Life of William Phips, Biography · Section 6
SECT. 6.
SO proper was his Behaviour, that the beſt Noble Men in the Kingdom, now admited him into their Converſation; but yet he was oppoſed by powerful Enemies, that Clogg'd his Affairs with ſuch Demurrages, and ſuch Diſappointments, as would have wholly Diſcouraged his Deſigns, if his Patience had not bin Invincible. He who can wait, hath what he deſireth. This his Indefatigable Patience, with a proportionable Diligence, at length overcame the Difficulties that had bin thrown in his way; and prevailing with the Duke of Albemarl, and ſome other Perſons of Quality, to fit him out, he ſet Sail for the Fiſhing-Ground, which had bin ſo well baited, half an Hundred Years before: And as he had already diſcovered his Capacity for buſineſs, in many conſiderable Actions, he now added unto thoſe Diſcoveries, by not only providing all, but alſo by inventing many of the Inſtruments neceſſary to the proſecution of his intended Fiſhery. Captain Phips arriving with a Ship and a Tender, at Port de la Plata, made a ſtout Canoo of a ſtately Cotton Tree, ſo large as to carry Eight or Ten Oars, for the making of which Periaga (as they call it) he did, with the ſame induſtry that he did every thing elſe, employ his own Hand and Adſe, and endure no little hardſhip, lying abroad in the Woods many Nights together. This Periaga, with the Tender, being Anchored at a place convenient, the Periaga kept Buſking to and again, but could only diſcover a Reef of Riſing Shoals thereabouts, called The Boilers, which Riſing to be within Two or Three Foot of the Surface of the Sea, were yet ſo ſteep, that a Ship ſtriking on them, would immediately ſink down, who could ſay, how many Fathom? into the Ocean. Here they could get no other Pay for their long peeping among the Boilers, but only ſuch as cauſed them to think upon returning to their Captain, with the bad News of their total Diſappointment. Nevertheleſs, as they were upon the Return, one of the Men looking over the ſide of the Periaga, into the calm Water, he ſpied a Sea Feather, growing as he judged, out of a Rock; whereupon they bad one of their Indians to Dive, and fetch this Feather, that they might however carry home ſomething with them, and make, at leaſt, as fair a Trinmph as Caligula's. The Diver, bringing up the Feather, brought therewithal a ſurprizing ſtory, That he perceived a Number of Great Guns in the Watry World where he had found his Feather; the Report of which Great Guns exceedingly aſtoniſhed the whole Company; and at once, turned their Deſpondencies for their ill ſucceſs, into Aſſurances, that they had now lit upon the True ſpot of Ground which they had been looking for; and they were further confirmed in theſe Aſſurances, when upon further Diving, the Indian fetcht up a Sow, as they ſtil'd it, or a Lump of Silver, worth perhaps, Two or Three Hundred Pounds. Upon this they prudently Buoy'd the place, that they might readily find it again; And they went back unto their Captain, whom for ſome while, they diſtreſſed with nothing but ſuch Bad News, as they formerly thought they muſt have carried him: Nevertheleſs they ſo ſlipt in the Sow of Silver, on one ſide under the Table, where they were now ſitting with the Captain, and hearing him expreſs his Reſolutions to wait ſtill patiently upon the Providence of God under theſe Diſappointments, that when he ſhould look on one ſide, he might ſee that Odd Thing before him. At laſt he ſaw it; ſeeing it, he cryed out with ſome Agony, Why? What is this? Whence comes this? And then, with changed Countenances, they told him how, and where they got it: Then, ſaid he, Thanks be to God! We are made; And ſo, away they went, all hands to Work; wherein they had this one further piece of Remarkable Proſperity, that whereas, if they had firſt fallen upon that part of the Spaniſh Wreck, where the Pieces of Eight had been ſtowed in Bags among the Ballaſt, they had ſeen a more laborious, and leſs enriching time of it: Now, moſt happily, they firſt fell upon that Room in the Wreck, where the Bullion had been ſtored up; and they ſo proſpered in this New Fiſhery, that in a little while they had, without the loſs of any Man's Life, brought up Thirty Two Tuns of Silver; for it was now come to meaſuring of Silver by Tuns. Beſides which, one Adderly of Providence, who had formerly been very helpful to Captain Phips in the Search of this Wreck, did upon former Agreement meet him now, with a little Veſſel here; and he, with his few hands, took up about Six Tuns of Silver; whereof nevertheleſs, he made ſo little uſe, that in a year or two, he died at Bermudas, and as I have heard, he ran Diſtracled ſome while before he died. Thus did there once again, come into the Light of the Sun, a Treaſure which had been half an Hundred Years groaning under the Waters: And in this time, there was grown upon the Plate, a Cruſt like …imeſtone, to the thickneſs of ſeveral Inches; which Cruſt being broken open, by Irons contrived for that purpoſe, they knockt out whole Buſhels of ruſty Pieces of Eight, which were grown thereinto. Beſides that incredible Treaſure of Plate in various forms, thus fetch'd up, from ſeven or eight Fathom under Water, there were vaſt Riches of Gold and Pearls and Jewels, which they alſo lit upon; and indeed, for a more Comprehenſive Invoice, I muſt but ſummarily ſay, All that a Spaniſh Frigate uſes to be enricht withal. Thus did they continue Fiſhing till their Proviſions failing them, 'twas time to be gone; but before they went, Captain Phips cauſed Adderly and his Folk to ſwear, That they would none of them Diſcover the place of the Wreck, or come to the Place any more till the next Year, when he expected again to be there himſelf. And it was alſo Remarkable, that though the Sows came up ſtill ſo faſt, that on the very laſt Day of their being there, they took up Twenty, yet it was afterwards found, that they had in a manner wholly cleared that Room of the Ship, where thoſe Maſſy things were Stowed.
But there was one extraordinary Diſtreſs which Captain Phips now found himſelf plunged into: For his Men were come out with him upon Seamens Wages, at ſo much per Month; and when they ſaw ſuch vaſt Litters of Silver Sows and Pigs, as they call them, come on Board them, at the Captains Call, they knew not how to bear it, that they ſhould not ſhare all among themſelves, and be gone to lead a ſhort life and a merry, in a Climate, where the Arreſt of thoſe that had hired them, ſhould not reach them. In this terrible Diſtreſs, he made his Vows unto Almighty God, that if the Lord would carry him ſafe home to England, with what he had now given him, to ſuck of the abundance of the Seas, and of the Treaſures hid in the Sands, he would for ever Devote himſelf unto the Intereſts of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and of his People, eſpecially in the Country which he did himſelf Originally belong unto. And he then uſed all the obliging Arts imaginable, to make his Men true unto him, eſpecially by aſſuring them, that beſides their Wages, they ſhould have ample Requitals made unto them; which if the reſt of his Employers would not agree unto, he would himſelf diſtribute his own ſhare among them. Relying upon the Word of One, whom they had ever found worthy of their Love, and of their Truſt, they declared themſelves Content: But ſtill keeping a moſt careful Eye upon them, he haſtned back for England, with as much Money as he thought he could then ſafely Truſt his Veſſel withal; not counting it ſafe to ſupply himſelf with neceſſary Proviſions at any nearer Port, and ſo return unto the Wreck, by which delays, he wiſely feared leſt all might be loſt, more ways than one. Though he alſo left ſo much behind him, that many from divers parts made very conſiderable Voyages of Gleanings after his Harveſt: which came to paſs by certain Bermudians, compelling of Adderly's Boy, whom they ſpirited away with them, to tell them the exact place where the Wreck was to be found. Captain Phips now coming up to London, in the Year 1687. with near Three Hundred Thouſand Pounds ſterling aboard him, did acquit himſelf with ſuch an Exemplary Honeſty, that partly by his fulfilling his Aſſurances to the Scamen, and partly by his exact and punctual Care to have his Employers defrauded of nothing that might conſcientiouſly belong unto them, he had leſs than ſixteen Thouſand pounds left unto himſelf: As an acknowledgment of which Honeſty in him, the Duke of Albemarl made unto his Wife, whom he never ſaw, a Preſent of a Golden Cup, near a Thouſand Pound in value. The Character of an Honeſt Man, he had ſo merited in the whole Courſe of his Life, and eſpecially in this laſt act of it, that this, in conjunction with his other ſerviceable Qualities, procured him the Favours of the Greateſt Perſons in the Nation; And He that had been ſo diligent in his Buſineſs, muſt now ſtand before Kings, and not ſtand before mean Men, There were indeed, certain mean Men, if baſe, little, dirty Tricks will entitle Men to Meanneſs, who urged the King, to ſeize his whole Cargoe, inſtead of the Tenths, upon his firſt Arrival; on this pretence, that he had not been rightly inform'd of the True ſtate of the Caſe, when he Granted the Patent, under the Protection whereof theſe particular Men had made themſelves Maſters of all this Mighty Treaſure; but the King replied, That he had been rightly informed by Captain Phips of the whole matter, as it now proved, and that it was the ſlanders of one then preſent, which had, unto his Dammage, hindred him from hearkning to the Information: Wherefore he would give them, he ſaid, no Diſturbance, they might keep what they had got; but Captain Phips, he ſaw, was a Perſon of that Honeſty, Fidelity and Ability, that he ſhould not want his Countenance. Accordingly the King, in conſideration of the Service done by him, in bringing ſuch a Treaſure into the Nation, conferr'd upon him the Honour of Knighthood; And if we now reckon him, A Knight of the Golden Fleece, the Stile might pretend unto ſome circumſtances that would juſtifie it. Or call him, if you pleaſe, The Knight of Honeſty; for it was Honeſty with Induſtry, that Raiſed him; and he became a Mighty River, without the running in of Muddy Water to make him ſo. Reader, Now make a Pauſe, and behold, One Raiſed by God!