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oblige
in
Robinson Crusoe
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So innocent did the child then look, and with such an obliging smile consented, that I readily believed him, and from that day forward began to love him entirely.

obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
And now we sailed southerly, living sparingly on our provisions, and went no oftener on shore than we were obliged for fresh water.

obliged = required (to do something)
So making a formal will, I bequeathed my effects to my good friend the captain, as my universal heir; but obliged him to dispose of my effects as directed, one half of the produce to himself, and the other to be shipped to England.

obliged = granted a favor (to someone)
I began to dig in the rock, yet was obliged to desist for want of a pickax, shovel, and wheel-barrow.

obliged = required (to do something)
So wet would it be at certain seasons, that I was obliged to cover all within the pale with long poles, in the form of rafters, leaning against the rock, and loaded them with flags and large leaves of trees, resembling a thatch.
The weather being excessively hot, with little air, obliged me for the most part, to keep within doors.
Still sultry, however, obliged by necessity, I went out with my gun, and found a great store of goats in the valleys; they were exceedingly shy, nor could my dog hunt them down.
When the tempest was over I went to my tent: but the rain coming on in a furious manner, I was obliged to take shelter in the cave, where I was forced to cut a channel through my fortification to let the water out.
This day it began to rain; and though I had made me a tent like the other, yet having no shelter of a hill to keep me from storms, nor a cave behind me to retreat to, I was obliged to return to my old castle.
As I had a constant view of the country, I thought I could not miss my way; but scarce had I travelled three miles, when I descended into a very large valley, so surrounded with hills covered with wood, that I having no guide but the sun, nor even this, unless I knew will the position of the sun at the time of day; and to add to my misfortune, the weather proving very hazy, I was obliged to return to my post by the sea-side, and so backwards the same way I came.
It was the 6th of November, in the 6th year of my reign, or captivity, that I set out in this voyage; which was much longer than I expected, being obliged to put further out, by reason of the rocks that lay a great way in the sea.
As to mechanic labours, which my necessities obliged me to, I fancied I could, upon occasion, make a tolerable carpenter were the poor tools I had to work withal but good.
But though I might have lived very easy, as wanting nothing absolutely needful, yet still I was more vigilant than usual upon account of the savages, never going much abroad; or, if I did, it was to the east part of the island, where I was well assured that the savages never came, and where I might not be troubled to carry that heavy load of weapons for my defence, as I was obliged to do if I went the other way.
This obliged me to halloo to him again, making the plainest signs I could to him to draw nearer.
Without passion, sullenness, or design, perfectly obliging and engaging, his affections were as much tied to me, as those of a child to its parents; & I might venture to say, he would have sacrificed his life for the saving mine, upon any occasion whatsoever.
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obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
And now the rainy season beginning to come on, obliged me to keep the longer within doors; but before this I brought my new vessel into the creek, where I had landed my rafts from the ship, and haling her up to the shore, I ordered my man Friday to dig a dock sufficient to hold her in, and deep enough to give her water, wherein she might float; and then when the tide was out, we made a strong dam cross the end of it, to keep out the water; by which means she lay dry, as to the tide…

obliged = required (to do something)
Such a fight did then appear, as obliged me not to lose a moment's time.
He did so, with great courage, when showing ourselves to the savages we give a great shout, and made directly to the poor victim, who would have been sacrificed, had not our first fire obliged the butchers, with three others, to jump into a canoe.
This the Captain granted upon condition that they would swear to be true to him in recovering the ship, which they solemnly did; However I obliged the Captain to keep them bound.
This obliged them to send another boat ashore, with ten men armed, whose faces the Captain plainly descried, the boatswain being the chief officer; but he said there were three honest lads among them, who were forced into the conspiracy.
…the imagination of my being lost, had obliged my trustees to give an estimate of my share to the procurator fiscal, who, in case of my not returning, had given one third to the king & the rest to the monastery of St. Augustine:
Thus armed and equipped, we set out, and came to Madrid, when the summer decaying, we hasted to Navarre, where we were informed that there was scarcely any passing, be reason of the prodigious quantity of snow; so that we were obliged to abide near twenty days at Pamoeluria, and at last to take a guide to conduct us safe towards Tholouse.
But the snows now growing very deep, particularly on the mountains, the ravenous creatures were then obliged to seek for sustenance in the villages, were coming by surprise on the country people, killed several of them, besides a great number of their sheep and horses.
This obliged us to form ourselves in the best manner; and then I ordered that every other man should fire, that those who did not, might be ready to gave a second volley, should they advance upon us; and then every man should make use of his pistols.
Thus we had some small time to load our pieces again, and then made all the haste we could on our way; but we had not rode far, before we were obliged to put ourselves in a posture of defence as before, being alarmed with a very dreadful noise in the same wood, on our left hand, the same way as we were to pass, only that it was at some distance from us.
I ordered every man to fire, as before directed: and, indeed, so well did they take their aim, that they killed several of the wolves at the first volley; but still we were obliged to keep a continual firing, by reason they came on like devils, pushing one another with the greatest fury.
…when all the rest, frighted with the light, which the darksome night caused to appear more dreadful, began at length to retire; upon which ordering our last pistols to be fired at once, giving at the same time a great shout, the wolves were obliged to have recourse to their swiftness, and turn tail;
...ordering our last pistols to be fired at once, giving at the same time a great shout, the wolves were obliged to have recourse to their swiftness, and turn tail; and then we sallied out upon twenty lame ones, cutting them in pieces with our swords, which obliged them to howl lamentably, to the terror of their fellows, who resigned to us the field as victorious conquerors.
And, indeed, I question whether Alexander king of Macedonia, in any of his conquests, had more occasion for triumph than we had; for he was but attacked with numerous armies of soldiers; whereas our little army was obliged to combat a legion of devils, as it were, worse than the cannibals, who, the same moment they had slain us, would have sacrificed us, to satisfy their voracious appetites.
The next morning we were obliged to take a new guide, by reason the other fell very bad of his wounds, which he had received as before mentioned.
After we had reached Tholouse, we came into a warm, pleasant, and fruitful country, not infested with wolves, nor any sort of ravenous creatures: and when we told our story there, they much blamed our guide, for conducting us through the forest at the foot of the mountains, in such a severe season, when the snow obliged the wolves to seek for shelter in the woods.
I had no other concerns to look after but the care of my brother's two sons, which, with the good widow's persuasions, obliged me to continue at home seven years.
Well, we put out to sea; and though I can't say this voyage was so unprosperous as my others had been, yet contrary winds drove us so far northward, that we were obliged to put in at Galway in Ireland, where we lay wind-bound two and twenty days.
I think, if I am not mistaken, our surgeon was obliged to let thirty of them blood.
…as we had done nothing but what we were obliged to do, by nature and humanity, and what we ourselves might expect from others in such calamity; so we took them up to save them, not to plunder them, or leave them naked upon the land, to perish for want of subsistance, and therefore would…
As this was but a reasonable request, I was inclined to grant it, since it was no breach of charter party, and that the laws of God and nature obliged us to do what good we could to our fellow-creatures; and besides the danger we ourselves should be in for want of provisions: so we consented to carry them to Newfoundland, if wind and weather would permit; if not, that we should carry them to Martinico in the West Indies.
But, however they soon fell sick; which obliged the surgeon to mix something in their broth, which was to be to them both food and physic.
To stay their stomachs the mate gave them biscuits, which were dipped in and softened them with the liquor of the meat, which they call bruise; telling them, it was for their own safety, that he was obliged to give them but a little at a time; and so feeding them gradually, their bellies were comfortable filled, and the men did very well again.
...These Sir, said he, are some of the gentlemen who owe their lives to your goodness, then turning to them, and pointing to me, he made them sensible who I was; and, then indeed they saluted me one by one, not as ordinary men, but as tho' they had been ambassadors or noblemen, and I a triumphant conqueror; for their behaviour not only agreed with a manlike, majestic gravity, but at the same time was so obliging and courteous, as made them agreeable to the last degree.

obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
But the mate having intelligence of this, made me acquainted with their fears; so that to make them more easy, and ourselves more safe from their conspiracies I was obliged to go down, and pass my honour's word for it, that upon their good behaviour, all that was past should be forgiven; in testimony of which, I ordered the two men's irons to be taken off; & themselves forgiven.

obliged = required (to do something)
Indeed they were obliged to trespass upon their friendly savages, by borrowing two of their canoes, under a pretext for fishing; and they came away the next morning, but without any provisions of their own, except a few roots which served them instead of bread.
The other two coming to assist their fellow, obliged the honest man to take his musket also, and both of them presenting their pieces bid the villains stand off; and if they did not lay down their arms, death should decide the dispute one way or other.
But here I was forced to interpose as a mediator, by obliging the two Englishmen not to hurt them, being naked & unarmed, and that the other three should make them restitution, by building their two huts, and fencing their ground in the same manner as it was before.

obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
Their arms being given them again, they scarce had them a week when they became as troublesome as ever; but an accident happening soon after, obliged us to lay aside private resentments, and look to our common preservation.

obliged = required (to do something)
Indeed one morning we had an alarm, which put us in some amazement; for a few of my Spaniards being out very early, perceived no less than twenty canoes, as it were coming on shore: upon which returning home, with great precipitation, they gave us the alarm, which obliged us to keep at home all that day and the next, going out only in the night-time to make our observations; but, as good luck would have it, they were upon another design, and did not land that time upon the island.
I obliged them solemnly to swear, never to attempt any thing against us, or their countrymen for the future.
Six months did they live in this separate condition, in which they got their first harvest in, the quantity of which was but small, because they had planted but little land; for, indeed, all their plantations being to form, made it more difficult; especially as it was a thing out of their element; and when they were obliged to make their boards and pots, &c. they could make little or nothing of it.
But this obliged them to put off as soon as they had these presents, lest the donors should have expected two or three of them to be killed, and to be invited to dinner the next day; and so taking leave with all possible respect and thanks, though neither of them understood what the others said, they sailed away back to the first island, and there set eight of the prisoners at liberty.
…for avoiding dissentions among you, I would only desire you to engage, that none of you will take more than one for a woman or wife, and that having taken this one, none else should presume to touch her; for though we have not yet a priestly authority to marry you, yet it is but reasonable, that whoever thus takes a woman, should be obliged to maintain her, since nobody has any thing to do with her; and this, indeed, appeared so just to all present, that it was unanimously agreed to.
This made them come up boldly before they had charged their guns, which indeed was a wrong step; for, when they came to the place, they found four alive, two of them very little wounded, and one not at all, which obliged them to fall upon them with their muskets:

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Definitions:

(1) (oblige as in: I am obliged by law.)
require (obligate) to do something
(2) (oblige as in: I obliged her every request.)
grant a favor to someone
(3) (obliged as in: I'm much obliged for your kindness)
grateful or indebted
(4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Much more rarely, in classic literature you may see oblige as a synonym for ask as when Jules Verne wrote "I obliged the Professor to move his lamp over the walls of the gallery," in Journey to the Center of the Earth.

oblige in Robinson Crusoe (Auto-generated)

oblige
in
Robinson Crusoe
(Auto-generated)