by Daniel Defoe
Produced by Jens Sadowski (This file was produced fromimages generously made available by The Internet Archive)
THE King of PIRATES:
BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE Famous ENTERPRISES OFCaptain _AVERY_,The Mock KING of _Madagascar_.
WITH
His RAMBLES and PIRACIES; whereinall the Sham ACCOUNTS formerlypublish'd of him, are detected.
_In Two LETTERS from himself;one during his Stay at_ Madagascar, _andone since his Escape from thence._
_LONDON_,
Printed for _A. Bettesworth_ in _Pater-noster Row_, _C. King_in _Westminster-Hall_, _J. Brotherton_ and _W. Meadows_ in _Cornhill_,_W. Chetwood_ in _Covent-Garden_, and sold by _W. Boreham_ in_Pater-noster Row_, 1720.
(Price 1 _s._ 6 _d._)
THE PREFACE
ONE of the particular Advantages of the following Letters fromCaptain _Avery_, is, the Satisfaction they will give the Readers how muchthey have been impos'd upon in the former ridiculous and extravagantAccounts which have been put upon the World in what has been publish'dalready._
_It has been enough to the Writers of this Man's Life, as they call it,that they could put any Thing together, to make a kind of monstrous unheardof Story, as romantick as the Reports that have been spread about of him;and the more those Stories appear'd monstrous and incredible, the moresuitable they seem'd to be to what the World would have been made to expectof Captain _Avery_._
_There is always a great Deference between what Men say of themselves, andwhat others say for them, when they come to write Historically of theTransactions of their Lives._
_The Publisher of these Letters recommends this Performance to the Readers,to make their Judgment of the Difference between them and the extravagantStories already told, and which is most likely to be genuine; and, as theyverily believe these Letters to be the best and truest Account of Captain_Avery_'s Piracies, that ever has or ever will come to the Knowledge of theWorld, they recommend them as such, and doubt not but they will answer forthemselves in the Reading._
_The Account given of Captain _Avery_'s taking the Great Mogul's Daughter,ravishing and murdering her, and all the Ladies of her Retinue, is sodifferently related here, and so extravagantly related before, that itcannot but be a Satisfaction to the most unconcern'd Reader, to find such ahorrible Piece of Villainy as the other was suppos'd to be, not to havebeen committed in the World._
_On the contrary, we find here, that except plundering that Princess of herJewels and Money to a prodigious Value, a Thing which, falling into theHands of Freebooters, every one that had the Misfortune to fall into suchHands would expect: But, that excepting this, the Lady was used with allthe Decency and Humanity, and, perhaps, with more than ever Women, fallingamong Pirates, had found before; especially considering that, by Report,she was a most beautiful and agreeable Person herself, as were also severalof those about her._
_The Booty taken with her, tho' infinitely great in itself, yet has been somagnify'd beyond common Sense, that it makes all the rest that has beensaid of those Things ridiculous and absurd._
_The like Absurdity in the former Relations of this Matter, is that of themaking an Offer of I know not how many Millions to the late Queen, forCaptain _Avery_'s Pardon, with a Petition to the Queen, and her Majesty'snegative Answer; all which are as much true as his being Master of so manyMillions if Money, which he nor his Gang never had; and of his beingproclaim'd King of _Madagascar_; marrying the Mogul's Daughter, and thelike: And, by the Bye, it was but ill laid together of those who publish'd,that he first ravish'd her, then murder'd her, and then marry'd her; allwhich are very remarkable for the recommending the Thing to those that readit._
_If these Stories are explain'd here, and duly expos'd, and the History ofCaptain _Avery_ set in a fairer Light, the End is answer'd; and of this theReaders are to be the only Judges: But this may be said, without anyArrogance, that this Story, stripp'd of all the romantick, improbable, andimpossible Parts of it, looks more like the History of Captain _Avery_,than any Thing yet publish'd ever has done; and, if it is not prov'd thatthe Captain wrote these Letters himself, the Publisher says, None but theCaptain himself will ever be able to mend them._
