A RELATION OF THE ADVENTURES OF A CHRISTIAN-SHIP At Alexandria in Egypt. Delivered in a Letter to a Person of Honour, from Tunis in Barbary.  
My Lord,  
I Doubt not but there hath come to your Lordship's hands, before now, the Relation of the Adventures of a Christian-Ship, in a late Letter from Legorn in Italy, done indeed by a very ingenious Pen, but differing perhaps in some Circumstances, from what is nakedly and genuinely true; and believing it will be no less grateful to your Lordship, to hear the Relation of the Fortunes and Adventures of another Christian-Ship (not much different in Interest from the other) I have presumed to present them to your Lordship in this Paper, with as much of truth and brevity as I can.  
There was riding, not long ago, in that famous Port of Alexandria in Egypt, a Christian-Ship, which, although of no immense bulk or greatness, yet so well compacted and munited, both within and without, as she was not only able to defend herself from the attacks and violence of others, but also give a law to most of the Vessels round about her, being most excellently and strongly manned, but with people of various sentiments and opinions, which cannot much be wondered at, amidst the great confluence and numbers of mariners which daily did attend her.  
The Captain of this Ship (who hath commanded her for these several years bypast, and who, amongst the most illustrious persons on the Earth, gives place to none) was seconded in his Government by a Lieutenant of a very illustrious birth and quality, and a Standard-bearer, who (though but young) hath given extraordinary proofs both of his Courage and Conduct, in several great Engagements in the world.  
This Ship, thus happy in her Commanders, happy also in her Navigations, and an universal Trade, and Peace with all, had all the felicities a Temporal Interest could be capable of, where suddenly there broke out a dark discovery of a horrid Plot, not only against the Ship itself, but also a Conspiracy detected against the person and life of this famous Captain.  
All men stood amazed, all men stood wondering with consternation from whence this Storm should come, where it pleased God that (either through a remorse in some of the Conspirators, or rather an extraordinary work of Divine Providence) two or three of those who had been engaged in it, came and gave the first Twinkling Light, by which it was found to be hatched at Grand Cairo by the chief Mufty or Bishop there, wherein (as was said) he had principally made use of the ministration and service of the Cofties (a certain Religious Order in these parts) and half Christians.  
The Captain, not to be wanting to his own Security, and that of the Ships, gave present Orders, that the detectors should be forthwith examined before himself, and his lesser Council; where finding upon Oath, matter enough against several of them, all that could be named to it both of a higher and lower condition were seized on, and secured, and many of these Coftyes (upon particular Informations against them) being brought to their Trial before the Judge-Advocate of the Ship, were found guilty, and condemned, and accordingly suffered capital punishment for the same.  
But here we must take notice, that that which gave the greatest light, and confirmation of this Plot, was the barbarous assassination or murder that happened about that time, to be committed upon the person of an Officer in some Authority about the regulation of the Peace and behaviour of the Mariners, who had been very industrious in the finding out, and securing of these Coftyes, and their abettors; this being also discovered by one or two that had but too deep a hand in it, made this opinion of the Plot more and more obvious every day, although it was said, many of the Mufty's Religion in the Ship (of the more sober and moderate sort of them) did absolutely disown such a thing, as abhorrent to their nature and principles, and have declared (how truly, let it be to themselves) that if the chief Mufty at Cairo, with all his Dependants, should but once promote any thing that were destructive to the Captain, or his Ship, they would utterly disown him in it, and help to preserve either of them, with the utmost of their lives and fortunes.  
But to return from this digression, I must proceed to tell your Lordship, that about that time it was, that these detectors (having won themselves into a good opinion with the Captain's greater Council) begun to fly higher in their accusations, whereupon several of the Mufty's Religion, of the best rank, who were thought to have corresponded with him, or received any Commands from him, were secured.  
And here it did not rest, but presently they began to cast some aspersions upon the Lieutenant, loading him with Calumnies, and most improbable untruths, that he should be much under the persuasions of the Cofties, and had some inclinations for the Mufty, for which they had no particular grounds, but what they either suggested from the Lieutenant's late marriage with a very virtuous and most illustrious Lady (but of the Mufty's Religion;) or rather his own withdrawing himself from the ordinary and public Devotions of the Ship; grounds (as was generally thought) too mean and infirm to bottom such prejudices upon, against so considerable a person, as if it were rationally to be believed he would be so infatuated as to truckle under the Mufty, or to betray the Interests of the Ship (wherein he hath so great a share himself) to a foreign yoke or servitude, which made many of the more moderate sort of the Mariners suspect the credibility of the detectors in all or every circumstance of their detection; (though as to the main, nothing can be clearer) having also muttered something against the Capt. own Lady, as if she should have been made privy to this Conspiracy against the Capt.  
And now it was not long after, that one of the chief Physicians of the Ship being examined and tried before the Judg-advocate for conspiring against the Life of the Capt. who finding the Evidence against him not to be so positive and convincing, as they were in some former Trials before him; and being loath to have the blood of any man upon him, that lay not under greater circumstances of conviction, than could by the evidence that day be made out against the Physician, forbore to give any particular charge about it, but left it fairly to his Assessors, who having acquitted him, many in the Ship became much concerned thereat, reviling the Judg-Advocate with many undue and undecent reproaches against a person of his gravity and place, all which he bore with an aequanimity worthy of his dignity; and being afterwards Articled against by the same Evidence (before the Capt. and his lesser Council) as if he had misbehaved himself upon the place of Judicature, at the Physician's Trial, and other impertinent and unbecoming things wherewith they charged him; he was judged by the Council free from such criminations and aspersions, and left at his discretion, to vindicate his Reputation and Dignity, by any way he should think most proper for it.  
But, my Lord, having omitted some part of the Relation before, which concerned the Lieutenant, I must recur a little back, to tell your Lordship, that this suspicion flying very high against him, which being laid hold on by the Capt. greater Council, they began to start some questions as to the Lieutenant's right to succeed in the Command of the Ship, after the decease of the Capt. (if he should happen to die without children) which the Capt. quickly perceiving, did expressly forbid; but withal gave them leave to advise upon, and settle all other imaginable securities for the good of the Ship (in spirituals as well as temporals) as they could possibly devise (the other way only excepted) and to gratify them yet more, gave order to the Lieutenant, to absent himself with his Family from the Ship, which he very promptly obeyed; but the greater Council still insisting upon that point, and no way minding to give the Capt. that satisfaction he expected in order to his public exigencies, he thought it fit (according to his undoubted right thereto) to put off the greater Council for a while; in the interim, the Capt. falling into to a dangerous distemper of Sickness, and the Lieutenant thinking himself obliged to pay him a visit thereupon, made a private step to the Ship again, in order to that duty, which being no sooner performed, but the Capt. gave him order to return from whence he came, which command he obeyed as readily as the former.  
And now, my Lord, remembering that about the former part of this Relation, I told your Lordship there was in this goodly Vessel Mariners of various Judgements and Opinions, I shall therefore proceed to let your Lordship know, that amongst them, there was a considerable Crew of Pharisaical Christians, who think they outdo all others in sanctity and holiness of profession, but a people very much detracting from, and censorious of all others, who are not of the same profession with them; these, I say, being of uneasy and restless natures, never left hammering strange Innovations into the heads of some of the Pilots, thereby to divert the course and steerage of the Ship out of its ordinary course of Divine Worship; and because they were restrained in their own way (it being contrary to public Order) they proceeded to raise a mutiny in some outparts of the Ship, which (like an Ignis fatuus, soon up, soon out, and mis-leading many into its precipices) was quickly allayed, by the Conduct of our young Standard-bearer, and all things seemed quiet again; but this Party (together with some others in the inner-parts of the Ship) concluding from the Indulgencies and benignity of the Standard-bearer (who had spared many of the Mutineers, where by Martial-Law he might have proceeded with the greater severity against them) and taking that to proceed from design, which only proceeded from generosity, they begun to fancy him their Patron and Defender, and to talk at a strange rate about it, which (together with some private Cabals coming to the ears of the Capt.) he thought it fit even for the Standard-bearer's good, to sever him from such company, by laying his Commands upon him, to absent himself also from the Ship, which he readily obeyed; but within a short while after (being as it was generally thought, influenced upon by some of these uneasy people) returned thither again, without the order or approbation of the Capt. which incensing him, and giving now order for his retreat again, he did not yield that ready obedience thereunto, which all men that entirely loved him, and would have ventured very much for him, could have wished he had done; whereupon the Capt. who had only suspended him from the use of some beneficial Places he had before, gave order now for the disposing of them into other hands, to the grief of many honest Mariners, and perhaps to the disquiet of the Capt. himself (who had an extraordinary affection for him) but seeing no other way to quench the booms-flames of those, who had but too much abused the generous, and good nature of the Standard-bearer, he thought himself obliged to take this course, prudently foreseeing, that when these uneasy people had but once got their turn served by him, their next course would be either to overturn him, or at the best, to have left him in the lurch for all.  
And now the time drawing nigh, for the meeting of the greater Council, some of these Intriguing people had so ordered it, that many of the Mariners were solicited to make Subscriptions to the Petitions for the meeting thereof, which being judged by the Capt. and all the moderate and quiet sort of the Mariners, to be an undue, and an unsafe way of proceeding, and set on (on purpose) to obtrude something upon the Capt. to the prejudice of the Lieutenant (for whom he hath also a very great affection) he thought it fit to put them off for some time more, foreseeing (as it happened not many years before) that these Subscriptions being to be backed with considerable numbers at the Convention-place, these Ingeneers would soon have found the way to discriminate themselves a Party, and to have known who should have been of their Liveries, so that from thence it was observed by many, that if it had not been for these umbragious and suspicious courses, the meeting at that time had not been put off one day longer.  
And now the Capt. not perceiving the effects he had promised himself from the Lieutenant's absence, which he had principally caused to gratify some humours which yet he saw still persisting in their unquiet courses, hath thought it reasonable to recall him to the Ship again, but without any part of the Government at present: the Standard-bearer remaining likewise in her; secluded as yet from all his former Offices and Commands: Under this posture, under this Crisis of Affairs was this goodly and beautiful Vessel, at the coming away of this dispatch, for whose safety I am always bound to pray, being commanded by one of the bravest Heroes in the world.  
FINIS.