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07 - The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe · Classic Adventure Books Collection

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Chapter six, The French Clergyman's Council, Part two, I am persuaded,
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says he had those men lived in the savage country, whence their wives came
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the savage as would have taken more pains to have brought them to be idolatas
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and to waship the Devil, than any of these men, so far as
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I can see, have taken with them to teach the knowledge of the True
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God. Now, sir, said he, though I do not acknowledge your
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religion or you mine, yet we would be glad to see the Devil's servants
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and the subjects of his kingdom taught to no religion, and that they might
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at least hear of God and a Redeemer, and the resurrection, and of
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a future state, things which we all believe, that they might at least
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be so much nearer coming into the bosom of the True Church than they are
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now in the public profession of idolatry and devil worship. I could hold no
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longer. I took him in my arms and embraced him eagerly. How far
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said I to him, have I been from understanding the most essential part of
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a Christian viz. To love the interest of the Christian Church and the good
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of other men's souls. I scarce have known what belongs to the being a
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Christian. Oh, sir, do not say so, replied he. This
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thing is not your fault, No, said I, But why did I
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never lay it to heart as well as you? It is not too late
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yet, said he. Be not too forward to condemn yourself. But what
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can be done now? Said I. You see I am going away.
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Will you give me leave to talk with these poor men about it? Yes,
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with all my heart, said I, and oblige them to give heed
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to what you say too. As to that, said he, we must
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leave them to the mercy of Christ. But it is your business to assist
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them, encourage them, and instruct them. And if you give me leave
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and God his blessing, I do not doubt but the poor ignorant souls shall
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be brought home to the great circle of Christianity, if not into the particular
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faith we all embrace. And that even while you stay here upon this,
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I said, I shall not only give you leave, but give you a
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thousand thanks for it. I now pressed him for the third article in which
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we were to blame. Why, really, says he, it is of
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the same nature it is about your poor savages, who are, as I
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may say, your conquered subjects. It is a maxim, Sir, that
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is or ought to be received among all Christians of what church are pretended churchsoever,
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that the Christian knowledge ought to be propagated by all possible means and on
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all possible occasions. It is on this principle that our Church since missionaries into
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Persia, India and China, and that our clergy, even of the superior
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sort, willingly engage in the most hazardous voyage aes and the most dangerous residents
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amongst murderers and barbarians, to teach them the knowledge of the true God,
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and to bring them over to embrace the Krishan faith. Now, Sir,
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you have such an opportunity here to have seix or seven and thirty poor savage
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as brought over from a state of idolatry to the knowledge of God, their
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Maker and Redeemer, that I wonder how you can pass such an occasion of
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doing good, which is really worth the expense of a man's whole life.
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I was now struck dumb, indeed, and had not one word to say.
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I had here the spirit of true Christian zeal for God and religion before
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me. As for me, I had not so much as entertained a thought
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of this in my heart before, and I believe I should not have thought
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of it, for I looked upon these savages as slaves and people whom,
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had we not had any work for them to do, we would have used
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as such, or would have been glad to have transported them to any part
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of the world, for our business was to get rid of them, and
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we would all have been satisfied if they had been sent to any country,
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so they had never seen their own I was confounded at his discourse and knew
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not what answer to make him. He looked earnestly at me, Seeing my
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confusion, Sir says he, I shall be very sorry if what I have
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said gives you any offense. No, no, said I am offended with
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nobody but myself. But I am perfectly confounded, not only to think that
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I should never take any notice of this before, but with reflecting what notice
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I am able to take of it now? You know, sir, said
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I, what circumstances I am in. I am bound to the East Indies
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in a ship freighted by merchants, and to whom it would be an insufferable
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piece of injustice to detain their ship here. The men lying all this while
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at victuals and wages on the owner's account. It is true, I agreed
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to be allowed twelve days here, and if I stay more, I must
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pay three pounds sterling per diem demurage. Nor can I stay upon demurrige above
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eight days more. And I have been here thirteen already, so that I
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am perfectly unable to engage in this work, unless I would suffer myself to
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be left behind here again, in which case, if this single ship should
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miscarry in any part of her voyage, I should be just in the same
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condition that I was left in here at first, and from which I have
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been so wonderfully delivered. He owned the case was very hard upon me as
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to my voyage, but laid it home upon my conscience whether the blessing of
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saving thirty seven souls was not worth venturing all I had in the world.
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For I was not so sensible of that as he was. I replied to
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him, Thus, why, sir, it is a valuable thing, indeed,
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to be an instrument in God's hand, to convert thirty seven heathens to
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the knowledge of Christ. But as you are an ecclesiastic and are given over
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to the work, so it seems naturally to fall in the way of your
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profession. How is it then, that you do not rather offer yourself to
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undertake it than to press me to do it? Upon this, he faced
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the bout just before me as he walked along, and putting me to a
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full stop, made me a very low bow. I most haughtily thank God,
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and you, sir, said he for giving me so evident a call
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to so blessed a work. And if you think yourself decharged from it and
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desire me to undertake it, I will most readily do it, and think
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it a happy reward. For all the hazards and difficulties of such a broken,
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disappointed voyage as I have met with that, I am dropped at last
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into so glorious i work. I discovered a kind of rapture in his face.
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While he spoke this to me. His eyes sparkled like fire, his
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face glowed, and his color came and went. In a word, he
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was fired with the joy of being embarked in such a work. I paused
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a considerable while before I could tell what to say to him, for I
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was really surprised to find a man of such sincerity and who seemed possessed of
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a zeal beyond the ordinary rate of men. But after I had considered it
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a while, I asked him seriously if he was in earnest and that he
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would venture on the single consideration of an attempt to convert those poor people to
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be locked up in an unplanted island for perhaps his life, and at last
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might not know whether he should be able to do them good or not.
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He turned short upon me and asked me what I called a venture? Pray,
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Sir, said he, what do you think I consented to go in
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your ship to the East Indies? For aye, said I that I know
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not, unless it was to preach to the Indians. Doubless, it was
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said he. And do you think if I can convert these thirty seven men
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to the faith of Jesus Christ, it is not worth my time? Though
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I should never be fetched off the island again. Nay, is it not
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infinitely of more worth to save so many souls than my life is, or
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the life of twenty more of the same profession, Yes, sir, says
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he, I would give God thanks all my days if I could be made
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the happy estramant of saving the souls of these poor men, though I were
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never to get my foot off this island or see my native country any more.
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But since you will honor me with putting me into this work, for
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which I will pray for you all the days of my life, I have
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but one humber petition to you. Besides what is that said I? Why
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says he? It is that you will leave your man Friday with me to
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be my interpreter to them and to assist me, for without some help I
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cannot speak to them or they to me. I was sensibly touched at his
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requesting Friday, because I could not think of parting with him, and that
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for many reasons he had been the companion of my travels. He was not
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only faithful to me, but sincerely affectionate to the last degree, and I
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had resolved to do something considerable for him if he outlived me, as it
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was probable he would. Then I knew that as I had bred Friday up
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to be a Protestant, it would quite confound him to bring him to embrace
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another religion, and he would never while his eyes were open believe that his
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old master was a heretic and would be damned, and this might in the
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end ruin the poor fellow's principles, and so turn him back again to his
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first idolatry. However, a sudden thought relieved me in this strait, and
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it was this I told him. I could not say that I was willing
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to part with Friday on any account whatever, though a work that to him
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was of more value than his life ought to be of much more value than
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the keeping or parting with a servant. On the other hand, I was
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persuaded that Friday would by no means agree to part with me, and I
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could not force him to it without his consent, without manifest injustice. Because
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I had promised I would never send him away, and he had promised and
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engaged that he would never leave me unless I sent him away. He seemed
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very much concerned at it, for he had no rational access to these poor
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people, seeing he did not understand one word of their language, nor they
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one of his. To remove this difficulty, I told him Friday's father had
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learned Spanish, which I found he also understood, and he should serve him
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as an interpreter. So he was much better satisfied, and nothing could persuade
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him, but he would stay and endeavor to convert them. But Providence gave
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another very happy turn to all this. I come back now to the first
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part of his objections. When we came to the Englishmen, I sent for
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them all together, and after some account given them of what I had done
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for them, viz. What necessary things I had provided for them, and
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how they were distributed, which they were very sensible of and very thankful for.
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I began to talk to them of the scandalous life they led, and
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gave them a full account of the notice the clergyman had taken of it,
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and arguing how unchristian and irreligious life it was. I first asked them if
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they were married men or bachelors. They soon explained their condition to me and
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showed that two of them were widowers and the other three were single men or
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bachelors. I asked them with what conscience they could take these women and call
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them their wives, and have so many children by them, and not be
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lawfully married to them. They all gave me the answer I expected, viz.
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That there was nobody to marry them, that they agreed before the governor
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to keep them as their wives, and to maintain them and own them as
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their wives. And they thought, as things stood with them, they were
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as legally married as if they had been married by a parson, and with
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all the formalities in the world. I told them that, no doubt they
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were married in the sight of God, and were bound in conscience to keep
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them as their wives, but that the laws of men being otherwise, they
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might desert the poor women and children hereafter, and that their wives, being
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poor, desolate women, friendless, and moneyless, would have no way to
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help themselves. I therefore told them that unless I was assured of their honest
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intent, I could do nothing for them, but would take care that what
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I did should be for the women and children without them, And that unless
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they would give me some assurances that they would marry the women, I could
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not think it was convenient they should continue together as man and wife, for
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that it was both scandalous to men and offensive to God, who they could
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not think would bless them if they went on. Thus. All this went
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on as I expected, and they told me, especially will Atkins, who
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now seemed to speak for the rest, that they loved their wives as well
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as if they had been born in their own native country, and would not
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leave them on any account whatever. And they did verily believe that their wives
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were as virtuous and as modest, and did to the utmost of their skill
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as much for them and for their children as any woman could possibly do,
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and they would not part with them on any account. Will Atkins, for
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his own particular, added that if any man would take him away and offer
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to carry him home to any England and make him captain of the best man
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of war in the navy, he would not go with him if he might
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not carry his wife and children with him, And if there was a clergyman
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in the ship, he would be married to her now with all his heart.
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This was just as I would have it. The priest was not with
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me at that moment, but he was not far off, so to try
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him further, I told him I had a clergyman with me, and if
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he was sincere, I would have him married next morning, and bade him
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consider of it and talk with the rest. He said, as for himself,
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he need not consider of it at all, for he was very ready
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to do it, and was glad I had a minister with me, and
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he believed they would be all willing also. I then told him that my
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friend the minister was a Frenchman and could not speak English, but I would
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act the clerk between them. He never so much as asked me whether he
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was a Papist or Protestant, which was indeed what I was afraid of.
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We then parted, and I went back to my clergymen, and will Atkins
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went in to talk with his companions. I desired the French gentleman not to
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say anything to them till the business was thoroughly ripe, and I told him
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what answer the men had given me before I went from their quarter. They
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all came to me and told me they had been considering what I had said,
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that they were glad to hear I had a clergyman in my company,
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and they were very willing to give me the satisfaction I desired, and to
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be formally married as soon as I pleased, For they were far from desiring
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to part with their wives, and that they meant nothing but what was very
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honest when they chose them. So I appointed them to meet me the next
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morning, and in the meantime they should let their wives know the meaning of
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the marriage law, and that it was not only to prevent any scandal,
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but also to oblige them that they should not forsake them whatever might happen.
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The women were easily made sensible of the meaning of the thing, and were
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very well satisfied with it, as indeed they had reason to be. So
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they failed not to attend altogether at my apartment next morning, where I brought
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out my clergyman. And though he had not on a minister's gown after the
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manner of England, or the habit of a priest after the manner of France,
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yet having a black vest something like a cassock with a sash round it,
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he did not look very unlike a minister. And as for his language,
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I was his interpreter. But the seriousness of his behavior to them,
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and the scruples he made of marrying the women because they were not baptized and
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professed Christians, gave them an exceeding reverence for his person, and there was
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no need after that to inquire whether he was a clergyman or not. Indeed,
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I was afraid his scruples would have been carried so far as that he
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would not have married them at all. Nay, Notwithstanding all I was able
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to say to him, he resisted me, though modestly, yet very steadily,
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and at last refused absolutely to marry them unless he had first talked with
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the men, and the women too, And though at first I was a
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little backward to it, yet at last I agreed to it with a good
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will, perceiving the sincerity of his design. When he came to them,
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he let them know that I had acquainted him with their circumstances and with the
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present design, that he was very willing to perform that part of his function
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and marry them as I had desired, but that before he could do it,
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he must take the liberty to talk with them. He told them that
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in the sight of all indifferent men, and in the sense of the laws
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of society, they had lived all this while in a state of sin,
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and it was true that nothing but the consenting to marry or effectually separating them
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from one another, could now put an end to it. But there was
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a difficulty in it too, with respect to the laws of Christian matrimony,
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which he was not fully satisfied about, that of marrying one, that is,
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a professed Christian to a savage an idolater and a heathen one that is
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not baptized. And yet he did not see that there was time left to
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endeavor to persuade the women to be baptized, or to profess the name of
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Christ, whom they had he doubted heard nothing of, and without which they
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could not be baptized. He told them he doubted they were but indifferent Christians
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themselves, that they had but little knowledge of God or of His ways,
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And therefore he could not expect that they had said much to their wives on
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that head yet, but that unless they would promise him to use their endeavors
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with their wives to persuade them to become Christians, and would as well as
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they could, instruct them in the knowledge and belief of God that made them,
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and to worship Jesus Christ that redeemed them, he could not marry them,
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for he would have no hand in joining Christians with savages, nor was
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it consistent with the principles of the Christian religion, and was indeed expressly forbidden
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in God's law. They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it
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very faithfully to them from his mouth, as near his own words as I
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could, only sometimes adding something of my own to convince them how just it
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was, and that I was of his mind. And I always very carefully
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distinguished between what I said from myself and what were the clergyman's words. They
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told me it was very true what the gentleman said, that they were very
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indifferent Christians themselves, and that they had never talked to their wives about religion.
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Lord, Sir, says will Atkins, how should we teach them religion?
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Why we know nothing ourselves? And besides, Sir said he, should
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we talk to them of God and Jesus Christ and Heaven in hell, it
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would make them laugh at us and ask us what we believe ourselves. And
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if we should tell them that we believe all the things we speak of to
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them, such as of good people going to heaven and wicked people to the
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devil, they would ask us where we intend to go ourselves that believe all
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this, and our so much wicked fellows as we indeed are. Why Sir,
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tis enough to give them a surfeit of religion at first? Earring folks
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must have some religion themselves before they begin to teach other people. Will Atkins
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said I to him, though I am afraid that what you say has too
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much truth in it. Yet can you not tell your wife she is in
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the wrong, That there is a God and a religion better than her own,
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that her gods are idols, that they can neither hear nor speak,
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That there is a great being that made all things, and that can destroy
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all that he has made, That he rewards the good and punishes the bad,
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and that we are to be judged by Him at last for all we
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do here. You are not so ignorant, But even nature itself will teach
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you that all this is true. And I am satisfied you know it all
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to be true, and believe it yourself. That is true, sir,
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said Atkins. But with what face can I say anything to my wife of
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all this? When she will tell me immediately it cannot be true, not
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true? Said I. What you mean by that? Why, sir?
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Said he? She will tell me it cannot be true that this God I
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shall tell her of can be just, or can punish or reward, since
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I am not punished and sent to the devil, that have been such a
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wicked creature, as she knows I have been, even to her and to
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everybody else, and that I should be suffered to live, that have been
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always acting so contrary to what I must tell her is good and to what
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I ought to have done. Why truly, Atkins said, I I am
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afraid thou speakest too much truth. And with that I informed the clergyman of
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what Atkins had said, for he was impatient to know. Oh, said
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the priest. Tell him, there is one thing that will make him the
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best minister in the world to his wife, and that is repentance. For
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none teach repentance like true penitence. He wants nothing but to repent, and
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then he will be so much the better qualified to instruct his wife. He
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will then be able to tell her that there is not only a God and
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that he is the just rewarder of good and evil, but that He is
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a merciful being and with infinite goodness and long suffering for bears to punish those
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that offend, waiting to be gracious and willing not the death of a sinner,
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but rather that he should return and live, and even reserves damnation to
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the general day of retribution. That it is a clear evidence of God and
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of a future state, that righteous men receive not their reward or wicked men
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their punishment till they come into another world. And this will lead him to
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teach his wife the doctrine of the resurrection and of the last judgment. Let
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him but repent himself, he will be an excellent preacher of repentance to his
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wife. I repeated all this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the
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while, and, as we could easily perceive, was more than ordinarily affected
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with it, when being eager and hardly suffering me to make an end.
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I know all this, master, says he, and a great deal more.
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But I have not the impudence to talk thus to my wife, when
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God and my conscience know, and my wife will be an undeniable evidence against
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me that I have lived as if I had never heard of a God,
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or future state or anything about it. And a talk of my repenting alas,
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and with that he fetched a deep sigh, and I could see that
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the tears stood in his eyes. Tis past, or that with me past
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it? Atkins said, I what dost thou mean by that? I know
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well enough what I mean, says he. I mean tis too late,
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and that is too true. I told the clergyman word for word what he
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said, and this affectionate man could not refrain from tears, but, recovering
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himself, said to me, ask him, but one question. Is he
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easy that it is too late? Or is he troubled and wishes it were
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not? So? I put the question fairly to Atkins, and he answered,
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with a great deal of passion, how could any man be easy in
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a condition that must certainly end in eternal destruction? That he was far from
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being easy, but that, on the contrary, he believed it would one
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time or other ruin him. What do you mean by that? Said I?
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Why he said he believed he should one time or other God his throat
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to put an end to the terror of it. The clergyman shook his head
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with great concern in his face when I told him all this, but turning
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quick to me upon it, says, if that be his case, we
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may assure him it is not too late. Christ will give him repentance.
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But pray, says he explain this to him, that, as no man
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is saved but by Christ and the merit of his passion procuring divine mercy for
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him, how can it be too late for any man to receive mercy?
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Does he think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine
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mercy. Pray tell him there may be a time when provoked mercy will no
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longer strive, and when God may refuse to hear, But that it is
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never too late for men to ask mercy. And we that are Christ's servants
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are commanded to preach mercy at all times in the name of Jesus Christ too
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old that sincerely repent, so that it is never too late to repent.
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I told at Gons all this, and he heard me with great earnestness.
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But it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest, for
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he said to me he would go and have some talk with his wife.
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So he went out awhile, and we talked to the rest. I perceived
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they were all stupidly ignorant as to matters of religion, as much as I
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was when I went rambling away from my father. Yet there were none of
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them backward to hear what had been said, and all of them seriously promised
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that they would talk with their wives about it and do their endeavors to persuade
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them to turn Christians. The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer
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they gave, but said nothing a good while, but at last, shaking
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his head, we that are Christ, so lads said. He can go
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no further than to exhort and instruct. And when men comply submit to the
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reproof and promise what we ask, tis all we can do. We are
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bound to accept their good words. But believe me, sir, said he,
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whatever you may have known of the life of that man you call will
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that Gins, I believe he is the only sincere convert among them. I
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will not despair of the rest. But that man is apparently struck with the
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sense of his past life, and I doubt not when he comes to talk
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of religion to his wife he will talk himself effectually into it, For attempting
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to teach others is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves. If that poor
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Atkins begins but once to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, he
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will assuredly talk himself into a thorough convert, make himself a penn at hand.
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And who knows what may follow upon this discourse, however, and their
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promising as above, to endeavor to persuade their wives to embrace Christianity. He
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married the other two couples, but will Atkins and his wife were not yet
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come in. After this, my clergyman, waiting awhile, was curious to
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know where Atkins was gone, and turning to me, said I entreat you,
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sir, let us walk out of your labyrinthier and look. I dare
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say, we shall find this poor man somewhere or other, talking seriously to
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his wife and teaching her already something of religion. I began to be of
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the same mind. So we went out together, and I carried him away,
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which none knew but myself, and where the trees were so very thick
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that it was not easy to see through the thicket of leaves, and far
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harder to see in than to see out. When coming to the edge of
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the wood, I saw Atkins and his tawny wife sitting under the shade of
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a bush. Very eager in discourse, I stopped short till my clergyman came
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up to me, And then, having showed him where they were, he
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stood and looked very steadily at them. A good while. We observed him
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very earnest, with her pointing up to the sun and to every quarter of
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the heavens, and then down to the earth, then out to the sea,
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then to himself, then to her, to the woods, to the
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trees. Now says the clergyman. You see my words are made good.
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The man preaches to her. Mark him. Now he is telling her that
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our God has made him ah and the heavens, the earth, the sea,
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the woods, the trees, et cetera. I believe he is said
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I. Immediately we perceived will Atkins start upon his feet, fall down on
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his knees, and lift up both his hands. We supposed he said something,
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but we could not hear him. It was too far for that.
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He did not continue kneeling half a minute, but comes and sits down again
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by his wife and talks to her again. We perceived then the woman very
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attentive, but whether she said anything to him, we could not tell.
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While the poor fellow was upon his knees, I could see the tears run
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plentifully down my clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear myself. But it
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was a great affliction to us both that we were not near enough to hear
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anything that passed between them. Well, however, we could come no nearer
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for fear of disturbing them. So we resolved to see an end of this
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piece of still conversation, and it spoke loud enough to us without the help
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of voice. He sat down, again, as I have said, close
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by her, and talked again earnestly to her, And two or three times
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we could see him embrace her most passionately. Another time we saw him take
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out his handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again, with
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a kind of transport very unusual. And after several of these things we saw
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him on a sudden jump up again and lend her his hand to help her
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up. When immediately leading her by the hand a step or two, they
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both kneeled down together and continued so about two minutes. My friend could bear
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it no longer, but cries out, Alt, Saint, Poor, Saint,
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poor, behold, he prayeth. I was afraid Atkins would hear him.
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Therefore I entreated him to withhold himself awhile that we might see an end
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of the scene, which to me, I must confess, was the most
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affecting that ever I saw in my life. Well, he strove with himself
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for a while, but was in such raptures to think that the poor heathen
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woman was become a Christian that he was not able to contain himself. He
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wept several times, then, throwing up his hands and crossing his breast,
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said over several things ejaculatory and by the way of giving God thanks for so
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miraculous a testimony of the success of our endeavors. Some he spoke softly,
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and I could not well hear others, Some things he said in Latin,
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some in French. Then two or three times the tears would interrupt him,
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that he could not speak at all. But I begged that he would contain
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himself and let us more narrowly and fully observe what was before us, which
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he did for a time, the scene not being near ended yet, for
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after the poor man and his wife were risen again from their knees, we
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observed he stood, talking still eagerly to her, and we observed her motion
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that she was greatly affected with what he said, by her frequently lifting up
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her hands, laying her hand to her breast, and such other postures as
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expressed the greatest seriousness and attention. This continued about half a quarter of an
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hour, and then they walked away, so we could see no more of
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them. In that situation, I took this interval to say to the clergyman
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first, that I was glad to see the particulars we had both been witnesses
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to that though I was hard enough of belief in such cases, yet that
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I began to think it was all very sincere here, both in the man
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and his wife, however ignorant they might both be, And I hoped such
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a beginning would yet have a more happy end. But my friend added,
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I will you give me leave to start. One difficulty here I cannot tell
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how to object the least thing against that affectionate concern which you show for the
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turning of the poor people from their paganism to the Christian religion. But how
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does this comfort you? While these people are, in your account, out
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of the pale of the Catholic Church, without which you believe there is no
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salvation, So that you esteem these but heretics as effectually lost as the pagans
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themselves. To this, he answered with abundance of candor. Thus, Sir,
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I am a Catholic of the Roman Church, and a priest of the
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Order of Saint Benedict, and I embrace all the principles of the Roman faith.
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But yet, if you will believe me and that I do not speak
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in compliment to you, or in respect to my circumstances and your civilities.
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I say, nevertheless, I do not look upon you who call yourselves reformed
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without some charity. I dare not say, though I know it is our
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opinion in general that you cannot be saved, I will by no means limit
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the mercy of Christ so far as you think that He cannot receive you into
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the bosom of His Church in a manner to us unperceivable. And I hope
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you have the same charity for us. I prayed daily for you being all
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restored to Christ's Church, by whatsoever method he who is all wise is pleased
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to direct. In the mean time, surely you will allow it consist with
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me, as a Roman, to distinguish far between a Protestant and a pagan,
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between one that calls on Jesus Christ, though in a way which I
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do not think is according to the true faith, and a savage or a
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Barbarian that knows no God, no Christ, no redeemer. And if you
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are not within the pale of the Catholic Church, we hope you are nearer
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being restored to it than those who know nothing of God or of His Church.
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And I rejoice therefore when I see this poor man, who you say
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has been a profligate and almost a murderer, kneel down and pray to Jesus
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Christ, as we suppose he did, though not fully in life, believing
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that God from whom every sash work proceeds, will sensibly toush his heart and
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bring him to the further knowledge of that truth in his own time. And
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if God shall influence this poor man to convert and instruct the ignorant savage his
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wife, I can never believe that he shall be cast away himself. And
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have I not reason then to rejoice the nearer any are brought to the knowledge
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of Christ, though they may not be brought quite home into the bosom of
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the Catholic Church, just at the time when I desire it, leaving it
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to the goodness of Christ to perfect his work in his own time and in
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his own way. Certainly I would rejoice if all the savages in America were
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brought like this poor woman to pray to God, though they were all to
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be Protestants at first, rather than that they should continue pagans or heathens,
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firmly believing that He that had bestowed the first light on them, would Father
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illuminate them with a beam of his heavenly grace, and bring them into the
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pale of his church when he should see good. End of Chapter six.