Explain the central idea in this paragraph

Being this left to our fortunes, it fortunes that within ten days, scarce ten amongst us could either go or well stand, such extreme weakness and sickness oppressed us. And thereat none need marvel if they considered the cause and reason which was this: well the ship stayed our allowance was somewhat better buy a daily preparation of biscuit which the sellers would pilfer to sell, give, or exchange with us for money, sassafras, furs, or love. But when they departed there remained neither tavern, beer-house nor place of relief but the common kettle. had we been as free from all sins gluttony and drunkenness we we might have been canonized for saints, but our president [Edward Wingfield] would never have been admitted for engrossing to his private, oatmeal, sack, oil, aqua vitae, beef, eggs, or whatnot but the kettle; the indeed he allowed equally to be distributed, and that was half a pint of wheat and as much barley boiled with water for a man a day and this, having fried some twenty-six weeks in the ships hold, contained as many worms as grains so that we might really call it rather so much bran than corn; are drink was water are lodging castle in the air