A General History of the Pirates · Chapter
Of Capt. Edward England, and His Crew explained
This chapter recounts the career of Captain Edward England, a pirate who began as a mate on a sloop from Jamaica before being taken by Captain Winter.
What happens
This chapter recounts the career of Captain Edward England, a pirate who began as a mate on a sloop from Jamaica before being taken by Captain Winter. England commanded a sloop and sailed to Africa, taking several ships including the Cadogan snow, where the master Skinner was brutally murdered by former crew members. England later captured the Pearl, renamed her the Royal James, and took numerous vessels at the Azores and Cape Verde Islands. In 1719, he returned to Africa and captured several ships. The chapter details his eventual downfall: after a confrontation with Captain Mackra and the East India Company fleet, England was marooned on Mauritius with three companions for his leniency toward prisoners. He later made a small boat to Madagascar, where he subsisted on charity. The chapter also follows the remnants of his crew under Captain Taylor, who captured a Portuguese man-of-war, settled at Delagoa, and eventually surrendered to the Governor of Porto Bello.
Themes in this chapter
Economic Despair as a Driver of Piracy
The chapter shows how men like England turned to piracy after being taken by pirates, and how former crew members sought revenge for unpaid wages.
Violence, Brutality, and Moral Depravity
The murder of Captain Skinner by being pelted with bottles, whipped, and shot is a stark example of the brutality described.
Corruption of Colonial Governance
England was deposed and marooned for refusing to kill prisoners, showing the pirates' own form of governance and its corruption.
Characters to notice
- Edward England
Captain of the pirate crew; described as having good nature and courage, averse to ill-using prisoners, but often overruled by his companions.
- Howel Davis
Mate of the Cadogan snow; given the vessel and cargo by England's crew after Skinner's murder.
- Mackra
Captain of the Cassandra; fought against England's pirates, was wounded, and later reported the pirates to the authorities.
- Taylor
Took command of the Cassandra after England was deposed; led the crew on further voyages and eventually surrendered at Porto Bello.
- Skinner
Master of the Cadogan snow; was murdered by former crew members who had turned pirate under England.
Key passages
“it is surprising that men of good understanding should engage in a course of life, that so much debases humane nature, and sets them upon a level with the wild beasts of the forest, who live and prey upon their weaker fellow creatures”
The author finds it astonishing that intelligent men would choose a life that degrades human nature, equating them to wild beasts that prey on the weak.
Reflects the moral condemnation of piracy common in the source.
“Ah, Captain Skinner! Is it you? The only man I wished to see; I am much in your debt, and now I shall pay you all in your own coin.”
The boatswain greeted Skinner with vengeful words, indicating he would repay past grievances with cruelty.
Illustrates personal revenge as a motive for violence among pirates.
“they would certainly have had this reflection for their consolation, viz. that whatever robberies they had committed, they might be pretty sure they were not the greatest villains then living in the world.”
The pirates could console themselves that their crimes were no worse than those of the South Sea Company directors.
Draws a parallel between piracy and contemporary financial corruption.
