[HOWLEY] SVIGARAICIPI 167 
They were not, however, pirates exactly in the sense applied to the word 
in more modern times. They had all the courage and dare-devil spirit 
which animated the real pirates; but their occupation was recognized 
and legalized, and “The Association of Pirates” was quite an honour- 
able institution. 
In the XIII and XIV centuries no argosy or richly laden ship was 
secure from being overhauled and raided by these enterprising sea- 
rovers. They were connived at by the Governments in time of peace 
(which was then a very rare period) and openly abetted and acknow- 
leged in time of war. In the early days of Newfoundland and Canadian 
history we have frequent mention of pirates and their doings. The 
waters of Newfoundland were infested with pirates of the worst descrip- 
tion who came all the way from Barbary and Morocco to plunder our 
fishermen, among the most famous of whom was Easton. (See Prowse 
Hist. of Nfld. p. 102). But men of the type of Svigaraicipi formed a 
recognized branch of the Royal Navy, and they are renowned for some 
very brilliant naval exploits. They were called Corsairs or Croisseurs, 
i.e., Cruisers, or Rovers. This word is rendered in Basque as Croisic 
and gallicized into course, and this was the soubriquet given to the sub- 
ject of my present remarks. He was called Le Croisic as if to say the 
Corsair par excellence! His Basque name looks formidable enough 
as I have given it, but Monsieur Ducéré, whose paper I am paraphrasing 
gives it even another little syllable, He makes it, 
Johannis de Svnigaraychipis 
The termination Chipi or Chipis is a diminutive signifying little or 
young, so that the name without the termination would be Svigarai. 
M. Ducéré says that he occupies a most prominent place among the 
Corsairs who flourished during the reign of Louis XIV. 
M. Ducéré regrets that very few documents remain to tell the 
history of those buccaneers. They were brave and hardy sailors, more 
accustomed to wield the sword than the pen. There were, however, 
some documents preserved in the Maritime Arsenal and the Archives 


1The town of Le Croisic, at the mouth of the Seine was no doubt so called, from 
being a rendezvous of these “erring captains.” Svigarai was born in Bayonne. He 
was married to Saubdone de Haramburu and had a family of four children. The 
eldest son became also a distinguished mariner and the younger was syndic of the 
Friars Preachers, or Dominican Monks. I presume this means solicitor or notary. 
There were two daughters who died unmarried. The fact that Johannes rose to 
the dignity of captain of a “ Royal Frigate””’ shows that he must have acquired the 
double reputation of a valiant soldier (Militaire) and a prudent mariner. 
