CRUSOE UPON MATRIMONY. 476

to the Englishmen, I sent for them all together, and after some
account given them of what I had done for them—namely, what
necessary things I had provided for them, and how they were dis-
tributed, which they were very sensible of, and very thankful for,
I began to talk to them of the scandalous life they led, and gave
them a full account of the notice the clergyman had already taken
of it, and arguing how unchristian and irreligious a life it was. I
I first asked them if they were married men or bachelors? They
soon explained their condition to me, and showed me that two of
them were widowers, and the other three were single men or
bachelors. I asked them with what consciences they could take
these women and lie with them, as they had done, call them their
wives, and have so many children by them, and not be married
lawfully to them?

They all gave me the answer that I expected, namely, that
there was nobody to marry them; that they agreed before the
governor to keep them as their wives; and to keep them and own
them as their wives; and they thought, as things stood with them,
they were as legally married as if they had been married by a
parson, and with all the formalities in the world.

I told them that no doubt they were married in the sight of
God, and were bound in conscience to keep them as their wives,
but that the laws of men being otherwise, they might pretend they
were not married, and so desert the poor women and children
hereafter ; and that their wives being poor desolate women, friend-
less and moneyless, would have no way to help themselves. I
therefore told them that, unless I was assured of their honest in-
tent, I could do nothing for them, but would take care that what
I did should be for the women and their children without them;
and that unless they would give some assurances that they would
marry the women, I could not think it was convenient they should
continue together as man and wife, for that it was both scandalous
to men and offensive to God, who they could not think would bless
them if they went on thus.

All this went on as I expected, and they told me, especially
Will Atkins, who seemed now to speak for the rest, that they
loved their wives as well as if they had been born in their own