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 comet that has appeared there a long time.
This beard was black, which he suffered to grow of an extravagant length; as to breadth, it came up to his eyes; he was accustomed to twist it with ribbons, in small tails, after the manner of our Ramillies 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 humours 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 it’s passions are not checked.
In the commonwealth 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 if 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 master of a merchantman, and having had intelligence of the two sloops coming to attack him, as has been before 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 that 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 in the ship could give an account who he was, or from whence he came; but that he disappeared little before they were cast away in 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, sound writ with his own hand.—Such a day, rum all out:—Our company somewhat sober:—A damn’d confusion amongst us!—rogues a-plotting;—great talk of separation.—So I look’d sharp for a prize;—such a day took one, with a great deal of liquor on board, so kept the company hot, damned hot, then all things went well again.
Thus it was these wretches passed 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 follows
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Edward Teach, Commander
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Phillip Morton, Gunner
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Garrat Gibbens, Boatswain
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Owen Roberts, Carpenter
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Thomas Miller, Quartermaster
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John Husk
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Joseph Curtice
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Joseph Brooks (1)
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Nath. Jackson
All the rest, except the two last, were wounded and afterwards hanged in Virginia
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John Carne
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Joseph Brooks (2)
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James Blake
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John Gills
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Thomas Gates
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James White
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Richard Stiles
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Caesar
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Joseph Philips
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James Robbins
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John Martin
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Edward Salter
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Stephen Daniel
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Richard Greensail
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Israel Hands, Pardoned
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Samuel Odell, Acquitted
There were in the pirate sloops, and ashore in a tent, near where the sloops lay, 25 hogsheads of sugar, 11 teirces, and 145 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 2,500 £ besides the rewards paid by the Governor of Virginia, pursuant to his proclamation; all which was divided among the companies of the two ships, Lime 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.
IV
Of Major Stede Bonnet and His Crew
The major was a gentleman of good reputation in the Island of Barbados, was master
