mCENTI V ES-G A I N— HONOU R . 



385 



thoiaBand slaves were often bought and sold on tbc same 

 (lay — seizeil and transported from their homes by pirates : 

 and it is worfcK noticing, that the mistress of the world had 

 at loiigtli to seiul forth her ^eatest generals to put down 

 a power which she liad fostered for her own luxury, at tho 

 expense of principle and kumatiity. 



Thus does the ancient liistoriim continually point a 

 moral, or adorn a tale " for modern times. The Serebas 

 and Sakarrans, the Lamms, and other sucli communities of 

 the present day, i^eprosent, as completely as diflcrenccs of 

 position enable them to do, their predecessors of the 

 -^gean ; and it has been hitlierto our reproach that those 

 latitudes in which England's should be the antagonistic 

 influence, have furnished to these pirate-commmiities ihetr 

 « Golden Sea/'* 



But tlaere has always been one other incentive to pii'acy, 

 which, witli some characters, is as potent as gold itself; 

 and that is the honour and distinction to which it leads- 

 Honour among thieves is bononr still ; and the daring 

 and successful leader of a piratical attack upon a merchant- 

 fleet, or a town worth piUagiiig, rises to an estimation 

 among Ins fellows, which acts as a powerful stimulus 

 to fresh adventures. Because I have only a single ship," 

 said one of this profession to Alexander, you call me a 

 pimte ; if I had a fieet I should be a Aero." This was a 

 good piece of sarcasm ; and it is ceitaiu at least that tho 



• TliiH wuB the aa.Tuc given hy thtf |tirat*» of the iiSgdjUT, lo tlie jsca tictwccn 

 Crete and C-jrcuc, and bcLwewJi tins PirwiiB ami the promoiu-ory of M-Aih — ^uyw 

 Qipc Malio — on ftccontit df the rich priMs which tbisy met wltli tben*. 



