Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/12

 but the Actions of a Parcel of Robbers. It is Bravery and Stratagem in War which make Actions worthy of Record; in which Sene the Adventures, here related will be thought deerving that Name. Plutarch is very circumtantial in relating the Actions of Spartacus, the Slave, and makes the Conquest of him, one of the greatest Glories of Marcus Craus; and it is probable, if this Slave had liv’d a little longer, Plutarch would have given us his Life at large. Rome, the Mitres of the World, was no more at first than a Refuge for Thieves and Outlaws; and if the Progres of our Pyrates had been equal to their Beginning; had they all united, and ettled in ome of thoe Ilands, they might, by this Time, have been honoured with the Name of a Commonwealth, and no Power in thoe Parts of the World could have been able to dipute it with them.

If we have eem’d to glance, with ome Freedom, at the Behaviour of ome Governors of Provinces abroad, it has been with Caution; and, perhaps, we have, not declar’d as much as we knew: However, we hope thoe Gentlemen in the ame Station, who have never given Occaion for the like Cenure, will take no Offence, tho’ the Word Governor is ometimes made ue of.

P. S. It will be neceary to add a Word or two to this Preface, in order to inform the Reader, that there are everal material Additions made to this econd Impreion, which welling the Book in Bulk, must of Conequence add a mall Matter to its Price.

The first Impreion having been received with o much Succes by the Publick, occaioned a very earnet Demand for a econd: In the mean Time, everal Perons who had been taken by the Pyrates, as well as others who had been concerned in taking of them, have been o kind to communicate everal Facts and Circumtances to us, which had ecaped us in the first Impreion. This occaioned ome Delay, therefore if we have not brought it out, as oon as wih’d, it was to render it the more compleat.

We hall not enter into a Detail of all the new Matter inerted here, but the Decription of the Ilands St. Thome, Rh