The Cæsar’s Victory
It being [an] account of a ship so called in her voyage to the East Indies, richly laden, [which] was beset with five sail of Pirates; but the Cæsar so rarely behaved herself that she came off with conquest and put her foes to flight, losing no more than one man, and but seven wounded, one of which was Francis Stevens, a Water-man, who formerly ply’d at Puddle-Dock, who lost his arm.
To the Tune of Cannons rore.
As we was sailing on the main,
Well laded with great store of gain,
We was in danger to be ta’en:
Five pirates ships appeared,
Who sailed up with courage bold,
As if they would not be contrould;
But we brave noble hearts of gold
Their courage never feared.
We soon did understand their will,
And therefore used our chiefest skill,
Resolving there our blood to spill
Rather than lose our Cæsar:
We vow’d she should not be their prey,
And therefore, boys, we show’d them play.
It was upon the Sabbath day:
No pirates could appease her.
The master, flourishing his sword,
Did comfort to us all afford,
Both seamen, souldiers then on board,
True courage to awaken;
Then with one voice we all did cry,
‘We are resolved to make them fly,
Or in the Cæsar we will dye,
Rather than to be taken.’
Before the fight we this did do:
Our bread into the sea we threw,
To make room for the whole ship’s crew
To fight and keep foes under:
This truth can never be deny’d,
We soon did quell their haughty pride
By giving them a full broadside:
Our cannons roar’d like thunder.
Full five long hours there we fought,
In the brave Cæsar, fierce and stout;
At length we put them to the rout
Who aimed at our treasure:
We pour’d them in whole showers of lead,
So that they tumbled down for dead
And in the ocean made their bed,
Where they may lie their leisure.
Their admiral did want to be
Aboard of Cæsar, this we see,
That they might have rich plunder free,
The thing which they delight in:
But yet there was not one that dare
To come on board of Cæsar there;
They knew their lives we would not spare,
So fierce we was for fighting.
Good Fortune she our courage crown’d,
Or else aboard on us they’d found
The sum of fourscore thousand pound,
Besides all other lading:
Could they but once have seen us fall,
Their booty then had not been small,
Two hundred thousand pound in all;
This would have spoil’d our trading.
I hope we gave them all their due,
Yet sav’d our coyn and cargo too.
Believe me, this is perfect true,
It is no feigned story:
For though our foes were five to one,
Yet we at last did make them run:
And when we see our work was done
To God we gave the glory,
Who did indeed our rights maintain;
For in this skirmish on the main
Of us there was but one man slain,
And seven others wounded:
But those that sought our overthrow,
They lost a many more, we know.
Thus Providence did kindness show
When we was so surrounded.