TO give my Reader first a short Account of the particular Crimes that brought these Unhappy Criminals to their untimely End; These five last Pyrates are some of the Crew of the Famous, or rather In­famous Captain Every, that committed those crying and bloody Cruelties, in the East-Indies, upon the Coast of Persia, and the Kingdom of the Great Mogol; these most Barbarous and Inhumane Wretches, having first run away with one of his Majesties Men of War, call'd the Charles, and dis­missed all that innocent part of the Ships Crew that refused to engage in their desperate Designs, immediately set out as Pyrares, make their common Prey upon Friends and Foes, and rob all Mankind. Accordingly they perpetrated those unheard of Barbarities, as such plundering and rifling all the Vessels they met with, Ravishing and Deflowering the Virgins and Women, and then turning them out naked, to starve upon shore, amongst Rocks and Desarts. But above all, nothing was so horrid, as their Surprizing a Ship of the King of the Indies, where they first took away an infinite Treasure, most inhumanely Ravisht a Young Princess, and the test of her Female Train, and afterwards left the Ship disarm'd and disabled, floating as a wreck upon the Sea, with near a 1000 Souls on Board, thereby exposed to inevitable Starving.

This unparallel'd Outrage greatly prejudiced the Honourable East India Company, the Grand Mogul demanding Satisfaction of them for this Depre­duction and Villany.

After publick Proclamation made for their Apprehension, several of them were accordingly taken, and William May, Joseph Dawson, John Sparcks, Wil­liam Bishop, and James Lewis were brought upon their Tryals on the 19th of October, before the Honourable Sir Charles Hedges, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, together with the Lord Chef Justice Holt, &c. At which time, notwithstanding Joseph Dawson frankly and candidly acknowledge his Crimes and pleaded Guilty; however the sway (much to Admitation) whither out of Tenderness, in relation to not full enough Evidence, or what other un­known Reason, acquited them. Nevertheless they were afterwards brought upon a new Tryal, and such full and ample Testimony came against them; as that they received the just Sentence of Death, and this suffered accordingly.

Capt. Vaughan and John Murphey, though their Crimes were much of the same Nature, viz. For their Rapiness upon the Seas, yet their Arraignment lay higher, viz. For no less a Crime then Treason; as that being N [...]tive Subj [...]cts to the King, contrary to their Allegiance, they had join'd w [...] our French Enemies, and committed Hostilities upon the Subjects of England. Upon their Tryals it appeared, that Captain Vaughan had received a Com [...] from the French King, as Captain of a Privateer; and that he with oth [...] [...] ­val [Page]Forces had attacqued and taken his Majesties Ship the Diamand. [...] and carried her Price into France, for which Fact, both he and Murp [...] re­ceived Sentence of Death, as Guilty of High Treason.

After their Tryals and Conviction, though they appear'd very resolute be­fore, yet upon the certainty of their approaching Death, they behaved them­selves with a little more modesty, and some signs of a good preparation for another World. They received the Favour of a considerable Time to prepare for Death, and being this 25th of November all convey'd, (Murphey being drawn on a Sledge) to the Execution Dock, between the Hours of three and four, they were all Executed, Captain Vaughan only being Respited from the pre­sent Execution to Suffer at Tyburn.

Murphey appeared the most undaunted, though to give them their due they seem'd to be all Masters of as much Courage as was possible, at the sight of so infamous a Death before their Eyes. Murphey being an Irishman, and a strong Zealot for the late King and the French Interest, seem'd to have little Regret against his Cause, which he seem'd to adhere to, to the last, but rather maimed the Misfortunes of his Life, and other private Sins, which he thought might in a high measure bring him to this fatal End, as judging those Errours of his wicked Life more capital then the Crime for which he dyed.

William May, was much inclined to Penitence, and exprest some sense of his shameful End, and of the more shameful Crimes that brought him to that ignominious Death.

John Sparcks, likewise exprest a due sense of his wicked Life, in particular to the most horrid Barbarities that he had committed, which though upon the Persons of Heathens and Insidels, such as the foremention'd poor Indians, so inhumanly rifled and treated so unmercifully; declaring, that his Eyes were now open to his Crimes, and that he justly suffer'd Death for such Inhumanity, much more then his Injustice and Robbery, in Stealing and Running away with one of his Majesties Ships, which was of the two his lesser concern.

William Bishop, said but little, but own'd himself as deep a sinner as the others; and that his three years Roving upon the Seas, was now a very Me­lancholy Thought to his Soul, and so much the more to consider the Brutality of his Crimes, as being one of a more Barbarous Crew than the Generality of Offenders of that kind.

Adam Foresah, was very Penitent, and truly own'd that besides the Guilt of his Offences, and the present capital Punishment, his Wicked Life, atten­ded with the many Hardships and Hazards he had undergone in his Robberies, was little less than a Punishment; for wickedness (let it prosper never somuch) brings great many troubles and afflictions along with it.

James Lewis acknowledged his many Transgressions, and particularly the Offence for which they all dyed. In fine, they had all the Favour at the place of Execution, of giving them time to offer up their necessary Prayers to Al­mighty God: and then all suffer'd according to their Sentence.