LIFE OF CAPTAIN SINGLETON.
THE grand success of Robinson Crusoe having taught De Foe, after he had spent nearly his whole life in endeavouring to instruct the public, that it was more willing to pay for being amused than taught, he moved along briskly in his career of novel writing, and in 1720 published The Life and Piracies of Captain Singleton, which forms the subject of the present Volume.
The following extract from Wilson's Life gives a full and interesting account of this work :
"The favourable reception of 'Robinson Crusoe' might be partly owing to the partiality with which every circumstance, illustrating the character of the British sailor, is viewed by the public. It was probably in accommodation to this national taste, that De Foe now recorded the adventures of a buccaneer, which he depicts with all that spirit of enterprise and variety of incident, which usually mark the operations of that hardy character, This work, which he entitled, "The Life, Adventures, and Piracies of the famous Captain SINGLETON,' was first printed at London, for J. Brotherton, at the Black Bull in Cornhill; J. Graves, in St. James's Street; A. Dodd, at the Peacock, without