I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York. That was my mother’s hometown, because she also was born there, in a family of Robinson’s. They were very old and gentle family of York’s faubourg[1], from whom I was called Robinson. My father, bored the name Kreutznaer, was German from Bremen. He earned his bread[2] by trading, and, when his case went to the mountain[3], he moved to England, York. There he met my mother and later they got married. Eventually, the surname Kreutznaer grown into the Crusoe, by the usual corruption of words in England. Therefore, everyone calls me Robinson Crusoe.
I had two elder brothers. One of them went to the army, despite of my father’s prohibitions, and was killed at the battle near Dunkirk. What became of the second brother we never knew, he was missing.
From my childhood I dreamed about the adventures and pirates. I would be satisfied with nothing but going to sea.
Being the third son of my family, I wasn’t a high-educated person. My father had given me house-education and country free school that was enough to be a lawyer[4].
When I grew up, my childish dreams of the sea turned into the real wish of becoming a captain, or a sailor at least. Oh, how the sea haunted my dreams that days!
My father, being a wise and grave man, guessed my intentions[5]. One morning he called me into his chamber. He asked me very warmly not to leave father’s home and not to repeat the fate of my elder brothers in a search of adventures. “You don’t have to earn your bread”, he said, “I’ll give you enough money to stay at your native country, become a lawyer, and get married. You are only eighteen, and I don’t want to lose my third son, when he is so young”. But I didn’t listen to him. He promised me a life of ease and pleasure, but I was going to a life of risky adventures and trying the fortune.
However, I was sincerely[6] affected with my father’s discourse, and decided to wait with the final decision of my future life. I resolved not to think of going abroad one year more, but to settle at home, according to my father’s desire. That was a time when I was trying myself in the different fields of learning, trying to find a profession that would be close to me. But my searches had been unsuccessful. It turned out, that I had no abilities to any crafts[7]. After that, I had finally decided to link my future life with[8] the sea. However, I could not leave my parent’s home without their approval[9].
One day, when my mother was in a good mood, I asked her for the help.
“Oh, mother, I’ll soon be nineteen years old, and it is too late to become a lawyer or a clerk. I have no abilities to any crafts. I see no ways to make living, but go to sea. Please, speak to my father to let me go abroad and become a mariner!”
This put my mother into a great passion[10]. She wondered how I could think this way after the discourse I had had with my father, and such a kind and tender expression that she knew my father had used on me.
“Neither I, nor your father will bless you. If you don’t obey our advice, we will not take part in your future,” she said.
But for that moment, my decision was strong enough, and adrift, my wishes turned into the real life.
Being one day at the Hull, where I went casually, I met one of my companions. He was about to sail to London on his father’s ship. He prompted me to go with him, promising that it would cost me nothing for my passage[11]. I consulted neither father nor mother about this voyage, even not so much as sent them a letter of it.
In an ill hour[12], God knows, on the 1st of September 1651, I went on board a ship bound for London.
The ship was no sooner out of the Humber than the wind began to blow and the sea to rise. I had never been at sea before, so it seemed to me, that the ship was caught in a heavy storm and will drown in a minute. The pitching[13] was so strong, that I could barely stand on my feet, the nausea stepped up to the throat[14]. I thought that those were the last minutes of my life. And only then I realized what I’ve done: all the good counsels of my parents, my father’s tears and my mother’s entreaties[15], came fresh into my mind.
I swore to myself that if I could stay alive, I’ll come back to my parents in repentance[16] and spend my entire life near them in my family home. At that moment in my mind has already appeared the picture from the biblical story “Return of the prodigal son”[17].
These wise and sober[18] thoughts continued all the while the storm lasted, and indeed some time after; but the next day the wind has abated, and the sea calmed down. However, I was very grave for all that day, being also a little sea-sick still; but towards night the weather cleared up, the wind was quite over, and a charming fine evening followed. The sun went down perfectly clear, and rose so next morning; and having little or no wind, and a smooth sea, the sun shining upon it, the sight was, as I thought, the most delightful that I ever saw.
I had slept well at night, and was now no more sea-sick, but very cheerful, looking with wonder upon the sea that was so rough and terrible the day before, and could be so calm and so pleasant in so little a time after. And now, lest my good resolutions should continue, my companion comes to me: “Well, Rob,” says he, clapping me upon the shoulder[19], “how do you do after it? Were you freighted, last night, when it blew a capful of wind?” “A capful do you call it?” said I, “That was a terrible storm!” “A storm?!” replied he, “You call that a storm? Why? It was nothing at all; give us a good ship and sea-room[20], and we think nothing of such a squall of wind as that; but you are a fresh-water sailor, Rob. Come, let us make a bowl of punch, and we’ll forget all that! Do you see what charming weather it is now?”
To make short this sad part of my story, we went the way of all sailors; the punch was made and I was made half-drunk with it: and in that one night’s wickedness I drowned all my repentance, all my reflections upon my past conduct, all my resolutions for the future.
The sixth day of our being at sea we came into Yarmouth Roads. These Roads are the common harbor, where the ships might wait the tailwind[21]. Here we came to an anchor[22] for seven or eight days. During this time many ships from Newcastle came into the same Roads.
After we had lain four or five days, the wind still blew very hard. However, the crew of our ship was absolutely calm: the Yarmouth Roads are known as the safest place; there is no more danger there, than in any other harbor. Moreover, our ship had the good anchor, and our ground-tackle[23] was very strong. So, our men spent all the time in rest and mirth, after the manner of the sea.
But on the eighth day, in the morning, the wind increased, and we had all hands at work to strike our topmasts[24], and make everything close, so that the ship might ride as easy as possible.
By noon the sea went very high. Once or twice we thought that our anchor had come home; upon which our master ordered out the sheet-anchor[25], so that we rode with two anchors ahead.
By this time it blew a terrible storm indeed. Anyone may judge what a condition I must have been in during all this; such a young sailor and so frightened in a first little storm. But it was not the fear of death that scared me. It seemed like a Providence punishment[26]. I had broken my oath, which I gave during the first storm. Now it seemed clear what fate awaited me, if I didn’t return home. And this, added to the terror of the storm, put me into such a condition, that I have no words to describe it.
I was lying still in my cabin, and I heard that the master went in and out of his cabin by mine, saying softly several times a minute “Lord, be merciful to us![27] We shall be all lost! We shall be all undone!” and the like. I got up out of my cabin and looked out; but such a dismal sight I never saw. I saw terror and amazement in the faces of the seamen themselves. The sea ran mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes.
Towards evening the mate and boatswain[28] asked the master of our ship to let them cut away the fore-mast.[29] When they had cut it away, the main mast[30] shook the ship so much, that they were obliged to cut that away also, and make a clear deck.
Two more ships, that were standing near us, drived from their anchors[31] and were run out of the Roads to sea, at all adventures, without any masts. The similar fate awaited us. The boatswain, the master, and some others more sensible than the rest were praying, expecting every moment that the ship would go to the bottom.
In the middle of the night we found the leak in a hold[32]. One of the men that had been down to see cried out that there was four feet water in the hold. Then all hands were called to the pump. We worked all night long, but the water kept coming. It was clear that the ship would founder; and though the storm began to fall off a little, it was impossible to keep afloat till we might run into any port. So the master began firing guns for help[33].
The light ship, who had rid it out just ahead of us, sent a boat to help us. But it was impossible for us to get on board, or for the boat to lie near the ship’s side. All the men in the boat were rowing very heartily, and venturing their lives[34] to save ours. Finally, we extended them a rope[35] so they managed to swim very close to the board of our ship, and we all got into their boat. It was no purpose for them or us, after we were in the boat, to think of reaching their own ship; so all agreed to let the boat drive on it’s own, and only to pull it in towards shore as much as we could.
We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of our ship, when we saw it sink[36]. Only then I understood for the first time what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea.
When our boat was mounting the waves, we were able to see the shore. A huge number of people gathered on the beach to help us as soon as we moored to the bank[37]. But we made a very slow way towards the shore. Only when we passed the lighthouse[38] at Winterton, we found ourselves in a small bay near the Cromer, where the wind was a little quieter. Here we got in, and though not without much difficulty, all got safe on shore and walked afterwards on foot to Yarmouth.
As unfortunate men that have been in a shipwreck[39], we were welcomed with great humanity there. The townspeople gave us houses to leave, and by the particular merchants and owners of ships we had enough money to carry either to London or back to Hull as we wanted.
My comrade, who was the master’s son, and who prompted me to go with him on his father’s ship to London, was now less forward then I. At Yarmouth we were separated in the town to several quarters, so the first time he spoke to me after the shipwreck was not till two or three days of our staying in town. He asked me how I did, looking very melancholy and shaking his head[40]. He told his father who I was, and how I had come to this voyage only for a trial, in order to go further abroad.
His father turned to me with a very grave and concerned tone: “Young man,” said he, “you ought never to go to sea anymore; you ought to take this for a plain and visible token that you are not to be a seafaring man.”
“Why, sir,” said I, “will you go to sea no more?”