reck of the Spanish ship. And thus I left
the island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account, in
the year 1686, after I had been upon it eight and twenty years, two
months, and nineteen days; being delivered from this second captivity
the same day of the month that I first made my escape in the long-boat,
from among the Moors of Sallee. In this vessel, after a long voyage, I
arrived in England the 11th of June, in the year 1687, having been
thirty-five years absent.

When I came to England, I was as perfect a stranger to all the world as
if I had never been known there. My benefactor and faithful steward,
whom I had left my money in trust with, was alive, but had had great
misfortunes in the world; was become a widow the second time, and very
low in the world. I made her very easy as to what she owed me, assuring
her I would give her no trouble; but on the contrary, in gratitude for
her former care and faithfulness to me, I relieved her as my
little-stock would afford; which, at that time, would indeed allow me to
do but little for her; but I assured her I would never forget her former
kindness to me; nor did I forget her when I had sufficient to help her,
as shall be observed in its proper place. I went down afterwards into
Yorkshire; but my father was dead, and my mother and all the family
extinct, except that I found two sisters, and two of the children of one
of my brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there
had been no provision made for me: so that, in a word, I found nothing
to relieve or assist me; and that the little money I had would not do
much for me as to settling in the world.

I met with one piece of gratitude, indeed, which I did not expect; and
this was, that the master of the ship whom I had so happily delivered,
and by the same means saved the ship and cargo, having given a very
handsome account to the owners of the manner how I had saved the lives
of the men, and the ship, they invited me to meet them, and some other
merchants concerned, and all together made me a very handsome compliment
upon the subject, and a present of almost L200 sterling.

But after making several reflections upon the circumstances of my life,
and how little way this would go towards settling me in the world, I
resolved to go to Lisbon, and see if I might not come by some
information of the state of my plantation in the Brazils, and of what
was become of my partner, who, I had reason to sup