A general history of the pyrates : $b from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present timeJohnson, Charles, active 1724-1731
History
A general history of the pyrates : $b from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present time
Johnson, Charles, active 1724-1731
Pirates -- Early works to 1800
There were others of these Pyrates the reverse of this, and tho' destitute
of Ministers, or fit Persons to represent their Sins, and assist them with
spiritual Advice, were yet always imploying their Time to good Purposes,
and behaved with a great deal of seeming Devotion and Penitence; among
these may be reckon'd _Scudamore, Williams, Philips, Stephenson, Jefferys,
Lesly, Harper, Armstrong, Bunce_, and others.
_Scudamore_ too lately discerned the Folly and Wickedness of the
Enterprize, that had chiefly brought him under Sentence of Death, from
which, seeing there was no Hopes of escaping, he petitioned for two or
three Days Reprieve, which was granted; and for that Time apply'd himself
incessantly to Prayer, and reading the Scriptures, seem'd to have a deep
Sense of his Sins, of this in particular, and desired, at the Gallows, they
would have Patience with him, to sing the first Part of the thirty first
Psalm; which he did by himself throughout.
_Armstrong_, having been a Deserter from his Majesty's Service, was
executed on Board the _Weymouth_, (and the only one that was;) there was no
Body to press him to an Acknowledgement of the Crime he died for, nor of
sorrowing in particular for it, which would have been exemplary, and made
suitable Impressions on Seamen; so that his last Hour was spent in
lamenting and bewailing his Sins in general, exhorting the Spectators to an
honest and good Life, in which alone they could find Satisfaction. In the
End, he desir'd they would join with him in singing two or three latter
Verses of the 140th Psalm; and that being concluded, he was, at the firing
of a Gun, tric'd up at the Fore-Yard-Arm.
_Bunce_ was a young Man, not above 26 Years old, but made the most
pathetical Speech of any at the Gallows. He first declaim'd against the
guilded Bates of Power, Liberty, and Wealth, that had ensnar'd him among
the Pyrates, his unexperienc'd Years not being able to withstand the
Temptation; but that the Briskness he had shewn, which so fatally had
procured him Favour amongst them, was not so much a Fault in Principle, as
the Liveliness and Vivacity of his Nature. He was now extreamly afflicted
for the Injuries he had done to all Men, and begg'd their's and God's
Forgiveness, very earnestly exhorting the Spectators to remember their
Creator in their Youth, and guard betimes, that their Minds took not a
wrong Byass, concluding with this apt Similitude, _That he stood there as a
Beacon upon a Rock_, (the Gallows standing on one) _to warn erring
Marriners of Danger._
CHAP. X. OF Captain _ANSTIS_, And his CREW.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account