Master’s Cabin, reflected on her own Fate, having herself been married to a most faithless Man, who had left her in the utmost Distress, at a Time she was not able to help herself, and that without any Reason, but what was occasioned by his own Extravagances. But here she found the Difference in that Sex, and that greater then she ever conceived before: Here she saw Men in the greatest Affliction, for being forced from them they loved; offering there all for Liberty to return to their native Land and Families, whilst her perfideous Husband’s chief Care was to avoid her. However, it was some Consolation to her, in these her distressed Circumstances, to find some on board, and who she concluded must be her Companions as Shipmates, inspired with Sentiments of Honour and Virtue; she also reflected on the unhappy Circumstances of those poor Women and Children these Men had left behind, and often wished she could have an Opportunity of relating to them what she now saw; imagining from her own Case, that it would be some Consolation to them to hear so great Proof of their Affections. She at first blamed them for going to Sea on board the Privateer, but when she was informed that it was only for a little Time, and they not bound to serve longer, than a certain Time specified in their Articles, and that their chief Motives was to serve their Families; in so doing she looked on them as real Objects of Compassion, which occasioned her to sympathize with them; and though Fortune had been so unkind to herself, she could not refrain thinking of theirs, and often endeavoured to asswage their Sorrows, by recommending to them Hopes of a happy Return to England; and also procured every Thing which she thought necessary for them on board, which was somewhat in her Power, having Recourse to all her Master’s Stores, especially his Liquors, which was pretty plentiful at that Time.

I shall depart a little from the Subject, and give the Reader an Account of that basest of Men, our Heroine’s Husband, who upon deserting his lawful Wife, entered himself as a Foremast Man on board one of his Countrymen, then lying in the River Thames. But where can the guilty Criminal fly for Sanctuary? His own Conscience must prove his Executioner, and a thousand Monitors within, who Vulture like, always gnaw the Liver, not suffering the Mind to enjoy the shortest Interval of Quiet; this admirable Truth has been fully verified in him, according to the most substantial Circumstances, as shall hereafter be made appear.

One Day at Lisbon, on her Return to England, falling in Company with many of her Ship-mates, they all went into an Irish House, by the Romanado’s, to drink some Wine, where was sitting at the same Time an Englishman, a Sailor, who had lately come from Genoa on board a Dutch Vessel; there were some of his Brother Tars in Company who knew him; upon which they became very merry, and began, over their Glass and their Pipe, to talk over some of their Adventures, and what they met with in their Travels worthy taking Notice of; and she, acoording to her constant Practice, was enquiring amongst the Mariners if any of them knew one James Summs, who, she said, had formerly been an intimate Acquaintance of her’s; upon which this Stranger broke Speech, and told ’em of an Affair that happened at Genoa while he was there. There was, says he, a Dutchman of that Name, a Sailor, imprisoned there, for stabbing a Native of the Place, a Person of some Distinction, with a Knife, of which Wound he soon expired; I, with two or three more of our Countrymen appointed to go and visit him under this his Misfortune, which we accordingly did: When we came to the Place, we were introduced by a Kind of Officer, where he lay in a melancholy Situation; but upon our entering the Room, he raised himself up from the Place where he had reclined his Head, and saluted us in English; then we began to condole his Misfortune: Upon which, finding us affected with his melancholy Situation, and the cruel Punishment he was about to suffer, he spoke to us in the following Manner. Gentlemen, The Crime I am to die for I committed, therefore my Punishment will be just whenever it falls: But this is not the only Crime I stand indicted for at the Bar of that All-seeing Judge, who searches into the innermost Recesses of our most concealed Actions, and who pursues the Guilty where-ever they go; I, who am here condemned for Murder, a few Years ago lived in Wapping, London, my Name is James Summs, a Dutchman by Birth; I married a young Woman there, named Hannah Snell, born in Worcester, but who then lodged with a Brother-in-Law, a Carpenter in Ship-street: We had not been long joined in Matrimony before she proved with Child; and I, forgetting my Duty as a Husband, and an approaching Father, gave a loose to my vicious Inclinations, eloped from the Partner of my Bed, and the one half of myself, went and took up my Residence amongst a Parcel of lewd, base Women, who withdrew my Affections entirely from her, who had the only just Title to it; and to satisfy their insatiable and extravagant Demands, I drained her of her all. This proved only the Downfall to my future Calamities; for my Substance being now exhausted, thrust out of Doors by these Ladies of Pleasure, who proved to me Ladies of Pain, and being ashamed to look my much injured Wife in the Face any more, whom I had so basely betrayed, my Mind was rack’d with exquisite Torture, so that I would willingly have fled from myself if it had been possible. A thousand Inventions came into my Head how I should dispose of myself at this critical Juncture. I employed all the Skill I was master of to be assisting in extricating me out of this Dilemma; at last I resolved to go on board one Ship or other, in order to make a Voyage.

The first Ship I boarded was a Rotterdam Trader, who accepted me in the Capacity of a Sailor, having but few Hands, the Steersman agreed to give me 40 Guilders per Month. A few Days afterwards we made down with the Tide, and sailed over to Rotterdam, where we unloaded: We had not been many Days here, before an unforeseen Accident happened, which was like to have produced fatal Consequences: One of the Boys going one Day into the Steerage with a lighted Candle, where was some Powder loose; a Spark from the Candle dropt into the Powder, which in an Instant blew up, and did great Damage to the Vessel. This Accident was charged upon me by two of the Men who bore me a Grudge; upon which I was Keel-haul’d, and received many Lashes besides. This ill Usage provoked me much, so that I determined to quit my Master’s Service, and let him know that I intended to leave him; upon which he paid me my Wages, and we parted. I then entered myself on board an Irish Merchant, bound to Lisbon, which Voyage I performed, and returned to Cork, the Place where the Cargo was to be disposed of.

Here, after I had received my Wages, I was discharged, and falling into bad Company, my Wages was soon spent, and being without Money, Cloaths or Friends, in a strange Country, made my Case very deplorable, which brought into my Mind, my wicked Proceedings to my dear Wife, and I lookt upon those Afflictions I underwent, as a just Punishment from Heaven, for my wicked Actions; however, these Reflections soon gave Way to Self-preservation; I was in great Distress, and how to work my Deliverance, was the main Subject of my Thoughts; at the very same Time, there was a Portuguese Vessel lying in the Harbour,