It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, though in the mean time I continued obstinately deaf to all propofals of fettling to business, and frequently expoftulating with my father and mother about their being fo pofitively determined against what they knew my inclinations prompted me to. But being one day at Hull, where I went cafually, and without any purpose of making an elopement that time; but I fay, being there, and one of my companions being going by fea to London, in his father's fhip, and prompting me to go with them, with the common allurement of fea-faring men, viz. That it fhould coft me nothing for my paffage, I confulted neither father or mother any more, not fo much as fent them word of it; but leaving them to hear of it as they might, without asking GOD'S bleffing, or my father's, without any confideration of circumstances or confequences, and in an ill hour, GOD knows, on the first of September 1651, I went on board a fhip bound for London; never any young adventurer's misfortunes, I believe, began fooner, or continued longer than mine. The fhip was no fooner gotten out of the Humber, but the wind began to blow, and the waves to rise in a most frightful manner; and as I had never been at sea before, I was moft inexpreffibly fick in body, and terrified in mind: I began now feriously to reflect upon what I had done, and how justly I was overtaken by the judgment of Heaven for my wicked leaving my father's houfe, and abandoning my duty; all the good counfel of my parents, my father's tears and my mother's entreaties came now fresh into my mind, and my confcience, which was not yet come to the pitch

of hardness to which it has been fince, reproached me with the contempt of advice, and the breach of my duty to GoD and my father.

All this while the storm increased, and the sea, which I had never been upon before, went very high, though nothing like what I have feen many times fince; no, nor like what I saw a few days after : but it was enough to affect me then, who was but a young failor, and had never known any thing of the matter. I expected every wave would have fwallowed us up, and that every time the fhip fell down, as I thought, in the trough or hollow of the fea, we fhould never rife more; and in this agony of mind I made many vows and refolutions, that if it would please Gon here to fpare my life this one voyage, if ever I got once my foot upon dry land again I would go directly home to my father, and never fet it into a fhip again while I lived; that I would take his advice, and never run myself into fuch miseries as these any more. Now I faw plainly

about the middle

the goodness of his obfervations ftation of life, how eafy, how comfortably he had lived all his days, and never had been expofed to tempefts at fea, or troubles on fhore; and I refolved that I would, like a true repenting prodigal, go home to my father.

Thefe wife and fober thoughts continued all the while the ftorm continued, and indeed fome time after; but the next day the wind was abated and the fea calmer, and I began to be a little inur'd to it: however I was very grave for all that day, being alfo a little fea-fick ftill; but towards night the weather cleared up, the wind was quite over, and a charm

ing fine evening followed; the fun went down perfectly clear, and rofe fo the next morning; and having little or no wind, and a fmooth fea, the fun fhining upon it, the fight was, as I thought, the most delightful that ever I saw.

I had flept well in the night, and was now no 'more fea-fick, but very chearful, looking with wonder upon the fea that was fo rough and terrible the day before, and could be fo calm and so pleasant in fo little time after. And now, leaft my good refolutions should continue, my companion, who had indeed inticed me away, comes to me, 66 Well, Bob," fays he, (clapping me upon the fhoulder,) how do you do after it? I warrant you were frighted, wa'n't you, last night, when it blew but a cap full of wind? A cap full do you call it? faid I, it was a terrible ftorm: Aftorm, you fool you, replied he, do you call that a storm? why it was nothing at all; give us but a good fhip and fea-room, and we think nothing of fuch a fquall of wind as that; but you're but a fresh-water failor, Bob? come, let us make a bowl of punch and we'll forget all that; you fee what charming weather it is now? To make fhort this fad part of my ftory, we went the old way of all failors; the punch was made, and I was made drunk with it, and in that one nights wickedness I drowned all my repentance, all my reflections upon my paft conduct, and all my resolutions for my future. In a word, as the fea was returned to its fmoothness of surface and settled calmnefs by the abatement of that ftorm, fo the hurry of my thoughts being over, my fears and apprehenfions of being fwallowed up by the fea being forgotten, and the current of my former defires returned, I entirely for

do

got

got the vows and promises that I made in my diftrefs. I found indeed fome intervals of reflection, and the ferious thoughts did, as it were, endeavour to return again fometimes, but I fhook them off, and roufed myself from them as it were from a diftemper, and applying myself to drinking and company, foon mastered the return of those fits, for fo I called them, and I had in five or fix days got as compleat a victory over confcience as any young fellow that refolved not to be troubled with it could defire: But I was to have another trial for it ftill; and Providence, as in fuch cafes generally it does, refolved to leave me entirely without excufe. For if I would not take this for a deliverance, the next was to be fuch a one as the worst and most hardened wretch among us would confefs both the danger and the

mercy.

The fixth day of our being at fea we came into Yarmouth Roads; the wind having been contrary, and the weather calm, we had made but little way fince the ftorm. Here we were obliged to come to anchor, and here we lay, the wind continuing contrary, viz. at fouth-weft, for feven or eight days, during which time a great many fhips from Newcaftle came into the fame roads, as the common hårbour where the fhips might wait for a wind for the river.

We had not however rid here fo long, but should have tided it up the river, but that the wind blew too fresh; and after we had lain four or five days, blew very hard. However the roads being reckoned as good as a harbour, the anchorage good, and our ground-tackle very ftrong, our men were uncon,

cerned,

cerned, and not in the leaft apprehenfive of danger, but spent the time in reft and mirth, after the manner of the fea; but the eighth day in the morning, the wind increased, and we had all hands at work to ftrike our top-mafts, and make every thing fnug and close, that the fhip might ride as eafy as poffible. By noon the fea went very high indeed, and our ship rid forecastle in, fhipp'd feveral feas, and we thought once or twice' our anchor had come home; upon which our mafter ordered out the fheet anchor; fo that we rode with two anchors a-head, and the cables vered out to the better end.

By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed; and now I began to fee terror and amazement in the faces even of the feamen themselves. The mafter, though vigilant in the business of preserving the ship, yet as he went in and out of his cabin by me, I could hear him softly to himself say several times, Lord be merciful to us, we shall be all loft, we shall be all undone; and the like. and the like. During thefe firft hurries, I was stupid, lying still in my cabin, which was in the steerage, and cannot describe my temper: I could ill re-affume the first penitence which I had fo apparently trampled upon, and hardened myself against: I thought the bitterness of death had been past, and that this would be nothing like the firft. But when the mafter himfelf came by me, as I faid juft now, and faid we fhould be all loft, I was dreadfully frighted: I got up out of my cabin, and looked out; but such a dismal fight I never faw: the fea went mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes: when I could look about, I could fee nothing but diftress round us: two fhips that rid

near