t sight of them the
first night. About 70 leagues from the westward of Madeira we bent a new
foresail; within two or three days afterwards, we had a very hard gale of
wind, scudding under the foresail, and no danger happening to the ship
during this gale. When the wind had ceas'd, and we had fair weather, the
captain, after the evening mass, made an oration to the people, telling
them that their deliverance from danger in the last gale of wind, and the
ship though leaky, making no more water than before, was owing to their
prayers to Nuestra Senhora Boa Mortua and her intercession: That in
gratitude they ought to make an acknowledgement to that saint for standing
their friend in time of need: That he himself would shew an example by
giving the new fore-sail, which was bent to the yard, to the saint their
deliverer: Accordingly one of the seamen went forward and mark'd out these
words on the sail, _Deal esta Trinchado pour nostra Senhora Boa Mortua_,
which is as much as to say, _I give this foresail to our saint, the
deliverer from death_. The sail and money collected on this occasion
amounted to upwards of twenty moydores.

On Monday, the 23d of November, in the latitude 39: 17 north, and longitude
6:00 W., that day at noon the rock of Lisbon bearing S. by W., distant
sixteen leagues; we steer'd E.S.E., to make the rock before night. At four
o'clock it blew a very hard gale, and right on the shore: The ship lay-to
under a foresail, with her head to the southward; at six it blew a storm;
the foresail splitting, oblig'd us to keep her before the wind, which was
running her right ashore. The ship was now given over for lost, the people
all fell to prayers, and cry'd out to their saints for deliverance,
offering all they had in the world for their lives, and yet at the same
time neglecting all means to save themselves; they left off pumping the
ship, though she was exceeding leaky. This sort of proceeding in time of
extremity is a thing unknown to our English seamen; in those emergencies
all hands are employ'd for the preservation of the ship and people, and if
any of them fall upon their knees, 'tis after the danger is over. The
carpenter and myself could by no means relish this behaviour; we begg'd the
people for God's sake to go to the pumps, telling them we had a chance to
save our lives, while we kept the ship above water, that we ought not to
suffer the ship to sink, while we could keep her free. The captain and
office