382 ROBINSON CRUSOE.

I shall only add a word or two concerning my honest Popish
clergyman,—for let their opinions of us, and all other heretics
in general, as they call us, be as uncharitable as it may, I verily
believe this man was very sincere, and wished the good of all
men: yet I believe he was upon the reserve in many ot his ex-
pressions, to prevent giving me offence ; for I scarce heard him
once call on the Blessed Virgin, or mention St. Jago, or his
guardian angel, though so common with the rest of them:
however, I say, I had not the least doubt of his sincerity and
pious intentions ; and I am firmly of opinion, if the rest of the
Popish missionaries were like him, they would strive to visit
even the poor Tartars and Laplanders, where they have nothing
to give them,as well as covet to flock to India, Persia, China,
&c., the most wealthy of the heathen countries ; for if they ex-
pected to bring no gains to their church by it, it may well be
admired how they came to admit the Chinese Confucius into
the calendar of the Christian saints.

A ship being ready to sail for Lisbon, my pious priest asked
me leave to go thither ; being still, as he observed, bound never
to finish any voyage he began. How happy it had been for
me if I had gone with him! But it was too late now: all things
Heaven appoints for the best : had I gone with him, I had never
had so many things to be thankful for, and the reader had never
heard of the second part of the travels and adventures of Rob-
inson Crusoe; so I must here leave exclaiming at myself, and
' go on with my voyage. From the Brazils, we made directly
over the Atlantic Sea to the Cape of Good Hope, and had a
tolerably good voyage, our course generally south-east, now
and then a storm, and some contrary winds: but my disasters
at sea were at an end,—my future rubs and cross events were
to befall me on shore, that it might appear the land was as well
prepared to be our scourge as the sea.

Our ship was on a trading voyage, and had a supercargo on
board, who was to direct all her motions after she arrived at
the Cape, only being limited to a certain number of days for
stay, by charter- -party, at the several ports she was togoto. This
was none of my business, neither did I meddle with it; my
nephew, the captain, and the supercargo, adjusting all those
things between them as they thought fit.

We staid at the Cape no longer than was needful to take in
fresh water, but made the best of our way for the coast of Coro-
mandel, We were, indeed, informed that a French man-of-war,
of fifty guns, and two large merchant ships, were gone for the
Indies ; and as I knew we were at war with France, I had some