A general history of the pyrates: from their first rise and settlement in the island of Providence, to the present time

About this book

This work is a seventeenth‑century historical treatise that sets out to explain the rise of piracy from the settlement of Providence Island to the early eighteenth century. The author begins by observing a curious peace among Dutch seafarers, then argues that a national fishery could curb the “pyrates” by providing honest employment for idle sailors. He proceeds to trace the logic of piracy as a by‑product of war‑time privateering, citing specific captains such as Roberts and noting seasonal patterns of raids. The preface explains that the narrative is drawn from eyewitness accounts, court testimonies and the author’s own investigations, and that the second impression expands the first with new material on islands such as St. Thomas and Brazil. The book therefore promises a blend of economic argument, geographic description, and anecdotal biography, all framed as a “history” of sea‑robbers.

Written in a dense, moralising prose typical of early‑modern English pamphlets, the text reflects the author’s 1720s perspective on commerce, naval policy and national virtue. Its tone is didactic rather than romantic, interweaving practical suggestions with vivid, sometimes sensational, depictions of pirate tactics. Readers who enjoy scholarly explorations of maritime law, early‑modern economic thought, or the raw primary‑source voice of a period chronicler will find it rewarding. Those seeking a polished literary adventure should be prepared for the work’s exhaustive footnotes, archaic spelling, and the author’s unabashed self‑promotion as a reliable recorder of facts.

Opening lines

_I cannot but take Notice in this Place, that during this long Peace, I have not so much as heard of a Dutch Pyrate: It is not that I take them to be honester than their Neighbours; but when we account for it, it will, perhaps, be a Reproach to our selves for our want of Industry: The Reason I take to be, that after a War, when the Dutch Ships are laid up, they have a Fishery, where their Seamen find immediate Business, and as comfortable Bread as they had before. Had ours the same Recourse in their Necessities, I'm certain we should find the same Effect from it; for a Fishery is a Trade that cannot be overstock'd; the Sea is wide enough for us all, we need not quarrel for Elbow-room: Its Stores are infinite, and will ever reward the Labourer. …

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