CONTENTS. Found for our use an occan in the land, When southward we shall steer-0 grant my wish. Supply the barque, and bid Columbus sail; Address to the Deity. Father of light! exhaustless source of good! Supreme, eternal, self-existent God! Before the beamy sun dispens'd a ray, Flam'd in the azure vault, and gave the day, Before the glimmering moon, with borrow'd light, Shone queen, amid the silver host of night. High in the heavens, thou reign'st superior Lord, By suppliant angels worshipp'd and ador'd. With the celestial choir then let me join In cheerful praises to the Power Divine. To sing thy praise, do thou, O God! inspire A mortal breast with more than mortal fire. In dreadful majesty thou sit'st enthron'd, With light encircled and with glory crown'd : Through all infinitude extends thy reign. For thee nor Heaven, nor Heaven of Heavens contain ; he immediately granted, recommended him to lie by in the night, and slacken sail by day, until they should be past the danger. 4. It is a custom always among the Portuguese absolutely to commit the sailing part, or the navigations of the vessel, to the pilot, who is answerable with his head for the safe conduct or carriage of the king'a ships, or those belonging to private traders; and he is under no manner of direction* from the captain, who commands in every other respect. 8 Navigation, act of passing by water.. * Direction, s mo tive. order. 5. The pilot being one of those self-sufficient men, who think every bint given them from others in the 9 Derogatory. way of their profession derogatory9 a lessening the from their understandings, took as "value. an affront to be taught his art and iastead of complying with the captain's request, actually crowded more sail than the vessel had carried before. 6. They had not sailed many hours, when, just about the dawn of day, a terrible disaster2 befel3 them, which would have been prevented if they had lain by. The ship struck upon a rock. I leave it to the reader's imagination* what a scene of horror this dreadful accident must occasion among twelve hundred persons, all in the same in + Dawn, s the first rise, be2 Disaster, s ginning. blast, grief, calamity. 3 Befel, to waylay, sur. round. * Imagination, s fancy, concep tion, image, notion, evitable danger; beholding, with fearful astonishment, that instantaneous4 death which now stared them in the face. 7. In this distress, the captain ordered the pinnaces to be launched, into which having tossed a small quantity of biscuit, and some boxes of marmalade,6 he jumped in himself, with nineteen others; who with their swords prevented thecoming in of any more, lest the boat should sink. 8. In this condition they put of into the great Indian ocean without a compass to steer by. or any fresh water but what might fail from the heavens, whose mercy lone could deliver7 them. they had rowed four days in this miserable condition, the captain who had been for some time very sick and weak, died. a- 7 Deliver, to give up, After 9. This added if possible, to their misery; for as they now fell into confusion,9 every one would gov ern and none would obey. This obliged them to elect one of their own company to command them, whose orders they implicitly2 greed to follow. This person proposed to the company to draw lots, and cast every fourth an over. board :3 as the small stock of provisions was so far spent, as not 9 Confusion, s astouis ment, disorder. + Elect, v.to choose. dependeatly. 2 Implicitly ad ad thrown out of a ship. 3 Overboard, |