William Bradford: Plymouth of Plantation

In sundry of these storms the winds were so fierce and the seas so high, as they could not bear a knot of sail, but were forced to hull for divers days together. And in one of them, as they thus lay at hull in a mighty storm, a lusty young man called John Howland, coming upon some occasion above the gratings, was, with a roll of the ship, thrown into sea; but it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards, which hung overboard and ran out at length. Yet he held his hold (though he was sundry fathoms under water) till he was hauled up by the same rope to the brim of the water, and then with a boat hook and other means got into the ship again and his life saved. And though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after and became a profitable member both in church and commonwealth. In all this voyage there died but one of the passengers, which was William But ten, a youth, servant to Samuel Fuller, when they drew near the coast.

Why I chose this paragraph

I chose this one mostly because of the strong language it uses. I also chose it because it shows the courage and commitment these men had aboard this ship. Though they threw this guy overboard, they had sense enough to pull him afloat and save his life. Though they lost William, a strong man who led them to the coast, the rest of them still move on with their passion they had for exploring and the wisdom that led them to where they wanted to go. Three cheers for these guys.