contracted an intimate acquaintance, came
to me one morning: "Countryman," says he, "I have a project to
communicate to you, 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," says he, "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 a thousand pounds to my 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 will go a trading voyage to
China; for what should we stand still for? The whole world is in motion,
rolling round and round; all the creatures of God, heavenly bodies and
earthly, are busy and vibrant: why should we be idle? There are no
drones," says he, "living in the world but men: why should we be of
that number?"

I liked this proposal very well; and the more because it seemed to be
expressed with so much good will, and in so friendly a manner. I will
not say, but that I might, by my loose and unhinged circumstances, be
the fitter to embrace a proposal for trade, and indeed for any thing
else; or otherwise trade was none of my element; however, 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 mind; and
when we 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
boatswain, and a gunner, English; a Dutch carpenter, and three
Portuguese foremast-men: with these we found we could do well enough,
having Indian seamen, such as they are, to make up.

There are so many travellers who have written the history of their
voyages and travels this way, that it would be but very little diversion
to any body, to give a long account of the places we went to, and the
people who inhabit there: those things I leave to others, and refer the
reader to those journals and travels of Englishmen, many of which, I
find, are published, and more promised every day. It is enough for me to
tell you that we made the voyage to Achin, in t