The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

498 Pages·2013·0.83 MB·English

The Life and Adventures of
Robinson Crusoe
byDanielDefoe
StyledbyLimpidSoft
Contents
CHAPTERI–STARTINLIFE 4
CHAPTERII–SLAVERYANDESCAPE 26
CHAPTERIII–WRECKEDONADESERTISLAND 47
CHAPTERIV–FIRSTWEEKSONTHEISLAND 78
CHAPTERV–BUILDSAHOUSE–THEJOURNAL 114
CHAPTER VI–ILL AND CONSCIENCE-
STRICKEN 137
2
CONTENTS
CHAPTERVII–AGRICULTURALEXPERIENCE 160
CHAPTERVIII–SURVEYSHISPOSITION 176
CHAPTERIX–ABOAT 194
CHAPTERX–TAMESGOATS 222
CHAPTER XI–FINDS PRINT OF MAN’S FOOT
ONTHESAND 242
CHAPTERXII–ACAVERETREAT 265
CHAPTERXIII–WRECKOFASPANISHSHIP 294
CHAPTERXIV–ADREAMREALISED 316
CHAPTERXV–FRIDAY’SEDUCATION 343
CHAPTERXVI–RESCUEOFPRISONERSFROM
CANNIBALS 368
CHAPTERXVII–VISITOFMUTINEERS 396
3
CONTENTS
CHAPTERXVIII–THESHIPRECOVERED 422
CHAPTERXIX–RETURNTOENGLAND 450
CHAPTER XX–FIGHT BETWEEN FRIDAY AND
ABEAR 476
4
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CHAPTER I(cid:21)START IN LIFE
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a
goodfamily,thoughnotofthatcountry,myfatherbe-
ing a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. He
got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his
trade,livedafterwardsatYork,fromwhencehehadmar-
riedmymother, whoserelationswerenamedRobinson,
averygoodfamilyinthatcountry,andfromwhomIwas
calledRobinsonKreutznaer;but,bytheusualcorruption
ofwordsinEngland,wearenowcalled–naywecallour-
selves and write our name–Crusoe; and so my compan-
ionsalwayscalledme.
Ihadtwoelderbrothers,oneofwhomwaslieutenant-
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CHAPTER I–START IN LIFE
colonel to an English regiment of foot in Flanders, for-
merly commanded by the famous Colonel Lockhart,
and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk against the
Spaniards. What became of my second brother I never
knew,anymorethanmyfatherormotherknewwhatbe-
cameofme.
Being the third son of the family and not bred to any
trade, my head began to be filled very early with ram-
bling thoughts. My father, who was very ancient, had
givenmeacompetentshareoflearning,asfarashouse-
educationandacountryfreeschoolgenerallygo,andde-
signedmeforthelaw;butIwouldbesatisfiedwithnoth-
ing but going to sea; and my inclination to this led me
sostronglyagainstthewill,nay,thecommandsofmyfa-
ther,andagainstalltheentreatiesandpersuasionsofmy
motherandotherfriends,thatthereseemedtobesome-
thing fatal in that propensity of nature, tending directly
tothelifeofmiserywhichwastobefallme.
Myfather,awiseandgraveman,gavemeseriousand
excellentcounselagainstwhatheforesawwasmydesign.
He called me one morning into his chamber, where he
wasconfinedbythegout,andexpostulatedverywarmly
with me upon this subject. He asked me what reasons,
morethanamerewanderinginclination,Ihadforleaving
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CHAPTER I–START IN LIFE
father’s house and my native country, where I might be
wellintroduced,andhadaprospectofraisingmyfortune
byapplicationandindustry,withalifeofeaseandplea-
sure.Hetoldmeitwasmenofdesperatefortunesonone
hand,orofaspiring,superiorfortunesontheother,who
wentabroaduponadventures,torisebyenterprise,and
makethemselvesfamousinundertakingsofanatureout
ofthecommonroad;thatthesethingswerealleithertoo
farabovemeortoofarbelowme;thatminewasthemid-
dlestate,orwhatmightbecalledtheupperstationoflow
life,whichhehadfound,bylongexperience,wasthebest
stateintheworld, themostsuitedtohumanhappiness,
notexposedtothemiseriesandhardships,thelabourand
sufferingsofthemechanicpartofmankind,andnotem-
barrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of
the upper part of mankind. He told me I might judge
ofthehappinessofthisstatebythisonething–viz. that
this was the state of life which all other people envied;
that kings have frequently lamented the miserable con-
sequenceofbeingborntogreatthings,andwishedthey
had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, be-
tween the mean and the great; that the wise man gave
histestimonytothis,asthestandardoffelicity,whenhe
prayedtohaveneitherpovertynorriches.
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CHAPTER I–START IN LIFE
He bade me observe it, and I should always find that
the calamities of life were shared among the upper and
lower part of mankind, but that the middle station had
thefewestdisasters,andwasnotexposedtosomanyvi-
cissitudes as the higher or lower part of mankind; nay,
they were not subjected to so many distempers and un-
easinesses, either of body or mind, as those were who,
by vicious living, luxury, and extravagances on the one
hand, or by hard labour, want of necessaries, and mean
or insufficient diet on the other hand, bring distemper
upon themselves by the natural consequences of their
way of living; that the middle station of life was calcu-
latedforallkindofvirtueandallkindofenjoyments;that
peace and plenty were the handmaids of a middle for-
tune;thattemperance,moderation,quietness,health,so-
ciety,allagreeablediversions,andalldesirablepleasures,
were the blessings attending the middle station of life;
that this way men went silently and smoothly through
the world, and comfortably out of it, not embarrassed
withthelaboursofthehandsorofthehead,notsoldto
a life of slavery for daily bread, nor harassed with per-
plexed circumstances, which rob the soul of peace and
thebodyofrest,norenragedwiththepassionofenvy,or
the secret burning lust of ambition for great things; but,
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CHAPTER I–START IN LIFE
ineasycircumstances,slidinggentlythroughtheworld,
andsensiblytastingthesweetsofliving,withoutthebit-
ter; feeling that they are happy, and learning by every
day’sexperiencetoknowitmoresensibly.
Afterthishepressedmeearnestly,andinthemostaf-
fectionatemanner,nottoplaytheyoungman,nortopre-
cipitatemyselfintomiserieswhichnature,andthestation
of life I was born in, seemed to have provided against;
thatIwasundernonecessityofseekingmybread;thathe
woulddowellforme,andendeavourtoentermefairly
intothestationoflifewhichhehadjustbeenrecommend-
ingtome;andthatifIwasnotveryeasyandhappyinthe
world,itmustbemymerefateorfaultthatmusthinder
it; and that he should have nothing to answer for, hav-
ingthusdischargedhisdutyinwarningmeagainstmea-
sures which he knew would be to my hurt; in a word,
that as he would do very kind things for me if I would
stay and settle at home as he directed, so he would not
havesomuchhandinmymisfortunesastogivemeany
encouragement to go away; and to close all, he told me
Ihadmyelderbrotherforanexample, towhomhehad
usedthesameearnestpersuasionstokeephimfromgo-
ingintotheLowCountrywars,butcouldnotprevail,his
youngdesirespromptinghimtorunintothearmy,where
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