t is about your poor
savages, who are, as I may say, your conquered subjects. It is a maxim,
sir, that is or ought to be received among all Christians, of what church
or pretended church soever, that the Christian knowledge ought to be
propagated by all possible means and on all possible occasions. It is on
this principle that our Church sends missionaries into Persia, India, and
China; and that our clergy, even of the superior sort, willingly engage
in the most hazardous voyages, and the most dangerous residence amongst
murderers and barbarians, to teach them the knowledge of the true God,
and to bring them over to embrace the Christian faith. Now, sir, you
have such an opportunity here to have six or seven and thirty poor
savages brought over from a state of idolatry to the knowledge of God,
their Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can pass such an occasion
of doing good, which is really worth the expense of a man's whole life."

I was now struck dumb indeed, and had not one word to say. I had here
the spirit of true Christian zeal for God and religion before me. As for
me, I had not so much as entertained a thought of this in my heart
before, and I believe I should not have thought of it; for I looked upon
these savages as slaves, and people whom, had we not had any work for
them to do, we would have used as such, or would have been glad to have
transported them to any part of the world; for our business was to get
rid of them, and we would all have been satisfied if they had been sent
to any country, so they had never seen their own. I was confounded at
his discourse, and knew not what answer to make him.

He looked earnestly at me, seeing my confusion. "Sir," says he, "I shall
be very sorry if what I have said gives you any offence."--"No, no," said
I, "I am offended with nobody but myself; but I am perfectly confounded,
not only to think that I should never take any notice of this before, but
with reflecting what notice I am able to take of it now. You know, sir,"
said I, "what circumstances I am in; I am bound to the East Indies in a
ship freighted by merchants, and to whom it would be an insufferable
piece of injustice to detain their ship here, the men lying all this
while at victuals and wages on the owners' account. It is true, I agreed
to be allowed twelve days here, and if I stay more, I must pay three
pounds sterling _per diem_ demurrage; nor can I stay upon demurrage above
eight days more,