ROBINSON CRUSOE’S DREAM. 865

saw my old Spaniard, Friday’s father, and the reprobate sailors I
left upon the island; nay, I fancied I talked with them, and looked
at them so steadily, though I was broad awake, as at persons just
before me; and this I did till I often frighted myself with the
images my fancy represented to me. One time in my sleep I had
the villany of the three pirate sailors so lively related to me by
the first Spaniard and Friday’s father, that it was surprising. They
told me how they barbarously attempted to murder all the
Spaniards, and that they set fire to the provisions they had laid
up, on purpose to distress and starve them; things that I had
never heard of, and that indeed were never all of them true in
fact. But it was so warm in my imagination, and so realized to
me, that to the hour I saw them I could not be persuaded but
that it was or would be true; also how I resented it, when the
Spaniard complained to me, and how I brought them to justice,
tried them before me, and ordered them all three to be hanged.
What there was really in this shall be seen in its place; for how-
ever I came to form such things in my dream, and what secret
converse of spirits injected it, yet there was very much of it true.
I say, I own that this dream had nothing in it literally and speci-
fically true; but the general part was so true, the base, villanous
behaviour of these three hardened rogues was such, and had been
so much worse than all I can describe, that the dream had too
much similitude of the fact; and as I would afterwards have
punished them severely, so if I had hanged them all I had been
much in the right, and should have been justifiable both by the
laws of God and man.

But to return to my story. In this kind of temper I had lived
some years; I had no enjoyment of my life, no pleasant hours, no
agreeable diversion, but what had something or other of this in it;
so that my wife, who saw my mind so wholly bent upon it, told
me very seriously one night that she believed there was some
secret powerful impulse of Providence upon me which had deter-
mined me to go thither again ; and that she found nothing hindered -
my going but my being engaged to a wife and children. She told
me that it was true she could not think of parting with me, but
as she was assured that if she was dead it would be the first thing