God: he is dealing with us
all in judgment."

"O sir!" says he, "it is infinite mercy if any of us are spared; and who
am I to repine!"

"Say'st thou so?" said I; "and how much less is my faith than thine!"
And here my heart smote me, suggesting how much better this poor man's
foundation was, on which he stayed in the danger, than mine: that he had
nowhere to fly; that he had a family to bind him to attendance, which I
had not; and mine was mere presumption, his a true dependence and a
courage resting on God; and yet that he used all possible caution for
his safety.

I turned a little away from the man while these thoughts engaged me;
for, indeed, I could no more refrain from tears than he.

At length, after some further talk, the poor woman opened the door, and
called, "Robert, Robert!" He answered, and bid her stay a few moments
and he would come: so he ran down the common stairs to his boat, and
fetched up a sack in which was the provisions he had brought from the
ships; and when he returned he hallooed again; then he went to the great
stone which he showed me, and emptied the sack, and laid all out,
everything by themselves, and then retired; and his wife came with a
little boy to fetch them away; and he called, and said, such a captain
had sent such a thing, and such a captain such a thing, and at the end
adds, "God has sent it all: give thanks to him." When the poor woman had
taken up all, she was so weak she could not carry it at once in, though
the weight was not much, neither: so she left the biscuit, which was in
a little bag, and left a little boy to watch it till she came again.

"Well, but," says I to him, "did you leave her the four shillings too,
which you said was your week's pay?"

"Yes, yes," says he; "you shall hear her own it." So he called again,
"Rachel, Rachel!" which it seems was her name, "did you take up the
money?"--"Yes," said she. "How much was it?" said he. "Four shillings
and a groat," said she. "Well, well," says he, "the Lord keep you all;"
and so he turned to go away.

As I could not refrain from contributing tears to this man's story, so
neither could I refrain my charity for his assistance; so I called him.
"Hark thee, friend," said I, "come hither, for I believe thou art in
health, that I may venture thee:" so I pulled out my hand, which was in
my pocket before. "Here," says I, "go and call thy Rachel once more, and
give her a little more comfort from me. God will never forsa