vant; the first was clerk to the purser, whom he engaged to go with
me, and the other was his own servant. I then took a good lodging in the
house of an Englishwoman, where several merchants lodged, some French,
two Italians, or rather Jews, and one Englishman. Here I stayed above
nine months, considering what course to take. I had some English goods
with me of value, and a considerable sum of money; my nephew furnishing
me with a thousand pieces of eight, and a letter of credit for more if I
had occasion, that I might not be straitened, whatever might happen. I
quickly disposed of my goods to advantage; and, as I originally intended,
I bought here some very good diamonds, which, of all other things, were
the most proper for me in my present circumstances, because I could
always carry my whole estate about me.

During my stay here many proposals were made for my return to England,
but none falling out to my mind, the English merchant who lodged with me,
and whom I had contracted an intimate acquaintance with, came to me one
morning, saying: "Countryman, I have a project to communicate, which, as
it suits with my thoughts, may, for aught I know, suit with yours also,
when you shall have thoroughly considered it. Here we are posted, you by
accident and I by my own choice, in a part of the world very remote from
our own country; but it is in a country where, by us who understand trade
and business, a great deal of money is to be got. If you will put one
thousand pounds to my one thousand pounds, we will hire a ship here, the
first we can get to our minds. You shall be captain, I'll be merchant,
and we'll go a trading voyage to China; for what should we stand still
for? The whole world is in motion; why should we be idle?"

I liked this proposal very well; and the more so because it seemed to be
expressed with so much goodwill. In my loose, unhinged circumstances, I
was the fitter to embrace a proposal for trade, or indeed anything else.
I might perhaps say with some truth, that if trade was not my element,
rambling was; and no proposal for seeing any part of the world which I
had never seen before could possibly come amiss to me. It was, however,
some time before we could get a ship to our minds, and when we had got a
vessel, it was not easy to get English sailors--that is to say, so many
as were necessary to govern the voyage and manage the sailors which we
should pick up there. After some time we got a mate, a