An essay for the recording of illustrious providences

In this condition they lived together, for the space of about six Weeks, comforting one another, and finding some ease in their common calamity: till at last one of them being left alone, the burden became almost insupportable: For one day, awaking in the Morning he missed his Fellow, and getting up, he went calling and seeking all the island about for him, but when he could by no means find him, he fell into such despair, that he often resolved to have cast, ⟨p. 69⟩himself down into the Sea, and so to put a final Period to that affliction, whereof he had endured but the one half, whilst he had a Friend that divided it with him. What became of his Comrade he could not guess, whether despair forced him to that extremity, or whether getting up in the night, not fully awake, he fell from the Rock, as he was looking for Birds Eggs: for he had discovered no distraction in him, neither could imagine that he could on a sudden fall into that despair, against which he had so fortified himself by frequent and fervent Prayer. And his loss did so affect the Survivor, that he often took his beer, with a purpose to have leaped from the Rocks into the Sea, yet still his Conscience stopped him, suggesting to him, that if he did it, he would be utterly damned for his self-Murder. Another Affliction also befell him, which was this; his only Knife wherewith he cut up the Sea-Dogs and Sea-Mews, having a bloody cloth about it, was carried away (as he thought) by some fowl of Prey; so that, not being able to kill any more, he was reduced to this extremity, with much difficulty to get out of the Boards of his Hut, a great Nail, which he made shift so ⟨p. 70⟩to sharpen upon the Stones, that it served him instead of a Knife. When Winter came on, he endured the greatest misery imaginable: for many times the Rock and his Hut were so covered with Snow, that it was not possible for him to go abroad to provide his Food; which extremity put him upon this Invention: he put out a little stick at the crevice of his Hut, and baiting it with a little Sea-Dogs fat, by that means he got some Sea-Mews, which he took with his hand from under the Snow, and so kept himself from starving.

In this condition they lived together, for the space of about six Weeks, comforting one another, and finding some ease in their common calamity: till at last one of them being left alone, the burden became almost insupportable: For one day, awaking in the Morning he missed his Fellow, and getting up, he went calling and seeking all the island about for him, but when he could by no means find him, he fell into such despair, that he often resolved to have cast,