164 Of Mjinr Read. 



Time two Hours fooner than that, when he was 

 to meet her Lowr, where flie fought him at Sword 

 and Piftol, and killed him upon the Spot. 



it is true, {he had fought before, when flie had 

 be^n iafulted by fome of thofe Fellows, but now 

 it was alto3;ether in her Lover's Caufe, flie flood 

 as it were betwixt him and Death, as if Ihe could 

 not live without him. If he had no regard for her 

 before, th*s Aftion would have bound him to her 

 forever-, bat there was no Occafion for Ties or 

 Obligations, his Inclination towards her 'was fuffi- 

 .cient • in fine, they applied their Troth to each 

 other, which Mary Read laid, {he look'd upon to be 

 ■^s good a Marriage, in Confrience, as if it had 

 been done by a Minifter in Church-, and to this 

 was owing her great Belly, which flie pleaded to 

 £ive her Life* 



She declared {he had n^er committed Adultery 

 or Fornication wich any Man, ihe commended the 

 fuftice of the Court, before which fhe was tried, for 

 diftinguilliing the Nature of their Crimes-, her Hus- 

 band, as Hie calFd him, with feveral others, being 

 acqaitted • and being ask'd, who he was ? ihe would 

 not tell, but, faid he was an honeft Man, and had 

 no Inclination to fuch Praftices, and that they 

 had both reiblved to leave the Py rates the firft 

 Opportunity, and apply themfelves to fome ho^ 

 nef!: Livelyhood. 



It is no doubtj but many had Compaffion for her, 

 yet the Court could not avoid finding her Guilty ^ 

 for amo^.g other Things, one of the Evidences 

 againft her, depofed, that being taken by Rackamy 

 anddetairfd fome Time on Board, he fell acciden- 

 tally into Difcourfe with Mary R-ead^ whom he ta- 

 king for a young Man, ask^d her^, what Pleafure llie 

 could have in being concerned in fuch Enterprize?, 

 where her Life was continually in Dangier, by 

 Fire or Sword ^ and not only fo, but fhe muft be 



lure 



