eing in a fleet of about 600 sail of transport
ships, besides 50 sail of men-of-war of the line, all which, with a fair
wind and fine weather, came to an anchor there at once.

This town, as most of the towns of Devonshire are, is full of Dissenters,
and a very large meeting-house they have here. How they act here with
respect to the great dispute about the doctrine of the Trinity, which has
caused such a breach among those people at Exeter and other parts of the
county, I cannot give any account of. This town sends two members to
Parliament.

From hence we went to Plympton, a poor and thinly-inhabited town, though
blessed with the like privilege of sending members to the Parliament, of
which I have little more to say but that from thence the road lies to
Plymouth, distance about six miles.

Plymouth is indeed a town of consideration, and of great importance to
the public. The situation of it between two very large inlets of the
sea, and in the bottom of a large bay, which is very remarkable for the
advantage of navigation. The Sound or Bay is compassed on every side
with hills, and the shore generally steep and rocky, though the anchorage
is good, and it is pretty safe riding. In the entrance to this bay lies
a large and most dangerous rock, which at high-water is covered, but at
low-tide lies bare, where many a good ship has been lost, even in the
view of safety, and many a ship's crew drowned in the night, before help
could be had for them.

Upon this rock (which was called the Eddystone, from its situation) the
famous Mr. Winstanley undertook to build a lighthouse for the direction
of sailors, and with great art and expedition finished it; which
work--considering its height, the magnitude of its building, and the
little hold there was by which it was possible to fasten it to the
rock--stood to admiration, and bore out many a bitter storm.

Mr. Winstanley often visited, and frequently strengthened, the building
by new works, and was so confident of its firmness and stability that he
usually said he only desired to be in it when a storm should happen; for
many people had told him it would certainly fall if it came to blow a
little harder than ordinary.

But he happened at last to be in it once too often--namely, when that
dreadful tempest blew, November 27, 1703. This tempest began on the
Wednesday before, and blew with such violence, and shook the lighthouse
so much, that, as they told me there, Mr. Winst