I had been two or three times going to give a detail of our wealth, but
it will appear incredible, and we had the greatest difficulty in the
world how to conceal it, being justly apprehensive lest we might be
assassinated in that country for our treasure. At length William told me
he began to think now that he must never see England any more, and
that indeed he did not much concern himself about it; but seeing we had
gained so great wealth, and he had some poor relations in England, if
I was willing, he would write to know if they were living, and to know
what condition they were in, and if he found such of them were alive
as he had some thoughts about, he would, with my consent, send them
something to better their condition.
I consented most willingly; and accordingly William wrote to a sister
and an uncle, and in about five weeks' time received an answer from them
both, directed to himself, under cover of a hard Armenian name that
he had given himself, viz., Signore Constantine Alexion of Ispahan, at
Venice.
It was a very moving letter he received from his sister, who, after the
most passionate expressions of joy to hear he was alive, seeing she had
long ago had an account that he was murdered by the pirates in the West
Indies, entreats him to let her know what circumstances he was in; tells
him she was not in any capacity to do anything considerable for him, but
that he should be welcome to her with all her heart; that she was left
a widow, with four children, but kept a little shop in the Minories, by
which she made shift to maintain her family; and that she had sent him
five pounds, lest he should want money, in a strange country, to bring
him home.
I could see the letter brought tears out of his eyes as he read it; and,
indeed, when he showed it to me, and the little bill for five pounds,
upon an English merchant in Venice, it brought tears out of my eyes too.
After we had been both affected sufficiently with the tenderness and
kindness of this letter, he turns to me; says he, "What shall I do for
this poor woman?" I mused a while; at last says I, "I will tell you what
you shall do for her. She has sent you five pounds, and she has four
children, and herself, that is five; such a sum, from a poor woman in
her circumstances, is as much as five thousand pounds is to us; you
shall send her a bill of exchange for five thousand pounds English
money, and bid her conceal her surprise at it till she hears from you
again; but bid her leave off her shop, and go and take a house somewhere
in the country, not far off from London, and stay there, in a moderate
figure, till she hears from you again."
"Now," says William, "I perceive by it that you have some thoughts of
venturing into England."
"Indeed, William," said I, "you mistake me; but it presently occurred to
me that you should venture, for what have you done that you may not be
seen there? Why should I desire to keep you from your relations, purely
to keep me company?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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