The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

by Daniel Defoe

intimate friend, the captain's lady,whom I had so faithfully served in her case with the captain, and whowas as ready to serve me in the same kind as I could desire. I made noscruple to lay my circumstances open to her; my stock was but low, forI had made but about #540 at the close of my last affair, and I hadwasted some of that; however, I had about #460 left, a great many veryrich clothes, a gold watch, and some jewels, though of no extraordinaryvalue, and about #30 or #40 left in linen not disposed of.

  My dear and faithful friend, the captain's wife, was so sensible of theservice I had done her in the affair above, that she was not only asteady friend to me, but, knowing my circumstances, she frequently mademe presents as money came into her hands, such as fully amounted to amaintenance, so that I spent none of my own; and at last she made thisunhappy proposal to me, viz. that as we had observed, as above, how themen made no scruple to set themselves out as persons meriting a womanof fortune, when they had really no fortune of their own, it was butjust to deal with them in their own way and, if it was possible, todeceive the deceiver.

  The captain's lady, in short, put this project into my head, and toldme if I would be ruled by her I should certainly get a husband offortune, without leaving him any room to reproach me with want of myown. I told her, as I had reason to do, that I would give up myselfwholly to her directions, and that I would have neither tongue to speaknor feet to step in that affair but as she should direct me, dependingthat she would extricate me out of every difficulty she brought meinto, which she said she would answer for.

  The first step she put me upon was to call her cousin, and go to arelation's house of hers in the country, where she directed me, andwhere she brought her husband to visit me; and calling me cousin, sheworked matters so about, that her husband and she together invited memost passionately to come to town and be with them, for they now livein a quite different place from where they were before. In the nextplace, she tells her husband that I had at least #1500 fortune, andthat after some of my relations I was like to have a great deal more.

  It was enough to tell her husband this; there needed nothing on myside. I was but to sit still and wait the event, for it presently wentall over the neighbourhood that the young widow at Captain ----'s was afortune, that she had at least #1500, and perhaps a great deal more,and that the captain said so; and if the captain was asked at any timeabout me, he made no scruple to affirm it, though he knew not one wordof the matter, other than that his wife had told him so; and in thishe thought no harm, for he really believed it to be so, because he hadit from his wife: so slender a foundation will those fellows buildupon, if they do but think there is a fortune in the game. With thereputation of this fortune, I presently found myself blessed withadmirers enough, and that I had my choice of men, as scarce as theysaid they were, which, by the way, confirms what I was saying before.This being my case, I, who had a subtle game to play, had nothing nowto do but to single out from them all the properest man that might befor my purpose; that is to say, the man who was most likely to dependupon the hearsay of a fortune, and not inquire too far into theparticulars; and unless I did this I did nothing, for my case would notbear much inquiry.

  I picked out my man without much difficulty, by the judgment I made ofhis way of courting me. I had let him run on with his protestationsand oaths that he loved me above all the world; that if I would makehim happy, that was enough; all which I knew was upon supposition, nay,it was upon a full satisfaction, that I was very rich, though I nevertold him a word of it myself.

  This was my man; but I was to try him to the bottom, and indeed in thatconsisted my safety; for if he baulked, I knew I was undone, as surelyas he was undone if he took me; and if I did not make some scrupleabout his fortune, it was the way to lead him to raise some about mine;and first, therefore, I pretended on all occasions to doubt hissincerity, and told him, perhaps he only courted me for my fortune. Hestopped my mouth in that part with the thunder of his protestations, asabove, but still I pretended to doubt.

  One morning he pulls off his diamond ring, and writes upon the glass ofthe sash in my chamber this line--

  'You I love, and you alone.'

  I read it, and asked him to lend me his ring, with which I wrote underit, thus--

  'And so in love says every one.'

  He takes his ring again, and writes another line thus--

  'Virtue alone is an estate.'

  I borrowed it again, and I wrote under it--

  'But money's virtue, gold is fate.'

  He coloured as red as fire to see me turn so quick upon him, and in akind of a rage told me he would conquer me, and writes again thus--

  'I scorn your gold, and yet I love.'

  I ventured all upon the last cast of poetry, as you'll see, for I wroteboldly under his last--

  'I'm poor: let's see how kind you'll prove.'

  This was a sad truth to me; whether he believed me or no, I could nottell; I supposed then that he did not. However, he flew to me, took mein his arms, and, kissing me very eagerly, and with the greatestpassion imaginable, he held me fast till he called for a pen and ink,and then told me he could not wait the tedious writing on the glass,but, pulling out a piece of paper, he began and wrote again--

  'Be mine, with all your poverty.'

  I took his pen, and followed him immediately, thus--

  'Yet secretly you hope I lie.'

  He told me that was unkind, because it was not just, and that I put himupon contradicting me, which did not consist with good manners, anymore than with his affection; and therefore, since I had insensiblydrawn him into this poetical scribble, he begged I would not oblige himto break it off; so he writes again--

  'Let love alone be our debate.'

  I wrote again--

  'She loves enough that does not hate.'

  This he took for a favour, and so laid down the cudgels, that is tosay, the pen; I say, he took if for a favour, and a mighty one it was,if he had known all. However, he took it as I meant it, that is, tolet him think I was inclined to go on with him, as indeed I had all thereason in the world to do, for he was the best-humoured, merry sort ofa fellow that I ever met with, and I often reflected on myself howdoubly criminal it was to deceive such a man; but that necessity, whichpressed me to a settlement suitable to my condition, was my authorityfor it; and certainly his affection to me, and the goodness of histemper, however they might argue against using him ill, yet theystrongly argued to me that he would better take the disappointment thansome fiery-tempered wretch, who might have nothing to recommend him butthose passions which would serve only to make a woman miserable all herdays.

  Besides, though I jested with him (as he supposed it) so often about mypoverty, yet, when he found it to be true, he had foreclosed all mannerof objection, seeing, whether he was in jest or in earnest, he haddeclared he took me without any regard to my portion, and, whether Iwas in jest or in earnest, I had declared myself to be very poor; sothat, in a word, I had him fast both ways; and though he might sayafterwards he was cheated, yet he could never say that I had cheatedhim.

  He pursued me close after this, and as I saw there was no need to fearlosing him, I played the indifferent part with him longer than prudencemight otherwise have dictated to me. But I considered how much thiscaution and indifference would give me the advantage over him, when Ishould come to be under the necessity of owning my own circumstances tohim; and I managed it the more warily, because I found he inferred fromthence, as indeed he ought to do, that I either had the more money orthe more judgment, and would not venture at all.

  I took the freedom one day, after we had talked pretty close to thesubject, to tell him that it was true I had received the compliment ofa lover from him, namely, that he would take me without inquiring intomy fortune, and I would make him a suitable return in this, viz. that Iwould make as little inquiry into his as consisted with reason, but Ihoped he would allow me to ask a few questions, which he would answeror not as he though
t fit; and that I would not be offended if he didnot answer me at all; one of these questions related to our manner ofliving, and the place where, because I had heard he had a greatplantation in Virginia, and that he had talked of going to live there,and I told him I did not care to be transported.

  He began from this discourse to let me voluntarily into all hisaffairs, and to tell me in a frank, open way all his circumstances, bywhich I found he was very well to pass in the world; but that greatpart of his estate consisted of three plantations, which he had inVirginia, which brought him in a very good income, generally speaking,to the tune of #300, a year, but that if he was to live upon them,would bring him in four times as much. 'Very well,' thought I; 'youshall carry me thither as soon as you please, though I won't tell youso beforehand.'

  I jested with him extremely about the figure he would make in Virginia;but I found he would do anything I desired, though he