chunk: 'Friend William, a Quaker surgeon, becomes the center of the narrative as he outwits a Ceylonese King and rescues a Dutch slave. William displays further resourcefulness by succeeding in trade negotiations with English merchants in India. He serves Singleton loyally and bravely as a kind of man Friday: he is, moreover, a Christian humanist and healer who ultimately persuades his captain that a life of piracy leads nowhere. When Singleton contemplates suicide in the throes of repentance, William convinces him that the idea of taking one's life is the "Devil's Notion" (p.Â 332) and therefore must be ignored.'
  When they return to England, they make the decision to stay together for the rest of their lives. Singleton marries William's sister, a widow, 'and the story ends rapidly on a note of domestic peace.'