A General History of the Pirates
From Their First Rise and Settlement in the Islands of Providence to the Present Time
Introduction
As the pirates in the West Indies have been so formidable and numerous, that they have interrupted the trade of Europe into those parts; and our English merchants, in particular, have suffered more by their depredations, than by the united force of France and Spain, in the late war: we do not doubt but the world will be curious to know the original and progress of these desperadoes, who were the terror of the trading part of the world.
But before we enter upon their particular history, it will not be amiss, by way of introduction, to show, by some examples drawn from history, the great mischief and danger which threaten kingdoms and commonwealths, from the increase of these sort of robbers; when either by the troubles of particular times, or the neglect of governments, they are not crush’d before they gather strength.
It has been the case heretofore, that when a single pirate has been suffered to range the seas, as not being worth the notice of a government, he has by degrees grown so powerful, as to put them to the expense of a great deal of blood and treasure, before he was suppress’d. We shall not examine how it came to pass, that our pirates in the West Indies have continually increased till of late; this is an enquiry which belongs to the legislature, or representatives of the people in Parliament, and to them we shall leave it.
Our business shall be briefly to show, what from beginnings, as inconsiderable as these, other nations have suffered.
In the times of Marius and Sulla, Rome was in her greatest strength, yet she was so torn in pieces by the factions of those two great men, that everything which concerned the public good was altogether neglected, when certain pirates broke out from Cilicia, a country of Asia Minor, situate on the coast of the Mediterranean, betwixt Syria on the east, from whence it is divided by Mount Taurus, and Armenia Minor on the west. This beginning was mean and inconsiderable, having but two or three ships, and a few men, with which they cruised about the Greek islands, taking such ships as were very ill arm’d or weakly defended; however, by the taking of many prizes, they soon increased in wealth and power: the first action of theirs which made a noise, was the taking of Julius Caesar, who was as yet a youth, and who being obliged to fly from the cruelties of Sulla, who sought his life, went into Bithynia, and sojourned a while with Nicomedes, king of that country; in his return back by sea, he was met with, and taken, by some of these pirates, near the island of Farmakonisi: these pirates had a barbarous custom of tying their prisoners back to back and throwing them into the sea; but, supposing Caesar to be some person of a high rank, because of his purple robes, and the number of his attendants, they thought it would be more for their profit to preserve him, in hopes of receiving a great sum for his ransom; therefore they told him he should have his liberty, provided he would pay them twenty talents, which they judg’d to be a very high demand, in our money, about three thousand six hundred pounds sterling; he smiled, and of his own accord promised them fifty talents; they were both pleased, and surpriz’d at his answer, and consented that several of his attendants should go by his direction and raise the money; and he was left among these ruffians with no more than 3 attendants. He pass’d eight and thirty days, and seemed so little concerned or afraid, that often when he went to sleep, he used to charge them not to make a noise, threatening, if they disturbed him, to hang them all; he also play’d at dice with them, and sometimes wrote verses and dialogues, which he used to repeat, and also cause them to repeat, and if they did not praise and admire them, he would call them beasts and barbarians, telling them he would crucify them. They took all these as the sallies of a juvenile humour, and were rather diverted, than displeased at them.
At length his attendants return’d with his ransom, which he paid, and was discharged; he sail’d for the Port of Miletum, where, as soon as he was arriv’d, he used all his art and industry in fitting out a squadron of ships, which he equipp’d and arm’d at his own charges; and sailing in quest of the pirates, he surpriz’d them as they lay at anchor among the islands, and took those who had taken him before, with some others; the money he found upon them he made prize of, to reimburse his charges, and he carry’d the men to Pergamus or Troy, and there secured them in prison: in the meantime, he apply’d himself to Junius, then Governor of Asia, to whom it belonged to judge and determine of the punishment of these men; but Junius finding there was no money to be had, answered Caesar, that he would think at his leisure, what was to be done with those prisoners; Caesar took his leave of him, returned back to Pergamus, and commanded that the prisoners should be brought out and executed, according to law in that case provided; which is taken notice of, in a chapter at the end of this book, concerning the laws in cases of piracy: and thus he gave them that punishment in earnest, which he had often threatened them with in jest.
Caesar went
