And now my good Lord I humbly beg your patience and pardon while I give your Lordship a true and brief account of my great misfortunes since I had the honor of being employed by the Venerable Society.
I entered into their service on 29 Sept 1709 & according to their order I embarked with my family the last day of Oct following and was tossed about from one expensive harbour to another till the lO'i' day of April on which day we left England & were on oui- Voyage till the 7"' July following when we were cast away about 100 miles from this place.
And from that day to this my life has been one continual scene of trouble for not to mention a great many of my afflictions a bare relation of which would take up too much of your Lordships precious moments, besides my being many years kept out of my allowance from the Country a great [part] of which I shall never receive because some in whose hands part of the money was are dead & ho effects left behind 'em to pay it & others run awiiy & a great deal of sickness I had myself & in my family all of us being seldom in liealth at the same time, I have buried two Wives & 2 cliildren in less than five years and am now eleven in fcimily the eldest of my family being little more than 16 years of age, there is tlie expence of every otiier Sunday when I go to Newtown & Flushing to be borne for myself and those of the children I take with me, there are all necessaries to be bought £16 yearly to be paid fur house rent & all this to come out of my stipend, no one of them being able to get & indeed too young to know how to save what is gotten this my Lord is too great burthen upon me.