OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. 405

those things, but that he was himself so wicked a creature, and his own
vonscience so reproached him with his horrid, ungodly life, that he
trembled at the apprehensions, that her knowledge of him should lesson
the attention she should give to those things, and make her rather con-
temn religion than receive it: but he was assured, he said, that her
mind was so disposed to receive due impressions of all those things,
that, if I would but discourse with her, she would make it appear to my
satisfaction, that my labour would not be lost upon her.

Accordingly I called her in, and placing myself as interpreter be-
tween my religious priest and the woman, I entreated him to begin with
her. But sure such a sermon was never preached by a popish priest in
these latter ages of the world; and, as I told him, I thought he had
all the zeal, all the knowledge, all the sincerity of a Christian, without
the errors of a Roman Catholic; and that I took him to be such a
clergyman as the Roman bishops were, before the church of Rome
assuincd spiritual sovereignty over the consciences of men.

Tn a word, he brought the poor woman to embrace the knowledge
of Christ, and of redemption by him, not with wonder and astonish-
ment only, as she did the first notions of a God, but with joy, and
faith, and with an affection and a surprising degree of understanding
scarce to be imagined, much less to be expressed: and at her own
request she was baptized.

When he was preparing to baptize her, I entreated him, that he
would perform that office with some caution, that the man might not
perceive he was of the Roman church, if possible; because of other
il consequences which might attend a difference among us in that very
religion which we were instructing the other in. Ile told me, that as
he had no consecrated chapel, nor proper things for the office, I should
see he would do it in a manner that I should not know by it that he
was a Roman Catholic himself, if Iliad not known it before, and so
he did; for saying only some words over to himself in Latin, which I
could not understand, he poured a whole dishful of water upon the
woman’s head, pronouncing in French very loud, “ Mary,” (which was
the name her husband desired me to give her, for I was her godfather),
“T haptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost ;” so that none could know any thing by it what religion
he was of: he gave the benediction afterwards in Latin; but either
Will Atkins did not know but it was in French, or else he did not take
notice of it at that time.

As soon as this was over, he married them: and after. the marriage
was over, he turned himself to Will Atkins, and in a very affectionate
manner exhorted him not only to persevere in that good disposition