"History of Discoveries," 1726-7. "The Protestant
Monastery," 1726. "A System of Magic," 1726. "Parochial Tyranny," 1727.
"Treatise concerning Use and Abuse of Marriage," 1727. "Secrets of
Invisible World Discovered; or, History and Reality of Apparitions,"
1727, 1728. "A New Family Instructor," 1728. "Augusta Triumphans," 1728.
"Plan of English Commerce," 1728. "Second Thoughts are Best" (on Street
Robberies), 1728. "Street Robberies Considered," 1728. "Humble Proposal
to People of England for Increase of Trade, &c.," 1729. "Preface to
R. Dodsley's Poem 'Servitude'" 1729. "Effectual Scheme for Preventing
Street Robberies," 1731.
Besides the above-named publications a large number of further tracts by
Defoe are extant, on matters of Politics and Church.
THE LIFE, ADVENTURES, AND PIRACIES OF CAPTAIN SINGLETON
As it is usual for great persons, whose lives have been remarkable, and
whose actions deserve recording to posterity, to insist much upon their
originals, give full accounts of their families, and the histories of
their ancestors, so, that I may be methodical, I shall do the same,
though I can look but a very little way into my pedigree, as you will
see presently.
If I may believe the woman whom I was taught to call mother, I was
a little boy, of about two years old, very well dressed, had a
nursery-maid to attend me, who took me out on a fine summer's evening
into the fields towards Islington, as she pretended, to give the child
some air; a little girl being with her, of twelve or fourteen years old,
that lived in the neighbourhood. The maid, whether by appointment or
otherwise, meets with a fellow, her sweetheart, as I suppose; he carries
her into a public-house, to give her a pot and a cake; and while they
were toying in the house the girl plays about, with me in her hand, in
the garden and at the door, sometimes in sight, sometimes out of sight,
thinking no harm.
At this juncture comes by one of those sort of people who, it seems,
made it their business to spirit away little children. This was a
hellish trade in those days, and chiefly practised where they found
little children very well dressed, or for bigger children, to sell them
to the plantations.
The woman, pretending to take me up in her arms and kiss me, and play
with me, draws the girl a good way from the house, till at last she
makes a fine story to the girl, and bids her go back to the maid, and
tell her where she was with the child; that a gentlewoman had taken
a fancy to the child, and was kissing of it, but she should not be
frighted, or to that purpose; for they were but just there; and so,
while the girl went, she carries me quite away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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