Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Description

Robinson Crusoe is the fictional autobiography of the title character. As a young man, Crusoe sets out from England on a disastrous sea voyage. His passion for seafaring remains undiminished and so he sets out again, only to be shipwrecked a third time. His journey takes him to Brazil where he becomes a plantation owner. A third and final shipwrecking, however, leaves him stranded for 28 years on a remote island. There he becomes a devout Christian and believes his life lacks nothing but society. The work is sometimes credited with being the first English novel.

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781775412335
• Langue: English

Extrait

ROBINSON CRUSOE
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DANIEL DEFOE
 
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Robinson Crusoe First published in 1719.
ISBN 978-1-775412-33-5
© 2008 THE FLOATING PRESS.
While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike.
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Contents
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Chapter I - Start in Life Chapter II - Slavery and Escape Chapter III - Wrecked on a Desert Island Chapter IV - First Weeks on the Island Chapter V - Builds a House - The Journal Chapter VI - Ill and Conscience-Stricken Chapter VII - Agricultural Experience Chapter VIII - Surveys His Position Chapter IX - A Boat Chapter X - Tames Goats Chapter XI - Finds Print of Man's Foot on the Sand Chapter XII - A Cave Retreat Chapter XIII - Wreck of a Spanish Ship Chapter XIV - A Dream Realised Chapter XV - Friday's Education Chapter XVI - Rescue of Prisoners from Cannibals Chapter XVII - Visit of Mutineers Chapter XVIII - The Ship Recovered Chapter XIX - Return to England Chapter XX - Fight Between Friday and a Bear
Chapter I - Start in Life
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I WAS born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family,though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen,who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise,and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence hehad married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a verygood family in that country, and from whom I was called RobinsonKreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, weare now called - nay we call ourselves and write our name - Crusoe;and so my companions always called me.
I had two elder brothers, one of whom was lieutenant-colonel to anEnglish regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly commanded by thefamous Colonel Lockhart, and was killed at the battle near Dunkirkagainst the Spaniards. What became of my second brother I neverknew, any more than my father or mother knew what became of me.
Being the third son of the family and not bred to any trade, myhead began to be filled very early with rambling thoughts. Myfather, who was very ancient, had given me a competent share oflearning, as far as house-education and a country free schoolgenerally go, and designed me for the law; but I would be satisfiedwith nothing but going to sea; and my inclination to this led me sostrongly against the will, nay, the commands of my father, andagainst all the entreaties and persuasions of my mother and otherfriends, that there seemed to be something fatal in that propensityof nature, tending directly to the life of misery which was tobefall me.
My father, a wise and grave man, gave me serious and excellentcounsel against what he foresaw was my design. He called me onemorning into his chamber, where he was confined by the gout, andexpostulated very warmly with me upon this subject. He asked mewhat reasons, more than a mere wandering inclination, I had forleaving father's house and my native country, where I might be wellintroduced, and had a prospect of raising my fortune by applicationand industry, with a life of ease and pleasure. He told me it wasmen of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superiorfortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise byenterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a natureout of the common road; that these things were all either too farabove me or too far below me; that mine was the middle state, orwhat might be called the upper station of low life, which he hadfound, by long experience, was the best state in the world, themost suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries andhardships, the labour and sufferings of the mechanic part ofmankind, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, andenvy of the upper part of mankind. He told me I might judge of thehappiness of this state by this one thing - viz. that this was thestate of life which all other people envied; that kings havefrequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born togreat things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of thetwo extremes, between the mean and the great; that the wise mangave his testimony to this, as the standard of felicity, when heprayed to have neither poverty nor riches.
He bade me observe it, and I should always find that the calamitiesof life were shared among the upper and lower part of mankind, butthat the middle station had the fewest disasters, and was notexposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part ofmankind; nay, they were not subjected to so many distempers anduneasinesses, either of body or mind, as those were who, by viciousliving, luxury, and extravagances on the one hand, or by hardlabour, want of necessaries, and mean or insufficient diet on theother hand, bring distemper upon themselves by the naturalconsequences of their way of living; that the middle station oflife was calculated for all kind of virtue and all kind ofenjoyments; that peace and plenty were the handmaids of a middlefortune; that temperance, moderation, quietness, health, society,all agreeable diversions, and all desirable pleasures, were theblessings attending the middle station of life; that this way menwent silently and smoothly through the world, and comfortably outof it, not embarrassed with the labours of the hands or of thehead, not sold to a life of slavery for daily bread, nor harassedwith perplexed circumstances, which rob the soul of peace and thebody of rest, nor enraged with the passion of envy, or the secretburning lust of ambition for great things; but, in easycircumstances, sliding gently through the world, and sensiblytasting the sweets of living, without the bitter; feeling that theyare happy, and learning by every day's experience to know it moresensibly,
After this he pressed me earnestly, and in the most affectionatemanner, not to play the young man, nor to precipitate myself intomiseries which nature, and the station of life I was born in,seemed to have provided against; that I was under no necessity ofseeking my bread; that he would do well for me, and endeavour toenter me fairly into the station of life which he had just beenrecommending to me; and that if I was not very easy and happy inthe world, it must be my mere fate or fault that must hinder it;and that he should have nothing to answer for, having thusdischarged his duty in warning me against measures which he knewwould be to my hurt; in a word, that as he would do very kindthings for me if I would stay and settle at home as he directed, sohe would not have so much hand in my misfortunes as to give me anyencouragement to go away; and to close all, he told me I had myelder brother for an example, to whom he had used the same earnestpersuasions to keep him from going into the Low Country wars, butcould not prevail, his young desires prompting him to run into thearmy, where he was killed; and though he said he would not cease topray for me, yet he would venture to say to me, that if I did takethis foolish step, God would not bless me, and I should haveleisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected his counsel whenthere might be none to assist in my recovery.
I observed in this last part of his discourse, which was trulyprophetic, though I suppose my father did not know it to be sohimself - I say, I observed the tears run down his face veryplentifully, especially when he spoke of my brother who was killed:and that when he spoke of my having leisure to repent, and none toassist me, he was so moved that he broke off the discourse, andtold me his heart was so full he could say no more to me.
I was sincerely affected with this discourse, and, indeed, whocould be otherwise? and I resolved not to think of going abroad anymore, but to settle at home according to my father's desire. Butalas! a few days wore it all off; and, in short, to prevent any ofmy father's further importunities, in a few weeks after I resolvedto run quite away from him. However, I did not act quite sohastily as the first heat of my resolution prompted; but I took mymother at a time when I thought her a little more pleasant thanordinary, and told her that my thoughts were so entirely bent uponseeing the world that I should never settle to anything withresolution enough to go through with it, and my father had bettergive me his consent than force me to go without it; that I was noweighteen years old, which was too late to go apprentice to a tradeor clerk to an attorney; that I was sure if I did I should neverserve out my time, but I should certainly run away from my masterbefore my time was out, and go to sea; and if she would speak to myfather to let me go one voyage abroad, if I came home again, anddid not like it, I would go no more; and I would promise, by adouble diligence, to recover the time that I had lost.
This put my mother into a great passion; she told me she knew itwould be to no purpose to speak to my father upon any such subject;that he knew too well what was my interest to give his consent toanything so much for my hurt; and that she wondered how I couldthink of any such thing after the discourse I had had with myfather, and such kind and tender expressions as she knew my fatherhad used to me; and that, in short, if I would ruin myself, therewas no help for me; but I might depend I should never have theirconsent to it; that for her part she would not have so much hand inmy destruction; and I should never have it to say that my motherwas willing when my father was not.
Though my mother refused to move it to my father, yet I heardafterwards that she reported all the discourse to him, and that my