Some time after this he took his passage at Folkstone, in Kent, for
Boulogne, in France, where he arrived safe and proceeded to Paris and
other noted cities of that kingdom. His habit was now tolerably good,
his countenance grave, his behaviour sober and decent--pretending to be
a Roman Catholic, who had left England, his native country, out of an
ardent zeal for spending his days in the bosom of the Catholic church.
This story readily gained belief: his zeal was universally applauded,
and handsome contributions made for him. But, at the time he was so
zealous a Roman Catholic, with a little change of habit, he used to
address those English he heard of in any place, as a Protestant and
shipwrecked seaman; and had the good fortune to meet with an English
physician at Paris, to whom he told this deplorable tale, who not only
relieved him very handsomely, but recommended him to that noble pattern
of unexhausted benevolence, Mrs. Horner, who was then on her travels,
from whom he received ten guineas, and from some other company with her
five more.
It was about this time he became acquainted with the Hon. Sir William
Weem, in the following manner:--Being at Watchett, in Somersetshire,
near the seat of that gentleman, he resolved to pay him a visit. Putting
on, therefore, a jacket and a pair of trousers, he made the best of his
way to Sir William's seat, and luckily met Sir William, Lord
Bolingbroke, and several other gentlemen and clergy, with some
commanders of vessels, walking in the park. Carew approached Sir William
with a great deal of seeming fearfulness and respect, and with much
modesty acquainted him he was a Silverton man, that he was the son of
one of his tenants named Moore--had been to Newfoundland, and in his
passage homeward, the vessel was run down by a French ship in a fog, and
only he and two more were saved; but being put on board an Irish vessel,
were carried into Ireland, and from thence landed at Watchett. Sir
William hearing this, asked him a great many questions concerning the
inhabitants of Silverton, who were most of them his own tenants, and of
the principal gentlemen in the neighbourhood; all whom Carew was well
acquainted with and therefore gave satisfactory answers. Sir William at
last asked him if he knew Bickley, and if he knew the parson thereof.
Carew replied that he knew him very well, and so indeed he might as it
was no other than his own father. Sir William then inquired what family
he had, and whether he had not a son named Bamfylde, and what became of
him. "Your honour," replied he, "means the beggar and dog-stealer--I
don't know what has become of him, but it is a wonder if he is not
hanged by this time." "No, I hope not," replied Sir William, "I should
be glad, for his family's sake, to see him at my house." Having
satisfactorily answered many other questions, Sir William generously
relieved him with a guinea, and Lord Bolingbroke followed his example;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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