It has been the Case heretofore, that when a single Pyrate 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 Expence of a great deal of Blood and Treasure, before he was suppress'd. We shall not examine how it came to pass, that our Pyrates 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 shew, what from Beginnings, as inconsiderable as these, other Nations have suffered. In the Times of _Marius_ and _Sylla_, _Rome_ was in her greatest Strength, yet she was so torn in Pieces by the Factions of those two great Men, that every Thing which concerned the publick Good was altogether neglected, when certain Pyrates broke out from _Cicilia_, a Country of _Asia Minor_, situate on the Coast of the _Mediterranean_, betwixt _Syria_ on the East, from whence it is divided by Mount _Tauris_, 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 their's which made a Noise, was the taking of _Julius Cæsar_, who was as yet a Youth, and who being obliged to fly from the Cruelties of _Sylla_, who sought his Life, went into _Bithinia_, 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 Pyrates, near the Island of _Pharmacusa_: These Pyrates had a barbarous Custom of tying their Prisoners Back to Back and throwing them into the Sea; but, supposing _Cæsar_ 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