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journal of a voyage to lisbon-第22节

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instead of being the same man; he scarce remembers what he was a

few hours before。  And this transformation; being once obtained;

is so easily preserved by the same potations; which induced no

satiety; that the captain in vain sends or goes in quest of his

crew。  They know him no longer; or; if they do; they acknowledge

not his power; having indeed as entirely forgotten themselves as

if they had taken a large draught of the river of Lethe。



Nor is the captain always sure of even finding out the place to

which Circe hath conveyed them。  There are many of those houses

in every port…town。  Nay; there are some where the sorceress

doth not trust only to her drugs; but hath instruments of a

different kind to execute her purposes; by whose means the tar is

effectually secreted from the knowledge and pursuit of his

captain。  This would; indeed; be very fatal; was it not for one

circumstance; that the sailor is seldom provided with the proper

bait for these harpies。  However; the contrary sometimes happens;

as these harpies will bite at almost anything; and will snap at a

pair of silver buttons; or buckles; as surely as at the specie

itself。  Nay; sometimes they are so voracious; that the very

naked hook will go down; and the jolly young sailor is sacrificed

for his own sake。



In vain; at such a season as this; would the vows of a pious

heathen have prevailed over Neptune; Aeolus; or any other marine

deity。  In vain would the prayers of a Christian captain be

attended with the like success。  The wind may change how it

pleases while all hands are on shore; the anchor would remain

firm in the ground; and the ship would continue in durance;

unless; like other forcible prison…breakers; it forcibly got

loose for no good purpose。  Now; as the favor of winds and

courts; and such like; is always to be laid hold on at the very

first motion; for within twenty…four hours all may be changed

again; so; in the former case; the loss of a day may be the loss

of a voyage:  for; though it may appear to persons not well

skilled in navigation; who see ships meet and sail by each other;

that the wind blows sometimes east and west; north and south;

backwards and forwards; at the same instant; yet; certain it is

that the land is so contrived; that even the same wind will not;

like the same horse; always bring a man to the end of his

journey; but; that the gale which the mariner prayed heartily for

yesterday; he may as heartily deprecate to…morrow; while all use

and benefit which would have arisen to him from the westerly wind

of to…morrow may be totally lost and thrown away by neglecting

the offer of the easterly blast which blows to…day。



Hence ensues grief and disreputation to the innocent captain;

loss and disappointment to the worthy merchant; and not seldom

great prejudice to the trade of a nation whose manufactures are

thus liable to lie unsold in a foreign warehouse the market being

forestalled by some rival whose sailors are under a better

discipline。  To guard against these inconveniences the prudent

captain takes every precaution in his power; he makes the

strongest contracts with his crew; and thereby binds them so

firmly; that none but the greatest or least of men can break

through them with impunity; but for one of these two reasons;

which I will not determine; the sailor; like his brother fish the

eel; is too slippery to be held; and plunges into his element

with perfect impunity。  To speak a plain truth; there is no

trusting to any contract with one whom the wise citizens of

London call a bad man; for; with such a one; though your bond be

ever so strong; it will prove in the end good for nothing。



What then is to be done in this case?  What; indeed; but to call

in the assistance of that tremendous magistrate; the justice of

peace; who can; and often doth; lay good and bad men in equal

durance; and; though he seldom cares to stretch his bonds to what

is great; never finds anything too minute for their detention;

but will hold the smallest reptile alive so fast in his noose;

that he can never get out till he is let drop through it。  Why;

therefore; upon the breach of those contracts; should not an

immediate application be made to the nearest magistrate of this

order; who should be empowered to convey the delinquent either to

ship or to prison; at the election of the captain; to be fettered

by the leg in either place?  But; as the case now stands; the

condition of this poor captain without any commission; and of

this absolute commander without any power; is much worse than we

have hitherto shown it to be; for; notwithstanding all the

aforesaid contracts to sail in the good ship the Elizabeth; if

the sailor should; for better wages; find it more his interest to

go on board the better ship the Mary; either before their setting

out or on their speedy meeting in some port; he may prefer the

latter without any other danger than that of 〃doing what he ought

not to have done;〃 contrary to a rule which he is seldom

Christian enough to have much at heart; while the captain is

generally too good a Christian to punish a man out of revenge

only; when he is to be at a considerable expense for so doing。

There are many other deficiencies in our laws relating to

maritime affairs; and which would probably have been long since

corrected; had we any seamen in the House of Commons。  Not that I

would insinuate that the legislature wants a supply of many

gentlemen in the sea…service; but; as these gentlemen are by

their attendance in the house unfortunately prevented from ever

going to sea; and there learning what they might communicate to

their landed brethren; these latter remain as ignorant in that

branch of knowledge as they would be if none but courtiers and

fox…hunters had been elected into parliament; without a single

fish among them。  The following seems to me to be an effect of

this kind; and it strikes me the stronger as I remember the case

to have happened; and remember it to have been dispunishable。  A

captain of a trading vessel; of which he was part owner; took in

a large freight of oats at Liverpool; consigned to the market at

Bearkey:  this he carried to a port in Hampshire; and there sold

it as his own; and; freighting his vessel with wheat for the port

of Cadiz; in Spain; dropped it at Oporto in his way; and there;

selling it for his own use; took in a lading of wine; with which

he sailed again; and; having converted it in the same manner;

together with a large sum of money with which he was intrusted;

for the benefit of certain merchants; sold the ship and cargo in

another port; and then wisely sat down contented with the fortune

he had made; and returned to London to enjoy the remainder of his

days; with the fruits of his former labors and a good conscience。



The sum he brought home with him consisted of near six thousand

pounds; all in specie; and most of it in that coin which Portugal

distributes so liberally over Europe。



He was not yet old enough to be past all sense of pleasure; nor

so puffed up with the pride of his good fortune as to overlook

his old acquaintances the journeymen tailors; from among whom he

had been formerly pressed into the sea…service; and; having there

laid the foundation of his future success by his shares in

prizes; had afterwards become captain of a trading vessel; in

which he purchased an interest; and had soon begun to trade in

the honorable manner above mentioned。  The captain now took up

his residence at an ale…house in Drury…lane; where; having all

his money by him in a trunk; he spent about five pounds a day

among his old friends the gentlemen and ladies of those parts。

The merchant of Liverpool; having luckily had notice from a

friend during the blaze of his fortune; did; by the assistance of

a justice of peace; without the assistance of the law; recover

his whole loss。  The captain; however; wisely chose to refund no

more; but; perceiving with what hasty strides Envy was pursuing

his fortune; he took speedy means to retire out of her reach; and

to enjoy the rest of his wealth in an inglorious obscurity; nor

could the same justice overtake him time enough to assist a

second merchant as he had done the first。



This was a very extraordinary case; and the more so as the

ingenious gentleman had steered entirely clear of all crimes in

our law。  Now; how it comes about that a robbery so very easy to

be committed; and to which there is such immediate temptation

always before the eyes of these fellows; should receive the

encouragement of impunity; is to be accounted for only from the

oversight of the legislature; as that oversight can only be; I

think; derived from the reasons I have assigned for it。



But I will dwell no longer on this subject。  If what I have here

said should seem of sufficient consequence to engage the

attention of any man in power; and should thus be the means of

applyi

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