4 Some ISLew Voyages 



fpread throughout the Ship, and the fate of the 

 wretches chat we had thrown over board, was quite 

 forgot. Then the Sailors fet about the Chriftening 

 of thofe who had never maac the Voyage before, 

 and indeed they had done it f joner, if it had not 

 been for the death of our above- mentioned Compa- 

 nions. The Chriften>ng I fpeak of, is an imperti- 

 nent Ceremony, pra&is'd by Sea- faring Men, whofe 

 humours are as ftrange and extravagant, as the 

 Element it felf, upon which they foolifhly truft 

 themfelves. By vertue of a Cuftom of old ftand- 

 ing, they profane the Sacrament of Baptifm in an 

 unaccountable manner. Upon that occafion, the old 

 Sailors being blackened all over, and difguis'd with 

 Rags and Ropes, force the greener fort that have 

 never pafe'd fome certain degrees of Latitude be- 

 fore, to fall down on their Knees, and to fwear 

 upon a Book of Sea Charts, that upon all occafi- 

 ons they wili pra&ife upon others, the fame Cere- 

 mony that is then made ufe of towards them. Af- 

 ter the adminiftring of this ridiculous Oath , they 

 throw fifty Buckets full of Water upon their Head* 

 Belly, and Thighs, and indeed all over their Body, 

 without sny regard to times or feafons. This piece 

 of folly is chiefly pra&is'd under the Equator, un- 

 der the TropickS;, under the Polar Circles, upon the 

 bank of Ntwfound Land $ and in the Streights of 

 Gibraltar, the Sund, and the Dardanelles. As for 

 Perfons of Note or Charader, they are exempted 

 from the Ceremony, at the expence of five or fix 

 bottles of Brandy for the Ships Crew; 



Three or four days after the performance of this 

 Solemnity, we difcover'd Cape Raye y and fo mads 

 up to St. Laurence Bay y in the Mouth of which we 

 were becalm'd for a little while ; and during that 

 Calm, we had a clearer and pleafanter day, than 

 any we had feen in the Paffage. It look'd as if 

 that day had been vouchfaPd us by way of recom- 



pence 



