that I am not in a condition to let you see howeasily I should have been reconciled to you,and have passed by all the tricks you had putupon me, in recompense of so much good-humour. But, my dear,' said I, 'what can we donow? We are both undone, and what better arewe for our being reconciled together, seeing wehave nothing to live on?'

We proposed a great many things, but nothingcould offer where there was nothing to beginwith. He begged me at last to talk no more of it,for, he said, I would break his heart; so we tal-

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ked of other things a little, till at last he took ahusband's leave of me, and so we went to sleep.

He rose before me in the morning; and indeed,having lain awake almost all night, I was verysleepy, and lay till near eleven o'clock. In thistime he took his horses and three servants, andall his linen and baggage, and away he went,leaving a short but moving letter for me on thetable, as follows:—

'MY DEAR—I am a dog; I have abused you; butI have been drawn into do it by a base creature,contrary to my principle and the general prac-tice of my life. Forgive me, my dear! I ask yourpardon with the greatest sincerity; I am themost miserable of men, in having deluded you.I have been so happy to possess you, and nowam so wretched as to be forced to fly from you.Forgive me, my dear; once more I say, forgiveme! I am not able to see you ruined by me, andmyself unable to support you. Our marriage isnothing; I shall never be able to see you again; I

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here discharge you from it; if you can marry toyour advantage, do not decline it on my ac-count; I here swear to you on my faith, and onthe word of a man of honour, I will never dis-turb your repose if I should know of it, which,however, is not likely. On the other hand, ifyou should not marry, and if good fortuneshould befall me, it shall be all yours, whereveryou are.

'I have put some of the stock of money I haveleft into your pocket; take places for yourselfand your maid in the stage-coach, and go forLondon; I hope it will bear your charges thit-her, without breaking into your own. Again Isincerely ask your pardon, and will do so asoften as I shall ever think of you. Adieu, mydear, for ever!—I am, your most affectionately,J.E.'

Nothing that ever befell me in my life sank sodeep into my heart as this farewell. I re-proached him a thousand times in my thoughts

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for leaving me, for I would have gone with himthrough the world, if I had begged my bread. Ifelt in my pocket, and there found ten guineas,his gold watch, and two little rings, one a smalldiamond ring worth only about #6, and theother a plain gold ring.

I sat me down and looked upon these thingstwo hours together, and scarce spoke a word,till my maid interrupted me by telling me mydinner was ready. I ate but little, and after din-ner I fell into a vehement fit of crying, everynow and then calling him by his name, whichwas James. 'O Jemmy!' said I, 'come back, comeback. I'll give you all I have; I'll beg, I'll starvewith you.' And thus I ran raving about theroom several times, and then sat down betweenwhiles, and then walking about again, calledupon him to come back, and then cried again;and thus I passed the afternoon, till about seveno'clock, when it was near dusk, in the evening,being August, when, to my unspeakable sur-

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prise, he comes back into the inn, but without aservant, and comes directly up into my cham-ber.

I was in the greatest confusion imaginable, andso was he too. I could not imagine what shouldbe the occasion of it, and began to be at oddswith myself whether to be glad or sorry; butmy affection biassed all the rest, and it was im-possible to conceal my joy, which was too greatfor smiles, for it burst out into tears. He was nosooner entered the room but he ran to me andtook me in his arms, holding me fast, and al-most stopping my breath with his kisses, butspoke not a word. At length I began. 'My dear,'said I, 'how could you go away from me?' towhich he gave no answer, for it was impossiblefor him to speak.

When our ecstasies were a little over, he toldme he was gone about fifteen miles, but it wasnot in his power to go any farther without com-

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ing back to see me again, and to take his leaveof me once more.

I told him how I had passed my time, and howloud I had called him to come back again. Hetold me he heard me very plain upon DelamereForest, at a place about twelve miles off. I smi-led. 'Nay,' says he, 'do not think I am in jest, forif ever I heard your voice in my life, I heard youcall me aloud, and sometimes I thought I sawyou running after me.' 'Why,' said I, 'what did Isay?'—for I had not named the words to him.'You called aloud,' says he, 'and said, O Jemmy!O Jemmy! come back, come back.'

I laughed at him. 'My dear,' says he, 'do notlaugh, for, depend upon it, I heard your voiceas plain as you hear mine now; if you please,I'll go before a magistrate and make oath of it.' Ithen began to be amazed and surprised, andindeed frightened, and told him what I hadreally done, and how I had called after him, asabove.

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When we had amused ourselves a while aboutthis, I said to him: 'Well, you shall go awayfrom me no more; I'll go all over the world withyou rather.' He told me it would be very diffi-cult thing for him to leave me, but since it mustbe, he hoped I would make it as easy to me as Icould; but as for him, it would be his destruc-tion that he foresaw.

However, he told me that he considered he hadleft me to travel to London alone, which wastoo long a journey; and that as he might as wellgo that way as any way else, he was resolved tosee me safe thither, or near it; and if he did goaway then without taking his leave, I shouldnot take it ill of him; and this he made me pro-mise.

He told me how he had dismissed his threeservants, sold their horses, and sent the fellowsaway to seek their fortunes, and all in a littletime, at a town on the road, I know not where.'And,' says he, 'it cost me some tears all alone

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by myself, to think how much happier theywere than their master, for they could go to thenext gentleman's house to see for a service,whereas,' said he, 'I knew not wither to go, orwhat to do with myself.'

I told him I was so completely miserable in par-ting with him, that I could not be worse; andthat now he was come again, I would not gofrom him, if he would take me with him, lethim go whither he would, or do what hewould. And in the meantime I agreed that wewould go together to London; but I could notbe brought to consent he should go away at lastand not take his leave of me, as he proposed todo; but told him, jesting, that if he did, I wouldcall him back again as loud as I did before.Then I pulled out his watch and gave it himback, and his two rings, and his ten guineas;but he would not take them, which made mevery much suspect that he resolved to go offupon the road and leave me.

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The truth is, the circumstances he was in, thepassionate expressions of his letter, the kind,gentlemanly treatment I had from him in all theaffair, with the concern he showed for me in it,his manner of parting with that large sharewhich he gave me of his little stock left—allthese had joined to make such impressions onme, that I really loved him most tenderly, andcould not bear the thoughts of parting withhim.

Two days after this we quitted Chester, I in thestage-coach, and he on horseback. I dismissedmy maid at Chester. He was very much againstmy being without a maid, but she being a ser-vant hired in the country, and I resolving tokeep no servant at London, I told him it wouldhave been barbarous to have taken the poorwench and have turned her away as soon as Icame to town; and it would also have been aneedless charge on the road, so I satisfied him,and he was easy enough on the score.

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He came with me as far as Dunstable, withinthirty miles of London, and then he told mefate and his own misfortunes obliged him toleave me, and that it was not convenient forhim to go to London, for reasons which it wasof no value to me to know, and I saw him pre-paring to go. The stage-coach we were in didnot usually stop at Dunstable, but I desiring itbut for a quart of an hour, they were content tostand at an inndoor a while, and we went intothe house.

Being in the inn, I told him I had but one favourmore to ask of him, and that was, that since hecould not go any farther, he would give meleave to stay a week or two in the town withhim, that we might in that time think of some-thing to prevent such a ruinous thing to usboth, as a final separation would be; and that Ihad something of moment to offer him, that Ihad never said yet, and which perhaps hemight find practicable to our mutualadvantage.

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This was too reasonable a proposal to be de-nied, so he called the landlady of the house,and told her his wife was taken ill, and so illthat she could not think of going any farther inthe stage-coach, which had tired her almost todeath, and asked if she could not get us a lodg-ing for two or three days in a private house,where I might rest me a little, for the journeyhad been too much for me. The landlady, agood sort of woman, well-bred and very oblig-ing, came immediately to see me; told me shehad two or three very good rooms in a part ofthe house quite out of the noise, and if I sawthem, she did not doubt but I would like them,and I should have one of her maids, that shoulddo nothing else but be appointed to wait on me.This was so very kind, that I could not but ac-cept of it, and thank her; so I went to look onthe rooms and liked them very well, and in-deed they were extraordinarily furnished, andvery pleasant lodgings; so we paid the stage-

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coach, took out our baggage, and resolved tostay here a while.

Here I told him I would live with him now tillall my money was spent, but would not let himspend a shilling of his own. We had some kindsquabble about that, but I told him it was thelast time I was like to enjoy his company, and Idesired he would let me be master in that thingonly, and he should govern in everything else;so he acquiesced.

Here one evening, taking a walk into the fields,I told him I would now make the proposal tohim I had told him of; accordingly I related tohim how I had lived in Virginia, that I had amother I believed was alive there still, thoughmy husband was dead some years. I told himthat had not my effects miscarried, which, bythe way, I magnified pretty much, I might havebeen fortune good enough to him to have keptus from being parted in this manner. Then Ientered into the manner of peoples going over

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to those countries to settle, how they had aquantity of land given them by the Constitutionof the place; and if not, that it might be pur-chased at so easy a rate this it was not worthnaming.

I then gave him a full and distinct account ofthe nature of planting; how with carrying overbut two or three hundred pounds value in Eng-lish goods, with some servants and tools, a manof application would presently lay a foundationfor a family, and in a very few years be certainto raise an estate.

I let him into the nature of the product of theearth; how the ground was cured and pre-pared, and what the usual increase of it was;and demonstrated to him, that in a very fewyears, with such a beginning, we should be ascertain of being rich as we were now certain ofbeing poor.

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He was surprised at my discourse; for we madeit the whole subject of our conversation for neara week together, in which time I laid it down inblack and white, as we say, that it was morallyimpossible, with a supposition of any reason-able good conduct, but that we must thrivethere and do very well.

Then I told him what measures I would take toraise such a sum of #300 or thereabouts; and Iargued with him how good a method it wouldbe to put an end to our misfortunes and restoreour circumstances in the world, to what we hadboth expected; and I added, that after sevenyears, if we lived, we might be in a posture toleave our plantations in good hands, and comeover again and receive the income of it, and livehere and enjoy it; and I gave him examples ofsome that had done so, and lived now in verygood circumstances in London.

In short, I pressed him so to it, that he almostagreed to it, but still something or other broke

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it off again; till at last he turned the tables, andhe began to talk almost to the same purpose ofIreland.

He told me that a man that could confine him-self to country life, and that could find butstock to enter upon any land, should havefarms there for #50 a year, as good as were herelet for #200 a year; that the produce was such,and so rich the land, that if much was not laidup, we were sure to live as handsomely upon itas a gentleman of #3000 a year could do in Eng-land and that he had laid a scheme to leave mein London, and go over and try; and if he foundhe could lay a handsome foundation of livingsuitable to the respect he had for me, as hedoubted not he should do, he would come overand fetch me.

I was dreadfully afraid that upon such a pro-posal he would have taken me at my word, viz.to sell my little income as I called it, and turn itinto money, and let him carry it over into Ire-

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land and try his experiment with it; but he wastoo just to desire it, or to have accepted it if Ihad offered it; and he anticipated me in that, forhe added, that he would go and try his fortunethat way, and if he found he could do anythingat it to live, then, by adding mine to it when Iwent over, we should live like ourselves; butthat he would not hazard a shilling of mine tillhe had made the experiment with a little, andhe assured me that if he found nothing to bedone in Ireland, he would then come to me andjoin in my project for Virginia.

He was so earnest upon his project being to betried first, that I could not withstand him; how-ever, he promised to let me hear from him in avery little time after his arriving there, to let meknow whether his prospect answered his de-sign, that if there was not a possibility of suc-cess, I might take the occasion to prepare forour other voyage, and then, he assured me, he

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would go with me to America with all hisheart.

I could bring him to nothing further than this.However, those consultations entertained usnear a month, during which I enjoyed his com-pany, which indeed was the most entertainingthat ever I met in my life before. In this time helet me into the whole story of his own life,which was indeed surprising, and full of aninfinite variety sufficient to fill up a muchbrighter history, for its adventures and inci-dents, than any I ever say in print; but I shallhave occasion to say more of him hereafter.

We parted at last, though with the utmost re-luctance on my side; and indeed he took hisleave very unwillingly too, but necessity obli-ged him, for his reasons were very good whyhe would not come to London, as I understoodmore fully some time afterwards.

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I gave him a direction how to write to me,though still I reserved the grand secret, andnever broke my resolution, which was not to lethim ever know my true name, who I was, orwhere to be found; he likewise let me knowhow to write a letter to him, so that, he said, hewould be sure to receive it.

I came to London the next day after we parted,but did not go directly to my old lodgings; butfor another nameless reason took a private lod-ging in St. John's Street, or, as it is vulgarly ca-lled, St. Jones's, near Clerkenwell; and here,being perfectly alone, I had leisure to sit downand reflect seriously upon the last sevenmonths' ramble I had made, for I had beenabroad no less. The pleasant hours I had withmy last husband I looked back on with an infi-nite deal of pleasure; but that pleasure was ve-ry much lessened when I found some time afterthat I was really with child.

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This was a perplexing thing, because of thedifficulty which was before me where I shouldget leave to lie in; it being one of the nicestthings in the world at that time of day for awoman that was a stranger, and had no friends,to be entertained in that circumstance withoutsecurity, which, by the way, I had not, neithercould I procure any.

I had taken care all this while to preserve a cor-respondence with my honest friend at the bank,or rather he took care to correspond with me,for he wrote to me once a week; and though Ihad not spent my money so fast as to want anyfrom him, yet I often wrote also to let himknow I was alive. I had left directions in Lanca-shire, so that I had these letters, which he sent,conveyed to me; and during my recess at St.Jones's received a very obliging letter from him,assuring me that his process for a divorce fromhis wife went on with success, though he met

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with some difficulties in it that he did not ex-pect.

I was not displeased with the news that hisprocess was more tedious than he expected; forthough I was in no condition to have him yet,not being so foolish to marry him when I knewmyself to be with child by another man, as so-me I know have ventured to do, yet I was notwilling to lose him, and, in a word, resolved tohave him if he continued in the same mind, assoon as I was up again; for I saw apparently Ishould hear no more from my husband; and ashe had all along pressed to marry, and had as-sured me he would not be at all disgusted at it,or ever offer to claim me again, so I made noscruple to resolve to do it if I could, and if myother friend stood to his bargain; and I had agreat deal of reason to be assured that hewould stand to it, by the letters he wrote to me,which were the kindest and most obliging thatcould be.

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I now grew big, and the people where I lodgedperceived it, and began to take notice of it tome, and, as far as civility would allow, inti-mated that I must think of removing. This putme to extreme perplexity, and I grew verymelancholy, for indeed I knew not what courseto take. I had money, but no friends, and waslike to have a child upon my hands to keep,which was a difficulty I had never had uponme yet, as the particulars of my story hithertomake appear.

In the course of this affair I fell very ill, and mymelancholy really increased my distemper; myillness proved at length to be only an ague, butmy apprehensions were really that I shouldmiscarry. I should not say apprehensions, forindeed I would have been glad to miscarry, butI could never be brought to entertain so muchas a thought of endeavouring to miscarry, or oftaking any thing to make me miscarry; I ab-horred, I say, so much as the thought of it.

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However, speaking of it in the house, the gen-tlewoman who kept the house proposed to meto send for a midwife. I scrupled it at first, butafter some time consented to it, but told her Ihad no particular acquaintance with any mid-wife, and so left it to her.

It seems the mistress of the house was not sogreat a stranger to such cases as mine was as Ithought at first she had been, as will appearpresently, and she sent for a midwife of theright sort—that is to say, the right sort for me.

The woman appeared to be an experiencedwoman in her business, I mean as a midwife;but she had another calling too, in which shewas as expert as most women if not more. Mylandlady had told her I was very melancholy,and that she believed that had done me harm;and once, before me, said to her, 'Mrs. B——'(meaning the midwife), 'I believe this lady'strouble is of a kind that is pretty much in yourway, and therefore if you can do anything for

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her, pray do, for she is a very civil gentle-woman'; and so she went out of the room.

I really did not understand her, but my MotherMidnight began very seriously to explain whatshe mean, as soon as she was gone. 'Madam,'says she, 'you seem not to understand whatyour landlady means; and when you do under-stand it, you need not let her know at all thatyou do so.

'She means that you are under some circum-stances that may render your lying in difficultto you, and that you are not willing to beexposed. I need say no more, but to tell you,that if you think fit to communicate so much ofyour case to me, if it be so, as is necessary, for Ido not desire to pry into those things, I perhapsmay be in a position to help you and to makeyou perfectly easy, and remove all your dullthoughts upon that subject.'

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Every word this creature said was a cordial tome, and put new life and new spirit into myheart; my blood began to circulate immediately,and I was quite another body; I ate my victualsagain, and grew better presently after it. Shesaid a great deal more to the same purpose, andthen, having pressed me to be free with her,and promised in the solemnest manner to besecret, she stopped a little, as if waiting to seewhat impression it made on me, and what Iwould say.

I was too sensible to the want I was in of such awoman, not to accept her offer; I told her mycase was partly as she guessed, and partly not,for I was really married, and had a husband,though he was in such fine circumstances andso remote at that time, as that he could not ap-pear publicly.

She took me short, and told me that was noneof her business; all the ladies that came underher care were married women to her. 'Every

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woman,' she says, 'that is with child has a fa-ther for it,' and whether that father was a hus-band or no husband, was no business of hers;her business was to assist me in my presentcircumstances, whether I had a husband or no.'For, madam,' says she, 'to have a husband thatcannot appear, is to have no husband in thesense of the case; and, therefore, whether youare a wife or a mistress is all one to me.'

I found presently, that whether I was a whoreor a wife, I was to pass for a whore here, so I letthat go. I told her it was true, as she said, butthat, however, if I must tell her my case, I musttell it her as it was; so I related it to her as shortas I could, and I concluded it to her thus. 'Itrouble you with all this, madam,' said I, 'notthat, as you said before, it is much to the pur-pose in your affair, but this is to the purpose,namely, that I am not in any pain about beingseen, or being public or concealed, for 'tis per-fectly indifferent to me; but my difficulty is,

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that I have no acquaintance in this part of thenation.'

'I understand you, madam' says she; 'you haveno security to bring to prevent the parish im-pertinences usual in such cases, and perhaps,'says she, 'do not know very well how to dis-pose of the child when it comes.' 'The last,' saysI, 'is not so much my concern as the first.' 'Well,madam,' answered the midwife, 'dare you putyourself into my hands? I live in such a place;though I do not inquire after you, you may in-quire after me. My name is B——; I live in sucha street'—naming the street—'at the sign of theCradle. My profession is a midwife, and I havemany ladies that come to my house to lie in. Ihave given security to the parish in generalterms to secure them from any charge fromwhatsoever shall come into the world undermy roof. I have but one question to ask in thewhole affair, madam,' says she, 'and if that be

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answered you shall be entirely easy for all therest.'

I presently understood what she meant, andtold her, 'Madam, I believe I understand you. Ithank God, though I want friends in this part ofthe world, I do not want money, so far as maybe necessary, though I do not abound in thatneither': this I added because I would not makeher expect great things. 'Well, madam,' saysshe, 'that is the thing indeed, without whichnothing can be done in these cases; and yet,'says she, 'you shall see that I will not imposeupon you, or offer anything that is unkind toyou, and if you desire it, you shall know every-thing beforehand, that you may suit yourself tothe occasion, and be neither costly or sparing asyou see fit.'

I told her she seemed to be so perfectly sensibleof my condition, that I had nothing to ask ofher but this, that as I had told her that I hadmoney sufficient, but not a great quantity, she

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would order it so that I might be at as little su-perfluous charge as possible.

She replied that she would bring in an accountof the expenses of it in two or three shapes, andlike a bill of fare, I should choose as I pleased;and I desired her to do so.

The next day she brought it, and the copy ofher three bills was a follows:—

1. For three months' lodging in her house, in-cluding my diet, at 10s. a week . . . . . . . . . . . 6#, 0s.,0d.

2. For a nurse for the month, and use of child-bed linen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1#, 10s., 0d.

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3. For a minister to christen the child, and tothe godfathers and clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . 1#, 10s.,0d.

4. For a supper at the christening if I had fivefriends at it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1#, 0s., 0d.

For her fees as a midwife, and the taking offthe trouble of the parish . . . . . . . . . . . . 3#, 3s., 0d.

To her maid servant attending . . . . . . . . 0#,10s., 0d. -------------- 13#, 13s., 0d.

This was the first bill; the second was the sameterms:—

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1. For three months' lodging and diet, etc., at20s. per week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13#, 0s., 0d.

2. For a nurse for the month, and the use oflinen and lace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2#, 10s., 0d.

3. For the minister to christen the child, etc., as above . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2#, 0s., 0d.

4. For supper and for sweetmeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3#, 3s., 0d.

For her fees as above . . . . . . . . . . . . 5#, 5s.,0d.

For a servant-maid . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1#, 0s.,0d. -------------- 26#, 18s., 0d.

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This was the second-rate bill; the third, shesaid, was for a degree higher, and when thefather or friends appeared:—

1. For three months' lodging and diet, havingtwo rooms and a garret for a servant . . . . . . 30#,0s., 0d.,

2. For a nurse for the month, and the finest suit of childbed linen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4#, 4s., 0d.

3. For the minister to christen the child, etc. 2#,10s., 0d.

4. For a supper, the gentlemen to send in the wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6#, 0s., 0d.

For my fees, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10#, 10s., 0d.

The maid, besides their own maid, only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0#, 10s., 0d. --------------

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53#, 14s., 0d.

I looked upon all three bills, and smiled, andtold her I did not see but that she was very rea-sonable in her demands, all things considered,and for that I did not doubt but her accommo-dations were good.

She told me I should be judge of that when Isaw them. I told her I was sorry to tell her that Ifeared I must be her lowest-rated customer.'And perhaps, madam,' said I, 'you will makeme the less welcome upon that account.' 'No,not at all,' said she; 'for where I have one of thethird sort I have two of the second, and four toone of the first, and I get as much by them inproportion as by any; but if you doubt my careof you, I will allow any friend you have tooverlook and see if you are well waited on orno.'

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Then she explained the particulars of her bill.'In the first place, madam,' said she, 'I wouldhave you observe that here is three months'keeping; you are but ten shillings a week; I un-dertake to say you will not complain of mytable. I suppose,' says she, 'you do not livecheaper where you are now?' 'No, indeed,' saidI, 'not so cheap, for I give six shillings per weekfor my chamber, and find my own diet as wellas I can, which costs me a great deal more.'

'Then, madam,' says she, 'if the child should notlive, or should be dead-born, as you know so-metimes happens, then there is the minister'sarticle saved; and if you have no friends to co-me to you, you may save the expense of a sup-per; so that take those articles out, madam,'says she, 'your lying in will not cost you above#5, 3s. in all more than your ordinary charge ofliving.'

This was the most reasonable thing that I everheard of; so I smiled, and told her I would co-

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me and be her customer; but I told her also,that as I had two months and more to do, Imight perhaps be obliged to stay longer withher than three months, and desired to know ifshe would not be obliged to remove me beforeit was proper. No, she said; her house was lar-ge, and besides, she never put anybody to re-move, that had lain in, till they were willing togo; and if she had more ladies offered, she wasnot so ill-beloved among her neighbours butshe could provide accommodations for twenty,if there was occasion.

I found she was an eminent lady in her way;and, in short, I agreed to put myself into herhands, and promised her. She then talked ofother things, looked about into my accommo-dations where I was, found fault with my want-ing attendance and conveniences, and that Ishould not be used so at her house. I told her Iwas shy of speaking, for the woman of the hou-se looked stranger, or at least I thought so, since

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I had been ill, because I was with child; and Iwas afraid she would put some affront or otherupon me, supposing that I had been able togive but a slight account of myself.

'Oh dear,' said she, 'her ladyship is no strangerto these things; she has tried to entertain ladiesin your condition several times, but she couldnot secure the parish; and besides, she is notsuch a nice lady as you take her to be; however,since you are a-going, you shall not meddlewith her, but I'll see you are a little better loo-ked after while you are here than I think youare, and it shall not cost you the more neither.'

I did not understand her at all; however, I than-ked her, and so we parted. The next morningshe sent me a chicken roasted and hot, and apint bottle of sherry, and ordered the maid totell me that she was to wait on me every day aslong as I stayed there.

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This was surprisingly good and kind, and Iaccepted it very willingly. At night she sent tome again, to know if I wanted anything, andhow I did, and to order the maid to come to herin the morning with my dinner. The maid hadorders to make me some chocolate in the morn-ing before she came away, and did so, and atnoon she brought me the sweetbread of abreast of veal, whole, and a dish of soup for mydinner; and after this manner she nursed me upat a distance, so that I was mightily well plea-sed, and quickly well, for indeed my dejectionsbefore were the principal part of my illness.

I expected, as is usually the case among suchpeople, that the servant she sent me wouldhave been some imprudent brazen wench ofDrury Lane breeding, and I was very uneasy athaving her with me upon that account; so Iwould not let her lie in that house the firstnight by any means, but had my eyes about meas narrowly as if she had been a public thief.

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My gentlewoman guessed presently what wasthe matter, and sent her back with a short note,that I might depend upon the honesty of hermaid; that she would be answerable for herupon all accounts; and that she took no ser-vants into her house without very good secu-rity for their fidelity. I was then perfectly easy;and indeed the maid's behaviour spoke for it-self, for a modester, quieter, soberer girl nevercame into anybody's family, and I found her soafterwards.

As soon as I was well enough to go abroad, Iwent with the maid to see the house, and to seethe apartment I was to have; and everythingwas so handsome and so clean and well, that,in short, I had nothing to say, but was wonder-fully pleased and satisfied with what I had metwith, which, considering the melancholy cir-cumstances I was in, was far beyond what Ilooked for.

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It might be expected that I should give someaccount of the nature of the wicked practices ofthis woman, in whose hands I was now fallen;but it would be too much encouragement to thevice, to let the world see what easy measureswere here taken to rid the women's unwelcomeburthen of a child clandestinely gotten. Thisgrave matron had several sorts of practice, andthis was one particular, that if a child was born,though not in her house (for she had occasionto be called to many private labours), she hadpeople at hand, who for a piece of moneywould take the child off their hands, and offfrom the hands of the parish too; and thosechildren, as she said, were honestly providedfor and taken care of. What should become ofthem all, considering so many, as by her ac-count she was concerned with, I cannot con-ceive.

I had many times discourses upon that subjectwith her; but she was full of this argument, that

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she save the life of many an innocent lamb, asshe called them, which would otherwise per-haps have been murdered; and of many wo-men who, made desperate by the misfortune,would otherwise be tempted to destroy theirchildren, and bring themselves to the gallows. Igranted her that this was true, and a verycommendable thing, provided the poor chil-dren fell into good hands afterwards, and werenot abused, starved, and neglected by the nur-ses that bred them up. She answered, that shealways took care of that, and had no nurses inher business but what were very good, honestpeople, and such as might be depended upon.

I could say nothing to the contrary, and so wasobliged to say, 'Madam, I do not question youdo your part honestly, but what those peopledo afterwards is the main question'; and shestopped my mouth again with saying that shetook the utmost care about it.

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The only thing I found in all her conversationon these subjects that gave me any distaste,was, that one time in discouraging about mybeing far gone with child, and the time I ex-pected to come, she said something that lookedas if she could help me off with my burthensooner, if I was willing; or, in English, that shecould give me something to make me miscarry,if I had a desire to put an end to my troublesthat way; but I soon let her see that I abhorredthe thoughts of it; and, to do her justice, she putit off so cleverly, that I could not say she reallyintended it, or whether she only mentioned thepractice as a horrible thing; for she couched herwords so well, and took my meaning so quic-kly, that she gave her negative before I couldexplain myself.

To bring this part into as narrow a compass aspossible, I quitted my lodging at St. Jones's andwent to my new governess, for so they calledher in the house, and there I was indeed treated

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with so much courtesy, so carefully looked to,so handsomely provided, and everything sowell, that I was surprised at it, and could not atfirst see what advantage my governess made ofit; but I found afterwards that she professed tomake no profit of lodgers' diet, nor indeedcould she get much by it, but that her profit layin the other articles of her management, andshe made enough that way, I assure you; for 'tisscarce credible what practice she had, as wellabroad as at home, and yet all upon the privateaccount, or, in plain English, the whoring ac-count.

While I was in her house, which was near fourmonths, she had no less than twelve ladies ofpleasure brought to bed within the doors, and Ithink she had two-and-thirty, or thereabouts,under her conduct without doors, whereof one,as nice as she was with me, was lodged withmy old landlady at St. Jones's.

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This was a strange testimony of the growingvice of the age, and such a one, that as bad as Ihad been myself, it shocked my very senses. Ibegan to nauseate the place I was in and, aboutall, the wicked practice; and yet I must say thatI never saw, or do I believe there was to beseen, the least indecency in the house the wholetime I was there.

Not a man was ever seen to come upstairs, ex-cept to visit the lying-in ladies within theirmonth, nor then without the old lady withthem, who made it a piece of honour of hermanagement that no man should touch a wo-man, no, not his own wife, within the month;nor would she permit any man to lie in thehouse upon any pretence whatever, no, notthough she was sure it was with his own wife;and her general saying for it was, that she carednot how many children were born in her house,but she would have none got there if she couldhelp it.

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It might perhaps be carried further than wasneedful, but it was an error of the right hand ifit was an error, for by this she kept up the repu-tation, such as it was, of her business, and ob-tained this character, that though she did takecare of the women when they were debauched,yet she was not instrumental to their being de-bauched at all; and yet it was a wicked tradeshe drove too.

While I was there, and before I was brought tobed, I received a letter from my trustee at thebank, full of kind, obliging things, and ear-nestly pressing me to return to London. It wasnear a fortnight old when it came to me, be-cause it had been first sent into Lancashire, andthen returned to me. He concludes with tellingme that he had obtained a decree, I think hecalled it, against his wife, and that he would beready to make good his engagement to me, if Iwould accept of him, adding a great manyprotestations of kindness and affection, such as

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he would have been far from offering if he hadknown the circumstances I had been in, andwhich as it was I had been very far from de-serving.

I returned an answer to his letter, and dated itat Liverpool, but sent it by messenger, allegingthat it came in cover to a friend in town. I gavehim joy of his deliverance, but raised somescruples at the lawfulness of his marryingagain, and told him I supposed he would con-sider very seriously upon that point before heresolved on it, the consequence being too greatfor a man of his judgment to venture rashlyupon a thing of that nature; so concluded,wishing him very well in whatever he resolved,without letting him into anything of my ownmind, or giving any answer to his proposal ofmy coming to London to him, but mentioned ata distance my intention to return the latter endof the year, this being dated in April.

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I was brought to bed about the middle of Mayand had another brave boy, and myself in asgood condition as usual on such occasions. Mygoverness did her part as a midwife with thegreatest art and dexterity imaginable, and farbeyond all that ever I had had any experienceof before.

Her care of me in my travail, and after in mylying in, was such, that if she had been my ownmother it could not have been better. Let nonebe encouraged in their loose practices from thisdexterous lady's management, for she is goneto her place, and I dare say has left nothingbehind her that can or will come up on it.

I think I had been brought to bed about twenty-two days when I received another letter frommy friend at the bank, with the surprising newsthat he had obtained a final sentence of divorceagainst his wife, and had served her with it onsuch a day, and that he had such an answer togive to all my scruples about his marrying

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again, as I could not expect, and as he had nodesire of; for that his wife, who had been undersome remorse before for her usage of him, assoon as she had the account that he had gainedhis point, had very unhappily destroyed herselfthat same evening.

He expressed himself very handsomely as tohis being concerned at her disaster, but clearedhimself of having any hand in it, and that hehad only done himself justice in a case in whichhe was notoriously injured and abused. How-ever, he said that he was extremely afflicted atit, and had no view of any satisfaction left in hisworld, but only in the hope that I would comeand relieve him by my company; and then hepressed me violently indeed to give him somehopes that I would at least come up to townand let him see me, when he would furtherenter into discourse about it.

I was exceedingly surprised at the news, andbegan now seriously to reflect on my present

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circumstances, and the inexpressible misfor-tune it was to me to have a child upon myhands, and what to do in it I knew not. At last Iopened my case at a distance to my governess. Iappeared melancholy and uneasy for severaldays, and she lay at me continually to knowwhat trouble me. I could not for my life tell herthat I had an offer of marriage, after I had sooften told her that I had a husband, so that Ireally knew not what to say to her. I owned Ihad something which very much troubled me,but at the same time told her I could not speakof it to any one alive.

She continued importuning me several days,but it was impossible, I told her, for me tocommit the secret to anybody. This, instead ofbeing an answer to her, increased her importu-nities; she urged her having been trusted withthe greatest secrets of this nature, that it washer business to conceal everything, and that todiscover things of that nature would be her

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ruin. She asked me if ever I had found her tat-tling to me of other people's affairs, and howcould I suspect her? She told me, to unfold my-self to her was telling it to nobody; that she wassilent as death; that it must be a very strangecase indeed that she could not help me out of;but to conceal it was to deprive myself of allpossible help, or means of help, and to depriveher of the opportunity of serving me. In short,she had such a bewitching eloquence, and sogreat a power of persuasion that there was noconcealing anything from her.

So I resolved to unbosom myself to her. I toldher the history of my Lancashire marriage, andhow both of us had been disappointed; how wecame together, and how we parted; how heabsolutely discharged me, as far as lay in him,free liberty to marry again, protesting that if heknew it he would never claim me, or disturb orexpose me; that I thought I was free, but wasdreadfully afraid to venture, for fear of the con-

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sequences that might follow in case of a discov-ery.

Then I told her what a good offer I had; showedher my friend's two last letters, inviting me tocome to London, and let her see with what af-fection and earnestness they were written, butblotted out the name, and also the story aboutthe disaster of his wife, only that she was dead.

She fell a-laughing at my scruples about marry-ing, and told me the other was no marriage, buta cheat on both sides; and that, as we were par-ted by mutual consent, the nature of the con-tract was destroyed, and the obligation wasmutually discharged. She had arguments forthis at the tip of her tongue; and, in short, rea-soned me out of my reason; not but that it wastoo by the help of my own inclination.

But then came the great and main difficulty,and that was the child; this, she told me in somany words, must be removed, and that so as

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that it should never be possible for any one todiscover it. I knew there was no marrying wit-hout entirely concealing that I had had a child,for he would soon have discovered by the ageof it that it was born, nay, and gotten too, sincemy parley with him, and that would have de-stroyed all the affair.

But it touched my heart so forcibly to think ofparting entirely with the child, and, for aught Iknew, of having it murdered, or starved byneglect and ill-usage (which was much the sa-me), that I could not think of it without horror.I wish all those women who consent to the dis-posing their children out of the way, as it iscalled, for decency sake, would consider that'tis only a contrived method for murder; that isto say, a-killing their children with safety.

It is manifest to all that understand anything ofchildren, that we are born into the world help-less, and incapable either to supply our ownwants or so much as make them known; and

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that without help we must perish; and this helprequires not only an assisting hand, whether ofthe mother or somebody else, but there are twothings necessary in that assisting hand, that is,care and skill; without both which, half the chil-dren that are born would die, nay, though theywere not to be denied food; and one half moreof those that remained would be cripples orfools, lose their limbs, and perhaps their sense.I question not but that these are partly the rea-sons why affection was placed by nature in thehearts of mothers to their children; withoutwhich they would never be able to give them-selves up, as 'tis necessary they should, to thecare and waking pains needful to the supportof their children.

Since this care is needful to the life of children,to neglect them is to murder them; again, togive them up to be managed by those peoplewho have none of that needful affection placedby nature in them, is to neglect them in the hig-

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hest degree; nay, in some it goes farther, and isa neglect in order to their being lost; so that 'tiseven an intentional murder, whether the childlives or dies.

All those things represented themselves to myview, and that is the blackest and most frightfulform: and as I was very free with my govern-ess, whom I had now learned to call mother, Irepresented to her all the dark thoughts which Ihad upon me about it, and told her what dis-tress I was in. She seemed graver by much atthis part than at the other; but as she was hard-ened in these things beyond all possibility ofbeing touched with the religious part, and thescruples about the murder, so she was equallyimpenetrable in that part which related to affec-tion. She asked me if she had not been carefuland tender to me in my lying in, as if I had beenher own child. I told her I owned she had.'Well, my dear,' says she, 'and when you aregone, what are you to me? And what would it

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be to me if you were to be hanged? Do youthink there are not women who, as it is theirtrade and they get their bread by it, valuethemselves upon their being as careful of chil-dren as their own mothers can be, and under-stand it rather better? Yes, yes, child,' says she,'fear it not; how were we nursed ourselves? Areyou sure you was nursed up by your own mot-her? and yet you look fat and fair, child,' saysthe old beldam; and with that she stroked meover the face. 'Never be concerned, child,' saysshe, going on in her drolling way; 'I have nomurderers about me; I employ the best and thehonestest nurses that can be had, and have asfew children miscarry under their hands asthere would if they were all nursed by mothers;we want neither care nor skill.'

She touched me to the quick when she asked ifI was sure that I was nursed by my own mot-her; on the contrary I was sure I was not; and Itrembled, and looked pale at the very expres-

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sion. 'Sure,' said I to myself, 'this creature can-not be a witch, or have any conversation with aspirit, that can inform her what was done withme before I was able to know it myself'; and Ilooked at her as if I had been frightened; butreflecting that it could not be possible for her toknow anything about me, that disorder wentoff, and I began to be easy, but it was not pres-ently.

She perceived the disorder I was in, but did notknow the meaning of it; so she ran on in herwild talk upon the weakness of my supposingthat children were murdered because they werenot all nursed by the mother, and to persuademe that the children she disposed of were aswell used as if the mothers had the nursing ofthem themselves.

'It may be true, mother,' says I, 'for aught Iknow, but my doubts are very strongly groun-ded indeed.' 'Come, then,' says she, 'let's hearsome of them.' 'Why, first,' says I, 'you give a

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piece of money to these people to take the childoff the parent's hands, and to take care of it aslong as it lives. Now we know, mother,' said I,'that those are poor people, and their gain con-sists in being quit of the charge as soon as theycan; how can I doubt but that, as it is best forthem to have the child die, they are not oversolicitous about life?'

'This is all vapours and fancy,' says the oldwoman; 'I tell you their credit depends uponthe child's life, and they are as careful as anymother of you all.'

'O mother,' says I, 'if I was but sure my littlebaby would be carefully looked to, and havejustice done it, I should be happy indeed; but itis impossible I can be satisfied in that pointunless I saw it, and to see it would be ruin anddestruction to me, as now my case stands; sowhat to do I know not.'

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'A fine story!' says the governess. 'You wouldsee the child, and you would not see the child;you would be concealed and discovered bothtogether. These are things impossible, my dear;so you must e'en do as other conscientious mot-hers have done before you, and be contentedwith things as they must be, though they arenot as you wish them to be.'

I understood what she meant by conscientiousmothers; she would have said conscientiouswhores, but she was not willing to disobligeme, for really in this case I was not a whore,because legally married, the force of formermarriage excepted.

However, let me be what I would, I was notcome up to that pitch of hardness common tothe profession; I mean, to be unnatural, andregardless of the safety of my child; and I pre-served this honest affection so long, that I wasupon the point of giving up my friend at thebank, who lay so hard at me to come to him

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and marry him, that, in short, there was hardlyany room to deny him.

At last my old governess came to me, with herusual assurance. 'Come, my dear,' says she, 'Ihave found out a way how you shall be at acertainty that your child shall be used well, andyet the people that take care of it shall neverknow you, or who the mother of the child is.'

'Oh mother,' says I, 'if you can do so, you willengage me to you for ever.' 'Well,' says she, 'areyou willing to be a some small annual expense,more than what we usually give to the peoplewe contract with?' 'Ay,' says I, 'with all myheart, provided I may be concealed.' 'As tothat,' says the governess, 'you shall be secure,for the nurse shall never so much as dare toinquire about you, and you shall once or twicea year go with me and see your child, and seehow 'tis used, and be satisfied that it is in goodhands, nobody knowing who you are.'

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'Why,' said I, 'do you think, mother, that when Icome to see my child, I shall be able to concealmy being the mother of it? Do you think thatpossible?'

'Well, well,' says my governess, 'if you discoverit, the nurse shall be never the wiser; for sheshall be forbid to ask any questions about you,or to take any notice. If she offers it, she shalllose the money which you are suppose to giveher, and the child shall be taken from her too.'

I was very well pleased with this. So the nextweek a countrywoman was brought from Hert-ford, or thereabouts, who was to take the childoff our hands entirely for #10 in money. But if Iwould allow #5 a year more of her, she wouldbe obliged to bring the child to my governess'shouse as often as we desired, or we should co-me down and look at it, and see how well sheused it.

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The woman was very wholesome-looking, alikely woman, a cottager's wife, but she hadvery good clothes and linen, and everythingwell about her; and with a heavy heart andmany a tear, I let her have my child. I had beendown at Hertford, and looked at her and at herdwelling, which I liked well enough; and I pro-mised her great things if she would be kind tothe child, so she knew at first word that I wasthe child's mother. But she seemed to be somuch out of the way, and to have no room toinquire after me, that I thought I was safeenough. So, in short, I consented to let her havethe child, and I gave her #10; that is to say, Igave it to my governess, who gave it the poorwoman before my face, she agreeing never toreturn the child back to me, or to claim any-thing more for its keeping or bringing up; onlythat I promised, if she took a great deal of careof it, I would give her something more as oftenas I came to see it; so that I was not bound topay the #5, only that I promised my governess I

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would do it. And thus my great care was over,after a manner, which though it did not at allsatisfy my mind, yet was the most convenientfor me, as my affairs then stood, of any thatcould be thought of at that time.

I then began to write to my friend at the bankin a more kindly style, and particularly aboutthe beginning of July I sent him a letter, that Iproposed to be in town some time in August.He returned me an answer in the most passion-ate terms imaginable, and desired me to let himhave timely notice, and he would come andmeet me, two day's journey. This puzzled mescurvily, and I did not know what answer tomake of it. Once I resolved to take the stage-coach to West Chester, on purpose only to havethe satisfaction of coming back, that he mightsee me really come in the same coach; for I hada jealous thought, though I had no ground for itat all, lest he should think I was not really in

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the country. And it was no ill-groundedthought as you shall hear presently.

I endeavoured to reason myself out of it, but itwas in vain; the impression lay so strong on mymind, that it was not to be resisted. At last itcame as an addition to my new design of goinginto the country, that it would be an excellentblind to my old governess, and would coverentirely all my other affairs, for she did notknow in the least whether my new lover livedin London or in Lancashire; and when I toldher my resolution, she was fully persuaded itwas in Lancashire.

Having taken my measure for this journey I lether know it, and sent the maid that tended me,from the beginning, to take a place for me inthe coach. She would have had me let the maidhave waited on me down to the last stage, andcome up again in the waggon, but I convincedher it would not be convenient. When I wentaway, she told me she would enter into no

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measures for correspondence, for she saw evi-dently that my affection to my child wouldcause me to write to her, and to visit her toowhen I came to town again. I assured her itwould, and so took my leave, well satisfied tohave been freed from such a house, howevergood my accommodations there had been, as Ihave related above.

I took the place in the coach not to its full ex-tent, but to a place called Stone, in Cheshire, Ithink it is, where I not only had no manner ofbusiness, but not so much as the least acquaint-ance with any person in the town or near it. ButI knew that with money in the pocket one is athome anywhere; so I lodged there two or threedays, till, watching my opportunity, I foundroom in another stage-coach, and took passageback again for London, sending a letter to mygentleman that I should be such a certain day atStony-Stratford, where the coachman told mehe was to lodge.

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It happened to be a chance coach that I hadtaken up, which, having been hired on purposeto carry some gentlemen to West Chester whowere going for Ireland, was now returning, anddid not tie itself to exact times or places as thestages did; so that, having been obliged to liestill on Sunday, he had time to get himself rea-dy to come out, which otherwise he could nothave done.

However, his warning was so short, that hecould not reach to Stony-Stratford time enoughto be with me at night, but he met me at a placecalled Brickhill the next morning, as we werejust coming in to tow.

I confess I was very glad to see him, for I hadthought myself a little disappointed over-night,seeing I had gone so far to contrive my comingon purpose. He pleased me doubly too by thefigure he came in, for he brought a very hand-some (gentleman's) coach and four horses, witha servant to attend him.

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He took me out of the stage-coach immediately,which stopped at an inn in Brickhill; and put-ting into the same inn, he set up his own coach,and bespoke his dinner. I asked him what hemeant by that, for I was for going forward withthe journey. He said, No, I had need of a littlerest upon the road, and that was a very goodsort of a house, though it was but a little town;so we would go no farther that night, whatevercame of it.

I did not press him much, for since he had co-me so to meet me, and put himself to so muchexpense, it was but reasonable I should obligehim a little too; so I was easy as to that point.

After dinner we walked to see the town, to seethe church, and to view the fields, and thecountry, as is usual for strangers to do; and ourlandlord was our guide in going to see thechurch. I observed my gentleman inquiredpretty much about the parson, and I took thehint immediately that he certainly would pro-

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pose to be married; and though it was a suddenthought, it followed presently, that, in short, Iwould not refuse him; for, to be plain, with mycircumstances I was in no condition now to sayNo; I had no reason now to run any more suchhazards.

But while these thoughts ran round in myhead, which was the work but of a few mo-ments, I observed my landlord took him asideand whispered to him, though not very softlyneither, for so much I overheard: 'Sir, if youshall have occasion——' the rest I could nothear, but it seems it was to this purpose: 'Sir, ifyou shall have occasion for a minister, I have afriend a little way off that will serve you, andbe as private as you please.' My gentleman an-swered loud enough for me to hear, 'Very well,I believe I shall.'

I was no sooner come back to the inn but he fellupon me with irresistible words, that since hehad had the good fortune to meet me, and eve-

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rything concurred, it would be hastening hisfelicity if I would put an end to the matter justthere. 'What do you mean?' says I, colouring alittle. 'What, in an inn, and upon the road! Blessus all,' said I, as if I had been surprised, 'howcan you talk so?' 'Oh, I can talk so very well,'says he, 'I came a-purpose to talk so, and I'llshow you that I did'; and with that he pulls outa great bundle of papers. 'You fright me,' said I;'what are all these?' 'Don't be frighted, my de-ar,' said he, and kissed me. This was the firsttime that he had been so free to call me 'mydear'; then he repeated it, 'Don't be frighted;you shall see what it is all'; then he laid them allabroad. There was first the deed or sentence ofdivorce from his wife, and the full evidence ofher playing the whore; then there were the cer-tificates of the minister and churchwardens ofthe parish where she lived, proving that shewas buried, and intimating the manner of herdeath; the copy of the coroner's warrant for ajury to sit upon her, and the verdict of the jury,

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who brought it in Non compos mentis. All thiswas indeed to the purpose, and to give me sat-isfaction, though, by the way, I was not soscrupulous, had he known all, but that I mighthave taken him without it. However, I lookedthem all over as well as I could, and told himthat this was all very clear indeed, but that heneed not have given himself the trouble to havebrought them out with him, for it was timeenough. Well, he said, it might be time enoughfor me, but no time but the present time wastime enough for him.

There were other papers rolled up, and I askedhim what they were. 'Why, ay,' says he, 'that'sthe question I wanted to have you ask me'; sohe unrolls them and takes out a little shagreencase, and gives me out of it a very fine diamondring. I could not refuse it, if I had a mind to doso, for he put it upon my finger; so I made hima curtsy and accepted it. Then he takes out an-other ring: 'And this,' says he, 'is for another

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occasion,' so he puts that in his pocket. 'Well,but let me see it, though,' says I, and smiled; 'Iguess what it is; I think you are mad.' 'I shouldhave been mad if I had done less,' says he, andstill he did not show me, and I had a greatmind to see it; so I says, 'Well, but let me see it.''Hold,' says he, 'first look here'; then he took upthe roll again and read it, and behold! it was alicence for us to be married. 'Why,' says I, 'areyou distracted? Why, you were fully satisfiedthat I would comply and yield at first word, orresolved to take no denial.' 'The last is certainlythe case,' said he. 'But you may be mistaken,'said I. 'No, no,' says he, 'how can you think so?I must not be denied, I can't be denied'; andwith that he fell to kissing me so violently, Icould not get rid of him.

There was a bed in the room, and we were wal-king to and again, eager in the discourse; at lasthe takes me by surprise in his arms, and threwme on the bed and himself with me, and hold-

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ing me fast in his arms, but without the leastoffer of any indecency, courted me to consentwith such repeated entreaties and arguments,protesting his affection, and vowing he wouldnot let me go till I had promised him, that atlast I said, 'Why, you resolve not to be denied,indeed, I can't be denied.' 'Well, well,' said I,and giving him a slight kiss, 'then you shan't bedenied,' said I; 'let me get up.'

He was so transported with my consent, andthe kind manner of it, that I began to think oncehe took it for a marriage, and would not stayfor the form; but I wronged him, for he gaveover kissing me, and then giving me two orthree kisses again, thanked me for my kindyielding to him; and was so overcome with thesatisfaction and joy of it, that I saw tears standin his eyes.

I turned from him, for it filled my eyes withtears too, and I asked him leave to retire a littleto my chamber. If ever I had a grain of true

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repentance for a vicious and abominable life fortwenty-four years past, it was then. On, what afelicity is it to mankind, said I to myself, thatthey cannot see into the hearts of one another!How happy had it been for me if I had beenwife to a man of so much honesty, and so muchaffection from the beginning!

Then it occurred to me, 'What an abominablecreature am I! and how is this innocent gentle-man going to be abused by me! How little doeshe think, that having divorced a whore, he isthrowing himself into the arms of another! thathe is going to marry one that has lain with twobrothers, and has had three children by herown brother! one that was born in Newgate,whose mother was a whore, and is now atransported thief! one that has lain with thir-teen men, and has had a child since he saw me!Poor gentleman!' said I, 'what is he going todo?' After this reproaching myself was over, itfollowing thus: 'Well, if I must be his wife, if it

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please God to give me grace, I'll be a true wifeto him, and love him suitably to the strangeexcess of his passion for me; I will make himamends if possible, by what he shall see, for thecheats and abuses I put upon him, which hedoes not see.'

He was impatient for my coming out of mychamber, but finding me long, he went down-stairs and talked with my landlord about theparson.

My landlord, an officious though well-meaningfellow, had sent away for the neighbouringclergyman; and when my gentleman began tospeak of it to him, and talk of sending for him,'Sir,' says he to him, 'my friend is in the house';so without any more words he brought themtogether. When he came to the minister, he as-ked him if he would venture to marry a coupleof strangers that were both willing. The parsonsaid that Mr. —— had said something to him ofit; that he hoped it was no clandestine business;

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that he seemed to be a grave gentleman, and hesupposed madam was not a girl, so that theconsent of friends should be wanted. 'To putyou out of doubt of that,' says my gentleman,'read this paper'; and out he pulls the license. 'Iam satisfied,' says the minister; 'where is thelady?' 'You shall see her presently,' says mygentleman.

When he had said thus he comes upstairs, and Iwas by that time come out of my room; so hetells me the minister was below, and that hehad talked with him, and that upon showinghim the license, he was free to marry us with allhis heart, 'but he asks to see you'; so he asked ifI would let him come up.

''Tis time enough,' said I, 'in the morning, is itnot?' 'Why,' said he, 'my dear, he seemed toscruple whether it was not some young girlstolen from her parents, and I assured him wewere both of age to command our own consent;and that made him ask to see you.' 'Well,' said

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I, 'do as you please'; so up they brings the par-son, and a merry, good sort of gentleman hewas. He had been told, it seems, that we hadmet there by accident, that I came in the Ches-ter coach, and my gentleman in his own coachto meet me; that we were to have met last nightat Stony-Stratford, but that he could not reachso far. 'Well, sir,' says the parson, 'every ill turnhas some good in it. The disappointment, sir,'says he to my gentleman, 'was yours, and thegood turn is mine, for if you had met at Stony-Stratford I had not had the honour to marryyou. Landlord, have you a Common PrayerBook?'

I started as if I had been frightened. 'Lord, sir,'says I, 'what do you mean? What, to marry inan inn, and at night too?' 'Madam,' says theminister, 'if you will have it be in the church,you shall; but I assure you your marriage willbe as firm here as in the church; we are not tiedby the canons to marry nowhere but in the

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church; and if you will have it in the church, itwill be a public as a county fair; and as for thetime of day, it does not at all weigh in this case;our princes are married in their chambers, andat eight or ten o'clock at night.'

I was a great while before I could be persuaded,and pretended not to be willing at all to be ma-rried but in the church. But it was all grimace;so I seemed at last to be prevailed on, and mylandlord and his wife and daughter were calledup. My landlord was father and clerk and alltogether, and we were married, and very merrywe were; though I confess the self-reproacheswhich I had upon me before lay close to me,and extorted every now and then a deep sighfrom me, which my bridegroom took notice of,and endeavoured to encourage me, thinking,poor man, that I had some little hesitations atthe step I had taken so hastily.

We enjoyed ourselves that evening completely,and yet all was kept so private in the inn that

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not a servant in the house knew of it, for mylandlady and her daughter waited on me, andwould not let any of the maids come upstairs,except while we were at supper. My landlady'sdaughter I called my bridesmaid; and sendingfor a shopkeeper the next morning, I gave theyoung woman a good suit of knots, as good asthe town would afford, and finding it was alace-making town, I gave her mother a piece ofbone-lace for a head.

One reason that my landlord was so close was,that he was unwilling the minister of the parishshould hear of it; but for all that somebodyheard of it, so at that we had the bells set a-ringing the next morning early, and the music,such as the town would afford, under our win-dow; but my landlord brazened it out, that wewere married before we came thither, only that,being his former guests, we would have ourwedding-supper at his house.

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We could not find in our hearts to stir the nextday; for, in short, having been disturbed by thebells in the morning, and having perhaps notslept overmuch before, we were so sleepy af-terwards that we lay in bed till almost twelveo'clock.

I begged my landlady that we might not haveany more music in the town, nor ringing ofbells, and she managed it so well that we werevery quiet; but an odd passage interrupted allmy mirth for a good while. The great room ofthe house looked into the street, and my newspouse being belowstairs, I had walked to theend of the room; and it being a pleasant, warmday, I had opened the window, and was stand-ing at it for some air, when I saw three gentle-men come by on horseback and go into an innjust against us.

It was not to be concealed, nor was it so doubt-ful as to leave me any room to question it, butthe second of the three was my Lancashire hus-

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band. I was frightened to death; I never was insuch a consternation in my life; I though Ishould have sunk into the ground; my bloodran chill in my veins, and I trembled as if I hadbeen in a cold fit of ague. I say, there was noroom to question the truth of it; I knew hisclothes, I knew his horse, and I knew his face.

The first sensible reflect I made was, that myhusband was not by to see my disorder, andthat I was very glad of it. The gentlemen hadnot been long in the house but they came to thewindow of their room, as is usual; but my win-dow was shut, you may be sure. However, Icould not keep from peeping at them, and thereI saw him again, heard him call out to one ofthe servants of the house for something hewanted, and received all the terrifying confir-mations of its being the same person that werepossible to be had.

My next concern was to know, if possible, whatwas his business there; but that was impossible.

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Sometimes my imagination formed an idea ofone frightful thing, sometimes of another; so-metime I thought he had discovered me, andwas come to upbraid me with ingratitude andbreach of honour; and every moment I fanciedhe was coming up the stairs to insult me; andinnumerable fancies came into my head ofwhat was never in his head, nor ever could be,unless the devil had revealed it to him.

I remained in this fright nearly two hours, andscarce ever kept my eye from the window ordoor of the inn where they were. At last, hear-ing a great clatter in the passage of their inn, Iran to the window, and, to my great satisfac-tion, saw them all three go out again and travelon westward. Had they gone towards London,I should have been still in a fright, lest I shouldmeet him on the road again, and that he shouldknow me; but he went the contrary way, and soI was eased of that disorder.

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We resolved to be going the next day, but aboutsix o'clock at night we were alarmed with agreat uproar in the street, and people riding asif they had been out of their wits; and what wasit but a hue-and-cry after three highwaymenthat had robbed two coaches and some othertravellers near Dunstable Hill, and notice had,it seems, been given that they had been seen atBrickhill at such a house, meaning the housewhere those gentlemen had been.

The house was immediately beset and sear-ched, but there were witnesses enough that thegentlemen had been gone over three hours. Thecrowd having gathered about, we had the newspresently; and I was heartily concerned nowanother way. I presently told the people of thehouse, that I durst to say those were not thepersons, for that I knew one of the gentlemen tobe a very honest person, and of a good estate inLancashire.

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The constable who came with the hue-and-crywas immediately informed of this, and cameover to me to be satisfied from my own mouth,and I assured him that I saw the three gentle-men as I was at the window; that I saw themafterwards at the windows of the room theydined in; that I saw them afterwards take horse,and I could assure him I knew one of them tobe such a man, that he was a gentleman of avery good estate, and an undoubted characterin Lancashire, from whence I was just nowupon my journey.

The assurance with which I delivered this gavethe mob gentry a check, and gave the constablesuch satisfaction, that he immediately soundeda retreat, told his people these were not themen, but that he had an account they were veryhonest gentlemen; and so they went all backagain. What the truth of the matter was I knewnot, but certain it was that the coaches wererobbed at Dunstable Hill, and #560 in money

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taken; besides, some of the lace merchants thatalways travel that way had been visited too. Asto the three gentlemen, that remains to be ex-plained hereafter.

Well, this alarm stopped us another day,though my spouse was for travelling, and toldme that it was always safest travelling after arobbery, for that the thieves were sure to begone far enough off when they had alarmed thecountry; but I was afraid and uneasy, and in-deed principally lest my old acquaintanceshould be upon the road still, and shouldchance to see me.

I never lived four pleasanter days together inmy life. I was a mere bride all this while, andmy new spouse strove to make me entirely easyin everything. Oh could this state of life havecontinued, how had all my past troubles beenforgot, and my future sorrows avoided! But Ihad a past life of a most wretched kind to ac-

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count for, some if it in this world as well as inanother.

We came away the fifth day; and my landlord,because he saw me uneasy, mounted himself,his son, and three honest country fellows withgood firearms, and, without telling us of it, fol-lowed the coach, and would see us safe intoDunstable. We could do no less than treat themvery handsomely at Dunstable, which cost myspouse about ten or twelve shillings, and some-thing he gave the men for their time too, butmy landlord would take nothing for himself.

This was the most happy contrivance for methat could have fallen out; for had I come toLondon unmarried, I must either have come tohim for the first night's entertainment, or havediscovered to him that I had not one acquaint-ance in the whole city of London that couldreceive a poor bride for the first night's lodgingwith her spouse. But now, being an old marriedwoman, I made no scruple of going directly

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home with him, and there I took possession atonce of a house well furnished, and a husbandin very good circumstances, so that I had aprospect of a very happy life, if I knew how tomanage it; and I had leisure to consider of thereal value of the life I was likely to live. Howdifferent it was to be from the loose ungov-erned part I had acted before, and how muchhappier a life of virtue and sobriety is, than thatwhich we call a life of pleasure.

Oh had this particular scene of life lasted, orhad I learned from that time I enjoyed it, tohave tasted the true sweetness of it, and had Inot fallen into that poverty which is the surebane of virtue, how happy had I been, not onlyhere, but perhaps for ever! for while I livedthus, I was really a penitent for all my life past.I looked back on it with abhorrence, and mighttruly be said to hate myself for it. I often re-flected how my lover at the Bath, struck at thehand of God, repented and abandoned me, and

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refused to see me any more, though he lovedme to an extreme; but I, prompted by thatworst of devils, poverty, returned to the vilepractice, and made the advantage of what theycall a handsome face to be the relief to my ne-cessities, and beauty be a pimp to vice.

Now I seemed landed in a safe harbour, afterthe stormy voyage of life past was at an end,and I began to be thankful for my deliverance. Isat many an hour by myself, and wept over theremembrance of past follies, and the dreadfulextravagances of a wicked life, and sometimes Iflattered myself that I had sincerely repented.

But there are temptations which it is not in thepower of human nature to resist, and few knowwhat would be their case if driven to the sameexigencies. As covetousness is the root of allevil, so poverty is, I believe, the worst of allsnares. But I waive that discourse till I come toan experiment.

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I lived with this husband with the utmost tran-quillity; he was a quiet, sensible, sober man;virtuous, modest, sincere, and in his businessdiligent and just. His business was in a narrowcompass, and his income sufficient to a plenti-ful way of living in the ordinary way. I do notsay to keep an equipage, and make a figure, asthe world calls it, nor did I expect it, or desireit; for as I abhorred the levity and extravaganceof my former life, so I chose now to live retired,frugal, and within ourselves. I kept no com-pany, made no visits; minded my family, andobliged my husband; and this kind of life be-came a pleasure to me.

We lived in an uninterrupted course of easeand content for five years, when a sudden blowfrom an almost invisible hand blasted all myhappiness, and turned me out into the world ina condition the reverse of all that had been be-fore it.

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My husband having trusted one of his fellow-clerks with a sum of money, too much for ourfortunes to bear the loss of, the clerk failed, andthe loss fell very heavy on my husband, yet itwas not so great neither but that, if he had hadspirit and courage to have looked his misfor-tunes in the face, his credit was so good that, asI told him, he would easily recover it; for tosink under trouble is to double the weight, andhe that will die in it, shall die in it.

It was in vain to speak comfortably to him; thewound had sunk too deep; it was a stab thattouched the vitals; he grew melancholy anddisconsolate, and from thence lethargic, anddied. I foresaw the blow, and was extremelyoppressed in my mind, for I saw evidently thatif he died I was undone.

I had had two children by him and no more,for, to tell the truth, it began to be time for meto leave bearing children, for I was now eight-

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and-forty, and I suppose if he had lived Ishould have had no more.

I was now left in a dismal and disconsolate caseindeed, and in several things worse than ever.First, it was past the flourishing time with mewhen I might expect to be courted for a mis-tress; that agreeable part had declined sometime, and the ruins only appeared of what hadbeen; and that which was worse than all this,that I was the most dejected, disconsolate crea-ture alive. I that had encouraged my husband,and endeavoured to support his spirits underhis trouble, could not support my own; I wan-ted that spirit in trouble which I told him wasso necessary to him for bearing the burthen.

But my case was indeed deplorable, for I wasleft perfectly friendless and helpless, and theloss my husband had sustained had reducedhis circumstances so low, that though indeed Iwas not in debt, yet I could easily foresee thatwhat was left would not support me long; that

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while it wasted daily for subsistence, I had notway to increase it one shilling, so that it wouldbe soon all spent, and then I saw nothing beforeme but the utmost distress; and this repre-sented itself so lively to my thoughts, that itseemed as if it was come, before it was reallyvery near; also my very apprehensions doubledthe misery, for I fancied every sixpence that Ipaid for a loaf of bread was the last that I hadin the world, and that to-morrow I was to fast,and be starved to death.

In this distress I had no assistant, no friend tocomfort or advise me; I sat and cried and tor-mented myself night and day, wringing myhands, and sometimes raving like a distractedwoman; and indeed I have often wondered ithad not affected my reason, for I had the va-pours to such a degree, that my understandingwas sometimes quite lost in fancies and imagi-nations.

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I lived two years in this dismal condition, wast-ing that little I had, weeping continually overmy dismal circumstances, and, as it were, onlybleeding to death, without the least hope orprospect of help from God or man; and now Ihad cried too long, and so often, that tears we-re, as I might say, exhausted, and I began to bedesperate, for I grew poor apace.

For a little relief I had put off my house andtook lodgings; and as I was reducing my living,so I sold off most of my goods, which put alittle money in my pocket, and I lived near ayear upon that, spending very sparingly, andeking things out to the utmost; but still when Ilooked before me, my very heart would sinkwithin me at the inevitable approach of miseryand want. Oh let none read this part withoutseriously reflecting on the circumstances of adesolate state, and how they would grapplewith mere want of friends and want of bread; itwill certainly make them think not of sparing

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what they have only, but of looking up to hea-ven for support, and of the wise man's prayer,'Give me not poverty, lest I steal.'

Let them remember that a time of distress is atime of dreadful temptation, and all thestrength to resist is taken away; poverty pres-ses, the soul is made desperate by distress, andwhat can be done? It was one evening, whenbeing brought, as I may say, to the last gasp, Ithink I may truly say I was distracted and rav-ing, when prompted by I know not what spirit,and, as it were, doing I did not know what orwhy, I dressed me (for I had still pretty goodclothes) and went out. I am very sure I had nomanner of design in my head when I went out;I neither knew nor considered where to go, oron what business; but as the devil carried meout and laid his bait for me, so he brought me,to be sure, to the place, for I knew not whither Iwas going or what I did.

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Wandering thus about, I knew not whither, Ipassed by an apothecary's shop in LeadenhallStreet, when I saw lie on a stool just before thecounter a little bundle wrapped in a whitecloth; beyond it stood a maid-servant with herback to it, looking towards the top of the shop,where the apothecary's apprentice, as I sup-pose, was standing upon the counter, with hisback also to the door, and a candle in his hand,looking and reaching up to the upper shelf forsomething he wanted, so that both were en-gaged mighty earnestly, and nobody else in theshop.

This was the bait; and the devil, who I said laidthe snare, as readily prompted me as if he hadspoke, for I remember, and shall never forget it,'twas like a voice spoken to me over my shoul-der, 'Take the bundle; be quick; do it this mo-ment.' It was no sooner said but I stepped intothe shop, and with my back to the wench, as if Ihad stood up for a cart that was going by, I put

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my hand behind me and took the bundle, andwent off with it, the maid or the fellow not per-ceiving me, or any one else.

It is impossible to express the horror of my soulall the while I did it. When I went away I hadno heart to run, or scarce to mend my pace. Icrossed the street indeed, and went down thefirst turning I came to, and I think it was astreet that went through into Fenchurch Street.From thence I crossed and turned through somany ways and turnings, that I could never tellwhich way it was, not where I went; for I feltnot the ground I stepped on, and the farther Iwas out of danger, the faster I went, till, tiredand out of breath, I was forced to sit down on alittle bench at a door, and then I began to re-cover, and found I was got into Thames Street,near Billingsgate. I rested me a little and wenton; my blood was all in a fire; my heart beat asif I was in a sudden fright. In short, I was under

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such a surprise that I still knew not wither Iwas going, or what to do.

After I had tired myself thus with walking along way about, and so eagerly, I began to con-sider and make home to my lodging, where Icame about nine o'clock at night.

When the bundle was made up for, or on whatoccasion laid where I found it, I knew not, butwhen I came to open it I found there was a suitof childbed-linen in it, very good and almostnew, the lace very fine; there was a silver por-ringer of a pint, a small silver mug and sixspoons, with some other linen, a good smock,and three silk handkerchiefs, and in the mug,wrapped up in a paper, 18s. 6d. in money.

All the while I was opening these things I wasunder such dreadful impressions of fear, and Isuch terror of mind, though I was perfectlysafe, that I cannot express the manner of it. I satme down, and cried most vehemently. 'Lord,'

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said I, 'what am I now? a thief! Why, I shall betaken next time, and be carried to Newgate andbe tried for my life!' And with that I cried againa long time, and I am sure, as poor as I was, if Ihad durst for fear, I would certainly have car-ried the things back again; but that went offafter a while. Well, I went to bed for that night,but slept little; the horror of the fact was uponmy mind, and I knew not what I said or did allnight, and all the next day. Then I was impa-tient to hear some news of the loss; and wouldfain know how it was, whether they were apoor body's goods, or a rich. 'Perhaps,' said I, 'itmay be some poor widow like me, that hadpacked up these goods to go and sell them for alittle bread for herself and a poor child, and arenow starving and breaking their hearts forwant of that little they would have fetched.'And this thought tormented me worse than allthe rest, for three or four days' time.

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But my own distresses silenced all these reflec-tions, and the prospect of my own starving,which grew every day more frightful to me,hardened my heart by degrees. It was then par-ticularly heavy upon my mind, that I had beenreformed, and had, as I hoped, repented of allmy past wickedness; that I had lived a sober,grave, retired life for several years, but now Ishould be driven by the dreadful necessity ofmy circumstances to the gates of destruction,soul and body; and two or three times I fellupon my knees, praying to God, as well as Icould, for deliverance; but I cannot but say, myprayers had no hope in them. I knew not whatto do; it was all fear without, and dark within;and I reflected on my past life as not sincerelyrepented of, that Heaven was now beginning topunish me on this side the grave, and wouldmake me as miserable as I had been wicked.

Had I gone on here I had perhaps been a truepenitent; but I had an evil counsellor within,

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and he was continually prompting me to re-lieve myself by the worst means; so one eve-ning he tempted me again, by the same wickedimpulse that had said 'Take that bundle,' to goout again and seek for what might happen.

I went out now by daylight, and wanderedabout I knew not whither, and in search of Iknew not what, when the devil put a snare inmy way of a dreadful nature indeed, and sucha one as I have never had before or since. Goingthrough Aldersgate Street, there was a prettylittle child who had been at a dancing-school,and was going home, all alone; and my promp-ter, like a true devil, set me upon this innocentcreature. I talked to it, and it prattled to meagain, and I took it by the hand and led it alongtill I came to a paved alley that goes into Bar-tholomew Close, and I led it in there. The childsaid that was not its way home. I said, 'Yes, mydear, it is; I'll show you the way home.' Thechild had a little necklace on of gold beads, and

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I had my eye upon that, and in the dark of thealley I stooped, pretending to mend the child'sclog that was loose, and took off her necklace,and the child never felt it, and so led the childon again. Here, I say, the devil put me uponkilling the child in the dark alley, that it mightnot cry, but the very thought frighted me sothat I was ready to drop down; but I turned thechild about and bade it go back again, for thatwas not its way home. The child said, so shewould, and I went through into BartholomewClose, and then turned round to another pas-sage that goes into St. John Street; then, cross-ing into Smithfield, went down Chick Lane andinto Field Lane to Holborn Bridge, when, mix-ing with the crowd of people usually passingthere, it was not possible to have been foundout; and thus I enterprised my second sally intothe world.

The thoughts of this booty put out all thethoughts of the first, and the reflections I had

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made wore quickly off; poverty, as I have said,hardened my heart, and my own necessitiesmade me regardless of anything. The last affairleft no great concern upon me, for as I did thepoor child no harm, I only said to myself, I hadgiven the parents a just reproof for their negli-gence in leaving the poor little lamb to comehome by itself, and it would teach them to takemore care of it another time.

This string of beads was worth about twelve orfourteen pounds. I suppose it might have beenformerly the mother's, for it was too big for thechild's wear, but that perhaps the vanity of themother, to have her child look fine at the danc-ing-school, had made her let the child wear it;and no doubt the child had a maid sent to takecare of it, but she, careless jade, was taken upperhaps with some fellow that had met her bythe way, and so the poor baby wandered till itfell into my hands.

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However, I did the child no harm; I did not somuch as fright it, for I had a great many tenderthoughts about me yet, and did nothing butwhat, as I may say, mere necessity drove me to.

I had a great many adventures after this, but Iwas young in the business, and did not knowhow to manage, otherwise than as the devil putthings into my head; and indeed he was seldombackward to me. One adventure I had whichwas very lucky to me. I was going throughLombard Street in the dusk of the evening, justby the end of Three King court, when on a sud-den comes a fellow running by me as swift aslightning, and throws a bundle that was in hishand, just behind me, as I stood up against thecorner of the house at the turning into the alley.Just as he threw it in he said, 'God bless you,mistress, let it lie there a little,' and away heruns swift as the wind. After him comes twomore, and immediately a young fellow withouthis hat, crying 'Stop thief!' and after him two or

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three more. They pursued the two last fellowsso close, that they were forced to drop whatthey had got, and one of them was taken intothe bargain, and other got off free.

I stood stock-still all this while, till they cameback, dragging the poor fellow they had taken,and lugging the things they had found, ex-tremely well satisfied that they had recoveredthe booty and taken the thief; and thus theypassed by me, for I looked only like one whostood up while the crowd was gone.

Once or twice I asked what was the matter, butthe people neglected answering me, and I wasnot very importunate; but after the crowd waswholly past, I took my opportunity to turnabout and take up what was behind me andwalk away. This, indeed, I did with less distur-bance than I had done formerly, for thesethings I did not steal, but they were stolen tomy hand. I got safe to my lodgings with thiscargo, which was a piece of fine black lustring

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silk, and a piece of velvet; the latter was butpart of a piece of about eleven yards; the formerwas a whole piece of near fifty yards. It seems itwas a mercer's shop that they had rifled. I sayrifled, because the goods were so considerablethat they had lost; for the goods that they re-covered were pretty many, and I believe cameto about six or seven several pieces of silk. Howthey came to get so many I could not tell; but asI had only robbed the thief, I made no scrupleat taking these goods, and being very glad ofthem too.

I had pretty good luck thus far, and I madeseveral adventures more, though with butsmall purchase, yet with good success, but Iwent in daily dread that some mischief wouldbefall me, and that I should certainly come tobe hanged at last. The impression this made onme was too strong to be slighted, and it keptme from making attempts that, for ought Iknew, might have been very safely performed;

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but one thing I cannot omit, which was a bait tome many a day. I walked frequently out intothe villages round the town, to see if nothingwould fall in my way there; and going by ahouse near Stepney, I saw on the window-board two rings, one a small diamond ring, andthe other a gold ring, to be sure laid there bysome thoughtless lady, that had more moneythen forecast, perhaps only till she washed herhands.

I walked several times by the window to ob-serve if I could see whether there was anybodyin the room or no, and I could see nobody, butstill I was not sure. It came presently into mythoughts to rap at the glass, as if I wanted tospeak with somebody, and if anybody was the-re they would be sure to come to the window,and then I would tell them to remove thoserings, for that I had seen two suspicious fellowstake notice of them. This was a ready thought. Irapped once or twice and nobody came, when,

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seeing the coast clear, I thrust hard against thesquare of the glass, and broke it with very littlenoise, and took out the two rings, and walkedaway with them very safe. The diamond ringwas worth about #3, and the other about 9s.

I was now at a loss for a market for my goods,and especially for my two pieces of silk. I wasvery loth to dispose of them for a trifle, as thepoor unhappy thieves in general do, who, afterthey have ventured their lives for perhaps athing of value, are fain to sell it for a song whenthey have done; but I was resolved I would notdo thus, whatever shift I made, unless I wasdriven to the last extremity. However, I did notwell know what course to take. At last I re-solved to go to my old governess, and acquaintmyself with her again. I had punctually sup-plied the #5 a year to her for my little boy aslong as I was able, but at last was obliged to puta stop to it. However, I had written a letter toher, wherein I had told her that my circum-

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stances were reduced very low; that I had lostmy husband, and that I was not able to do itany longer, and so begged that the poor childmight not suffer too much for its mother's mis-fortunes.

I now made her a visit, and I found that shedrove something of the old trade still, but thatshe was not in such flourishing circumstancesas before; for she had been sued by a certaingentleman who had had his daughter stolenfrom him, and who, it seems, she had helped toconvey away; and it was very narrowly thatshe escaped the gallows. The expense also hadravaged her, and she was become very poor;her house was but meanly furnished, and shewas not in such repute for her practice as be-fore; however, she stood upon her legs, as theysay, and a she was a stirring, bustling woman,and had some stock left, she was turned pawn-broker, and lived pretty well.

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She received me very civilly, and with herusual obliging manner told me she would nothave the less respect for me for my being re-duced; that she had taken care my boy wasvery well looked after, though I could not payfor him, and that the woman that had him waseasy, so that I needed not to trouble myselfabout him till I might be better able to do iteffectually.

I told her that I had not much money left, butthat I had some things that were money'sworth, if she could tell me how I might turnthem into money. She asked me what it was Ihad. I pulled out the string of gold beads, andtold her it was one of my husband's presents tome; then I showed her the two parcels of silk,which I told her I had from Ireland, andbrought up to town with me; and the littlediamond ring. As to the small parcel of plateand spoons, I had found means to dispose ofthem myself before; and as for the childbed-

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linen I had, she offered me to take it herself,believing it to have been my own. She told methat she was turned pawnbroker, and that shewould sell those things for me as pawn to her;and so she sent presently for proper agents thatbought them, being in her hands, without anyscruple, and gave good prices too.

I now began to think this necessary womanmight help me a little in my low condition tosome business, for I would gladly have turnedmy hand to any honest employment if I couldhave got it. But here she was deficient; honestbusiness did not come within her reach. If I hadbeen younger, perhaps she might have helpedme to a spark, but my thoughts were off thatkind of livelihood, as being quite out of theway after fifty, which was my case, and so Itold her.

She invited me at last to come, and be at herhouse till I could find something to do, and itshould cost me very little, and this I gladly ac-

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cepted of. And now living a little easier, I en-tered into some measures to have my little sonby my last husband taken off; and this shemade easy too, reserving a payment only of #5a year, if I could pay it. This was such a help tome, that for a good while I left off the wickedtrade that I had so newly taken up; and gladly Iwould have got my bread by the help of myneedle if I could have got work, but that wasvery hard to do for one that had no manner ofacquaintance in the world.

However, at last I got some quilting work forladies' beds, petticoats, and the like; and this Iliked very well, and worked very hard, andwith this I began to live; but the diligent devil,who resolved I should continue in his service,continually prompted me to go out and take awalk, that is to say, to see if anything wouldoffer in the old way.

One evening I blindly obeyed his summons,and fetched a long circuit through the streets,

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but met with no purchase, and came home veryweary and empty; but not content with that, Iwent out the next evening too, when going byan alehouse I saw the door of a little roomopen, next the very street, and on the table asilver tankard, things much in use in public-houses at that time. It seems some companyhad been drinking there, and the careless boyshad forgot to take it away.

I went into the box frankly, and setting the sil-ver tankard on the corner of the bench, I satdown before it, and knocked with my foot; aboy came presently, and I bade him fetch me apint of warm ale, for it was cold weather; theboy ran, and I heard him go down the cellar todraw the ale. While the boy was gone, anotherboy came into the room, and cried, 'D' ye call?' Ispoke with a melancholy air, and said, 'No,child; the boy is gone for a pint of ale for me.'

While I sat here, I heard the woman in the barsay, 'Are they all gone in the five?' which was

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the box I sat in, and the boy said, 'Yes.' 'Whofetched the tankard away?' says the woman. 'Idid,' says another boy; 'that's it,' pointing, itseems, to another tankard, which he had fet-ched from another box by mistake; or else itmust be, that the rogue forgot that he had notbrought it in, which certainly he had not.

I heard all this, much to my satisfaction, for Ifound plainly that the tankard was not missed,and yet they concluded it was fetched away; soI drank my ale, called to pay, and as I wentaway I said, 'Take care of your plate, child,'meaning a silver pint mug, which he broughtme drink in. The boy said, 'Yes, madam, verywelcome,' and away I came.

I came home to my governess, and now Ithought it was a time to try her, that if I mightbe put to the necessity of being exposed, shemight offer me some assistance. When I hadbeen at home some time, and had an opportu-nity of talking to her, I told her I had a secret of

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the greatest consequence in the world to com-mit to her, if she had respect enough for me tokeep it a secret. She told me she had kept one ofmy secrets faithfully; why should I doubt herkeeping another? I told her the strangest thingin the world had befallen me, and that it hadmade a thief of me, even without any design,and so told her the whole story of the tankard.'And have you brought it away with you, mydear?' says she. 'To be sure I have,' says I, andshowed it her. 'But what shall I do now,' says I;'must not carry it again?'

'Carry it again!' says she. 'Ay, if you are mindedto be sent to Newgate for stealing it.' 'Why,'says I, 'they can't be so base to stop me, when Icarry it to them again?' 'You don't know thosesort of people, child,' says she; 'they'll not onlycarry you to Newgate, but hang you too, with-out any regard to the honesty of returning it; orbring in an account of all the other tankardsthey have lost, for you to pay for.' 'What must I

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do, then?' says I. 'Nay,' says she, 'as you haveplayed the cunning part and stole it, you muste'en keep it; there's no going back now. Besides,child,' says she, 'don't you want it more thanthey do? I wish you could light of such a bar-gain once a week.'

This gave me a new notion of my governess,and that since she was turned pawnbroker, shehad a sort of people about her that were noneof the honest ones that I had met with therebefore.

I had not been long there but I discovered itmore plainly than before, for every now andthen I saw hilts of swords, spoons, forks, tank-ards, and all such kind of ware brought in, notto be pawned, but to be sold downright; andshe bought everything that came without ask-ing any questions, but had very good bargains,as I found by her discourse.

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I found also that in following this trade shealways melted down the plate she bought, thatit might not be challenged; and she came to meand told me one morning that she was going tomelt, and if I would, she would put my tankardin, that it might not be seen by anybody. I toldher, with all my heart; so she weighed it, andallowed me the full value in silver again; but Ifound she did not do the same to the rest of hercustomers.

Some time after this, as I was at work, and verymelancholy, she begins to ask me what the mat-ter was, as she was used to do. I told her myheart was heavy; I had little work, and nothingto live on, and knew not what course to take.She laughed, and told me I must go out againand try my fortune; it might be that I mightmeet with another piece of plate. 'O mother!'says I, 'that is a trade I have no skill in, and if Ishould be taken I am undone at once.' Says she,'I could help you to a schoolmistress that shall

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make you as dexterous as herself.' I trembled atthat proposal, for hitherto I had had no confed-erates, nor any acquaintance among that tribe.But she conquered all my modesty, and all myfears; and in a little time, by the help of thisconfederate, I grew as impudent a thief, and asdexterous as ever Moll Cutpurse was, though,if fame does not belie her, not half so hand-some.

The comrade she helped me to dealt in threesorts of craft, viz. shoplifting, stealing of shop-books and pocket-books, and taking off goldwatches from the ladies' sides; and this last shedid so dexterously that no woman ever arrivedto the performance of that art so as to do it likeher. I liked the first and the last of these thingsvery well, and I attended her some time in thepractice, just as a deputy attends a midwife,without any pay.

At length she put me to practice. She hadshown me her art, and I had several times un-

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hooked a watch from her own side with greatdexterity. At last she showed me a prize, andthis was a young lady big with child, who hada charming watch. The thing was to be done asshe came out of church. She goes on one side ofthe lady, and pretends, just as she came to thesteps, to fall, and fell against the lady with somuch violence as put her into a great fright,and both cried out terribly. In the very momentthat she jostled the lady, I had hold of thewatch, and holding it the right way, the startshe gave drew the hook out, and she never feltit. I made off immediately, and left my school-mistress to come out of her pretended frightgradually, and the lady too; and presently thewatch was missed. 'Ay,' says my comrade, 'thenit was those rogues that thrust me down, I war-rant ye; I wonder the gentlewoman did notmiss her watch before, then we might have ta-ken them.'

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She humoured the thing so well that nobodysuspected her, and I was got home a full hourbefore her. This was my first adventure in com-pany. The watch was indeed a very fine one,and had a great many trinkets about it, and mygoverness allowed us #20 for it, of which I hadhalf. And thus I was entered a complete thief,hardened to the pitch above all the reflectionsof conscience or modesty, and to a degreewhich I must acknowledge I never thoughtpossible in me.

Thus the devil, who began, by the help of anirresistible poverty, to push me into this wick-edness, brought me on to a height beyond thecommon rate, even when my necessities werenot so great, or the prospect of my misery soterrifying; for I had now got into a little vein ofwork, and as I was not at a loss to handle myneedle, it was very probable, as acquaintancecame in, I might have got my bread honestlyenough.

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I must say, that if such a prospect of work hadpresented itself at first, when I began to feel theapproach of my miserable circumstances—Isay, had such a prospect of getting my bread byworking presented itself then, I had never fa-llen into this wicked trade, or into such a wic-ked gang as I was now embarked with; butpractice had hardened me, and I grew auda-cious to the last degree; and the more so be-cause I had carried it on so long, and had neverbeen taken; for, in a word, my new partner inwickedness and I went on together so long,without being ever detected, that we not onlygrew bold, but we grew rich, and we had at onetime one-and-twenty gold watches in ourhands.

I remember that one day being a little moreserious than ordinary, and finding I had sogood a stock beforehand as I had, for I had near#200 in money for my share, it came stronglyinto my mind, no doubt from some kind spirit,

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if such there be, that at first poverty excited me,and my distresses drove me to these dreadfulshifts; so seeing those distresses were now re-lieved, and I could also get something towardsa maintenance by working, and had so good abank to support me, why should I now not lea-ve off, as they say, while I was well? that Icould not expect to go always free; and if I wasonce surprised, and miscarried, I was undone.

This was doubtless the happy minute, when, ifI had hearkened to the blessed hint, from what-soever had it came, I had still a cast for an easylife. But my fate was otherwise determined; thebusy devil that so industriously drew me inhad too fast hold of me to let me go back; but aspoverty brought me into the mire, so avaricekept me in, till there was no going back. As tothe arguments which my reason dictated forpersuading me to lay down, avarice stepped inand said, 'Go on, go on; you have had verygood luck; go on till you have gotten four or

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five hundred pounds, and they you shall leaveoff, and then you may live easy without work-ing at all.'

Thus I, that was once in the devil's clutches,was held fast there as with a charm, and had nopower to go without the circle, till I was en-gulfed in labyrinths of trouble too great to getout at all.

However, these thoughts left some impressionupon me, and made me act with some morecaution than before, and more than my direc-tors used for themselves. My comrade, as I ca-lled her, but rather she should have been calledmy teacher, with another of her scholars, wasthe first in the misfortune; for, happening to beupon the hunt for purchase, they made an at-tempt upon a linen-draper in Cheapside, butwere snapped by a hawk's-eyed journeyman,and seized with two pieces of cambric, whichwere taken also upon them.

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This was enough to lodge them both in New-gate, where they had the misfortune to havesome of their former sins brought toremembrance. Two other indictments beingbrought against them, and the facts beingproved upon them, they were both condemnedto die. They both pleaded their bellies, andwere both voted quick with child; though mytutoress was no more with child than I was.

I went frequently to see them, and condole withthem, expecting that it would be my turn next;but the place gave me so much horror, reflect-ing that it was the place of my unhappy birth,and of my mother's misfortunes, and that Icould not bear it, so I was forced to leave offgoing to see them.

And oh! could I have but taken warning bytheir disasters, I had been happy still, for I wasyet free, and had nothing brought against me;but it could not be, my measure was not yetfilled up.

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My comrade, having the brand of an old of-fender, was executed; the young offender wasspared, having obtained a reprieve, but laystarving a long while in prison, till at last shegot her name into what they call a circuitpardon, and so came off.

This terrible example of my comrade frightedme heartily, and for a good while I made noexcursions; but one night, in the neighbour-hood of my governess's house, they cried 'Fire.'My governess looked out, for we were all up,and cried immediately that such a gentle-woman's house was all of a light fire atop, andso indeed it was. Here she gives me a job.'Now, child,' says she, 'there is a rare opportu-nity, for the fire being so near that you may goto it before the street is blocked up with thecrowd.' She presently gave me my cue. 'Go,child,' says she, 'to the house, and run in andtell the lady, or anybody you see, that youcome to help them, and that you came from

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such a gentlewoman (that is, one of her ac-quaintance farther up the street).' She gave methe like cue to the next house, naming anothername that was also an acquaintance of the gen-tlewoman of the house.

Away I went, and, coming to the house, I foundthem all in confusion, you may be sure. I ran in,and finding one of the maids, 'Lord! sweet-heart,' says I, 'how came this dismal accident?Where is your mistress? Any how does she do?Is she safe? And where are the children? I comefrom Madam —— to help you.' Away runs themaid. 'Madam, madam,' says she, screaming asloud as she could yell, 'here is a gentlewomancome from Madam —— to help us.' The poorwoman, half out of her wits, with a bundle un-der her arm, an two little children, comes to-ward me. 'Lord! madam,' says I, 'let me carrythe poor children to Madam ——,' she desiresyou to send them; she'll take care of the poorlambs;' and immediately I takes one of them

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out of her hand, and she lifts the other up intomy arms. 'Ay, do, for God's sake,' says she, 'ca-rry them to her. Oh! thank her for her kind-ness.' 'Have you anything else to secure, ma-dam?' says I; 'she will take care of it.' 'Oh dear!ay,' says she, 'God bless her, and thank her.Take this bundle of plate and carry it to her too.Oh, she is a good woman. Oh Lord! we are ut-terly ruined, utterly undone!' And away sheruns from me out of her wits, and the maidsafter her; and away comes I with the two chil-dren and the bundle.

I was no sooner got into the street but I sawanother woman come to me. 'Oh!' says she,'mistress,' in a piteous tone, 'you will let fall thechild. Come, this is a sad time; let me help you';and immediately lays hold of my bundle tocarry it for me. 'No,' says I; 'if you will help me,take the child by the hand, and lead it for mebut to the upper end of the street; I'll go withyou and satisfy you for your pains.'

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She could not avoid going, after what I said;but the creature, in short, was one of the samebusiness with me, and wanted nothing but thebundle; however, she went with me to thedoor, for she could not help it. When we werecome there I whispered her, 'Go, child,' said I, 'Iunderstand your trade; you may meet withpurchase enough.'

She understood me and walked off. I thun-dered at the door with the children, and as thepeople were raised before by the noise of thefire, I was soon let in, and I said, 'Is madamawake? Pray tell her Mrs. —— desires the fa-vour of her to take the two children in; poorlady, she will be undone, their house is all of aflame,' They took the children in very civilly,pitied the family in distress, and away came Iwith my bundle. One of the maids asked me if Iwas not to leave the bundle too. I said, 'No,sweetheart, 'tis to go to another place; it doesnot belong to them.'

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I was a great way out of the hurry now, and soI went on, clear of anybody's inquiry, andbrought the bundle of plate, which was veryconsiderable, straight home, and gave it to myold governess. She told me she would not lookinto it, but bade me go out again to look formore.

She gave me the like cue to the gentlewoman ofthe next house to that which was on fire, and Idid my endeavour to go, but by this time thealarm of fire was so great, and so many enginesplaying, and the street so thronged with peo-ple, that I could not get near the house what-ever I would do; so I came back again to mygoverness's, and taking the bundle up into mychamber, I began to examine it. It is with horrorthat I tell what a treasure I found there; 'tisenough to say, that besides most of the familyplate, which was considerable, I found a goldchain, an old-fashioned thing, the locket ofwhich was broken, so that I suppose it had not

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been used some years, but the gold was not theworse for that; also a little box of burying-rings,the lady's wedding-ring, and some broken bitsof old lockets of gold, a gold watch, and a pursewith about #24 value in old pieces of gold coin,and several other things of value.

This was the greatest and the worst prize thatever I was concerned in; for indeed, though, asI have said above, I was hardened now beyondthe power of all reflection in other cases, yet itreally touched me to the very soul when I loo-ked into this treasure, to think of the poor dis-consolate gentlewoman who had lost so muchby the fire besides; and who would think, to besure, that she had saved her plate and bestthings; how she would be surprised and af-flicted when she should find that she had beendeceived, and should find that the person thattook her children and her goods, had not come,as was pretended, from the gentlewoman in the

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next street, but that the children had been putupon her without her own knowledge.

I say, I confess the inhumanity of this actionmoved me very much, and made me relentexceedingly, and tears stood in my eyes uponthat subject; but with all my sense of its beingcruel and inhuman, I could never find in myheart to make any restitution. The reflectionwore off, and I began quickly to forget the cir-cumstances that attended the taking them.

Nor was this all; for though by this job I wasbecome considerably richer than before, yet theresolution I had formerly taken, of leaving offthis horrid trade when I had gotten a little mo-re, did not return, but I must still get farther,and more; and the avarice joined so with thesuccess, that I had no more thought of comingto a timely alteration of life, though without it Icould expect no safety, no tranquillity in thepossession of what I had so wickedly gained;

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but a little more, and a little more, was the casestill.

At length, yielding to the importunities of mycrime, I cast off all remorse and repentance, andall the reflections on that head turned to nomore than this, that I might perhaps come tohave one booty more that might complete mydesires; but though I certainly had that onebooty, yet every hit looked towards another,and was so encouraging to me to go on withthe trade, that I had no gust to the thought oflaying it down.

In this condition, hardened by success, andresolving to go on, I fell into the snare in whichI was appointed to meet with my last rewardfor this kind of life. But even this was not yet,for I met with several successful adventuresmore in this way of being undone.

I remained still with my governess, who wasfor a while really concerned for the misfortune

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of my comrade that had been hanged, and who,it seems, knew enough of my governess to havesent her the same way, and which made hervery uneasy; indeed, she was in a very greatfright.

It is true that when she was gone, and had notopened mouth to tell what she knew, my gov-erness was easy as to that point, and perhapsglad she was hanged, for it was in her power tohave obtained a pardon at the expense of herfriends; but on the other hand, the loss of her,and the sense of her kindness in not making hermarket of what she knew, moved my governessto mourn very sincerely for her. I comforted heras well as I could, and she in return hardenedme to merit more completely the same fate.

However, as I have said, it made me the morewary, and particularly I was very shy of shop-lifting, especially among the mercers and drap-ers, who are a set of fellows that have their eyesvery much about them. I made a venture or

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two among the lace folks and the milliners, andparticularly at one shop where I got notice oftwo young women who were newly set up, andhad not been bred to the trade. There I think Icarried off a piece of bone-lace, worth six orseven pounds, and a paper of thread. But thiswas but once; it was a trick that would notserve again.

It was always reckoned a safe job when weheard of a new shop, and especially when thepeople were such as were not bred to shops.Such may depend upon it that they will be vis-ited once or twice at their beginning, and theymust be very sharp indeed if they can preventit.

I made another adventure or two, but they we-re but trifles too, though sufficient to live on.After this nothing considerable offering for agood while, I began to think that I must giveover the trade in earnest; but my governess,who was not willing to lose me, and expected

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great things of me, brought me one day intocompany with a young woman and a fellowthat went for her husband, though as it ap-peared afterwards, she was not his wife, butthey were partners, it seems, in the trade theycarried on, and partners in something else. Inshort, they robbed together, lay together, weretaken together, and at last were hanged to-gether.

I came into a kind of league with these two bythe help of my governess, and they carried meout into three or four adventures, where I rat-her saw them commit some coarse and un-handy robberies, in which nothing but a greatstock of impudence on their side, and grossnegligence on the people's side who wererobbed, could have made them successful. So Iresolved from that time forward to be very cau-tious how I adventured upon anything withthem; and indeed, when two or three unluckyprojects were proposed by them, I declined the

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offer, and persuaded them against it. One timethey particularly proposed robbing a watch-maker of three gold watches, which they hadeyed in the daytime, and found the place wherehe laid them. One of them had so many keys ofall kinds, that he made no question to open theplace where the watchmaker had laid them;and so we made a kind of an appointment; butwhen I came to look narrowly into the thing, Ifound they proposed breaking open the house,and this, as a thing out of my way, I would notembark in, so they went without me. They didget into the house by main force, and broke upthe locked place where the watches were, butfound but one of the gold watches, and a silverone, which they took, and got out of the houseagain very clear. But the family, being alarmed,cried out 'Thieves,' and the man was pursuedand taken; the young woman had got off too,but unhappily was stopped at a distance, andthe watches found upon her. And thus I had asecond escape, for they were convicted, and

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both hanged, being old offenders, though butyoung people. As I said before that they robbedtogether and lay together, so now they hangedtogether, and there ended my new partnership.

I began now to be very wary, having so na-rrowly escaped a scouring, and having such anexample before me; but I had a new tempter,who prompted me every day—I mean my go-verness; and now a prize presented, which as itcame by her management, so she expected agood share of the booty. There was a goodquantity of Flanders lace lodged in a privatehouse, where she had gotten intelligence of it,and Flanders lace being prohibited, it was agood booty to any custom-house officer thatcould come at it. I had a full account from mygoverness, as well of the quantity as of the veryplace where it was concealed, and I went to acustom-house officer, and told him I had such adiscovery to make to him of such a quantity oflace, if he would assure me that I should have

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my due share of the reward. This was so just anoffer, that nothing could be fairer; so he agreed,and taking a constable and me with him, webeset the house. As I told him I could go direc-tly to the place, he left it to me; and the holebeing very dark, I squeezed myself into it, witha candle in my hand, and so reached the piecesout to him, taking care as I gave him some so tosecure as much about myself as I could conve-niently dispose of. There was near #300 worthof lace in the hole, and I secured about #50worth of it to myself. The people of the housewere not owners of the lace, but a merchantwho had entrusted them with it; so that theywere not so surprised as I thought they wouldbe.

I left the officer overjoyed with his prize, andfully satisfied with what he had got, and ap-pointed to meet him at a house of his own di-recting, where I came after I had disposed ofthe cargo I had about me, of which he had not

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the least suspicion. When I came to him he be-gan to capitulate with me, believing I did notunderstand the right I had to a share in the pri-ze, and would fain have put me off with #20,but I let him know that I was not so ignorant ashe supposed I was; and yet I was glad, too, thathe offered to bring me to a certainty.

I asked #100, and he rose up to #30; I fell to#80, and he rose again to #40; in a word, heoffered #50, and I consented, only demanding apiece of lace, which I though came to about #8or #9, as if it had been for my own wear, and heagreed to it. So I got #50 in money paid me thatsame night, and made an end of the bargain;nor did he ever know who I was, or where toinquire for me, so that if it had been discoveredthat part of the goods were embezzled, hecould have made no challenge upon me for it.

I very punctually divided this spoil with mygoverness, and I passed with her from this timefor a very dexterous manager in the nicest ca-

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ses. I found that this last was the best and ea-siest sort of work that was in my way, and Imade it my business to inquire out prohibitedgoods, and after buying some, usually betrayedthem, but none of these discoveries amountedto anything considerable, not like that I relatedjust now; but I was willing to act safe, and wasstill cautious of running the great risks which Ifound others did, and in which they miscarriedevery day.

The next thing of moment was an attempt at agentlewoman's good watch. It happened in acrowd, at a meeting-house, where I was in verygreat danger of being taken. I had full hold ofher watch, but giving a great jostle, as if some-body had thrust me against her, and in thejuncture giving the watch a fair pull, I found itwould not come, so I let it go that moment, andcried out as if I had been killed, that somebodyhad trod upon my foot, and that there werecertainly pickpockets there, for somebody or

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other had given a pull at my watch; for you areto observe that on these adventures we alwayswent very well dressed, and I had very goodclothes on, and a gold watch by my side, as likea lady as other fold.

I had no sooner said so, but the other gentle-woman cried out 'A pickpocket' too, for some-body, she said, had tried to pull her watchaway.

When I touched her watch I was close to her,but when I cried out I stopped as it were short,and the crowd bearing her forward a little, shemade a noise too, but it was at some distancefrom me, so that she did not in the least suspectme; but when she cried out 'A pickpocket,' so-mebody cried, 'Ay, and here has been another!this gentlewoman has been attempted too.'

At that very instance, a little farther in thecrowd, and very luckily too, they cried out 'Apickpocket,' again, and really seized a young

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fellow in the very act. This, though unhappyfor the wretch, was very opportunely for mycase, though I had carried it off handsomelyenough before; but now it was out of doubt,and all the loose part of the crowd ran thatway, and the poor boy was delivered up to therage of the street, which is a cruelty I need notdescribe, and which, however, they are alwaysglad of, rather than to be sent to Newgate, whe-re they lie often a long time, till they are almostperished, and sometimes they are hanged, andthe best they can look for, if they are convicted,is to be transported.

This was a narrow escape to me, and I was sofrighted that I ventured no more at gold wat-ches a great while. There was indeed a greatmany concurring circumstances in this adven-ture which assisted to my escape; but the chiefwas, that the woman whose watch I had pulledat was a fool; that is to say, she was ignorant ofthe nature of the attempt, which one would

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have thought she should not have been, seeingshe was wise enough to fasten her watch sothat it could not be slipped up. But she was insuch a fright that she had no thought about herproper for the discovery; for she, when she feltthe pull, screamed out, and pushed herselfforward, and put all the people about her intodisorder, but said not a word of her watch, orof a pickpocket, for a least two minutes' time,which was time enough for me, and to spare.For as I had cried out behind her, as I have said,and bore myself back in the crowd as she boreforward, there were several people, at leastseven or eight, the throng being still movingon, that were got between me and her in thattime, and then I crying out 'A pickpocket,' rat-her sooner than she, or at least as soon, shemight as well be the person suspected as I, andthe people were confused in their inquiry; whe-reas, had she with a presence of mind needfulon such an occasion, as soon as she felt the pull,not screamed out as she did, but turned imme-

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diately round and seized the next body thatwas behind her, she had infallibly taken me.

This is a direction not of the kindest sort to thefraternity, but 'tis certainly a key to the clue of apickpocket's motions, and whoever can followit will as certainly catch the thief as he will besure to miss if he does not.

I had another adventure, which puts this mat-ter out of doubt, and which may be an instruc-tion for posterity in the case of a pickpocket.My good old governess, to give a short touch ather history, though she had left off the trade,was, as I may say, born a pickpocket, and, as Iunderstood afterwards, had run through all theseveral degrees of that art, and yet had neverbeen taken but once, when she was so grosslydetected, that she was convicted and ordered tobe transported; but being a woman of a raretongue, and withal having money in her poc-ket, she found means, the ship putting into Ire-land for provisions, to get on shore there, whe-

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re she lived and practised her old trade for so-me years; when falling into another sort of badcompany, she turned midwife and procuress,and played a hundred pranks there, which shegave me a little history of in confidence bet-ween us as we grew more intimate; and it wasto this wicked creature that I owed all the artand dexterity I arrived to, in which there werefew that ever went beyond me, or that practi-sed so long without any misfortune.

It was after those adventures in Ireland, andwhen she was pretty well known in that coun-try, that she left Dublin and came over to En-gland, where, the time of her transportationbeing not expired, she left her former trade, forfear of falling into bad hands again, for thenshe was sure to have gone to wreck. Here sheset up the same trade she had followed in Ire-land, in which she soon, by her admirable ma-nagement and good tongue, arrived to theheight which I have already described, and

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indeed began to be rich, though her trade felloff again afterwards, as I have hinted before.

I mentioned thus much of the history of thiswoman here, the better to account for the con-cern she had in the wicked life I was now lea-ding, into all the particulars of which she ledme, as it were, by the hand, and gave me suchdirections, and I so well followed them, that Igrew the greatest artist of my time and workedmyself out of every danger with such dexterity,that when several more of my comrades ranthemselves into Newgate presently, and by thattime they had been half a year at the trade, Ihad now practised upwards of five years, andthe people at Newgate did not so much asknow me; they had heard much of me indeed,and often expected me there, but I always gotoff, though many times in the extremest dan-ger.

One of the greatest dangers I was now in, wasthat I was too well known among the trade,

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and some of them, whose hatred was owingrather to envy than any injury I had done them,began to be angry that I should always escapewhen they were always catched and hurried toNewgate. These were they that gave me thename of Moll Flanders; for it was no more ofaffinity with my real name or with any of thename I had ever gone by, than black is of kin towhite, except that once, as before, I called my-self Mrs. Flanders; when I sheltered myself inthe Mint; but that these rogues never knew, norcould I ever learn how they came to give methe name, or what the occasion of it was.

I was soon informed that some of these whowere gotten fast into Newgate had vowed toimpeach me; and as I knew that two or three ofthem were but too able to do it, I was under agreat concern about it, and kept within doorsfor a good while. But my governess—whom Ialways made partner in my success, and whonow played a sure game with me, for that she

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had a share of the gain and no share in thehazard—I say, my governess was somethingimpatient of my leading such a useless, unpro-fitable life, as she called it; and she laid a newcontrivance for my going abroad, and this wasto dress me up in men's clothes, and so put meinto a new kind of practice.

I was tall and personable, but a little toosmooth-faced for a man; however, I seldomwent abroad but in the night, it did wellenough; but it was a long time before I couldbehave in my new clothes—I mean, as to mycraft. It was impossible to be so nimble, so rea-dy, so dexterous at these things in a dress socontrary to nature; and I did everything clumsi-ly, so I had neither the success nor the easinessof escape that I had before, and I resolved toleave it off; but that resolution was confirmedsoon after by the following accident.

As my governess disguised me like a man, soshe joined me with a man, a young fellow that

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was nimble enough at his business, and forabout three weeks we did very well together.Our principal trade was watching shopkeepers'counters, and slipping off any kind of goods wecould see carelessly laid anywhere, and wemade several good bargains, as we called them,at this work. And as we kept always together,so we grew very intimate, yet he never knewthat I was not a man, nay, though I several ti-mes went home with him to his lodgings, ac-cording as our business directed, and four orfive times lay with him all night. But our designlay another way, and it was absolutely necessa-ry to me to conceal my sex from him, as appea-red afterwards. The circumstances of our li-ving, coming in late, and having such and suchbusiness to do as required that nobody shouldbe trusted with the coming into our lodgings,were such as made it impossible to me to refuselying with him, unless I would have owned mysex; and as it was, I effectually concealed my-self. But his ill, and my good fortune, soon put

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an end to this life, which I must own I was sickof too, on several other accounts. We had madeseveral prizes in this new way of business, butthe last would be extraordinary. There was ashop in a certain street which had a warehousebehind it that looked into another street, thehouse making the corner of the turning.

Through the window of the warehouse we saw,lying on the counter or showboard, which wasjust before it, five pieces of silks, besides otherstuffs, and though it was almost dark, yet thepeople, being busy in the fore-shop with cus-tomers, had not had time to shut up those win-dows, or else had forgot it.

This the young fellow was so overjoyed with,that he could not restrain himself. It lay all wit-hin his reach he said, and he swore violently tome that he would have it, if he broke down thehouse for it. I dissuaded him a little, but sawthere was no remedy; so he ran rashly upon it,slipped out a square of the sash window dexte-

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rously enough, and without noise, and got outfour pieces of the silks, and came with themtowards me, but was immediately pursuedwith a terrible clutter and noise. We were stan-ding together indeed, but I had not taken anyof the goods out of his hand, when I said to himhastily, 'You are undone, fly, for God's sake!'He ran like lightning, and I too, but the pursuitwas hotter after him because he had the goods,than after me. He dropped two of the pieces,which stopped them a little, but the crowd in-creased and pursued us both. They took himsoon after with the other two pieces upon him,and then the rest followed me. I ran for it andgot into my governess's house whither somequick-eyed people followed me to warmly as tofix me there. They did not immediately knock,at the door, by which I got time to throw off mydisguise and dress me in my own clothes; besi-des, when they came there, my governess, whohad her tale ready, kept her door shut, and ca-lled out to them and told them there was no

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man come in there. The people affirmed theredid a man come in there, and swore they wouldbreak open the door.

My governess, not at all surprised, spoke calm-ly to them, told them they should very freelycome and search her house, if they shouldbring a constable, and let in none but such asthe constable would admit, for it was unreaso-nable to let in a whole crowd. This they couldnot refuse, though they were a crowd. So aconstable was fetched immediately, and shevery freely opened the door; the constable keptthe door, and the men he appointed searchedthe house, my governess going with them fromroom to room. When she came to my room shecalled to me, and said aloud, 'Cousin, prayopen the door; here's some gentlemen thatmust come and look into your room.'

I had a little girl with me, which was my go-verness's grandchild, as she called her; and Ibade her open the door, and there sat I at work

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with a great litter of things about me, as if I hadbeen at work all day, being myself quite un-dressed, with only night-clothes on my head,and a loose morning-gown wrapped about me.My governess made a kind of excuse for theirdisturbing me, telling me partly the occasion ofit, and that she had no remedy but to open thedoors to them, and let them satisfy themselves,for all she could say to them would not satisfythem. I sat still, and bid them search the room ifthey pleased, for if there was anybody in thehouse, I was sure they were not in my room;and as for the rest of the house, I had nothing tosay to that, I did not understand what they loo-ked for.

Everything looked so innocent and to honestabout me, that they treated me civiller than Iexpected, but it was not till they had searchedthe room to a nicety, even under the bed, in thebed, and everywhere else where it was possibleanything could be hid. When they had done

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this, and could find nothing, they asked mypardon for troubling me, and went down.

When they had thus searched the house frombottom to top, and then top to bottom, andcould find nothing, they appeased the mobpretty well; but they carried my governess be-fore the justice. Two men swore that they sawthe man whom they pursued go into her house.My governess rattled and made a great noisethat her house should be insulted, and that sheshould be used thus for nothing; that if a mandid come in, he might go out again presentlyfor aught she knew, for she was ready to makeoath that no man had been within her doors allthat day as she knew of (and that was very trueindeed); that is might be indeed that as she wasabovestairs, any fellow in a fright might findthe door open and run in for shelter when hewas pursued, but that she knew nothing of it;and if it had been so, he certainly went outagain, perhaps at the other door, for she had

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another door into an alley, and so had made hisescape and cheated them all.

This was indeed probable enough, and the jus-tice satisfied himself with giving her an oaththat she had not received or admitted any maninto her house to conceal him, or protect orhide him from justice. This oath she might jus-tly take, and did so, and so she was dismissed.

It is easy to judge what a fright I was in uponthis occasion, and it was impossible for my go-verness ever to bring me to dress in that disgui-se again; for, as I told her, I should certainlybetray myself.

My poor partner in this mischief was now in abad case, for he was carried away before myLord Mayor, and by his worship committed toNewgate, and the people that took him were sowilling, as well as able, to prosecute him, thatthey offered themselves to enter into recogni-

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sances to appear at the sessions and pursue thecharge against him.

However, he got his indictment deferred, uponpromise to discover his accomplices, and parti-cularly the man that was concerned with him inhis robbery; and he failed not to do his endea-vour, for he gave in my name, whom he calledGabriel Spencer, which was the name I went byto him; and here appeared the wisdom of myconcealing my name and sex from him, which,if he had ever known I had been undone.

He did all he could to discover this GabrielSpencer; he described me, he discovered theplace where he said I lodged, and, in a word, allthe particulars that he could of my dwelling;but having concealed the main circumstancesof my sex from him, I had a vast advantage,and he never could hear of me. He brought twoor three families into trouble by his endeavou-ring to find me out, but they knew nothing ofme, any more than that I had a fellow with me

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that they had seen, but knew nothing of. Andas for my governess, though she was the meansof his coming to me, yet it was done at second-hand, and he knew nothing of her.

This turned to his disadvantage; for havingpromised discoveries, but not being able tomake it good, it was looked upon as triflingwith the justice of the city, and he was the morefiercely pursued by the shopkeepers who tookhim.

I was, however, terribly uneasy all this while,and that I might be quite out of the way, I wentaway from my governess's for a while; but notknowing wither to wander, I took a maid-servant with me, and took the stage-coach toDunstable, to my old landlord and landlady,where I had lived so handsomely with my Lan-cashire husband. Here I told her a formal story,that I expected my husband every day fromIreland, and that I had sent a letter to him that Iwould meet him at Dunstable at her house, and

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that he would certainly land, if the wind wasfair, in a few days, so that I was come to spenda few days with them till he should come, forhe was either come post, or in the West Chestercoach, I knew not which; but whichsoever itwas, he would be sure to come to that house tomeet me.

My landlady was mighty glad to see me, andmy landlord made such a stir with me, that if Ihad been a princess I could not have been bet-ter used, and here I might have been welcome amonth or two if I had thought fit.

But my business was of another nature. I wasvery uneasy (though so well disguised that itwas scarce possible to detect me) lest this fe-llow should somehow or other find me out; andthough he could not charge me with this robbe-ry, having persuaded him not to venture, andhaving also done nothing in it myself but runaway, yet he might have charged me with other

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things, and have bought his own life at the ex-pense of mine.

This filled me with horrible apprehensions. Ihad no recourse, no friend, no confidante butmy old governess, and I knew no remedy butto put my life in her hands, and so I did, for Ilet her know where to send to me, and had se-veral letters from her while I stayed here. Someof them almost scared me out my wits but atlast she sent me the joyful news that he washanged, which was the best news to me that Ihad heard a great while.

I had stayed here five weeks, and lived verycomfortably indeed (the secret anxiety of mymind excepted); but when I received this letter Ilooked pleasantly again, and told my landladythat I had received a letter from my spouse inIreland, that I had the good news of his beingvery well, but had the bad news that his busi-ness would not permit him to come away so

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soon as he expected, and so I was like to goback again without him.

My landlady complimented me upon the goodnews however, that I had heard he was well.'For I have observed, madam,' says she, 'youhadn't been so pleasant as you used to be; youhave been over head and ears in care for him, Idare say,' says the good woman; ''tis easy to beseen there's an alteration in you for the better,'says she. 'Well, I am sorry the esquire can't co-me yet,' says my landlord; 'I should have beenheartily glad to have seen him. But I hope,when you have certain news of his coming,you'll take a step hither again, madam,' says he;'you shall be very welcome whenever you plea-se to come.'

With all these fine compliments we parted, andI came merry enough to London, and found mygoverness as well pleased as I was. And nowshe told me she would never recommend anypartner to me again, for she always found, she

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said, that I had the best luck when I venturedby myself. And so indeed I had, for I was sel-dom in any danger when I was by myself, or ifI was, I got out of it with more dexterity thanwhen I was entangled with the dull measuresof other people, who had perhaps less forecast,and were more rash and impatient than I; forthough I had as much courage to venture asany of them, yet I used more caution before Iundertook a thing, and had more presence ofmind when I was to bring myself off.

I have often wondered even at my own hardi-ness another way, that when all my compa-nions were surprised and fell so suddenly intothe hand of justice, and that I so narrowly esca-ped, yet I could not all this while enter into oneserious resolution to leave off this trade, andespecially considering that I was now very farfrom being poor; that the temptation of necessi-ty, which is generally the introduction of allsuch wickedness, was now removed; for I had

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near #500 by me in ready money, on which Imight have lived very well, if I had thought fitto have retired; but I say, I had not so much asthe least inclination to leave off; no, not somuch as I had before when I had but #200 befo-rehand, and when I had no such frightfulexamples before my eyes as these were. Fromhence 'tis evident to me, that when once we arehardened in crime, no fear can affect us, noexample give us any warning.

I had indeed one comrade whose fate wentvery near me for a good while, though I wore itoff too in time. That case was indeed very un-happy. I had made a prize of a piece of verygood damask in a mercer's shop, and wentclear off myself, but had conveyed the piece tothis companion of mine when we went out ofthe shop, and she went one way and I wentanother. We had not been long out of the shopbut the mercer missed his piece of stuff, andsent his messengers, one one way and one

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another, and they presently seized her that hadthe piece, with the damask upon her. As forme, I had very luckily stepped into a housewhere there was a lace chamber, up one pair ofstairs, and had the satisfaction, or the terrorindeed, of looking out of the window upon thenoise they made, and seeing the poor creaturedragged away in triumph to the justice, whoimmediately committed her to Newgate.

I was careful to attempt nothing in the lacechamber, but tumbled their goods pretty muchto spend time; then bought a few yards of ed-ging and paid for it, and came away very sad-hearted indeed for the poor woman, who wasin tribulation for what I only had stolen.

Here again my old caution stood me in goodstead; namely, that though I often robbed withthese people, yet I never let them know who Iwas, or where I lodged, nor could they everfind out my lodging, though they often endea-voured to watch me to it. They all knew me by

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the name of Moll Flanders, though even someof them rather believed I was she than knewme to be so. My name was public among themindeed, but how to find me out they knew not,nor so much as how to guess at my quarters,whether they were at the east end of the townor the west; and this wariness was my safetyupon all these occasions.

I kept close a great while upon the occasion ofthis woman's disaster. I knew that if I shoulddo anything that should miscarry, and shouldbe carried to prison, she would be there andready to witness against me, and perhaps saveher life at my expense. I considered that I beganto be very well known by name at the Old Bai-ley, though they did not know my face, andthat if I should fall into their hands, I should betreated as an old offender; and for this reason Iwas resolved to see what this poor creature'sfate should be before I stirred abroad, though

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several times in her distress I conveyed moneyto her for her relief.

At length she came to her trial. She pleaded shedid not steal the thing, but that one Mrs. Flan-ders, as she heard her called (for she did notknow her), gave the bundle to her after theycame out of the shop, and bade her carry ithome to her lodging. They asked her where thisMrs. Flanders was, but she could not produceher, neither could she give the least account ofme; and the mercer's men swearing positivelythat she was in the shop when the goods werestolen, that they immediately missed them, andpursued her, and found them upon her, the-reupon the jury brought her in guilty; but theCourt, considering that she was really not theperson that stole the goods, an inferior assis-tant, and that it was very possible she could notfind out this Mrs. Flanders, meaning me,though it would save her life, which indeedwas true—I say, considering all this, they allo-

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wed her to be transported, which was the ut-most favour she could obtain, only that theCourt told her that if she could in the meantimeproduce the said Mrs. Flanders, they wouldintercede for her pardon; that is to say, if shecould find me out, and hand me, she shouldnot be transported. This I took care to makeimpossible to her, and so she was shipped offin pursuance of her sentence a little while after.

I must repeat it again, that the fate of this poorwoman troubled me exceedingly, and I beganto be very pensive, knowing that I was reallythe instrument of her disaster; but the preserva-tion of my own life, which was so evidently indanger, took off all my tenderness; and seeingthat she was not put to death, I was very easyat her transportation, because she was then outof the way of doing me any mischief, whatevershould happen.

The disaster of this woman was some monthsbefore that of the last-recited story, and was

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indeed partly occasion of my governess propo-sing to dress me up in men's clothes, that Imight go about unobserved, as indeed I did;but I was soon tired of that disguise, as I havesaid, for indeed it exposed me to too many dif-ficulties.

I was now easy as to all fear of witnessesagainst me, for all those that had either beenconcerned with me, or that knew me by thename of Moll Flanders, were either hanged ortransported; and if I should have had the mis-fortune to be taken, I might call myself anyt-hing else, as well as Moll Flanders, and no oldsins could be placed into my account; so I be-gan to run a-tick again with the more freedom,and several successful adventures I made,though not such as I had made before.

We had at that time another fire happened nota great way off from the place where my go-verness lived, and I made an attempt there, asbefore, but as I was not soon enough before the

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crowd of people came in, and could not get tothe house I aimed at, instead of a prize, I got amischief, which had almost put a period to mylife and all my wicked doings together; for thefire being very furious, and the people in agreat fright in removing their goods, and thro-wing them out of window, a wench from out ofa window threw a feather-bed just upon me. Itis true, the bed being soft, it broke no bones;but as the weight was great, and made greaterby the fall, it beat me down, and laid me deadfor a while. Nor did the people concern them-selves much to deliver me from it, or to recoverme at all; but I lay like one dead and neglecteda good while, till somebody going to removethe bed out of the way, helped me up. It wasindeed a wonder the people in the house hadnot thrown other goods out after it, and whichmight have fallen upon it, and then I had beeninevitably killed; but I was reserved for furtherafflictions.

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This accident, however, spoiled my market forthat time, and I came home to my governessvery much hurt and bruised, and frighted tothe last degree, and it was a good while beforeshe could set me upon my feet again.

It was now a merry time of the year, and Bart-holomew Fair was begun. I had never madeany walks that way, nor was the common partof the fair of much advantage to me; but I tooka turn this year into the cloisters, and amongthe rest I fell into one of the raffling shops. Itwas a thing of no great consequence to me, nordid I expect to make much of it; but there camea gentleman extremely well dressed and veryrich, and as 'tis frequent to talk to everybody inthose shops, he singled me out, and was veryparticular with me. First he told me he wouldput in for me to raffle, and did so; and somesmall matter coming to his lot, he presented itto me (I think it was a feather muff); then hecontinued to keep talking to me with a more

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than common appearance of respect, but stillvery civil, and much like a gentleman.

He held me in talk so long, till at last he drewme out of the raffling place to the shop-door,and then to a walk in the cloister, still talking ofa thousand things cursorily without anythingto the purpose. At last he told me that, withoutcompliment, he was charmed with my compa-ny, and asked me if I durst trust myself in acoach with him; he told me he was a man ofhonour, and would not offer anything to meunbecoming him as such. I seemed to decline ita while, but suffered myself to be importuned alittle, and then yielded.

I was at a loss in my thoughts to conclude atfirst what this gentleman designed; but I foundafterwards he had had some drink in his head,and that he was not very unwilling to havesome more. He carried me in the coach to theSpring Garden, at Knightsbridge, where wewalked in the gardens, and he treated me very

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handsomely; but I found he drank very freely.He pressed me also to drink, but I declined it.

Hitherto he kept his word with me, and offeredme nothing amiss. We came away in the coachagain, and he brought me into the streets, andby this time it was near ten o'clock at night, andhe stopped the coach at a house where, itseems, he was acquainted, and where they ma-de no scruple to show us upstairs into a roomwith a bed in it. At first I seemed to be unwi-lling to go up, but after a few words I yieldedto that too, being willing to see the end of it,and in hope to make something of it at last. Asfor the bed, etc., I was not much concernedabout that part.

Here he began to be a little freer with me thanhe had promised; and I by little and little yiel-ded to everything, so that, in a word, he didwhat he pleased with me; I need say no more.All this while he drank freely too, and aboutone in the morning we went into the coach

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again. The air and the shaking of the coach ma-de the drink he had get more up in his headthan it was before, and he grew uneasy in thecoach, and was for acting over again what hehad been doing before; but as I thought mygame now secure, I resisted him, and broughthim to be a little still, which had not lasted fiveminutes but he fell fast asleep.

I took this opportunity to search him to a nice-ty. I took a gold watch, with a silk purse ofgold, his fine full-bottom periwig and silver-fringed gloves, his sword and fine snuff-box,and gently opening the coach door, stood readyto jump out while the coach was going on; butthe coach stopped in the narrow street beyondTemple Bar to let another coach pass, I got sof-tly out, fastened the door again, and gave mygentleman and the coach the slip both together,and never heard more of them.

This was an adventure indeed unlooked for,and perfectly undesigned by me; though I was

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not so past the merry part of life, as to forgethow to behave, when a fop so blinded by hisappetite should not know an old woman from ayoung. I did not indeed look so old as I was byten or twelve years; yet I was not a youngwench of seventeen, and it was easy enough tobe distinguished. There is nothing so absurd, sosurfeiting, so ridiculous, as a man heated bywine in his head, and wicked gust in his incli-nation together; he is in the possession of twodevils at once, and can no more govern himselfby his reason than a mill can grind withoutwater; his vice tramples upon all that was inhim that had any good in it, if any such thingthere was; nay, his very sense is blinded by itsown rage, and he acts absurdities even in hisviews; such a drinking more, when he is drunkalready; picking up a common woman, withoutregard to what she is or who she is, whethersound or rotten, clean or unclean, whether uglyor handsome, whether old or young, and soblinded as not really to distinguish. Such a man

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is worse than a lunatic; prompted by his vi-cious, corrupted head, he no more knows whathe is doing than this wretch of mine knewwhen I picked his pocket of his watch and hispurse of gold.

These are the men of whom Solomon says,'They go like an ox to the slaughter, till a dartstrikes through their liver'; an admirable des-cription, by the way, of the foul disease, whichis a poisonous deadly contagion mingling withthe blood, whose centre or foundation is in theliver; from whence, by the swift circulation ofthe whole mass, that dreadful nauseous plaguestrikes immediately through his liver, and hisspirits are infected, his vitals stabbed throughas with a dart.

It is true this poor unguarded wretch was in nodanger from me, though I was greatly appre-hensive at first of what danger I might be infrom him; but he was really to be pitied in onerespect, that he seemed to be a good sort of

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man in himself; a gentleman that had no harmin his design; a man of sense, and of a fine be-haviour, a comely handsome person, a sobersolid countenance, a charming beautiful face,and everything that could be agreeable; onlyhad unhappily had some drink the night befo-re, had not been in bed, as he told me when wewere together; was hot, and his blood firedwith wine, and in that condition his reason, asit were asleep, had given him up.

As for me, my business was his money, andwhat I could make of him; and after that, if Icould have found out any way to have done it,I would have sent him safe home to his houseand to his family, for 'twas ten to one but hehad an honest, virtuous wife and innocent chil-dren, that were anxious for his safety, andwould have been glad to have gotten himhome, and have taken care of him till he wasrestored to himself. And then with what shameand regret would he look back upon himself!

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how would he reproach himself with associa-ting himself with a whore! picked up in theworst of all holes, the cloister, among the dirtand filth of all the town! how would he betrembling for fear he had got the pox, for fear adart had struck through his liver, and hatehimself every time he looked back upon themadness and brutality of his debauch! howwould he, if he had any principles of honour, asI verily believe he had—I say, how would heabhor the thought of giving any ill distemper, ifhe had it, as for aught he knew he might, to hismodest and virtuous wife, and thereby sowingthe contagion in the life-blood of his posterity.

Would such gentlemen but consider the con-temptible thoughts which the very women theyare concerned with, in such cases as these, haveof them, it would be a surfeit to them. As I saidabove, they value not the pleasure, they areraised by no inclination to the man, the passivejade thinks of no pleasure but the money; and

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when he is, as it were, drunk in the ecstasies ofhis wicked pleasure, her hands are in his poc-kets searching for what she can find there, andof which he can no more be sensible in themoment of his folly that he can forethink of itwhen he goes about it.

I knew a woman that was so dexterous with afellow, who indeed deserved no better usage,that while he was busy with her another way,conveyed his purse with twenty guineas in itout of his fob-pocket, where he had put it forfear of her, and put another purse with gildedcounters in it into the room of it. After he haddone, he says to her, 'Now han't you picked mypocket?' She jested with him, and told him shesupposed he had not much to lose; he put hishand to his fob, and with his fingers felt that hispurse was there, which fully satisfied him, andso she brought off his money. And this was atrade with her; she kept a sham gold watch,that is, a watch of silver gilt, and a purse of

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counters in her pocket to be ready on all suchoccasions, and I doubt not practiced it withsuccess.

I came home with this last booty to my gover-ness, and really when I told her the story, it soaffected her that she was hardly able to forbeartears, to know how such a gentleman ran a dai-ly risk of being undone every time a glass ofwine got into his head.

But as to the purchase I got, and how entirely Istripped him, she told me it pleased her won-derfully. 'Nay child,' says she, 'the usage may,for aught I know, do more to reform him thanall the sermons that ever he will hear in his life.'And if the remainder of the story be true, so itdid.

I found the next day she was wonderful inqui-sitive about this gentleman; the description Ihad given her of him, his dress, his person, hisface, everything concurred to make her think of

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a gentleman whose character she knew, andfamily too. She mused a while, and I going stillon with the particulars, she starts up; says she,'I'll lay #100 I know the gentleman.'

'I am sorry you do,' says I, 'for I would not havehim exposed on any account in the world; hehas had injury enough already by me, and Iwould not be instrumental to do him any mo-re.' 'No, no,' says she, 'I will do him no injury, Iassure you, but you may let me satisfy my cu-riosity a little, for if it is he, I warrant you I findit out.' I was a little startled at that, and toldher, with an apparent concern in my face, thatby the same rule he might find me out, andthen I was undone. She returned warmly,'Why, do you think I will betray you, child? No,no,' says she, 'not for all he is worth in theworld. I have kept your counsel in worse thingsthan these; sure you may trust me in this.' So Isaid no more at that time.

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She laid her scheme another way, and withoutacquainting me of it, but she was resolved tofind it out if possible. So she goes to a certainfriend of hers who was acquainted in the familythat she guessed at, and told her friend she hadsome extraordinary business with such a gen-tleman (who, by the way, was no less than abaronet, and of a very good family), and thatshe knew not how to come at him without so-mebody to introduce her. Her friend promisedher very readily to do it, and accordingly goesto the house to see if the gentleman was intown.

The next day she come to my governess andtells her that Sir —— was at home, but that hehad met with a disaster and was very ill, andthere was no speaking with him. 'What disas-ter?' says my governess hastily, as if she wassurprised at it. 'Why,' says her friend, 'he hadbeen at Hampstead to visit a gentleman of hisacquaintance, and as he came back again he

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was set upon and robbed; and having got alittle drink too, as they suppose, the roguesabused him, and he is very ill.' 'Robbed!' saysmy governess, 'and what did they take fromhim?' 'Why,' says her friend, 'they took his goldwatch and his gold snuff-box, his fine periwig,and what money he had in his pocket, whichwas considerable, to be sure, for Sir —— nevergoes without a purse of guineas about him.'

'Pshaw!' says my old governess, jeering, 'I wa-rrant you he has got drunk now and got a who-re, and she has picked his pocket, and so hecomes home to his wife and tells her he hasbeen robbed. That's an old sham; a thousandsuch tricks are put upon the poor women everyday.'

'Fie!' says her friend, 'I find you don't know Sir——; why he is as civil a gentleman, there is nota finer man, nor a soberer, graver, modesterperson in the whole city; he abhors such things;there's nobody that knows him will think such

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a thing of him.' 'Well, well,' says my governess,'that's none of my business; if it was, I warrant Ishould find there was something of that kind init; your modest men in common opinion aresometimes no better than other people, onlythey keep a better character, or, if you please,are the better hypocrites.'

'No, no,' says her friend, 'I can assure you Sir —— is no hypocrite, he is really an honest, sobergentleman, and he has certainly been robbed.''Nay,' says my governess, 'it may be he has; it isno business of mine, I tell you; I only want tospeak with him; my business is of another na-ture.' 'But,' says her friend, 'let your business beof what nature it will, you cannot see him yet,for he is not fit to be seen, for he is very ill, andbruised very much,' 'Ay,' says my governess,'nay, then he has fallen into bad hands, to besure,' And then she asked gravely, 'Pray, whereis he bruised?' 'Why, in the head,' says herfriend, 'and one of his hands, and his face, for

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they used him barbarously.' 'Poor gentleman,'says my governess, 'I must wait, then, till herecovers'; and adds, 'I hope it will not be long,for I want very much to speak with him.'

Away she comes to me and tells me this story.'I have found out your fine gentleman, and afine gentleman he was,' says she; 'but, mercy onhim, he is in a sad pickle now. I wonder whatthe d—l you have done to him; why, you havealmost killed him.' I looked at her with disorderenough. 'I killed him!' says I; 'you must mistakethe person; I am sure I did nothing to him; hewas very well when I left him,' said I, 'onlydrunk and fast asleep.' 'I know nothing of that,'says she, 'but he is in a sad pickle now'; and soshe told me all that her friend had said to her.'Well, then,' says I, 'he fell into bad hands after Ileft him, for I am sure I left him safe enough.'

About ten days after, or a little more, my go-verness goes again to her friend, to introduceher to this gentleman; she had inquired other

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ways in the meantime, and found that he wasabout again, if not abroad again, so she got lea-ve to speak with him.

She was a woman of a admirable address, andwanted nobody to introduce her; she told hertale much better than I shall be able to tell it forher, for she was a mistress of her tongue, as Ihave said already. She told him that she came,though a stranger, with a single design of doinghim a service and he should find she had noother end in it; that as she came purely on sofriendly an account, she begged promise fromhim, that if he did not accept what she shouldofficiously propose he would not take it ill thatshe meddled with what was not her business.She assured him that as what she had to saywas a secret that belonged to him only, sowhether he accepted her offer or not, it shouldremain a secret to all the world, unless he expo-sed it himself; nor should his refusing her ser-vice in it make her so little show her respect as

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to do him the least injury, so that he should beentirely at liberty to act as he thought fit.

He looked very shy at first, and said he knewnothing that related to him that required muchsecrecy; that he had never done any man anywrong, and cared not what anybody might sayof him; that it was no part of his character to beunjust to anybody, nor could he imagine inwhat any man could render him any service;but that if it was so disinterested a service asshe said, he could not take it ill from any onethat they should endeavour to serve him; andso, as it were, left her a liberty either to tell himor not to tell, as she thought fit.

She found him so perfectly indifferent, that shewas almost afraid to enter into the point withhim; but, however, after some other circumlo-cutions she told him that by a strange andunaccountable accident she came to have a par-ticular knowledge of the late unhappy adven-ture he had fallen into, and that in such a man-

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ner, that there was nobody in the world butherself and him that were acquainted with it,no, not the very person that was with him.

He looked a little angrily at first. 'What adven-ture?' said he. 'Why,' said she, 'of your beingrobbed coming from Knightbr——; Hamps-tead, sir, I should say,' says she. 'Be not surpri-sed, sir,' says she, 'that I am able to tell you eve-ry step you took that day from the cloister inSmithfield to the Spring Garden at Knights-bridge, and thence to the —— in the Strand,and how you were left asleep in the coach af-terwards. I say, let not this surprise you, for, sir,I do not come to make a booty of you, I asknothing of you, and I assure you the womanthat was with you knows nothing who you are,and never shall; and yet perhaps I may serveyou further still, for I did not come barely to letyou know that I was informed of these things,as if I wanted a bribe to conceal them; assureyourself, sir,' said she, 'that whatever you think

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fit to do or say to me, it shall be all a secret as itis, as much as if I were in my grave.'

He was astonished at her discourse, and saidgravely to her, 'Madam, you are a stranger tome, but it is very unfortunate that you shouldbe let into the secret of the worst action of mylife, and a thing that I am so justly ashamed of,that the only satisfaction of it to me was, that Ithought it was known only to God and my ownconscience.' 'Pray, sir,' says she, 'do not reckonthe discovery of it to me to be any part of yourmisfortune. It was a thing, I believe, you weresurprised into, and perhaps the woman usedsome art to prompt you to it; however, you willnever find any just cause,' said she, 'to repentthat I came to hear of it; nor can your ownmouth be more silent in it that I have been, andever shall be.'

'Well,' says he, 'but let me do some justice to thewoman too; whoever she is, I do assure you sheprompted me to nothing, she rather declined

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me. It was my own folly and madness thatbrought me into it all, ay, and brought her intoit too; I must give her her due so far. As to whatshe took from me, I could expect no less fromher in the condition I was in, and to this hour Iknow not whether she robbed me or thecoachman; if she did it, I forgive her, and Ithink all gentlemen that do so should be usedin the same manner; but I am more concernedfor some other things that I am for all that shetook from me.'

My governess now began to come into thewhole matter, and he opened himself freely toher. First she said to him, in answer to what hehad said about me, 'I am glad, sir, you are sojust to the person that you were with; I assureyou she is a gentlewoman, and no woman ofthe town; and however you prevailed with herso far as you did, I am sure 'tis not her practice.You ran a great venture indeed, sir; but if thatbe any part of your care, I am persuaded you

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may be perfectly easy, for I dare assure you noman has touched her, before you, since herhusband, and he has been dead now almosteight years.'

It appeared that this was his grievance, andthat he was in a very great fright about it;however, when my governess said this to him,he appeared very well pleased, and said, 'Well,madam, to be plain with you, if I was satisfiedof that, I should not so much value what I lost;for, as to that, the temptation was great, andperhaps she was poor and wanted it.' 'If shehad not been poor, sir ——,' says my gover-ness, 'I assure you she would never have yiel-ded to you; and as her poverty first prevailedwith her to let you do as you did, so the samepoverty prevailed with her to pay herself atlast, when she saw you were in such a condi-tion, that if she had not done it, perhaps thenext coachman might have done it.'

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'Well,' says he, 'much good may it do her. I sayagain, all the gentlemen that do so ought to beused in the same manner, and then they wouldbe cautious of themselves. I have no more con-cern about it, but on the score which you hintedat before, madam.' Here he entered into somefreedoms with her on the subject of what pas-sed between us, which are not so proper for awoman to write, and the great terror that wasupon his mind with relation to his wife, for fearhe should have received any injury from me,and should communicate if farther; and askedher at last if she could not procure him an op-portunity to speak with me. My governess gavehim further assurances of my being a womanclear from any such thing, and that he was asentirely safe in that respect as he was with hisown lady; but as for seeing me, she said itmight be of dangerous consequence; but,however, that she would talk with me, and lethim know my answer, using at the same timesome arguments to persuade him not to desire

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it, and that it could be of no service to him,seeing she hoped he had no desire to renew acorrespondence with me, and that on my ac-count it was a kind of putting my life in hishands.

He told her he had a great desire to see me, thathe would give her any assurances that were inhis power, not to take any advantages of me,and that in the first place he would give me ageneral release from all demands of any kind.She insisted how it might tend to a further di-vulging the secret, and might in the end be in-jurious to him, entreating him not to press forit; so at length he desisted.

They had some discourse upon the subject ofthe things he had lost, and he seemed to be ve-ry desirous of his gold watch, and told her ifshe could procure that for him, he would wi-llingly give as much for it as it was worth. Shetold him she would endeavour to procure it forhim, and leave the valuing it to himself.

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Accordingly the next day she carried the watch,and he gave her thirty guineas for it, which wasmore than I should have been able to make ofit, though it seems it cost much more. He spokesomething of his periwig, which it seems costhim threescore guineas, and his snuff-box, andin a few days more she carried them too; whichobliged him very much, and he gave her thirtymore. The next day I sent him his fine swordand cane gratis, and demanded nothing of him,but I had no mind to see him, unless it hadbeen so that he might be satisfied I knew whohe was, which he was not willing to.

Then he entered into a long talk with her of themanner how she came to know all this matter.She formed a long tale of that part; how shehad it from one that I had told the whole storyto, and that was to help me dispose of thegoods; and this confidante brought the thingsto her, she being by profession a pawnbroker;and she hearing of his worship's disaster, gues-

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sed at the thing in general; that having gottenthe things into her hands, she had resolved tocome and try as she had done. She then gavehim repeated assurances that it should never goout of her mouth, and though she knew thewoman very well, yet she had not let her know,meaning me, anything of it; that is to say, whothe person was, which, by the way, was false;but, however, it was not to his damage, for Inever opened my mouth of it to anybody.

I had a great many thoughts in my head aboutmy seeing him again, and was often sorry that Ihad refused it. I was persuaded that if I hadseen him, and let him know that I knew him, Ishould have made some advantage of him, andperhaps have had some maintenance from him;and though it was a life wicked enough, yet itwas not so full of danger as this I was engagedin. However, those thoughts wore off, and Ideclined seeing him again, for that time; butmy governess saw him often, and he was very

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kind to her, giving her something almost everytime he saw her. One time in particular shefound him very merry, and as she thought hehad some wine in his head, and he pressed heragain very earnestly to let him see that womanthat, as he said, had bewitched him so thatnight, my governess, who was from the begin-ning for my seeing him, told him he was sodesirous of it that she could almost yield of it, ifshe could prevail upon me; adding that if hewould please to come to her house in the eve-ning, she would endeavour it, upon his repea-ted assurances of forgetting what was past.

Accordingly she came to me, and told me allthe discourse; in short, she soon biassed me toconsent, in a case which I had some regret inmy mind for declining before; so I prepared tosee him. I dressed me to all the advantage pos-sible, I assure you, and for the first time used alittle art; I say for the first time, for I had neveryielded to the baseness of paint before, having

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always had vanity enough to believe I had noneed of it.

At the hour appointed he came; and as she ob-served before, so it was plain still, that he hadbeen drinking, though very far from what wecall being in drink. He appeared exceedingpleased to see me, and entered into a long dis-course with me upon the old affair. I begged hispardon very often for my share of it, protested Ihad not any such design when first I met him,that I had not gone out with him but that I tookhim for a very civil gentleman, and that he ma-de me so many promises of offering no uncivi-lity to me.

He alleged the wine he drank, and that he scar-ce knew what he did, and that if it had not beenso, I should never have let him take the free-dom with me that he had done. He protested tome that he never touched any woman but mesince he was married to his wife, and it was asurprise upon him; complimented me upon

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being so particularly agreeable to him, and thelike; and talked so much of that kind, till Ifound he had talked himself almost into a tem-per to do the same thing over again. But I tookhim up short. I protested I had never sufferedany man to touch me since my husband died,which was near eight years. He said he belie-ved it to be so truly; and added that madamhad intimated as much to him, and that it washis opinion of that part which made his desireto see me again; and that since he had oncebroke in upon his virtue with me, and found noill consequences, he could be safe in venturingthere again; and so, in short, it went on to whatI expected, and to what will not bear relating.

My old governess had foreseen it, as well as I,and therefore led him into a room which hadnot a bed in it, and yet had a chamber within itwhich had a bed, whither we withdrew for therest of the night; and, in short, after some timebeing together, he went to bed, and lay there all

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night. I withdrew, but came again undressed inthe morning, before it was day, and lay withhim the rest of the time.

Thus, you see, having committed a crime onceis a sad handle to the committing of it again;whereas all the regret and reflections wear offwhen the temptation renews itself. Had I notyielded to see him again, the corrupt desire inhim had worn off, and 'tis very probable he hadnever fallen into it with anybody else, as I rea-lly believe he had not done before.

When he went away, I told him I hoped he wassatisfied he had not been robbed again. He toldme he was satisfied in that point, and couldtrust me again, and putting his hand in hispocket, gave me five guineas, which was thefirst money I had gained that way for manyyears.

I had several visits of the like kind from him,but he never came into a settled way of main-

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tenance, which was what I would have bestpleased with. Once, indeed, he asked me how Idid to live. I answered him pretty quick, that Iassured him I had never taken that course that Itook with him, but that indeed I worked at myneedle, and could just maintain myself; thatsometime it was as much as I was able to do,and I shifted hard enough.

He seemed to reflect upon himself that heshould be the first person to lead me into that,which he assured me he never intended to dohimself; and it touched him a little, he said, thathe should be the cause of his own sin and minetoo. He would often make just reflections alsoupon the crime itself, and upon the particularcircumstances of it with respect to himself; howwine introduced the inclinations how the devilled him to the place, and found out an object totempt him, and he made the moral always him-self.

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When these thoughts were upon him he wouldgo away, and perhaps not come again in amonth's time or longer; but then as the seriouspart wore off, the lewd part would wear in, andthen he came prepared for the wicked part.Thus we lived for some time; thought he didnot keep, as they call it, yet he never faileddoing things that were handsome, and suffi-cient to maintain me without working, and,which was better, without following my oldtrade.

But this affair had its end too; for after about ayear, I found that he did not come so often asusual, and at last he left if off altogether wit-hout any dislike to bidding adieu; and so therewas an end of that short scene of life, whichadded no great store to me, only to make morework for repentance.

However, during this interval I confined myselfpretty much at home; at least, being thus pro-vided for, I made no adventures, no, not for a

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quarter of a year after he left me; but then fin-ding the fund fail, and being loth to spendupon the main stock, I began to think of my oldtrade, and to look abroad into the street again;and my first step was lucky enough.

I had dressed myself up in a very mean habit,for as I had several shapes to appear in, I wasnow in an ordinary stuff-gown, a blue apron,and a straw hat and I placed myself at the doorof the Three Cups Inn in St. John Street. Therewere several carriers used the inn, and the sta-ge-coaches for Barnet, for Totteridge, and othertowns that way stood always in the street in theevening, when they prepared to set out, so thatI was ready for anything that offered, for eitherone or other. The meaning was this; peoplecome frequently with bundles and small par-cels to those inns, and call for such carriers orcoaches as they want, to carry them into thecountry; and there generally attend women,porters' wives or daughters, ready to take in

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such things for their respective people that em-ploy them.

It happened very oddly that I was standing atthe inn gate, and a woman that had stood therebefore, and which was the porter's wife belon-ging to the Barnet stage-coach, having observedme, asked if I waited for any of the coaches. Itold her Yes, I waited for my mistress, that wascoming to go to Barnet. She asked me who wasmy mistress, and I told her any madam's namethat came next me; but as it seemed, I happe-ned upon a name, a family of which name livedat Hadley, just beyond Barnet.

I said no more to her, or she to me, a good whi-le; but by and by, somebody calling her at adoor a little way off, she desired me that if any-body called for the Barnet coach, I would stepand call her at the house, which it seems was analehouse. I said Yes, very readily, and away shewent.

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She was no sooner gone but comes a wenchand a child, puffing and sweating, and asks forthe Barnet coach. I answered presently, 'Here.''Do you belong to the Barnet coach?' says she.'Yes, sweetheart,' said I; 'what do ye want?' 'Iwant room for two passengers,' says she. 'Whe-re are they, sweetheart?' said I. 'Here's this girl,pray let her go into the coach,' says she, 'and I'llgo and fetch my mistress.' 'Make haste, then,sweetheart,' says I, 'for we may be full else.' Themaid had a great bundle under her arm; so sheput the child into the coach, and I said, 'Youhad best put your bundle into the coach too.''No,' says she, 'I am afraid somebody shouldslip it away from the child.' 'Give to me, then,'said I, 'and I'll take care of it.' 'Do, then,' saysshe, 'and be sure you take of it.' 'I'll answer forit,' said I, 'if it were for #20 value.' 'There, takeit, then,' says she, and away she goes.

As soon as I had got the bundle, and the maidwas out of sight, I goes on towards the alehou-

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se, where the porter's wife was, so that if I hadmet her, I had then only been going to give herthe bundle, and to call her to her business, as ifI was going away, and could stay no longer;but as I did not meet her, I walked away, andturning into Charterhouse Lane, then crossedinto Batholomew Close, so into Little Britain,and through the Bluecoat Hospital, into New-gate Street.

To prevent my being known, I pulled off myblue apron, and wrapped the bundle in it,which before was made up in a piece of paintedcalico, and very remarkable; I also wrapped upmy straw hat in it, and so put the bundle uponmy head; and it was very well that I did thus,for coming through the Bluecoat Hospital, whoshould I meet but the wench that had given methe bundle to hold. It seems she was going withher mistress, whom she had been gone to fetch,to the Barnet coaches.

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I saw she was in haste, and I had no business tostop her; so away she went, and I brought mybundle safe home to my governess. There wasno money, nor plate, or jewels in the bundle,but a very good suit of Indian damask, a gownand a petticoat, a laced-head and ruffles of verygood Flanders lace, and some linen and otherthings, such as I knew very well the value of.

This was not indeed my own invention, butwas given me by one that had practised it withsuccess, and my governess liked it extremely;and indeed I tried it again several times,though never twice near the same place; for thenext time I tried it in White Chapel, just by thecorner of Petticoat Lane, where the coachesstand that go out to Stratford and Bow, andthat side of the country, and another time at theFlying Horse, without Bishopgate, where theCheston coaches then lay; and I had always thegood luck to come off with some booty.

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Another time I placed myself at a warehouse bythe waterside, where the coasting vessels fromthe north come, such as from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland, and other places. Here, thewarehouses being shut, comes a young fellowwith a letter; and he wanted a box and a ham-per that was come from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.I asked him if he had the marks of it; so heshows me the letter, by virtue of which he wasto ask for it, and which gave an account of thecontents, the box being full of linen, and thehamper full of glass ware. I read the letter, andtook care to see the name, and the marks, thename of the person that sent the goods, thename of the person that they were sent to; thenI bade the messenger come in the morning, forthat the warehouse-keeper would not be thereany more that night.

Away went I, and getting materials in a publichouse, I wrote a letter from Mr. John Richard-son of Newcastle to his dear cousin Jemmy Co-

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le, in London, with an account that he sent bysuch a vessel (for I remembered all the particu-lars to a title), so many pieces of huckabacklinen, so many ells of Dutch holland and thelike, in a box, and a hamper of flint glassesfrom Mr. Henzill's glasshouse; and that the boxwas marked I. C. No. 1, and the hamper wasdirected by a label on the cording.

About an hour after, I came to the warehouse,found the warehouse-keeper, and had thegoods delivered me without any scruple; thevalue of the linen being about #22.

I could fill up this whole discourse with thevariety of such adventures, which daily inven-tion directed to, and which I managed with theutmost dexterity, and always with success.

At length—as when does the pitcher come safehome that goes so very often to the well?—I fellinto some small broils, which though theycould not affect me fatally, yet made me

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known, which was the worst thing next tobeing found guilty that could befall me.

I had taken up the disguise of a widow's dress;it was without any real design in view, but onlywaiting for anything that might offer, as I oftendid. It happened that while I was going alongthe street in Covent Garden, there was a greatcry of 'Stop thief! Stop thief!' some artists had, itseems, put a trick upon a shopkeeper, andbeing pursued, some of them fled one way, andsome another; and one of them was, they said,dressed up in widow's weeds, upon which themob gathered about me, and some said I wasthe person, others said no. Immediately camethe mercer's journeyman, and he swore aloud Iwas the person, and so seized on me. However,when I was brought back by the mob to themercer's shop, the master of the house saidfreely that I was not the woman that was in hisshop, and would have let me go immediately;but another fellow said gravely, 'Pray stay till

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Mr. ——' (meaning the journeyman) 'comesback, for he knows her.' So they kept me byforce near half an hour. They had called a cons-table, and he stood in the shop as my jailer; andin talking with the constable I inquired wherehe lived, and what trade he was; the man notapprehending in the least what happened af-terwards, readily told me his name, and trade,and where he lived; and told me as a jest, that Imight be sure to hear of his name when I cameto the Old Bailey.

Some of the servants likewise used me saucily,and had much ado to keep their hands off me;the master indeed was civiller to me than they,but he would not yet let me go, though he ow-ned he could not say I was in his shop before.

I began to be a little surly with him, and toldhim I hoped he would not take it ill if I mademyself amends upon him in a more legal wayanother time; and desired I might send forfriends to see me have right done me. No, he

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said, he could give no such liberty; I might askit when I came before the justice of peace; andseeing I threatened him, he would take care ofme in the meantime, and would lodge me safein Newgate. I told him it was his time now, butit would be mine by and by, and governed mypassion as well as I was able. However, I spoketo the constable to call me a porter, which hedid, and then I called for pen, ink, and paper,but they would let me have none. I asked theporter his name, and where he lived, and thepoor man told it me very willingly. I bade himobserve and remember how I was treated there;that he saw I was detained there by force. I toldhim I should want his evidence in another pla-ce, and it should not be the worse for him tospeak. The porter said he would serve me withall his heart. 'But, madam,' says he, 'let me hearthem refuse to let you go, then I may be able tospeak the plainer.'

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With that I spoke aloud to the master of theshop, and said, 'Sir, you know in your ownconscience that I am not the person you lookfor, and that I was not in your shop before, the-refore I demand that you detain me here nolonger, or tell me the reason of your stoppingme.' The fellow grew surlier upon this thanbefore, and said he would do neither till hethought fit. 'Very well,' said I to the constableand to the porter; 'you will be pleased to re-member this, gentlemen, another time.' Theporter said, 'Yes, madam'; and the constablebegan not to like it, and would have persuadedthe mercer to dismiss him, and let me go, since,as he said, he owned I was not the person.'Good, sir,' says the mercer to him tauntingly,'are you a justice of peace or a constable? Icharged you with her; pray do you do yourduty.' The constable told him, a little moved,but very handsomely, 'I know my duty, andwhat I am, sir; I doubt you hardly know whatyou are doing.' They had some other hard

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words, and in the meantime the journeyman,impudent and unmanly to the last degree, usedme barbarously, and one of them, the same thatfirst seized upon me, pretended he wouldsearch me, and began to lay hands on me. I spitin his face, called out to the constable, and badehim to take notice of my usage. 'And pray, Mr.Constable,' said I, 'ask that villain's name,' poin-ting to the man. The constable reproved himdecently, told him that he did not know whathe did, for he knew that his master acknowled-ged I was not the person that was in his shop;'and,' says the constable, 'I am afraid your mas-ter is bringing himself, and me too, into trouble,if this gentlewoman comes to prove who she is,and where she was, and it appears that she isnot the woman you pretend to.' 'Damn her,'says the fellow again, with a impudent, harde-ned face, 'she is the lady, you may dependupon it; I'll swear she is the same body that wasin the shop, and that I gave the pieces of satinthat is lost into her own hand. You shall hear

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more of it when Mr. William and Mr. Anthony(those were other journeymen) come back; theywill know her again as well as I.'

Just as the insolent rogue was talking thus tothe constable, comes back Mr. William and Mr.Anthony, as he called them, and a great rabblewith them, bringing along with them the truewidow that I was pretended to be; and theycame sweating and blowing into the shop, andwith a great deal of triumph, dragging the poorcreature in the most butcherly manner up to-wards their master, who was in the back shop,and cried out aloud, 'Here's the widow, sir; wehave catcher her at last.' 'What do ye mean bythat?' says the master. 'Why, we have her al-ready; there she sits,' says he, 'and Mr. ——,'says he, 'can swear this is she.' The other man,whom they called Mr. Anthony, replied, 'Mr. —— may say what he will, and swear what hewill, but this is the woman, and there's the

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remnant of satin she stole; I took it out of herclothes with my own hand.'

I sat still now, and began to take a better heart,but smiled and said nothing; the master lookedpale; the constable turned about and looked atme. 'Let 'em alone, Mr. Constable,' said I; 'let'em go on.' The case was plain and could not bedenied, so the constable was charged with theright thief, and the mercer told me very civillyhe was sorry for the mistake, and hoped Iwould not take it ill; that they had so manythings of this nature put upon them every day,that they could not be blamed for being verysharp in doing themselves justice. 'Not take itill, sir!' said I; 'how can I take it well! If you haddismissed me when your insolent fellow seizedon me it the street, and brought me to you, andwhen you yourself acknowledged I was not theperson, I would have put it by, and not taken itill, because of the many ill things I believe youhave put upon you daily; but your treatment of

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me since has been insufferable, and especiallythat of your servant; I must and will have repa-ration for that.'

Then he began to parley with me, said hewould make me any reasonable satisfaction,and would fain have had me tell him what itwas I expected. I told him that I should not bemy own judge, the law should decide it for me;and as I was to be carried before a magistrate, Ishould let him hear there what I had to say. Hetold me there was no occasion to go before thejustice now, I was at liberty to go where I plea-sed; and so, calling to the constable, told him hemight let me go, for I was discharged. Theconstable said calmly to him, 'sir, you asked mejust now if I knew whether I was a constable orjustice, and bade me do my duty, and chargedme with this gentlewoman as a prisoner. Now,sir, I find you do not understand what is myduty, for you would make me a justice indeed;but I must tell you it is not in my power. I may

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keep a prisoner when I am charged with him,but 'tis the law and the magistrate alone thatcan discharge that prisoner; therefore 'tis a mis-take, sir; I must carry her before a justice now,whether you think well of it or not.' The mercerwas very high with the constable at first; butthe constable happening to be not a hired offi-cer, but a good, substantial kind of man (I thinkhe was a corn-handler), and a man of good sen-se, stood to his business, would not dischargeme without going to a justice of the peace; and Iinsisted upon it too. When the mercer saw that,'Well,' says he to the constable, 'you may carryher where you please; I have nothing to say toher.' 'But, sir,' says the constable, 'you will gowith us, I hope, for 'tis you that charged mewith her.' 'No, not I,' says the mercer; 'I tell youI have nothing to say to her.' 'But pray, sir, do,'says the constable; 'I desire it of you for yourown sake, for the justice can do nothing wit-hout you.' 'Prithee, fellow,' says the mercer, 'goabout your business; I tell you I have nothing to

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say to the gentlewoman. I charge you in theking's name to dismiss her.' 'Sir,' says the cons-table, 'I find you don't know what it is to beconstable; I beg of you don't oblige me to berude to you.' 'I think I need not; you are rudeenough already,' says the mercer. 'No, sir,' saysthe constable, 'I am not rude; you have brokenthe peace in bringing an honest woman out ofthe street, when she was about her lawful occa-sion, confining her in your shop, and ill-usingher here by your servants; and now can you sayI am rude to you? I think I am civil to you innot commanding or charging you in the king'sname to go with me, and charging every man Isee that passes your door to aid and assist mein carrying you by force; this you cannot butknow I have power to do, and yet I forbear it,and once more entreat you to go with me.'Well, he would not for all this, and gave theconstable ill language. However, the constablekept his temper, and would not be provoked;and then I put in and said, 'Come, Mr. Consta-

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ble, let him alone; I shall find ways enough tofetch him before a magistrate, I don't fear that;but there's the fellow,' says I, 'he was the manthat seized on me as I was innocently goingalong the street, and you are a witness of theviolence with me since; give me leave to chargeyou with him, and carry him before the justice.''Yes, madam,' says the constable; and turningto the fellow 'Come, young gentleman,' says heto the journeyman, 'you must go along with us;I hope you are not above the constable's power,though your master is.'

The fellow looked like a condemned thief, andhung back, then looked at his master, as if hecould help him; and he, like a fool, encouragethe fellow to be rude, and he truly resisted theconstable, and pushed him back with a goodforce when he went to lay hold on him, atwhich the constable knocked him down, andcalled out for help; and immediately the shop

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was filled with people, and the constable seizedthe master and man, and all his servants.

This first ill consequence of this fray was, thatthe woman they had taken, who was really thethief, made off, and got clear away in thecrowd; and two other that they had stoppedalso; whether they were really guilty or not,that I can say nothing to.

By this time some of his neighbours havingcome in, and, upon inquiry, seeing how thingswent, had endeavoured to bring the hot-brained mercer to his senses, and he began tobe convinced that he was in the wrong; and soat length we went all very quietly before thejustice, with a mob of about five hundred peo-ple at our heels; and all the way I went I couldhear the people ask what was the matter, andother reply and say, a mercer had stopped agentlewoman instead of a thief, and had after-wards taken the thief, and now the gentlewo-man had taken the mercer, and was carrying

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him before the justice. This pleased the peoplestrangely, and made the crowd increase, andthey cried out as they went, 'Which is the ro-gue? which is the mercer?' and especially thewomen. Then when they saw him they criedout, 'That's he, that's he'; and every now andthen came a good dab of dirt at him; and thuswe marched a good while, till the mercerthought fit to desire the constable to call acoach to protect himself from the rabble; so werode the rest of the way, the constable and I,and the mercer and his man.

When we came to the justice, which was anancient gentleman in Bloomsbury, the consta-ble giving first a summary account of the mat-ter, the justice bade me speak, and tell what Ihad to say. And first he asked my name, whichI was very loth to give, but there was no reme-dy, so I told him my name was Mary Flanders,that I was a widow, my husband being a seacaptain, died on a voyage to Virginia; and some

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other circumstances I told which he could ne-ver contradict, and that I lodged at present intown with such a person, naming my gover-ness; but that I was preparing to go over toAmerica, where my husband's effects lay, andthat I was going that day to buy some clothes toput myself into second mourning, but had notyet been in any shop, when that fellow, poin-ting to the mercer's journeyman, came rushingupon me with such fury as very much frightedme, and carried me back to his master's shop,where, though his master acknowledged I wasnot the person, yet he would not dismiss me,but charged a constable with me.

Then I proceeded to tell how the journeymantreated me; how they would not suffer me tosend for any of my friends; how afterwardsthey found the real thief, and took the verygoods they had lost upon her, and all the parti-culars as before.

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Then the constable related his case: his dialo-gue with the mercer about discharging me, andat last his servant's refusing to go with him,when he had charged him with him, and hismaster encouraging him to do so, and at last hisstriking the constable, and the like, all as I havetold it already.

The justice then heard the mercer and his man.The mercer indeed made a long harangue ofthe great loss they have daily by lifters andthieves; that it was easy for them to mistake,and that when he found it he would have dis-missed me, etc., as above. As to the journey-man, he had very little to say, but that he pre-tended other of the servants told him that I wasreally the person.

Upon the whole, the justice first of all told mevery courteously I was discharged; that he wasvery sorry that the mercer's man should in hiseager pursuit have so little discretion as to takeup an innocent person for a guilty person; that

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if he had not been so unjust as to detain meafterward, he believed I would have forgiventhe first affront; that, however, it was not in hispower to award me any reparation for anyt-hing, other than by openly reproving them,which he should do; but he supposed I wouldapply to such methods as the law directed; inthe meantime he would bind him over.

But as to the breach of the peace committed bythe journeyman, he told me he should give mesome satisfaction for that, for he should commithim to Newgate for assaulting the constable,and for assaulting me also.

Accordingly he sent the fellow to Newgate forthat assault, and his master gave bail, and sowe came away; but I had the satisfaction ofseeing the mob wait upon them both, as theycame out, hallooing and throwing stones anddirt at the coaches they rode in; and so I camehome to my governess.

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After this hustle, coming home and telling mygoverness the story, she falls a-laughing at me.'Why are you merry?' says I; 'the story has notso much laughing room in it as you imagine; Iam sure I have had a great deal of hurry andfright too, with a pack of ugly rogues.' 'Laugh!'says my governess; 'I laugh, child, to see what alucky creature you are; why, this job will be thebest bargain to you that ever you made in yourlife, if you manage it well. I warrant you,' saysshe, 'you shall make the mercer pay you #500for damages, besides what you shall get out ofthe journeyman.'

I had other thoughts of the matter than she had;and especially, because I had given in my nameto the justice of peace; and I knew that my na-me was so well known among the people atHick's Hall, the Old Bailey, and such places,that if this cause came to be tried openly, andmy name came to be inquired into, no courtwould give much damages, for the reputation

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of a person of such a character. However, I wasobliged to begin a prosecution in form, andaccordingly my governess found me out a verycreditable sort of a man to manage it, being anattorney of very good business, and of a goodreputation, and she was certainly in the right ofthis; for had she employed a pettifogging hedgesolicitor, or a man not known, and not in goodreputation, I should have brought it to but lit-tle.

I met this attorney, and gave him all the parti-culars at large, as they are recited above; and heassured me it was a case, as he said, that wouldvery well support itself, and that he did notquestion but that a jury would give very consi-derable damages on such an occasion; so takinghis full instructions he began the prosecution,and the mercer being arrested, gave bail. A fewdays after his giving bail, he comes with hisattorney to my attorney, to let him know thathe desired to accommodate the matter; that it

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was all carried on in the heat of an unhappypassion; that his client, meaning me, had asharp provoking tongue, that I used them ill,gibing at them, and jeering them, even whilethey believed me to be the very person, andthat I had provoked them, and the like.

My attorney managed as well on my side; ma-de them believe was a widow of fortune, that Iwas able to do myself justice,and had great friends to stand by me too, whohad all made me promise to sue to the utmost,and that if it cost me a thousand pounds Iwould be sure to have satisfaction, for that theaffronts I had received were insufferable.

However, they brought my attorney to this,that he promised he would not blow the coals,that if I inclined to accommodation, he wouldnot hinder me, and that he would rather per-suade me to peace than to war; for which theytold him he should be no loser; all which hetold me very honestly, and told me that if they

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offered him any bribe, I should certainly knowit; but upon the whole he told me very honestlythat if I would take his opinion, he would advi-se me to make it up with them, for that as theywere in a great fright, and were desirous aboveall things to make it up, and knew that, let it bewhat it would, they would be allotted to bearall the costs of the suit; he believed they wouldgive me freely more than any jury or court ofjustice would give upon a trial. I asked himwhat he thought they would be brought to. Hetold me he could not tell as to that, but hewould tell me more when I saw him again.

Some time after this, they came again to knowif he had talked with me. He told them he had;that he found me not so averse to an accommo-dation as some of my friends were, who resen-ted the disgrace offered me, and set me on; thatthey blowed the coals in secret, prompting meto revenge, or do myself justice, as they calledit; so that he could not tell what to say to it; he

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told them he would do his endeavour to per-suade me, but he ought to be able to tell mewhat proposal they made. They pretended theycould not make any proposal, because it mightbe made use of against them; and he told them,that by the same rule he could not make anyoffers, for that might be pleaded in abatementof what damages a jury might be inclined togive. However, after some discourse and mu-tual promises that no advantage should be ta-ken on either side, by what was transacted thenor at any other of those meetings, they came toa kind of a treaty; but so remote, and so widefrom one another, that nothing could be expec-ted from it; for my attorney demanded #500and charges, and they offered #50 withoutcharges; so they broke off, and the mercer pro-posed to have a meeting with me myself; andmy attorney agreed to that very readily.

My attorney gave me notice to come to thismeeting in good clothes, and with some state,

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that the mercer might see I was something mo-re than I seemed to be that time they had me.Accordingly I came in a new suit of secondmourning, according to what I had said at thejustice's. I set myself out, too, as well as a wi-dow's dress in second mourning would admit;my governess also furnished me with a goodpearl necklace, that shut in behind with a locketof diamonds, which she had in pawn; and I hada very good figure; and as I stayed till I wassure they were come, I came in a coach to thedoor, with my maid with me.

When I came into the room the mercer wassurprised. He stood up and made his bow,which I took a little notice of, and but a little,and went and sat down where my own attor-ney had pointed to me to sit, for it was his hou-se. After a little while the mercer said, he didnot know me again, and began to make somecompliments his way. I told him, I believed hedid not know me at first, and that if he had, I

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believed he would not have treated me as hedid.

He told me he was very sorry for what hadhappened, and that it was to testify the wi-llingness he had to make all possible reparationthat he had appointed this meeting; that hehoped I would not carry things to extremity,which might be not only too great a loss to him,but might be the ruin of his business and shop,in which case I might have the satisfaction ofrepaying an injury with an injury ten timesgreater; but that I would then get nothing, whe-reas he was willing to do me any justice thatwas in his power, without putting himself orme to the trouble or charge of a suit at law.

I told him I was glad to hear him talk so muchmore like a man of sense than he did before;that it was true, acknowledgment in most casesof affronts was counted reparation sufficient;but this had gone too far to be made up so; thatI was not revengeful, nor did I seek his ruin, or

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any man's else, but that all my friends wereunanimous not to let me so far neglect my cha-racter as to adjust a thing of this kind without asufficient reparation of honour; that to be takenup for a thief was such an indignity as couldnot be put up; that my character was abovebeing treated so by any that knew me, but be-cause in my condition of a widow I had beenfor some time careless of myself, and negligentof myself, I might be taken for such a creature,but that for the particular usage I had from himafterwards,—and then I repeated all as before;it was so provoking I had scarce patience torepeat it.

Well, he acknowledged all, and was mighthumble indeed; he made proposals very hand-some; he came up to #100 and to pay all thelaw charges, and added that he would makeme a present of a very good suit of clothes. Icame down to #300, and I demanded that I

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should publish an advertisement of the particu-lars in the common newspapers.

This was a clause he never could comply with.However, at last he came up, by good mana-gement of my attorney, to #150 and a suit ofblack silk clothes; and there I agree, and as itwere, at my attorney's request, complied withit, he paying my attorney's bill and charges,and gave us a good supper into the bargain.

When I came to receive the money, I broughtmy governess with me, dressed like an old du-chess, and a gentleman very well dressed, whowe pretended courted me, but I called him cou-sin, and the lawyer was only to hint privatelyto him that his gentleman courted the widow.

He treated us handsomely indeed, and paid themoney cheerfully enough; so that it cost him#200 in all, or rather more. At our last meeting,when all was agreed, the case of the journey-man came up, and the mercer begged very

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hard for him; told me he was a man that hadkept a shop of his own, and been in good busi-ness, had a wife, and several children, and wasvery poor; that he had nothing to make satisfac-tion with, but he should come to beg my par-don on his knees, if I desired it, as openly as Ipleased. I had no spleen at the saucy rogue, norwere his submissions anything to me, sincethere was nothing to be got by him, so Ithought it was as good to throw that in gene-rously as not; so I told him I did not desire theruin of any man, and therefore at his request Iwould forgive the wretch; it was below me toseek any revenge.

When we were at supper he brought the poorfellow in to make acknowledgment, which hewould have done with as much mean humilityas his offence was with insulting haughtinessand pride, in which he was an instance of acomplete baseness of spirit, impious, cruel, andrelentless when uppermost and in prosperity,

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abject and low-spirited when down in afflic-tion. However, I abated his cringes, told him Iforgave him, and desired he might withdraw,as if I did not care for the sight of him, though Ihad forgiven him.

I was now in good circumstances indeed, if Icould have known my time for leaving off, andmy governess often said I was the richest of thetrade in England; and so I believe I was, for Ihad #700 by me in money, besides clothes,rings, some plate, and two gold watches, andall of them stolen, for I had innumerable jobsbesides these I have mentioned. Oh! had I evennow had the grace of repentance, I had stillleisure to have looked back upon my follies,and have made some reparation; but the satis-faction I was to make for the public mischiefs Ihad done was yet left behind; and I could notforbear going abroad again, as I called it now,than any more I could when my extremity rea-lly drove me out for bread.

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It was not long after the affair with the mercerwas made up, that I went out in an equipagequite different from any I had ever appeared inbefore. I dressed myself like a beggar woman,in the coarsest and most despicable rags I couldget, and I walked about peering and peepinginto every door and window I came near; andindeed I was in such a plight now that I knewas ill how to behave in as ever I did in any. Inaturally abhorred dirt and rags; I had beenbred up tight and cleanly, and could be no ot-her, whatever condition I was in; so that thiswas the most uneasy disguise to me that ever Iput on. I said presently to myself that thiswould not do, for this was a dress that every-body was shy and afraid of; and I thought eve-rybody looked at me, as if they were afraid Ishould come near them, lest I should take so-mething from them, or afraid to come near me,lest they should get something from me. I wan-dered about all the evening the first time I wentout, and made nothing of it, but came home

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again wet, draggled, and tired. However, Iwent out again the next night, and then I metwith a little adventure, which had like to havecost me dear. As I was standing near a taverndoor, there comes a gentleman on horseback,and lights at the door, and wanting to go intothe tavern, he calls one of the drawers to holdhis horse. He stayed pretty long in the tavern,and the drawer heard his master call, andthought he would be angry with him. Seeingme stand by him, he called to me, 'Here, wo-man,' says he, 'hold this horse a while, till I goin; if the gentleman comes, he'll give you so-mething.' 'Yes,' says I, and takes the horse, andwalks off with him very soberly, and carriedhim to my governess.

This had been a booty to those that had unders-tood it; but never was poor thief more at a lossto know what to do with anything that wasstolen; for when I came home, my governesswas quite confounded, and what to do with the

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creature, we neither of us knew. To send him toa stable was doing nothing, for it was certainthat public notice would be given in the Gazet-te, and the horse described, so that we durst notgo to fetch it again.

All the remedy we had for this unlucky adven-ture was to go and set up the horse at an inn,and send a note by a porter to the tavern, thatthe gentleman's horse that was lost such a timewas left at such an inn, and that he might behad there; that the poor woman that held him,having led him about the street, not being ableto lead him back again, had left him there. Wemight have waited till the owner had publishedand offered a reward, but we did not care toventure the receiving the reward.

So this was a robbery and no robbery, for littlewas lost by it, and nothing was got by it, and Iwas quite sick of going out in a beggar's dress;it did not answer at all, and besides, I thought itwas ominous and threatening.

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While I was in this disguise, I fell in with a par-cel of folks of a worse kind than any I ever sor-ted with, and I saw a little into their ways too.These were coiners of money, and they madesome very good offers to me, as to profit; butthe part they would have had me have embar-ked in was the most dangerous part. I meanthat of the very working the die, as they call it,which, had I been taken, had been certaindeath, and that at a stake—I say, to be burnt todeath at a stake; so that though I was to appea-rance but a beggar, and they promised moun-tains of gold and silver to me to engage, yet itwould not do. It is true, if I had been really abeggar, or had been desperate as when I began,I might perhaps have closed with it; for whatcare they to die that can't tell how to live? Butat present this was not my condition, at least Iwas for no such terrible risks as those; besides,the very thoughts of being burnt at a stakestruck terror into my very soul, chilled myblood, and gave me the vapours to such a de-

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gree, as I could not think of it without trem-bling.

This put an end to my disguise too, for as I didnot like the proposal, so I did not tell them so,but seemed to relish it, and promised to meetagain. But I durst see them no more; for if I hadseen them, and not complied, though I had de-clined it with the greatest assurance of secrecyin the world, they would have gone near tohave murdered me, to make sure work, andmake themselves easy, as they call it. Whatkind of easiness that is, they may best judgethat understand how easy men are that canmurder people to prevent danger.

This and horse-stealing were things quite out ofmy way, and I might easily resolve I wouldhave to more to say to them; my business see-med to lie another way, and though it hadhazard enough in it too, yet it was more suita-ble to me, and what had more of art in it, and

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more room to escape, and more chances for a-coming off if a surprise should happen.

I had several proposals made also to me aboutthat time, to come into a gang of house-breakers; but that was a thing I had no mind toventure at neither, any more than I had at thecoining trade. I offered to go along with twomen and a woman, that made it their businessto get into houses by stratagem, and with themI was willing enough to venture. But there werethree of them already, and they did not care topart, nor I to have too many in a gang, so I didnot close with them, but declined them, andthey paid dear for their next attempt.

But at length I met with a woman that had of-ten told me what adventures she had made,and with success, at the waterside, and I closedwith her, and we drove on our business prettywell. One day we came among some Dutchpeople at St. Catherine's, where we went onpretence to buy goods that were privately got

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on shore. I was two or three times in a housewhere we saw a good quantity of prohibitedgoods, and my companion once brought awaythree pieces of Dutch black silk that turned togood account, and I had my share of it; but inall the journeys I made by myself, I could notget an opportunity to do anything, so I laid itaside, for I had been so often, that they began tosuspect something, and were so shy, that I sawnothing was to be done.

This baulked me a little, and I resolved to pushat something or other, for I was not used tocome back so often without purchase; so thenext day I dressed myself up fine, and took awalk to the other end of the town. I passedthrough the Exchange in the Strand, but had nonotion of finding anything to do there, when ona sudden I saw a great cluttering in the place,and all the people, shopkeepers as well as ot-hers, standing up and staring; and what shouldit be but some great duchess come into the Ex-

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change, and they said the queen was coming. Iset myself close up to a shop-side with my backto the counter, as if to let the crowd pass by,when keeping my eye upon a parcel of lacewhich the shopkeeper was showing to someladies that stood by me, the shopkeeper and hermaid were so taken up with looking to see whowas coming, and what shop they would go to,that I found means to slip a paper of lace intomy pocket and come clear off with it; so thelady-milliner paid dear enough for her gapingafter the queen.

I went off from the shop, as if driven along bythe throng, and mingling myself with thecrowd, went out at the other door of the Ex-change, and so got away before they missedtheir lace; and because I would not be followed,I called a coach and shut myself up in it. I hadscarce shut the coach doors up, but I saw themilliner's maid and five or six more come run-ning out into the street, and crying out as if

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they were frightened. They did not cry 'Stopthief!' because nobody ran away, but I couldhear the word 'robbed,' and 'lace,' two or threetimes, and saw the wench wringing her hands,and run staring to and again, like one scared.The coachman that had taken me up was get-ting up into the box, but was not quite up, sothat the horse had not begun to move; so that Iwas terrible uneasy, and I took the packet oflace and laid it ready to have dropped it out atthe flap of the coach, which opens before, justbehind the coachman; but to my great satisfac-tion, in less than a minute the coach began tomove, that is to say, as soon as the coachmanhad got up and spoken to his horses; so he dro-ve away without any interruption, and Ibrought off my purchase, which was work near#20.

The next day I dressed up again, but in quitedifferent clothes, and walked the same wayagain, but nothing offered till I came into St.

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James's Park, where I saw abundance of fineladies in the Park, walking in the Mall, andamong the rest there was a little miss, a younglady of about twelve or thirteen years old, andshe had a sister, as I suppose it was, with her,that might be about nine years old. I observedthe biggest had a fine gold watch on, and agood necklace of pearl, and they had a footmanin livery with them; but as it is not usual for thefootman to go behind the ladies in the Mall, so Iobserved the footman stopped at their goinginto the Mall, and the biggest of the sisters spo-ke to him, which I perceived was to bid him bejust there when they came back.

When I heard her dismiss the footman, I step-ped up to him and asked him, what little ladythat was? and held a little chat with him aboutwhat a pretty child it was with her, and howgenteel and well-carriaged the lady, the eldest,would be: how womanish, and how grave; andthe fool of a fellow told me presently who she

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was; that she was Sir Thomas ——'s eldestdaughter, of Essex, and that she was a greatfortune; that her mother was not come to townyet; but she was with Sir William ——'s lady, ofSuffolk, at her lodging in Suffolk Street, and agreat deal more; that they had a maid and awoman to wait on them, besides Sir Thomas'scoach, the coachman, and himself; and thatyoung lady was governess to the whole family,as well here as at home too; and, in short, toldme abundance of things enough for my busi-ness.

I was very well dressed, and had my goldwatch as well as she; so I left the footman, and Iputs myself in a rank with this young lady,having stayed till she had taken one doubleturn in the Mall, and was going forward again;by and by I saluted her by her name, with thetitle of Lady Betty. I asked her when she heardfrom her father; when my lady her motherwould be in town, and how she did.

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I talked so familiarly to her of her whole familythat she could not suspect but that I knew themall intimately. I asked her why she would comeabroad without Mrs. Chime with her (that wasthe name of her woman) to take of Mrs. Judith,that was her sister. Then I entered into a longchat with her about her sister, what a fine littlelady she was, and asked her if she had learnedFrench, and a thousand such little things toentertain her, when on a sudden we saw theguards come, and the crowd ran to see the kinggo by to the Parliament House.

The ladies ran all to the side of the Mall, and Ihelped my lady to stand upon the edge of theboards on the side of the Mall, that she mightbe high enough to see; and took the little oneand lifted her quite up; during which, I tookcare to convey the gold watch so clean awayfrom the Lady Betty, that she never felt it, normissed it, till all the crowd was gone, and she

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was gotten into the middle of the Mall amongthe other ladies.

I took my leave of her in the very crowd, andsaid to her, as if in haste, 'Dear Lady Betty, takecare of your little sister.' And so the crowd didas it were thrust me away from her, and that Iwas obliged unwillingly to take my leave.

The hurry in such cases is immediately over,and the place clear as soon as the king is goneby; but as there is always a great running andclutter just as the king passes, so having drop-ped the two little ladies, and done my businesswith them without any miscarriage, I kepthurrying on among the crowd, as if I ran to seethe king, and so I got before the crowd andkept so till I came to the end of the Mall, whenthe king going on towards the Horse Guards, Iwent forward to the passage, which went thenthrough against the lower end of the Haymar-ket, and there I bestowed a coach upon myself,and made off, and I confess I have not yet been

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so good as my word, viz. to go and visit myLady Betty.

I was once of the mind to venture staying withLady Betty till she missed the watch, and sohave made a great outcry about it with her, andhave got her into the coach, and put myself inthe coach with her, and have gone home withher; for she appeared so fond of me, and soperfectly deceived by my so readily talking toher of all her relations and family, that Ithought it was very easy to push the thing fart-her, and to have got at least the necklace ofpearl; but when I considered that though thechild would not perhaps have suspected me,other people might, and that if I was searched Ishould be discovered, I thought it was best togo off with what I had got, and be satisfied.

I came accidentally afterwards to hear, thatwhen the young lady missed her watch, shemade a great outcry in the Park, and sent herfootman up and down to see if he could find

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me out, she having described me so perfectlythat he knew presently that it was the sameperson that had stood and talked so long withhim, and asked him so many questions aboutthem; but I gone far enough out of their reachbefore she could come at her footman to tellhim the story.

I made another adventure after this, of a naturedifferent from all I had been concerned in yet,and this was at a gaming-house near CoventGarden.

I saw several people go in and out; and I stoodin the passage a good while with another wo-man with me, and seeing a gentleman go upthat seemed to be of more than ordinary fas-hion, I said to him, 'Sir, pray don't they givewomen leave to go up?' 'Yes, madam,' says he,'and to play too, if they please.' 'I mean so, sir,'said I. And with that he said he would introdu-ce me if I had a mind; so I followed him to thedoor, and he looking in, 'There, madam,' says

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he, 'are the gamesters, if you have a mind toventure.' I looked in and said to my comradealoud, 'Here's nothing but men; I won't ventureamong them.' At which one of the gentlemencried out, 'You need not be afraid, madam,here's none but fair gamesters; you are verywelcome to come and set what you please.' so Iwent a little nearer and looked on, and some ofthem brought me a chair, and I sat down andsaw the box and dice go round apace; then Isaid to my comrade, 'The gentlemen play toohigh for us; come, let us go.'

The people were all very civil, and one gentle-man in particular encouraged me, and said,'Come, madam, if you please to venture, if youdare trust me, I'll answer for it you shall havenothing put upon you here.' 'No, sir,' said I,smiling, 'I hope the gentlemen would not cheata woman.' But still I declined venturing, thoughI pulled out a purse with money in it, that theymight see I did not want money.

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After I had sat a while, one gentleman said tome, jeering, 'Come, madam, I see you are afraidto venture for yourself; I always had good luckwith the ladies, you shall set for me, if youwon't set for yourself.' I told him, 'sir, I shouldbe very loth to lose your money,' though I ad-ded, 'I am pretty lucky too; but the gentlemenplay so high, that I dare not indeed venture myown.'

'Well, well,' says he, 'there's ten guineas, ma-dam; set them for me.' so I took his money andset, himself looking on. I ran out nine of theguineas by one and two at a time, and then thebox coming to the next man to me, my gentle-man gave me ten guineas more, and made meset five of them at once, and the gentleman whohad the box threw out, so there was five gui-neas of his money again. He was encouraged atthis, and made me take the box, which was abold venture. However, I held the box so longthat I had gained him his whole money, and

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had a good handful of guineas in my lap, andwhich was the better luck, when I threw out, Ithrew but at one or two of those that had setme, and so went off easy.

When I was come this length, I offered the gen-tleman all the gold, for it was his own; and sowould have had him play for himself, preten-ding I did not understand the game wellenough. He laughed, and said if I had but goodluck, it was no matter whether I understood thegame or no; but I should not leave off. Howe-ver, he took out the fifteen guineas that he hadput in at first, and bade me play with the rest. Iwould have told them to see how much I hadgot, but he said, 'No, no, don't tell them, I belie-ve you are very honest, and 'tis bad luck to tellthem'; so I played on.

I understood the game well enough, though Ipretended I did not, and played cautiously. Itwas to keep a good stock in my lap, out ofwhich I every now and then conveyed some

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into my pocket, but in such a manner, and atsuch convenient times, as I was sure he couldnot see it.

I played a great while, and had very good luckfor him; but the last time I held the box, they setme high, and I threw boldly at all; I held thebox till I gained near fourscore guineas, but lostabove half of it back in the last throw; so I gotup, for I was afraid I should lose it all backagain, and said to him, 'Pray come, sir, now,and take it and play for yourself; I think I havedone pretty well for you.' He would have hadme play on, but it grew late, and I desired to beexcused. When I gave it up to him, I told him Ihoped he would give me leave to tell it now,that I might see what I had gained, and howlucky I had been for him; when I told them,there were threescore and three guineas. 'Ay,'says I, 'if it had not been for that unluckythrow, I had got you a hundred guineas.' So Igave him all the money, but he would not take

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it till I had put my hand into it, and taken somefor myself, and bid me please myself. I refusedit, and was positive I would not take it myself;if he had a mind to anything of that kind, itshould be all his own doings.

The rest of the gentlemen seeing us strivingcried, 'Give it her all'; but I absolutely refusedthat. Then one of them said, 'D—n ye, jack, hal-ve it with her; don't you know you should bealways upon even terms with the ladies.' So, inshort, he divided it with me, and I broughtaway thirty guineas, besides about forty-threewhich I had stole privately, which I was sorryfor afterward, because he was so generous.

Thus I brought home seventy-three guineas,and let my old governess see what good luck Ihad at play. However, it was her advice that Ishould not venture again, and I took her coun-sel, for I never went there any more; for I knewas well as she, if the itch of play came in, I

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might soon lose that, and all the rest of what Ihad got.

Fortune had smiled upon me to that degree,and I had thriven so much, and my governesstoo, for she always had a share with me, thatreally the old gentlewoman began to talk ofleaving off while we were well, and being satis-fied with what we had got; but, I know notwhat fate guided me, I was as backward to itnow as she was when I proposed it to her befo-re, and so in an ill hour we gave over thethoughts of it for the present, and, in a word, Igrew more hardened and audacious than ever,and the success I had made my name as famousas any thief of my sort ever had been at Newga-te, and in the Old Bailey.

I had sometime taken the liberty to play thesame game over again, which is not accordingto practice, which however succeeded notamiss; but generally I took up new figures, and

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contrived to appear in new shapes every time Iwent abroad.

It was not a rumbling time of the year, and thegentlemen being most of them gone out oftown, Tunbridge, and Epsom, and such placeswere full of people. But the city was thin, and Ithought our trade felt it a little, as well as other;so that at the latter end of the year I joined my-self with a gang who usually go every year toStourbridge Fair, and from thence to Bury Fair,in Suffolk. We promised ourselves great thingsthere, but when I came to see how things were,I was weary of it presently; for except merepicking of pockets, there was little worthmeddling with; neither, if a booty had beenmade, was it so easy carrying it off, nor wasthere such a variety of occasion for business inour way, as in London; all that I made of thewhole journey was a gold watch at Bury Fair,and a small parcel of linen at Cambridge, whichgave me an occasion to take leave of the place.

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It was on old bite, and I thought might do witha country shopkeeper, though in London itwould not.

I bought at a linen-draper's shop, not in the fair,but in the town of Cambridge, as much fineholland and other things as came to about se-ven pounds; when I had done, I bade them besent to such an inn, where I had purposely ta-ken up my being the same morning, as if I wasto lodge there that night.

I ordered the draper to send them home to me,about such an hour, to the inn where I lay, andI would pay him his money. At the time ap-pointed the draper sends the goods, and I pla-ced one of our gang at the chamber door, andwhen the innkeeper's maid brought the mes-senger to the door, who was a young fellow, anapprentice, almost a man, she tells him her mis-tress was asleep, but if he would leave thethings and call in about an hour, I should beawake, and he might have the money. He left

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the parcel very readily, and goes his way, andin about half an hour my maid and I walkedoff, and that very evening I hired a horse, and aman to ride before me, and went to Newmar-ket, and from thence got my passage in a coachthat was not quite full to St. Edmund's Bury,where, as I told you, I could make but little ofmy trade, only at a little country opera-housemade a shift to carry off a gold watch from alady's side, who was not only intolerably me-rry, but, as I thought, a little fuddled, whichmade my work much easier.

I made off with this little booty to Ipswich, andfrom thence to Harwich, where I went into aninn, as if I had newly arrived from Holland, notdoubting but I should make some purchaseamong the foreigners that came on shore there;but I found them generally empty of things ofvalue, except what was in their portmanteauxand Dutch hampers, which were generallyguarded by footmen; however, I fairly got one

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of their portmanteaux one evening out of thechamber where the gentleman lay, the footmanbeing fast asleep on the bed, and I suppose verydrunk.

The room in which I lodged lay next to theDutchman's, and having dragged the heavything with much ado out of the chamber intomine, I went out into the street, to see if I couldfind any possibility of carrying it off. I walkedabout a great while, but could see no probabili-ty either of getting out the thing, or of conve-ying away the goods that were in it if I hadopened it, the town being so small, and I a per-fect stranger in it; so I was returning with aresolution to carry it back again, and leave itwhere I found it. Just in that very moment Iheard a man make a noise to some people tomake haste, for the boat was going to put off,and the tide would be spent. I called to the fe-llow, 'What boat is it, friend,' says I, 'that youbelong to?' 'The Ipswich wherry, madam,' says

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he. 'When do you go off?' says I. 'This moment,madam,' says he; 'do you want to go thither?''Yes,' said I, 'if you can stay till I fetch mythings.' 'Where are your things, madam?' sayshe. 'At such an inn,' said I. 'Well, I'll go withyou, madam,' says he, very civilly, 'and bringthem for you.' 'Come away, then,' says I, andtakes him with me.

The people of the inn were in a great hurry, thepacket-boat from Holland being just come in,and two coaches just come also with passengersfrom London, for another packet-boat that wasgoing off for Holland, which coaches were togo back next day with the passengers that werejust landed. In this hurry it was not much min-ded that I came to the bar and paid my recko-ning, telling my landlady I had gotten my pas-sage by sea in a wherry.

These wherries are large vessels, with goodaccommodation for carrying passengers fromHarwich to London; and though they are called

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wherries, which is a word used in the Thamesfor a small boat rowed with one or two men,yet these are vessels able to carry twenty pas-sengers, and ten or fifteen tons of goods, andfitted to bear the sea. All this I had found outby inquiring the night before into the severalways of going to London.

My landlady was very courteous, took my mo-ney for my reckoning, but was called away, allthe house being in a hurry. So I left her, tookthe fellow up to my chamber, gave him thetrunk, or portmanteau, for it was like a trunk,and wrapped it about with an old apron, andhe went directly to his boat with it, and I afterhim, nobody asking us the least question aboutit; as for the drunken Dutch footman he wasstill asleep, and his master with other foreigngentlemen at supper, and very merry below, soI went clean off with it to Ipswich; and going inthe night, the people of the house knew nothing

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but that I was gone to London by the Harwichwherry, as I had told my landlady.

I was plagued at Ipswich with the custom-house officers, who stopped my trunk, as I ca-lled it, and would open and search it. I waswilling, I told them, they should search it, buthusband had the key, and he was not yet comefrom Harwich; this I said, that if upon sear-ching it they should find all the things be suchas properly belonged to a man rather than awoman, it should not seem strange to them.However, they being positive to open the trunkI consented to have it be broken open, that is tosay, to have the lock taken off, which was notdifficult.

They found nothing for their turn, for the trunkhad been searched before, but they discoveredseveral things very much to my satisfaction, asparticularly a parcel of money in French pistols,and some Dutch ducatoons or rix-dollars, andthe rest was chiefly two periwigs, wearing-

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linen, and razors, wash-balls, perfumes, andother useful things necessary for a gentleman,which all passed for my husband's, and so Iwas quit to them.

It was now very early in the morning, and notlight, and I knew not well what course to take;for I made no doubt but I should be pursued inthe morning, and perhaps be taken with thethings about me; so I resolved upon taking newmeasures. I went publicly to an inn in the townwith my trunk, as I called it, and having takenthe substance out, I did not think the lumber ofit worth my concern; however, I gave it thelandlady of the house with a charge to takegreat care of it, and lay it up safe till I shouldcome again, and away I walked in to the street.

When I was got into the town a great way fromthe inn, I met with an ancient woman who hadjust opened her door, and I fell into chat withher, and asked her a great many wild questionsof things all remote to my purpose and design;

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but in my discourse I found by her how thetown was situated, that I was in a street thatwent out towards Hadley, but that such a streetwent towards the water-side, such a street to-wards Colchester, and so the London road laythere.

I had soon my ends of this old woman, for Ionly wanted to know which was the Londonroad, and away I walked as fast as I could; notthat I intended to go on foot, either to Londonor to Colchester, but I wanted to get quietlyaway from Ipswich.

I walked about two or three miles, and then Imet a plain countryman, who was busy aboutsome husbandry work, I did not know what,and I asked him a great many questions first,not much to the purpose, but at last told him Iwas going for London, and the coach was full,and I could not get a passage, and asked him ifhe could tell me where to hire a horse thatwould carry double, and an honest man to ride

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before me to Colchester, that so I might get aplace there in the coaches. The honest clownlooked earnestly at me, and said nothing forabove half a minute, when, scratching his poll,'A horse, say you and to Colchester, to carrydouble? why yes, mistress, alack-a-day, youmay have horses enough for money.' 'Well,friend,' says I, 'that I take for granted; I don'texpect it without money.' 'Why, but, mistress,'says he, 'how much are you willing to give?''Nay,' says I again, 'friend, I don't know whatyour rates are in the country here, for I am astranger; but if you can get one for me, get it ascheap as you can, and I'll give you somewhatfor your pains.'

'Why, that's honestly said too,' says the coun-tryman. 'Not so honest, neither,' said I to my-self, 'if thou knewest all.' 'Why, mistress,' sayshe, 'I have a horse that will carry double, and Idon't much care if I go myself with you,' andthe like. 'Will you?' says I; 'well, I believe you

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are an honest man; if you will, I shall be glad ofit; I'll pay you in reason.' 'Why, look ye, mis-tress,' says he, 'I won't be out of reason withyou, then; if I carry you to Colchester, it will beworth five shillings for myself and my horse,for I shall hardly come back to-night.'

In short, I hired the honest man and his horse;but when we came to a town upon the road (Ido not remember the name of it, but it standsupon a river), I pretended myself very ill, and Icould go no farther that night but if he wouldstay there with me, because I was a stranger, Iwould pay him for himself and his horse withall my heart.

This I did because I knew the Dutch gentlemenand their servants would be upon the road thatday, either in the stagecoaches or riding post,and I did not know but the drunken fellow, orsomebody else that might have seen me at Har-wich, might see me again, and so I thought thatin one day's stop they would be all gone by.

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We lay all that night there, and the next mor-ning it was not very early when I set out, sothat it was near ten o'clock by the time I got toColchester. It was no little pleasure that I sawthe town where I had so many pleasant days,and I made many inquiries after the good oldfriends I had once had there, but could makelittle out; they were all dead or removed. Theyoung ladies had been all married or gone toLondon; the old gentleman and the old ladythat had been my early benefactress all dead;and which troubled me most, the young gen-tleman my first lover, and afterwards my brot-her-in-law, was dead; but two sons, mengrown, were left of him, but they too weretransplanted to London.

I dismissed my old man here, and stayed in-cognito for three or four days in Colchester,and then took a passage in a waggon, because Iwould not venture being seen in the Harwichcoaches. But I needed not have used so much

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caution, for there was nobody in Harwich butthe woman of the house could have known me;nor was it rational to think that she, conside-ring the hurry she was in, and that she neversaw me but once, and that by candlelight,should have ever discovered me.

I was now returned to London, and though bythe accident of the last adventure I got somet-hing considerable, yet I was not fond of anymore country rambles, nor should I have ven-tured abroad again if I had carried the trade onto the end of my days. I gave my governess ahistory of my travels; she liked the Harwichjourney well enough, and in discoursing of the-se things between ourselves she observed, thata thief being a creature that watches the advan-tages of other people's mistakes, 'tis impossiblebut that to one that is vigilant and industriousmany opportunities must happen, and therefo-re she thought that one so exquisitely keen in

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the trade as I was, would scarce fail of somet-hing extraordinary wherever I went.

On the other hand, every branch of my story, ifduly considered, may be useful to honest peo-ple, and afford a due caution to people of somesort or other to guard against the like surprises,and to have their eyes about them when theyhave to do with strangers of any kind, for 'tisvery seldom that some snare or other is not intheir way. The moral, indeed, of all my historyis left to be gathered by the senses and judg-ment of the reader; I am not qualified to preachto them. Let the experience of one creaturecompletely wicked, and completely miserable,be a storehouse of useful warning to those thatread.

I am drawing now towards a new variety of thescenes of life. Upon my return, being hardenedby along race of crime, and success unparalle-led, at least in the reach of my own knowledge,I had, as I have said, no thoughts of laying

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down a trade which, if I was to judge by theexample of other, must, however, end at last inmisery and sorrow.

It was on the Christmas day following, in theevening, that, to finish a long train of wicked-ness, I went abroad to see what might offer inmy way; when going by a working silvers-mith's in Foster Lane, I saw a tempting baitindeed, and not be resisted by one of my occu-pation, for the shop had nobody in it, as I couldsee, and a great deal of loose plate lay in thewindow, and at the seat of the man, who usua-lly, as I suppose, worked at one side of theshop.

I went boldly in, and was just going to lay myhand upon a piece of plate, and might havedone it, and carried it clear off, for any care thatthe men who belonged to the shop had taken ofit; but an officious fellow in a house, not a shop,on the other side of the way, seeing me go in,and observing that there was nobody in the

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shop, comes running over the street, and intothe shop, and without asking me what I was, orwho, seizes upon me, an cries out for the peo-ple of the house.

I had not, as I said above, touched anything inthe shop, and seeing a glimpse of somebodyrunning over to the shop, I had so much pre-sence of mind as to knock very hard with myfoot on the floor of the house, and was just ca-lling out too, when the fellow laid hands on me.

However, as I had always most courage when Iwas in most danger, so when the fellow laidhands on me, I stood very high upon it, that Icame in to buy half a dozen of silver spoons;and to my good fortune, it was a silversmith'sthat sold plate, as well as worked plate for ot-her shops. The fellow laughed at that part, andput such a value upon the service that he haddone his neighbour, that he would have it bethat I came not to buy, but to steal; and raisinga great crowd. I said to the master of the shop,

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who by this time was fetched home from someneighbouring place, that it was in vain to makenoise, and enter into talk there of the case; thefellow had insisted that I came to steal, and hemust prove it, and I desired we might go beforea magistrate without any more words; for Ibegan to see I should be too hard for the manthat had seized me.

The master and mistress of the shop were reallynot so violent as the man from t'other side ofthe way; and the man said, 'Mistress, you mightcome into the shop with a good design foraught I know, but it seemed a dangerous thingfor you to come into such a shop as mine is,when you see nobody there; and I cannot dojustice to my neighbour, who was so kind tome, as not to acknowledge he had reason on hisside; though, upon the whole, I do not find youattempted to take anything, and I really knownot what to do in it.' I pressed him to go beforea magistrate with me, and if anything could be

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proved on me that was like a design of robbery,I should willingly submit, but if not, I expectedreparation.

Just while we were in this debate, and a crowdof people gathered about the door, came by SirT. B., an alderman of the city, and justice of thepeace, and the goldsmith hearing of it, goesout, and entreated his worship to come in anddecide the case.

Give the goldsmith his due, he told his storywith a great deal of justice and moderation, andthe fellow that had come over, and seized uponme, told his with as much heat and foolish pas-sion, which did me good still, rather than harm.It came then to my turn to speak, and I told hisworship that I was a stranger in London, beingnewly come out of the north; that I lodged insuch a place, that I was passing this street, andwent into the goldsmith's shop to buy half adozen of spoons. By great luck I had an oldsilver spoon in my pocket, which I pulled out,

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and told him I had carried that spoon to matchit with half a dozen of new ones, that it mightmatch some I had in the country.

That seeing nobody I the shop, I knocked withmy foot very hard to make the people hear, andhad also called aloud with my voice; 'tis true,there was loose plate in the shop, but that no-body could say I had touched any of it, or gonenear it; that a fellow came running into theshop out of the street, and laid hands on me ina furious manner, in the very moments while Iwas calling for the people of the house; that ifhe had really had a mind to have done hisneighbour any service, he should have stood ata distance, and silently watched to see whetherI had touched anything or no, and then haveclapped in upon me, and taken me in the fact.'That is very true,' says Mr. Alderman, and tur-ning to the fellow that stopped me, he askedhim if it was true that I knocked with my foot?He said, yes, I had knocked, but that might be

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because of his coming. 'Nay,' says the alder-man, taking him short, 'now you contradictyourself, for just now you said she was in theshop with her back to you, and did not see youtill you came upon her.' Now it was true thatmy back was partly to the street, but yet as mybusiness was of a kind that required me to havemy eyes every way, so I really had a glance ofhim running over, as I said before, though hedid not perceive it.

After a full hearing, the alderman gave it as hisopinion that his neighbour was under a mista-ke, and that I was innocent, and the goldsmithacquiesced in it too, and his wife, and so I wasdismissed; but as I was going to depart, Mr.Alderman said, 'But hold, madam, if you weredesigning to buy spoons, I hope you will not letmy friend here lose his customer by the mista-ke.' I readily answered, 'No, sir, I'll buy thespoons still, if he can match my odd spoon,which I brought for a pattern'; and the golds-

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mith showed me some of the very same fas-hion. So he weighed the spoons, and they cameto five-and-thirty shillings, so I pulls out mypurse to pay him, in which I had near twentyguineas, for I never went without such a sumabout me, whatever might happen, and I foundit of use at other times as well as now.

When Mr. Alderman saw my money, he said,'Well, madam, now I am satisfied you werewronged, and it was for this reason that I mo-ved you should buy the spoons, and stayed tillyou had bought them, for if you had not hadmoney to pay for them, I should have suspec-ted that you did not come into the shop with anintent to buy, for indeed the sort of people whocome upon these designs that you have beencharged with, are seldom troubled with muchgold in their pockets, as I see you are.'

I smiled, and told his worship, that then I owedsomething of his favour to my money, but Ihoped he saw reason also in the justice he had

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done me before. He said, yes, he had, but thishad confirmed his opinion, and he was fullysatisfied now of my having been injured. So Icame off with flying colours, though from anaffair in which I was at the very brink of des-truction.

It was but three days after this, that not at allmade cautious by my former danger, as I usedto be, and still pursuing the art which I had solong been employed in, I ventured into a housewhere I saw the doors open, and furnished my-self, as I though verily without being perceived,with two pieces of flowered silks, such as theycall brocaded silk, very rich. It was not a mer-cer's shop, nor a warehouse of a mercer, butlooked like a private dwelling-house, and was,it seems, inhabited by a man that sold goods forthe weavers to the mercers, like a broker orfactor.

That I may make short of this black part of thisstory, I was attacked by two wenches that came

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open-mouthed at me just as I was going out atthe door, and one of them pulled me back intothe room, while the other shut the door uponme. I would have given them good words, butthere was no room for it, two fiery dragonscould not have been more furious than theywere; they tore my clothes, bullied and roaredas if they would have murdered me; the mis-tress of the house came next, and then the mas-ter, and all outrageous, for a while especially.

I gave the master very good words, told himthe door was open, and things were a tempta-tion to me, that I was poor and distressed, andpoverty was when many could not resist, andbegged him with tears to have pity on me. Themistress of the house was moved with compas-sion, and inclined to have let me go, and hadalmost persuaded her husband to it also, butthe saucy wenches were run, even before theywere sent, and had fetched a constable, andthen the master said he could not go back, I

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must go before a justice, and answered his wifethat he might come into trouble himself if heshould let me go.

The sight of the constable, indeed, struck mewith terror, and I thought I should have sunkinto the ground. I fell into faintings, and indeedthe people themselves thought I would havedied, when the woman argued again for me,and entreated her husband, seeing they hadlost nothing, to let me go. I offered him to payfor the two pieces, whatever the value was,though I had not got them, and argued that ashe had his goods, and had really lost nothing, itwould be cruel to pursue me to death, and havemy blood for the bare attempt of taking them. Iput the constable in mind that I had broke nodoors, nor carried anything away; and when Icame to the justice, and pleaded there that I hadneither broken anything to get in, nor carriedanything out, the justice was inclined to havereleased me; but the first saucy jade that stop-

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ped me, affirming that I was going out with thegoods, but that she stopped me and pulled meback as I was upon the threshold, the justiceupon that point committed me, and I was ca-rried to Newgate. That horrid place! my veryblood chills at the mention of its name; the pla-ce where so many of my comrades had beenlocked up, and from whence they went to thefatal tree; the place where my mother sufferedso deeply, where I was brought into the world,and from whence I expected no redemption butby an infamous death: to conclude, the placethat had so long expected me, and which withso much art and success I had so long avoided.

I was not fixed indeed; 'tis impossible to descri-be the terror of my mind, when I was firstbrought in, and when I looked around upon allthe horrors of that dismal place. I looked onmyself as lost, and that I had nothing to thinkof but of going out of the world, and that withthe utmost infamy: the hellish noise, the roa-

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ring, swearing, and clamour, the stench andnastiness, and all the dreadful crowd of afflic-ting things that I saw there, joined together tomake the place seem an emblem of hell itself,and a kind of an entrance into it.

Now I reproached myself with the many hints Ihad had, as I have mentioned above, from myown reason, from the sense of my good cir-cumstances, and of the many dangers I hadescaped, to leave off while I was well, and howI had withstood them all, and hardened mythoughts against all fear. It seemed to me that Iwas hurried on by an inevitable and unseenfate to this day of misery, and that now I was toexpiate all my offences at the gallows; that Iwas now to give satisfaction to justice with myblood, and that I was come to the last hour ofmy life and of my wickedness together. Thesethings poured themselves in upon my thoughtsin a confused manner, and left me overwhel-med with melancholy and despair.

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Them I repented heartily of all my life past, butthat repentance yielded me no satisfaction, nopeace, no, not in the least, because, as I said tomyself, it was repenting after the power of furt-her sinning was taken away. I seemed not tomourn that I had committed such crimes, andfor the fact as it was an offence against God andmy neighbour, but I mourned that I was to bepunished for it. I was a penitent, as I thought,not that I had sinned, but that I was to suffer,and this took away all the comfort, and eventhe hope of my repentance in my ownthoughts.

I got no sleep for several nights or days after Icame into that wretched place, and glad Iwould have been for some time to have diedthere, though I did not consider dying as itought to be considered neither; indeed, nothingcould be filled with more horror to my imagi-nation than the very place, nothing was moreodious to me than the company that was there.

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Oh! if I had but been sent to any place in theworld, and not to Newgate, I should havethought myself happy.

In the next place, how did the hardened wret-ches that were there before me triumph overme! What! Mrs. Flanders come to Newgate atlast? What! Mrs. Mary, Mrs. Molly, and afterthat plain Moll Flanders? They thought the de-vil had helped me, they said, that I had reignedso long; they expected me there many yearsago, and was I come at last? Then they floutedme with my dejections, welcomed me to theplace, wished me joy, bid me have a goodheart, not to be cast down, things might not beso bad as I feared, and the like; then called forbrandy, and drank to me, but put it all up tomy score, for they told me I was but just cometo the college, as they called it, and sure I hadmoney in my pocket, though they had none.

I asked one of this crew how long she had beenthere. She said four months. I asked her how

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the place looked to her when she first came intoit. 'Just as it did now to you,' says she, dreadfuland frightful'; that she thought she was in hell;'and I believe so still,' adds she, 'but it is naturalto me now, I don't disturb myself about it.' 'Isuppose,' says I, 'you are in no danger of whatis to follow?' 'Nay,' says she, 'for you are mista-ken there, I assure you, for I am under senten-ce, only I pleaded my belly, but I am no morewith child than the judge that tried me, and Iexpect to be called down next sessions.' This'calling down' is calling down to their formerjudgment, when a woman has been respited forher belly, but proves not to be with child, or ifshe has been with child, and has been broughtto bed. 'Well,' says I, 'are you thus easy?' 'Ay,'says she, 'I can't help myself; what signifiesbeing sad? If I am hanged, there's an end ofme,' says she; and away she turns dancing, andsings as she goes the following piece of Newga-te wit ——

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'If I swing by the stringI shall hear the bell ringAnd then there's an end of poor Jenny.'

I mention this because it would be worth theobservation of any prisoner, who shall hereaf-ter fall into the same misfortune, and come tothat dreadful place of Newgate, how time, ne-cessity, and conversing with the wretches thatare there familiarizes the place to them; how atlast they become reconciled to that which atfirst was the greatest dread upon their spirits inthe world, and are as impudently cheerful andmerry in their misery as they were when out ofit.

I cannot say, as some do, this devil is not soblack as he is painted; for indeed no colours canrepresent the place to the life, not any soul con-ceive aright of it but those who have been suf-fers there. But how hell should become by de-gree so natural, and not only tolerable, but even

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agreeable, is a thing unintelligible but by thosewho have experienced it, as I have.

The same night that I was sent to Newgate, Isent the news of it to my old governess, whowas surprised at it, you may be sure, and spentthe night almost as ill out of Newgate, as I didin it.

The next morning she came to see me; she didwhat she could to comfort me, but she saw thatwas to no purpose; however, as she said, tosink under the weight was but to increase theweight; she immediately applied herself to allthe proper methods to prevent the effects of it,which we feared, and first she found out thetwo fiery jades that had surprised me. She tam-pered with them, offered them money, and, in aword, tried all imaginable ways to prevent aprosecution; she offered one of the wenches#100 to go away from her mistress, and not toappear against me, but she was so resolute, thatthough she was but a servant maid at #3 a year

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wages or thereabouts, she refused it, andwould have refused it, as my governess saidshe believed, if she had offered her #500. Thenshe attacked the other maid; she was not sohard-hearted in appearance as the other, andsometimes seemed inclined to be merciful; butthe first wench kept her up, and changed hermind, and would not so much as let my gover-ness talk with her, but threatened to have herup for tampering with the evidence.

Then she applied to the master, that is to say,the man whose goods had been stolen, andparticularly to his wife, who, as I told you, wasinclined at first to have some compassion forme; she found the woman the same still, but theman alleged he was bound by the justice thatcommitted me, to prosecute, and that he shouldforfeit his recognisance.

My governess offered to find friends thatshould get his recognisances off of the file, asthey call it, and that he should not suffer; but it

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was not possible to convince him that could bedone, or that he could be safe any way in theworld but by appearing against me; so I was tohave three witnesses of fact against me, themaster and his two maids; that is to say, I wasas certain to be cast for my life as I was certainthat I was alive, and I had nothing to do but tothink of dying, and prepare for it. I had but asad foundation to build upon, as I said before,for all my repentance appeared to me to be on-ly the effect of my fear of death, not a sincereregret for the wicked life that I had lived, andwhich had brought this misery upon me, forthe offending my Creator, who was now sud-denly to be my judge.

I lived many days here under the utmost horrorof soul; I had death, as it were, in view, andthought of nothing night and day, but of gib-bets and halters, evil spirits and devils; it is notto be expressed by words how I was harassed,between the dreadful apprehensions of death

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and the terror of my conscience reproaching mewith my past horrible life.

The ordinary of Newgate came to me, and tal-ked a little in his way, but all his divinity ranupon confessing my crime, as he called it(though he knew not what I was in for), makinga full discovery, and the like, without which hetold me God would never forgive me; and hesaid so little to the purpose, that I had no man-ner of consolation from him; and then to obser-ve the poor creature preaching confession andrepentance to me in the morning, and find himdrunk with brandy and spirits by noon, thishad something in it so shocking, that I began tonauseate the man more than his work, and hiswork too by degrees, for the sake of the man; sothat I desired him to trouble me no more.

I know not how it was, but by the indefatigableapplication of my diligent governess I had nobill preferred against me the first sessions, Imean to the grand jury, at Guildhall; so I had

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another month or five weeks before me, andwithout doubt this ought to have been acceptedby me, as so much time given me for reflectionupon what was past, and preparation for whatwas to come; or, in a word, I ought to have es-teemed it as a space given me for repentance,and have employed it as such, but it was not inme. I was sorry (as before) for being in Newga-te, but had very few signs of repentance aboutme.

On the contrary, like the waters in the cavitiesand hollows of mountains, which petrify andturn into stone whatever they are suffered todrop on, so the continual conversing with sucha crew of hell-hounds as I was, had the samecommon operation upon me as upon other peo-ple. I degenerated into stone; I turned first stu-pid and senseless, then brutish and thoughtless,and at last raving mad as any of them were;and, in short, I became as naturally pleased and

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easy with the place, as if indeed I had beenborn there.

It is scarce possible to imagine that our naturesshould be capable of so much degeneracy, as tomake that pleasant and agreeable that in itselfis the most complete misery. Here was a cir-cumstance that I think it is scarce possible tomention a worse: I was as exquisitely miserableas, speaking of common cases, it was possiblefor any one to be that had life and health, andmoney to help them, as I had.

I had weight of guilt upon me enough to sinkany creature who had the least power of reflec-tion left, and had any sense upon them of thehappiness of this life, of the misery of another;then I had at first remorse indeed, but no re-pentance; I had now neither remorse nor repen-tance. I had a crime charged on me, the pu-nishment of which was death by our law; theproof so evident, that there was no room for meso much as to plead not guilty. I had the name

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of an old offender, so that I had nothing to ex-pect but death in a few weeks' time, neither hadI myself any thoughts of escaping; and yet acertain strange lethargy of soul possessed me. Ihad no trouble, no apprehensions, no sorrowabout me, the first surprise was gone; I was, Imay well say, I know not how; my senses, myreason, nay, my conscience, were all asleep; mycourse of life for forty years had been a horridcomplication of wickedness, whoredom, adul-tery, incest, lying, theft; and, in a word, everyt-hing but murder and treason had been mypractice from the age of eighteen, or therea-bouts, to three-score; and now I was engulfedin the misery of punishment, and had an infa-mous death just at the door, and yet I had nosense of my condition, no thought of heaven orhell at least, that went any farther than a bareflying touch, like the stitch or pain that gives ahint and goes off. I neither had a heart to askGod's mercy, nor indeed to think of it. And in

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this, I think, I have given a brief description ofthe completest misery on earth.

All my terrifying thoughts were past, thehorrors of the place were become familiar, andI felt no more uneasiness at the noise and cla-mours of the prison, than they did who madethat noise; in a word, I was become a mereNewgate-bird, as wicked and as outrageous asany of them; nay, I scarce retained the habitand custom of good breeding and manners,which all along till now ran through my con-versation; so thorough a degeneracy had pos-sessed me, that I was no more the same thingthat I had been, than if I had never been other-wise than what I was now.

In the middle of this hardened part of my life Ihad another sudden surprise, which called meback a little to that thing called sorrow, whichindeed I began to be past the sense of before.They told me one night that there was broughtinto the prison late the night before three high-

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waymen, who had committed robbery somew-here on the road to Windsor, Hounslow Heath,I think it was, and were pursued to Uxbridgeby the country, and were taken there after agallant resistance, in which I know not howmany of the country people were wounded,and some killed.

It is not to be wondered that we prisoners wereall desirous enough to see these brave, toppinggentlemen, that were talked up to be such astheir fellows had not been known, and especia-lly because it was said they would in the mor-ning be removed into the press-yard, havinggiven money to the head master of the prison,to be allowed the liberty of that better part ofthe prison. So we that were women placed our-selves in the way, that we would be sure to seethem; but nothing could express the amaze-ment and surprise I was in, when the very firstman that came out I knew to be my Lancashirehusband, the same who lived so well at Duns-

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table, and the same who I afterwards saw atBrickhill, when I was married to my last hus-band, as has been related.

I was struck dumb at the sight, and knew neit-her what to say nor what to do; he did notknow me, and that was all the present relief Ihad. I quitted my company, and retired asmuch as that dreadful place suffers anybody toretire, and I cried vehemently for a great while.'Dreadful creature that I am,' said I, 'how maypoor people have I made miserable? How ma-ny desperate wretches have I sent to the devil?'He had told me at Chester he was ruined bythat match, and that his fortunes were madedesperate on my account; for that thinking Ihad been a fortune, he was run into debt morethan he was able to pay, and that he knew notwhat course to take; that he would go into thearmy and carry a musket, or buy a horse andtake a tour, as he called it; and though I nevertold him that I was a fortune, and so did not

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actually deceive him myself, yet I did encoura-ge the having it thought that I was so, and bythat means I was the occasion originally of hismischief.

The surprise of the thing only struck deeperinto my thoughts, any gave me stronger reflec-tions than all that had befallen me before. Igrieved day and night for him, and the morefor that they told me he was the captain of thegang, and that he had committed so many rob-beries, that Hind, or Whitney, or the GoldenFarmer were fools to him; that he would surelybe hanged if there were no more men left in thecountry he was born in; and that there wouldabundance of people come in against him.

I was overwhelmed with grief for him; my owncase gave me no disturbance compared to this,and I loaded myself with reproaches on hisaccount. I bewailed his misfortunes, and theruin he was now come to, at such a rate, that Irelished nothing now as I did before, and the

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first reflections I made upon the horrid, detes-table life I had lived began to return upon me,and as these things returned, my abhorrence ofthe place I was in, and of the way of living in it,returned also; in a word, I was perfectly chan-ged, and become another body.

While I was under these influences of sorrowfor him, came notice to me that the next ses-sions approaching there would be a bill prefe-rred to the grand jury against me, and that Ishould be certainly tried for my life at the OldBailey. My temper was touched before, the har-dened, wretched boldness of spirit which I hadacquired abated, and conscious in the prison,guilt began to flow in upon my mind. In short, Ibegan to think, and to think is one real advancefrom hell to heaven. All that hellish, hardenedstate and temper of soul, which I have said somuch of before, is but a deprivation of thought;he that is restored to his power of thinking, isrestored to himself.

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As soon as I began, I say, to think, the firstthink that occurred to me broke out thus: 'Lord!what will become of me? I shall certainly die! Ishall be cast, to be sure, and there is nothingbeyond that but death! I have no friends; whatshall I do? I shall be certainly cast! Lord, havemercy upon me! What will become of me?' Thiswas a sad thought, you will say, to be the first,after so long a time, that had started into mysoul of that kind, and yet even this was nothingbut fright at what was to come; there was not aword of sincere repentance in it all. However, Iwas indeed dreadfully dejected, and disconso-late to the last degree; and as I had no friend inthe world to communicate my distressedthoughts to, it lay so heavy upon me, that itthrew me into fits and swoonings several timesa day. I sent for my old governess, and she,give her her due, acted the part of a true friend.She left no stone unturned to prevent the grandjury finding the bill. She sought out one or twoof the jurymen, talked with them, and endea-

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voured to possess them with favourable dispo-sitions, on account that nothing was takenaway, and no house broken, etc.; but all wouldnot do, they were over-ruled by the rest; thetwo wenches swore home to the fact, and thejury found the bill against me for robbery andhouse-breaking, that is, for felony and burglary.

I sunk down when they brought me news of it,and after I came to myself again, I thought Ishould have died with the weight of it. My go-verness acted a true mother to me; she pitiedme, she cried with me, and for me, but shecould not help me; and to add to the terror of it,'twas the discourse all over the house that Ishould die for it. I could hear them talk itamong themselves very often, and see themshake their heads and say they were sorry forit, and the like, as is usual in the place. But stillnobody came to tell me their thoughts, till atlast one of the keepers came to me privately,and said with a sigh, 'Well, Mrs. Flanders, you

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will be tried on Friday' (this was but a Wed-nesday); 'what do you intend to do?' I turned aswhite as a clout, and said, 'God knows what Ishall do; for my part, I know not what to do.''Why,' says he, 'I won't flatter you, I wouldhave you prepare for death, for I doubt youwill be cast; and as they say you are an old of-fender, I doubt you will find but little mercy.They say,' added he, 'your case is very plain,and that the witnesses swear so home againstyou, there will be no standing it.'

This was a stab into the very vitals of one undersuch a burthen as I was oppressed with before,and I could not speak to him a word, good orbad, for a great while; but at last I burst out intotears, and said to him, 'Lord! Mr. ——, whatmust I do?' 'Do!' says he, 'send for the ordinary;send for a minister and talk with him; for, inde-ed, Mrs. Flanders, unless you have very goodfriends, you are no woman for this world.'

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This was plain dealing indeed, but it was veryharsh to me, at least I thought it so. He left mein the greatest confusion imaginable, and allthat night I lay awake. And now I began to saymy prayers, which I had scarce done beforesince my last husband's death, or from a littlewhile after. And truly I may well call it sayingmy prayers, for I was in such a confusion, andhad such horror upon my mind, that though Icried, and repeated several times the ordinaryexpression of 'Lord, have mercy upon me!' Inever brought myself to any sense of my beinga miserable sinner, as indeed I was, and of con-fessing my sins to God, and begging pardon forthe sake of Jesus Christ. I was overwhelmedwith the sense of my condition, being tried formy life, and being sure to be condemned, andthen I was as sure to be executed, and on thisaccount I cried out all night, 'Lord, what willbecome of me? Lord! what shall I do? Lord! Ishall be hanged! Lord, have mercy upon me!'and the like.

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My poor afflicted governess was now as muchconcerned as I, and a great deal more truly pe-nitent, though she had no prospect of beingbrought to trial and sentence. Not but that shedeserved it as much as I, and so she said her-self; but she had not done anything herself formany years, other than receiving what I andothers stole, and encouraging us to steal it. Butshe cried, and took on like a distracted body,wringing her hands, and crying out that shewas undone, that she believed there was a cur-se from heaven upon her, that she should bedamned, that she had been the destruction ofall her friends, that she had brought such a one,and such a one, and such a one to the gallows;and there she reckoned up ten or eleven people,some of which I have given account of, thatcame to untimely ends; and that now she wasthe occasion of my ruin, for she had persuadedme to go on, when I would have left off. I inte-rrupted her there. 'No, mother, no,' said I, 'don'tspeak of that, for you would have had me left

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off when I got the mercer's money again, andwhen I came home from Harwich, and I wouldnot hearken to you; therefore you have notbeen to blame; it is I only have ruined myself, Ihave brought myself to this misery'; and thuswe spent many hours together.

Well, there was no remedy; the prosecutionwent on, and on the Thursday I was carrieddown to the sessions-house, where I wasarraigned, as they called it, and the next day Iwas appointed to be tried. At the arraignment Ipleaded 'Not guilty,' and well I might, for I wasindicted for felony and burglary; that is, forfeloniously stealing two pieces of brocaded silk,value #46, the goods of Anthony Johnson, andfor breaking open his doors; whereas I knewvery well they could not pretend to prove I hadbroken up the doors, or so much as lifted up alatch.

On the Friday I was brought to my trial. I hadexhausted my spirits with crying for two or

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three days before, so that I slept better theThursday night than I expected, and had morecourage for my trial than indeed I thought pos-sible for me to have.

When the trial began, the indictment was read,I would have spoke, but they told me the wit-nesses must be heard first, and then I shouldhave time to be heard. The witnesses were thetwo wenches, a couple of hard-mouthed jadesindeed, for though the thing was truth in themain, yet they aggravated it to the utmost ex-tremity, and swore I had the goods wholly inmy possession, that I had hid them among myclothes, that I was going off with them, that Ihad one foot over the threshold when they dis-covered themselves, and then I put t' otherover, so that I was quite out of the house in thestreet with the goods before they took hold ofme, and then they seized me, and brought meback again, and they took the goods upon me.The fact in general was all true, but I believe,

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and insisted upon it, that they stopped me be-fore I had set my foot clear of the threshold ofthe house. But that did not argue much, forcertain it was that I had taken the goods, and Iwas bringing them away, if I had not been ta-ken.

But I pleaded that I had stole nothing, they hadlost nothing, that the door was open, and Iwent in, seeing the goods lie there, and withdesign to buy. If, seeing nobody in the house, Ihad taken any of them up in my hand it couldnot be concluded that I intended to steal them,for that I never carried them farther than thedoor to look on them with the better light.

The Court would not allow that by any means,and made a kind of a jest of my intending tobuy the goods, that being no shop for the se-lling of anything, and as to carrying them to thedoor to look at them, the maids made their im-pudent mocks upon that, and spent their witupon it very much; told the Court I had looked

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at them sufficiently, and approved them verywell, for I had packed them up under my clot-hes, and was a-going with them.

In short, I was found guilty of felony, but ac-quitted of the burglary, which was but smallcomfort to me, the first bringing me to a sen-tence of death, and the last would have done nomore. The next day I was carried down to re-ceive the dreadful sentence, and when theycame to ask me what I had to say why sentenceshould not pass, I stood mute a while, but so-mebody that stood behind me prompted mealoud to speak to the judges, for that they couldrepresent things favourably for me. This encou-raged me to speak, and I told them I had not-hing to say to stop the sentence, but that I hadmuch to say to bespeak the mercy of the Court;that I hoped they would allow something insuch a case for the circumstances of it; that Ihad broken no doors, had carried nothing off;that nobody had lost anything; that the person

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whose goods they were was pleased to say hedesired mercy might be shown (which indeedhe very honestly did); that, at the worst, it wasthe first offence, and that I had never been be-fore any court of justice before; and, in a word,I spoke with more courage that I thought Icould have done, and in such a moving tone,and though with tears, yet not so many tears asto obstruct my speech, that I could see it movedothers to tears that heard me.

The judges sat grave and mute, gave me aneasy hearing, and time to say all that I would,but, saying neither Yes nor No to it, pronoun-ced the sentence of death upon me, a sentencethat was to me like death itself, which, after itwas read, confounded me. I had no more spiritleft in me, I had no tongue to speak, or eyes tolook up either to God or man.

My poor governess was utterly disconsolate,and she that was my comforter before, wantedcomfort now herself; and sometimes mourning,

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sometimes raging, was as much out of herself,as to all outward appearance, as any mad wo-man in Bedlam. Nor was she only disconsolateas to me, but she was struck with horror at thesense of her own wicked life, and began to lookback upon it with a taste quite different frommine, for she was penitent to the highest degreefor her sins, as well as sorrowful for the misfor-tune. She sent for a minister, too, a serious,pious, good man, and applied herself with suchearnestness, by his assistance, to the work of asincere repentance, that I believe, and so didthe minister too, that she was a true penitent;and, which is still more, she was not only so forthe occasion, and at that juncture, but she con-tinued so, as I was informed, to the day of herdeath.

It is rather to be thought of than expressedwhat was now my condition. I had nothingbefore me but present death; and as I had nofriends to assist me, or to stir for me, I expected

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nothing but to find my name in the dead wa-rrant, which was to come down for the execu-tion, the Friday afterwards, of five more andmyself.

In the meantime my poor distressed governesssent me a minister, who at her request first, andat my own afterwards, came to visit me. Heexhorted me seriously to repent of all my sins,and to dally no longer with my soul; not flatte-ring myself with hopes of life, which, he said,he was informed there was no room to expect,but unfeignedly to look up to God with mywhole soul, and to cry for pardon in the nameof Jesus Christ. He backed his discourses withproper quotations of Scripture, encouraging thegreatest sinner to repent, and turn from theirevil way, and when he had done, he kneeleddown and prayed with me.

It was now that, for the first time, I felt any realsigns of repentance. I now began to look backupon my past life with abhorrence, and having

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a kind of view into the other side of time, andthings of life, as I believe they do with every-body at such a time, began to look with a diffe-rent aspect, and quite another shape, than theydid before. The greatest and best things, theviews of felicity, the joy, the griefs of life, werequite other things; and I had nothing in mythoughts but what was so infinitely superior towhat I had known in life, that it appeared to meto be the greatest stupidity in nature to lay anyweight upon anything, though the most valua-ble in this world.

The word eternity represented itself with all itsincomprehensible additions, and I had suchextended notions of it, that I know not how toexpress them. Among the rest, how vile, howgross, how absurd did every pleasant thinglook!—I mean, that we had counted pleasantbefore—especially when I reflected that thesesordid trifles were the things for which we for-feited eternal felicity.

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With these reflections came, of mere course,severe reproaches of my own mind for mywretched behaviour in my past life; that I hadforfeited all hope of any happiness in the eter-nity that I was just going to enter into, and onthe contrary was entitled to all that was mise-rable, or had been conceived of misery; and allthis with the frightful addition of its being alsoeternal.

I am not capable of reading lectures of instruc-tion to anybody, but I relate this in the verymanner in which things then appeared to me,as far as I am able, but infinitely short of thelively impressions which they made on my soulat that time; indeed, those impressions are notto be explained by words, or if they are, I amnot mistress of words enough to express them.It must be the work of every sober reader tomake just reflections on them, as their own cir-cumstances may direct; and, without question,this is what every one at some time or other

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may feel something of; I mean, a clearer sightinto things to come than they had here, and adark view of their own concern in them.

But I go back to my own case. The ministerpressed me to tell him, as far as I though con-venient, in what state I found myself as to thesight I had of things beyond life. He told me hedid not come as ordinary of the place, whosebusiness it is to extort confessions from priso-ners, for private ends, or for the further detec-ting of other offenders; that his business was tomove me to such freedom of discourse as mightserve to disburthen my own mind, and furnishhim to administer comfort to me as far as wasin his power; and assured me, that whatever Isaid to him should remain with him, and be asmuch a secret as if it was known only to Godand myself; and that he desired to know not-hing of me, but as above to qualify him to ap-ply proper advice and assistance to me, and topray to God for me.

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This honest, friendly way of treating me unloc-ked all the sluices of my passions. He brokeinto my very soul by it; and I unravelled all thewickedness of my life to him. In a word, I gavehim an abridgment of this whole history; I gavehim a picture of my conduct for fifty years inminiature.

I hid nothing from him, and he in return exhor-ted me to sincere repentance, explained to mewhat he meant by repentance, and then drewout such a scheme of infinite mercy, proclaimedfrom heaven to sinners of the greatest magni-tude, that he left me nothing to say, that lookedlike despair, or doubting of being accepted; andin this condition he left me the first night.

He visited me again the next morning, andwent on with his method of explaining theterms of divine mercy, which according to himconsisted of nothing more, or more difficult,than that of being sincerely desirous of it, andwilling to accept it; only a sincere regret for,

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and hatred of, those things I had done, whichrendered me so just an object of divine ven-geance. I am not able to repeat the excellentdiscourses of this extraordinary man; 'tis allthat I am able to do, to say that he revived myheart, and brought me into such a conditionthat I never knew anything of in my life before.I was covered with shame and tears for thingspast, and yet had at the same time a secret sur-prising joy at the prospect of being a true peni-tent, and obtaining the comfort of a penitent—Imean, the hope of being forgiven; and so swiftdid thoughts circulate, and so high did the im-pressions they had made upon me run, that Ithought I could freely have gone out that minu-te to execution, without any uneasiness at all,casting my soul entirely into the arms of infini-te mercy as a penitent.

The good gentleman was so moved also in mybehalf with a view of the influence which hesaw these things had on me, that he blessed

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God he had come to visit me, and resolved notto leave me till the last moment; that is, not toleave visiting me.

It was no less than twelve days after our recei-ving sentence before any were ordered for exe-cution, and then upon a Wednesday the deadwarrant, as they call it, came down, and I foundmy name was among them. A terrible blow thiswas to my new resolutions; indeed my heartsank within me, and I swooned away twice,one after another, but spoke not a word. Thegood minister was sorely afflicted for me, anddid what he could to comfort me with the samearguments, and the same moving eloquencethat he did before, and left me not that eveningso long as the prisonkeepers would suffer himto stay in the prison, unless he would be lockedup with me all night, which he was not willingto be.

I wondered much that I did not see him all thenext day, it being the day before the time ap-

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pointed for execution; and I was greatly discou-raged, and dejected in my mind, and indeedalmost sank for want of the comfort which hehad so often, and with such success, yielded meon his former visits. I waited with great impa-tience, and under the greatest oppressions ofspirits imaginable, till about four o'clock hecame to my apartment; for I had obtained thefavour, by the help of money, nothing being tobe done in that place without it, not to be keptin the condemned hole, as they call it, amongthe rest of the prisoners who were to die, but tohave a little dirty chamber to myself.

My heart leaped within me for joy when Iheard his voice at the door, even before I sawhim; but let any one judge what kind of motionI found in my soul, when after having made ashort excuse for his not coming, he showed methat his time had been employed on my ac-count; that he had obtained a favourable reportfrom the Recorder to the Secretary of State in

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my particular case, and, in short, that he hadbrought me a reprieve.

He used all the caution that he was able in let-ting me know a thing which it would have beena double cruelty to have concealed; and yet itwas too much for me; for as grief had oversetme before, so did joy overset me now, and I fellinto a much more dangerous swooning than Idid at first, and it was not without a great diffi-culty that I was recovered at all.

The good man having made a very Christianexhortation to me, not to let the joy of my re-prieve put the remembrance of my past sorrowout of my mind, and having told me that hemust leave me, to go and enter the reprieve inthe books, and show it to the sheriffs, stood upjust before his going away, and in a very ear-nest manner prayed to God for me, that myrepentance might be made unfeigned and sin-cere; and that my coming back, as it were, intolife again, might not be a returning to the follies

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of life which I had made such solemn resolu-tions to forsake, and to repent of them. I joinedheartily in the petition, and must needs say Ihad deeper impressions upon my mind all thatnight, of the mercy of God in sparing my life,and a greater detestation of my past sins, froma sense of the goodness which I had tasted inthis case, than I had in all my sorrow before.

This may be thought inconsistent in itself, andwide from the business of this book; particular-ly, I reflect that many of those who may bepleased and diverted with the relation of thewild and wicked part of my story may not re-lish this, which is really the best part of my life,the most advantageous to myself, and the mostinstructive to others. Such, however, will, Ihope, allow me the liberty to make my storycomplete. It would be a severe satire on such tosay they do not relish the repentance as muchas they do the crime; and that they had rather

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the history were a complete tragedy, as it wasvery likely to have been.

But I go on with my relation. The next morningthere was a sad scene indeed in the prison. Thefirst thing I was saluted with in the morningwas the tolling of the great bell at St. Sepulch-re's, as they call it, which ushered in the day.As soon as it began to toll, a dismal groaningand crying was heard from the condemnedhole, where there lay six poor souls who wereto be executed that day, some from one crime,some for another, and two of them for murder.

This was followed by a confused clamour in thehouse, among the several sorts of prisoners,expressing their awkward sorrows for the poorcreatures that were to die, but in a manner ex-tremely differing one from another. Some criedfor them; some huzzaed, and wished them agood journey; some damned and cursed thosethat had brought them to it—that is, meaningthe evidence, or prosecutors—many pitying

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them, and some few, but very few, praying forthem.

There was hardly room for so much composureof mind as was required for me to bless themerciful Providence that had, as it were, snat-ched me out of the jaws of this destruction. Iremained, as it were, dumb and silent, overco-me with the sense of it, and not able to expresswhat I had in my heart; for the passions onsuch occasions as these are certainly so agitatedas not to be able presently to regulate their ownmotions.

All the while the poor condemned creatureswere preparing to their death, and the ordina-ry, as they call him, was busy with them, dis-posing them to submit to their sentence—I say,all this while I was seized with a fit of trem-bling, as much as I could have been if I hadbeen in the same condition, as to be sure theday before I expected to be; I was so violentlyagitated by this surprising fit, that I shook as if

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it had been in the cold fit of an ague, so that Icould not speak or look but like one distracted.As soon as they were all put into carts and go-ne, which, however, I had not courage enoughto see—I say, as soon as they were gone, I fellinto a fit of crying involuntarily, and withoutdesign, but as a mere distemper, and yet soviolent, and it held me so long, that I knew notwhat course to take, nor could I stop, or put acheck to it, no, not with all the strength andcourage I had.

This fit of crying held me near two hours, and,as I believe, held me till they were all out of theworld, and then a most humble, penitent, se-rious kind of joy succeeded; a real transport itwas, or passion of joy and thankfulness, butstill unable to give vent to it by words, and inthis I continued most part of the day.

In the evening the good minister visited meagain, and then fell to his usual good discour-ses. He congratulated my having a space yet

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allowed me for repentance, whereas the state ofthose six poor creatures was determined, andthey were now past the offers of salvation; heearnestly pressed me to retain the same senti-ments of the things of life that I had when I hada view of eternity; and at the end of all told meI should not conclude that all was over, that areprieve was not a pardon, that he could notyet answer for the effects of it; however, I hadthis mercy, that I had more time given me, andthat it was my business to improve that time.

This discourse, though very seasonable, left akind of sadness on my heart, as if I might ex-pect the affair would have a tragical issue still,which, however, he had no certainty of; and Idid not indeed, at that time, question him aboutit, he having said that he would do his utmostto bring it to a good end, and that he hoped hemight, but he would not have me be secure;and the consequence proved that he had reasonfor what he said.

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It was about a fortnight after this that I hadsome just apprehensions that I should be inclu-ded in the next dead warrant at the ensuingsessions; and it was not without great difficul-ty, and at last a humble petition for transporta-tion, that I avoided it, so ill was I beholding tofame, and so prevailing was the fatal report ofbeing an old offender; though in that they didnot do me strict justice, for I was not in the sen-se of the law an old offender, whatever I was inthe eye of the judge, for I had never been beforethem in a judicial way before; so the judgescould not charge me with being an old offen-der, but the Recorder was pleased to representmy case as he thought fit.

I had now a certainty of life indeed, but withthe hard conditions of being ordered for trans-portation, which indeed was hard condition initself, but not when comparatively considered;and therefore I shall make no comments uponthe sentence, nor upon the choice I was put to.

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We shall all choose anything rather than death,especially when 'tis attended with an uncom-fortable prospect beyond it, which was my ca-se.

The good minister, whose interest, though astranger to me, had obtained me the reprieve,mourned sincerely for this part. He was inhopes, he said, that I should have ended mydays under the influence of good instruction,that I should not have been turned loose againamong such a wretched crew as they generallyare, who are thus sent abroad, where, as hesaid, I must have more than ordinary secretassistance from the grace of God, if I did notturn as wicked again as ever.

I have not for a good while mentioned my go-verness, who had during most, if not all, of thispart been dangerously sick, and being in asnear a view of death by her disease as I was bymy sentence, was a great penitent—I say, Ihave not mentioned her, nor indeed did I see

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her in all this time; but being now recovering,and just able to come abroad, she came to seeme.

I told her my condition, and what a differentflux and reflux of tears and hopes I had beenagitated with; I told her what I had escaped,and upon what terms; and she was presentwhen the minister expressed his fears of myrelapsing into wickedness upon my falling intothe wretched companies that are generallytransported. Indeed I had a melancholy reflec-tion upon it in my own mind, for I knew what adreadful gang was always sent away together,and I said to my governess that the good minis-ter's fears were not without cause. 'Well, well,'says she, 'but I hope you will not be temptedwith such a horrid example as that.' And assoon as the minister was gone, she told me shewould not have me discouraged, for perhapsways and means might be found out to dispose

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of me in a particular way, by myself, of whichshe would talk further to me afterward.

I looked earnestly at her, and I thought she loo-ked more cheerful than she usually had done,and I entertained immediately a thousand no-tions of being delivered, but could not for mylife image the methods, or think of one that wasin the least feasible; but I was too much concer-ned in it to let her go from me without explai-ning herself, which, though she was very lothto do, yet my importunity prevailed, and, whileI was still pressing, she answered me in a fewwords, thus: 'Why, you have money, have younot? Did you ever know one in your life thatwas transported and had a hundred pounds inhis pocket, I'll warrant you, child?' says she.

I understood her presently, but told her Iwould leave all that to her, but I saw no roomto hope for anything but a strict execution ofthe order, and as it was a severity that was es-teemed a mercy, there was no doubt but it

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would be strictly observed. She said no morebut this: 'We will try what can be done,' and sowe parted for that night.

I lay in the prison near fifteen weeks after thisorder for transportation was signed. What thereason of it was, I know not, but at the end ofthis time I was put on board of a ship in theThames, and with me a gang of thirteen as har-dened vile creatures as ever Newgate producedin my time; and it would really well take up ahistory longer than mine to describe the de-grees of impudence and audacious villainy thatthose thirteen were arrived to, and the mannerof their behaviour in the voyage; of which Ihave a very diverting account by me, which thecaptain of the ship who carried them over gaveme the minutes of, and which he caused hismate to write down at large.

It may perhaps be thought trifling to enter hereinto a relation of all the little incidents whichattended me in this interval of my circumstan-

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ces; I mean, between the final order of mytransportation and the time of my going onboard the ship; and I am too near the end of mystory to allow room for it; but something rela-ting to me and my Lancashire husband I mustnot omit.

He had, as I have observed already, been ca-rried from the master's side of the ordinaryprison into the press-yard, with three of hiscomrades, for they found another to add tothem after some time; here, for what reason Iknew not, they were kept in custody withoutbeing brought to trial almost three months. Itseems they found means to bribe or buy offsome of those who were expected to come inagainst them, and they wanted evidence forsome time to convict them. After some puzzleon this account, at first they made a shift to getproof enough against two of them to carrythem off; but the other two, of which my Lan-cashire husband was one, lay still in suspense.

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They had, I think, one positive evidence againsteach of them, but the law strictly obliging themto have two witnesses, they could make not-hing of it. Yet it seems they were resolved notto part with the men neither, not doubting buta further evidence would at last come in; and inorder to this, I think publication was made, thatsuch prisoners being taken, any one that hadbeen robbed by them might come to the prisonand see them.

I took this opportunity to satisfy my curiosity,pretending that I had been robbed in the Duns-table coach, and that I would go to see the twohighwaymen. But when I came into the press-yard, I so disguised myself, and muffled myface up so, that he could see little of me, andconsequently knew nothing of who I was; andwhen I came back, I said publicly that I knewthem very well.

Immediately it was rumoured all over the pri-son that Moll Flanders would turn evidence

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against one of the highwaymen, and that I wasto come off by it from the sentence of transpor-tation.

They heard of it, and immediately my husbanddesired to see this Mrs. Flanders that knew himso well, and was to be an evidence against him;and accordingly I had leave given to go to him.I dressed myself up as well as the best clothesthat I suffered myself ever to appear in therewould allow me, and went to the press-yard,but had for some time a hood over my face. Hesaid little to me at first, but asked me if I knewhim. I told him, Yes, very well; but as I concea-led my face, so I counterfeited my voice, that hehad not the least guess at who I was. He askedme where I had seen him. I told him betweenDunstable and Brickhill; but turning to the kee-per that stood by, I asked if I might not be ad-mitted to talk with him alone. He said Yes, yes,as much as I pleased, and so very civilly with-drew.

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As soon as he was gone, I had shut the door, Ithrew off my hood, and bursting out into tears,'My dear,' says I, 'do you not know me?' Heturned pale, and stood speechless, like onethunderstruck, and, not able to conquer thesurprise, said no more but this, 'Let me sitdown'; and sitting down by a table, he laid hiselbow upon the table, and leaning his head onhis hand, fixed his eyes on the ground as onestupid. I cried so vehemently, on the otherhand, that it was a good while ere I could speakany more; but after I had given some vent tomy passion by tears, I repeated the samewords, 'My dear, do you not know me?' Atwhich he answered, Yes, and said no more agood while.

After some time continuing in the surprise, asabove, he cast up his eyes towards me and said,'How could you be so cruel?' I did not readilyunderstand what he meant; and I answered,'How can you call me cruel? What have I been

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cruel to you in?' 'To come to me,' says he, 'insuch a place as this, is it not to insult me? I havenot robbed you, at least not on the highway.'

I perceived by this that he knew nothing of themiserable circumstances I was in, and thoughtthat, having got some intelligence of his beingthere, I had come to upbraid him with his lea-ving me. But I had too much to say to him to beaffronted, and told him in few words, that Iwas far from coming to insult him, but at best Icame to condole mutually; that he would beeasily satisfied that I had no such view, when Ishould tell him that my condition was worsethan his, and that many ways. He looked a littleconcerned at the general expression of my con-dition being worse than his, but, with a kindsmile, looked a little wildly, and said, 'How canthat be? When you see me fettered, and inNewgate, and two of my companions executedalready, can you can your condition is worsethan mine?'

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'Come, my dear,' says I, 'we have a long pieceof work to do, if I should be to relate, or you tohear, my unfortunate history; but if you aredisposed to hear it, you will soon concludewith me that my condition is worse than yours.''How is that possible,' says he again, 'when Iexpect to be cast for my life the very next ses-sions?' 'Yes, says I, ''tis very possible, when Ishall tell you that I have been cast for my lifethree sessions ago, and am under sentence ofdeath; is not my case worse than yours?'

Then indeed, he stood silent again, like onestruck dumb, and after a while he starts up.'Unhappy couple!' says he. 'How can this bepossible?' I took him by the hand. 'Come, mydear,' said I, 'sit down, and let us compare oursorrows. I am a prisoner in this very house, andin much worse circumstances than you, andyou will be satisfied I do not come to insultyou, when I tell you the particulars.' Any withthis we sat down together, and I told him so

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much of my story as I thought was convenient,bringing it at last to my being reduced to greatpoverty, and representing myself as fallen intosome company that led me to relieve my dis-tresses by way that I had been utterly unac-quainted with, and that they making an at-tempt at a tradesman's house, I was seizedupon for having been but just at the door, themaid-servant pulling me in; that I neither hadbroke any lock nor taken anything away, andthat notwithstanding that, I was brought inguilty and sentenced to die; but that the judges,having been made sensible of the hardship ofmy circumstances, had obtained leave to remitthe sentence upon my consenting to be trans-ported.

I told him I fared the worse for being taken inthe prison for one Moll Flanders, who was afamous successful thief, that all of them hadheard of, but none of them had ever seen; butthat, as he knew well, was none of my name.

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But I placed all to the account of my ill fortune,and that under this name I was dealt with as anold offender, though this was the first thingthey had ever known of me. I gave him a longparticular of things that had befallen me since Isaw him, but I told him if I had seen him sincehe might think I had, and then gave him anaccount how I had seen him at Brickhill; howfuriously he was pursued, and how, by givingan account that I knew him, and that he was avery honest gentleman, one Mr. ——, the hue-and-cry was stopped, and the high constablewent back again.

He listened most attentively to all my story,and smiled at most of the particulars, being allof them petty matters, and infinitely belowwhat he had been at the head of; but when Icame to the story of Brickhill, he was surprised.'And was it you, my dear,' said he, 'that gavethe check to the mob that was at our heels the-re, at Brickhill?' 'Yes,' said I, 'it was I indeed.'

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And then I told him the particulars which I hadobserved him there. 'Why, then,' said he, 'it wasyou that saved my life at that time, and I amglad I owe my life to you, for I will pay the debtto you now, and I'll deliver you from the pre-sent condition you are in, or I will die in theattempt.'

I told him, by no means; it was a risk too great,not worth his running the hazard of, and for alife not worth his saving. 'Twas no matter forthat, he said, it was a life worth all the world tohim; a life that had given him a new life; 'for,'says he, 'I was never in real danger of beingtaken, but that time, till the last minute when Iwas taken.' Indeed, he told me his danger thenlay in his believing he had not been pursuedthat way; for they had gone from Hockey quiteanother way, and had come over the enclosedcountry into Brickhill, not by the road, and we-re sure they had not been seen by anybody.

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Here he gave me a long history of his life,which indeed would make a very strange histo-ry, and be infinitely diverting. He told me hetook to the road about twelve years before hemarried me; that the woman which called himbrother was not really his sister, or any kin tohim, but one that belonged to their gang, andwho, keeping correspondence with him, livedalways in town, having good store of acquain-tance; that she gave them a perfect intelligenceof persons going out of town, and that they hadmade several good booties by her correspon-dence; that she thought she had fixed a fortunefor him when she brought me to him, but hap-pened to be disappointed, which he reallycould not blame her for; that if it had been hisgood luck that I had had the estate, which shewas informed I had, he had resolved to leaveoff the road and live a retired, sober live butnever to appear in public till some general par-don had been passed, or till he could, for mo-ney, have got his name into some particular

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pardon, that so he might have been perfectlyeasy; but that, as it had proved otherwise, hewas obliged to put off his equipage and take upthe old trade again.

He gave me a long account of some of his ad-ventures, and particularly one when he robbedthe West Chester coaches near Lichfield, whenhe got a very great booty; and after that, howhe robbed five graziers, in the west, going toBurford Fair in Wiltshire to buy sheep. He toldme he got so much money on those two occa-sions, that if he had known where to havefound me, he would certainly have embracedmy proposal of going with me to Virginia, or tohave settled in a plantation on some other partsof the English colonies in America.

He told me he wrote two or three letters to me,directed according to my order, but heard not-hing from me. This I indeed knew to be true,but the letters coming to my hand in the time ofmy latter husband, I could do nothing in it, and

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therefore chose to give no answer, that so hemight rather believe they had miscarried.

Being thus disappointed, he said, he carried onthe old trade ever since, though when he hadgotten so much money, he said, he did not runsuch desperate risks as he did before. Then hegave me some account of several hard and des-perate encounters which he had with gentle-men on the road, who parted too hardly withtheir money, and showed me some wounds hehad received; and he had one or two very terri-ble wounds indeed, as particularly one by apistol bullet, which broke his arm, and anotherwith a sword, which ran him quite through thebody, but that missing his vitals, he was curedagain; one of his comrades having kept withhim so faithfully, and so friendly, as that heassisted him in riding near eighty miles beforehis arm was set, and then got a surgeon in aconsiderable city, remote from that place whereit was done, pretending they were gentlemen

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travelling towards Carlisle and that they hadbeen attacked on the road by highwaymen, andthat one of them had shot him into the arm andbroke the bone.

This, he said, his friend managed so well, thatthey were not suspected at all, but lay still tillhe was perfectly cured. He gave me so manydistinct accounts of his adventures, that it iswith great reluctance that I decline the relatingthem; but I consider that this is my own story,not his.

I then inquired into the circumstances of hispresent case at that time, and what it was heexpected when he came to be tried. He told methat they had no evidence against him, or butvery little; for that of three robberies, whichthey were all charged with, it was his good for-tune that he was but in one of them, and thatthere was but one witness to be had for thatfact, which was not sufficient, but that it wasexpected some others would come in against

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him; that he thought indeed, when he first sawme, that I had been one that came of thaterrand; but that if somebody came in againsthim, he hoped he should be cleared; that hehad had some intimation, that if he wouldsubmit to transport himself, he might be admit-ted to it without a trial, but that he could notthink of it with any temper, and thought hecould much easier submit to be hanged.

I blamed him for that, and told him I blamedhim on two accounts; first, because if he wastransported, there might be a hundred ways forhim that was a gentleman, and a bold enterpri-sing man, to find his way back again, and per-haps some ways and means to come back befo-re he went. He smiled at that part, and said heshould like the last the best of the two, for hehad a kind of horror upon his mind at his beingsent over to the plantations, as Romans sentcondemned slaves to work in the mines; that hethought the passage into another state, let it be

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what it would, much more tolerable at the ga-llows, and that this was the general notion ofall the gentlemen who were driven by the exi-gence of their fortunes to take the road; that atthe place of execution there was at least an endof all the miseries of the present state, and asfor what was to follow, a man was, in his opi-nion, as likely to repent sincerely in the lastfortnight of his life, under the pressures andagonies of a jail and the condemned hole, as hewould ever be in the woods and wilderness ofAmerica; that servitude and hard labour werethings gentlemen could never stoop to; that itwas but the way to force them to be their ownexecutioners afterwards, which was much wor-se; and that therefore he could not have anypatience when he did but think of being trans-ported.

I used the utmost of my endeavour to persuadehim, and joined that known woman's rhetoricto it—I mean, that of tears. I told him the infa-

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my of a public execution was certainly a greaterpressure upon the spirits of a gentleman thanany of the mortifications that he could meetwith abroad could be; that he had at least in theother a chance for his life, whereas here he hadnone at all; that it was the easiest thing in theworld for him to manage the captain of a ship,who were, generally speaking, men of good-humour and some gallantry; and a small matterof conduct, especially if there was any moneyto be had, would make way for him to buyhimself off when he came to Virginia.

He looked wistfully at me, and I thought Iguessed at what he meant, that is to say, that hehad no money; but I was mistaken, his meaningwas another way. 'You hinted just now, mydear,' said he, 'that there might be a way of co-ming back before I went, by which I unders-tood you that it might be possible to buy it offhere. I had rather give #200 to prevent going,than #100 to be set at liberty when I came the-

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re.' 'That is, my dear,' said I, 'because you donot know the place so well as I do.' 'That maybe,' said he; 'and yet I believe, as well as youknow it, you would do the same, unless it isbecause, as you told me, you have a motherthere.'

I told him, as to my mother, it was next to im-possible but that she must be dead many yearsbefore; and as for any other relations that Imight have there, I knew them not now; thatsince the misfortunes I had been under hadreduced me to the condition I had been in forsome years, I had not kept up any correspon-dence with them; and that he would easily be-lieve, I should find but a cold reception fromthem if I should be put to make my first visit inthe condition of a transported felon; that there-fore, if I went thither, I resolved not to seethem; but that I had many views in going there,if it should be my fate, which took off all theuneasy part of it; and if he found himself obli-

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ged to go also, I should easily instruct him howto manage himself, so as never to go a servantat all, especially since I found he was not desti-tute of money, which was the only friend insuch a condition.

He smiled, and said he did not tell me he hadmoney. I took him up short, and told him Ihoped he did not understand by my speaking,that I should expect any supply from him if hehad money; that, on the other hand, though Ihad not a great deal, yet I did not want, andwhile I had any I would rather add to him thanweaken him in that article, seeing, whatever hehad, I knew in the case of transportation hewould have occasion of it all.

He expressed himself in a most tender mannerupon that head. He told me what money hehad was not a great deal, but that he wouldnever hide any of it from me if I wanted it, andthat he assured me he did not speak with anysuch apprehensions; that he was only intent

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upon what I had hinted to him before he went;that here he knew what to do with himself, butthat there he should be the most ignorant, hel-pless wretch alive.

I told him he frighted and terrified himself withthat which had no terror in it; that if he hadmoney, as I was glad to hear he had, he mightnot only avoid the servitude supposed to be theconsequence of transportation, but begin theworld upon a new foundation, and that such aone as he could not fail of success in, with thecommon application usual in such cases; thathe could not but call to mind that is was what Ihad recommended to him many years beforeand had proposed it for our mutual subsistenceand restoring our fortunes in the world; and Iwould tell him now, that to convince him bothof the certainty of it and of my being fully ac-quainted with the method, and also fully satis-fied in the probability of success, he should firstsee me deliver myself from the necessity of

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going over at all, and then that I would go withhim freely, and of my own choice, and perhapscarry enough with me to satisfy him that I didnot offer it for want of being able to live wit-hout assistance from him, but that I thoughtour mutual misfortunes had been such as weresufficient to reconcile us both to quitting thispart of the world, and living where nobodycould upbraid us with what was past, or we bein any dread of a prison, and without agoniesof a condemned hole to drive us to it; this whe-re we should look back on all our past disasterswith infinite satisfaction, when we should con-sider that our enemies should entirely forgetus, and that we should live as new people in anew world, nobody having anything to say tous, or we to them.

I pressed this home to him with so many ar-guments, and answered all his own passionateobjections so effectually that he embraced me,and told me I treated him with such sincerity

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and affection as overcame him; that he wouldtake my advice, and would strive to submit tohis fate in hope of having the comfort of myassistance, and of so faithful a counsellor andsuch a companion in his misery. But still he putme in mind of what I had mentioned before,namely, that there might be some way to get offbefore he went, and that it might be possible toavoid going at all, which he said would bemuch better. I told him he should see, and befully satisfied, that I would do my utmost inthat part too, and if it did not succeed, yet that Iwould make good the rest.

We parted after this long conference with suchtestimonies of kindness and affection as Ithought were equal, if not superior, to that atour parting at Dunstable; and now I saw moreplainly than before, the reason why he declinedcoming at that time any farther with me towardLondon than Dunstable, and why, when weparted there, he told me it was not convenient

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for him to come part of the way to London tobring me going, as he would otherwise havedone. I have observed that the account of hislife would have made a much more pleasinghistory than this of mine; and, indeed, nothingin it was more strange than this part, viz. thathe carried on that desperate trade full five-and-twenty years and had never been taken, thesuccess he had met with had been so very un-common, and such that sometimes he had livedhandsomely, and retired in place for a year ortwo at a time, keeping himself and a man-servant to wait on him, and had often sat in thecoffee-houses and heard the very people whomhe had robbed give accounts of their being rob-bed, and of the place and circumstances, so thathe could easily remember that it was the same.

In this manner, it seems, he lived near Liver-pool at the time he unluckily married me for afortune. Had I been the fortune he expected, I

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verily believe, as he said, that he would havetaken up and lived honestly all his days.

He had with the rest of his misfortunes thegood luck not to be actually upon the spotwhen the robbery was done which he wascommitted for, and so none of the persons rob-bed could swear to him, or had anything tocharge upon him. But it seems as he was takenwith the gang, one hard-mouthed countrymanswore home to him, and they were like to haveothers come in according to the publicationthey had made; so that they expected moreevidence against him, and for that reason hewas kept in hold.

However, the offer which was made to him ofadmitting him to transportation was made, as Iunderstood, upon the intercession of somegreat person who pressed him hard to accept ofit before a trial; and indeed, as he knew therewere several that might come in against him, I

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thought his friend was in the right, and I lay athim night and day to delay it no longer.

At last, with much difficulty, he gave his con-sent; and as he was not therefore admitted totransportation in court, and on his petition, as Iwas, so he found himself under a difficulty toavoid embarking himself as I had said he mighthave done; his great friend, who was his inter-cessor for the favour of that grant, having givensecurity for him that he should transport him-self, and not return within the term.

This hardship broke all my measures, for thesteps I took afterwards for my own deliverancewere hereby rendered wholly ineffectual, un-less I would abandon him, and leave him to goto America by himself; than which he protestedhe would much rather venture, although hewere certain to go directly to the gallows.

I must now return to my case. The time of mybeing transported according to my sentence

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was near at hand; my governess, who conti-nued my fast friend, had tried to obtain a par-don, but it could not be done unless with anexpense too heavy for my purse, consideringthat to be left naked and empty, unless I hadresolved to return to my old trade again, hadbeen worse than my transportation, becausethere I knew I could live, here I could not. Thegood minister stood very hard on another ac-count to prevent my being transported also; buthe was answered, that indeed my life had beengiven me at his first solicitations, and thereforehe ought to ask no more. He was sensibly grie-ved at my going, because, as he said, he fearedI should lose the good impressions which aprospect of death had at first made on me, andwhich were since increased by his instructions;and the pious gentleman was exceedingly con-cerned about me on that account.

On the other hand, I really was not so solicitousabout it as I was before, but I industriously con-

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cealed my reasons for it from the minister, andto the last he did not know but that I went withthe utmost reluctance and affliction.

It was in the month of February that I was, withseven other convicts, as they called us, delive-red to a merchant that traded to Virginia, onboard a ship, riding, as they called it, in Dept-ford Reach. The officer of the prison deliveredus on board, and the master of the vessel gave adischarge for us.

We were for that night clapped under hatches,and kept so close that I thought I should havebeen suffocated for want of air; and the nextmorning the ship weighed, and fell down theriver to a place they call Bugby's Hole, whichwas done, as they told us, by the agreement ofthe merchant, that all opportunity of escapeshould be taken from us. However, when theship came thither and cast anchor, we wereallowed more liberty, and particularly werepermitted to come up on the deck, but not up

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on the quarter-deck, that being kept particular-ly for the captain and for passengers.

When by the noise of the men over my head,and the motion of the ship, I perceived thatthey were under sail, I was at first greatly sur-prised, fearing we should go away directly, andthat our friends would not be admitted to seeus any more; but I was easy soon after, when Ifound they had come to an anchor again, andsoon after that we had notice given by some ofthe men where we were, that the next morningwe should have the liberty to come up on deck,and to have our friends come and see us if wehad any.

All that night I lay upon the hard boards of thedeck, as the passengers did, but we had after-wards the liberty of little cabins for such of usas had any bedding to lay in them, and room tostow any box or trunk for clothes and linen, ifwe had it (which might well be put in), for so-me of them had neither shirt nor shift or a rag

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of linen or woollen, but what was on theirbacks, or a farthing of money to help themsel-ves; and yet I did not find but they fared wellenough in the ship, especially the women, whogot money from the seamen for washing theirclothes, sufficient to purchase any commonthings that they wanted.

When the next morning we had the liberty tocome up on the deck, I asked one of the officersof the ship, whether I might not have the libertyto send a letter on shore, to let my friends knowwhere the ship lay, and to get some necessarythings sent to me. This was, it seems, theboatswain, a very civil, courteous sort of man,who told me I should have that, or any otherliberty that I desired, that he could allow mewith safety. I told him I desired no other; andhe answered that the ship's boat would go upto London the next tide, and he would ordermy letter to be carried.

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Accordingly, when the boat went off, theboatswain came to me and told me the boatwas going off, and that he went in it himself,and asked me if my letter was ready he wouldtake care of it. I had prepared myself, you maybe sure, pen, ink, and paper beforehand, and Ihad gotten a letter ready directed to my gover-ness, and enclosed another for my fellow-prisoner, which, however, I did not let herknow was my husband, not to the last. In thatto my governess, I let her know where the shiplay, and pressed her earnestly to send me whatthings I knew she had got ready for me for myvoyage.

When I gave the boatswain the letter, I gavehim a shilling with it, which I told him was forthe charge of a messenger or porter, which Ientreated him to send with the letter as soon ashe came on shore, that if possible I might havean answer brought back by the same hand, thatI might know what was become of my things;

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'for sir,' says I, 'if the ship should go away befo-re I have them on board, I am undone.'

I took care, when I gave him the shilling, to lethim see that I had a little better furniture aboutme than the ordinary prisoners, for he saw thatI had a purse, and in it a pretty deal of money;and I found that the very sight of it immediate-ly furnished me with very different treatmentfrom what I should otherwise have met with inthe ship; for though he was very courteous in-deed before, in a kind of natural compassion tome, as a woman in distress, yet he was morethan ordinarily so afterwards, and procured meto be better treated in the ship than, I say, Imight otherwise have been; as shall appear inits place.

He very honestly had my letter delivered to mygoverness's own hands, and brought me backan answer from her in writing; and when hegave me the answer, gave me the shilling again.'There,' says he, 'there's your shilling again too,

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for I delivered the letter myself.' I could not tellwhat to say, I was so surprised at the thing; butafter some pause, I said, 'Sir, you are too kind;it had been but reasonable that you had paidyourself coach-hire, then.'

'No, no,' says he, 'I am overpaid. What is thegentlewoman? Your sister.'

'No, sir,' says I, 'she is no relation to me, but sheis a dear friend, and all the friends I have in theworld.' 'Well,' says he, 'there are few suchfriends in the world. Why, she cried after youlike a child,' 'Ay,' says I again, 'she would give ahundred pounds, I believe, to deliver me fromthis dreadful condition I am in.'

'Would she so?' says he. 'For half the money Ibelieve I could put you in a way how to deliveryourself.' But this he spoke softly, that nobodycould hear.

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'Alas! sir,' said I, 'but then that must be such adeliverance as, if I should be taken again,would cost me my life.' 'Nay,' said he, 'if youwere once out of the ship, you must look toyourself afterwards; that I can say nothing to.'So we dropped the discourse for that time.

In the meantime, my governess, faithful to thelast moment, conveyed my letter to the prisonto my husband, and got an answer to it, and thenext day came down herself to the ship, brin-ging me, in the first place, a sea-bed as they callit, and all its furniture, such as was convenient,but not to let the people think it was extraordi-nary. She brought with her a sea-chest—that is,a chest, such as are made for seamen, with allthe conveniences in it, and filled with everyt-hing almost that I could want; and in one of thecorners of the chest, where there was a privatedrawer, was my bank of money—this is to say,so much of it as I had resolved to carry withme; for I ordered a part of my stock to be left

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behind me, to be sent afterwards in such goodsas I should want when I came to settle; for mo-ney in that country is not of much use where allthings are brought for tobacco, much more is ita great loss to carry it from hence.

But my case was particular; it was by no meansproper to me to go thither without money orgoods, and for a poor convict, that was to besold as soon as I came on shore, to carry withme a cargo of goods would be to have noticetaken of it, and perhaps to have them seized bythe public; so I took part of my stock with methus, and left the other part with my governess.

My governess brought me a great many otherthings, but it was not proper for me to look toowell provided in the ship, at least till I knewwhat kind of a captain we should have. Whenshe came into the ship, I thought she wouldhave died indeed; her heart sank at the sight ofme, and at the thoughts of parting with me inthat condition, and she cried so intolerably, I

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could not for a long time have any talk withher.

I took that time to read my fellow-prisoner'sletter, which, however, greatly perplexed me.He told me was determined to go, but found itwould be impossible for him to be dischargedtime enough for going in the same ship, andwhich was more than all, he began to questionwhether they would give him leave to go inwhat ship he pleased, though he did voluntari-ly transport himself; but that they would seehim put on board such a ship as they shoulddirect, and that he would be charged upon thecaptain as other convict prisoners were; so thathe began to be in despair of seeing me till hecame to Virginia, which made him almost des-perate; seeing that, on the other hand, if Ishould not be there, if any accident of the sea orof mortality should take me away, he should bethe most undone creature there in the world.

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This was very perplexing, and I knew not whatcourse to take. I told my governess the story ofthe boatswain, and she was mighty eager withme treat with him; but I had no mind to it, till Iheard whether my husband, or fellow-prisoner,so she called him, could be at liberty to go withme or no. At last I was forced to let her into thewhole matter, except only that of his being myhusband. I told her I had made a positive bar-gain or agreement with him to go, if he couldget the liberty of going in the same ship, andthat I found he had money.

Then I read a long lecture to her of what I pro-posed to do when we came there, how wecould plant, settle, and, in short, grow rich wit-hout any more adventures; and, as a great se-cret, I told her that we were to marry as soon ashe came on board.

She soon agreed cheerfully to my going whenshe heard this, and she made it her businessfrom that time to get him out of the prison in

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time, so that he might go in the same ship withme, which at last was brought to pass, thoughwith great difficulty, and not without all theforms of a transported prisoner-convict, whichhe really was not yet, for he had not been tried,and which was a great mortification to him. Asour fate was now determined, and we wereboth on board, actually bound to Virginia, inthe despicable quality of transported convictsdestined to be sold for slaves, I for five years,and he under bonds and security not to returnto England any more, as long as he lived, hewas very much dejected and cast down; themortification of being brought on board, as hewas, like a prisoner, piqued him very much,since it was first told him he should transporthimself, and so that he might go as a gentlemanat liberty. It is true he was not ordered to besold when he came there, as we were, and forthat reason he was obliged to pay for his passa-ge to the captain, which we were not; as to therest, he was as much at a loss as a child what to

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do with himself, or with what he had, but bydirections.

Our first business was to compare our stock.He was very honest to me, and told me hisstock was pretty good when he came into theprison, but the living there as he did in a figurelike a gentleman, and, which was ten times asmuch, the making of friends, and soliciting hiscase, had been very expensive; and, in a word,all his stock that he had left was #108, which hehad about him all in gold.

I gave him an account of my stock as faithfully,that is to say, of what I had taken to carry withme, for I was resolved, whatever should hap-pen, to keep what I had left with my governessin reserve; that in case I should die, what I hadwith me was enough to give him, and thatwhich was left in my governess's hands wouldbe her own, which she had well deserved of meindeed.

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My stock which I had with me was #246 someodd shillings; so that we had #354 between us,but a worse gotten estate was scarce ever puttogether to being the world with.

Our greatest misfortune as to our stock wasthat it was all in money, which every oneknows is an unprofitable cargo to be carried tothe plantations. I believe his was really all hehad left in the world, as he told me it was; but I,who had between #700 and #800 in bank whenthis disaster befell me, and who had one of thefaithfullest friends in the world to manage it forme, considering she was a woman of manner ofreligious principles, had still #300 left in herhand, which I reserved as above; besides, somevery valuable things, as particularly two goldwatches, some small pieces of plate, and somerings—all stolen goods. The plate, rings, andwatches were put in my chest with the money,and with this fortune, and in the sixty-first yearof my age, I launched out into a new world, as I

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may call it, in the condition (as to what appea-red) only of a poor, naked convict, ordered tobe transported in respite from the gallows. Myclothes were poor and mean, but not ragged ordirty, and none knew in the whole ship that Ihad anything of value about me.

However, as I had a great many very good clot-hes and linen in abundance, which I had orde-red to be packed up in two great boxes, I hadthem shipped on board, not as my goods, butas consigned to my real name in Virginia; andhad the bills of loading signed by a captain inmy pocket; and in these boxes was my plateand watches, and everything of value exceptmy money, which I kept by itself in a privatedrawer in my chest, which could not be found,or opened, if found, with splitting the chest topieces.

In this condition I lay for three weeks in theship, not knowing whether I should have myhusband with me or no, and therefore not re-

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solving how or in what manner to receive thehonest boatswain's proposal, which indeed hethought a little strange at first.

At the end of this time, behold my husbandcame on board. He looked with a dejected, an-gry countenance, his great heart was swelledwith rage and disdain; to be dragged alongwith three keepers of Newgate, and put onboard like a convict, when he had not so muchas been brought to a trial. He made loud com-plaints of it by his friends, for it seems he hadsome interest; but his friends got some check intheir application, and were told he had hadfavour enough, and that they had received suchan account of him, since the last grant of histransportation, that he ought to think himselfvery well treated that he was not prosecutedanew. This answer quieted him at once, for heknew too much what might have happened,and what he had room to expect; and now hesaw the goodness of the advice to him, which

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prevailed with him to accept of the offer of avoluntary transportation. And after this hischagrin at these hell-hounds, as he called them,was a little over, he looked a little composed,began to be cheerful, and as I was telling himhow glad I was to have him once more out oftheir hands, he took me in his arms, and ack-nowledged with great tenderness that I hadgiven him the best advice possible. 'My dear,'says he, 'thou has twice saved my life; fromhenceforward it shall be all employed for you,and I'll always take your advice.'

The ship began now to fill; several passengerscame on board, who were embarked on no cri-minal account, and these had accommodationsassigned them in the great cabin, and otherparts of the ship, whereas we, as convicts, werethrust down below, I know not where. Butwhen my husband came on board, I spoke tothe boatswain, who had so early given me hintsof his friendship in carrying my letter. I told

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him he had befriended me in many things, andI had not made any suitable return to him, andwith that I put a guinea into his hand. I toldhim that my husband was now come on board;that though we were both under the presentmisfortune, yet we had been persons of a diffe-rent character from the wretched crew that wecame with, and desired to know of him, whet-her the captain might not be moved to admit usto some conveniences in the ship, for which wewould make him what satisfaction he pleased,and that we would gratify him for his pains inprocuring this for us. He took the guinea, as Icould see, with great satisfaction, and assuredme of his assistance.

Then he told us he did not doubt but that thecaptain, who was one of the best-humouredgentlemen in the world, would be easilybrought to accommodate us as well as we coulddesire, and, to make me easy, told me he wouldgo up the next tide on purpose to speak to the

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captain about it. The next morning, happeningto sleep a little longer than ordinary, when I gotup, and began to look abroad, I saw the boats-wain among the men in his ordinary business. Iwas a little melancholy at seeing him there, andgoing forward to speak to him, he saw me, andcame towards me, but not giving him time tospeak first, I said, smiling, 'I doubt, sir, youhave forgot us, for I see you are very busy.' Hereturned presently, 'Come along with me, andyou shall see.' So he took me into the great ca-bin, and there sat a good sort of a gentlemanlyman for a seaman, writing, and with a greatmany papers before him.

'Here,' says the boatswain to him that was a-writing, 'is the gentlewoman that the captainspoke to you of'; and turning to me, he said, 'Ihave been so far from forgetting your business,that I have been up at the captain's house, andhave represented faithfully to the captain whatyou said, relating to you being furnished with

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better conveniences for yourself and your hus-band; and the captain has sent this gentleman,who is made of the ship, down with me, onpurpose to show you everything, and to ac-commodate you fully to your content, and bidme assure you that you shall not be treated likewhat you were at first expected to be, but withthe same respect as other passengers are trea-ted.'

The mate then spoke to me, and, not giving metime to thank the boatswain for his kindness,confirmed what the boatswain had said, andadded that it was the captain's delight to showhimself kind and charitable, especially to thosethat were under any misfortunes, and with thathe showed me several cabins built up, some inthe great cabin, and some partitioned off, out ofthe steerage, but opening into the great cabinon purpose for the accommodation of passen-gers, and gave me leave to choose where Iwould. However, I chose a cabin which opened

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into the steerage, in which was very good con-veniences to set our chest and boxes, and a ta-ble to eat on.

The mate then told me that the boatswain hadgiven so good a character of me and my hus-band, as to our civil behaviour, that he had or-ders to tell me we should eat with him, if wethought fit, during the whole voyage, on thecommon terms of passengers; that we might layin some fresh provisions, if we pleased; or ifnot, he should lay in his usual store, and weshould have share with him. This was veryreviving news to me, after so many hardshipsand afflictions as I had gone through of late. Ithanked him, and told him the captain shouldmake his own terms with us, and asked himleave to go and tell my husband of it, who wasnot very well, and was not yet out of his cabin.Accordingly I went, and my husband, whosespirits were still so much sunk with the indigni-ty (as he understood it) offered him, that he

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was scare yet himself, was so revived with theaccount that I gave him of the reception wewere like to have in the ship, that he was quiteanother man, and new vigour and courage ap-peared in his very countenance. So true is it,that the greatest of spirits, when overwhelmedby their afflictions, are subject to the greatestdejections, and are the most apt to despair andgive themselves up.

After some little pause to recover himself, myhusband came up with me, and gave the matethanks for the kindness, which he had expres-sed to us, and sent suitable acknowledgment byhim to the captain, offering to pay him by ad-vance, whatever he demanded for our passage,and for the conveniences he had helped us to.The mate told him that the captain would be onboard in the afternoon, and that he would leaveall that till he came. Accordingly, in the after-noon the captain came, and we found him thesame courteous, obliging man that the boats-

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wain had represented him to be; and he was sowell pleased with my husband's conversation,that, in short, he would not let us keep the ca-bin we had chosen, but gave us one that, as Isaid before, opened into the great cabin.

Nor were his conditions exorbitant, or the mancraving and eager to make a prey of us, but forfifteen guineas we had our whole passage andprovisions and cabin, ate at the captain's table,and were very handsomely entertained.

The captain lay himself in the other part of thegreat cabin, having let his round house, as theycall it, to a rich planter who went over with hiswife and three children, who ate by themselves.He had some other ordinary passengers, whoquartered in the steerage, and as for our oldfraternity, they were kept under the hatcheswhile the ship lay there, and came very little onthe deck.

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I could not refrain acquainting my governesswith what had happened; it was but just thatshe, who was so really concerned for me,should have part in my good fortune. Besides, Iwanted her assistance to supply me with seve-ral necessaries, which before I was shy of let-ting anybody see me have, that it might not bepublic; but now I had a cabin and room to setthings in, I ordered abundance of good thingsfor our comfort in the voyage, as brandy, sugar,lemons, etc., to make punch, and treat our be-nefactor, the captain; and abundance of thingsfor eating and drinking in the voyage; also alarger bed, and bedding proportioned to it; sothat, in a word, we resolved to want for not-hing in the voyage.

All this while I had provided nothing for ourassistance when we should come to the placeand begin to call ourselves planters; and I wasfar from being ignorant of what was needful onthat occasion; particularly all sorts of tools for

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the planter's work, and for building; and allkinds of furniture for our dwelling, which, if tobe bought in the country, must necessarily costdouble the price.

So I discoursed that point with my governess,and she went and waited upon the captain, andtold him that she hoped ways might be foundout for her two unfortunate cousins, as she ca-lled us, to obtain our freedom when we cameinto the country, and so entered into a discour-se with him about the means and terms also, ofwhich I shall say more in its place; and afterthus sounding the captain, she let him know,though we were unhappy in the circumstancesthat occasioned our going, yet that we were notunfurnished to set ourselves to work in thecountry, and we resolved to settle and live the-re as planters, if we might be put in a way howto do it. The captain readily offered his assis-tance, told her the method of entering uponsuch business, and how easy, nay, how certain

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it was for industrious people to recover theirfortunes in such a manner. 'Madam,' says he,''tis no reproach to any many in that country tohave been sent over in worse circumstancesthan I perceive your cousins are in, providedthey do but apply with diligence and goodjudgment to the business of that place whenthey come there.'

She then inquired of him what things it wasnecessary we should carry over with us, andhe, like a very honest as well as knowing man,told her thus: 'Madam, your cousins in the firstplace must procure somebody to buy them asservants, in conformity to the conditions oftheir transportation, and then, in the name ofthat person, they may go about what they will;they may either purchase some plantationsalready begun, or they may purchase land ofthe Government of the country, and begin whe-re they please, and both will be done reasona-bly.' She bespoke his favour in the first article,

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which he promised to her to take upon himself,and indeed faithfully performed it, and as tothe rest, he promised to recommend us to suchas should give us the best advice, and not toimpose upon us, which was as much as couldbe desired.

She then asked him if it would not be necessaryto furnish us with a stock of tools and materialsfor the business of planting, and he said, 'Yes,by all means.' And then she begged his assis-tance in it. She told him she would furnish uswith everything that was convenient whateverit cost her. He accordingly gave her a long par-ticular of things necessary for a planter, which,by his account, came to about fourscore or ahundred pounds. And, in short, she went aboutas dexterously to buy them, as if she had beenan old Virginia merchant; only that she bought,by my direction, above twice as much of eve-rything as he had given her a list of.

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These she put on board in her own name, tookhis bills of loading for them, and endorsed tho-se bills of loading to my husband, insuring thecargo afterwards in her own name, by our or-der; so that we were provided for all events,and for all disasters.

I should have told you that my husband gaveher all his whole stock of #108, which, as I havesaid, he had about him in gold, to lay out thus,and I gave her a good sum besides; so that I didnot break into the stock which I had left in herhands at all, but after we had sorted out ourwhole cargo, we had yet near #200 in money,which was more than enough for our purpose.

In this condition, very cheerful, and indeedjoyful at being so happily accommodated as wewere, we set sail from Bugby's Hole to Grave-send, where the ship lay about ten more days,and where the captain came on board for goodand all. Here the captain offered us a civility,which indeed we had no reason to expect, na-

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mely, to let us go on shore and refresh oursel-ves, upon giving our words in a solemn man-ner that we would not go from him, and thatwe would return peaceably on board again.This was such an evidence of his confidence inus, that it overcame my husband, who, in amere principle of gratitude, told him, as hecould not be in any capacity to make a suitablereturn for such a favour, so he could not thinkof accepting of it, nor could he be easy that thecaptain should run such a risk. After some mu-tual civilities, I gave my husband a purse, inwhich was eighty guineas, and he put in intothe captain's hand. 'There, captain,' says he,'there's part of a pledge for our fidelity; if wedeal dishonestly with you on any account, 'tisyour own.' And on this we went on shore.

Indeed, the captain had assurance enough ofour resolutions to go, for that having madesuch provision to settle there, it did not seemrational that we would choose to remain here at

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the expense and peril of life, for such it musthave been if we had been taken again. In aword, we went all on shore with the captain,and supped together in Gravesend, where wewere very merry, stayed all night, lay at thehouse where we supped, and came all veryhonestly on board again with him in the mor-ning. Here we bought ten dozen bottles of goodbeer, some wine, some fowls, and such thingsas we thought might be acceptable on board.

My governess was with us all this while, andwent with us round into the Downs, as did alsothe captain's wife, with whom she went back. Iwas never so sorrowful at parting with my ownmother as I was at parting with her, and I neversaw her more. We had a fair easterly windsprung up the third day after we came to theDowns, and we sailed from thence the 10th ofApril. Nor did we touch any more at any place,till, being driven on the coast of Ireland by avery hard gale of wind, the ship came to an

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anchor in a little bay, near the mouth of a river,whose name I remember not, but they said theriver came down from Limerick, and that it wasthe largest river in Ireland.

Here, being detained by bad weather for sometime, the captain, who continued the samekind, good-humoured man as at first, took ustwo on shore with him again. He did it now inkindness to my husband indeed, who bore thesea very ill, and was very sick, especially whenit blew so hard. Here we bought in again a sto-re of fresh provisions, especially beef, pork,mutton, and fowls, and the captain stayed topickle up five or six barrels of beef to lengthenout the ship's store. We were here not abovefive days, when the weather turning mild, anda fair wind, we set sail again, and in two-and-forty days came safe to the coast of Virginia.

When we drew near to the shore, the captaincalled me to him, and told me that he found bymy discourse I had some relations in the place,

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and that I had been there before, and so he sup-posed I understood the custom in their dispo-sing the convict prisoners when they arrived. Itold him I did not, and that as to what relationsI had in the place, he might be sure I wouldmake myself known to none of them while Iwas in the circumstances of a prisoner, and thatas to the rest, we left ourselves entirely to himto assist us, as he was pleased to promise us hewould do. He told me I must get somebody inthe place to come and buy us as servants, andwho must answer for us to the governor of thecountry, if he demanded us. I told him weshould do as he should direct; so he brought aplanter to treat with him, as it were, for the pur-chase of these two servants, my husband andme, and there we were formally sold to him,and went ashore with him. The captain wentwith us, and carried us to a certain house,whether it was to be called a tavern or not Iknow not, but we had a bowl of punch theremade of rum, etc., and were very merry. After

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some time the planter gave us a certificate ofdischarge, and an acknowledgment of havingserved him faithfully, and we were free fromhim the next morning, to go wither we would.

For this piece of service the captain demandedof us six thousand weight of tabacco, which hesaid he was accountable for to his freighter, andwhich we immediately bought for him, andmade him a present of twenty guineas besides,with which he was abundantly satisfied.

It is not proper to enter here into the particularsof what part of the colony of Virginia we settledin, for divers reasons; it may suffice to mentionthat we went into the great river Potomac, theship being bound thither; and there we inten-ded to have settled first, though afterwards wealtered our minds.

The first thing I did of moment after havinggotten all our goods on shore, and placed themin a storehouse, or warehouse, which, with a

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lodging, we hired at the small place or villagewhere we landed—I say, the first thing was toinquire after my mother, and after my brother(that fatal person whom I married as a hus-band, as I have related at large). A little inquiryfurnished me with information that Mrs. ——,that is, my mother, was dead; that my brother(or husband) was alive, which I confess I wasnot very glad to hear; but which was worse, Ifound he was removed from the plantationwhere he lived formerly, and where I livedwith him, and lived with one of his sons in aplantation just by the place where we landed,and where we had hired a warehouse.

I was a little surprised at first, but as I venturedto satisfy myself that he could not know me, Iwas not only perfectly easy, but had a greatmind to see him, if it was possible to so do wit-hout his seeing me. In order to that I found outby inquiry the plantation where he lived, andwith a woman of that place whom I got to help

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me, like what we call a chairwoman, I rambledabout towards the place as if I had only a mindto see the country and look about me. At last Icame so near that I saw the dwellinghouse. Iasked the woman whose plantation that was;she said it belonged to such a man, and lookingout a little to our right hands, 'there,' says she,is the gentleman that owns the plantation, andhis father with him.' 'What are their Christiannames?' said I. 'I know not,' says she, 'what theold gentleman's name is, but the son's name isHumphrey; and I believe,' says she, 'the father'sis so too.' You may guess, if you can, what aconfused mixture of joy and fight possessed mythoughts upon this occasion, for I immediatelyknew that this was nobody else but my ownson, by that father she showed me, who wasmy own brother. I had no mask, but I ruffledmy hood so about my face, that I dependedupon it that after above twenty years' absence,and withal not expecting anything of me in thatpart of the world, he would not be able to know

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anything of me. But I need not have used allthat caution, for the old gentleman was growndim-sighted by some distemper which had fa-llen upon his eyes, and could but just see wellenough to walk about, and not run against atree or into a ditch. The woman that was withme had told me that by a mere accident, kno-wing nothing of what importance it was to me.As they drew near to us, I said, 'Does he knowyou, Mrs. Owen?' (so they called the woman).'Yes,' said she, 'if he hears me speak, he willknow me; but he can't see well enough to knowme or anybody else'; and so she told me thestory of his sight, as I have related. This mademe secure, and so I threw open my hoodsagain, and let them pass by me. It was a wret-ched thing for a mother thus to see her ownson, a handsome, comely young gentleman inflourishing circumstances, and durst not makeherself known to him, and durst not take anynotice of him. Let any mother of children thatreads this consider it, and but think with what

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anguish of mind I restrained myself; whatyearnings of soul I had in me to embrace him,and weep over him; and how I thought all myentrails turned within me, that my very bowelsmoved, and I knew not what to do, as I nowknow not how to express those agonies! Whenhe went from me I stood gazing and trembling,and looking after him as long as I could seehim; then sitting down to rest me, but turnedfrom her, and lying on my face, wept, and kis-sed the ground that he had set his foot on.

I could not conceal my disorder so much fromthe woman but that she perceived it, andthought I was not well, which I was obliged topretend was true; upon which she pressed meto rise, the ground being damp and dangerous,which I did accordingly, and walked away.

As I was going back again, and still talking ofthis gentleman and his son, a new occasion ofmelancholy offered itself thus. The woman be-gan, as if she would tell me a story to divert

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me: 'There goes,' says she, 'a very odd taleamong the neighbours where this gentlemanformerly live.' 'What was that?' said I. 'Why,'says she, 'that old gentleman going to England,when he was a young man, fell in love with ayoung lady there, one of the finest women thatever was seen, and married her, and broughther over hither to his mother who was thenliving. He lived here several years with her,'continued she, 'and had several children by her,of which the young gentleman that was withhim now was one; but after some time, the oldgentlewoman, his mother, talking to her of so-mething relating to herself when she was inEngland, and of her circumstances in England,which were bad enough, the daughter-in-lawbegan to be very much surprised and uneasy;and, in short, examining further into things, itappeared past all contradiction that the oldgentlewoman was her own mother, and thatconsequently that son was his wife's own brot-her, which struck the whole family with horror,

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and put them into such confusion that it hadalmost ruined them all. The young womanwould not live with him; the son, her brotherand husband, for a time went distracted; and atlast the young woman went away for England,and has never been heard of since.'

It is easy to believe that I was strangely affectedwith this story, but 'tis impossible to describethe nature of my disturbance. I seemed astonis-hed at the story, and asked her a thousandquestions about the particulars, which I foundshe was thoroughly acquainted with. At last Ibegan to inquire into the circumstances of thefamily, how the old gentlewoman, I mean mymother, died, and how she left what she had;for my mother had promised me very solemn-ly, that when she died she would do somethingfor me, and leave it so, as that, if I was living, Ishould one way or other come at it, without itsbeing in the power of her son, my brother andhusband, to prevent it. She told me she did not

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know exactly how it was ordered, but she hadbeen told that my mother had left a sum of mo-ney, and had tied her plantation for the pay-ment of it, to be made good to the daughter, ifever she could be heard of, either in England orelsewhere; and that the trust was left with thisson, who was the person that we saw with hisfather.

This was news too good for me to make lightof, and, you may be sure, filled my heart with athousand thoughts, what course I should take,how, and when, and in what manner I shouldmake myself known, or whether I should evermake myself know or no.

Here was a perplexity that I had not indeedskill to manage myself in, neither knew I whatcourse to take. It lay heavy upon my mindnight and day. I could neither sleep nor conver-se, so that my husband perceived it, and won-dered what ailed me, strove to divert me, but itwas all to no purpose. He pressed me to tell

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him what it was troubled me, but I put it off, tillat last, importuning me continually, I was for-ced to form a story, which yet had a plain truthto lay it upon too. I told him I was troubledbecause I found we must shift our quarters andalter our scheme of settling, for that I found Ishould be known if I stayed in that part of thecountry; for that my mother being dead, severalof my relations were come into that part wherewe then was, and that I must either discovermyself to them, which in our present circums-tances was not proper on many accounts, orremove; and which to do I knew not, and thatthis it was that made me so melancholy and sothoughtful.

He joined with me in this, that it was by nomeans proper for me to make myself known toanybody in the circumstances in which we thenwere; and therefore he told me he would bewilling to remove to any other part of the coun-try, or even to any other country if I thought fit.

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But now I had another difficulty, which was,that if I removed to any other colony, I put my-self out of the way of ever making a due searchafter those effects which my mother had left.Again I could never so much as think of brea-king the secret of my former marriage to mynew husband; it was not a story, as I thought,that would bear telling, nor could I tell whatmight be the consequences of it; and it was im-possible to search into the bottom of the thingwithout making it public all over the country,as well who I was, as what I now was also.

In this perplexity I continued a great while, andthis made my spouse very uneasy; for he foundme perplexed, and yet thought I was not openwith him, and did not let him into every part ofmy grievance; and he would often say, he won-dered what he had done that I would not trusthim with whatever it was, especially if it wasgrievous and afflicting. The truth is, he ought tohave been trusted with everything, for no man

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in the world could deserve better of a wife; butthis was a thing I knew not how to open to him,and yet having nobody to disclose any part of itto, the burthen was too heavy for my mind; forlet them say what they please of our sex notbeing able to keep a secret, my life is a plainconviction to me of the contrary; but be it oursex, or the man's sex, a secret of momentshould always have a confidant, a bosomfriend, to whom we may communicate the joyof it, or the grief of it, be it which it will, or itwill be a double weight upon the spirits, andperhaps become even insupportable in itself;and this I appeal to all human testimony for thetruth of.

And this is the cause why many times men aswell as women, and men of the greatest andbest qualities other ways, yet have found them-selves weak in this part, and have not been ableto bear the weight of a secret joy or of a secretsorrow, but have been obliged to disclose it,

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even for the mere giving vent to themselves,and to unbend the mind oppressed with theload and weights which attended it. Nor wasthis any token of folly or thoughtlessness at all,but a natural consequence of the thing; andsuch people, had they struggled longer withthe oppression, would certainly have told it intheir sleep, and disclosed the secret, let it havebeen of what fatal nature soever, without re-gard to the person to whom it might be expo-sed. This necessity of nature is a thing whichworks sometimes with such vehemence in theminds of those who are guilty of any atrociousvillainy, such as secret murder in particular,that they have been obliged to discover it,though the consequence would necessarily betheir own destruction. Now, though it may betrue that the divine justice ought to have theglory of all those discoveries and confessions,yet 'tis as certain that Providence, which ordi-narily works by the hands of nature, makes use

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here of the same natural causes to produce tho-se extraordinary effects.

I could give several remarkable instances ofthis in my long conversation with crime andwith criminals. I knew one fellow that, while Iwas in prison in Newgate, was one of thosethey called then night-fliers. I know not whatother word they may have understood it bysince, but he was one who by connivance wasadmitted to go abroad every evening, when heplayed his pranks, and furnished those honestpeople they call thief-catchers with business tofind out the next day, and restore for a rewardwhat they had stolen the evening before. Thisfellow was as sure to tell in his sleep all that hehad done, and every step he had taken, what hehad stolen, and where, as sure as if he had en-gaged to tell it waking, and that there was noharm or danger in it, and therefore he was obli-ged, after he had been out, to lock himself up,or be locked up by some of the keepers that had

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him in fee, that nobody should hear him; but,on the other hand, if he had told all the particu-lars, and given a full account of his rambles andsuccess, to any comrade, any brother thief, or tohis employers, as I may justly call them, then allwas well with him, and he slept as quietly asother people.

As the publishing this account of my life is forthe sake of the just moral of very part of it, andfor instruction, caution, warning, and impro-vement to every reader, so this will not pass, Ihope, for an unnecessary digression concerningsome people being obliged to disclose the grea-test secrets either of their own or other people'saffairs.

Under the certain oppression of this weightupon my mind, I laboured in the case I havebeen naming; and the only relief I found for itwas to let my husband into so much of it as Ithought would convince him of the necessitythere was for us to think of settling in some

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other part of the world; and the next considera-tion before us was, which part of the Englishsettlements we should go to. My husband wasa perfect stranger to the country, and had notyet so much as a geographical knowledge ofthe situation of the several places; and I, that,till I wrote this, did not know what the wordgeographical signified, had only a generalknowledge from long conversation with peoplethat came from or went to several places; butthis I knew, that Maryland, Pennsylvania, Eastand West Jersey, New York, and New Englandlay all north of Virginia, and that they wereconsequently all colder climates, to which forthat very reason, I had an aversion. For that as Inaturally loved warm weather, so now I grewinto years I had a stronger inclination to shun acold climate. I therefore considered of going toCaroline, which is the only southern colony ofthe English on the continent of America, andhither I proposed to go; and the rather becauseI might with great ease come from thence at

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any time, when it might be proper to inquireafter my mother's effects, and to make myselfknown enough to demand them.

With this resolution I proposed to my husbandour going away from where we was, and carr-ying all our effects with us to Caroline, wherewe resolved to settle; for my husband readilyagreed to the first part, viz. that was not at allproper to stay where we was, since I had assu-red him we should be known there, and therest I effectually concealed from him.

But now I found a new difficulty upon me. Themain affair grew heavy upon my mind still,and I could not think of going out of the coun-try without somehow or other making inquiryinto the grand affair of what my mother haddone for me; nor could I with any patience bearthe thought of going away, and not make my-self known to my old husband (brother), or tomy child, his son; only I would fain have hadthis done without my new husband having any

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knowledge of it, or they having any knowledgeof him, or that I had such a thing as a husband.

I cast about innumerable ways in my thoughtshow this might be done. I would gladly havesent my husband away to Caroline with all ourgoods, and have come after myself, but thiswas impracticable; he would never stir withoutme, being himself perfectly unacquainted withthe country, and with the methods of settlingthere or anywhere else. Then I thought wewould both go first with part of our goods, andthat when we were settled I should come backto Virginia and fetch the remainder; but eventhen I knew he would never part with me, andbe left there to go on alone. The case was plain;he was bred a gentleman, and by consequencewas not only unacquainted, but indolent, andwhen we did settle, would much rather go outinto the woods with his gun, which they callthere hunting, and which is the ordinary workof the Indians, and which they do as servants; I

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say, he would rather do that than attend thenatural business of his plantation.

These were therefore difficulties insurmounta-ble, and such as I knew not what to do in. I hadsuch strong impressions on my mind aboutdiscovering myself to my brother, formerly myhusband, that I could not withstand them; andthe rather, because it ran constantly in mythoughts, that if I did not do it while he lived, Imight in vain endeavour to convince my sonafterward that I was really the same person,and that I was his mother, and so might bothlose the assistance and comfort of the relation,and the benefit of whatever it was my motherhad left me; and yet, on the other hand, I couldnever think it proper to discover myself tothem in the circumstances I was in, as well rela-ting to the having a husband with me as to mybeing brought over by a legal transportation asa criminal; on both which accounts it was abso-lutely necessary to me to remove from the place

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where I was, and come again to him, as fromanother place and in another figure.

Upon those considerations, I went on with te-lling my husband the absolute necessity therewas of our not settling in Potomac River, atleast that we should be presently made publicthere; whereas if we went to any other place inthe world, we should come in with as muchreputation as any family that came to plant;that, as it was always agreeable to the inhabi-tants to have families come among them toplant, who brought substance with them, eitherto purchase plantations or begin new ones, sowe should be sure of a kind, agreeable recep-tion, and that without any possibility of a dis-covery of our circumstances.

I told him in general, too, that as I had severalrelations in the place where we were, and that Idurst not now let myself be known to them,because they would soon come into a know-ledge of the occasion and reason of my coming

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over, which would be to expose myself to thelast degree, so I had reason to believe that mymother, who died here, had left me something,and perhaps considerable, which it might bevery well worth my while to inquire after; butthat this too could not be done without expo-sing us publicly, unless we went from hence;and then, wherever we settled, I might come, asit were, to visit and to see my brother and nep-hews, make myself known to them, claim andinquire after what was my due, be receivedwith respect, and at the same time have justicedone me with cheerfulness and good will; whe-reas, if I did it now, I could expect nothing butwith trouble, such as exacting it by force, recei-ving it with curses and reluctance, and with allkinds of affronts, which he would not perhapsbear to see; that in case of being obliged to legalproofs of being really her daughter, I might beat loss, be obliged to have recourse to England,and it may be to fail at last, and so lose it, wha-tever it might be. With these arguments, and

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having thus acquainted my husband with thewhole secret so far as was needful of him, weresolved to go and seek a settlement in someother colony, and at first thoughts, Carolinewas the place we pitched upon.

In order to this we began to make inquiry forvessels going to Carolina, and in a very littlewhile got information, that on the other sidethe bay, as they call it, namely, in Maryland,there was a ship which came from Carolina,laden with rice and other goods, and was goingback again thither, and from thence to Jamaica,with provisions. On this news we hired a sloopto take in our goods, and taking, as it were, afinal farewell of Potomac River, we went withall our cargo over to Maryland.

This was a long and unpleasant voyage, andmy spouse said it was worse to him than all thevoyage from England, because the weather wasbut indifferent, the water rough, and the vesselsmall and inconvenient. In the next place, we

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were full a hundred miles up Potomac River, ina part which they call Westmoreland County,and as that river is by far the greatest in Virgi-nia, and I have heard say it is the greatest riverin the world that falls into another river, andnot directly into the sea, so we had base weat-her in it, and were frequently in great danger;for though we were in the middle, we could notsee land on either side for many leagues toget-her. Then we had the great river or bay of Che-sapeake to cross, which is where the river Po-tomac falls into it, near thirty miles broad, andwe entered more great vast waters whose na-mes I know not, so that our voyage was fulltwo hundred miles, in a poor, sorry sloop, withall our treasure, and if any accident had happe-ned to us, we might at last have been very mi-serable; supposing we had lost our goods andsaved our lives only, and had then been leftnaked and destitute, and in a wild, strange pla-ce not having one friend or acquaintance in allthat part of the world. The very thought of it

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gives me some horror, even since the danger ispast.

Well, we came to the place in five days' sailing;I think they call it Philip's Point; and behold,when we came thither, the ship bound to Caro-lina was loaded and gone away but three daysbefore. This was a disappointment; but, howe-ver, I, that was to be discouraged with nothing,told my husband that since we could not getpassage to Caroline, and that the country wewas in was very fertile and good, we would, ifhe liked of it, see if we could find out anythingfor our tune where we was, and that if he likedthings we would settle here.

We immediately went on shore, but found noconveniences just at that place, either for ourbeing on shore or preserving our goods on sho-re, but was directed by a very honest Quaker,whom we found there, to go to a place aboutsixty miles east; that is to say, nearer the mouthof the bay, where he said he lived, and where

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we should be accommodated, either to plant, orto wait for any other place to plant in thatmight be more convenient; and he invited uswith so much kindness and simple honesty,that we agreed to go, and the Quaker himselfwent with us.

Here we bought us two servants, viz. an En-glish woman-servant just come on shore from aship of Liverpool, and a Negro man-servant,things absolutely necessary for all people thatpretended to settle in that country. This honestQuaker was very helpful to us, and when wecame to the place that he proposed to us, foundus out a convenient storehouse for our goods,and lodging for ourselves and our servants;and about two months or thereabouts after-wards, by his direction, we took up a large pie-ce of land from the governor of that country, inorder to form our plantation, and so we laid thethoughts of going to Caroline wholly aside,having been very well received here, and ac-

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commodated with a convenient lodging till wecould prepare things, and have land enoughcleared, and timber and materials provided forbuilding us a house, all which we managed bythe direction of the Quaker; so that in one year'stime we had nearly fifty acres of land cleared,part of it enclosed, and some of it planted withtabacco, though not much; besides, we hadgarden ground and corn sufficient to help sup-ply our servants with roots and herbs andbread.

And now I persuaded my husband to let me goover the bay again, and inquire after myfriends. He was the willinger to consent to itnow, because he had business upon his handssufficient to employ him, besides his gun todivert him, which they call hunting there, andwhich he greatly delighted in; and indeed weused to look at one another, sometimes with agreat deal of pleasure, reflecting how muchbetter that was, not than Newgate only, but

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than the most prosperous of our circumstancesin the wicked trade that we had been both carr-ying on.

Our affair was in a very good posture; we pur-chased of the proprietors of the colony as muchland for #35, paid in ready money, as wouldmake a sufficient plantation to employ betweenfifty and sixty servants, and which, being wellimproved, would be sufficient to us as long aswe could either of us live; and as for children, Iwas past the prospect of anything of that kind.

But out good fortune did not end here. I went,as I have said, over the bay, to the place wheremy brother, once a husband, lived; but I did notgo to the same village where I was before, butwent up another great river, on the east side ofthe river Potomac, called Rappahannock River,and by this means came on the back of his plan-tation, which was large, and by the help of anavigable creek, or little river, that ran into theRappahannock, I came very near it.

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I was now fully resolved to go up point-blankto my brother (husband), and to tell him who Iwas; but not knowing what temper I might findhim in, or how much out of temper rather, Imight make him by such a rash visit, I resolvedto write a letter to him first, to let him knowwho I was, and that I was come not to give himany trouble upon the old relation, which Ihoped was entirely forgot, but that I applied tohim as a sister to a brother, desiring his assis-tance in the case of that provision which ourmother, at her decease, had left for my support,and which I did not doubt but he would do mejustice in, especially considering that I was co-me thus far to look after it.

I said some very tender, kind things in the let-ter about his son, which I told him he knew tobe my own child, and that as I was guilty ofnothing in marrying him, any more than hewas in marrying me, neither of us having thenknown our being at all related to one another,

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so I hoped he would allow me the most passio-nate desire of once seeing my one and onlychild, and of showing something of the infirmi-ties of a mother in preserving a violent affectfor him, who had never been able to retain anythought of me one way or other.

I did believe that, having received this letter, hewould immediately give it to his son to read, Ihaving understood his eyes being so dim, thathe could not see to read it; but it fell out betterthan so, for as his sight was dim, so he hadallowed his son to open all letters that came tohis hand for him, and the old gentleman beingfrom home, or out of the way when my mes-senger came, my letter came directly to myson's hand, and he opened and read it.

He called the messenger in, after some littlestay, and asked him where the person was whogave him the letter. The messenger told him theplace, which was about seven miles off, so hebid him stay, and ordering a horse to be got

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ready, and two servants, away he came to mewith the messenger. Let any one judge theconsternation I was in when my messengercame back, and told me the old gentleman wasnot at home, but his son was come along withhim, and was just coming up to me. I was per-fectly confounded, for I knew not whether itwas peace or war, nor could I tell how to beha-ve; however, I had but a very few moments tothink, for my son was at the heels of the mes-senger, and coming up into my lodgings, askedthe fellow at the door something. I suppose itwas, for I did not hear it so as to understand it,which was the gentlewoman that sent him; forthe messenger said, 'There she is, sir'; at whichhe comes directly up to me, kisses me, took mein his arms, and embraced me with so muchpassion that he could not speak, but I could feelhis breast heave and throb like a child, thatcries, but sobs, and cannot cry it out.

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I can neither express nor describe the joy thattouched my very soul when I found, for it waseasy to discover that part, that he came not as astranger, but as a son to a mother, and indeedas a son who had never before known what amother of his own was; in short, we cried overone another a considerable while, when at lasthe broke out first. 'My dear mother,' says he,'are you still alive? I never expected to haveseen your face.' As for me, I could say nothing agreat while.

After we had both recovered ourselves a little,and were able to talk, he told me how thingsstood. As to what I had written to his father, hetold me he had not showed my letter to his fat-her, or told him anything about it; that what hisgrandmother left me was in his hands, and thathe would do me justice to my full satisfaction;that as to his father, he was old and infirm bothin body and mind; that he was very fretful andpassionate, almost blind, and capable of not-

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hing; and he questioned whether he wouldknow how to act in an affair which was of sonice a nature as this; and that therefore he hadcome himself, as well to satisfy himself inseeing me, which he could not restrain himselffrom, as also to put it into my power to make ajudgment, after I had seen how things were,whether I would discover myself to his fatheror no.

This was really so prudently and wisely mana-ged, that I found my son was a man of sense,and needed no direction from me. I told him Idid not wonder that his father was as he haddescribed him, for that his head was a littletouched before I went away; and principally hisdisturbance was because I could not be persua-ded to conceal our relation and to live with himas my husband, after I knew that he was mybrother; that as he knew better than I what hisfather's present condition was, I should readilyjoin with him in such measure as he would di-

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rect; that I was indifferent as to seeing his fat-her, since I had seen him first, and he could nothave told me better news than to tell me thatwhat his grandmother had left me was entrus-ted in his hands, who, I doubted not, now heknew who I was, would, as he said, do me jus-tice. I inquired then how long my mother hadbeen dead, and where she died, and told somany particulars of the family, that I left himno room to doubt the truth of my being reallyand truly his mother.

My son then inquired where I was, and how Ihad disposed myself. I told him I was on theMaryland side of the bay, at the plantation of aparticular friend who came from England inthe same ship with me; that as for that side ofthe bay where he was, I had no habitation. Hetold me I should go home with him, and livewith him, if I pleased, as long as I lived; that asto his father, he knew nobody, and would ne-ver so much as guess at me. I considered of that

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a little, and told him, that though it was reallyno concern to me to live at a distance from him,yet I could not say it would be the most com-fortable thing in the world to me to live in thehouse with him, and to have that unhappy ob-ject always before me, which had been such ablow to my peace before; that though I shouldbe glad to have his company (my son), or to beas near him as possible while I stayed, yet Icould not think of being in the house where Ishould be also under constant restraint for fearof betraying myself in my discourse, norshould I be able to refrain some expressions inmy conversing with him as my son, that mightdiscover the whole affair, which would by nomeans be convenient.

He acknowledged that I was right in all this.'But then, dear mother,' says he, 'you shall be asnear me as you can.' So he took me with him onhorseback to a plantation next to his own, andwhere I was as well entertained as I could have

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been in his own. Having left me there he wentaway home, telling me we would talk of themain business the next day; and having firstcalled me his aunt, and given a charge to thepeople, who it seems were his tenants, to treatme with all possible respect. About two hoursafter he was gone, he sent me a maid-servantand a Negro boy to wait on me, and provisionsready dressed for my supper; and thus I was asif I had been in a new world, and began secre-tly now to wish that I had not brought my Lan-cashire husband from England at all.

However, that wish was not hearty neither, forI loved my Lancashire husband entirely, as in-deed I had ever done from the beginning; andhe merited from me as much as it was possiblefor a man to do; but that by the way.

The next morning my son came to visit meagain almost as soon as I was up. After a littlediscourse, he first of all pulled out a deerskinbag, and gave it me, with five-and-fifty Spanish

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pistoles in it, and told me that was to supplymy expenses from England, for though it wasnot his business to inquire, yet he ought tothink I did not bring a great deal of money outwith me, it not being usual to bring much mo-ney into that country. Then he pulled out hisgrandmother's will, and read it over to me,whereby it appeared that she had left a smallplantation, as he called it, on York River, that is,where my mother lived, to me, with the stockof servants and cattle upon it, and given it intrust to this son of mine for my use, wheneverhe should hear of my being alive, and to myheirs, if I had any children, and in default ofheirs, to whomsoever I should by will disposeof it; but gave the income of it, till I should beheard of, or found, to my said son; and if Ishould not be living, then it was to him, and hisheirs.

This plantation, though remote from him, hesaid he did not let out, but managed it by a

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head-clerk (steward), as he did another thatwas his father's, that lay hard by it, and wentover himself three or four times a year to lookafter it. I asked him what he thought the planta-tion might be worth. He said, if I would let itout, he would give me about #60 a year for it;but if I would live on it, then it would be worthmuch more, and, he believed, would bring mein about #150 a year. But seeing I was likelyeither to settle on the other side of the bay, ormight perhaps have a mind to go back to En-gland again, if I would let him be my stewardhe would manage it for me, as he had done forhimself, and that he believed he should be ableto send me as much tobacco to England from itas would yield me about #100 a year, someti-mes more.

This was all strange news to me, and things Ihad not been used to; and really my heart be-gan to look up more seriously than I think itever did before, and to look with great thank-

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fulness to the hand of Providence, which haddone such wonders for me, who had been my-self the greatest wonder of wickedness perhapsthat had been suffered to live in the world. AndI must again observe, that not on this occasiononly, but even on all other occasions of thank-fulness, my past wicked and abominable lifenever looked so monstrous to me, and I neverso completely abhorred it, and reproached my-self with it, as when I had a sense upon me ofProvidence doing good to me, while I had beenmaking those vile returns on my part.

But I leave the reader to improve thesethoughts, as no doubt they will see cause, and Igo on to the fact. My son's tender carriage andkind offers fetched tears from me, almost all thewhile he talked with me. Indeed, I could scarcediscourse with him but in the intervals of mypassion; however, at length I began, and ex-pressing myself with wonder at my being sohappy to have the trust of what I had left, put

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into the hands of my own child, I told him, thatas to the inheritance of it, I had no child buthim in the world, and was now past having anyif I should marry, and therefore would desirehim to get a writing drawn, which I was readyto execute, by which I would, after me, give itwholly to him and to his heirs. And in themeantime, smiling, I asked him what made himcontinue a bachelor so long. His answer waskind and ready, that Virginia did not yield anygreat plenty of wives, and that since I talked ofgoing back to England, I should send him awife from London.

This was the substance of our first day's con-versation, the pleasantest day that ever passedover my head in my life, and which gave methe truest satisfaction. He came every day afterthis, and spent a great part of his time with me,and carried me about to several of his friends'houses, where I was entertained with greatrespect. Also I dined several times at his own

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house, when he took care always to see his half-dead father so out of the way that I never sawhim, or he me. I made him one present, and itwas all I had of value, and that was one of thegold watches, of which I mentioned above, thatI had two in my chest, and this I happened tohave with me, and I gave it him at his thirdvisit. I told him I had nothing of any value tobestow but that, and I desired he would nowand then kiss it for my sake. I did not indeedtell him that I had stole it from a gentlewo-man's side, at a meeting-house in London.That's by the way.

He stood a little while hesitating, as if doubtfulwhether to take it or no; but I pressed it on him,and made him accept it, and it was not muchless worth than his leather pouch full of Spa-nish gold; no, though it were to be reckoned asif at London, whereas it was worth twice asmuch there, where I gave it him. At length hetook it, kissed it, told me the watch should be a

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debt upon him that he would be paying as longas I lived.

A few days after he brought the writings of gift,and the scrivener with them, and I signed themvery freely, and delivered them to him with ahundred kisses; for sure nothing ever passedbetween a mother and a tender, dutiful childwith more affection. The next day he brings mean obligation under his hand and seal, wherebyhe engaged himself to manage and improve theplantation for my account, and with his utmostskill, and to remit the produce to my orderwherever I should be; and withal, to be obligedhimself to make up the produce #100 a year tome. When he had done so, he told me that as Icame to demand it before the crop was off, Ihad a right to produce of the current year, andso he paid me #100 in Spanish pieces of eight,and desired me to give him a receipt for it as infull for that year, ending at Christmas follo-wing; this being about the latter end of August.

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I stayed here about five weeks, and indeed hadmuch ado to get away then. Nay, he wouldhave come over the bay with me, but I wouldby no means allow him to it. However, hewould send me over in a sloop of his own,which was built like a yacht, and served him aswell for pleasure as business. This I accepted of,and so, after the utmost expressions both ofduty and affection, he let me come away, and Iarrived safe in two days at my friend's theQuaker's.

I brought over with me for the use of our plan-tation, three horses, with harness and saddles,some hogs, two cows, and a thousand otherthings, the gift of the kindest and tenderestchild that ever woman had. I related to myhusband all the particulars of this voyage, ex-cept that I called my son my cousin; and first Itold him that I had lost my watch, which heseemed to take as a misfortune; but then I toldhim how kind my cousin had been, that my

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mother had left me such a plantation, and thathe had preserved it for me, in hopes some timeor other he should hear from me; then I toldhim that I had left it to his management, that hewould render me a faithful account of its pro-duce; and then I pulled him out the #100 insilver, as the first year's produce; and then pu-lling out the deerskin purse with the pistoles,'And here, my dear,' says I, 'is the gold watch.'My husband—so is Heaven's goodness sure towork the same effects in all sensible mindswhere mercies touch the heart—lifted up bothhands, and with an ecstacy of joy, 'What is Goda-doing,' says he, 'for such an ungrateful dog asI am!' Then I let him know what I had broughtover in the sloop, besides all this; I mean thehorses, hogs, and cows, and other stores for ourplantation; all which added to his surprise, andfilled his heart with thankfulness; and from thistime forward I believe he was as sincere a peni-tent, and as thoroughly a reformed man, asever God's goodness brought back from a pro-

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fligate, a highwayman, and a robber. I could filla larger history than this with the evidence ofthis truth, and but that I doubt that part of thestory will not be equally diverting as the wic-ked part, I have had thoughts of making a vo-lume of it by itself.

As for myself, as this is to be my own story, notmy husband's, I return to that part which rela-ted to myself. We went on with our plantation,and managed it with the help and diversion ofsuch friends as we got there by our obligingbehaviour, and especially the honest Quaker,who proved a faithful, generous, and steadyfriend to us; and we had very good success, forhaving a flourishing stock to begin with, as Ihave said, and this being now increased by theaddition of #150 sterling in money, we enlar-ged our number of servants, built us a verygood house, and cured every year a great dealof land. The second year I wrote to my old go-verness, giving her part with us of the joy of

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our success, and order her how to lay out themoney I had left with her, which was #250 asabove, and to send it to us in goods, which sheperformed with her usual kindness and fideli-ty, and this arrived safe to us.

Here we had a supply of all sorts of clothes, aswell for my husband as for myself; and I tookespecial care to buy for him all those things thatI knew he delighted to have; as two good longwigs, two silver-hilted swords, three or fourfine fowling-pieces, a find saddle with holstersand pistols very handsome, with a scarlet cloak;and, in a word, everything I could think of tooblige him, and to make him appear, as he rea-lly was, a very fine gentleman. I ordered a goodquantity of such household stuff as we yetwanted, with linen of all sorts for us both. Asfor myself, I wanted very little of clothes orlinen, being very well furnished before. Therest of my cargo consisted in iron-work of allsorts, harness for horses, tools, clothes for ser-

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vants, and woollen cloth, stuffs, serges, stoc-kings, shoes, hats, and the like, such as servantswear; and whole pieces also to make up forservants, all by direction of the Quaker; and allthis cargo arrived safe, and in good condition,with three woman-servants, lusty wenches,which my old governess had picked for me,suitable enough to the place, and to the workwe had for them to do; one of which happenedto come double, having been got with child byone of the seamen in the ship, as she ownedafterwards, before the ship got so far as Grave-send; so she brought us a stout boy, about se-ven months after her landing.

My husband, you may suppose, was a littlesurprised at the arriving of all this cargo fromEngland; and talking with me after he saw theaccount of this particular, 'My dear,' says he,'what is the meaning of all this? I fear you willrun us too deep in debt: when shall we be ableto make return for it all?' I smiled, and told him

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that is was all paid for; and then I told him, thatwhat our circumstances might expose us to, Ihad not taken my whole stock with me, that Ihad reserved so much in my friend's hands,which now we were come over safe, and wassettled in a way to live, I had sent for, as hemight see.

He was amazed, and stood a while telling uponhis fingers, but said nothing. At last he beganthus: 'Hold, let's see,' says he, telling upon hisfingers still, and first on his thumb; 'there's#246 in money at first, then two gold watches,diamond rings, and plate,' says he, upon theforefinger. Then upon the next finger, 'Here's aplantation on York River, #100 a year, then#150 in money, then a sloop load of horses,cows, hogs, and stores'; and so on to the thumbagain. 'And now,' says he, 'a cargo cost #250 inEngland, and worth here twice the money.''Well,' says I, 'what do you make of all that?''Make of it?' says he; 'why, who says I was de-

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ceived when I married a wife in Lancashire? Ithink I have married a fortune, and a very goodfortune too,' says he.

In a word, we were now in very considerablecircumstances, and every year increasing; forour new plantation grew upon our hands in-sensibly, and in eight years which we livedupon it, we brought it to such pitch, that theproduce was at least #300 sterling a year; Imean, worth so much in England.

After I had been a year at home again, I wentover the bay to see my son, and to receive an-other year's income of my plantation; and I wassurprised to hear, just at my landing there, thatmy old husband was dead, and had not beenburied above a fortnight. This, I confess, wasnot disagreeable news, because now I couldappear as I was, in a married condition; so Itold my son before I came from him, that I be-lieved I should marry a gentleman who had aplantation near mine; and though I was legally

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free to marry, as to any obligation that was onme before, yet that I was shy of it, lest the blotshould some time or other be revived, and itmight make a husband uneasy. My son, thesame kind, dutiful, and obliging creature asever, treated me now at his own house, paidme my hundred pounds, and sent me homeagain loaded with presents.

Some time after this, I let my son know I wasmarried, and invited him over to see us, andmy husband wrote a very obliging letter to himalso, inviting him to come and see him; and hecame accordingly some months after, and hap-pened to be there just when my cargo fromEngland came in, which I let him believe be-longed all to my husband's estate, not to me.

It must be observed that when the old wretchmy brother (husband) was dead, I then freelygave my husband an account of all that affair,and of this cousin, as I had called him before,being my own son by that mistaken unhappy

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match. He was perfectly easy in the account,and told me he should have been as easy if theold man, as we called him, had been alive. 'For,'said he, 'it was no fault of yours, nor of his; itwas a mistake impossible to be prevented.' Heonly reproached him with desiring me to con-ceal it, and to live with him as a wife, after Iknew that he was my brother; that, he said, wasa vile part. Thus all these difficulties were madeeasy, and we lived together with the greatestkindness and comfort imaginable.

We are grown old; I am come back to England,being almost seventy years of age, husbandsixty-eight, having performed much more thanthe limited terms of my transportation; andnow, notwithstanding all the fatigues and allthe miseries we have both gone through, weare both of us in good heart and health. Myhusband remained there some time after me tosettle our affairs, and at first I had intended togo back to him, but at his desire I altered that

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resolution, and he is come over to England also,where we resolve to spend the remainder ofour years in sincere penitence for the wickedlives we have lived.