$70 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

standing rule to us all for the well instructing children, viz.
that parents should never give over to teach and instruct, no
ever despair of the success of their endeavors, let the childre:
be ever so refractory, or, to appearance, insensible to in
struction ; for, if ever God, in His providence, touches the con
science of such, the force of their education returns upon them
and the early instruction of parents is not lost, though it maf
have been many years laid asleep, but some time or other the,
may find the benefit of it. Thus it was with this poor man
however ignorant he was of religion and Christian knowledge
he found he had some to do with now more ignorant than him
self, and that the least part of the instruction of his good fathe:
that now came to his mind was of use to him.

Among the rest, it occurred to him, he said, how his fathet
used to insist so much on the inexpressible value of the Bible.
and the privilege and blessing of it to nations, families, an
persons ; but he never entertained the least notion of the worth
of it till now, when, being to talk to heathens, savages, and
barbarians, he wanted the help of the written oracle for his
assistance,

The young woman was glad of it also for the present occa-
sion, though she had one, and so had the youth, on board our
ship, among their goods, which were not yet brought on shore.
And now, having said so many things of this young woman, I
I cannot omit telling one story more of her and myself, which
has something in it very instructive.

I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was
reduced,—how her mistress was starved to death, and died on
board that unhappy ship we met at sea, and how the whole
ship’s company was reduced to the last extremity. The gentle-
woman, and her son, and this maid, were first hardly used as
to provisions, and at last totally neglected and starved,-—that
is to say, brought to the last extremity of hunger. One day,
being discoursing with her on the extremities they had suifered,
I asked her if she could describe, by what she had felt, what it
was to starve, and how it appeared? She told me she believed
she could, and she told her tale very distinctly thus :—

“ First, sir,” said she, “ we had for some days fared exceed-
ingly hard, and suffered very great hunger ; but at last we were
wholly without food of any kind, except sugar, and a little wine-
and-water. The first day after I received no food at all, I found
myself, towards evening, first empty and sick at the stomach,
and nearer night much inclined to yawning and sieep. I lay
dewn on the couch in the great cabin to sleep, and slept about