[Footnote 1: St. James’s, January 10,
1702-5. “Whereas Daniel De Foe, alias De
Fooe, is charged with writing a scandalous and seditious
pamphlet, entitled ‘The shortest Way with the
Dissenters:’ he is a middle-sized spare
man, about 40 years old, of a brown complexion, and
dark-brown coloured hair, but wears a wig, a hooked
nose, a sharp chin, grey eyes, and a large mole near
his mouth, was born in London, and for many years
was a hose-factor, in Freeman’s Yard, in Cornhill,
and now is owner of the brick and pantile works near
Tilbury Fort, in Essex; whoever shall discover the
said Daniel De Foe, to one of her Majesty’s
Principal Secretaries of State, or any of her Majesty’s
Justices of Peace, so as he may be apprehended, shall
have a reward of L50, which her Majesty has ordered
immediately to be paid upon such discovery.”
London Gaz. No. 3879.]
LIFE AND ADVENTURES
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
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 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 did know what was become
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 propension
of nature, tending directly to the life of misery which
was to befall me.
