Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.

In a moment of dread at sea, the speaker would happily swap an enormous stretch of water for any scrap of dry, dull land, even barren heath and furze. Accepting whatever happens, they add one wish: to die dry, not drowned.

Context reviewed 20 September 2026