The Life & Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe part - 1

 

The Life & Adventures Of  Robinson Crusoe part - 1

I Was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull: He got a good Estate by Merchandise, leaving off his Trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my Mother, whose Relations were named Robinson, a very good Family in that Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutzer; but by the usual Corruption of Words in

England, we are now called, nay we call ourselves, and write our Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always called me.

I had two elder Brothers, one of which was Lieutenant Colonel to an English Regiment of Foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by the famous Coll. Lockhart, and was killed at the Battle near Dunkirk against the Spaniards: What became of my second Brother I never knew any more than my Father or Mother did know what was become of me.

Being the third Son of the Family, and not bred into any Trade, my Head began to be filled very early with rambling Thoughts: My Father, who was very ancient had given me a competent Share of Learning, as far as House-Education, and a Country Free-School generally goes, and designate me for the Law; but I would be satisfied with nothing but of going to Sea, and my Inclination to this led me to strongly ancient against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and on old

against all the Entreaties and Persuasions of my Mother and Value other Friends, that there seemed to be something fatal in that Propension of Nature tending directly to the Life of The misery which was to befall me.

make themselves famous in Undertakings of a Nature of the common Road; that these things were all either far above me, or too far below me; that mine was the mind State, or what might be called the upper Station of Low I which he had found by long Experience was the best State in the World, the most suited to human Happiness, exposed to Miseries and Hardships, Labour and Sufferings of the mechanic Part of Mankind, and embarrassed with Pride, Luxury, Ambition, and Envy the upper Part of Mankind. 

He told me, I might judge of the Happiness of this State, by this one thing, viz. That was the State of Life that all other People envied, that

Kings have frequently lamented the miserable Consequences of being born to great things and wished they had been placed in the Middle of the two Extremes, between the Mean and the Great; that the wise Man gave his Testimony to this as the just Standard of true Felicity, when he prayed to have neither Poverty nor Riches.

He bid me observe it, and I should always find, that the Calamities of Life were shared among the upper and lower part of Mankind; but the middle Station had the fewest Disasters, and was not exposed to so many Vicissitudes as the higher or lower Part of Mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many Distempers and Uneasinesses either of Body or Mind, as those who, by vicious Living, 

Luxury and Extravagancy on one hand, or hard, on the other hand, bring Distempers upon themselves by middle Station of Life was calculated for all kinds of Vertues the natural Consequences of their Way of Living; That the and all kinds of Enjoyments; that Peace and Plenty were the Hand-maids of a middle Fortune; that Temperance, Moder- action, Quietness, Health, Society, all agreeable Diversions,

middle Station of Life; that this Way Men went silently and all desirable Pleasures were the Blessings attending the smoothly thro' the World, and comfortably out of it, not embarrassed with the Labours of the Hands or of the Head, with  Circumstances, which rob the Soul of Peace, not sold to the Life of Slavery for daily Bread, or harass and the Body of Rest; not engaged with the Passion of Envy,

burning Lust of Ambition for great things; but in easy Circumstances sliding gently thro' the World, and sensibly tasting the Sweets of living, without the bitter, feeling that they are happy, and learning by every Day's Experience to know it more sensibly.

After this, he pressed me earnestly, and in the most affectionate manner, not to play the young Man, not to precipitate myself into Miseries which Nature and The station of Life I was born in, seemed to have provided against; that I was under no Necessity of seeking my Bread; that he would do well for me, and endeavor to enter me fairly into the Station of Life which he had been just recommending to me; and that if I was not very easy and happy in the World, it must be my meer¹ Fate or Fault that must hinder it, and that he should have nothing to answer for, having thus discharged his Duty in warning me against Measures which he knew would be to my Hurt: In a word,

that as he would do very kind things for me if I would stay and settle at Home as he directed, so he would not have so many hands in my Misfortunes, as to give me any Encourage-to go away: And to close all, he told me I had my elder Brother for Example, to whom he had used the same earnest persuasion to keep him from going into a low country war But could not prevail, his Desires prompted him to run into the Army where he was foolish Step, God would not bless me, and I would have

yet he would venture to say to me, that if I did take this and tho' he said he would not cease to pray for me, Counsel when there might be none to assist in my Recovery.

Leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected truly Prophetick, tho' I suppose my Father did not know observed in this last Part of his Discourse, which was Face very plentifully, and especially when he spoke of to be so himself; I say, I observed the Tears run down his

The Brother who was killed; and that when he spoke of my having

Leisure to repent, and none to assist me, he was so mov'd, the hat he broke off the Discourse and told me, his Heart was my so full he could say no more to me to my I was sincerely affected by this Discourse, as indeed who could be otherwise? and I resolv'd not to think of going

abroad anymore, but to settle at home according to Father's Desire. 

But alas! a few days wore it all off; and in short, to prevent any of my Father's further Importunities, a few weeks after, I resolv'd to run quite away from him. However, I did not act so hastily either as my first Heat of The resolution prompted me, but I took my Mother, at a time when I thought her a little pleasanter than ordinary, and told her,

that my Thoughts were so entirely bent upon seeing the

World, that I should never settle anything with Resolu-on enough to go through with it, and my Father had better give me his Consent than force me to go without it; that I was now Eighteen Years old, which was too late to go Apprentice to a Trade, or Clerk to an Attorney; that 

I was sure if I did, I should never serve out my time, and I should certainly, run away from my Master before my Time was out, and go to Sea, and if she would speak to my Father to let I go but one Voyage abroad, if I came home again and did not like it, I would go no more, and I would promise by a double Diligence to recover that time I had lost.

This put my Mother into a great Passion: She told me, she knew it would be to no Purpose to speak to my Father upon any such Subject; that he knew too well what was my Interest in giving his Consent to anything so much for my Hurt, and that she wondered how I could think of any such thing after such a Discourse as I had had with my Father, and such kind and tender Expressions as she knew my

Father had used to me; and that in short, if I would ruin self there was no help for me, but I might depend on I should never have their Consent to it: That for her Part she would not have so much Hand in my Destruction, and I should never have it to say, that my Mother was willing when my Father was not. my Tho' my Mother refused to move it to my Father, yet as I heard afterward, she reported all the Discourse to him, and that my Father, after showing a great Concern at it,

said to her with a Sigh, That Boy might be happy if he would stay at home, but if he goes abroad he will be the most miserable Wretch that was ever born: I can give no Consent to its options It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, tho' in the meantime, 

I continued obstinately deaf to all Proposals of settling to Business, and frequently exposed-lasting with my Father and Mother, about their being so positively determined against what they knew my Incline-prompted me to. But being one Day in Hull, where I went casually, and without any purpose of making an Elopement that time; but I say, being there, and one of my Companions being going by Sea to London, in his Father's The ship, and prompting me to go with them, with the common The allurement of Seafaring Men, viz That it should cost me nothing for my Passage, I consulted neither Father nor

Mother anymore, nor so much as sent them Word of it; but leaving them to hear of it as they might, without asking God's Blessing, of Circumstances or my Father's, without any Consideration or Consequences, and in an ill Hour, God knows. On the first of September 1651, I went on Board.