The Downfall of Piracy

[Fox]

...a desperate and bloody sea-fight between Lieutenant Maynard and that notes pirate Captain Teach, commonly call'd by the name of Black-beard; Maynard had fifty men, thirty-five of which were kill'd and wounded in the action; Teach had twenty-one, most of which was kill'd and the rest carried to Virginia in order to take their Tryal.

Will you hear of a bloody battle, lately fought upon the seas?

It will make your ears to rattle and your admiration cease:

Have you heard of Teach the rover, and his knavery on the main;

How of gold he was a love, how he loved ill-got gain?

When the act of grace appeared Captain Teach and all his men

Unto Carolina steered, where they us'd him kindly then;

There he marry'd to a lady, and gave her five hundred pound,

But to her he prov'd unsteady, for he soon marched off the ground

And returned, as I tell you, to his robberies as before:

Burning, sinking ships of value, filling them with purple gore.

When he was at Carolina, there the Governor did send

To the Governor of Virgina, that he might assistance lend.

Then the man-of-war's commander, two small sloops he fitted out;

Fifty men he put on board sir, who resolved to stand it out.

The lieutnant he commanded both the sloops and you shall hear

How before he landed he suppress'd them without fear

Valiant Maynard as he sailed soon the pirate did espy;

With his trumpet he then hailed, and to him they did reply:

"Captain Teach is our commander", Maynard said "He is the man

Whom I am resolved to hang sir, let him do the best he can."

Teach replied unto Maynard, "You no quarter here shall see

But be hanged on the main-yard, you and all your company."

Maynard said "I none desire of such knaves as thee and thine."

"None I'll give," Teach then replied; "my boys, give me a glass of wine."

He took the glass and drank damnation unto Maynard and his crew,

To himself and generation, then the glass away he threw.

Brave Maynard was resolv'd to have him, tho' he'd cannons nine or ten;

Teach a broadside quickly gave him, killing sixteen valiant men.

Maynard boarded him and to it they fell with sword and pistol too;

They had courage, and did show it, killing of the pirate's crew.

Teach and Maynard on the quarter fought it out most manfully;

Maynard;s sword did cut him shorter, losing his head he there did die.

Every sailor fought while he, sir, power had to wield his sword,

Not a coward could you see, sir, fear was driven from aboard;

Wounded men on both sides fell, sir, 'twas a doleful sight to see,

Nothing could their courage quell, sir; O they fought couragiously.

When the bloody fight was over we're informed by a letter writ,

Teach's head was made a cover to the jack-staff of the ship;

Thus they sailed to Virginia and when they the story told

How they killed the pirates many, they'd applause from young and old.

Broadside ballad, 1719, possibly by Benjamin Franklin.

[JoshuaRed]

As I read this I can't help but think of the tune to the Royal Oak. Perhaps Franklin was satirizing/modifying the popular shanty?

[William Brand]

excellent.

I'm related to ole Ben.

[Diego Santana de la Vega]

Aye! It is very nice indeed thank you for finding and sharing it with us all! Sir William I thought you were Ben!