 Chapter 3 Part 1 of THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES, VOLUME 1. Chapter 3 Part 1 OF CAPTAIN TEACH, ALIAS BLACKBEARD Edward Teach was a Bristol man born, but had sailed some time out of Jamaica in privateers in the late French War. Yet though he had often distinguished himself for his uncommon boldness and personal courage, he was never raised to any command till he went to pirating, which I think was at the latter end of the year 1716, when Captain Benjamin Hornigold put him into a sloop that he had made prize of, and with whom he continued in consortship till a little while before Hornigold surrendered. In the spring of the year 1717 Teach and Hornigold sailed from Providence for the Maine of America and took in their way a billet from the Havana with 120 barrels of flour, as also a sloop from Bermuda, third-bar master, from whom they took only some gallons of wine and then let him go, and a ship from Madeira to South Carolina, out of which they got plunder to a considerable value. After cleaning on the coast of Virginia, they returned to the West Indies, and in the latitude of 24 made a prize of a large French guinea man bound to Martinique, which by Hornigold's consent Teach went aboard of as captain and took a cruise in her. Hornigold returned with his sloop to Providence, where at the arrival of Captain Rogers, the governor, he surrendered to Mercy, pursuant to the king's proclamation. Part of the skinny man Teach mounted forty guns and named her the Queen Anne's Revenge, and cruising near the island of St. Vincent, took a large ship called the Great Allen, Christopher Taylor Commander. The pirates plundered her of what they thought fit, put all the men ashore up on the island above mentioned, and then set fire to the ship. A few days after, Teach fell in with the Scarborough man of war, of thirty guns, who engaged him for some hours, but she finding the pirate well-manned and having tried her strength gave over the engagement and returned to Barbados the place of her station, and Teach sailed towards the Spanish America. In his way he met with a pirate sloop of ten guns commanded by one major bonnet, lately a gentleman of good reputation and estate in the island of Barbados whom he joined. But in a few days after, Teach finding that bonnet knew nothing of a maritime life, but the consent of his own men put in another captain, one Richards, to command bonnet sloop, and took the major on board his own ship, telling him that as he had not been used to the fatigue and care of such a post, it would be better for him to decline it and live easy and at his pleasure in such a ship as his, where he should not be obliged to perform duty, but follow his own inclinations. That turn if ten leagues short of the Bay of Honduras, the pirates took in fresh water, and while they were at anchor there they saw a sloop coming in, whereupon Richards in the sloop called the Revenge slipped his cable and run out to meet her, who upon seeing the black flag hoisted struck his sail and came to under the stern of Teach the Commodore. She was called the adventure from Jamaica, David Harriet master. They took him and his men aboard the great ship, and sent a number of other hands with Israel hands, master of Teach's ship, to man the sloop for the piratical account. The ninth of April they wade from Ternuff having laid there about a week, and sailed to the bay where they found the ship and four sloops. Three of the latter belonged to Jonathan Bernard of Jamaica, and the other to Captain James. The ship was of Boston called the Protestant Caesar, Captain Wire Commander. Teach hoisted his black colors and fired a gun upon which Captain Wire and all his men left their ship and got ashore in their boat. Teach's quartermaster and aid of his crew took possession of Wire's ship, and Richards secured all the sloops, one of which they burnt out of spite to the owner. The Protestant Caesar they also burnt after they had plundered her because she belonged to Boston where some men had been hanged for piracy, and the three sloops belonging to Bernard they let go. From hence the rovers sailed to Turquil, and then to the Grand Caymans a small island about thirty leagues to the westward of Jamaica where they took a small turtler, and so to the Havana, and from thence to the Bahama Rex, and from the Bahama Rex they sailed to Carolina, taking a brigantine and two sloops in their way where they lay off the bar of Charlestown for five or six days. They took here a ship as she was coming out bound for London, commanded by Robert Clark, with some passengers on board for England. The next day they took another vessel coming out of Charlestown, and also two pinks coming into Charlestown. Likewise a brigantine with fourteen negroes aboard, all which being done in the face of the town struck a great terror to the whole province of Carolina, having just before been visited by Vane, another notorious pirate, that they abandoned themselves to despair, being in no condition to resist their force. They were eight sail in the harbor ready for the sea, but none dared to venture out, it being almost impossible to escape their hands. The inward bound vessels were under the same unhappy dilemma, so that the trade of this place was totally interrupted. What made these misfortunes heavier to them was a long expensive war the colony had had with the natives, which was but just ended when these robbers infested them. Teach detained all the ships and prisoners, and being in one of medicines, resolved to demand the chest from the government of the province. Accordingly Richards, the captain of the revenge sloop, with two or three more pirates were sent up along with Mr. Marks, one of the prisoners whom they had taken in Clark's ship, and very insolently made their demands, threatening that if they did not send immediately the chest of medicines, and let the pirate ambassadors return without offering any violence to their persons, they would murder all their prisoners, send up their heads to the governor, and set the ships they had taken on fire. As Mr. Marks was making application to the council, Richards and the rest of the pirates walked the streets publicly in the sight of all people who were fired with the utmost indignation, looking upon them as robbers and murderers, and particularly the authors of their wrongs and oppressions, but durst not so much as think of executing their revenge for fear of bringing more calamities upon themselves, and so they were forced to let the villains pass with impunity. The government were not long in deliberating upon the message, which was the greatest affront that could have been put upon them. Yet for the saving so many men's lives, among them Mr. Samuel Rag, one of the council, they complied with the necessity, and sent aboard a chest valued at between three and four hundred pounds, and the pirates went back safe to their ships. Blackbeard, for so teach was generally called, as we shall hear after shoe, as soon as he had received the medicines and his brother rogues, let go the ships and the prisoners, having first taken out of them in gold and silver about fifteen hundred pounds sterling, besides provisions and other matters. From the bar of Charlestown they sailed to North Carolina, Captain Teach and the ship which they called the Man of War, Captain Richards and Captain Hans and the Sloups, which they turned privateers, and another Sloup serving them as a tender. Teach began now to think of breaking up the company and securing the money in the best of the effects for himself and some others of his companions he had most friendship for, and to cheat the rest. Accordingly, on pretense of running into Topsell Inlet to clean, he grounded his ship, and then, as if it had been done undesignedly and by accident, he orders Hans's Sloup to come to his assistance and get him off again, which he, endeavoring to do, ran the Sloup on shore near the other, and so were both lost. This done, Teach goes into the tender Sloup with forty hands and leaves the revenge there. One takes seventeen others and maroons them upon a small sandy island, about a league from the main, where there was neither bird, beast or herb for their subsistence, and where they must have perished if Major Bonnet had not, two days later, taken them off. Teach goes up to the governor of North Carolina with about twenty of his men, surrenders to his majesty's proclamation, and receives certificates thereof from his Excellency. But it did not appear that their submitting to this pardon was from any reformation of manners, but only to wait a more favorable opportunity to play the same game over again, which he soon after affected, with greater security to himself and with much better prospect of success, having in this time cultivated a very good understanding with Charles Eden, Esquire, the governor above mentioned. The first piece of service this kind governor did to Blackbeard was to give him a right to the vessel which he had taken when he was a pirating in the great ship called Queen Anne's Revenge, for which purpose a court of vice admiralty was held at Bathtown, and though Teach had never any commission in his life, and the sloop belonging to the English merchants and taken in time of peace, yet was she condemned as a prize taken from the Spaniards by the said Teach. These proceedings show that governors are but men. Before he sailed upon his adventures he married a young creature of about sixteen years of age, the governor performing the ceremony. As it is accustomed to marry here by a priest, so it is there by a magistrate, and this I have been informed made Teach's fourteenth wife, whereof about a dozen might still be living. His behavior in this state was something extraordinary, for while his sloop lay an ochre-coke inlet, and he assured a plantation where his wife lived, with whom after he had laid in all night it was his custom to invite five or six of his brutal companions to come ashore, and he would force her to prostitute herself to them all one after another before his face. In June 1718 he went to sea upon another expedition and steered his course toward Bermudas. He met with two or three English vessels in his way, but robbed them only of provisions, stores, and other necessities for his present expense. But near the island aforementioned he fell in with two French ships, one of them was loading with sugar and cocoa, and the other was late, both bound to Martinico. The ship that had no lading he let go, and putting all the men of the loaded ship aboard her, he brought home the other with her cargo to North Carolina, where the governor and the pirates shared the plunder. When Teach and his prize arrived, he and four of his crew went to his Excellency and made affidavit that they found the French ship at sea, without a soul on board her, and then a court was called, and the ship condemned. The governor had sixty hogs heads of sugar for his dividend, and one Mr. Knight, who was his secretary and collector for the province, twenty, and the rest was shared among the other pirates. The business was not yet done, the ship remained, and it was possible one or other might come into the river that might be acquainted with her, and so discover the roguery. But Teach thought of a contrivance to prevent this, for upon a pretense that she was leaky and that she might sink and so stop up the mouth of the inlet or cove where she lay, he obtained an order from the governor to bring her out into the river and set her on fire, which was accordingly executed, and she was burnt down to the water's edge, her bottom sunk, and with it their fears of her ever rifeing in judgment against them. Captain Teach, alias Blackbeard, passed three or four months in the river, sometimes lying at anchor in the coves, at other times sailing from one inlet to another, trading with such sloops as he met for the plunder he had taken, and would often give them presents for stores and provisions took from them, that is, when he happened to be in a giving humor. At other times he made bold with them and took what he liked without saying, by your leave, knowing well they dared not send him a bill for the payment. He often diverted himself with going ashore among the planters where he reveled night and day. By these he was well received, but whether out of love or fear I cannot say. Sometimes he used them courteously enough and made them presence of rum and sugar in recompense of what he took from them. But as for liberties, which Tis said he and his companions often took with the wives and daughters of the planters, I cannot take upon me to say whether he paid them ad valorim or no. At other times he carried it in a lordly manner towards them, and would lay some of them under contribution, nay he often proceeded to bully the governor, not that I can discover the least cause of quarrel betwixt them, but it seemed only to be done to show he dared do it. The sloops trading up and down this river, being so frequently pillaged by Blackbeard, consulted with the traders and some of the best planters what course to take. They saw plainly it would be in vain to make any application to the governor of North Carolina, to whom it properly belonged to find some redress, so that if they could not be relieved from some other quarter, Blackbeard would be like to reign with impunity. Therefore with as much secrecy as possible they sent a deputation to Virginia to lay the affair before the governor of that colony, and to solicit an armed force from the men of war lying there, to take or destroy this pirate. This governor consulted with the captains of the two men of war, Vyce, the Pearl, and Lyme, who had lay in St. James's River about ten months. It was agreed that the governor should hire a couple of small sloops, and the men of war should man them. This was accordingly done, and the command of them given to Mr. Robert Maynard, first lieutenant of the Pearl, an experienced officer and a gentleman of great bravery and resolution, as will appear by his gallant behavior in this expedition. The sloops were well manned, and furnished with ammunition and small arms, but had no guns mounted. About the time of their going out, the governor called an assembly in which it was resolved to publish a proclamation, offering certain rewards to any person or persons who, within a year after that time, should take or destroy any pirate. The original proclamation being in our hands is as follows. By His Majesty's Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, a proclamation, publishing the rewards given for apprehending or killing pirates, whereas by an act of assembly made at a session of assembly begun at the Capitol in Williamsburg the eleventh day of November in the fifth year of His Majesty's reign, entitled, An Act to Encourage the Apprehending and Destroying of Pirates. It is, amongst other things enacted, that all in every person or persons who, from and after the fourteenth day of November in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighteen, and before the fourteenth day of November, which shall be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and nineteen, shall take any pirate or pirates on the sea or land, or in case of resistance shall kill any such pirate or pirates between the degrees of thirty-four and thirty-nine of northern latitude, and within one hundred leagues of the continent of Virginia, or within the provinces of Virginia or North Carolina, upon the conviction or making due proof of the killing of all and every such pirate and pirates, before the Governor and Council shall be entitled to have and receive out of the public money in the hands of the Treasurer of this Colony the several rewards following. It is to say, for Edward Teach, commonly called Captain Teach, or Blackbeard, one hundred pounds, for every other commander of a pirate ship, sloop or vessel, forty pounds, for every Lieutenant, Master or Quarter Master, Bosen or Carpenter, twenty pounds, for every other inferior officer, fifteen pounds, and for every private man taken on board such ship, sloop or vessel, ten pounds, and that for every pirate, which shall be taken by any ship, sloop or vessel belonging to this Colony or North Carolina, within the time aforesaid, in any place whatsoever, the like rewards shall be paid according to the quality and condition of such pirates. Wherefore, for the encouragement of all such persons as shall be willing to serve His Majesty and their country in so just and honorable and undertaking, as the suppressing assort of people who may be truly called enemies to mankind, I have thought fit with the advice and consent of His Majesty's Council to issue this proclamation, hereby declaring the said rewards shall be punctually and justly paid in current money of Virginia according to the directions of said act. And I do order and appoint this proclamation to be published by the sheriffs at their respective county houses and by all ministers and readers in the several churches and chapels throughout this colony. Given at our council chamber at Williamsburg this twenty-fourth day of November seventeen-eighteen in the fifth year of His Majesty's reign, God save the king. A. Spotswood. End of Chapter 3, Part 1 Chapter 3, Part 2 of the General History of the Pirates, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES, VOLUME 1, BY CHARLES JOHNSON CHAPTER 3, PART 2 The seventeenth of November, seventeen-eighteen, the lieutenant sailed from Quiquitane in James River, Virginia, and the twenty-first in the evening came to the mouth of Oaker-Coke Inlet, where he got sight of the pirate. This expedition was made with all imaginable secrecy and the officer managed with all the prudence that was necessary, stopping all boats and vessels he met with in the river from going up, and thereby preventing any intelligence from reaching Blackbeard and receiving at the same time an account from them all of the place where the pirate was lurking. But notwithstanding this caution, Blackbeard had information of the design from his Excellency of the Province, and his secretary, Mr. Knight, wrote him a letter particularly concerning it, intimating that he had sent him four of his men, which were all he could meet with, in or about town, and so bid him be upon his guard. These men belonged to Blackbeard and were sent from Bathtown to Oaker-Coke Inlet, where the sloop lay, which is about twenty leagues. Blackbeard had heard several reports, which happened not to be true, and so gave the less credit to this, nor was he convinced till he saw the sloops, whereupon he put his vessel in a posture of defense. He had no more than twenty-five men on board, though he gave out to all the vessels he spoke with that he had forty. When he had prepared for battle, he sat down, and spent the night in drinking with the master of a trading sloop, who, to his thought, had more business with teach than he should have had. Lieutenant Maynard came to an anchor, for the place being shoal and the channel intricate there was no getting in where teach lay that night. But in the morning he wade and sent his boat ahead of the sloops to sound, and coming within gunshot of the pirate received his fire, whereupon Maynard hoisted the king's colors and stood directly towards him, with the best way that his sails and oars could make. Blackbeard cut his cable and endeavored to make a running fight, keeping a continual fire at his enemies with his guns. Mr. Maynard, not having any, kept a constant fire with small arms, while some of his men labored at their oars. In a little time teach's sloop ran aground, and Mr. Maynard's drawing more water than that of the pirate he could not come near him. So he anchored within half gunshot of the enemy, and in order to lighten his vessel that he might run him aboard, the lieutenant ordered all his ballast to be thrown overboard, and all the water to be staved, and then wade and stood for him, upon which Blackbeard hailed him in this rude manner. Damn you for villains, who are you, and from whence came you? The lieutenant made him answer. You may see by our colors we are no pirates. Blackbeard bid him send his boat on board that he might see who he was. But Maynard replied thus, I cannot spare my boat, but I will come aboard of you as soon as I can with my sloop. Upon this Blackbeard took a glass of liquor, and drank to him with these words. Damn nation sees my soul if I give you quarters or take any from you. An answer to which Mr. Maynard told him that he expected no quarters from him, nor should he give any. By this time Blackbeard's sloop fleeted as Mr. Maynard's sloops were rowing towards him, which being not above a foot high in the waist and consequently the men all exposed as they came near together, there being hitherto little or no execution done on either side. The pirate fired a broadside, charged with all manner of small shot. A fatal stroke to them the sloop the lieutenant was in having twenty men killed and wounded, and the other sloop nine. This could not be helped for there being no wind they were obliged to keep to their oars, otherwise the pirate would have gotten away from him, which it seems the lieutenant was resolute to prevent. After this unlucky blow Blackbeard's sloop fell broadside to the shore. Mr. Maynard's other sloop, which was called the Ranger, fell astern, being for the present disabled. So the lieutenant finding his own sloop had way, and would soon be on board of teach, he ordered all his men down for fear of another broadside, which must have been their destruction and the loss of their expedition. Mr. Maynard was the only person that kept the deck, except the man at the helm, whom he directed to lie down snug, and the men in the hold were ordered to get their pistols and their swords ready for close fighting, and to come up at his command, in order to which two ladders were placed in the hatchway for the more expedition. When the lieutenant sloop boarded the other, Captain teaches men through in several new fashion sort of granados, these case bottles filled with powder and small shot, slugs and pieces of lead or iron, with a quick match in the mouth of it, which, being lighted without side, presently runs into the bottle to the powder, and as it is instantly thrown on board generally does great execution, besides putting all the crew into a confusion. But by good providence they had not that effect here. The men being in the hold, and Blackbeard seeing few or no hands aboard, told his men that they were all knocked on the head, except three or four, and therefore says he, let's jump on board and cut them to pieces. Whereupon, under the smoke of one of the bottles just mentioned, Blackbeard enters with fourteen men over the bowels of Maynard's sloop, and were not seen by him till the air cleared. However, he just then gave a signal to his men, who all rose in an instant and attacked the pirates with as much bravery as ever was done upon such an occasion. Blackbeard and the lieutenant fired the first pistol at each other, by which the pirate received a wound, and then engaged with swords, till the lieutenant's unluckily broke. And stepping back to cock a pistol, Blackbeard with his cutlass was striking at that instant, that one of Maynard's men gave him a terrible wound in the neck and throat, by which the lieutenant came off with a small cut over his fingers. They were now closely and warmly engaged, the lieutenant and twelve men against Blackbeard and fourteen, till the sea was tinctured with blood round the vessel. Blackbeard received a shot into his body from the pistol that lieutenant Maynard discharged, yet he stood his ground and fought with great fury, till he received five and twenty wounds and five of them by shot. At length as he was cocking another pistol, having fired several before, he fell down dead, by which time eight more of the fourteen dropped, and all the rest, much wounded, jumped overboard, and called out for quarters, which was granted, though it was only prolonging their lives for a few days. The Sloup Ranger came up and attacked the men that remained in Blackbeard's Sloup with equal bravery, till they likewise cried for quarters. Here was an end of that courageous brute, who might have passed in the world for a hero, had he been employed in a good cause. His destruction, which was of such consequence to the plantations, was entirely owing to the conduct and bravery of the lieutenant Maynard and his men, who might have destroyed him with much less loss had they had a vessel with great guns. But they were obliged to use small vessels, because the holes and places he lurked in would not admit of others of greater draft. And it was no small difficulty for this gentleman to get to him, having grounded his vessel at least a hundred times in getting up the river, besides other discouragements, enough to have turned back any gentleman without dishonor, who was less resolute and bold than this lieutenant. The broadside that did so much mischief before they boarded, in all probability, saved the rest from destruction. For before that, Teach had little or no hopes of escaping, and therefore had posted a resolute fellow, a negro whom he had bred up, with a lighted match in the powder room, with commands to blow up when he should give him orders, which was as soon as the lieutenant and his men could have entered, that so he might have destroyed his conquerors. And when the negro found out how it went with Blackbeard, he could hardly be persuaded from the rash action by two prisoners that were then in the hold of the sloop. What seems a little odd is that some of these men, who behaved so bravely against Blackbeard, went afterwards up pirating themselves, and one of them was taken along with Roberts. But I do not find that any of them were provided for, except one that was hanged. But this is a digression. The lieutenant caused Blackbeard's head to be severed from his body and hung up at the bolt-spread end, then he sailed to Bathtown to get relief for his wounded men. It must be observed that in rummaging the pirate sloop they found several letters and written papers, which discovered the correspondence betwixt Governor Eden, the Secretarian Collector, and also some traitors at New York and Blackbeard. It is likely he had regard enough for his friends to have destroyed these papers before the action in order to hinder them from falling into such hands where the discovery would be of no use either to the interest or reputation of these fine gentlemen, if it had not been his fixed resolution to have blown up together when he found no possibility of escaping. When the lieutenant came to Bathtown he made bold decease in the Governor's storehouse the sixty hogsheads of sugar, and from Honest Mr. Knight, twenty, which it seems was their dividend of the plunder taken in the French ship. The latter did not long survive this shameful discovery, for being apprehensive that he might be called to an account for these trifles fell sick with the fright and died in a few days. After the wounded men were pretty well recovered the lieutenant sailed back to the men of war in James River in Virginia, with Blackbeard's head still hanging at the bolt-spread end and fifteen prisoners, thirteen of whom were hanged. It appearing upon trial that one of them, V. Samuel O'Dell, was taken out of the trading sloop but the night before the engagement. This poor fellow was a little unlucky at his first entering upon his new trade, there appearing no less than seventy wounds upon him after the action, notwithstanding which he lived and was cured of them all. The other person that escaped the gallows was one Israel Hans, the master of Blackbeard's sloop and formerly captain of the same, before the Queen Anne's Revenge was lost in Topsell Inlet. The aforesaid Hans happened not to be in the fight, but was taken afterwards ashore at Bathtown, having been some time before disabled by Blackbeard in one of his savage humours after the following manner. One night, drinking in his cabin with Hans, the pilot and another man, Blackbeard without any provocation privately draws out a small pair of pistols and cocks them under the table, which being perceived by the man, he withdrew and went up on deck, leaving Hans, the pilot and the captain together. When the pistols were ready they blew out the candle and crossing his hands he discharged them at his company. Hans, the master, was shot through the knee and blamed for life. The other pistol did no execution. Being asked the meaning of this, he only answered by damning them that if he did not now and then kill one of them, they would forget who he was. Hans being taken was tried and condemned, but just as he was about to be executed a ship arrives at Virginia with a proclamation for prolonging the time of his majesty's pardon to such of the pirates as should surrender by a limited time therein expressed. Notwithstanding the sentence, Hans pleaded the pardon and was allowed the benefit of it, and is alive at this time in London begging his bread. Now that we have given some account of teach's life and actions, it will not be a miss that we speak of his beard, since it did not a little contribute towards making his name so terrible in those parts. Plutarch and other grave historians have taken notice that several great men amongst the Romans took their surnames from certain odd marks in their countenances. As Cicero from a mark or vetch on his nose, so our hero, Captain Teach, assumed the cognomen of Blackbeard from that large quantity of hair which, like a frightful meteor, covered his whole face and frightened America more than any comment that has appeared there a long time. This beard was Black, which he suffered to grow of an extravagant length, as to breath it came up to his eyes. He was accustomed to twist it with ribbons in small tails after the manner of our Rammelies wigs and turn them about his ears. In time of action he wore a sling over his shoulders with three brace of pistols hanging in holsters like bandoliers, and stuck lighted matches under his hat which appearing on each side of his face. His eyes naturally looking fierce and wild made him altogether such a figure that imagination cannot form an idea of a fury from hell to look more frightful. If he had the look of a fury his humors and passions were suitable to it. We shall relate two or three more of his extravagancies which we omitted in the body of his history by which it will appear to what a pitch of wickedness human nature may arrive if its passions are not checked. In the common wealth of pirates he who goes the greatest length of wickedness is looked upon with a kind of envy amongst them as a person of a more extraordinary gallantry and is thereby entitled to be distinguished by some post and of such a one has but courage he must certainly be a great man. The hero of whom we are writing was thoroughly accomplished this way and some of his frolics of wickedness were so extravagant as if he aimed at making his men believe he was a devil incarnate for being one day at sea and a little flushed with drink. Come, says he, let us make a hell of our own and try how long we can bear it. Accordingly he with two or three others went down into the hold and closing up all the hatches filled several pots full of brimstone and other combustible matter and set it on fire and so continued till they were almost suffocated when some of the men cried out for air. At length he opened the hatches not a little pleased that he held out the longest. The night before he was killed he set up and drank till the morning with some of his own men and the massed rubber merchantmen and having had intelligence of the two sloops coming to attack him as as before been observed. One of his men asked him in case anything should happen to him in the engagement with the sloops whether his wife knew where he had buried his money. He answered that nobody but himself and the devil knew where it was and the longest liver should take all. Those of his crew who were taken alive told a story which may appear a little incredible however we think it will not be fair to omit it since we had it from their own mouths that once upon a cruise they found out they had a man on board more than their crew. Such a one was seen several days amongst them sometimes below and sometimes upon deck yet no man on the ship could give an account who he was or from whence he came. But that he disappeared a little before they were cast away on their great ship but it seems they verily believed it was the devil. One would think these things should induce them to reform their lives but so many reprobates together encouraged and spirited one another up in their wickedness to which a continual course of drinking did not a little contribute. For in Blackbeard's journal which was taken there were several memorandums of the following nature found writ with his own hand. Such a day, rom all out. Our company somewhat sober. A damned confusion amongst us. Brogues applauding. Great talk of separation. So I looked sharp for a prize. Such a day took one with a great deal of liquor on board, so kept the company hot, damned hot, that all things went well again. Thus it was these wretches past their lives with very little pleasure or satisfaction in the possession of what they violently take away from others and sure to pay for it at last by an ignominious death. The names of the pirates killed in the engagement are as follow. Edward Teach, Commander. Philip Morton, Gunner. Garrett Gibbons, Bolson. Owen Roberts, Carpenter. Thomas Miller, Quartermaster. John Husk. Joseph Curtis. Joseph Brooks. Nathaniel Jackson. All the rest except the two last were wounded and afterwards hanged in Virginia. John Carnes. Joseph Brooks. James Blake. John Gills. Thomas Gates. James White. Richard Stiles. Caesar. Joseph Phillips. James Robbins. John Martin. Edward Salter. Stephen Daniel. Richard Greensale. Israel Hands, pardoned. Samuel Odell, acquitted. There were, in the pirate sloops, in a shore in a tent near where the sloops lay, twenty-five hogs out of sugar, eleven terraces and one hundred forty-five bags of cocoa, a barrel of indigo, and a bale of cotton, which, with what was taken from the Governor and Secretary, and the sale of the sloop, came to twenty-five hundred pounds, besides the rewards paid by the Governor of Virginia pursuant to his proclamation. All which was divided among the companies of the two ships, Lyme and Pearl, that lay in James River, the brave fellows that took them coming in for no more than their dividend amongst the rest, and was paid it within these three months. The General History of the Pirates, volume one by Charles Johnson, chapter four, part one, of Major Steed Bonnet in his crew. The Major was a gentleman of good reputation in the island of Barbados, was master of a plentiful fortune, and had the advantage of a liberal education. He had the least temptation of any man to follow such a course of life, from the condition of his circumstances. It was very surprising to everyone to hear of the Major's enterprise in the island where he lived, and as he was generally esteemed and honored before he broke out into open acts of piracy, so he was afterwards rather pityed than condemned by those that were acquainted with him, believing that this humor of going a pirating proceeded from a disorder in his mind which had been but too visible in him some time before this wicked undertaking, and which is said to have been occasioned by some discomforts he found in a married state. Be that as it will, the Major was but ill-qualified for the business as not understanding maritime affairs. However, he fitted out a sloop with ten guns and seventy men entirely at his own expense, and in the night time sailed from Barbados. He called his sloop the Revenge. His first cruise was off the capes of Virginia, where he took several ships and plundered them of their provisions, clothes, money, ammunition, etc., in particular the Anne, Captain Montgomery from Glasgow, the Turbot from Barbados, which, for a country's sake, after they had taken out the principal part of the lading, the pirate crew set her on fire, the Endeavour, Captain Scott from Bristol, and the Young from Leith. From hence they went to New York and off the east end of Long Island took a sloop bound for the West Indies, after which they stood in and landed some in at Gardner's Island, but in a peaceable manner, and bought provisions for the company's use which they paid for, and so went off again without molestation. Some time after, which was in August 1717, Bonnet came off the bar of South Carolina and took a sloop in a brigantine bound in. The sloop belonged to Barbados, Joseph Palmer master laden with rum, sugar, and negroes, and the brigantine came from New England, Thomas Porter master whom they plundered and then dismissed, but they sailed away with the sloop and at an inlet in North Carolina careened by her and then set her on fire. After the sloop had cleaned they put to sea, but came to no resolution what course to take. The crew were divided in their opinions, some being for one thing and some another, so that nothing but confusion seemed to attend all their schemes. The major was no sailor as was said before and therefore had been obliged to yield to many things that were imposed on him during their undertaking, for want of a competent knowledge and maritime affairs. At length happening to fall in company with another pirate, one Edward Teach, who for his remarkable black ugly beard was more commonly called Blackbeard, this fellow was a good sailor but a most cruel-hardened villain bold and daring to the last degree and would not stick at the perpetrating of the most abominable wickedness imaginable, for which he was made chief of the excruble gang that it might be said that his post was not unduly filled, Blackbeard being truly the superior and roguery of all the company as has been already related. To him Bonnett's crew joined in consort ship and Bonnett himself was laid aside notwithstanding the sloop was his own. He went aboard Blackbeard's ship not concerning himself with any of their affairs, where he continued till she was lost in Topsell Inlet and one Richards was appointed captain in his room. The major now saw his folly but could not help himself, which made him melancholy. He reflected upon his past course of life and was confounded with shame when he thought upon what he had done. His behavior was taken notice of by the other pirates, who liked him never the better for it, and he often declared to some of them that he would gladly leave off that way of living, being fully tired of it, but he should be ashamed to see the face of any Englishman again. Therefore if he could get to Spain or Portugal, or he might be undiscovered, he would spend the remainder of his days in either of those countries. Otherwise he must continue with them as long as he lived. When Blackbeard lost his ship at Topsell Inlet and surrendered to the king's proclamation, Bonnett re-assumed the command of his own sloop, Revenge, goes directly away to Bathtown in North Carolina, surrenders likewise to the king's pardon, and receives a certificate. The war was now broken out between the triple allies and Spain, so Major Bonnett gets a clearance for his sloop at North Carolina to go to the island of St. Thomas with a design, at least it was pretended so, to get the Emperor's commission to go a privateering upon the Spaniard. When Bonnett came back to Topsell Inlet, he found the teach and his gang were gone, and that had taken all the money, small arms and effects of value out of the great ship, and set ashore on a small sandy island above a league from the main. Seventeen men, and no doubt with a design they should perish, there being no inhabitant or provisions to subsist with all, nor any boat or materials to build or make any kind of launcher vessel to escape from that desolate place. They remained there two nights and one day without subsistence, or the least prospect of any, expecting nothing else but a lingering death. When to their inexpressible comfort they saw redemption at hand, for Major Bonnett happening to get intelligence of their being there, by two of the pirates who had escaped, teach his cruelty, and had got to a poor little village at the upper end of the harbor, sent his boat to make discovery of the truth of the matter, which the poor wretches seeing made a signal to them, and they were all brought on board Bonnett's sloop. Major Bonnett told all his company that he would take a commission to go against the Spaniard, and to that end was going to St. Thomas, therefore if they would go with him they should be welcome, or upon they all consented, but as the sloop was preparing to sail, a bomb boat that brought apples and cider to sail to the sloop's men informed them that Captain Teach lay at Ocracoke Inlet with only eighteen or twenty hands. Bonnett, who bore him a mortal hatred for some insults offered him, went immediately in pursuit of Blackbeard, but it happened too late for he missed of him there, and after four days crews hearing no further news of him, they steered their course towards Virginia. In the month of July these adventurers came off the capes, and meeting with a pink with a stock of provisions on board, which they happened to be in Wanda, they took out of her ten or twelve barrels of pork and about four hundred weight of bread, but because they would not have this set down to the account of piracy, they gave them eight or ten casks of rice and an old cable in lieu thereof. Two days afterwards they chased a sloop of sixty ton and took her two leagues off of Cape Henry. They were so happy here as to get a supply of liquor to their victuals, for they brought from her two hogs heads of rum and as many of molasses, which it seems they had need of, though they had not ready money to purchase them. What security they intended to give, I can't tell, but Bonnett sent eight men to take care of the prize sloop, who perhaps not caring to make use of those accustomed freedoms, took the first opportunity to go off with her, and Bonnett, who was pleased to have himself called Captain Thomas, saw them no more. After this the Major threw off all restraint, and though he had just before received his Majesty's mercy, in the name of steed Bonnett he relapsed in good earnest into his old vocation, by the name of Captain Thomas, and recommends to downright pirate by taking and plundering all the vessels he met with. He took off Cape Henry, two ships from Virginia bound to Glasgow, out of which they had very little besides and a hundred weight of tobacco. The next day they took a small sloop bound from Virginia to Bermuda, which supplied them with twenty barrels of pork, some bacon, and they gave her in return two barrels of rice and a hog set of molasses. Out of this sloop two men entered voluntarily. The next they took was another Virginia bound to Glasgow, out of which they had nothing of value, save only a few combs, pins, and needles, and gave her instead thereof a barrel of pork and two barrels of bread. From Virginia they sailed to Philadelphia, and in the latitude of thirty-eight north they took a schooner coming from North Carolina, bound to Boston. They had out of her only two dozen of calf skins to make covers for guns, and two of their hands, and detained her some days. All this was but small game, and seemed as if they designed only to make provision for their sloop against they arrived at St. Thomas's, for they hitherto had dealt favorably with all that were so unhappy as to fall into their hands. But those that came after fared not so well, for in the latitude of thirty-two off of Delaware River near Philadelphia they took two snows bound to Bristol, out of whom they got some money, besides goods, perhaps to the value of one hundred fifty pounds. At the same time they took a sloop of sixty tons bound from Philadelphia to Barbados, which after taking some goods out they dismissed along with the snows. The twenty-ninth day of July Captain Thomas took a sloop of fifty tons, six or seven leagues off Delaware Bay, bound from Philadelphia to Barbados, Thomas Reed, master, loaden with provisions which they kept, and put four or five of their hands on boarder. The last day of July they took another sloop of sixty tons commanded by Peter Mainwearing, bound from Antigua to Philadelphia, which they likewise kept with all the cargo, consisting chiefly of rum, molasses, sugar, cotton, indigo, and about twenty-five pound in money, valued in all to five hundred pounds. The last day of July our rovers with the vessel's last taken left Delaware Bay, and sailed to Cape Fear River where they stayed too long for their safety, but the pirate sloop which they now new named the Royal James proved very leaky, so that they were obliged to remain here almost two months to refit and repair their vessel. They took in this river a small shallop which they ripped up to mend the sloop, and retarded the further prosecution of their voyage, as before mentioned, till the news came to Carolina of a pirate sloop's being there to careen with her prizes. Upon this information the Council of South Carolina was alarmed, and apprehended they should receive another visit from them speedily, to prevent which Colonel William Reet of the same province waited on the governor and generously offered himself to go with two sloops to attack this pirate, which the governor readily accepted and accordingly gave the Colonel a commission and full power to fit such vessels as he thought proper to the design. In a few days two sloops were equipped and manned. The Henry with eight guns and seventy men commanded by Captain John Masters, and the sea nymph with eight guns and sixty men commanded by Captain Ferrer Hall, both under the entire direction and command of the aforesaid Colonel Reet, who on the 14th of September went on board the Henry and with the other sloops sailed from Charlestown to Swilevance Island to put themselves in order for the cruise. And just then arrived a small ship from Antigua, one cockmaster, with an account that in sight of the bar he was taken and plundered by one Charles Vane, a pirate, in a brigantine of twelve guns and ninety men, and who had also taken two other vessels bound in there, one a small sloop, Captain Dill, master from Barbados, the other a brigantine, Captain Thompson, master from Guinea, with ninety-odd Negroes, which they took out of the vessel and put on board another sloop, then under the command of one Yates, his consort with twenty-five men. This proved fortunate to the owners of the Guinea man, for Yates, having often attempted to quit this course of life, took an opportunity in the night to leave Vane and to run into Northedisto River, to the south wood of Charlestown, and surrendered to his Majesty's pardon. The owners got their Negroes and Yates and his men had certificates given them from the government. Vane cruised some time off the bar in hopes of catching Yates, and unfortunately for them took two ships coming out, bound to London, and while the prisoners were aboard, some of the pirates gave out that they designed to go into one of the rivers to the south wood. Colonel Rhett, upon hearing this, sailed over the bar, the fifteenth of September, with the two sloops before mentioned, and having the wind northerly went after the pirate Vane, and scoured the rivers and inlets to the south wood, but not meeting with him, tacked and stood for Cape Fear River, in prosecution of his first design. On the twenty-sixth following in the evening, the Colonel with his small squadron entered the river, and saw over a point of land three sloops at an anchor, which were major bonnet and his prizes. But it happened that in going up the river the pilot run the Colonel's sloops aground, and it was dark before they were on float, which hindered their getting up that night. The pirates soon discovered the sloops but not knowing who they were, or upon what design they came into that river. They manned three canoes and sent them down to take them, but they quickly found their mistake and returned to the sloop with the unwelcome news. Major Bonnet made preparations that night for engaging, and took all the men out of the prizes. He showed Captain Man Waring one of his prisoners a letter. He had just wrote, which he declared he would send to the Governor of Carolina. The letter was to this effect, Viz, that if the sloops which then appeared were sent out against him, by the said Governor, and he should get clear off, that he would burn and destroy all ships or vessels going in or out of South Carolina, the next morning they got under sail and came down the river, designing only a running fight. Colonel Rhett's sloops got likewise under sail and stood for him, getting upon each quarter of the pirate with intent to board him, which he, perceiving edged in toward the shore and being warmly engaged, their sloop ran aground. The Carolina sloops being in the same shoal water were in the same circumstances. The Henry in which Colonel Rhett was grounded within pistol shot of the pirate, and on his bow the other sloop grounded right ahead of him, and almost out of gunshot, which made her of little service to the Colonel while they lay aground. At this time the pirate had a considerable advantage for their sloop after she was aground listed from Colonel Rhett's by which means they were all covered, and the Colonel sloop listed the same way as men were much exposed, not withstanding which they kept a brisk fire the whole time they lay thus aground, which was near five hours. The pirates made a whiff in their bloody flag and beckoned several times with their hats in derision to the Colonel's men, to come on board which they answered with cheerful huzzahs, and said that they would speak with them by and by, which accordingly happened for the Colonel sloop being first to float. He got into deeper water and after mending the sloop's rigging, which was much shattered in the engagement, they stood for the pirate to give the finishing stroke, and designed to go directly on board him, which he prevented by sending a flag of truce, and after some time capitulating, they surrendered themselves prisoners. The Colonel took possession of the sloop and was extremely pleased to find that Captain Thomas, who commanded her, was the individual person of Major Steed Bonnet, who had done them the honor several times to visit their own coast of Carolinum. They were killed in this action on board the Henry, ten men and fourteen wounded, on board the Scenemt two killed and four wounded. The officers and sailors in both sloops behaved themselves with the greatest bravery, and had not the sloops so unluckily run aground, they had taken the pirate with much less loss of men. But as he designed to get by them, and so make a running fight, the Carolinus sloops were obliged to keep near him, to prevent his getting away. Of the pirates, there were seven killed and five wounded, two of which died soon after their wounds. Colonel Rhett wade the 30th of September from Cape Fear River, and arrived at Charlestown the 3rd of October, to the great joy of the whole province of Carolinum. Bonnet and his crew two days after were put ashore, and there not being a public prison, the pirates were kept at the watch house under regard of militia. But Major Bonnet was committed into the custody of the Marshal at his house, and in a few days after, David Harriet, the master and Ignatius Pal, the Boson, who were designed for evidence against the other pirates, were removed from the rest of the crew to the said Marshal s house. And every night two Centenials said about the said house, but whether through any corruption or want of care in guarding the prisoners I can t say. But on the 24th of October the Major and Harriet made their escape, the Boson refusing to go along with them. This made a great noise in the province and people were open in their resentments, often reflecting on the Governor and others in the Majestacy, as though they had been bribed for conniving at their escape. These invectives arose from their fears that Bonnet would be capable of raising another company and prosecute his revenge against this country. For what he had lately though justly suffered. But they were in a short time made easy in these respects. For as soon as the Governor had the account of Bonnet to escape, he immediately issued out a proclamation and promised a reward of seven hundred pounds to any that would take him, and sent several boats with armed men both to the Northwood and Southwood in pursuit of him. CHAPTER IV PART II SECTION X OF THE GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES VOLUME I This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Mike Harris The General History of the Pirates Volume I by Charles Johnson CHAPTER IV PART II Bonnet stood to the Northwood in a small vessel, but wanting necessaries and the weather being bad he was forced back, and so returned with his canoe to Swivalence Island near Charlestown to fetch supplies. But there being some information sent to the Governor, he sent for Colonel Rhett and desired him to go in pursuit of Bonnet, and accordingly gave him a commission for that purpose, wherefore the Colonel with proper craft and some men went away that night for Swivalence Island, and after a very diligent search discovered Bonnet and Harriet together. The Colonel's men fired upon them and killed Harriet upon the spot, and wounded one Negro and an Indian. Bonnet submitted and surrendered himself in the next morning, being November the 6th, was brought by Colonel Rhett to Charlestown, and by the Governor's warrant was committed into safe custody. In order for his being brought to his trial. On the 28th of October 1718, a court of vice admiralty was held at Charlestown in South Carolina, and by several adjournments, continued to Wednesday the 12th of November following, for the trial of the pirates taken in a sloop formally called the Revenge, but afterward the Royal James, before Nicholas Trotter, Squire, judge of the vice admiralty, and Chief Justice of the said province of South Carolina, and other assistant judges. The King's commission to Judge Trot was read and a grand jury sworn for the finding of the several bills, and a learned charge given them by the said judge wherein he first showed that the sea was given by God for the use of men and his subject to dominion and property as well as the land. Secondly, he particularly remarked to them the sovereignty of the King of England over the British Seas. Thirdly, he observed that as commerce and navigation could not be carried on without laws, so there have been always particular laws for the better ordering and regulating marine affairs with an historical account of these laws and origin. Fourthly, he proceeded to show that there have been particular courts and judges appointed to whose jurisdiction maritime causes do belong, and that in matters both civil and criminal. And then, fifthly, he particularly showed them the constitution and jurisdiction of that court of admiralty sessions. And lastly, the crimes cognizable therein, and particularly enlarged upon the crime of piracy, which was then brought before them. The indictments being found, a petite jury was sworn and the following persons arraigned and tried. Stede Bonnet, alias Edwards, alias Thomas, late of Barbados, Mariner. Robert Tucker, late of the island of Jamaica, Mariner. Edward Robinson, late of Newcastle, upon Tyne, Mariner. Neil Patterson, late of Aberdeen, Mariner. William Scott, late of Aberdeen, Mariner. William Eddy, alias Neddy, late of Aberdeen, Mariner. Alexander Anand, late of Jamaica, Mariner. George Rose, late of Glasgow, Mariner. George Duncan, late of Glasgow, Mariner. Thomas Nicholas, late of London, Mariner. John Ridge, late of London, Mariner. Matthew King, late of Jamaica, Mariner. Daniel Perry, late of Guernsey, Mariner. Henry Virgin, late of Bristol, Mariner. James Robbins, alias Rattle, late of London, Mariner. James Mullet, also Millet, late of London, Mariner. Thomas Price, late of Bristol, Mariner. James Wilson, late of Dublin, Mariner. John Lopez, late of Oporto, Mariner. Zachariah Long, late of the province of Holland, Mariner. Job Bailey, late of London, Mariner. John William Smith, late of Charlestown, Carolina, Mariner. Thomas Carman, late of Maidstone in Kent, Mariner. John Thomas, late of Jamaica, Mariner. William Morrison, late of Jamaica, Mariner. Samuel Booth, late of Charlestown, Mariner. William Hewitt, late of Jamaica, Mariner. John Levitt, late of North Carolina, Mariner. William Leavers, alias Eveless. John Briarley, alias Timberhead, late of Bathtown in North Carolina, Mariner. Robert Boyd, late of Bathtown, aforesaid, Mariner. Roland Sharp, of Bathtown, Mariner. John Clark, late of Charlestown, South Carolina, Mariner. Thomas Gerard, late of Antigua, Mariner. And all except the three last and Thomas Nicholas were found guilty and received sentence of death. They were most of them tried upon two indictments, as follows. The jurors for our sovereign Lord the King do upon their oath present that steed bonnet, late of Barbados, Mariner, Robert Tucker, et cetera. The second day of August and the fifth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George, et cetera, by force of arms upon the high sea in a certain place called Cape James, et cetera, did piratically and feloniously set upon breakboard and enter a certain merchant's sloop called the Francis, Peter Manwearing Commander, by force, et cetera, upon the high sea in a certain place called Cape James, alias Cape Inlope, about two miles distant from the shore in the latitude of thirty-nine or thereabouts, and within the jurisdiction of the court of Vice Admiralty of South Carolina, being a sloop of certain persons to the jurors unknown, and then and there piratically and feloniously did make an assault in and upon the said Peter Manwearing, and others, his mariners, whose names to the jurors of force said are unknown, in the same sloop against the peace of God, and of our said now sovereign Lord the King, then and there being piratically and feloniously did put the aforesaid Peter Manwearing and others, his mariners, of the same sloop in the sloop of force said, then being in corporal fear of their lives, then and there in the sloop of force said, upon the high sea in the place of force said called Cape James, alias Cape Inlopen, about two miles from the shore in the latitude of thirty-nine or thereabouts as aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of force said, piratically and feloniously did steal, take, and to carry away the said merchant sloop called the Francis, and also twenty-six hogs heads, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, being found in the aforesaid sloop in the custody and possession of the said Peter Manwearing and others, his mariners of the said sloop, and from their custody and possession then and there upon the high sea aforesaid called Cape James, alias Cape Inlopen, as aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of force said against the peace of our now sovereign Lord the King, his crown and dignity. This was the form of the indictments they were arraigned upon, and though they might have proved several more facts upon the major part of the crew, the court thought fit to prosecute but, too, the other was for seizing in a piratical and felonious manner the sloop fortune, Thomas Reed Commander, which indictment running in the same form with the above mentioned it will be unnecessary to say more of it. All of the prisoners arraigned pleaded not guilty and put themselves upon their trials except James Wilson and John Levitt, who pleaded guilty to both indictments and Daniel Perry to one only. The major would have gone through both the indictments at once, which the court not admitting he pleaded not guilty to both indictments, but being convicted of one he retracted his former plea to the second indictment and pleaded guilty to it. The prisoners made little or no defense everyone pretending only that they were taken off a maroon shore and were shipped with major bonnet to go to St. Thomas's, but being out at sea and wanting provisions they were obliged to do what they did by others, and so did Major Bonnet himself pretend that was force not inclination that occasioned what had happened. However, the facts being plainly proved and that they had all shared ten or eleven pounds a man accepting the three last and Thomas Nichols they were all but they found guilty. The judge made a very grave speech to them setting forth the enormity of their crimes, the condition that they were now in, and the nature and necessity of an unsigned repentance, and then recommended them to the ministers of the province for more ample directions to fit them for eternity. For concluded he, the priests' lips shall keep knowledge, and you shall seek the law at their mouths, for they are the messengers of the Lord, Matthew 2.57, and the ambassadors of Christ, and unto them is committed the word or doctrine of reconciliation, 2 Corinthians 5, chapter 19 and 20, and then pronounced sentence of death upon them. On Saturday, November 8, 1711, Robert Tucker, Edward Robinson, Neil Patterson, William Scott, Job Bailey, John William Smith, John Thomas, William Morrison, Samuel Booth, William Hewitt, William Eddie, Alias Nettie, Alexander Anand, George Ross, George Duncan, Matthew King, Daniel Perry, Henry Virgin, James Robbins, James Mullet, Alias Millette, Thomas Price, John Lopez, and Zachariah Long were executed at the White Point near Charlestown pursuant to their sentence. As for the captain, his escape protracted his fate and spun out his life a few days longer, for he was tried on the tenth and being found guilty received a sentence in like manner as the former, before which Judge Trot made a most excellent speech to him, rather somewhat too long to be taken into our history, yet I could not tell how to pass by so good and useful a piece of instruction, not knowing whose hands this book may happen to fall into. The Lord Chief Justice's speech upon his pronouncing sentence on Major Steed Bonnet, Major Steed Bonnet, you stand here convicted upon two indictments of piracy, one by the verdict of the jury and the other by your own confession. Although you were indicted but for two facts, yet you know that at your trial it was fully proved even by an unwilling witness that you piratically took and rifled at no less than thirteen vessels since you sailed from North Carolina, so that you might have been indicted and convicted of eleven more acts of piracy since you took the benefit of the King's act of grace and pretended to leave that wicked course of life, not to mention the many acts of piracy you committed before, for which if you're pardoned from man was never so authentic, yet you must expect to answer for them before God. You know that the crimes you have committed are evil in themselves and contrary to the light and law of nature, as well as the law of God, by which you are commanded that you shall not steal. Exodus twenty fifteen and the Apostle St. Paul expressly affirms that thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God, one Corinthian six ten. But to theft you have added a greater sin which is murder. How many you may have killed of those that resisted you in the committing of your former piracies I know not. But this we all know, that besides the wounded you killed no less than eighteen persons out of those that were sent by lawful authority to suppress you and put a stop to those rapines that you daily acted. And however you may fancy that that was killing men fairly in open fight, yet this know that the power of the sword not being committed into your hands by any lawful authority you were not empowered to use any force or fight any one. And therefore those persons that fell in that action and doing their duty to their king and country were murdered and their blood now cries out for vengeance and justice against you, for it is the voice of nature confirmed by the law of God that whosoever shedeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed. Genesis nine, chapter six, and considering that death is not the only punishment due to murderers, for they are threatened to have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death, Revelations twenty-one, eight, C chapter twenty-two, fifteen, words which carry that terror with them that considering your circumstance and your guilt surely the sound of them must make you tremble, for who can dwell with everlasting burnings? Chapter thirty-three, fourteen. As the testimony of your conscience must convince you of the great and many evils you have committed, by which you have highly offended God and provoked most justly his wrath and indignation against you. So I suppose I need not tell you that the only way of obtaining pardon and remission of your sins from God is by a true and unfaigned repentance and faith in Christ, by whose meritorious death and passion you can only hope for salvation. You being a gentleman that have had the advantage of a liberal education and being generally esteemed a man of letters I believe it will be needless for me to explain to you the nature of repentance and faith in Christ, they being so fully and so often mentioned in the scriptures that you cannot but know them and therefore perhaps for that reason it might be thought by some improper for me to have said so much to you, as I have already upon this occasion. Neither should I have done it but that considering the course of your life and actions I have just reason to fear that the principles of religion that had been instilled into you by your education have been at least corrupted if not entirely defaced by the skepticism and infidelity of this wicked age and that what time you allowed for study was rather applied to the polite literature and the vain philosophy of the times than a serious search after the law and will of God as revealed unto us in the Holy Scriptures. For had your delight been in the law of the Lord and that you had meditated therein day and night psalms one and two you would then have found that God's word was a lamp unto your feet and a light to your path psalm one nineteen one oh five and that you would account all other knowledge but loss in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus fill three dot eight who to them that are called is the power of God and the wisdom of God one Corinthians one twenty four even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the word chapter two verse seven you would then have esteemed the scriptures as the great charter of heaven and which delivered it to us not only the most perfect laws and rules of life but also discovered to us the acts of pardon from God wherein they have offended those righteous laws for in them only is to be found the great mystery of fallen man's redemption which the angels desire to look into one pet one dot two and they would have taught you that sin is the debasing of human nature as being a derivation from that purity rectitude and holiness in which God created us and that virtue and religion and walking by the laws of God were altogether preferable to the ways of sin and Satan for that the ways of virtue are ways of pleasantness and all their paths are peace Proverbs three seventeen but what you could not learn from God's word by reason of your carelessly or but superficially considering the same I hope the course of his providence and the present afflictions that he had laid upon you have now convinced you of the same for however in your seeming prosperity you might make a mock at your sins Proverbs three seventeen yet now that you see that God's hand hath reached you and brought you to public justice I hope your present unhappy circumstances hath made you seriously reflect upon your past actions and course of life and that you are now sensible of the greatness of your sins and that you find the burden of them intolerable and that therefore being thus laboring and heavy laden with sin Matthew eleven twenty eight you will esteem that as the most valuable knowledge that can show you how you can be reconciled to that supreme God that you have so highly offended and that can reveal to you him who is not only the powerful advocate with the father for you one John two one but also who hath paid that debt that is due for your sins by his own death upon the cross for you and thereby made full satisfaction for the justice of God and this is to be found nowhere but in God's word which discovers to us that lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world John one twenty nine which is Christ the son of God for this know and be assured that there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved acts for twelve but only by the name of the Lord Jesus but then consider how he invites all sinners to come unto him and that he will give them rest Matthew eleven twenty eight for he assures us that he came to seek and to save that which was lost Luke nineteen ten Matthew eighteen eleven and hath promised that he that cometh unto him he will in no wise cast out John six thirty seven so that if now you will sincerely turn to him though late even at the eleventh hour Matthew twenty six nine he will receive you but surely I need not tell you that the terms of his mercy is faith and repentance and do not mistake the nature of repentance to be only a bare sorrow for your sins arising from the consideration of the evil and punishment that have now been brought upon you but your sorrow must arise from the consideration of your having offended a gracious and merciful God but I shall not pretend to give you any particular directions as to the nature of repentance I consider that I speak to a person whose offenses have proceeded not so much from his not knowing as his slighting and neglecting his duty neither is it proper for me to give advice out of the way of my own profession you may have that better delivered to you by those who have made divinity their particular study and who by their knowledge as well as their office as being the ambassadors of Christ to Corinthians five twenty are best qualified to give you instructions therein I only heartily wish that what in compassion to your soul I have now said to you upon this sad and solemn occasion by exhorting you in general to faith and repentance may have that do affect upon you that thereby you may become a true penitent and therefore having now discharged my duty to you as a Christian to give you the best counsel I can with respect to the salvation of your soul I must now do my office as a judge the sentence that the law hath appointed to pass upon you for your offenses and which this court doth hereby award is that you the said stayed bonnet shall go from hence to the place from whence you came and from thence to the place of execution where you shall be hanged by the neck till you are dead and the God of infinite mercy be merciful to your soul end of chapter four part two recording by Mike Harris chapter five part one of the general history of the pirates volume one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox dot org recording by Richard Kilmer the general history of the pirates volume one by Charles Johnson chapter five part one Captain Edward England and his crew Edward England went mate of a sloop that sailed out of Jamaica and was taken by Captain Winter a pirate just before their settlement at Providence from whence England had the command of a sloop in the same laudable employment it is surprising that men of good understanding should engage in a course of life that so much debases human nature and sets them upon a level with wild beasts of the forest who live and pray upon their weaker fellow creatures a crime so enormous that it includes almost all others as murder raping theft in gratitude and etc and though they make these vices familiar to them by their daily practice yet these men are so inconsistent with themselves that a reflection made upon their honor their justice or their courage is looked upon has an offense that ought to be punished with the life of him that commits it England was one of these men who seemed to have such a share of reason as should have taught him better things he had a great deal of good nature and did not want for courage he was not avaricious and always adverse to the ill usage prisoners received he would have been contented with a moderate plunder and less mischievous pranks could his companions have been brought to the same temper but he was generally overruled and as he was engaged in that abominable society he was obliged to be a partner in all their vile actions captain england sailed to the coast of africa after the island of providence was settled by the english government and the pirates surrendered to his majesty's proclamation and took several ships and vessels particularly the categan snow belonging to bristol at sarah leon one skinner master who was inhumanely murdered by some of the crew that had lately been his own men and served in that said vessel it seems some quarrel had happened between them so that skinner thought fit to remove these fellows on board of a man of war and at the same time refuse them their wages not long afterwards they found means to desert that service and shipping themselves aboard a sloop in the west indies was taken by a pirate and brought to providence and sailed upon the same account along with captain england as soon as skinner had struck to the pirate he was ordered to come on board in his boat which he did and the person that he first cast his eye upon proved to be his old bolson who stared him in the face like his evil genius and accosted him in this manner ah captain skinner is it you the only man i wish to see i am much in your debt and now i shall pay you all in your own coin the poor man trembled every joint when he found into what company he had fallen and read at the event as he had reason enough to for the bolson immediately called to his consorts laid hold of the captain made him fast to the windlass and there pelted him with glass bottles which cut him in a sad manner after which they whipped him about the deck to they were weary being death to all his prayers and entreaties and at last because he had been such a good master to his men they said he should have an easy death so they shot him through the head they took some few things out of the snow but gave the vessel and all their cargo to howl davis the mate and the rest of the crew as will be hereafter mentioned in the chapter of captain davis captain england took a ship called the pearl captain ticered commander for which he exchanged his own sloop fitted her up for the paratical account and new christened her the royal james with which he took several ships and vessels of different nations at the azores and cape diverty islands in the spring of seventeen nineteen the rovers returned to africa and beginning at the river gambia sailed all down the coast and between that and cape corso took the following ships and vessels the eagle pink captain rickets commander belonging to cork taken the 25th of march having six guns and 17 men on board seven of which turned pirates the charlotte captain oldson of london taken may the 26th having eight guns and 18 men on board 13 of which turned pirates the sarah captain stunt of london taken the 27th of may having four guns and 18 men on board three of which turned pirates the bentworth captain gardener of bristol taken the 27th of may having 12 guns and 30 men on board 12 of which turned pirates the buck sloop captain sylvester of gambia taken the 27th of may having two guns and two men on board both turned pirates the cartaret captain snow of london taken the 28th of may having four guns and 18 men on board five of which turned pirates the mercury captain maggot of london taken the 29th of may having four guns and 18 men on board five of which turned pirates the coward galley captain creed of london taken the 17th of june having two guns and 13 men on board four of which turned pirates the elizabeth and catherine captain bridge of barbados taken june the 27th having six guns and 14 men on board four of which turned pirates the eagle pink being bound to jamaica the sarah to virginia and the buck to maryland they let them go but the charlotte the bentworth the cataret and the coward galley they burnt and the mercury and the elizabeth and catherine were fitted up for pirate ships the former was new named queen ann's revenge and commanded by one lane and the other was called the flying king of which robert sample was appointed captain these two left england upon the coast sailed to the west indies where they took some prizes cleaned and sailed to brazil in november they took several portuguese ships there and did a great deal of mischief but in the height of their undertakings a portuguese man of war which was an excellent sailor came a very unwelcome guest to them and gave them chase the queen ann's revenge got off but was lost a little while after upon that coast and the flying king giving herself over for loss ran ashore there were 70 men on board 12 of which were killed and the rest taken prisoners of whom the portuguese hanged 38 of which 32 were english three dutch two french and one of their own nation england in going down the coast took the peter burrow galley of bristol captain owen and the victory captain ride out the former they detained but plundered the ladder and let her go in cape corso road they saw two sails at anchor but before they could reach them they slipped at their cables and got close under cape corso castle these were the wyda captain prince and the john captain ridder the pirates upon this made a fire ship of a vessel they had lately taken and attempted to burn them as though they had been a common enemy which if affected they could not have been one farther than the better for it but the castle firing warmly upon them they withdrew and sailed down to wyda road where they found another pirate one captain labouche who getting thither before england arrived had forestalled the market and greatly disappointed their brethren captain england after this bulk went into a harbor claimed his own ship and fitted up the peter burrow which he called the victory they lived there very wantonly for several weeks making free with the negro women and committing such outrageous acts that they came to an open rupture with the natives several of whom they killed and one of their town they set on fire when pirates came out to sea they put it to a vote what voyage to take and the majority carrying it for the east indies they shaped their course accordingly and arrived at madagascar the beginning of the year 1720 they stayed not long there but after taking in water and provisions sailed for the coast of malabar which is a fine fruitful country in the east indies in the empire of the mogul but immediately subject to its own princess it reaches from the coast of canara to cape cameron which is between seven degrees 30 and 12 degrees north latitude and in about 75 degrees east longitude counting from the meridian of london the old natives are pagans but there is a great number of mohammedans inhabiting among them who are merchants and generally rich on the same coast but in a province to the northwest lys goa surat bombay where the english dutch and portuguese have settlements hither our pirates came having made a tour of half the globe has the psalmist say of the devils going about like roaring lions and seeking whom they might devour they took several country ships that is indian vessels and one european a dutch ship which they exchanged for one of their own and then came back to madagascar they sent several of their hands on shore with tents powder and shot to kill hogs venison and such other fresh provisions as the island afforded and a whim came into their heads to seek out for the remains of abry's crew who they knew to be settled somewhere in the island accordingly some of them traveled several days journey without hearing any intelligence of them and so were forced to return with the loss of their labor for these men were settled on the other side of the island and has been taking notice of under the chapter of avry they stayed not long here after they had cleaned their ships but sailing to juana they met two english and one austin indian men coming out of that harbor one of which after a desperate resistance they took the particulars of which action is at length related in the following letter wrote by the captain from bombay a letter from captain macra dated at bombay november 16th 1720 we arrived the 25th of last july in company of the greenwich at juana an island not far from madagascar and putting in there to refresh our men we found 14 pirates that came in their canoes from the mayota where the pirate ship to which they belonged these the indian queen 250 tons 28 guns and 90 men commanded by captain oliver de la bush bound from the guinea coast to the east indies had been googled and lost they said they left the captain and 40 of their men building a new vessel to proceed on their wicked design captain kirby and i concluding it might be of great service to the east india company to destroy such a nest of rogues we're ready to sail for that purpose the 17th of august about eight o'clock in the morning when we discovered two pirate ships standing into the bay of juana one of 34 and the other of 30 guns i immediately went on board the greenwich where they seemed very diligent in preparations for an engagement and i left captain kirby with mutual promise of standing by each other i then unmoored and got under sail and brought two boats ahead to row me close to the greenwich but he being open to a valley and a breeze made the best of his way from me which an austander in our company of 22 guns seen did the same though the captain had promised heartily to engage with us and i believe would have been as good as his word if captain kirby had kept his about a half an hour after 12 i called several times to the greenwich to bear down to our assistance and fired shot at him but to no purpose for though we did not doubt but he would join us because when he got about a league from us he brought a ship too and looked on yet both he and the austander basically deserted us and left us engaged with barbers and inhumane enemies with their black and bloody flags hanging over us without the least appearance of escaping being cut to pieces but god and his good providence determined otherwise for notwithstanding their superiority we engaged in both about three hours during which the biggest received some shot betwixt wind and water which made her keep off a little to stop her leaks the other endeavored all she could to board us by rowing with her oars being within half a ship's length of us above an hour but by good fortune we shot all her oars to pieces which prevented them and by consequence saved our lives about four o'clock most of the officers and men posted on the quarter deck being killed and wounded the largest ship making up to us with all diligence being still within a cable's length of us often giving us a broadside and no hopes of Captain Kirby's coming to our assistance we endeavored to run ashore and though we drew four foot water more than the pirate it pleased god that he struck fast on a higher ground than we happily fell in with so was disappointed a second time from boarding us here we had a more violent engagement than before all my officers and most of my men behaved with unexpected courage and as we had a considerable advantage by having a broadside to his bow we did him great damage so that had Captain Kirby come in then I believe we should have taken both for we had one of them sure but the other pirate who was still firing at us seeing the Greenwich did not offer to assist us he supplied his consort with three boat foals of fresh men about five in the evening the Greenwich stood clear away to see leaving a struggling hard for life in the very jaws of death which the other pirate that was afloat seeing got a warp out and was hauling under our stern by which time many of my men being killed and wounded and no hopes left from being all murdered by enraged barbers conquerors I ordered all that could to get into the longboat under the cover of the smoke of our guns so that with what some did in boats and others by swimming most of us that were able got ashore by seven o'clock when the pirates came aboard they cut three of our wounded men to pieces I with a few of my people made what haste I could to the king's town twenty five miles from us where I arrived next day almost dead with fatigue and loss of blood having been sorely wounded in the head by a musket ball at this town I heard that the pirates had offered ten thousand dollars to the country people to bring me in which many of them would have accepted only they knew the king and all his chief people were in my interest meantime I caused a report to be spread that I was dead of my wounds which much abated their fury about ten days after being pretty well recovered and hoping the malice of our enemies was nigh over I began to consider the dismal condition we were reduced to being in a place where we had no hopes of getting a passage home all of us in a manner naked not having had time to get another shirt or a pair of shoes having obtained leave to go on board the pirates and a promise of safety several of the chief of them knew me and some of them had sailed with me which I found of great advantage because not withstanding their promise some of them would have cut me and all that would not enter with them to pieces had it not been for the chief captain Edward England and some others I knew they talked of burning one of their ships which we had so entirely disabled has to be no further useful to them and to lift the Cassandra in her room but in the end I managed my tack so well that they made me a present of the said shattered ship which was Dutch built called the fancy about 300 tons and also 129 bales of the company's cloth though they would not give me a rag of my clothes they sailed the 3rd of September and with jury masts and such old sales as they left me I made shift to do the like on the 8th together with 43 of my ship's crew including two passengers and 12 soldiers having but five tons of water aboard and after a passage of 48 days I arrived here October 26 almost naked and starving having been reduced to a pint of water a day and almost in despair of ever seeing land by reason of the comms we met with between the coast of Arabia and Malabar we had an all 13 men killed and 24 wounded and were told that we had destroyed about 90 or 100 of the pirates when they left us they were about 300 whites and 80 blacks in both ships I am persuaded had our comfort the Greenwich done his duty we had destroyed both of them and got 200,000 pounds for his owners and selves whereas to his deserting us the loss of the Cassandra may justly be imputed I have delivered all the bails that were given to me into the company's warehouse for which the governor and counsel have ordered me a reward our governor Mr. Boone who is extremely kind and civil to me has ordered me home with his packet but Captain Harvey who had a prior promise being come in with the fleet goes in my room the governor has promised me a country voyage to help make me up my losses and would have me stay to go home with him next year Captain Mackra certainly run a great hazard in going aboard the pirate and began quickly to repent his credulity for though they had promised that no injury should be done to his person he found their words were not to be trusted and it may be supposed that nothing but the desperate circumstances Captain Mackra imagined himself to be in could have prevailed upon him to fling himself and company into their hands perhaps not knowing how firmly the natives of the island were attached to the English nation for about 20 years ago Captain Cornwall Commodore of an English squadron assisted them against another island called Mojila for which they have ever since communicated all the grateful offices in their power in so much that it became a proverb that an Englishman and a Juana man were all one England was inclined to favor Captain Mackra but he was so free to let him know that his interest was declining amongst them and that the pirates were so provoked at the resistance he had made against them that he was afraid he should hardly be able to protect him he therefore advised him to soothe up and manage the temper of Captain Taylor a fellow of a most barbarous nature who was become a great favorite amongst them for no other reason than because he was a greater brute than the rest Mackra did what he could to soften this beast and plied him with warm punch not with standing which they were in a tumult whether they should make an end to him or no when an accident happened which turned to the favor of the poor captain a fellow with a terrible pair of whiskers and a wooden leg being struck around with pistols like the man in an almanac with darts comes swearing and vaporing upon the quarter deck and asks in a damning manner which was Captain Mackra the captain expected no less than that this fellow would be his executioner but when he came near him he took him by the hand swearing damn him he was glad to see him and show me the man says he that offers to hurt Captain Mackra for I'll stand by him and so with many oaths he told him he was an honest fellow and they had formally sailed with him this put an end to the dispute and Captain Taylor was so mellowed with the punch that he consented that the old pirate ship and so many bales of cloth should be given to Captain Mackra and so he fell asleep england advised Captain Mackra to get off with all expedition least when the beast should awake he might repent his generosity which advice was followed by the captain captain england having cited so much to Captain Mackra's interest was a means of making him many enemies among the crew they thinking such good usage inconsistent with their polity because it looked like procuring favor at the aggravation of their crimes therefore upon imagination or report that Captain Mackra was fitting out against them with the company's force he was soon abdicated or pulled out of his government and marooned with three more on the island of Mauritius an island indeed not to be complained of had they accumulated any wealth by their villainies that would have afforded some future comfortable prospect for it abounds with fish deer hogs and other flesh Sir Thomas Herbert says the shores with coral and amber grease but I believe the Dutch had not deserted it had there been much of these commodities to have been found it was in 1722 resettled by the French who have a fort at another neighboring island called Don Mascarine and are touched at for water wood and refreshments by French ships bound to or for India as Saint Helena and Cape Bon Esperance are by us and the Dutch from this place Captain England and his companions having made a little boat of staves and old pieces of deal left there went over to Madagascar where they subsist at present on the charity of some of their brethren who had made better provisions for themselves than they had done the pirates detained some officers and men belonging to Captain Mackra and having repaired the damages received in their rigging they sailed for India the day before they made land saw two ships to the eastward who at first sight they took to be English and ordered one of the prisoners who had been an officer with Captain Mackra to tell them the private signals between the company's ships the captain swearing he would cut him in pound pieces if he did not do it immediately but unable was forced to bear their scruality till they came up with them and found they were two more ships from Muscat with horses they brought the captain of them and the merchants on board torturing them and rifling the ships in order to discover riches as believing they came from mocha but being balked in their expectation and next morning sin land and at the same time a fleet and shore applying to windward they were puzzled how to dispose of them to let them go was to discover and ruin the voyage and it was cruel to sink the men and horses with the ships as many of them were inclined to therefore as a medium they brought them to anchor through all their sails overboard and cut one of the ship's masts half through while they lay at anchor and were all the next day employed in taking out water one of the after mentioned fleet bore towards them with English colors answered with a red ensign from the pirates but did not speak with one another at night they left the muscat ships weighed with the sea wind and stood to the northward after this fleet about four next morning just as they were getting under sail with the land wind the pirates came amongst them made no stop but fired their great and small guns very briskly till they got through and as they like cleared were in a great consternation in their minds having all along taken them for angriest fleet what to do was the point whether to run or pursue they were sensible of their inferiority of strength having no more than 300 men in both ships and 40 of them negroes besides the victory had them four pumps at work and must inevitably been lost had it not been for some hand pumps and several pair of standards brought out of the Cassandra to relieve and strengthen her but observing the indifferency of the fleet chose rather to chase than run and though the best way to save themselves was to play at bull beggar with the enemy so they came up with the sea wind about gunshot to leeward the great ships of the fleet ahead and some others astern which latter they took for fire vessels and these ahead gaining from them by cutting away their boats they could do nothing more than continue their course all night which they did and found them next morning out of sight accepting a catch and some few gallivants small sort of vessels something like the Falecas of the Mediterranean and hoists like them triangular sails they bore down which the catch perceiving transported her people on board a gallivant and set fire to her the others proved too nimble and made off the same day they chased another gallivant and took her being come from gogo bound for Calicut with cotton of these men they inquired concerning the fleet supposing they must have been in it and although they protested they had not seen a ship or boat since they left gogo and pleaded very earnestly for favor yet they threw all their cargo overboard and squeezed their joints in a vice to extort confession but they entirely ignorant of who or what this fleet should be were obliged not only to sustain this torment but next day a fresh easterly wind having split the galvants sails they put her company into the boat with nothing but a tri sail no provisions and only four gallons of water half of its salt and then out of sight of land to shift for themselves and of chapter five part one recording by Richard Kilmer real Medina Texas