“ But if American colonial piracy presents a smaller array of legal documents than American colonial privateering, it makes up for it by its rich abundance of picturesque narrative and detail. The pieces here brought together show us piracy off Lisbon and in the East Indies and at Madagascar, at Portobello and Panama and in the South Sea, in the West Indies, and all along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundlandxiv to the coast of Guiana. They exhibit to us every relation from that of the most innocent victim to that of the most hardened pirate chief. ”

“ Thou art a Righteous, and a Terrible God. It is a Righteous and an Holy Law that thou hast given unto us. To break that Good Law, and Sin against thy Infinite Majesty, can be no little Evil. Thy Word is always True ”

“ The piracies of La Paix, inside the capes of Virginia, show how bold the pirates had become, between wars, and the story of her capture how real the danger. She was a Dutch ship, which, seized by pirates, had run quite a career of depredation in the West Indies before she and her consorts appeared in Lynnhaven Bay. Her whole story is told in Bruce, Institutional History of Virginia, II. 217-226, and there the history of her capture may be followed consecutively, but the documents here presented show vividly how the news of her villanies and of her fate came to the authorities. ”

“ Such is Baldridge's tale of innocence, but Kidd told Bellomont that "Baldridge was the occasion of that Insurrection of the Natives and the death of the pirates, for that having inveigled a great number of the natives of St. Maries, men, women and children, on board a ship or ships he carryed and sold them for slaves to a French Island called Mascarine or Mascaron, which treachery of Baldridges the Natives on the Island revenged on those pirates by cutting their throats." ”

“ We cry to thee, O God of all Grace, That thou wouldest not Suffer them to continue in the Gall of Bitterness and Bond of Iniquity, and in the Possession of the Devil. Oh! Knock off the Chains of Death which are upon their Souls ”

“ But now, we Cry mightily to Heaven, we Lift up our Cries to the God of all Grace, for the Perishing Souls which are just now going to Expire under the Stroke of Justice, before our Eyes. We Mourn, we Mourn, that upon some of them, at Least, we do unto this Minute see no better Symptomes. ”

“ Seignelay, Colbert's eldest son, was minister of marine. The document has a curious interest as showing perhaps the first instance in which the (Brandenburg-) Prussian navy, or privateer marine, touches American history. The Great Elector, Frederick William, had for some time cherished ambitious designs, respecting the creation of a navy and the establishment of colonies, but it was not till late in 1680 that he possessed a war-ship of his own, in 1681 that he began a little establishment on the West African coast, in 1682 that he founded his African Company. ”

“ What a miserable State must a Man be in who is Under the Jurisdiction of that vile and Cruel Colour. I pity my poor fellow Creatures, whom many have been made prisoners this War and some lately that have been sent to the Avanah, and all by the treachery of that vile fellow John Evergin who says he's posse'd with the Spirit of the Inward man but was possessed with the Spirit of Belzebub when he pillotted the Cursed Spaniards over the barr of Obricock as it has been proved in Court. ”

“ O Almighty Spirit of God, and of Grace, cause these poor men to see their own Sinfulness and Wretchedness! Make them willing to be Saved from such Sinfulness and Wretchedness; Discover to them the only Saviour of their Souls. ”

“ I have also, with some difficulty, this late Session of Assembly here, got a bill to pass, That the Goal be committed to the Care of the High Sheriffe of the County, as in England, with a Salary of 30 L. per Annum, to the said Sheriffe: I would have had it 50 L. per Annum, for the Sheriff's Incouragement to be honest and carefull, but I could not prevail. I am forced to allow the Sheriff 40 s. per Week for keeping Kidd safe; otherwise I should be in some doubt about him. He has without doubt a great deal of gold, which is apt to tempt men that have not principles of honour ”

“ We have told you, That there is a Saviour for Sinners, and we have shewn you, how to commit your selves into His Saving and Healing Hands. We have told you, That if He Save you, He will give you an hearty Repentance for all your Sins, and we have shown you how to Express that Repentance. We have told you, What Marks of Life must be desired for your Souls, that you may Safely appear before the Judgment Seat of God. Oh! That the means used for your Good may by the Grace of God be made Effectual. ”

“ The Deponent being asked what Cargo was on board the Said Snow and to whom the same did belong, He saith that the Snow was loaded with wines at the said Island of Teneriffe, and that Antonio Pereda a Sailor on Board the Said Snow who had received the Said wines on board and Stowed them in the Vessell frequantly after the takeing of the Said Snow informed him that eighteen or Twenty Pipes of the wine belonged to the aforesaid Andw Haymas, and that one Stephen Pereda a Spainard born as he beleves on the Island of Teneriffe aforesd. ”

“ We cannot quite say the same concerning American piracy, and indeed it might be thought disrespectful to our ancestors—or predecessors, for pirates mostly died young and left few descendants—but at least it will be conceded that piracy at times flourished in American waters, that not a few of the pirates and of those on shore who received their goods and otherwise aided them were Americans, that their activities had an important influence on the development of American commerce, and that documents relative to piracy make interesting reading. ”

“ We are not able to set an exact value on the goods and Treasure we have got, because we have not opened the bales we took on board the Sloop; But we hope when the six bales are sent in by Gardiner, what will be then in the hands of the Gentlemen appointed to that Trust, will amount to about 14000 L. I have sent strict orders to my Lieutenant Governor at New York, [8] to make dilligent Search for the Goods and Treasure sent by Kidd to New York in Three Sloops mentioned in Gardiner's affidavit, [9] which I send with the other affidavits and Informations to your Lordships ”

“ We have Reason to Glorify the Free Grace of God, that we are not our selves the Instances. We have before us very astonishing Examples of Evil Pursuing Sinners. Here is a Number of men that have been very Great Sinners, and that are to Dy before their Time, for their being wicked overmuch. God knows the Prayers, the Pains, the Tears, and the Agonies that have been Employ'd for them. And now, the Last Thing that we have to do for them, is to pour out with Anguish of Soul our Prayer on their behalf ”

“ And all the men on board the Sloop now with him did in like manner solemnly protest their innocence, and declared that they had used their utmost endeavours in preserving the aforesaid Ship and goods for the Owners or Imployers. ”

“ Justice Story, in one of his notes in 2 Wheaton, app., p. 46, says, "Where a hostile ship [e.g., Smith's brigantine when first encountered by Norton, in Spanish hands] is captured, and afterward is recaptured by the enemy, and is again recaptured from the enemy, the original captors [e.g., Norton] are not entitled to restitution on paying salvage, but the last captors [e.g., Smith] are entitled to all the rights of prize, for, by the first recapture, the whole right of the original captors is devested" ”

“ To all English Commanders, let this satisfie, That I was riding here at this instant in the Ship Fancy Man of War, formerly the Charles of the Spanish Expedition, [4] who departed from Croniae the 7th of May 1694 Being (and am now) in a Ship of 46 Guns, 150 Men, and bound to Seek our Fortunes. I have never as yet wronged any English or Dutch, nor ever intend whilst I am Commander. ”

“ Smith can have no weight, for the Spanish Mercht. acquir'd no property by the Capture and could transfer none to Smith, who has deliver'd the Cargo to the Owners and Freighters, to which he would have had as much right as to the Ship. As the pretended Gift could transfer no property, it could extinguish no right which had been acquir'd by the Revenge, Except as to such part of the Cargo as was taken away by the Spaniard. ”

“ And now to-morrow I send the Sloop Captain Kidd came in, with Letters to the Lieutenant Governor of Antegoa, Colonel Yeomans, to the Governors of St. Thomas's Island and Curacao, to seize and secure what effects they can, that was late in the possession of Kidd, and on board the Quidah-Marchand. There is one Burk, an Englishman, that lives at St. Thomas, who has got a great Store of the goods and mony for Kidd's account. St.231 Thomas belongs to the Danes, but I hope to retrieve what Burt has in his Hands. [11] The sending this Sloop will cost but about 300 L. if she be out Three moneths. ”

“ Joseph Bradish and others of the crew of the ship Adventure of London, on a voyage from London to Borneo in 1698, piratically seized the ship and ran away with it to Block Island. John Higginson of Salem, in a letter of Oct. 3, 1699, after mention of Kidd, adds, "And there was one Bradish, a Cambridge man, who sailed in an interloper bound for India, who, in some part of the East Indies, took an opportunity, when the captain and some of the officers were on shore, to run away with the ship, and came upon our coast, and sunk their ship at Block Island, and brought much wealth ashore with them ”

“ X. That if any Person belonging to the said Brigantine, be killed in an Engagement, or die on board, his Share or Shares, of all Prizes taken in his Life-Time, shall be paid to his Executors, if so appointed by Will; but if no Will be made, then his Part of what was got as aforesaid shall go to his Widow, or Heirs at Law, if claim'd in Twelve Months, from the Time of the said Brigantine's Arrival into her commission'd Port; and on Failure thereof, said Share or Shares shall be and belong to the general Interest of the Whole. ”

“ I desire I may have orders what to do with Kidd, and all his and Bradish's Crew; for, as the Law stands in this Country, if a pyrate were Convict, yet he cannot suffer Death: And the Counsell here refused the bill to punish Privateers and Pyrates which your Lordships sent with me from England with a direction to recommend it at New York and here, to be passed into a Law. ”

“ VIII. That if any Ship or Vessell, belong'g to Us or Our Subjects, or to Our Allies or their Subjects, shall be found in Distress, by being in fight, set upon, or taken by the Enemy, the Captain, Officers and Company, who shall have such Letters of Marque or Commission, as aforesaid, shall use their best Endeavours to give aid and Succour to all such Ship or Ships, and shall to the utmost of their power Labour to free the same from the Enemy. ”

“ Lest thou shouldest not only leave them to the grossest Acts of Wickedness, but also give them up unto the most amazing Impenitency, when the Punishment of their Iniquity comes to be inflicted on them. ”

“ Sometimes, especially in the earlier period, they were commissioned by the governor of the colony acting under a warrant from the Lords of the Admiralty (doc. no. 69) empowering him so to do; more often they were commissioned directly by those lords, under the great seal of the Admiralty. Doc. no. 180 is a commission of the former sort, doc. no. 181 of the latter. When war broke out, authority to try prize cases was conveyed, as above, to the vice-admiral, the vice-admiralty judge, and their deputies. ”

“ And if any of the Company begin an Attack, either by firing a Gun, or using any Instrument of War, before Orders be given, by the proper Officers, he or they shall be punished; but if any of the said Company do refuse to make an Attack on the Enemy, either at Sea or Land, at the Command and in the Manner ordered by the Captain and proper Officers, or do behave with Cowardice in any Engagement, he or them shall forfeit his or their Share or Shares for such Refusal or Cowardice ”

“ Thence they went to the Isla de la Plata, where they remained three days and a half refreshing themselves, and suspecting that the prisoners were planning to rise and take the ship they killed one and flogged another; and thence they went to Payta, where they sent two canoes ashore with 32 armed men, with design to capture Payta, but meeting with resistance they returned to the ship. Thence they sailed away to the Strait of Magellan, but did not go through it, but around the Isla del Fuego, which was some six or eight days' distance from the Strait of Magellan. ”

“ The Camelion had in 1682 sailed for the Royal African Company to the slave-mart of Old Calabar on the west coast of Africa, thence with a cargo of negroes to Barbados, thence to Montserrat and Nevis, thence in June, 1683, to London with a cargo. Off Nevis, June 29, the crew took possession of the ship, then made this agreement on the 30th, sold part of the cargo at the Dutch island of Curaçao, and brought the vessel to Sandy Hook. ”