was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho' not of
that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull:
He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward
at York, from whence he had married my Mother, Relations were named Robinson, a
very good Family at Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Keutznaer; but
by the usual Corruption of Words in England, we are now called, nay we call our
Selves, and writer Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always call'd me.
I had two elder Brothers, one of which was Lieutenant Collonel 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 Father or Mother did know what was
become of me.
Being the third Son of the Family, and not bred to any Trade, my Head began to
be fill'd very early with rambling Thoughts: My Father, who was very ancient,
had given me competent Share of Learning, as far as House-Education, and a
Country Free-School generally goes, and design'd for the Law; but I would be
satisfied with nothing but go to Sea, and my inclination to this led me so
strongly against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and against all the
Entreaties and Perswasions of my Mother and other Friends, that there seem'd to
be something fatal in Propension of Nature tending directly to the Life of
Misery which was to befal me.
My Father, a wise and grave Man, gave me serious excellent Counsel against what
he foresaw was my Design. He call'd me one Morning into his Chamber, where he
confined by the Gout, and expostulated very warmly me upon this Subject: He
ask'd me what Reasons more a meer wandring inclination I had for leaving my
Father House and my native Country, where I might be well introduced, and had a
Prospect of raising my Fortunes Application and Industry, with a Life of Ease
and Pleasure He told me it was for Men of desperate Fortunes on one Hand, or of
aspiring, Superior Fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon Adventures, to
rise by Enterprize, and make themselves famous in Undertakings of a Nature out
of the common Road; that these things were all either too far above me, or too
far below me; that mine was the middle State, or what might be called the upper
Station of Low Life, which he had found by long Experience was the best State in
the World, the most suited to human Happiness, not exposed to the Miseries and
Hardships, the Labour and Sufferings of the mechanick Part of Mankind, and not
embarass'd with the Pride, Luxury, Ambition and Envy of the upper Part of
Mankind. He told me, I might judge of the Happiness of this State, by this one
thing, viz. That this was the State of Life which all other People envied, that
Kings have frequently lamented the miserable Consequences of being born to great
things, and wish'd they had been placed in the Middle of the two Extremes,
between Mean and the Great; that the wise Man gave his Testimony to this as the
just Standard of true Felicity, when he pray to have neither Poverty or Riches.
He bid me observe it, and I should always find, that the Calamitles of Life were
shared among the upper and lower Part of Mankind; but that the middle Station
had the fewest Disasters, and was not expos'd to so many Vicisitudes as the
higher or lower Part of Mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many
Distempers and Uneasiness either of Body or Mind, as those were who, by vicious
Living, Luxury and Extravagancies on one Hand, or by hard Labour, Want of
Necessaries, and mean or insufficient Diet on the other Hand, bring Distempers
upon themselves by the natural Consequences of their Way of Living; That the
middle Station of Life was calculated for, all kind of Vertues and all kinds of
Enjoyments; that Peace and Plenty were the Hand-maids of a middle Fortune; that
Temperance, Moderation, Quietness, Health, Society, all agreeable Diversions,
and all desirable Pleasures, were the Blessings attending the middle Station of
Life; that this Way Men went silently and smoothly thro' the World, and
comfortably out of it, not embarass'd with the Labours of the Hands or of the
Head, not sold to the Life of Slavery for daily Bread, or harrast with perplex'd
Circumstances, which rob the Soul of Peace, and the Body of Rest; not enrag'd
with the Passion of Envy, or secret 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 press'd me earnestly, and in the most affectionate manner, not to
play the young Man, not to precipitate my self into Miseries which Nature and
the Station of Life I was born in, seem'd to have provided against; that I was
under no Necessity of seeking my Bread; that he would do well for me, and
endeavour 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 meer, Fate or Fault that must hinder it, and that he should have
nothing to answer for, having thus discharg'd 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 much Hand in my Misfortunes, as to give me any Encouragement
to go away: And to close all, he told me I had my elder Brother for an Example,
to whom he had used the same earnest Perswasions to keep him from going into the
Low Country Wars, but could not prevail, his young Desires prompting him to run
into the Army where he was kill'd; and tho' he said he would not cease to pray
for me, yet he would venture to say to me, that if I did take this foolish Step,
God would not bless me, and I would have Leisure hereafter to reflect upon
having neglected his Counsel when there might be none to assist in my Recovery.
I observed in this last Part of his Discourse, which was truly Prophetick, tho'
I suppose my Father did not know it to be so himself; I say, I observed the
Tears run down his Face very plentifully, and especially when he spoke of my
Brother who was kill'd; and that when he spoke of my having Leisure to repent,
and none to assist me, he was so mov'd,0that he broke off the Discourse, and
told me, his Heart was so full he could say no more to me.
I was sincerely affected with this Discourse, as indeed who could be otherwise?
and I resolv'd not to think of going abroad any more, but to settle at home
according to my Father's Desire. But alas! a few Days wore it all off; and in
short, to prevent any of my Father's farther Importunities, in a few Weeks
after, I resolv'd to run quite away from him. However, I did not act so hastily
neither as my first Heat of Resolution prompted, 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
to any thing with Resolution 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 me 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.
was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho' not of
that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull:
He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward
at York, from whence he had married my Mother, Relations were named Robinson, a
very good Family at Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Keutznaer; but
by the usual Corruption of Words in England, we are now called, nay we call our
Selves, and writer Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always call'd me.
I had two elder Brothers, one of which was Lieutenant Collonel 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 Father or Mother did know what was
become of me.
Being the third Son of the Family, and not bred to any Trade, my Head began to
be fill'd very early with rambling Thoughts: My Father, who was very ancient,
had given me competent Share of Learning, as far as House-Education, and a
Country Free-School generally goes, and design'd for the Law; but I would be
satisfied with nothing but go to Sea, and my inclination to this led me so
strongly against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and against all the
Entreaties and Perswasions of my Mother and other Friends, that there seem'd to
be something fatal in Propension of Nature tending directly to the Life of
Misery which was to befal me.
My Father, a wise and grave Man, gave me serious excellent Counsel against what
he foresaw was my Design. He call'd me one Morning into his Chamber, where he
confined by the Gout, and expostulated very warmly me upon this Subject: He
ask'd me what Reasons more a meer wandring inclination I had for leaving my
Father House and my native Country, where I might be well introduced, and had a
Prospect of raising my Fortunes Application and Industry, with a Life of Ease
and Pleasure He told me it was for Men of desperate Fortunes on one Hand, or of
aspiring, Superior Fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon Adventures, to
rise by Enterprize, and make themselves famous in Undertakings of a Nature out
of the common Road; that these things were all either too far above me, or too
far below me; that mine was the middle State, or what might be called the upper
Station of Low Life, which he had found by long Experience was the best State in
the World, the most suited to human Happiness, not exposed to the Miseries and
Hardships, the Labour and Sufferings of the mechanick Part of Mankind, and not
embarass'd with the Pride, Luxury, Ambition and Envy of the upper Part of
Mankind. He told me, I might judge of the Happiness of this State, by this one
thing, viz. That this was the State of Life which all other People envied, that
Kings have frequently lamented the miserable Consequences of being born to great
things, and wish'd they had been placed in the Middle of the two Extremes,
between Mean and the Great; that the wise Man gave his Testimony to this as the
just Standard of true Felicity, when he pray to have neither Poverty or Riches.
He bid me observe it, and I should always find, that the Calamitles of Life were
shared among the upper and lower Part of Mankind; but that the middle Station
had the fewest Disasters, and was not expos'd to so many Vicisitudes as the
higher or lower Part of Mankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many
Distempers and Uneasiness either of Body or Mind, as those were who, by vicious
Living, Luxury and Extravagancies on one Hand, or by hard Labour, Want of
Necessaries, and mean or insufficient Diet on the other Hand, bring Distempers
upon themselves by the natural Consequences of their Way of Living; That the
middle Station of Life was calculated for, all kind of Vertues and all kinds of
Enjoyments; that Peace and Plenty were the Hand-maids of a middle Fortune; that
Temperance, Moderation, Quietness, Health, Society, all agreeable Diversions,
and all desirable Pleasures, were the Blessings attending the middle Station of
Life; that this Way Men went silently and smoothly thro' the World, and
comfortably out of it, not embarass'd with the Labours of the Hands or of the
Head, not sold to the Life of Slavery for daily Bread, or harrast with perplex'd
Circumstances, which rob the Soul of Peace, and the Body of Rest; not enrag'd
with the Passion of Envy, or secret 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 press'd me earnestly, and in the most affectionate manner, not to
play the young Man, not to precipitate my self into Miseries which Nature and
the Station of Life I was born in, seem'd to have provided against; that I was
under no Necessity of seeking my Bread; that he would do well for me, and
endeavour 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 meer, Fate or Fault that must hinder it, and that he should have
nothing to answer for, having thus discharg'd 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 much Hand in my Misfortunes, as to give me any Encouragement
to go away: And to close all, he told me I had my elder Brother for an Example,
to whom he had used the same earnest Perswasions to keep him from going into the
Low Country Wars, but could not prevail, his young Desires prompting him to run
into the Army where he was kill'd; and tho' he said he would not cease to pray
for me, yet he would venture to say to me, that if I did take this foolish Step,
God would not bless me, and I would have Leisure hereafter to reflect upon
having neglected his Counsel when there might be none to assist in my Recovery.
I observed in this last Part of his Discourse, which was truly Prophetick, tho'
I suppose my Father did not know it to be so himself; I say, I observed the
Tears run down his Face very plentifully, and especially when he spoke of my
Brother who was kill'd; and that when he spoke of my having Leisure to repent,
and none to assist me, he was so mov'd,0that he broke off the Discourse, and
told me, his Heart was so full he could say no more to me.
I was sincerely affected with this Discourse, as indeed who could be otherwise?
and I resolv'd not to think of going abroad any more, but to settle at home
according to my Father's Desire. But alas! a few Days wore it all off; and in
short, to prevent any of my Father's farther Importunities, in a few Weeks
after, I resolv'd to run quite away from him. However, I did not act so hastily
neither as my first Heat of Resolution prompted, 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
to any thing with Resolution 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 me 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.
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