My friends and neighbors all I pray attend, And hearken to the lines that here is penn'd, How we were driven from our native land, If you'll attend you soon shall understand. The great Supreme that rules the Universe, Who marks our ways while time and nature lasts, Whose orders spread with universal sway. And floods and waves their Maker's voice obey, O what is man! his stature weak and small, Who in distress doth on his Maker call, For help and mercy when no friend is near, To save his life which he esteems so dear. But strange to think when once his life is sav'd, And he prolonged from a watery grave, No longer he in dust and ashes mourn, But doth to sin of every kind return. Both prayers and vows they soon are laid aside, He doth the works of providence deride, He saith by chance I did this work perform, And boasts his skill in braving out the storm, But while misfortune present to my view. The same in truth I will relate to you, It was November on the twentieth day, We from New-York did then our anchors weigh, For Massachusetts-Bay we being bound, With pleasant gales we sail'd Long-Island sound, In thirty hours we did our anchors cast, In Holme's hole and thought all dangers past. But he who rules with universal sway, Whose dread commands all nature must obey, Had mark'd the course which we were soon to steer, Attend and you the same shall shortly hear. The twenty third began with pleasant gales, We weigh'd our anchor and soon come to sail, One hand attending with the honest lead. To see what dangers in the deep were hid. At eight A. M. we pass'd all dangerous lands, With pleasant gales we for race point did stand, We little thought the course we had to go, But wind and weather prov'd our overthrow. The Northern winds at 4 P.M prevail'd, Which soon oblig'd us for to reef our sails, Our standing rigging going to decay. Main topinlift was quickly carried away, Night coming on, we to the Eastward steer'd, And soon the Light upon Cape-Cod appear'd. We then wore ship, and stood on the for the shore And soon the light to us appear'd no more. The weather thick, and spitting fast with snow, While furious gales did from the Northward blow, Which fast increas'd, the sea rose every hour, To carry sail now was not in our power, The 24th we could behold no land, And t'was presumption for the shoals to stand, Our rigging old and would not bear a strain, To set more sail it therefore was in vain, The wind had now become a furious gale, And so much sea we could not carry sail, But one thing more remain'd for us to do, To get more sea room, then to heave her too. And now before the raging wind and sea, Although a wreck we were oblig'd to flee, Out the South channel now before the waves, The only chance we had our lives to save. Still one thing more which added to our grief, One man was sick and could get no relief; Unto his cabin he was soon confin'd While death itself did agitate our mind. At 10 P. M. we set a ballance reef, Hoping thereby for to obtain relief, But all in vain the wind so furious blew, And soon we found our ship would not lay too, A two reef'd foresail, we set up amain, Put up the helm and kept away again, While snow and hail in torrents fast did fall, And waves that threaten'd to destroy us all. Having fresh water that was now in store, One hogshead only and could get no more. Short of provisions and of candles too, In times like these, what were we then to do? Forc'd in the gulph were waves like mountains rise, Swept fore and aft which fill'd us with surprize, All things to Leeward with such speed did go, Which spoke aloud our sudden overthrow. Our topsail lost, our rigging all was poor, Which when once lost could be regain'd no more, While we with grief upon our decks did stand, And cast a look towards our native land, Think on our friends, our families and Wives, Behold the waves that threaten now our lives, We all expecting soon to end our days, And to be buried in the rolling waves, Tost on the ocean standing back and forth, Until the wind did meet us from the North. We then did scud her to obtain relief, Under a foresail that was double reef'd, December first, it was that dismal day, When we determin'd for to bare away, We now took leave of all our native shore, To cross the seas while boist'rous waves did roar, If tears of blood would but obtain'd the land, We all would shed them on the same to stand; But all in vain was terrors and dismay, The wind had forc'd us now to keep away; While gales of wind around us did prevail, With peals of thunder and the dreadful hail. The rain in torrents on our decks did fall, With waves that threaten'd to destroy us all. Before the sea we kept our shatter'd bark, Which prov'd at length the safety of an ark, We were protected by the Almighty arm, Who sav'd our bodies from apparent harm, In thirty days with joy we did espy, A sail to windward as she passed by, We set a signal, which they quickly knew, It prov'd the VENUS captain HENRY TEW, Who soon supply'd us with what we did need, And to keep company likewise agreed; Which promise he did like a man perform, Till we were shelter'd from the driving storm, And after six and thirty days were past, We in St. THOMAS, did our anchors cast; Our crew in number which was only five, By God protected and still kept alive, Thanks to that God who rules the world's above, Who grants permission through his boundless love, To sinners who pursue all sinful ways, Yet he in mercy lengthens out their days. How thankful now ought every one to be, Who have escap'd destruction from the sea, And have once more beheld our native land, And been permitted on the same to stand.