Mission

Your problem is more one of penmanship than 17th century writing style IMO. The lines you're asking about do appear to have been written by someone other than Thomas - the writing style is different. That first word in the second line starts either with 'The' or 'Che' The next word is probably 'som' The f's and s's look very similar, although the f has a cross-stroke where the s does not. You can see that most clearly in the word 'of' in that line. He also seems to make t's with a curve on the top that makes them look a bit like the f's and s's. (In that same line, the word that starts with The or Che seems to end with a 't' for example.) I suspect the third line under the graphic starts with the word 'God.' From that, I'd guess the next word to be 'gives', except it doesn't appear to end with an 's', it appears to end with a 'd'. Then again, it's difficult to make out accurately. I'd guess the word after that is 'loving' or possibly 'living'. The word after that could be 'gras' (possibly meaning 'grace'). Then I really can't tell. Or I could be all wrong. That's some really bad penmanship.

Gambia Castle (which I'm fairly certain is actually called Fort James - located in the Gambia River on James Island [now called Kunta Kinteh Island]) has gone back and forth in ownership between the French and English. Wiki says the French captured it in 1695, but it was back in English possession in 1702, "The fort was destroyed and rebuilt several times in this period, both in conflicts between the English and French and by pirates." So I'd say it's very likely that you're looking at two different accounts. We all know Johnson's book, but what is the other book you're referring to? I'm guessing it's in French. Would you share the full title, author's name and year of printing?

I like that first photo; compared with your avatar photo, it's like before and after. :) Hey Robert, would you share the way people can find Gevannia? We have a lot of people who read the forum, but don't post and I'll bet some of them would like to get in touch with her if she's still making the Barbossa gear.

I thanked Mr. Handley, and he added some more info for us in his response:

My link to the above photo got broken somehow, so I fixed it. Image 359, with sidepieces is dated to 1700 like Grymm's pair. So unless both sources are wrong, they clearly existed at that time. Well I got to talking with someone who wears glasses about this and he was all curious to know if Bennion's book was accurate. So I sent an email to the British Optical Association Library asking about it. Here is the response: So based on the most current knowledge, no earpieces (sides) during the GAoP.

They had an exhibit on 17th c. life at the Smithsonian a while back that featured hundreds of broken pipes unearthed from a trash heap or something like that. Get yourself a clay pipe and it won't take you long to understand why.

Interesting. This used to pop up all the time in people's favorite pirate movie lists and there is not one, but two multi-comment threads about it. I didn't mind it when I saw it, nor did I think it was the roaring great pirate movie some others did. If you're curious, you can see my comments here.

Not to mention healing all your cuts, bruises and whatnot.

Well, the surgeon did the shaving on a ship as a part of his duties if there wasn't a barber, so the cost was nil to the sailors when the ship had a surgeon. (Although the sailors each gave him half-a-crown out of their share at the end of the voyage according to James Yonge. (The Journal of James Yonge [1647-1721] Plymouth Surgeon, p. 58) As for shaving cream, this is all I have in my notes. "Soap Soap was used to soften the beard before shaving. It was made by pouring water into a large tub with holes in the bottom. In the but were a layer of twigs over which was put a cloth (muslin). Then the tub was filled with ash, which would leach out the alkaline salts and make ‘lye’. The ‘lye’ was reduced until and egg would float on it, animal fat was added and it was boiled for hours (stand up-wind as it stinks!). Salt was added together with a ‘bouquet garni’ of herbs. When the salt had settled, the soap was put into moulds (blocks, sea shells, etc.), or tied in to balls with a pudding bag cloths and left for 3-4 weeks to harden. ‘Soap wort bark’ when boiled also made a form of soap." (Rory W. McCreadie, The Barber Surgeon’s Mate of the 16th and 17th Century, p. 41)

The trick is to get them to do it on cue and in harmony.

“I’ll just bite my knife today, because I’m that cool.” Ha ha ha.

Reenactor Gareth Pugh ordered me some of that in a pub in Wales. Fine stuff.

Here are some more tavern images. Tavern Interior, Adriaen van Ostade (1680) Scene in the Tavern, Adriaen van Ostade (mid 17th c.)

Hey, I was looking for images and I found a couple interesting ones over at wiki commons that sort of fit this category. Interior of an Inn by Adriaen van Ostade (1658) 17th Century Coffeehouse in England Notice the dogs.

I have a videocassette version of it that I could send you.

Daniel, do you have Polanski's movie Pirates! ?

Just Googling, I found a couple of things on the figurehead collection at Mystic Seaport (which appears to be pretty impressive - thanks for bringing it up, Dutch): This page on the Mystic Seaport site contains a number links to different figureheads at the museum. And I believe this is the PDF you were talking about, Dutch. It's a Master's Degree thesis on the figureheads there from 1984. It's not the best scan in the world, but if this is your topic, it sure appears to be extensive. Note: I am going to edit the title of this thread to include the word 'figureheads" to make it easier to find in the future since I didn't see another thread on this topic here at the Pub.

I like the concept of the prologue and your writing style flows nicely. I wouldn't tend to think of her as a romantic myself, but you could certainly make a case for it. Just out of curiosity, why don't you create your own character and base parts of it loosely on Bonny?

I like the APLH facebook page that Foxe started, but I wouldn't call it the new Pub. (If anything, it would be the new Captain Twill Forum.) The only trouble I have with it being forum-worthy is that Facebook isn't content searchable and once something sinks, it's a sonuvabitch to find again. However, it does have the plus bringing people from several other, non-Pub pirate forums to one place to discuss Twill-like stuff. As more people join, it may evolve (or devolve, depending on your POV) into chatty non-Twill-like stuff. Then again, Foxe has recently booted several such topics, so it may not.

While you're doing that, can you see where the earliest examples of each Hollywood pirate trope occurred? Like bucket boots, earrings, shoulder parrots, hooks, peg legs, eye patches, gold teeth, the terms Jolly Roger, scalliwag, Arr! and using 'me' as a possessive adjective and so forth, the use of domed chests, Spanish galleons as pirate ships and buried treasure? Oh, I know some of it came from drawings and the bane of PC accuracy, Treasure Island, but it would still be neat to see where Hollywood first co-opted these myths.

I only go to a limited number of events, but most of the ones I attend have seen generally improving numbers in both reenactors and attendance.

I am annoying, am I not? I blame change, which is inevitable. I am curious what will follow Facebook. They say it's Twitter, but it seems to have a different raison d'être than Facebook. (Then again, FB was initially very different than forums. Remember when you could only enter a limited number of characters?)

If by study, you mean just read about something, I think studying in that way often ends up being a waste of time in the long run - unless you have a very good memory. If, however, you take notes and organize those notes, or even rewrite what you've found in a place like this, then the knowledge becomes accessible and (more importantly IMO) searchable. Then you have a database of information from which you can find answers to questions. This is how I write my monthly articles and put together my surgeon's presentation.

One word: Facebook. The funny thing is, Facebook is a wonderful medium for chit-chat, but a terrible medium for accumulating information. I have always thought the forum should move towards collecting information. I can't tell you how many times I've used Google to go a-looking for some fine point of medicine when writing an article and found the answer on this very forum (sometimes, in my own very posts that I have forgotten.)

Try using me as a definitive voice of authority when defending your doctoral thesis on the use of the word 'prize-money' in the GAoP and see how that goes for you. Foxe has published, peer-reviewed work, so you have a better chance using him. (Stynky is another matter entirely. If he told the most tenured professor to purchase a bottle of mead so that he could share it with us, the prof would pop for the punch without a peep. Now that's authority/)