The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

251 Pages·2017·15.52 MB·English

by  Daniel Defoe

T h e Wo n d e r f u l
L I F E
A n d m o ƒ t S u r p r i z i n g
A D V E N T U R E S
O F
Robinƒon Cruƒoe
Y , M
of ork ariner
A full and particular account how he lived Eight & Twenty Years
in an Uninhabited Iƒland on the Coaƒt of America near the mouth of
the great river Oroonoque. How his Ship was loƒt in a Storm, all
his Companions drown’d; & how he was caƒt upon the Shore by
the Wreck. With a true Relation how he was at laƒt miraculuouƒly
preƒerved by Pyrates.
Faithfully Epitomized from T he T hree Volumes
by Daniel Defoe
Q
u é b e c
Eprinted for Samizdat, under the Cap-Rouge
April 16th, year of our Lord, MMXVII
For D.R., who loves the sea.
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. First published,
1719.
[EN = Editor’s Note]
Based on the public domain etext provided by The Project Gutenberg. [EBook
#521] This file was first posted on February 28, 1996 Last updated: November 16,
2016. Transcribed from the 1919 Seeley, Service & Co. edition by David Price
Illustrations drawn mostly from a selection of 18th and 19th century editions.
Samizdat, April 2017 [layout inspired by 18th century editions]
Fonts:
Ancient [Jeffery Lee]
StrangeNewes [Feorag NicBhride]
IM Fell English Roman and Italic [Igino Marini]
IM Fell Double Pica [Igino Marini]
QuaNautica le Initials []
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the
LORD, & his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, & raiseth the stormy wind, which
lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to & fro, & stagger like a drunken man, &
are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, & he bringeth them
out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then
are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
(Ps. 107: 23-30)

C o n t e n t s
Preface viii
CHAPTER I
Start in Life 1
CHAPTER II
SLaverY & eScaPe 13
CHAPTER III
Wrecked on a deSert iSLand 23
CHAPTER IV
firSt WeekS on the iSLand 37
CHAPTER V
builds A House—THe JournAl 57
CHAPTER VI
iLL and conScience-Stricken 67
CHAPTER VII
agricuLturaL exPerience 77
CHAPTER VIII
SurveYS hiS PoSition 87
CHAPTER IX
A boAT 97
CHAPTER X
TAmes GoATs 109
CHAPTER XI
Finds PrinT oF mAn’s FooT on THe sAnd 119
CHAPTER XII
A cAve reTreAT 129
CHAPTER XIII
Wreck of a SPaniSh ShiP 143
D a n i e l D e f o e
CHAPTER XIV
A dreAm reAlised 153
CHAPTER XV
FridAy’s educATion 167
CHAPTER XVI
rescue oF Prisoners From cAnnibAls 179
CHAPTER XVII
visiT oF muTineers 193
CHAPTER XVIII
THe sHiP recovered 205
CHAPTER XIX
reTurn To enGlAnd 219
CHAPTER XX
FiGHT beTween FridAy And A beAr 231
( vii )
P
r e f a c e
f ever the story of any private man’s adventures in the world
Iwere worth making public, and were acceptable when published,
the editor of this account thinks this will be so.
The wonders of this man’s life exceeded all that (he thinks)
is to be found extant; the life of one man being scarcely capable of a greater variety.
The story is told with modefry, with seriousness, and with a religious application
of events to the uses to which wise men always apply them, viz. to the instruction of
others by their example, and to justify and honour the wisdom of Providence in all
the variety of our circumstances, let them happen how they will.
The editor believes the thing to be a just history of facts; neither is there any
appearance of fiction in it; and whoever thinks, because all such things are dispatched,
that the improvement of it, as well to the diversion as instruction of the reader, will
be the same; and as such, he thinks, without farther compliment to the world, he does
them a great service in the publication .
Daniel Defoe
( viii )

C H A P t eR I
Start in Life
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
I
York, from whence he had married my mother,
whose relations were named Robinson, a very
good family in that country, and from whom
I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the
usual corruption of words in England, we are
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 an English
regiment of foot in Flanders, formerly 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, 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, my head began to be
filled very early with rambling thoughts. My father, who was very ancient, had given
me a competent share of learning, as far as house-education and a country free school
generally go, and designed me for the law; but I would be satisfied with nothing but
going to sea; and my inclination to this led me so strongly against the will, nay, the
commands of my father, and against all the entreaties and persuasions of my mother
and other friends, that there seemed to be something fatal in that propensity of
( 1 )