The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And BuccaneersGosse, Philip
History
The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And Buccaneers
Gosse, Philip
Pirates
One of Captain John Quelch's crew. Hanged at Boston on June 30th, 1704. A
broadsheet published at the time, describing the scenes at the execution,
tells us that Miller "seemed much concerned, and complained of a great
Burden of Sins to answer for, expressing often: 'Lord, what shall I do to
be Saved?'"
MILLER, THOMAS.
Quartermaster on the pirate ship _Queen Ann's Revenge_, and killed on
November 22nd, 1718.
MISNIL, SIEUR DU.
A French filibuster who commanded a ship, _La Trompeuse_ (one hundred men
and fourteen guns).
MISSON, CAPTAIN.
This unique pirate came of an ancient French family of Provence. He was
the youngest of a large family, and received a good education. At the age
of 15 he had already shown unusual distinction in the subjects of humanity
and logic, and had passed quite tolerably in mathematics. Deciding to
carve a fortune for himself with his sword, he was sent to the Academy at
Angiers for a year, and at the conclusion of his military studies his
father would have bought him a commission in a regiment of musketeers. But
young Misson had been reading books of travel, and begged so earnestly to
be allowed to go to sea that his father got him admitted as a volunteer on
the French man-of-war _Victoire_, commanded by Monsieur Fourbin. Joining
his ship at Marseilles, they cruised in the Mediterranean, and the young
volunteer soon showed great keenness in his duties, and lost no
opportunity of learning all he could about navigation and the
construction of ships, even parting with his pocket-money to the boatswain
and the carpenter to receive special instruction from them.
Arriving one day at Naples, Misson obtained permission from the captain to
visit Rome, a visit that eventually changed his whole career.
It happened that while in Rome the young sailor met a priest, a Signor
Caraccioli, a Dominican, who held most unclerical views about the
priesthood; and, indeed, his ideas on life in general were, to say the
least, unorthodox. A great friendship was struck up between these two,
which at length led the priest to throw off his habit and join the crew of
the _Victoire_. Two days out from port they met and fought a desperate
hand-to-hand engagement with a Sallee pirate, in which the ex-priest and
Misson both distinguished themselves by their bravery. Misson's next
voyage was in a privateer, the _Triumph_, and, meeting one day an English
ship, the _Mayflower_, between Guernsey and Start Point, the merchantman
was defeated after a gallant resistance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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