s for his safe arrival at
Bristol; but Mr. Carew, instead of pursuing his way thither, steered his
course towards Devonshire, and raised contributions by the way, as a
shipwrecked seaman, on Colonel Brown of Framton, Squire Trenchard, and
Squire Falford of Tolla, Colonel Broadrip, Colonel Mitchell, and Squire
Richards of Long Britty, and several other gentlemen.

It was not long after this, that, being in the city of Bristol, he put in
execution a very bold and ingenious stratagem. Calling to mind one Aaron
Cook, a trader of considerable worth and note, at St. John's in
Newfoundland, whom he resembled both in person and speech, he resolved to
be the son of Aaron Cook for some time; he therefore went upon the
Tolsey, and other places of public resort for the merchants of Bristol,
and there modestly acquainted them with his name, as well as his
misfortunes; that he was born and lived all his life at St. John's in
Newfoundland; that he was bound for England, in the Nicholas, Captain
Newman; which vessel springing a leak, they were obliged to quit her, and
were taken up by an Irishman, Patrick Pore, and by him carried into
Waterford; whence he had got passage, and landed at King's Road; that his
business in England was to buy provisions and fishing craft, and to see
his relations, who lived in the parish of Cockington, near Torbay, where,
he said, his father was born.

Captains Elton, Galloway, Masters, Thomas, Turner, and several other
Newfoundland traders, many of whom personally knew his pretended father
and mother, asked him many questions about the family, their usual place
of fishing, &c., particularly if he remembered how the quarrel happened
at his father's (when he was but a boy) which was of so unhappy a
consequence to Governor Collins? Mr. Carew very readily replied, that
though he was then very young, he remembered that the governor, the
parson and his wife, Madam Short, Madam Bengy, Madam Brown, and several
other women of St. John's, having met together, and feasting at his
father's, a warm dispute happened among the men in the heat of liquor,
concerning the virtue of women, the governor obstinately averring that
there was not one honest woman in all Newfoundland. What think you then
of my wife? said the parson. The same as I do of all other women, all
whores alike, answered the governor roughly. Hereupon the women, not
able to bear this gross aspersion on their honour, with one accord
attacked the govern