The P R E F A C E. 



comtniffiondfor feveral Tears pafly but three times her 

 Comfliment of Men have offer'' d themfehes in 24 Hours \ 

 the Merchants take their Advantage of thisy leffen their 

 Wages J and the fe few who are in Bufinefs are poorly faidj 

 md but poorly fed ; fuch Vfage breeds Difcontents amongft 

 them^ Mnd males them eager for any Change. 



I Jhall not repeat what I have faid in the Hlfiory con* 

 cerning the Privateers of the Weft-Indies, where / have 

 taken Notice they live upon Spoil \ and as Cu(hm is a fccond 

 JSfaturey it is no Wonder thaty when an honeFt Livlyhood is 

 not eafily hady they run into one fo like their own \ fo that 

 it may be faid^ that Privateers in Time of War are a Nur^ 

 fery for Pyrates agalnft a Peace. 



Now we have accounted for their Rife and Beginningy it 

 will be natural to enquire why they are not taken oitd de-^ 

 flroy'^dy before they come to any Heady feeing that they are 

 feldom lefs than twelve Men of War ftationed in our Ame* 

 rican PlantationSy even in Time of Peace ; a Force fuffi^ 

 cient to contend with a powerful Enemy. This Enquiry^ 

 perhaps y will not turn much to the Honour of thofe concerned 

 in that Service y however y I hope I may be excus'*dy if what 

 J hint is with a Defign of ferving the Publick. 



I fayy '^tis fir ange that a few Pyrates Jljould ravage the 

 Seas for Tearsy without ever being light vporiy by any of our 

 Ships of War \ when in the mean Tim^y they (the Pyrates^ fhall 

 t^ke Fleets of Ships y it looks as if one was much more dili" 

 gent in their Affairs y than the other • Roberts and his CreWy 

 alone y took 400 Sall^ before he was deftroy^d. 



This Mattery I may probably fet right another TimCy 

 and only obferve for the prefenty that the Pyrates at Sea, 

 have the fame Sagacity with Robbers at Land y as the latter 

 underfiand what Roads are moB frequented^ and where it is 

 mo ft likely to meet with Booty y fo the former know what 

 Latitude to lie iny in order to intercept Ships y and as the 

 Pyrates happen to be in want of Provifionsy Stores y or any 

 particular Ladingy they cruife accordingly for fuch Ships^ 

 and are morally certain of meeting with them ; and by the 

 fame Reafony if the Men of War cruife in thofe Latitudes^ 



A 3 they 



