have not met with in all my travels. On the other hand, the five
Englishmen took them every one a wife, that is to say, a temporary
wife; and so they set up a new form of living; for the Spaniards
and Friday’s father lived in my old habitation, which they had
enlarged exceedingly within. The three servants which were taken
in the last battle of the savages lived with them; and these
carried on the main part of the colony, supplied all the rest with
food, and assisted them in anything as they could, or as they found
necessity required.
But the wonder of the story was, how five such refractory, ill-
matched fellows should agree about these women, and that some two
of them should not choose the same woman, especially seeing two or
three of them were, without comparison, more agreeable than the
others; but they took a good way enough to prevent quarrelling
among themselves, for they set the five women by themselves in one
of their huts, and they went all into the other hut, and drew lots
among them who should choose first.
Him that drew to choose first went away by himself to the hut where
the poor naked creatures were, and fetched out her he chose; and it
was worth observing, that he that chose first took her that was
reckoned the homeliest and oldest of the five, which made mirth
enough amongst the rest; and even the Spaniards laughed at it; but
the fellow considered better than any of them, that it was
application and business they were to expect assistance in, as much
as in anything else; and she proved the best wife of all the
parcel.
When the poor women saw themselves set in a row thus, and fetched
out one by one, the terrors of their condition returned upon them
again, and they firmly believed they were now going to be devoured.
Accordingly, when the English sailor came in and fetched out one of
them, the rest set up a most lamentable cry, and hung about her,
and took their leave of her with such agonies and affection as
would have grieved the hardest heart in the world: nor was it
possible for the Englishmen to satisfy them that they were not to
be immediately murdered, till they fetched the old man, Friday’s
father, who immediately let them know that the five men, who were
to fetch them out one by one, had chosen them for their wives.
When they had done, and the fright the women were in was a little
over, the men went to work, and the Spaniards came and helped them:
and in a few hours they had built them every one a new hut or tent
for their lodging apart; for those they had already were crowded
with their tools, household stuff, and provisions. The three
wicked ones had pitched farthest off, and the two honest ones
nearer, but both on the north shore of the island, so that they
continued separated as before; and thus my island was peopled in
three places, and, as I might say, three towns were begun to be
built.
And here it is very well worth observing that, as it often happens
in the world (what the wise ends in God’s providence are, in such a
disposition of things, I cannot say), the two honest fellows had
the two worst wives; and the three reprobates, that were scarce
worth hanging, that were fit for nothing, and neither seemed born
to do themselves good nor any one else, had three clever, careful,
and ingenious wives; not that the first two were bad wives as to
their temper or humour, for all the five were most willing, quiet,
passive, and subjected creatures, rather like slaves than wives;
but my meaning is, they were not alike capable, ingenious, or
industrious, or alike cleanly and neat. Another observation I must
make, to the honour of a diligent application on one hand, and to
the disgrace of a slothful, negligent, idle temper on the other,
that when I came to the place, and viewed the several improvements,
plantings, and management of the several little colonies, the two