38 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

 

I was sincerely afflicted with this discourse, as indeed who could be
otherwise? and I resolved 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 far-
ther importunities, in a few weeks after, I resolved to run quite away
from him. However, I did not act so hastily neither, as the first heat
of my 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, but 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 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 the time I had lost.

This put my mother into a great passion: she told me, she knew it
would be to no purpose to speak to my father upon any such subject;
that he knew too well what was my interest, to give his consent to any
such thing so much for my hurt; and that she wondered how I could
think of any such thing, after the discourse I had had with my father,
and such kind and tender expressions, as she knew my father had used
to me; and that, in short, if I would ruin myself, there was no hel
for me; but'I might depend I should never have their consent to it
that, for her part, she would not have so much hand in my destruction;
and I should never have it to say, that my mother was willing when
my father was not.

Though my mother refused to move it to my father, yet I heard
afterwards, that she reported all the discourse to him; and that my
father, after showing a great concern at it, said to her, with a sigh,
“That boy might be happy, if he would stay at home; but if he goes
abroad, he will be the most miserable wretch that ever was born: I
can give no consent to it.”

It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, though in
the mean time I continued obstinately deaf to all proposals of settling
to business, and frequently expostulating with my father and mother
about their being so positively determined against what they knew my
inclinations prompted me to. But being one day at Hull, whither
I went casually, and without any purpose of making an elopement that
time; but, I say, being there, and one of my companions being’ going