A General History of the Pirates

straight to Rome, where, being engaged in the designs of his own private ambition, as were almost all the leading men in Rome, the pirates who were left, had time to increase to a prodigious strength; for while the civil wars lasted, the seas were left unguarded, so that Plutarch tells us, that they erected diverse arsenals full of all manner of warlike stores, made commodious harbours, set up watchtowers and beacons all along the coasts of Cilicia; that they had a mighty fleet, well equipp’d and furnish’d, with galliots of oars, mann’d, not only with men of desperate courage, but also with expert pilots and mariners; they had their ships of force, and light pinnaces for cruising and making discoveries, in all no less than a thousand sail; so gloriously set out, that they were as much to be envied for their gallant show, as fear’d for their force; having the stern and quarters all gilded with gold and their oars plated with silver, as well as purple sails; as if their greatest delight had been to glory in their iniquity. Nor were they content with committing piracies and insolencies by sea, they committed as great depredations by land, or rather made conquests; for they took and sack’d no less than four hundred cities, laid several others under contributions, plundered the temples of the gods, and enriched themselves with the offerings deposited in them; they often landed bodies of men, who not only plundered the villages along the sea coast, but ransacked the fine houses of the noblemen along the Tiber. A body of them once took Sextillius and Bellinus, two Roman Praetors, in their purple robes, going from Rome to their governments, and carried them away with all their sergeants, officers and vergers; they also took the daughter of Antonius a consular person, and one who had obtained the honour of a triumph, as she was going to the country house of her father.

But what was most barbarous, was a custom they had when they took any ship, of enquiring of the person on board, concerning their names and country; if any of them said he was a Roman, they fell down upon their knees, as if in a fright at the greatness of that name, and begg’d pardon for what they had done, and imploring his mercy, they used to perform the offices of servants about his person, and when they found they had deceived him into a belief of their being sincere, they hung out the ladder of the ship, and coming with a show of courtesy, told him, he had his liberty, desiring him to walk out of the ship, and this in the middle of the sea, and when they observed him in surprise, as was natural, they used to throw him overboard with mighty shouts of laughter; so wanton they were in their cruelty.

Thus, while Rome was mistress of the world, she suffered insults and affronts, almost at her gates, from these powerful robbers; but what for a while made faction cease, and roused the genius of that people, never used to suffer wrongs from a fair enemy, was an excessive scarcity of provisions in Rome, occasioned by all the ships laden with corn and provisions from Sicily, Corsica, and other places, being intercepted and taken by these pirates, insomuch that they were almost reduced to a famine: upon this, Pompey the Great was immediately appointed general to manage this war; five hundred ships were immediately fitted out, he had fourteen senators, men of experience in the war, for his vice admirals; and so considerable an enemy, were these ruffians become, that no less than an army of a hundred thousand foot, and five thousand horse was appointed to invade them by land; but it happened very luckily for Rome, that Pompey sail’d out before the pirate had intelligence of a design against them, so that their ships were scattered all over the Mediterranean, like bees gone out from a hive, some one way, some another, to bring home their lading; Pompey divided his fleet into thirteen squadrons, to whom he appointed their several stations, so that great numbers of the pirates fell into their hands, ship by ship, without any loss; forty days he passed in scouring the Mediterranean, some of the fleet cruising along the coast of Africa, some about the islands, and some upon the Italian coasts, so that often those pirates who were flying from one squadron, fell in with another; however, some of them escaped, and these making directly to Cilicia, and acquainting their confederates onshore with what had happened, they appointed a rendezvous of all the ships that had escaped at the Port of Coracesium, in the same country. Pompey finding the Mediterranean quite clear, appointed a meeting of all his fleet at the haven of Brundusium, and from thence sailing round into the Adriatic, he went directly to attack these pirates in their hives; as soon as he came near the Coracesium in Cilicia, where the remainder of the pirates now lay, they had the hardiness to come and give him battle, but the genius of old Rome prevailed, and the pirates received an entire overthrow, being all either taken or destroyed; but as they made many strong fortresses upon the sea coast, and built castles and strongholds up the country, about the foot of Mount Taurus, he was obliged to besiege them with his army; some places he took by storm, others surrendered to his mercy, to whom he gave their lives, and at length he made an entire conquest.

But it is probable, that had these pirates receiv’d sufficient notice of the Roman preparation against them, so as they might have had time to draw their scattered strength into a body, to have met Pompey by sea, the advantage appeared greatly on their side, in numbers of shipping, and of men; nor did they want courage, as may be seen by their coming out of