From Anonymous, The Lives and Adventures of the German Princess &c. (1760)
Anne Bonny was the daughter of an Irish lawyer who emigrated to Charleston, North Carolina. When she married a sailor against her father’s wishes, he cut her off, and she went to the Bahamas with her new husband, where, in 1719, she met Captain John ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham. Within a year she was fighting and leading parties boarding ships they attacked throughout the Caribbean.
Mary Read had lived most of her life disguised as a boy so it was no great hardship for her to remain in disguise when she joined Rackham’s crew soon after Bonny went to sea with him. His ship was taken by the authorities in 1720, and the entire crew was arrested and tried for piracy – Rackham was hanged.
[Anne Bonny] was of a fierce and couragious temper, wherefore when she lay under condemnation, several stories were reported of her much to her disadvantage; as, that she had kill’d an English servant-maid once in her passion, with a case-knife, while she look’d after her father’s house; but upon further enquiry, we found this story to be groundless: ’tis certain, she was so robust, that once, when a young fellow would have lain with her against her will, she beat him so that he lay ill of it a considerable time.
While she liv’d with her father, she was look’d upon as one that would be a considerable fortune; wherefore it was thought her father design’d a good match for her; but she spoil’d all, for, without his consent, she married a young fellow who belong’d to the sea, and was not worth a groat. This provok’d her father to such a degree, that he turn’d her out of doors; upon which, the young fellow who married her, finding himself disappointed in his expectation, shipp’d himself and his wife for the island of Providence, expecting employment there.
Here she became acquainted with Rackam the pyrate, who, making courtship to her, soon found means of withdrawing her affections from her husband, so that she consented to elope from him, and go to sea with Rackam in mens cloaths. She was as good as her word, and after she had been at sea some time, she prov’d with child. When she began to grow big, Rackam landed her on the island of Cuba; and, recommended her there to some friends of his: they took care of her till she was brought to bed. When she was up, and well again, he sent for her to bear him company in his future expeditions.
The King’s proclamation for pardoning of pyrates being out, he took the benefit of it, and surrender’d. Afterwards, being sent upon the privateering account, he return’d to his old trade, as has been already hinted in the story of Mary Read. In all these expeditions Anne Bonny bore him company, and, when any business was to be done in their way, no body was more forward or couragious than she; and, particularly, when they were taken; when she and Mary Read, with one more, were all the persons that durst keep the deck, as has been before hinted.
Her father was known to a great many gentlemen, planters of Jamaica, who had dealt with him, and among whom he had a good reputation; and some of them, who had been in Carolina, remember’d to have seen her in his house: this made them inclin’d to shew her favour, but the action of leaving her husband was an ugly circumstance against her. The day that Rackam was executed, by special favour, he was admitted to see her; but all the comfort she gave him, was, that she was sorry to see him there, but if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hang’d like a dog.
She was continu’d in prison till the time of her lying-in, and afterwards repriev’d from time to time; but what is become of her since we cannot learn: only this we know, that she never was executed.
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Here [Mary Read’s] mother lived three or four years, till what money she had was almost gone; then she thought of returning to London ; and considering that her husband’s mother was in good circumstances, she did not doubt but to prevail upon her to provide for the child, if she could but pass it upon her for the same; but the changing a girl into a boy seemed a difficult piece of work, and how to deceive an experienced old woman, in such a point, was altogether impossible; however she ventured to dress it up as a boy, brought it to town and presented it to her mother in law, as her husband’s son, the old woman would have taken it, to have bred it up, but the mother pretended it would break her heart to part with it; so it was agreed betwixt them, that the child should live with the mother, and the supposed grandmother should allow a crown a week for its maintenance.
Thus the mother gained her point; she bred up her daughter as a boy, and when she grew up to some sense, she thought proper to let her into the secret of her birth, to induce her to conceal her sex. It happened that the grandmother died, by which means the subsistance that came from that quarter, ceased, and they were more and more reduced in their circumstances: wherefore she was obliged to put her daughter out, to wait on a French lady, as a footboy, being now thirteen years of age: here she did not live long; for growing bold and strong, and having also a roving mind, she entered herself on board a man of war, where she served some time. At length, she quitted the sea service, went over into Flanders and carried arms in a regiment of foot, as a cadet; and though in all actions she behaved herself with a great deal of bravery, yet she could not get a commission, they being generally bought and sold; therefore she quitted the service, and took on in a regiment of horse: here she behaved so well in several engagements, that she got the esteem of all her officers; but her comrade, who was a Fleming, happening to be a handsome young fellow, she fell in love with him, and from that time grew a little more negligent in her duty; so that, it seems, Mars and Venus could not be served at the same time; her arms and accoutrements, which were always kept in the best order, were quite neglected: ’tis true, when her comrade was ordered out upon a party, she used to go without being commanded, and frequently run herself into danger, where she had no business, only to be near him. The rest of the troopers, little suspecting the secret cause which moved her to this behaviour, fancied her to be mad; and her comrade himself could not account for this strange alteration in her; but love is ingenious, and, as they lay in the same tent, and were constantly together, she found a way of letting him discover her sex, without appearing that it was done with design.
He was much surprised at what he found out, and not a little pleased; taking it for granted, that he should have a mistress solely to himself, which is an unusual thing in a camp, since there is scarce one of those campaign ladies that is ever true even to a troop or company; so that he thought of nothing but gratifying his passions with very little ceremony: but he found himself strangely mistaken, for she proved very reserved and modest, and resisted all his temptations; yet, at the same time, was so obliging and insinuating in her carriage, that she quite changed his purpose, and made him so far from thinking of making her his mistress, that he now courted her for a wife.
This was the utmost wish of her heart; in short, they exchanged promises, and when the campaign was over, and the regiment marched into winter quarters, they bought woman’s apparel for her, with such money as they could make up betwixt them, and were publickly married.
The story of two troopers marrying each other made a great noise, and several officers were drawn by curiosity to assist at the ceremony; who agreed together, that every one of them should make a small present to the bride towards house-keeping, in consideration of her having been their fellow soldier. Thus being set up, they seemed to have a desire of quitting the service, and settling in the world; the adventure of their love and marriage had gained them so much favour, that they easily obtained their discharge, and they immediately set up an eating house or ordinary, with the sign of the Three Horse Shoes, near the castle of Breda,1 where they soon got into a good trade, a great many officers eating with them constantly.
But this happiness lasted not long; for the husband soon died, and the peace being concluded, there was no resort of officers to Breda, as usual; so that the widow, having little or no trade, was forced to give up house-keeping, and her substance being by degrees quite spent, she again assumes her man’s apparel, and, going into Holland, there takes on in a regiment of foot, quartered in one of the frontier towns: here she did not remain long, for there was no likelihood of preferment in time of peace; therefore she took a resolution of seeking her fortune another way; and, withdrawing from the regiment, shipped herself on board of a vessel bound for the West-Indies.
It happened that this ship was taken by English pyrates, and Mary Read was the only English person on board; they kept her amongst them, and having plundered the ship, let it go again; after following this trade for some time, the King’s proclamation came out, and was publish’d in all parts of the West Indies, for pardoning such pyrates, as should voluntarily surrender themselves by a certain day therein mentioned. The crew of Mary Read took the benefit of this proclamation, and, having surrendered, lived afterwards quietly on shore; but money beginning to grow short, and our adventuress hearing that Captain Woods Rogers, Governor of the island of Providence, was fitting out some privateers to cruise against the Spaniards, she, with several others, embarked for that island, in order to go upon the privateering account, being resolved to make her fortune one way or other.
These privateers were no sooner sailed out, but the crews of some of them, who had been pardoned, rose against their commanders, and turned themselves to their old trade: in this number was Mary Read. ’Tis true, she often declared, that the life of a pyrate was what she heartily abhorred, and went into it only upon compulsion, both this time and before, intending to quit it, whenever a fair opportunity should offer itself; yet some of the evidences against her, upon her tryal, who were forced men,1 and had sailed with her, deposed upon oath, that, in times of action, no persons amongst them were more resolute, or ready to board, or undertake any thing that was hazardous, than she and Anne Bonny ; and particularly at the time they were attacked and taken, when they came to close quarters, none kept the deck except Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and one more; upon which, she (Mary Read ) called to those under deck, to come up and fight like men, and, finding that they did not stir, fired her arms down the hold amongst them, killing one, and wounding others.
This was part of the evidence against her, which she denied; whether this was true or no, thus much is certain, that she did not want bravery; nor indeed, was she less remarkable for her modesty, according to her notions of virtue: her sex was not so much as suspected by any person on board, till Anne Bonny took her for a handsome young fellow, and, for some reasons best known to herself, first discovered her sex to Mary Read: Mary Read knowing what she would be at, and being very sensible of her own incapacity that way, was forced to come to a right understanding with her, and so, to the great disappointment of Anne Bonny, she let her know she was a woman also; but this intimacy so disturbed Captain Rackam, who was the lover and gallant of Anne Bonny, that he grew furiously jealous, so that he told Anne Bonny, he would cut her new lover’s throat; whereupon, to quiet him, she let him into the secret also.
Captain Rackam (as he was enjoin’d) kept the thing a secret from all the ship’s company; yet, notwithstanding all her cunning and reserve, love found her out in this disguise, and hindered her from forgetting her sex. In their cruize they took a great number of ships belonging to Jamaica, and other parts of the West-Indies, bound to and from England; and whenever they met any good artist, or other person that might be of any great use to their company, if he was not willing to enter, it was their custom to keep him by force. Among these was a young fellow of a most engaging behaviour, or at least he was so in the eyes of Mary Read, who became so smitten with his person and address, that she could not rest, either night or day; but as there is nothing more artful than love, it was no hard matter for her, who had before been practised in these wiles, to find a way to let him discover her sex: she first insinuated herself into his liking, by talking against the life of a pyrate, which he was altogether averse to; so that they became mess-mates and strict companions: when she found he had a friendship for her, as a man, she suffered the discovery to be made, by carelessly shewing her breasts, which were very white and swelling.
The young fellow, who, we may suppose, was made of flesh and blood, had his curiosity and desire so rais’d by this sight, that he never ceased importuning her, till she confessed what she was. Now begins the scene of love: as he had a liking and esteem for her, under her supposed character, it was now turned into fondness and desire; her passion was no less violent than his, and she expressed it by one of the most generous actions, perhaps, that ever love inspir’d. It happened that this young fellow had a quarrel with one of the pyrates, and their ship then lying at anchor, near one of the islands, they had appointed to go a-shore and fight, according to the custom of these people: Mary Read was to the last degree uneasy and anxious for the fate of her lover; she would not have had him refuse the challenge, because she could not bear the thoughts of his being branded with cowardice; on the other side, she dreaded the event, and apprehended the fellow might be too hard for him: when love once enters into the breast of a person who has any sparks of generosity, it stirs the heart up to the most noble actions. In this dilemma, she shew’d, that she feared more for his life than she did for her own; for she took a resolution of quarrelling with this fellow herself, and, having challenged him a-shore, she appointed the time two hours sooner than when he was to meet her lover, where she fought him at sword and pistol, and killed him upon the spot.
It is true, she had fought before, when she had been insulted by some of those fellows; but now it was altogether in her lover’s cause, for she stood as it were betwixt him and death, as if she could not live without him. If he had no regard for her before, this action would have been enough to have bound him to her for ever; but there was no occasion for ties or obligations, his inclination towards her was sufficient; in fine, they ply’d their troth to each other, which Mary Read said, she look’d upon to be as good a marriage in conscience, as if it had been done by a minister in church; and to this was owing her great belly, which she pleaded at her trial to save her life.
She declared she had never committed adultery or fornication with any man; she commended the justice of the court, before which she was tried, for distinguishing the nature of their crimes; her husband, as she called him, with several others, being acquitted. When she was ask’d, who he was? she would not tell; but said he was an honest man, and had no inclination to such practices, and that they had both resolved to leave the pyrates the first opportunity, and apply themselves to some honest livelihood.
There is no doubt, but many had compassion for her; yet the court could not avoid finding her guilty; for, among other things, one of the evidences against her deposed, that being taken by Rackam, and detained some time on board, he fell accidentally into discourse with Mary Read; whom taking for a young man, he ask’d her what pleasure she could have in being concern’d in such enterprizes, where her life was continually in danger, by fire or sword; and not only so, but she must be sure of dying an ignominious death, if she should be taken alive?—She answer’d, that, as to hanging, she thought it no great hardship; for, were it not for that, every cowardly fellow would turn pyrate, and so infest the seas, that men of courage must starve:—that if it was put to the choice of the pyrates, they would not have the punishment less than death, the fear of which kept some dastardly rogues honest; that many of those who are now cheating the widows and orphans, and oppressing their poor neighbours, who have no money to obtain justice, would then rob at sea, and the ocean would be crowded with rogues, like the land, so that no merchant would venture out, and the trade, in a little time, would not be worth following.
Being found quick with child, as has been observed, her execution was respited, and it is possible she would have found favour, but that she was seiz’d with a violent fever, soon after her trial, of which she died in prison.