TH

HE skill of an author, like that of a merchant, lies chiefly in judging with readiness and certainty, what kind of commodities, and in what quantity, any particular age or place is able and willing to receive. This I have, of late, made very much my ftudy, with regard to our own age and country, and the refult of my inquiry is as follows. There are two forts of fubjects for which there is a general demand in Great Britain at this time, viz. (1.) Biography, if any thing may be fo called that gives an account of the lives of perfons, that never exifled, but in the imagination of the authors. This is indeed, a most fruitful fubject, and under the various titles of Histories, Lives, Adventures, Memoirs, &c. teaches people how to live after any imaginable plan. (2.) The other is the formation of schemes and projects, to be carried on by subscription, for the good of mankind, which VOL. III. Rr

never were so favorably received as at prefent, the abor tion or mismanagement of nine in ten of them not having in the leaf abated the ardor of the public. If any be of opinion, that new difcoveries in the fcience of morals, for the fupport of infidelity, are as favorably received as any of these, such must be told, that they are but superficial obfervers, or under the prejudice of religious enthufiafm. The discoveries here pointed at, have been of late years fo various, fo contradictory and fo fhort-lived, that they really raise very little curiofity. As an instance of this, the reader is defired to recollect if he can, the most extraordinary thing of the kind that ever was attempted. A great living author, David Hume, Efq. not long ago, made health, cleanliness, and broad fhoulders capital virtues, and a running fore an unpardonable crime; yet was it but little taken notice of when firft publifhed, and is now almost wholly forgotten.

Therefore, an author is undoubtedly happy who hath hit upon, or happens to be furnished with a fubject fuited to the taste of the age. This I humbly prefume to be my own cafe. I have had the good fortune, lately, to obtain diftinct information of a molt extraordinary hiftory, which also may perhaps lay a foundation for fome new scheme, or, at leaft, for mending and cobbling those which are now cracked and old. The only misfortune that it labors under is, that it is true; for I remember the lofty and fonorous earl of Shaftsbury, whofe memory I greatly revere, tells us there is much more truth in fiction than in fact. The meaning of this is, that authors of tafte and genius like himself, employing their fancy in delineating feigned characters, give ordinarily a jufler view of nature than tedious relaters of what really happened.

This lofs however, I truft, will be abundantly made up by the extraordinary and wonderful nature of the passages I am to relate, which, it is to be hoped, will have the ef fect of fiction in enlivening the imagination of the writer, and, indeed, very poffibly, may be mistaken for fiction by many readers. The truth is, I hope there is a fingular felicity in my fubject in every respect. If the excellency of hiftory, according to lord Shaftsbury, lies in its being

like fiction, and the excellency of fiction in its being like to real facts, according to all other men, the fubject in hand must needs excel, as it partakes of both thefe characters. It will be like truth, because it is true; and it will be like fiction, becaufe the fame train of events, perhaps, never happened in any other place or nation.

To introduce myself to my fubject, and inform the reader how I came by the knowledge of it, he may be pleased to recollect, That in the year 1741, when commodore (afterwards lord) Anfon made a voyage round the world, one of the fhips of his fquadron, called the Wager, was caft away upon a defert ifland in the South Seas. The greatest part of the crew who were faved lengthened the long-boat, and made a long and dangerous voyage through the ftreights of Magellan, to Brazil. As they were often obliged to fwim afhore for provifions and water, it hap pened that, at one time, there were to the number of four. teen of them afhore upon a part of the coaft very far fouth, near the mouth of the ftreights. Having stayed all night, unfortunately next morning the wind blew fo hard in fhore, that only fix of the fourteen were able to get aboard. and the veffel was obliged to go away and leave the other eight.

It is needlefs here to infift upon the various accidents they met with in this perilous fituation. The difficulty of obtaining food, without which they muft very foon have died: the mean and fcanty provifion with which nature will be fuftained, when there is no more or better to be had the inventive faculty of man for fupplying his wants when reduced to abfolute extremity, and a hundred other things which have been reprefented in all poffible lights by other writers of adventures. Let it fuffice, therefore to fay that, in process of time, four of them were killed by the inhabitants of the country, and the remaining four taken prisoners. After changing their mafters feve ral times, they came at laft into the hands of one who car ried them a great way off to the capital of an empire, and the court of a powerful prince. There they lived many years, learned the language, and had occafion to fee the

manners of the country. Two of them, at laft, acquired fuch a degree of favor, that, in compliance with their earnest request, they were fent to the Portugueze fettlements, and came from thence to Great Britain.

One of these perfons, who was a man of tolerable education, as well as good fenfe and comprehenfion, coming to live in my neighborhood, communicated to me what follows of this hiftory. In general he told me the conduct and characters of men, bating fome little differences of fashion and modes of addrefs, which are ever changing in every country, were much like what they are among ourfelves. Court favor was precarious and changeable. Interest and ambition prevailed more in obtaining places of power and profit, than modest and peaceable merit. Cold and fober men gathered wealth, and crept up, by flow but fure fteps, to ftation and dignity; while the lively fprightly fellows threw away all that they had, and foon became contemptible to others, and ufelefs to themselves. The knowledge of the world was of very little benefit; for though every clafs of men could clearly difcern the errors that adhered to thofe of a different rank, they could fcarcely obferve, and never would imitate their commendable qualities. For example, fays he, a profuse, difeafed, needy lord, would fpeak with infinite contempt of the meannefs of foul, and hardness of heart frequently to be found in traders and men of bufinefs, but never once thought of following their example in fobriety, application, and regularity in the diftribution of their time, to which they manifeftly owed all their fuccefs. So that upon the whole, he concluded that human nature in all ages and in all places was the fame. A fage remark, the reader will fay, but I can easily remember to have heard it before.

There was however one clafs of men in that nation, whofe conftitution as a body, and many of whofe characters and practices were of the most extraordinary kind, viz. the SERVANTS. Their flate and conduct, at the time which fell under his own obfervation, were fo fingular that they excited his curiofity; and induced him to in

quire with great care into their condition, as far back as history could trace them. This is what I am now to communicate to the public, being willing that my book fhould be buried in oblivion, or burned with difgrace, if a ftory can be produced equal, or even fimilar to it, an any other age or country.