Madagascar Author:Daniel Defoe Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE T the first Appearance of this Treatise, I make no Doubt of its being taken for such another Eomance as "Eobinson Crusoe"; but whoever expects to find... more » here the fine Inventions of a prolific Brain mill be deceived; for so far as every Body concerned in the Publication knows, it is nothing else but a plain, honest Narrative of Matter of Fact. The Original was wrote by Eobert Drury, which consisting of eight Quires in Folio, each of near an hundred Pages, it was necessary to contract it, and 1rut it in a more agreeable Method : But he constantly attended the Transcriber, and also the Printer, so that thc utmost Care has been taken to be well informed of every dubious, strange, and intricate Circumstance. And as to the large Proportion of Credit which we give him, it will be found not to arise from an implicit Faith, for every Thing lie might think proper to relate ; bid from the strong Proof the Matters related receive by concurring Testimony, and the Nature of the Thing. I at first wondered how Capt. Macket ventured to say in his Certificate, " That he, believed the Account /te gave of his surprising Adventures to be true." But inquiring into the Character of that Gentleman, I found him to be a Person of the highest Eeputation for Integrity and Honour; to which if we add, his known Solidity and good Sense, his Fortune, and Station ofLife; there is no Eoom loft to suppose he would countenance any trifling Fables or Impositions ; yet this did not fully satisfy vie, till diligently perusing the History, we find at Yong-Owl, where he took the Author on Board, William Purser was their Linguist for several Months, ami he speaking English perfectly, 'tis not doubted but this Gentleman, as well as the Captains of the other Ships, informed themselves by his Means all they could...« less