A General History of the Pirates

multitudes of seamen at this day unemploy’d; it is but too evident by their straggling, and begging all over the kingdom. Nor is it so much their inclination to idleness, as their own hard fate, in being cast off after their work is done, to starve or steal. I have not known a man-of-war commission’d for several years past, but three times her complement of men have offer’d themselves in 24 hours; the merchants take their advantage of this, lessen their wages, and those few who are in business are poorly paid, and but poorly fed; such usage breeds discontents amongst them, and makes them eager for any change.

I shall not repeat what I have said in the history concerning the privateers of the West Indies, where I have taken notice they live upon spoil; and as custom is a second nature, it is no wonder that, when an honest livelihood is not easily had, they run into one so like their own; so that it may be said, that privateers in time of war are a nursery for pirates against a peace.

Now we have accounted for their rise and beginning, it will be natural to enquire why they are not taken and destroy’d, before they come to any head, seeing that they are seldom less than twelve men-of-war stationed in our American plantations, even in time of peace; a force sufficient to contend with a powerful enemy. This enquiry, perhaps, will not turn much to the honour of those concern’d in that service; however, I hope I may be excus’d, if what I hint is with a design of serving the public.

I say, ’tis strange that a few pirates should ravage the seas for years, without ever being light upon, by any of our ships of war; when in the meantime, they (the pirates) shall take fleets of ships; it looks as if one was much more diligent in their affairs, than the other. Roberts and his crew, alone, took 400 sail, before he was destroy’d.

This matter, I may probably set right another time, and only observe for the present, that the pirates at sea, have the same sagacity with robbers at land; as the latter understand what roads are most frequented, and where it is most likely to meet with booty, so the former know what latitude to lie in, in order to intercept ships; and as the pirates happen to be in want of provisions, stores, or any particular lading, they cruise accordingly for such ships, and are morally certain of meeting with them; and by the same reason, if the men-of-war cruise in those latitudes, they might be as sure of finding the pirates, as the pirates are to find the merchant ships; and if the pirates are not to be met with by the men-of-war in such a latitude, then surely down the same latitude may the merchant ships arrive safely to their port.

To make this a little plainer to my country readers, I must observe that all our outward bound ships, sometime after they leave the land, steer into the latitude of the place they are bound to; if to the West India islands, or any part of the main of America, as New York, New England, Virginia, etc. because the latitude is the only certainty in those voyages to be found, and then they sail due west, till they come to their port, without altering their course. In this west way lie the pirates, whether it be to Virginia, etc. or Nevis, St. Christopher’s, Montserrat, Jamaica, etc. so that if the merchant ships bound thither, do not fall a prey to them one day, they must another: therefore I say, if the men-of-war take the same track, the pirates must unavoidably fall into their mouths, or be frighted away, for where the game is, there will the vermin be; if the latter should be the case, the trading ships, as I said before, will pass unmolested and safe, and the pirates be reduced to take refuge in some of their lurking holes about the uninhabited islands, where their fate would be like that of the fox in his den, if they should venture out, they would be hunted and taken, and if they stay within they must starve.

I must observe another thing, that the pirates generally shift their rovings, according to the season of the year; in the summer they cruise mostly along the coast of the continent of America, but the winters there, being a little too cold for them, they follow the sun, and go towards the islands, at the approach of cold weather. Every man who has used the West India trade, knows this to be true; therefore, since we are so well acquainted with all their motions, I cannot see why our men-of-war under a proper regulation, may not go to the southward, instead of lying up all the winter useless: but I shall proceed too far in this enquiry, I shall therefore quit it, and say something of the following sheets, which the author may venture to assure the reader that they have one thing to recommend them, which is truth; those facts which he himself was not an eyewitness of, he had from the authentic relations of the persons concern’d in taking the pirates, as well as from the mouths of the pirates themselves, after they were taken, and he conceives no man can produce better testimonies to support the credit of any history.

It will be observed, that the account of the actions of Roberts runs into a greater length, than that of any other pirate, for which we can assign two reasons, first, because he ravaged the seas longer than the rest, and of consequence there must be a greater scene of business in his life: secondly, being resolved not to weary the reader, with tiresome repetitions: when we found the circumstances in Roberts’ life, and other pirates, either as to piratical articles, or anything else, to