Page:A general history of the pyrates, from their first rise and settlement in the Island of Providence, to the present time (1724).djvu/258

The Place appointed for their Tryals, was the Steerage of the Ship; in order to which, a large Bowl of Rum Punch was made, and placed upon the Table, the Pipes and Tobacco being ready, the judicial Proceedings began; the Priſoners were brought forth, and Articles of Indictment againſt them read; they were arraigned upon a Statute of their own making, and the Letter of the Law being ſtrong againſt them, and the Fact plainly proved, they were about to pronounce Sentence, when one of the Judges mov’d, that they ſhould firſt Smoak t’other Pipe; which was accordingly done.

All the Priſoners pleaded for Arreſt of Judgment very movingly, but the Court had ſuch an Abhorrence of their Crime, that they could not be prevailed upon to ſhew Mercy, till one of the Judges, whoſe Name was Valentine Aſhplant, ſtood up, and taking his Pipe out of his Mouth, ſaid, he had ſomething to offer to the Court in behalf of one of the Priſoners; and ſpoke to this Effect. —— By G——, Glaſby ſhall not dye; d——n me if he ſhall. After this learned Speech, he ſat down in his Place, and reſumed his Pipe. This Motion was loudly oppoſed by all the reſt of the Judges, in equivalent Terms; but Aſhplant, who was reſolute in his Opinion, made another pathetical Speech in the following Manner. G—— d——n ye Gentlemen, I am as good a Man as the beſt of you; d——m my S——l if ever I turned my Back to any Man in my Life, or ever will, by G——; Glaſby is an honeſt Fellow, notwithſtanding this Miſfortune, and I love him, D——l d——n me if I don’t: I hope he’ll live and repent of what he has done; but d——n me if he muſt dye, I will dye along with him. And thereupon, he pulled out a pair of Piſtols, and preſented them to ſome of the learned Judges upon the Bench; who, perceiving his Argument ſo well ſupported,

thought