54 COLONISTS OF GOOD BIETH. [169I. 



liim for the good Qualities with which he is adorn'd. I 

 observ'd with pleasure in this young Man (for he was not 

 above twenty years old) an honest and upright Soul, good 

 natur'd and lively : He had by his Studies acquir'd more 

 Knowledge, than the generality of Mankind can pretend to. 

 He was always Gay, and in good Humour,^ and ^twas chiefly 

 owing to his faculty of Invention and Address, that we built 

 tlie rare Vessel, of which we shall say more hereafter ; as 

 also that we Manufactur'd certain little Hatts, wliich were 

 very great Comforts to us in our great Distresses. To con- 

 clude, I must inform the Eeader, en iKtssant, that except F. 

 Thomas and R. Anselin, Men of mean Fortunes, all the rest 

 of our Friends were not driv'n out of Eurojje by Misery, nor 

 did they desperately cast themselves on Desert Islands, 

 because they knew not where to set their foot in the World. 

 They were Men of good Families, and of no contemptible 

 Estates ; but Mr, du Qiiesnes Colony made such a noise (& 

 qtc'ils 4taient jeunes, saiiis ^ gaillards), that having no ties 

 of Families or Affairs to detain them, they had a mind to 

 make this Voyage. 



I believ'd, Reader, you wou'd be better pleas'd with the 

 Continuation of our Adventures, after I had given you some 

 light into the Characters and Circumstances of the Adven- 

 turers. 



You see Trees scatter'd up and down in our little Town, 

 they are Ptemainders of a much greater Number, which we 

 thought fit to fell, and 'twas no hard matter to do it ; for the 

 Ground is extreamly light, and the Eoots were easily taken 

 up : I don't doubt, you Laugh to hear us talk of our little 

 Town, but what I pray you was the famous Borne in its 

 beginning ? Had there been Women amongst us, 100 years 

 hence, instead of seven Hutts, one might have reckon'd seven 

 Parishes. 



1 " II etoit toujours gai, toujours obligeant, & du raeilleur nature! 

 du monde." Bcnelle was living at Amsterdam when this was written. 

 (See Introduction.) 



