in Pennsylvania, but had quitted that province on account of a quarrel with George Keith, the Governor. He could not give me employment himself, having little to do, and already as many perfons as he wanted; but he told me that his fon, printer at Philadelphia, had lately loft his principal workman, Aquila Rofe, who was dead, and that if I would go thither, he believed that he would engage me. Philadelphia was a hun

dred miles farther. I hefitated not to embark in a boat in order to repair, by the shortest cut of the fea, to Amboy, leaving my trunk and effects to come after me by the usual and more tedious conveyance. In croffing the bay we met with a fquall, which fhattered to pieces our rotten fails, prevented us from entering the Kill, and threw us upon Long-Ifland.

During the fquall a drunken Dutchman, who, like myself was a paffenger in the boat, fell into the fea. At the moment that he was finking, I feized him by the fore-top, faved him, and drew him on board. This immerfion fobered him a little, fo that he fell asleep, after having taken from his pocket a volume, which he requested me to dry. This volume I found to be my old favourite work, Bunyan's Voyages, in Dutch, a beautiful impreffion on fine paper, with copperplate engravings; a drefs in which I had never feen it in its original language. I have fince learned that it has been tranflated into almost all the languages of Europe, and next to the Bible, I am perfuaded, it is one of the books which has had the greateft fpread. Honeft John is the first, that I know of, who has mixed narrative and dia

logue together; a mode of writing very engaging to the reader, who in the most interesting paffages, finds himself admitted as it were into the company, and prefent at the converfation. De Foe has imitated it with fuccefs in his Robinson Crufoe, his Moll Flanders, and other works; as also has Richardfon in his Pamela, &c.

In approaching the island we found that we had made a part of the coaft where it was not poffible to land, on account of the strong breakers produced by the rocky fhore. We caft anchor and veered the cable towards the fhore. Some men, who stood upon the brink, hallooed to us, while we did the fame on our part; but the wind was fo high, and the waves fo noisy, that we could neither of us hear each other. There were fome canoes upon the bank, and we called out to them, and made figns to prevail on them to come and take us up; but either they did not understand us, or they deemed our requeft impracticable, and withdrew: Night came on, and nothing remained for us but to wait quietly the fubfiding of the wind; till when we determined, that is, the pilot and I, to fleep if poffible. For that purpose we went below the hatches along with the Dutchman, who was drenched with water. The fea broke over the boat, and reached us in our retreat, so that we were presently as completely drenched as he.

We had very little repofe during the whole night; but the wind abating the next day, we fucceeded in reaching Amboy before it was dark, after having paffed thirty hours without provions, and with no other drink than a bottle of

bad rum, the water upon which we rowed being falt. In the evening I went to bed with a very violent fever. I had fomewhere read that cold water, drank plentifully, was a remedy in fuch cafes. I followed the prefcription, was in a profuse sweat for the greater part of the night, and the fever left me. The next day I croffed the river in a ferry-boat, and continued my journey on foot, I had fifty miles to walk, in order to reach Burlington, where I was told I fhould find paffage-boats that would convey me to Philadelphia. It rained hard the whole day, fo that Į was wet to the skin. Finding myself fatigued about noon, I stopped at a paltry inn, where I paffed the reft of the day and the whole night, beginning to regret that I had quitted my I made befides fo wretched a figure, that I was fufpected to be some runaway fervant. This I discovered by the questions that were asked me; and I felt that I was every moment in danger of being taken up as fuch. The next day, however, I continued my journey, and arrived in the evening at an inn, eight or ten miles from Burlington, that was kept by one Dr. Brown,

home.

This man entered into converfation with me while I took fome refreshment, and perceiving I had read a little, he expreffed towards me a confiderable intereft, and friendfhip, Our acquaintance continued during the remainder of his life. I believe him to have been what is called an itinerant doctor; for there was no town in England, or indeed in Europe, of which he could not give a particular account. He was neither deficient in understanding nor literature, but he

was a fad infidel; and, fome years after, under took to travesty the Bible in burlefque verfe, as Cotton has traveftied Virgil. He exhibited, by this means, many facts in a very ludicrous point of view, which would have given umbrage to weak minds, had his work been published, which it never was.

I spent the night at his house, and reached Burlington the next morning. On my arrival, I had the mortification to learn that the ordinary paffage-boats had failed a little before. This was on a Saturday, and there would be no other boat till the Tuesday following. I returned to the houfe of an old woman in the town who had fold me fome gingerbread to eat on my paffage, and I asked her advice. She invited me to take up my abode with her till an opportunity offered for me to embark. Fatigued with having travel-'. led fo far on foot, I accepted her invitation, When the understood that I was a printer, fhe would have perfuaded me to stay at Burlington, and fet up my trade: but he was little aware of the capital that would be neceffary for firch a purpose! I was treated while at her houfe with true hospitality. She gave me, with the utmost good-will, a dinner of beef-fteaks, and would accept of nothing in return but a pint of ale.

Here I imagined myfelf to be fixed till the Tuesday in the enfuing week, but walking out in the evening by the river: fide, I faw a boat with a number of perfons in it approach. It was going to Philadelphia, and the company took me in. As there was no wind, we could only make way with our cars. About midnight, hot

perceiving the town, fome of the company were of opinion that we must have paffed it, and were unwilling to row any farther; the reft not knowing where we were, it was refolved that we fhould ftop. We drew towards the fhore, entered a creek, and landed near fome old palisades, which ferved us for fire-wood it being a cold night in October. Here we stayed till day, when one of the company found the place in which we were to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia; which in reality we perceived the moment we were out of the creek. We arrived on Sunday about eight or nine o'clock in the morning, and landed on Market-ftreet wharf.

I have entered into the particulars of my voyage, and fhall in like manner defcribe my firft entrance into this city, that you may be able to compare beginnings fo little aufpicious, with the figure I have fince made.

On my arrival at Philadelphia I was in my working dress, my best clothes being to come by fea. I was covered with dirt; my pockets were filled with fhirts and stockings: I was unacquainted with a fingle foul in the place, and knew not where to feck for a lodging. Fatigued with walking, rowing, and having passed the night without fleep, I was extremely hungry, and all my money confifted of a Dutch dollar, and about a failling's worth of coppers which I gave to the boatmen for my paffage. As I had affifted them in rowing, they refused it at first; but I infifted on their taking it. A man is fometimes more generous when he has little, than when he has much money; probably becaufe, in the