“ It was his misfortune to have arrived too late in Central America, that was all, and to find this flower of woman already annexed by a previous comer—a man as good as himself, and, his heart of fairness prompted, even better. And his heart of fairness compelled loyalty to Henry from him—to Henry Morgan, of the breed and blood; to Henry Morgan, the wild-fire descendant of a wild-fire ancestor, in canvas pants, and floppy sombrero, with a penchant for the ears of strange young men, living on sea biscuit and turtle eggs and digging up the Bull and the Calf for old Sir Henry’s treasure. ”
Henry Morgan
Definition and stakes
Henry Morgan (1635–1688), a Welsh privateer who later became lieutenant governor of Jamaica, gained notoriety for leading daring raids against Spanish territories in the Caribbean, accumulating wealth through plunder. Authors have long debated his legacy: Jack London romanticized him as a wild, noble figure in Hearts of Three, while Stables Gordon criticized his cruelty in The Pirate's Gold.
Cyrus Townsend Brady’s Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer dramatized his conflicts, merging heroism with moral ambiguity. Howard Pyle acknowledged Morgan’s charismatic leadership despite his deceit. These differing portrayals highlight his complex nature—as both a celebrated symbol of piracy and a controversial figure, shaping enduring myths of the Caribbean’s golden age of buccaneering.
Quotes about “Henry Morgan”
The Story of a Round-House, and Other Poems
“ But a right Jamaica puncheon is a finer prizeTo the old bold mate of Henry Morgan. Oh some that's good and godly ones they hold that it's a sinTo troll the jolly bowl around, and let the dollars spin;But I'm for toleration and for drinking at an inn,Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan. Oh some are sad and wretched folk that go in silken suits,And there's a mort of wicked rogues that live in good reputes;So I'm for drinking honestly, and dying in my boots,Like an old bold mate of Henry Morgan. ”
Cyrus Townsend Brady,
Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer: A Romance of the Spanish Main
“ CHAPTER XXIV IN WHICH SIR HENRY MORGAN APPEALS UNAVAILINGLY ALIKE TO THE PITY OF WOMAN, THE FORGIVENESS OF PRIEST, THE FRIENDSHIP OF COMRADE, AND THE HATRED OF MENnd bless me also, my father," cried Mercedes, kneeling by Alvarado's side."Most willingly, my fair daughter," answered the old man. "A fit helpmate indeed thou hast shown thyself for so brave a soldier. By your leave, your Excellency. You will indulge an old man's desire to bless the marriage of the son as he did that of the mother? ”
