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THE FIGHTING SAILOR TURN'D Peaceable Christian: Manifested in the Convincement and Conversion OF Thomas Lurting. WITH A short RELATION of many Great DANGERS, and Wonderful DELIVERANCES he met withal.

First written for private Satisfaction, and Now Published for General Service.

Isa. ii. 4.

They shall beat their Swords into Plow-Shares, and their Spears into Pruning-Hooks.

LONDON: Printed, and Re-printed by SAMUEL KEIMER near the Market-House in Philadelphia. 1725

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TO THE READER

SInce it hath pleased God to make Way for me, thro' many very remarkable Delive­rances and great Preservations; I am not wil­ling altogether to keep silent; some whereof are mentioned in the following Treatise, which was first written for private Satisfaction, and now offer'd to publick View.

And having for several Years past left the Sea, and betaken my self to a more solid Retire­ment, than that Hurry of Sea admits of; I have taken a View of my former Transactions, and am willing to give some short Account thereof, and of the many Deliverances and Preserva­tions I met withal, (together with the Manner of my Conversion, and the mysterious Workings of the Enemy to prevent the same) that so o­thers may be encouraged to a serious Considera­tion of their Ways, and to stand still in the Counsel of God, and see his Salvation.

[Page 4]For as Silence is the first Word of Command in Marshal Discipline, so it is in the Spiritual: For until that's come unto, the Will and Mind of God cannot be known, much less done.

And as I know no Way so effectual to answer my End, than to expose the following Treatise to publick View, I commit it accordingly, hoping it may be serviceable to some in this and future Ages: Which is the only Thing aim'd at, and sincerely desir'd by me,

Thomas Lurting.
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THE FIGHTING SAILOR TURN'D Peaceable Christian, &c.

In the Year 1646. I being then about 14 Years of Age, was impr [...]s'd (or forc'd) and carry'd into the Wars in Ire­land, where I remained about two Years, in the Time of the Long Parliament; then was carry'd to London, and I went into the Wars against the Dutch and Spaniards; in which I had many Deliverances, too long here too mention; yet they all at that time wrought but little upon me. Then I was turn'd over into the Bristol Frigot; in which Ship, in process of Time, it pleased God to convert me; as will appear in the fol­lowing Treatise.

As I was Boatswain's Mate, I had the Command of about 200 Men in this Ship, and it was my Place, to see that the Men attended, and were present at the Time of Worship; and I was diligent in the Perfor­mance [Page 6] of that Service; and when any re­fused to obey my Command, in that res­pect, I endeavour'd by Force to compel them.

Now of the many Deliverances, I shall only hint at three or four that happen'd in that Day, which wrought some Re­morse upon me. The aforesaid four De­liverances, was at a Place call'd Sancta Cruze, in the Island of the Canaries; where I had not only those four, but many Deli­verances.

News being brought to our General Blake, as we lay in Cales-Bay, that sixteen Sail of Galeons arriv'd at Sancta Cruze from the West-Indies, we instantly went out, and in a few Days got thither, and found as it was reported; and several Ships went in before us, to make Discovery how they lay, and anchoring at some Distance, about half Gun-shot from the Castle, which was large, and had 40 Guns at least, and there was several Forts and Breast-Works, of about 8 or 10 Guns each. The Wind blew very right on the Shore, and we coming in, in a later Squadron, went under our Gene­ral's Stern to know where we should be? and were answer'd, Where we could get room. So we ran in, but could get no room to bring up our Ship; so we went a-stern [...] our Ships, and the Smoke being somewhat [Page 7] abated, we found our selves to be within half a Cable's Length of the Vice-Admi­ral's Galeon, of about 50 Guns, and 300 Men; and not above a Cable's Length from the Admiral, a Galeon of about 50 or 60 Guns, and having also about 400 Men, and within half Gun-shot of a large Castle, of 40 Guns; and within Musquet-shot of some Forts and Breast-Works.

And when we had brought up our Ship, we were about half a Cable's length from the Vice-Admiral, just in his Weak, or in the Head of him; then our Captain call'd to me, to make all ready, or get to veer nearer the Galeon: For I will, said he, be on Board the Vice-Admiral. So we veer'd to be on Board of him, and so fast as we veer'd towards him, he veer'd from us, until he came about Musquet-shot of the Shore. Then the Captain call'd to me, to get a Hauser out of the Gun-Room-Port, and clap a Spring on the Cable; when done, we veer'd our Cable, and by just cross his Hawse, about half a Musquet-shot from him; then we run all the Guns we could on that Side towards him, which were in Number 28 or 30, and all Hands [...] to it in earnest.

And the second Broadside some of our Shot, as we judged, fell into his Powder-Room [Page 8] and she blew up, and not one Man escaped, that we could perceive.

Then the Spanish Admiral, was going to serve us, as we had served his Vice-Admi­ral; which we perceiving, ply'd him very close, with about 28 or 30 Guns; and the third Broadside, all his Men leap'd over-board, and instantly she blew up.

And there was a small Castle on the o­ther Side, which (after the Spanish Admi­ral was blown up) we went to work against its Fort, and in a short Time made them weary of it.

And as for the Castle of 40 Guns, we were got so far into the Bay, that they could not bring upon us above two or three Guns.

But when we went off, they ply'd us close with their great Guns, but did us no great Damage.

After this Expedition was over, and that we had blown up the two Spanish Ad­mirals, I took the Long-Boat, to go on Board a Galeon, that lay on Shore near to another Castle, supposing that the Men were not on Board; but there were some, and they lay close on Board, until we came within two or three Ships length of them, and then they rose up and fir'd several Guns at us; but being so near their Ship, all their Shot went over us: Which I call the [Page 9] first great Deliverance. Then on our Re­turn towards our Ship, they from several Castles and Breast-Works, fir'd briskly at us with great and small Shot, which came very near us; notwithstanding we all got safe on Board our own Ship: And this I call the second great Deliverance.

In a little Time, the Smoke of their Guns being gone, I saw three Galeons on Shore, all on Board one another; one of them a­long the Shore, and one cross her Hawse, and the other cross her Stern, about a Mus­quet-shot from our Ship; and there was a Castle on one Side of them, and a Breast-work on the other, with about 50 or 60 Men in it, as was supposed, and the Ga­leons lay about half a Cable's Length from the Castle, and the same Distance from the Breast-work, and about fifty Yards from the Shore: Then I took the Pinnace, and two Men with me, and was going to set them on Fire; but the Captain saw me, and call'd me back, and sent five Men more with me; and on our setting forward, our Ship fir'd a Gun, and in the Smoke there­of we got on Board the Galeon, and re­ceived no Harm, (the Spaniards having left them) and I instantly set one of them on Fire, which burnt the other two Galeons. And when we could stay no longer, by [...]son of the Fire, and our Ship's Crew [Page 10] not being as formerly, mindful of us, to fire some Guns, that in the Smoke there­of we might have retir'd back, without being discovered by any from the Breast-works; but they seeing of us, we were forc'd, by reason of the Fire, to return presently towards our own Ship. The Breast-work then having full Sight of us, discharg'd a Volley of about 50 or 60 small Shot, and kill'd two of our Men, and shot a third in the Back; and I sat close to one that was kill'd, between him and the Shore, and close to him that was shot in the Back, and receiv'd no Harm: And this was a third and eminent Delive­rance.

And coming out of the Bay, we came within three or four Ship's Length of the Castle that had 40 Guns; and they kept them in Readiness, until we came directly over-against the Castle, then they fir'd, but we were so near, that most of the Shot went over, and did us little Harm, only in our Rigging: And I was on the Clue of the Main-tack, getting the Main-tack on Board, and the Shot cut the Bolt-Rope a little above my Head: And this was the fourth Deliverance, and all in six Hours Time, and never to be forgotten by me; but I desire to be thankful to God, who [Page 11] from these and many other Dangers, has apparently delivered me.

And the aforesaid 16 Galeons, were very large Ships, from 300 Tons to 1000, and upwards; and the first that I burnt, as our Men judged, had a great deal of Silver on Board, being a Ship of about 800 Ton, and the other two richly laden, and about 7 or 800 Ton, and all perished together; and all the rest of the sixteen being richly laden, not having Time to get their La­ding out, we being so suddenly upon them, were all burnt and destroyed, together with their Lading. But then I neither was a Quaker, nor were any of the Peo­ple so called on Board our Ship; nor ever to my Remembrance, had heard of any called by that name.

Now I shall a little [...] the first Rise of the People called Quakers in our Ship: There was some Soldiers put on Board us, and one of them had been at a Meeting in Scotland, of the aforesaid People; and there was two young Men in the Ship, who had some Converse with him, but he was ta­ken away from the Ship in a little time, but the two young Men made little Ap­pearance of any Conviction or Convince­ment, until about six Months after. The first Thing observable was, they refu­sed to hear the Priest, or put off their [Page 12] Hats to the Captain, for which they cal­led them Quakers: These two met often together in Silence, and their so meeting caus'd a serious Enquiry among others, and their Number increased, and as they encrea­sed, so Persecution increased against them; and the Captain was sore troubled and di­sturbed at their Increase, himself being a Baptist Preacher; the Priest that officiated in our Ship was cruel and bitter against them; crying out thus to me, O Thomas, an honest Man, and a good Christian! Here is a dangerous People on Board, (that is to say the Quakers) a blasphemous People, denying the Ordinances and Word of God. The which made me as cruel as himself, and I gave them many a heavy Blow, and I was vio­lent upon them, and a great Persecutor of them; but the Remembrance of the afore­said Deliverances struck close to me, and the Lord wrought so much upon me, that I could no more beat any of the People called Quakers, and in a little Time the Lord gave me a true Sight of the Priest; for when I could not do his Work, and beat and abuse the said People, then I was accounted neither an honest Man, nor good Christian by him; so I began to look upon the said People with a single Eye, for good. And the Lord by his in-shining Light, open'd my Understanding, so that [Page 13] I saw a great deal of Difference between them, and other Professors; whereupon I made many Promises unto the Lord, to be better; but they being made in my own Will, were of little Effect: Then the Lord shewed me, that in those many Promises, and not keeping them, I was not benefit­ted thereby, and that caused much Trou­ble to me; so that I separated from all sorts of Professors, except one Roger Den­nis, who was called a Quaker, whom I in­tirely loved; and in all my Cruelty exer­cised upon, and against the said People, I never struck him: For he had a Check upon me, tho' he spake not a Word; and many Times when I had resolv'd to separate the People called Quakers, when met together in a religious Manner, either by Blows or otherwise; then he looking upon me, I durst not touch one of them. After some Time, I desired to be much alone, and in my still and quiet Retire­ments, the Lord was very good unto me, and gave me many a heavenly Visitation, and tho' it was in Judgment, yet that was my Portion, and I patiently bore them, and came to love his Judgments and Vi­sitations, and they became to me very sweet and pleasant, and of more Value than Rubies, and was my great Delight; and with them I was very well pleased, [Page 14] because they brought me into much Ten­derness for the which I loved them at my very Heart, for it was a Heart-work; and many Times when alone, the Lord would break in upon me, by the in-shining of his glorious Light in my own Heart, melted me, and mollified me: Yea, so powerful­ly many Times, that I could not contain, or forbear crying out, O Lord! Insomuch that the Professors could not tell what to make of it: But I knew and felt it to be the mighty Power of God, which brought and wrought Deliverance into my Soul; and with this Exercise, and many more, I continued about six Months, being taken off all outward Concerns, and being alone, some said I was mad, others I was di­stracted; and so wrote Home to England.

Many came on Board to see me, thinking the Shape of my Body was alter'd, and I heard some say, that my Body was of the same Shape, but I looked like a dumb Saint. In short, I was a Scoff and Derision with all sorts of Professors, except the People called Qua­kers; but I was one of them in my Heart, tho' not yet joined to them, for the Cross was too hard for me as yet, but many a Time I felt that living, eternal Power, which hath made me both to tremble and quake, and was glad when it was so with [Page 15] me; yet then I was no profess'd Quaker, for the Cross was still too hard for me.

But it was the Lord's good Will, and blessed be his Holy Name for it; that af­ter the many Judgments and sore inward Afflictions, it was his good Will and Pleasure, to bring my Will to be subject to his Will, for in those dark Times, I was fully given up; yea, Life and all, to have Peace in my Conscience with God, for that was the Thing, and the only thing that my Heart thirsted after.

And one Evening being alone, (for in that I took great Delight,) and being low in my Mind, I was very earnest with the Lord to know what People I should join my self unto, for then I was alone; and it was plainly shewed me the Quakers; of which Number the Man I loved so well was ac­counted; and being one that I formerly highly esteemed, and who had the Check upon me, when I was in the Height of Cruelty against the People called Quakers, then on Board, as is before-mentioned. But the Thing at that Time did startle me, that I desired of the Lord, rather to die than live, for the reasoning Part got up: What to such a People, that both Priest and Professors are against! What to such a People, that I have been so long beating and abusing, and that without just [Page 16] Cause! Death would be more welcome to me. And here the Enemy, that old sub­tile Serpent, was not wanting to insinuate many Things into my Mind: But God was pleased to put me in Mind of the manifold Preservations and Deliverances he had brought me through; so I took up this Resolution, by the Assistance of the Lord, Whether Quaker, or no Quaker, Peace with God I am for: Yet it cost me many a bit­ter Sigh, and many a Tear, before I could give up to go to Roger Dennis, my Friend, called a Quaker: But good was the Lord, and for ever blessed be his worthy Name, who followed me with his dreadful Judg­ments and Reproofs: Insomuch that I could contain no longer, but gave up and went to my Friend Roger Dennis, and said, I would speak with thee, and he very mildly answer­ed, I will go with thee: I having a Cabin, we went down, and when in, I shut the Door, and we sat some Time; and before he open'd his Mouth, the Hand of the Lord was upon me, and melted my Heart, and brought me into great Tenderness, and then he spake but a few Words, but they were in great Humility and Tender­ness towards me, hitting the Mark to a Hair's Breadth; so that I had great Sa­tisfaction, being quiet in my Mind, and we parted in great Love.

[Page 17]Not long after, the old Enemy, the Devil, was very busy: What! to join thy self to such a foolish People! And many more of his Stratagems; for he was like to lose his Dominion, which made him the more furious to attack me: So that I was even weary of my Life, yet longed for the First Day, that I might go to the Meeting; and it was the first that ever I was at: And at the Time appointed, I went to the Meeting with a great Dread upon my Mind, and sat me down in great Quietness amongst them, they being then but six Men.

I had not been long there, but it was re­ported in the publick Place of Worship, that I was amongst the Quakers, at which, many of them left the Priest and his Worship, to come and see me: And they made a great Noise and Bustle. When the Worship was over, the Captain ask'd the Reason of that Noise? and it was told him, that I was amongst the Quakers: Then he sent for me to himself, and divers more of his Officers were there: The first that began was the Priest, saying, Thomas, I took you for a very honest Man, and a good Christian, but I am sorry you should be so deluded. The mean while the Captain turning the Bible from one End to the other, to prove the Qua­kers no Christians. All this while I was very quiet and still in my Mind; for I found [Page 18] therein was my Strength: And when they saw they could not prevail upon me, then they fell to slandering of me, saying, That at such and such a Time the Quakers came to me, saying, Do such and such a thing: which was all false, by which I got great Strength: For never any Quaker came to me, but Roger Dennis, one that I dearly lov­ed, and desired his Company, and that was but the Night before. So when they had done, I went to my Friends in great Peace and Satisfaction, saying to them, That when I went to the Captain, I was scarce half a Qua­ker, but by their Lies and false Reports against me, they have made me almost a whole Quaker, or at least I hope to be one. My Friends re­ceived me in much Love and Tenderness, and ever after I kept to their Meetings.

After this, Truth prevailed very much, and had a great Sway in the Ship, and se­veral were convinced; so that when I came among them, there was but six; but in less than six Months after, we were twelve Men and two Boys, of which one was the Priest's.

There was such a Blow given to Perse­cution, that it never got up again, whilst in that Ship, tho' much try'd for by the Captain; for he got several Men out of other Ships, on purpose to persecute the Quakers; who came with great swelling [Page 19] Words, as tho' they would have devour­ed us at once: But, blessed be the Lord, they never had Power to touch one of us; for their Horns were nipp'd in the Bud, and several of them in a short Time were cut off by Death, insomuch that Men were afraid to be in that Office to abuse us.

About this Time we had a great Sick­ness, which swept away above Forty in a little Time; and most of us, call'd Quakers, had the Distemper, but none died of it, yet were brought very low. We took great Care of one another when sick, that nothing was wanting amongst us, but what one had, was free for all of us; and our Diligence and great Care of the Sick a­mongst us, was such, that I have heard some Men say, when upon a Languishing Pillow and Death-Bed, Oh carry me to the Quakers, for they take great Care of one ano­ther, and they will take some Care of me. At this Time the Captain was very kind to me, and frequently sent me Part of what he had, and order [...]d me a Cabin; for be­fore I lay in a Hammock. And now all was very quiet, no Persecution, but a ge­neral Love amongst all sorts of Persuasi­ons that were then on Board, and Truth had great Dominion, and several were con­vinc'd.

[Page 20]After I began to be well, I sent to the Captain, to know if I might have that Ca­bin I lay in before I was convinced; and he granted my Request, for no one inclined to lie therein; alledging, it was [...] with an Evil Spirit, for no less than three or four had died in it in a sho [...] Space of Time; and it proved very serviceable; for I not only lay therein, but made Use there­of for our Meeting-place.

Now all Things were in Quiet, and the Captain continued our Friend for some Time, and shewed us more Kindness than any other Professors; The Captain would often say, Thomas, take thy Friends; do so and so, or such and such a thing; and I took my Friends, and did it far beyond his Ex­pectation, by which he got great Credit: For as yet we were not brought to te­stify against Fighting; yet we would take none of the Plunder. And in all our des­perate Attempts, wherein we were then concerned, we received no Hurt, tho' se­veral others were killed and wounded, who sat close by us; at which Time the Cap­tain would say to other Captains, that he cared not if all his Men were Quakers, for they were the hardiest Men in his Ship.

In this Time of Liberty I looked upon it but as a Fore-runner of farther Exercise; for what was done in pretended Friendship, [Page 21] was but to serve their own Ends: I expec­ted a Time would come to try all Foun­dations, which accordingly did, and drove every Man to his own. We being now at Leghorn, were ordered to go to Barcelona, to take or burn a Spanish Man of War; and our Station was to lie against a Castle to batter it, the which we did; and one Corner of the Castle play [...]d some Shot into our Ship, and I was for beating down that Corner: And we, called Quakers, sought with as much Courage as any, seeing then no farther; and for my Part, I was st [...]ipt into my Waitcoat, (every one in fighting Habit) and went to it in Earnest, and with as much Courage as ever; and I went into the Fore-castle, and levell [...]d the Guns; but, said I, Fire not till I go out to see where the Shot lights, that we may level higher or low­er; and here I was as great a Fighter as most: But he that hath all Men's Hearts in his Hand, can turn them at his Pleasure; yea, he in a Minute's Time so far chang'd my Heart, that in a Minute before, I [...]ec­ting my whole Strength and Rigour to kill and destroy Mens Lives, and in a Mi­nute after I could not kill or destroy a Man, if it were to gain the World; for as I was coming out of the Fore-castle Door, to see where the Shot fell, the Word of the Lord run thro' me, how if I [Page 22] had kill'd a Man; and it was with such Power, that for some Time I hardly knew whether I was in the Body or out of it; but when I came to see, and felt what it was, I turned about, and put on my Clothes, and walked on the Deck, as tho' I had ne­ver seen a Gun fir'd, under a great Exer­cise of Mind; and some ask'd me, If I was hurt? I answer'd, No; but under some Scru­ple of Conscience on the Account of Fighting, al­tho' I had not heard that the Quakers re­fused to fight. And when Night came, we went out of the Castle-shot, and I much desired to know, what the Friends would say to this: I sent for two of them, one was the man I loved so well, and I queri­ed much with them about Fighting; to which they gave me little Answer; but said, If the Lord sent them well home, they could never go to it again; my Answer to them was, with a Dread and Fear upon me, That if I stood honest to that of God in my own Conscience, and if we came to it to Mor­row, that with the Lord's Assistance I would bear my Testimony against it. For this I plainly saw, that inasmuch as we had been so great Actors in it, now we must bear our Testimony against Fighting; not doubting but Way will be made for my Delivery; but if not, the Will of the Lord be done. The next Day, we heard that [Page 23] several were kill'd on Shore; the which added much to my Sorrow. Some Time after, a Friend went to die Captain to be cleared; he asked his Reason? His An­swer was, He could fight no longer: Then said the Captain, He that denies to fight in Time of Engagement, I will put my Sword in his Guts. Then, said the Friend, thou wilt be a Manslayer, and guilty of shedding Blood: for which the Captain beat him sorely with his Cane and Fist: Altho' he was a Baptist-Preacher.

So here the Captain, who had been our Friend, and a Shelter to us from wicked Men, is now become again our Enemy, and we left open to every wicked Spirit to kill us, whensoever we deny to fight: For the printed Orders fixed upon the Ship says, If any Man flinch from his Quarters in Time of Engagement, any may kill him: Yet for all the hard Things, I had a secret Hope and Belief, that if we stood true to what the Lord had made known unto us, the Lord would deliver us out of all their Hands.

Some Time after (about the Year 1655.) we were at Leghorn, and we were ordered to go a Cruizing; and one Morning, we espied, a great Ship bearing down upon us, which we supposed to be a Spanish Man of War, with whom we had Wars: So Orders was given to make the Ship clear to Fight. [Page 24] Now comes a trying Time, to prove every one's Foundation. I being then upon the Deck, a great Weight tell upon me, and I desired very earnestly of the Lord for Strength, to bear what was coming upon us to try our Foundation; and farther, I desired of the Lord, what to do in such a Streight? and it was answer'd me, To have a Meeting. And this seemed to be very strange; for all the Men were in an Up­roar, one heaving one Way, and another another; and then I queried, whether Friends would meet? and it was answer­ed, If they met not, I was clear. So then I went down, with a Dread upon me, and spoke to two or three of them; and they met all of them in a little Time, twelve Men and two Boys, at our old Meeting-place, to my great Satisfaction; for only two of them knew of my Exercise, and how it was with me at Barcelona: But bles­sed be the Lord, who open'd my Mouth, and I declared to them how Things was with me, and that Things seemed very dark and cloudy, or Words to that Effect; yet my Hopes and Belief was in the Lord, that I had not the least Scruple, but that the Lord would deliver me, and not me only, but all such as were of my Faith and Belief; adding, I lay not this as an In­junction upon any one, but leave you all to the [Page 25] Lord, to do as he shall direct you; yet one Thing I have to advise you of, that you be not ensnared; in a little Time they will call you to your Quarters; which if you go, you shew your selves Men for their Turns. And farther, I must advise you, that the Captain puts great Confidence in you; therefore let us be careful that we give him no just Occasion. Therefore, all that are of my Mind, let us meet in the most publick Place upon the Deck, in the full View of the Captain, that be may not say we deceived him, in not telling of him that we would not fight; that he might have put others in our room or Place. And as we were sitting together, one of the Ship's Company came to a Friend, saying, I will put a Crow in thy Guts; and another saying, I will kill thee; and as they had an Antipathy against them, so they threaten [...]d. Then I went with a great Dread of God upon my Mind, but clear of all Fear of Man; for blessed be the Lord, all Fear of Man was taken away. And when I came upon the Deck, I set my Back against the Geer-Capstan, with my Face towards the Captain, where he had a full View of me; standing there a-while, I turned my Head to see who was coming after me, and when I saw my Friends there behind me, my very Heart leap'd for Joy, and I was overcome with the Sight of them; for to me they were the loveliest that ever [Page 26] I beheld, and my very Bowels rowled with­in me for them, and my Life was given up freely for them, to see them given up as innocent Lambs, ready for the Slaugh­ter, standing all together. In a little Time comes the Lieutenant, and says to one of them, Go down to thy Quarters; his Answer was, I can fight no more: The which was what he looked for; for he was our great Enemy. Then he goes to the Captain, and makes the worst of it, saying, Yonder the Quakers be all together, and I do not know but they will mutiny, and one says he cannot fight: then he ask'd his Name, and came down; He first heaved his Hat over-board, and took hold of his Collar, and beat him with a large Cane, and then dragged him down to his Quarters. Then the Captain goes upon the Half-Deck again, and call'd to his Man to bring him his Sword; which done, he drew it in as much Fury and In­dignation, as ever I saw Sword drawn; for Passion had overcome him. No sooner was his Sword drawn, but the Word of the Lord ran thro' me like Fire, saying, The Sword of the Lord is over him: And if he will have a Sacrifice, proffer it him: And this Word was so powerful in me, that I greatly quivered and shook, tho' endea­voured the contrary, fearing they should think I was afraid of the Sword, but I was [Page 27] not: And when the shaking was a little over, I turned my Head over my Shoul­der, and said to the Friend I loved so well, That I must go to the Captain: His Answer was, Be well satisfied in what thou dost: My Answer was again, There is a Necessity upon me to go. Then, his Answer was, I will go with thee. Then watching the Captain, as he came forward with his drawn Sword in his Hand, I fixt my Eye upon him, with the great Dread of the Lord upon my Mind; I step'd towards him, and he furiously looked on me, to have daunted me; but I was carried above all his furi­ous Looks: I had about five Paces and six Steps upon the Quarter-Deck before I came to him, I still keeping my Eye up­on him, in much Dread, and step'd the five Paces, and on the third Step, his Countenance changed pale, and he turned himself about from me, and went off, and called to his Man to take away his Sword: I standing there a while, said to my Friend, The Captain is gone, let us return to our Friends; who receiv [...]d us very kindly, and were glad to see how we were delivered. In a little Time, the Ship we thought to fight withal, prov'd a Genoese, our Friend; and before Night the Captain sent the Priest to me, to desire me not to be angry with him, for it was in his Passion; my An­swer [Page 28] by the Priest to the Captain was, That I had nothing but good Will to him, and all Men living; and bid him tell the Cap­tain, That he must have a Care of such Passi­ons, for if he killed a Man in his Passion, he might seek a Place for Repentance, and might not find it. And ever after this the Cap­tain was very kind and respective to me.

And thus the Lord brought me thro' many and various Exercises, for which I bless his worthy Name; for if the Trial, or Exercise was ever so great, if I was but made willing to give up to that he made known unto me, to be his Will and Mind, he never fail'd to carry me thro' it; to whom be everlasting Praise, faith my Soul.

In the Year 1660, about the time of King Charles the IId's coming into England, for the Space of two or three Years, I met with many sorts of Exercises, being forc'd or press'd divers Times; all which the Lord brought me thro'. And of the ma­ny, I shall hint a few, that if any should meet with the like, they may not distrust the Lord's Goodness and Strength, for he is able by his everlasting Power, to pre­serve to the uttermost, and will plead the Cause of such who put their whole Trust and Confidence in him.

In the Year 1661, early one Morning, [Page 29] going from my Quarters towards the Ship I belong'd unto, I met four Press-Masters, and I might have shunned them, but durst not; and when we met, they ask'd me, Whether I was a Master or a Mate? I denying to be a Master, they reply'd, You must go with us: Not so, said I; then they took hold of me, two under my Arms, and two under my Hams, and lifted me upon their Shoulders, and carried me about three Hundred Yards, with my Face upwards; So that by the Signs I could discern which way they carry'd me, which was to Horsley-down, M [...]ll-Stairs; and then it was in my Mind, that they would heave me over the Wharf; then I consi­dered what Time of Tide it was, and be­ing young Flood, the Boat came to the Wharf-Side, and they heav'd me from their Shoulders over the Wharf, cross the Boat-thaughts, which was about five Yards high, and had not Providence preserved me, they had killed, or else crippled me, and I lying still for some Time, one of them cryed out, What shall we do, we have kill'd the Man; but getting up, I went into the Boat's-Stern, at which they were glad and rejoiced; and so carried me over the Water, and put me on Shore.

Another Time (in the Year 1662.) go­ing to Harwich laden with Corn, and no [Page 30] sooner we came to an Anchor, but a Press-Boat came on Board us; and the first Man they laid Hands on, was me, saying, You must go with us. I hope not so, said I. Then they swore that I was a lusty Man, and should go: Then they laid Hands on me, and lifted me into their Boat, and carried me on Board the Ship Mary, one Jeremiah Smith Commander, who was a very loose and wicked Man: So when I came to the Ship-side, they bad me go in, the which I had not Freedom to do: Then they ty'd a Rope about my Waste, and with a Tackle hoisted me, making a Noise, as if I had been some Monster, and lower'd me down upon the Main-Hatch­es, where I sat about half an Hour, that all might have their full View of me: Then I got up, and walk'd abaft (or be­hind) the Main-Mast, amongst the Offi­cers, and when Night came, I went un­der the half-Deck, and laid me down be­tween two Guns on the Boards, and slept very well. The next Day the Steward came to me, to know my Name; I asked him for what? He reply'd, That I might have my Victuals. I told him, it was Time enough when I came for my Vic­tuals. So I continued without any Food Five Days, only at Times a Draught of Water; for I was sensible, if I had eat of [Page 31] their Victuals, they would have kept me. The Seamen were very kind to me, and ma­ny came in great Tenderness, and proffer'd me of their Victuals: I accepted of their Love, but none of their Victuals. The Captain was a very furious Man, and fre­quently in Drink, so that I could not have Opportunity to speak with him; and I often desired of the Lord for Strength to oppose him, or else to be still and quiet. And on the Sixth Day in the Morning, from the Time I came on Board, I found much Exercise attending my Mind to go to the Captain, and I spake to the Master to tell him of it, which he did. The Cap­tain, having most of his Officers about him, sent for me by his Man, himself be­ing on the Half-Deck; and as I was going along the Gallery, his Man turns about, saying, You must pull off your Hat when you come to the Captain, whose Back was towards me; and his Man offering to pull it off, I held it on, which caused a Bustle. The Captain said, Let his Hat alone, I know the Quakers very well. What is thy Business with me? To which I answered, I acquainted thy Men when they took me from my Employ­ment, that I was not for their Turns, and am come to acquaint thee; I also said, It is not unknown unto some in this Ship, that I have been as great a Fighter as others, but now no [Page 32] more so. I hear so, said the Captain, and that thou hast had Command, and so thou shalt have here; or else thou shalt stand by me, and I will tell thee what I will have done, and thou shalt call the Men to do it; or else thou shalt stand by the Fore-Braces, and I will call to thee to do so and so; and this is not killing of Men, to hale a Rope. I answered, But I will not do That. Then, said he, Thou shalt be with the Coopers, to hand Beer for them, there is great Occasion for it. I answered, But I will not do That. Then, said he again, I have an Employ­ment for thee, which will be a great Piece of Cha­rity, and a saving of Mens Lives, Thou shalt be with the Doctor, and when a Man comes down, that hath lost a Leg or an Arm, to hold the Man, while the Doctor cuts it off; this is not killing Men, but saving Mens Lives. I answered, But I will not do That, for it's all an Assistance. Then he said, I will send thee a-shore to Pri­son. I answered, I am in thy Hand, thou may'st do with me what thou pleasest. But, said the Captain, I hear thou wilt starve thy self. Not so, said I, for I have Money in my Pocket, and if thou wilt sell me any Victuals, I will eat before thee. The Captain said, I cannot sell the King's Victuals. I answered, Nor I cannot do the King's Work, therefore can­not eat the King's Victuals.

In a little Time after, I was called to go into the Boat, expecting to be sent to Pri­son, [Page 33] but when we came on Shore, contra­ry to my Expectation, the Captain bad me, Go which Way I would. This done, I enquired for my Friend Mary Va [...]dewa [...]l, who received me very kindly, and provi­ded for me, such Things as were necessary, my Teeth being [...] loose. And after two or three Days, I returned to the Ves­sel I was press'd out of: And the next Day, being very hard at Work, heaving out Corn into a Lighter, stripp'd in my Shirt and Drawers; then a Man of War's Boat clapp'd us on Board, and the Coxon jump'd in, and swore, Here's a lusty Rogue! come up, said he, but I took little Notice of him, and continued heaving Corn, at which he sword, That if I would not come up, he would lay me cross the Shoulders. Then I said, Strike me not, for if thou dost, I will not come up; if thou strike me not, I may come up. Then he swore to the Captain, that I was a Qua­ker. Have him up, said the Captain, so I went upon the Deck: Come near, says the Captain; so I went into the Lighter, into which we heav'd the Corn, close by him. Then the Captain, in a scoffing Manner, said, Thou art no Quaker, if thou wert, I would not take thee; for if thou wert a Quaker, thou shouldst be waiting upon the Lord, and let his Ravens feed thee, and not be toiling thy Body so: (my Shirt being then very wet with [Page 34] Sweat) answer me, said he. The Seamen crying, The Spirit does not move him; one while saying, Pull him in; another while, Let him alone: Thus it was for some time. And I got very low in my Mind, not mat­tering what they said; desiring earnestly of the Lord, that if I answered the Cap­tain, it might be to the Purpose, or else to be silent. And it rose fresh in my Mind to the Captain: I perceive thou hast read some Part of the Scriptures, didst thou never read, that he is worse than an Infidel, that will not provide for his Family? adding, I often heard the Quakers blamed for not working) but thou art the first that ever I heard blame them for working. Says the Captain, Turn him away, he is a Quaker. Being gone a little Way, he calls out, Pull him again, he is no Qua­ker: Thou art no Quaker; for here thou bringest Corn, and of it is made Bread, and by the Strength of that Bread, we kill the Dutch; and therefore no Quaker: Or art not thou as accessary to their Death as we? Answer me. I kept very still and low in my Mind: And after their many Scoffs and Jeers; then said I to the Captain, I am a Man that have, and can feed my Enemies; and well may I you, who pretend to be my Friends. The Cap­tain reply'd, Turn him away, he is a Quaker.

In a few Days after, I was press'd out of the same Vessel, and carry'd on Board a [Page 35] Man of War; and when I came on Board, was order'd to go into the Cabin, where the Captain and several Officers were; and when I came into the Cabin, the Cap­tain appear'd like a Madman, swearing and cursing against the Quakers; often swearing, That if he did not hang me, he would carry me to the Duke of York, and he would. But I said very little to them; for the Lord's Presence was with me, and carry'd me over all their high Threats. And when he had tired himself, then he said more mildly, What! dost thou say nothing for thy self? My Answer was, Thou say'st enough for thee, and me too; for I found it most safe to say little, except I had good Au­thority for it. So, when they had done, I went to my Lodging, between two Guns in the Half-deck, on the Boards; and be­ing betwixt sleep and wake, I heard a great Outcry, Where is the Quaker? Where is the Quaker? And the Cry much increasing, at last I said, Here am I, what lack you at this Time of the Night? (it being about the first Hour) Ho! said they, you must come to the Captain presently. And when I came to the Cabin-Door; said the Captain, Is the Qua­ker there? Yes, said I. I cannot sleep, said he: But I slept very very well on the hard Boards. Then, said he, Thou must go on Shore, I answered, I am in thy Hand, and [Page 36] thou may'st do with me, as thou pleasest: So the Boat put me a-shore at Harwich. And this was the Man that said, Hanging was too good for me; who, in six Hours Time was so weary of me, that he could not take his natural Rest, whilst I was on Board.

These, and many more of the like Ex­ercises, hath the Lord carry'd me thro', too long here too mention; for the which, I bless his worthy Name: For he was al­ways, in the greatest Straits, ready to as­sist me, as I was made willing to give up to him, and to be nothing of my self.

Thomas Lurting.
[Page 37]

A true Account of George Pattison's being taken by the Turks; and how redeemed by God's Direction and As­sistance, without Bloodshed; putting the Turks on Shore in their own Coun­try, about the 8th Month, 1663.

I Thomas Lurting, was then George Pattison's Mate, and coming from Venice, we heard that many Turks Men of War were at Sea, and that they had taken many English Ships; and it was much in thy Mind, that we should be taken: and I was ve­ry much concerned, as well for the Men, as for my self; at which I went to the Master, and de­sir'd of him to go to Leghorn, and to stay for a Convoy, and so long we would have no Wages; but the Master would not agree to this, but kept the Sea, much contrary to our Minds: And com­ing near a Spanish Island, call'd May-York, we were chased by a Turks Vessel, or a Man of War, called a Pata [...]h, as some Time before we had been; and thought by our Vessel's well sailing, to escape; but by carrying over-much Sail, some of our ma­terials gave Way, by which Means the Turks came up with us, and commanded the Master on Board; who accordingly went, with four Men more, lea­ving me, and three Men and a Boy, on Board our Vessel; and so soon as our Boat came on Board the Turks Vessel, they took all our Men out of the Boat, and put in Fourteen Turks. All this while I was under a great Exercise in Spirit, not so much for my self, because I had a secret Hope of Relief, but a great Stress lay upon me for the Men, in this very Juncture of Time; for all Hopes of outward Deliverance being then gone, the Master then on Board the Turks, with Four of our Men, [Page 38] and the Turks just coming on Board of us: And being much concerned in Mind, I desired of the Lord Patience under such an Exercise; and going to the Ship's Side to see the Turks come in, the Word of the Lord ran thro' me, thus; Be not a­fraid, for all this, thou shalt not go to Algier: And I having formerly great Experience of the Lord's Doings upon several Deliverances in Times of War, I believed what the Lord did say in me. At this all kind of Fear was removed, and I received them, as a Man might his Friends, and they were as Civil to us. So I shewed them all Parts of the Vessel, and what she was laden withal; then said I to our Men, Be not afraid, for all this, we shall not go to Algier; but let me desire you, as you have been willing to obey me, so be as willing to obey the Turks; for by our so doing, we got over them: For when they saw our great Diligence, it made them the more careless of, and favourable to us. So when they had taken some small Matter of what we were laden withal, some went on Board their own Ship again, and eight Turks stay'd with us. Then began I to think of the Master, and the other four, which were in the Turks Ship; for as for my self, and the others with me, I had no Fear at all; nay, I was so far from it, that I said to one of our Men, Were but the Master on Board, and the rest of our Men, if there were twice as many Turks, I should not fear them. For my earnest Desire was to the Lord, that he would put it into their Hearts to send them on Board; and good was the Lord, in answering my Desire; for it was as a Seal to what he before had spoke thro' me, and in me. Soon af­ter this, the Master was sent on Board, with the rest of our Men. Then all Manner of Fear was off me, as to going to Algier; and some said to me, I was a strange Man, I was afraid before we were taken, but now I was not. My Answer was, I now believe I shall not go to Algier, and if you will be ruled by me, I will act for your Delivery, as well [Page 39] as any own; but as yet I saw no Way for it, for they were all arm'd, and we without Arms. Now we being all together, except the Master, I began to reason with them: What if we should overcome the Turks, and go to May-York? At which they very much rejoyced; and one said, I will kill one or two; and another said, I will cut as many of their Throats as you will have me: This was our Men's Answer; at which I was much troubled, and said to them, If I know any of you that offers to touch a Turk, I will tell the Turks my self: But I said to them, If you will be ruled, I will act for you; if not, I will be still: Then they agreed to do what I would have them. Then said I, If the Turks bid you do any Thing, do it without grumbling, and with as much Diligence and Quickness as you can; for that pleases them, and that will cause them to let us be together: to which they agreed. Then I went to our Master, who was a Friend and a very bold-spirited Man, and told him our Intenti­on; whose Answer to me was, If we offer'd to rise, and they overcame us, we had as good be burnt a­live. The which I knew very well: But I could get him no Way to adhere to me, in that he was fearful of Bloodshed, for that was his Reason: In­somuch that at last I told him, we were resolv'd, and I question'd not but to do it, without one Drop of Bloodshed; and I believed that the Lord would prosper it, by reason I could rather go to Algier, than to kill one Turk. So at last he agreed to this, to let me do what I would, provided we killed none. At that Time, there being still two Turks lying in the Cabin with him; so he was to lie in the Cabin, that by his being there, they should mistrust nothing: which accordingly he did; and having bad Weather, and lost the Company of the Man of War, which thing I much desired; the Turks seeing our Diligence, made them careless of us.

[Page 40]The second Night, after the Captain and one of the Turks went to Sleep in the Cabin with our Ma­ster; then I persuaded one to lie in my Cabin, and about an Hour after, another in another Cabin; until at last, it rained very much, I perswaded them all down to Sleep; and when asleep, I got their Arms in Possession; and all this was done by fair Means and Persuasions.

Then said I to the Men of our Vessel, Now we have the Turks at our Command, no Man shall hurt any of them; for if you do, I will be against you; but this we will do, now they are under Deck, we will keep them so, and go for May-York. So when I had ordered some to keep the Doors, lest any should come out, strictly charging 'em not to spill Blood; and so order'd our Course for May-York; the which in the Morning we were near. Then my Or­ders to our Men was, if any offer'd to come out, not to let above one or two at a Time; and one came out expecting to have seen his own Country; but to the contrary, it was May-York: Then said I to our Men, Be careful of the Door, for when he goes in, we shall see what they will do: And as soon as he told them, we were going towards May-York, they, instead of Rising, fell all to Crying; for their Courage was taken from them, and they desired that they might not be sold; which I promised they should not; and so soon as I had pacified them, I went into the Cabin to our Master, he not knowing what was done and so he told their Cap­tain, That we had overcome his Men, and were go­ing for May-York: At which unexpected News he wept; and desired the Master not to sell him; which he promised he would not. Then we told the Captain, we would make a Place to hide them in, where the Spaniards should not find them; at which they were very glad, and we did according­ly. So when we came in, the Master went on Shore, with Four more, and [...]t me on Board with [Page 41] the Turks, which were ten; but they could not come out, except I let them: And when he had done his Business, not taking Product or License, lest the Spaniards should come and see the Turks. But at Night an English Master came on Board, being an Acquaintance; and after some Discourse with him, we told him, if he would not betray us, we would tell him what we had done; but we would not have the Spaniards know it, lest they should take them from us; the which he promised, but brake the same, and would have had two or three of them, to have brought to England; but we saw his End: And when he saw he could not prevail, then he said, They are worth two or three hundred Pieces of Eight each: whereat both the Master and I told him, That if they would give many Thousands, they should not have one, for we hoped to send them home again.

But he look'd upon us as Fools, because we would not sell them; which I would not have done for the whole Island: But contrary to our Expectati­on, he told the Spaniards, who threatned to take them from us: But so soon as we heard thereof, we call'd up the Turks, and told them, They must help us, or the Spaniards would take them from us: So they resolvedly helped us, and we made all Haste to run from the Spaniards; which pleased the Turks very well. So we put our selves to the Ha [...]ard of the Turks to save them. Thus we con­tinued about six or seven Days, not being willing to put into any Port o [...] Spain, for Fear of losing the Turks: We let them have their Liberty for four or five Days, until they made an Attempt to rise; which I foresaw and prevented. All this while I was very kind to them; insomuch that some of our Men grumbled, saying. I had more Care for the Turks than them. My Answer was, They were Strangers, I must treat them well. And when at [...], in the Day Time, we were going for Algier, [Page 42] but when Night came, for London; and so we kept them in Ignorance, for about eight or nine Days, by which Means they were quiet; and the ninth Day in the Afternoon, we came by an Island cal­led [...]rmet [...]re, an Island they knew very well; and by that Island they knew we did not go for Algier, but for England: in the Afternoon they were all upon Deck, and our Master with them, and they threaten'd our Master very much, by rea­son he was gone by Algier; and none of our Men were upon the Deck, but my self and the Man at the Helm, but most of them asleep; and I sitting by the [...]ain mast, taking good Notice of them; at last their Countenance began to change, and to look very sourly; and a great Weight fell upon me, and it rose in my Mind. How if they should lay hold in the Master and heave him Over-Board: They being ten lusty Men [...] and [...] small Man; and my Weight increased, then I [...]ed up, and [...]p'd with my [...]oo [...] and our [...] came up, say­ing, Where's the Cr [...]w? Another, [...]ere's the Ax? And every one the Thing they ha [...] provided for their own Defence: So when I saw them all about me, and heard these Men threaten the Master; I said, Let us have them down, we have given them too much Liberty: But first, Lay thou down, said I, [...]o one of our Men [...] the Cr [...]w and the Ax, and every Man of [...], what you have provided to hurt them, they are Turks, and we are Englishman, let it not be said, We are afraid of them; I will lay hold on the [...] [...] step'd forward, and laid hold of him, and said, He must go down: which he did very quietly; and all the rest. At this Time, and not before we discover'd, that several of them had long Knives, by which they might have done us much Damage: and afterwards we were more care­ful of them: and not long after, two of them dif­fering, drew out their Knives, one against the o­ther, and our Men that kept the Watch, called [Page 43] me, and I called their Captain, who took their Knives from them, and gave them to me, and beat them. The before-mentioned Passage, was the first Time of Resistance, for what was done towards the Turks before, was done by fair Means or Threats; not Violence; for I took great Care of them. And on the 9th Day, after we had them on Board, I went to our Master, and desired him to go on the Coasts of Barbary; for there we were like to miss of their Men of War, to which he consented. And on the 11th Day, we were on that Coast and about six Miles from Land, and in the Afternoon it fell calm, and I had much upon my Mind, to set the Turks on Shore; then I went to our Men, and said, Who will go with me, and set the Turks on Shore? One said, I will go, and another said, I will go, then another the like; but three to ten is too little: Then I went to another, and said to him Thou and I have been good Friends, will thou venture to go with me; he answered, Yes, if my Master will give me Leave; This is enough, said I. After this was resolv'd on, and they promised me, that they wou [...]d do nothing to the Turks, until I said, [...] more; then they were to shift for their Lives: This agreed on, I went to the Master, and acquainted him what we had resolved to do, if he would let us have the Boat. After some Time together, and some Tears dropt on both Sides, I told him I be­liev'd the Lord would preserve me for I had nothing but good Will in venturing my Life and that I had not the least Fear upon me, but all would do well. Then said I, if we give them the Boat, they will get Arms and come and take us with our own Boat; and if we put half on Shore, they will raise the Coun­try, and surprize us, when we come with the other half; but if he would let me go, and the other three would go with me, I would venture to put them [...]n Shore, to which he consented; so ambracing one another in great Tenderness, we parted; but I saw [Page 44] no other Way, but to carry them all at once; then I called the Turks up, and when they came up, they knew the Place, there were two Towns about four Miles from the Water-side: But when the Turks came up, one of the Men that promised to go with me was afraid, and came to me, saying, he was not willing to go, except I bound them. To which I an­swer'd, I was not afraid, and to bind them would but exasperate them, now, they were quiet, let us keep them so: Come, let us h [...]ist out the Boat; and when that was done, I went into her, and gave the Painter, or Rope into the Ship, then I called in the Captain, and placed him first in the [...]o [...]t's-stern, then for another, and placed him in his Lap, and one on each Side, and two more in their Laps, until I had placed them all. And when our Men saw how I had placed them, they were willing to go without binding of them: So I gave two of our Men, each an Oar, and one of our Men sat on the Bow of the Boat, with a Carpenter's Ax on his Shoulder, and I sat on the other Side with a Boat-Hook in my Hand, with two that rowed, one ha­ving a Carpenter's Addz, and the other, a Cooper's Heading-Knife: These were our Arms, besides the Turks Arms we had in our Command: and when all was ready, we took our Leaves one of another, committing our selves unto the Lord, for Preser­vation: we being three Men and a Boy, and ten Turks: So we set for the Shore, and having but two Oars, the [...]ime seemed long; but that which made it seem the longer, before we got half way to Shore, our Mens Hearts began to fail them, and they began to reflect on me, saying, This was n [...] Frolick. And as we came near the Shore, the more they were afraid: so that every Rook, they made to be a Boat; so that I had very much to do to keep them quiet: saying many Times, Give way my [...]ads, we shall get a Shore in a little Time. All this Time I had not the least Fear on me: At last [Page 45] we came within 30 or 40 Yards of the Shore; then I commanded to turn the Boat; then said I to one that I put most Trust in, To have a Care of those Bushes, that there be no Men in them, for I fear not the Men in the Boat; and turning my self about, with my Back to the Shore, to heave the Grappling, the very same Man cryed out, Lord have Mercy on us, there are Turks in the Bushes on Shore. I ha­ving not hove the Grappling, turns me about, say­ing, What's the Matter? Says he, Positively, there's Men in the Bushes. And he speaking so positively o [...] it, it seized me, so that I was possessed with Fear: And so soon as the Turks in the Boat saw I was afraid, they all rose at once in the Boat. And this was one of the greatest Straights that ever I was put to: Not for Fear of the Turks in the Boat, but for Fear of our Men's killing them; for I would not have killed a Turk, or caused one to be killed, for the whole World. And when the Turks were risen, I caused our Men to lay their Oars cross the Boat; for that was all that was betwixt us, and bid the Men take up such Arms as they had: Then, said I to them, I would have [...] be as good as your Word, for you promised me you would do nothing, un­til I said, I could do no more: Now I desire you to keep to that. (For there was nothing lacking but my Word to kill the Turks) then I sharply repro­ved them, for their many Reflections; but more particularly, he that had said, there were Men in the Bushes, but there was not. And your many Fears have brought s [...]me on me also: therefore now behave your selves like Men, and be not afraid. And when I had spoken these Words unto them; all this while the Turks stood up; then I remained in Si­lence a considerable Time, and was very low in my Mind: At last all Fear was taken away, and Life arose, and Courage increased again; and it was with me, It's better to strike a Blow, than to cleave a Man's Head, or cut off an Arm, and I [Page 46] turned the Hook of the Boat-Hook into my Hand, then I considered [...] strike them that was next me, which was the weakest, I [...] have still the strongest to encounter; at which I got into the mid­dle of the Boat, upon the [...] [...]aughts, then I [...]ck the Captain a [...], and bid him sit down which he did instantly, and so did all the rest, without any more Blows; then I stept for­ward, and said to our Men, Now you see what [...] to be afraid, What shall we do now? Some was for carrying them on Board again? Not so, said I, God [...]illing I will put them to Shore, for the [...]'ll come quietly near the Shore; but if we carry them on Board, there will be nothing but Refine: For if it were my own Case, I would rise ten times, and so will they; on Shore we must put them. And going along the Shore, there was a small Rock lay off the Shore, which our Men would have me to put them on; but they not seeming willing, I would not: At last I esp [...]ed a very convenient Place, in a small Bay, wherein was a Water-way, and we could see a Mile; we went thither, and finding it very con­venient, turn'd our Boat, and hove out our Grap­pling; and with Signs of great Kindness, they took Leave, and jump'd out not very wet, and when on Shore, we put our Boat very close in, and gave them about half a hundred of Bread and Match, and other Things, and hove all their Arms on Shore to them: And then they were not above 4 Miles from two Towns, and about [...] Miles from Algier: and they would gladly have had us gone to the Town, telling of us, There was Wine, and many other Things; and as for my Part, I could have ventured with them: So we parted in great Love; and staid until they had all got up the Hill, and they shook their Caps at us, and we at them. And as soon as we came on Board, we had a fair Wind; which we had not had all the while the Turks were on Board, nor many Days before.

[Page 47]And when we came for England, coming up the River of Thames, some Boats going before us; and King Charles, and the Duke of York, and ma­ny of his Lords, being at Greenwich, it was told them, There was a Quaker's [...]a [...]h coming up the [...]ver, that had been taken by the Turks, and [...] redeemed themselves and had [...] a Gun. And when we came near to Greenwich, the King came to our Ship's Side, and one of the Lords came in, and discoursed the Ma [...]ter; and the King and the Duke of York, stood with the Entering Ropes in their Hands, and ask'd me many Que­stions about his Men of War; I told him, We had seen none of them. Then he ask'd me many Que­stions, How we cleared our selves, and I answer'd him; He said, I should have brought the Turks to him: I answered him, That I thought it better for them to be in their own Country: At which they all smiled, and went away.

I have wrote more large and particular than in my former Account, which I wrote from Lever­ [...]oole, the 30th of the 5th Month, 1680, where I had not my Papers.

So I rest in that which can do good for Evil, which ought to be the Practice of all true Men.

Thomas Lurting
FINIS.
[Page]

Lately publish'd,

WAYS and Means for the Inhabi­tants of Delaware to become Rich: Wherein the several Growths and Pro­ducts of these Countries [...]e demonstra­ted to be a sufficient Fund for a flourish­ing Trade. Humbly submitted to the Legislative Authority of these Colonies.

Baptismon Didd [...]. Or the Doctrine of Baptisms, reduced from its Ancient and Modern Corruptions; and restored to its Primitive Soundness and Integrity, accor­ding to the Word of Truth, the Sub­stance of Faith, and the Nature of Christ Kingdom. By William Dell, Minister of the Gospel, and Master of Gonvil and Gaius Colledge in Cambridge.

Now in the Press, to be speedily Publish'd,

A Dialogue betwixt a Quaker and Priest. Many Thousands of which have been sold at England.

To be sold by S. Keimer, in the Mark­et-street, Philadelphia.

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