holesome advice, and looked so friendly, that I could not
but be convinced it was the best course I could take; so I accordingly
prepared letters to the gentlewoman with whom I had left my money, and a
procuration to the Portuguese captain, as he desired.

I wrote the English captain's widow a full account of all my
adventures--my slavery, escape, and how I had met with the Portuguese
captain at sea, the humanity of his behaviour, and what condition I was
now in, with all other necessary directions for my supply; and when this
honest captain came to Lisbon, he found means, by some of the English
merchants there, to send over, not the order only, but a full account of
my story to a merchant in London, who represented it effectually to her;
whereupon she not only delivered the money, but out of her own pocket
sent the Portugal captain a very handsome present for his humanity and
charity to me.

The merchant in London, vesting this hundred pounds in English goods,
such as the captain had written for, sent them directly to him at Lisbon,
and he brought them all safe to me to the Brazils; among which, without
my direction (for I was too young in my business to think of them), he
had taken care to have all sorts of tools, ironwork, and utensils
necessary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me.

When this cargo arrived I thought my fortune made, for I was surprised
with the joy of it; and my stood steward, the captain, had laid out the
five pounds, which my friend had sent him for a present for himself, to
purchase and bring me over a servant, under bond for six years' service,
and would not accept of any consideration, except a little tobacco, which
I would have him accept, being of my own produce.

Neither was this all; for my goods being all English manufacture, such as
cloths, stuffs, baize, and things particularly valuable and desirable in
the country, I found means to sell them to a very great advantage; so
that I might say I had more than four times the value of my first cargo,
and was now infinitely beyond my poor neighbour--I mean in the
advancement of my plantation; for the first thing I did, I bought me a
negro slave, and an European servant also--I mean another besides that
which the captain brought me from Lisbon.

But as abused prosperity is oftentimes made the very means of our
greatest adversity, so it was with me. I went on the next year with
great success in my plantation: I raised fifty gr