A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDefoe, Daniel
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A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed Before
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories; Voyages around the world -- Fiction
But I had not done with my host; for after dinner, I took him into the
same room, and told him I hoped he did not think I had made all my
presents to the ladies, and had nothing left to show my respect to him;
and therefore, first, I presented him with three negro men, which I had
bought at Callao for my own use, but knew I could supply myself again,
at or in my way home, at a moderate price; in the next place, I gave him
three pieces of black Colchester baize, which, though they are coarse
ordinary things in England, that a footman would scarce wear, are a
habit for a prince in that country. I then gave him a piece of very fine
English serge, which was really very valuable in England, but much more
there, and another piece of crimson broadcloth, and six pieces of fine
silk druggets for his two sons; and thus I finished my presents. The
Spaniard stood still and looked on all the while I was laying out my
presents to him, as one in a transport, and said not one word till all
was over; but then he told me very gravely, that it was now time for him
to turn me out of his house: For seignior, says he, no man ought to
suffer himself to be obliged beyond his power of return, and I have no
possible way of making any return to you equal to such things as these.
It is true the present I had made him, if it was to be rated by the
value of things in the country where it then was, would have been valued
at six or seven hundred pounds sterling; but, to reckon them as they
cost me, did not altogether amount to above one hundred pounds, except
the three negroes, which, indeed, cost me at Lima one thousand two
hundred pieces of eight.
He was as sensible of the price of those negroes as I was of the
occasion he had of them, and of the work he had to do for them; and he
came to me about an hour after, and told me he had looked over all the
particulars of the noble presents which I had made them; and though the
value was too great for him to accept, or for any man to offer him, yet
since I had been at so much trouble to send for the things, and that I
thought him worthy such a bounty, he was come back to tell me that he
accepted thankfully all my presents, both to himself and to his wife
and daughter, except only the three negroes; and as they were bought in
the country, and were the particular traffick of the place, he could not
take them as a present, but would be equally obliged, and take it for as
much a favour if I would allow him to pay for them.
I smiled, and told him he and I would agree upon that; for he did not
yet know what favours I had to ask of him, and what expense I should put
him to; that I had a great design in my view, which I was to crave his
assistance in, and which I had not yet communicated to him, in which he
might perhaps find that he would pay dear enough for all the little
presents I had made him; and, in the meantime, to make himself easy as
to the three negro men, I gave him my word that he should pay for them,
only not yet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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