Daniel Defoe

“ Here Friday expressed a great concern: Ah, poor mans! cried he, naughty wonians! naughty devil! make God not love de mans, made mans like devil himself.
'Friday,' said I, 'God still loved mankind, and though the devil tempted human nature so far, he would not suffer him to have an absolute power over them. I have told you before of his tender love to his people, till they, like Lucifer, disobeyed his commands and rebelled against him; and even then, how Jesus Christ, his only Son, came to save sinners. But still every man that lives in the world is under temptation and trial. ”

“ The savages hearing a different noise from three quarters at once, stood in the utmost confusion; but coming in sight of us, let fly a volley of arrows, which wounded poor old Friday, yet happily it did not prove mortal. We did not, however, give them a second opportunity; but rushing in among them, we fired three several ways, and then fell to work with our swords, staves, hatchets, and the butt-end of our muskets, with a fury not to be resisted; so that with the most dismal screaming and howling they had recourse to their feet, to save their lives by a speedy flight. ”

“ Look on your past life, and see what you have left undone? Ask thyself, why thou wert not long ago in the merciless hands of death? Why not drowned in Yarmouth roads, or killed in the fight, when the ship was taken by the Sallee man of war? Why not entombed in the bowels of wild beasts on the African coast, or drowned here when all thy companions suffered shipwreck in the ocean. ”

“ And here, indeed, I did not miss my intention; for he told me it was Old Benamuckee (the God whom I supposed these savages adored) who lived a great way beyond all. But as to his attributes, poor Friday was an utter stranger. He could describe nothing of this great person; and all that he could say was, that he was very old, much older than the sea and land, the moon, or the stars. "Friday," said I again, "if this great and old person has made all things in the world, how comes it to pass, that all things, as you in particular, do not adore and worship him? ”

“ There is but little variety in the relation of all our voyage, being blessed with calm weather and a smooth sea. Great indeed was the joy of my countrymen to see me alive, having acted as the principal man on board, the captain of the shipwrecked vessel dying before; nor was their surprise less, as knowing I was taken prisoner by the savages of another nation, they had thought me long since entombed in their monstrous bowels. ”

“ Pray, what is this man? or what comfort is there of the life he lives? he is insensible of faith, repentance, and a Christian mortified life: in a word, he is a perfectly a stranger to the essential part of religion.
Let us for a while enter into the private and retired part of his conversation: What notions has he of his mispent hours, and of the progress of time to the great centre and gulph of life, eternity? Does he know how to put a right value on time, or esteem the life-blood of his soul, as it really is, and act in all the moments of it, as one that must account for them? ”

“ But, Lord, Sir, said Will Atkins to me how could we teach them religion, who know nothing of it ourselves? How can we talk to our wives of God, Jesus Christ, heaven, and hell? Why they would only laugh at us, who never yet have practiced religion, but on the contrary all manner of wickedness. Will Atkins, said I, cannot you tell your wife she is in the wrong, and that her gods are idols, which can neither speak nor understand; but that our God, who has made, can destroy all things; that he rewards the good and punishes the wicked ”

“ To be short, Sir, we are both in a remote part of the world from our country; but yet in a place where men of business may get a great deal of money. Now, if you will put a thousand pounds to my thousand pounds, we will hire a ship to our satisfaction; you shall be Captain, I will be merchant: and we'll go a trading voyage to China, for why should we lie still like drones, while the whole world is in a continual motion. ”

“ In two canoes, thought I, what does my man mean? surely he means one for himself, and another for me; and if not, how must two canoes hold me without being joined, or one part of my body being put in one, and another in another? And indeed it was a long time before I understood his meaning; which was, that it must be a large boat, as big as two canoes, able to bear with the waves, and not so liable to be overwhelmed as a small one must be.
I believe there is not a state of life but what may be happy, if people would but endeavour for their part to make it so. ”

“ It was that infinite and inexpressible blessing, the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, which was so plain and easy to be understood, as immediately to direct me to carry on the great work of sincere repentance for my sins, and laying hold of a Saviour for eternal life, to a practical stated reformation, and obedience to all God's institutions, without the assistance of a reverend and orthodox divine; and especially by this same instruction, so to enlighten this savage creature, as to make him so good a Christian, as very few could exceed him. ”

“ In the lesser hut, at some distance from the other, he dressed his victuals; and in the larger he slept; and employed himself in reading, singing psalms, and praying; so that he said. He was a better Christian, while in this solitude, than ever he was before, or than, he was afraid, he would ever be again.
At first he never ate anything till hunger constrained him, partly for grief, and partly for want of bread and salt: Nor did he go to bed, till he could watch no longer; the pimento-wood, which burnt very clear, served him both for fire and candle, and refreshed him with its fragrant smell. ”

“ But how fickle and wavering is the mind of man, even in our greatest fury and strongest inclinations. For while I was taking this march, my resolution began to abate, not through fear of their numbers, who were a parcel of naked unarmed wretches, but those reflections occurred to my thoughts: what power was I commissioned with, or what occasion or necessity had I to go and imbrue my hands in human blood, and murder people that had neither done nor intended to do me any wrong? ”

“ And as to thy innocence, what art thou more innocent than thy blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who suffered for thy offences, and to whose providence you ought to submit, let what will happen?' After this, natural courage would inspire me to resist to the last drop of blood, and sooner die than suffer myself to be taken by boorish, rascally Dutchmen, who had arts to torment beyond death itself. ”

“ I thought, Sir, added he, I might have met a better reception for such a singular piece of service. "Sir," said I, "I was never ungrateful to any man; but pray explain yourself and I'll go on board this minute, whether the leak be stopped or no." Why, Sir, said he, to be short, because time is precious, the matter is this: You know well enough that you was with the ship at Sumatra, when your Captain was murdered by the Malayans, with three of his sailors; and that either you, or some who were on board you, ran away with the ship, and are since turned pirates at sea. ”

“ So enraged was I at the death of poor Friday, that the guns, which before were charged only with powder, to frighten them, I ordered to be loaded with small shot; nor did the gunners fail in their aim, but at this broadside split and overset thirteen or fourteen of their canoes, which killed numbers of them, and set the rest a swimming, the others, frightened out of their wits, little regarding their fellows drowning, scoured away as fast as they could. One poor wretch our people took up, swimming for his life, an hour after. ”

“ Nor is false talking to be less avoided; for lying is the sheep's clothing hung upon the wolf's back: It is the Pharisee's prayer, the whore's buss, the hypocrite's paint, the murderer's smile, the thief's cloak; it is Joab's embrace, and Judah's kiss; in a word, it is mankind's darling sin, and the devil's distinguishing character. Some add lies to lies, till it not only comes to be improbable, but even impossible too: Others lie for gain to deceive, delude, and betray: And a third lies for sport, or for fun. There are other liars, who are personal and malicious ”

“ After five days sail we came to the port, and landed with unspeakable joy. We resolved to dispose of ourselves and effects in any other way possible, than enter on board that ill-fated vessel more; for no state can be more miserable than a continued fear, which is a life of death, a confounder of our understandings, that sets the imagination at work to form a thousand frightful things that may never happen. And we scarce slept one night without dreaming of halters, yard-arms, or gibbets, of fighting, being taken, and being killed ”

“ Were we to have the eyes of our souls opened, through the eyes of our bodies, we should see this very immediate region or air which we breath in, thronged with spirits now invisible, and which otherwise would be the most terrible; we should view the secret transactions of those messengers who are employed when the parting soul takes it's leave of the reluctant body, and perhaps see things nature would shrink back from with the utmost terror and amazement. ”

“ I had not been above two or three days returned to my castle, but my chief design was, how I should bring Friday off from this horrid way of feeding; and to take from him that inhuman relish he by nature had been accustomed to, I thought it my duty to let him taste other flesh, which might the rather tempt him to the same abhorrence I so often expressed against their accursed way of living. Upon which, one morning I took him out with me, with an intention to kill a kid out of the flock, and bring it home and dress it. ”

“ How stupendous is the goodness of Providence, which sets such narrow bounds to the sight and knowledge of human nature, that while men walk in the midst of so many dangers they are kept serene and calm, by having the events of things hid from their eyes and knowing nothing of those many dangers that surround them, till perhaps they are dissipated and vanish away. ”

“ Every thing they did prospered and flourished: their grapes, planted in order, seemed as though managed in a vineyard and were infinitely preferable to any of the others. Nor were they wanting to find out a place of retreat, but dug a cave in the most retired part of a thick wood, to secure their wives and children, with their provision and chiefest goods, surrounded with innumerable stakes, and having a most subtle entrance, in case any mischief should happen either from their fellow countrymen, or the devouring savages. ”

“ The poor Chinese who had led the camel, seeing the Tartar down, runs to him, and seizing upon his pole-ax, wrenched it from his hands, and knocked his brains out. But there was another Tartar to deal with, who seeming neither inclined to fight nor fly, and my old man having begun to charge his pistol, the very sight of it struck such a terror into the wretch, that away he scoured, leaving my old pilot, rather my champion and defender, an absolute victory. ”

“ Being now under sail, we took our last farewell of poor honest Friday, and interred him with all possible decency and solemnity, putting him in a coffin, and committing him to the deep, at the same time cauling eleven guns to be fired at him. Thus ended the life of one of the most grateful, faithful, honest, and affectionate servants, that ever any man was blessed with in the world. ”

“ When if, even among men, one gives the lie to a gentleman in company, or perhaps speaks an affronting word, a quarrel will ensue, and a combat, and perhaps murder be the consequence: At the least, he, will prosecute him at law with the utmost virulence and oppression.
The next thing to be refrained, is obscene discourse, which is the language only of proficients in debauchery, who never repent, but in a gaol or hospital; and whose carcases relish no better than their discourse, till the body becomes too nasty for the soul to stay any longer in it. ”

“ The want of a plough to turn up the earth, or shovel to dig it, I conquered by making me a wooden spade. The want of a harrow I supplied myself, with dragging over the corn a great bough of a tree. When it was growing I was forced to fence it; when ripe to mow it, carry it home, thrash it, part it from the chaff, and save it. And, after all, I wanted a mill to grind it, sieve to dress it, yest and salt to make it into bread, and an oven to bake it. This set my brains to work to find some expedient for every one of these necessaries against the next harvest. ”