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“Neither I, nor your father will bless you. If you don’t obey our advice, we will not take part in your future” – she said.

But for that moment, my decision was enough strong, and adrift, my wishes turned into the real life.

Being one day at Hull, where I went casually, I met one of my companions. He was about to sail to London in his father’s ship. He prompted me to go with him, promising that it should cast me nothing for my passage. I consulted neither father nor mother about this voyage, even nor so much, as sent them a letter of it.

In an ill hour, God knows, on the 1st of September 1651, I went on board a ship bound for London.

The ship was no sooner out of the Humber than the wind began to blow and the sea to rise. I had never been at sea before, so it seemed to me, that the ship was caught in a heavy storm and will drown in a minute. The pitching was so strong, that I could barely stand on my feet, the nausea stepped up to the throat. I thought, that were the last minutes of my life. And only then I realized what I’ve done: all the good counsels of my parents, my father’s tears and my mother’s entreaties, came fresh into my mind.

I swore to myself that if I could stay alive, I’ll come back to my parents in repentance and spend all the entire life near parents in my family home. At that moment in my mind has already appeared the picture from the biblical story “Return of the prodigal son”.

These wise and sober thoughts continued all the while the storm lasted, and indeed some time after; but the next day the wind was abated, and the sea calmer. However, I was very grave for all that day, being also a little sea-sick still; but towards night the weather cleared up, the wind was quite over, and a charming fine evening followed. The sun went down perfectly clear, and rose so next morning; and having little or no wind, and a smooth sea, the sun shining upon it, the sight was, as I thought, the most delightful that ever I saw.

I had slept well in the night, and was now no more sea-sick, but very cheerful, looking with wonder upon the sea that was so rough and terrible the day before, and could be so calm and so pleasant in so little a time after. And now, lest my good resolutions should continue, my companion comes to me: “Well, Rob,” says he, clapping me upon the shoulder, “how do you do after it? Were you freighted, last night, when it blew a capful of wind?” “A capful do you call it?” said I, “That was a terrible storm!” “A storm?!” replied he, “do you call that a storm? Why? It was nothing at all; give us a good ship and sea-room, and we think nothing of such a squall of wind as that; but you are a fresh-water sailor, Rob. Come, let us make a bowl of punch, and we’ll forget all that! Do you see what charming weather it is now?”