【简译】海盗的黄金时代（Golden Age of Piracy）

2022-08-23 13:22 作者:神尾智代 0人读过 | 我要投稿

什么被认为是海盗的黄金时期？

历史学家们观点各异，但最常见的海盗黄金时代的日期范围是1690年至1730年。

谁开创了海盗的黄金时代？

没有人开创了海盗的黄金时代，相反，那是一个殖民当局没有资金、人员或船只来有效维持公海治安的时代，特别是在加勒比海。新殖民地的商人们很容易成为海盗船的目标。

谁是历史上最坏的海盗？

关于谁是历史上最坏的海盗，有很多人选。黑胡子是最可怕的，基德船长让当局很恼火，因为他们认为基德埋藏了秘密宝藏，而查尔斯-范恩对俘虏非常残忍。巴塞洛缪-罗伯茨是迄今为止俘获船只最多的 "最坏"海盗。

海盗的黄金时代为什么会结束？

海盗的黄金时代结束了，因为殖民当局开始使用更多的人员和船只来追捕海盗。惩罚比以前更加严厉，许多最臭名昭著的海盗被绞死。

The Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730) refers to a period when robbery on the high seas and at colonial ports reached an unprecedented level. Although not all historians agree on the precise time frame, it is generally applied to those pirates who operated in the Caribbean, the east coast of America, the eastern Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

海盗的黄金时代（1690-1730年）指的是公海上与殖民地港口的抢劫达到了前所未有的水平的时期。虽然不是所有的历史学家都同意准确的时间框架，但一般适用于那些在加勒比海、美洲东海岸、大西洋东部和印度洋活动的海盗。

Infamous names associated with the period include Captain Kidd (d. 1701), Blackbeard (d. 1718), and Bartholomew Roberts (d. 1722). These men, and some women like Anne Bonny and Mary Read, targetted merchant shipping and, much more rarely, well-armed treasure ships. The period ended when the Royal Navy, the British East India Company, and colonial governors took a much more active and aggressive stance against piracy, resulting in the capture and public hanging of hundreds of pirates from London to the Carolinas.

与这一时期有关的臭名昭著的名字，包括基德船长（1701年去世）、黑胡子（1718年去世）和巴塞洛缪·罗伯茨（1722年去世）。这些人和一些女海盗，如安妮·邦尼和玛丽·雷德，以商船为目标，更罕见的是以武装良好的运宝船为目标。这一时期结束时，皇家海军、英国东印度公司和殖民地总督对海盗行为采取了更加积极和主动的行动，导致从伦敦到卡罗莱纳州的数百名海盗被捕获并被公开绞死。

界定一个时代

The 'Golden Age of Piracy' is rather an odd name to attach to a period when crime was rife, but this is of secondary concern to the problem of defining what exactly this period covers. Most historians would not include the period of the buccaneers who targetted the Spanish Main and treasure ships earlier in the 17th century (c. 1650-1680). The close of that century is the most common starting point of the Golden Age for scholars, but some would restrict it to the first two or three decades, or even only the second decade of the 18th century. Here, then, in order not to omit certain points of interest pertinent to the subject of piracy, we will adopt a wider view and treat the 'Golden Age' as being approximately 1690 to 1730. It is also important to note that piracy has been conducted since antiquity and is still ongoing in many parts of the world so that an insistence on specific time frames is inherently problematic: piracy, it seems, has neither a starting nor a finishing point.

“海盗的黄金时代”是一个相当奇怪的名字，它被附加到一个犯罪猖獗的时期，但这是次要的，因为要定义这个时期到底包括什么。大多数历史学家不会把17世纪早期（约1650-1680年）以西班牙主力船和运宝船为目标的海盗时期包括在内。该世纪末是学者们最常见的黄金时代的起点，但有些人会将其限制在前20或30年，甚至只有18世纪的第二个十年。那么，在这里，为了不遗漏与海盗问题有关的某些兴趣点，我们将采用更广泛的观点，将“黄金时代”视为大约1690年至1730年。同样重要的是要注意到，海盗行为自古以来就有，而且在世界许多地方仍在进行，因此坚持特定的时间框架本身就有问题：海盗行为似乎既没有起点也没有终点。

Finally, there is, too, a question of geography. While piracy in our period was rife in many other parts of the world, the term 'Golden Age' in this context is usually restricted to those pirates who operated on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Indian Ocean. and off the coast of West Africa. Pirates such as those on the Barbary Coast and in East Asia are usually treated separately. The majority of the pirates in the Golden Age, therefore, are British or American, but there were significant numbers of other nationalities involved, notably Dutch and French, and pirate crews could, in fact, include anyone from just about anywhere, including former African slaves and indigenous peoples.

最后，还有一个地理的问题。虽然这一时期的海盗行为在世界其他许多地方都很猖獗，但在这种情况下，"黄金时代"一词通常只限于那些在大西洋两岸、印度洋和西非沿海活动的海盗。诸如巴巴里海岸和东亚的海盗通常另算。因此，黄金时代的大多数海盗都是英国人或美国人，但也有大量其他国籍的人参与其中，特别是荷兰人和法国人，事实上，海盗船员几乎可以是任何地方的人，包括前非洲奴隶和土著人。

The question remains why piracy flourished in this particular period. Men and some women were tempted into a life of piracy by the harshness of life at sea on a merchant or naval vessel - the vast majority of pirates were experienced seamen - or because they could not find meaningful employment following the end of the wars between England and France. Following the Age of Exploration, the European colonies beyond the Mediterranean were now blossoming. These were communities growing in size and wealth and with a corresponding increase in merchant shipping to serve them. There was still, though, a lack of firm governance and military protection so far from the home nation so that many ports and ships were easy targets for pirates who cared not for the consequences of their crimes.

问题是，为什么海盗行为在这个特定时期会兴起？男人女人们因商船或军舰上艰苦的海上生活，被富裕生活诱惑从而从事海盗活动，绝大多数海盗都是有经验的海员，或者是因为他们在英法战争结束后找不到有意义的工作。在探索时代（大航海时代）之后，地中海以外的欧洲殖民地现在正在开花结果。这些殖民地的规模和财富都在增长，为其服务的商船也相应增加。但是，在远离母国的地方，仍然缺乏稳固的管理和军事保护，因此，许多港口和船只很容易成为海盗的目标，他们对自己犯罪的后果毫不在意。

1718 年，安妮女王的复仇号在试图进入北卡罗来纳州博福特港时在沙洲搁浅。这艘船在沉没前被黑胡子遗弃。该沉船于 1996 年被发现，但其存在于 2004 年被正式披露。

船长

While some pirate crew members have gained fame (or infamy) in their own right, the names most strongly attached to the period are those of captains. While most pirates wore the clothing that any other type of mariner wore, the captains were more wont to make a fashion statement and wear the flashy apparel the gentry of the period sported. Bartholomew Roberts (aka 'Black Bart' Roberts) was famous for wearing a scarlet silk coat, a matching damask waistcoat, and a diamond necklace. Blackbeard (aka Edward Teach) wore black ribbons in his beard, carried six pistols, and had lit fuses under his hat whenever he went into battle. Doubtless, these pirate captains were keen to create a legend about themselves that helped make sure a target vessel surrendered immediately and their own crews remained loyal.

虽然一些海盗成员以自己的身份获得了名声（或恶名），但与这一时期联系最紧密的是那些船长的名字。虽然大多数海盗都穿着其他类型水手所穿的衣服，但船长们更愿意穿着当时的贵族们所穿的华丽服装。巴塞洛缪·罗伯茨（又名‘黑巴特’·罗伯茨）因穿着一件猩红的丝绸大衣、一件配套的大马士革背心、戴着一条钻石项链而闻名。黑胡子（又名爱德华·蒂奇）的胡子上系着黑丝带，带着六把手枪，每次上战场都在帽子下点燃导火索。毫无疑问，这些海盗船长热衷于为自己创造一个传奇，以帮助确保目标船只看见他就立即投降，而自己的船员则保持忠诚。

Other captains went for a more brutal approach to gaining notoriety. Charles Vane (hanged 1721) once fired his cannons at the ship of the governor of the Bahamas, while Edward Low amassed a long list of heinous crimes such as mutilating, burning, and hanging his victims between 1721 and 1724. Captain Stede Bonnet (hanged 1718), the 'Gentleman Pirate', was unusual because he chose a life of piracy as a change of pace from running his own plantation in Barbados. Piracy, it seems, attracted all sorts.

其他船长则以更残酷的方式来获得恶名。查尔斯·范（1721年被绞死）曾向巴哈马群岛总督的船只开炮，而爱德华·洛在1721年至1724年间犯下了一长串令人发指的罪行，如肢解、焚烧和绞死被俘者。斯特德·博内特船长（1718年被绞死），"绅士海盗"，很不寻常，因为他选择了海盗的生活，以改变他在巴巴多斯经营自己的种植园的生活。海盗活动似乎吸引了各式各样的人。

Finally, there are those pirates who were not particularly famous in their day but who have since grabbed the public’s imagination for one reason or another. Captain John Rackham (aka 'Calico Jack', hanged 1720) was a small-time pirate now famous for his crew members of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, as well as his Jolly Roger with its crossed cutlasses. Captain Benjamin Hornigold (d. 1719) was notable for giving up piracy and becoming, instead, a pirate hunter for the governor of the Bahamas. Captain Samuel Bellamy died in relative anonymity in 1717 when his ship Whydah was sunk in a storm off Cape Cod, but his name has been revived following the underwater exploration of this wreck and its invaluable contribution to our knowledge of Golden Age pirates, their loot, and their ships.

最后，还有那些在他们那个时代并不特别出名的海盗，但后来却因为这样或那样的原因吸引了公众的想象力。约翰·拉克姆船长（又名 "卡里科·杰克"，1720年被绞死）是一个小海盗，因为他的船员安妮·邦尼和玛丽·雷德，以及带有十字形弯刀的快乐罗杰而闻名。本杰明·霍尼戈尔德船长（卒于1719年）因放弃海盗行为而成为巴哈马总督的海盗猎人而备受瞩目。1717年，塞缪尔·贝拉米船长在科德角附近的一场风暴中沉没，死得比较隐蔽，但在对这艘沉船进行水下勘探后，他的名字又被重新提起，这对我们了解黄金时代的海盗、他们的战利品和他们的船只做出了宝贵的贡献。

海盗船

Although novels and films often have pirates sailing large galleon-type ships, the reality during the Golden Age was rather different. The vast majority of pirates preferred something like a sloop, which was fast, highly manoeuvrable, and capable of sailing through shallows where larger naval ships could not follow. In addition, pirates typically went after easy targets such as merchant vessels armed with no more than a handful of cannons. However, there were some notable exceptions as some pirates preferred a larger ship capable of matching a lower-rated naval vessel in firepower. Prestige was also a factor, and it is significant that the more notorious and successful pirates did possess the largest ships.

尽管小说和电影中经常出现海盗驾驶大型帆船的情节，但黄金时代的现实却截然不同。绝大多数海盗都喜欢单桅帆船，这种船速度快，机动性强，能够在大型军舰无法跟随的浅滩上航行。此外，海盗们通常会选择一些简单的目标，如只配备了少量大炮的商船。然而，也有一些明显的例外，一些海盗更喜欢能够在火力上与低级别的海军船只相匹敌的大船。声望也是一个因素，重要的是，更臭名昭著和成功的海盗确实拥有最大的船只。

Captain Kidd sailed the purpose-built Adventure Galley. This was a 287-ton three-masted ship, which could pursue a target in all conditions thanks to its mix of square-rigged sails, lateen sail (triangular), and banks of oars (46 in total). The Adventure Galley was crewed by over 150 men and was well-armed with 34 cannons. Edward England captured a fine ship off Madagascar in 1720, which he renamed the Fancy. This vessel also boasted 34 cannons and had a crew of around 180 men.

基德船长驾驶的是专门建造的 "冒险号"。这是一艘重达287吨的三桅船，它可以在任何情况下追击目标，这要归功于它的方帆、三角帆和两岸的船桨（共46只）的组合。冒险号上有150多名船员，装备有34门大炮。1720年，爱德华·英格兰在马达加斯加附近捕获了一艘好船，他将其重新命名为 " Fancy "。这艘船也拥有34门大炮，船员大约有180人。

Perhaps the most famous of pirate ships is Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge, another captured vessel, this time a French slaver. The Queen Anne’s Revenge had a crew of at least 300 men, necessary to man the 40 cannons on board. The most powerful pirate ship of all in this period was Bartholomew Roberts’ Royal Fortune. The former French warship bristled with at least 42 cannons, and Roberts used it well, adapting it for speed and becoming the most successful of all Golden Age pirates in terms of ships captured, well over 400.

也许最著名的海盗船是黑胡子的 "安妮女王复仇号"，这是另一艘被俘的船只，是一艘法国奴隶船。安妮女王复仇号上至少有300名船员，这对船上的40门大炮来说是必要的。这一时期最强大的海盗船是巴塞洛缪·罗伯茨的皇家财富号。这艘前法国军舰上至少有42门大炮，罗伯茨很好地利用了这艘船，利用其出类拔萃的速度，成为黄金时代所有海盗中最成功的船只，他俘获的船只超过400艘。

攻击方式

Pirates typically targeted lone merchant vessels, usually when they were negotiating a narrow straight or were near shallows and islands so that a pirate ship could seemingly arrive out of nowhere. A pirate vessel might also get close to a target by flying a certain friendly national flag. Approaching from the stern was always a good idea since ships of the period had far fewer cannons there.

海盗通常以孤独的商船为目标，通常是在狭窄的直道上伏击，或者在浅滩和岛屿附近，这样海盗船就会好像突然出现在这里。海盗船也可能通过悬挂某种友好国旗来接近目标。从船尾接近总是一个好主意，因为当时的船只在那里的大炮要少得多。

The first weapon pirates used was terror, and this took the form of the Jolly Roger flag. When this flag was hoisted - usually black with human skull and crossbones, although many variations existed - a merchant vessel was being warned that pirates were approaching, and the sensible thing to do was not to put up any resistance. A red flag might also be hoisted, which signalled that no quarter would be given if an attack began. As most pirate victims were poorly-armed, the pirates usually boarded their target with ease.

海盗使用的第一件武器是“恐吓”，其形式是 "欢乐罗杰"旗。当这面旗帜升起时——通常是黑色的人头骨和十字骨，尽管有许多变化——警告商船，海盗正在接近，明智的做法是不要进行任何抵抗。还可能挂起一面红旗，表示如果开始攻击，将不给对方任何机会。由于大多数海盗受害者的武器装备很差，海盗通常很容易登上他们的目标。

For those ships that resisted, the pirates had an array of weaponry to choose from. Pirate ships, as we have seen, carried many cannons of various sizes, and the pirates themselves carried grenades, muskets, pistols, cutlasses, axes, and clubs. Firing cannons was not so common since pirates did not want to damage the target ship or its cargo, both of which might be useful to them. For this reason, when cannons were fired, it was typically as warning shots or to fire chain shot (two bars or balls connected by a short chain) which was designed to destroy rigging and masts and so temporarily disable the target vessel. Some pirate captains were tempted into attacking well-armed treasure ships, especially if they commanded a fleet of pirate ships and so enjoyed a great numerical advantage in cannons and men. As naval vessels almost always outgunned a pirate ship, these were avoided by pirates.

对于那些抵抗的船只，海盗们有一系列的武器装备可以选择。正如我们所看到的，海盗船携带了许多不同尺寸的大炮，而海盗自己也携带了手榴弹、火枪、手枪、弯刀、斧头和棍棒。开炮并不常见，因为海盗们不想损坏目标船只或其货物，而这两样东西都可能对他们有用。因此，当大炮被发射时，通常是作为警告射击或发射链弹（由一条短链连接的两根棒或球），旨在破坏索具和桅杆，从而使目标船只暂时失去能力。一些海盗船长被引诱去攻击装备精良的运宝船，特别是当他们指挥一支海盗船队，从而在大炮和人员方面享有巨大的数量优势。由于海军舰艇的火力几乎总是超过海盗船，所以海盗们会避开这些船只。

海盗的战利品

Pirates were first and foremost after portable loot, preferably gold, silver, and gems. Coins were the most easily disposed of and so a treasure chest of Spanish silver pesos (aka pieces of eight) or gold doubloons was most desirable. The next best thing was a valuable cargo. Items that could be easily sold included rolls of silk, spices, indigo, tobacco, rum, furs, hides, sugar, and other foodstuffs. The crew and any passengers were stripped of any valuables and fancy clothing. Weapons, navigational instruments, and medicines were always useful. Even humdrum nautical items like ropes, sails, and anchors were taken to replenish the pirates’ own equipment. Finally, the attacked ship could itself become the prize. Pirates were loath to spend time and effort repairing their own ship and so swapping for a more seaworthy vessel was quite common, as was upgrading to a bigger and better ship capable of carrying more cannons.

海盗的首要目标是便携式战利品，最好是金、银和宝石。硬币是最容易处理的，因此一个装着西班牙银比索（又称八块钱）或金币的宝箱是最理想的。次好的东西是有价值的货物。易于出售的物品包括成卷的丝绸、香料、靛蓝、烟草、朗姆酒、毛皮、兽皮、糖和其他食品。船员和任何乘客都会被剥夺了任何贵重物品和华丽的衣服。武器、导航仪器和药品总是有用的。即使是像绳索、船帆和锚这样平淡无奇的航海物品也会被拿走，以补充海盗自己的设备。最后，被攻击的船只本身也可能成为战利品。海盗们不愿意花时间和精力去修理自己的船，因此，换一艘更适航的船是很常见的，就像升级到一艘能够携带更多大炮的更好的船一样。

While most captures brought only dry goods or liquor and perhaps a few coins, there were some truly staggering captures in the Golden Age. The English pirate Henry Every (b. 1653) captured the Ganij-i-Sawai in 1695, a merchant ship of the Mughal emperor, which was carrying cargo worth over $95 million today. The share for each crew member was more than a lifetime’s wages. Wisely, Captain Every sailed over the horizon with his loot and was never seen or heard of again.

虽然大多数俘虏只带来了干货或酒，也许还有一些硬币，但在黄金时代也有一些真正令人吃惊的俘虏。英国海盗亨利·埃弗里（生于1653年）在1695年捕获了莫卧儿皇帝的商船Ganij-i-Sawai号，该船所载货物今天价值超过9500万美元。每个船员的份额超过了一生的工资。明智的是，埃弗里船长带着他的战利品驶过了地平线，再也没有人看到或听到他的消息。

In 1721, the biggest ever single prize was captured by John Taylor and Olivier La Bouche. Together, the two pirate ships boarded the Portuguese treasure ship Nostra Senhora de Cabo at Réunion Island. There was £500,000 in diamonds, gold, and other valuables, and a general cargo worth £375,000 (a total of over $250 million today).

1721年，约翰·泰勒和奥利维尔·拉布什捕获了有史以来最有价值的一笔战利品。两艘海盗船在留尼汪岛共同登上了葡萄牙的宝船Nostra Senhora de Cabo号。其中有50万英镑的钻石、黄金和其他贵重物品，以及价值37.5万英镑的普通货物（今天总价值超过2.5亿美元）。

Booty was supervised by the quartermaster until such time as it could be shared out or sold and the proceeds divided. Crew members typically got one share each, the quartermaster and captain received two shares each, and the various 'officers' or more experienced seamen and skilled workers like the carpenter and gunner got something in between one and two shares. Crew members were also compensated for any injuries they had sustained during an attack. Few pirates ever kept hold of their ill-gotten gains long enough to think about hiding it away somewhere. Tales of buried treasure may appear frequently in pirate fiction, but there are few historical records of such behaviour. Captain Kidd did bury treasure, perhaps on Long Island, but treasure-seekers have remained frustrated at their lack of success in finding any of it.

战利品由军需官监管，直到分享或出售时，分赃收益。船员通常每人分得一份，军需官和船长每人分得两份，而各种 "军官"或更有经验的海员和技术工人，如木匠和炮手，则分得一份和两份之间的东西。船员们在袭击中受到的任何伤害也会得到补偿。很少有海盗把他们的不义之财保留足够长的时间来考虑把它藏在什么地方。埋藏财宝的故事可能经常出现在海盗小说中，但关于这种行为的历史记录却很少。基德船长确实埋藏了宝藏，也许是在长岛，但寻宝者一直对没有成功找到任何宝藏而感到沮丧。

海盗港湾

Once loaded up with booty, pirates retreated to their haven. The main havens were Port Royal (Jamaica), Tortuga (Hispaniola), New Providence (Bahamas), and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Havens were chosen for their secluded and safe harbours and easy access to freshwater, fruit, meat, and timber in the island’s interior. Being close to the main shipping routes but not too close to the colonial authorities were distinct advantages, too.

一旦装满了战利品，海盗们就撤退到他们的避难所。主要的避难所是皇家港（牙买加）、托尔图加（伊斯帕尼奥拉）、新普罗维登斯（巴哈马）和印度洋的马达加斯加。选择避风港的原因是其有隐蔽和安全的港口，以及在岛屿内部容易获得淡水、水果、肉类和木材。靠近主要航道但不太靠近殖民当局也是明显的优势。

Traders to buy looted cargo were essential, and they were attracted to havens because they could buy goods cheaply and then smuggle them into legitimate ports at much higher prices. The pirates lost out on the deal, but they got what they wanted: ready cash and plenty of booze. Some pirate captains were more ambitious and tried to deal directly with colonial ports where officials could be bribed and goods sold at better prices. Some of these officials, the most notorious being Charles Eden, governor of North Carolina, and Colonel Benjamin Fletcher in New York, even gave out pardons to pirates.

购买被掠夺货物的商人是必不可少的，他们被吸引到避难所，因为他们可以廉价购买货物，然后以更高的价格将它们走私到合法港口。海盗们在交易中失利，但他们得到了他们想要的东西：现成的现金和大量的酒水。一些海盗船长更有野心，试图直接与殖民地港口打交道，在那里可以贿赂官员，以更好的价格出售货物。其中一些官员，最臭名昭著的是北卡罗来纳州州长查尔斯·伊登和纽约的本杰明·弗莱彻上校，甚至对海盗给予了赦免。

Many pirate havens soon grew into large towns with inns, brothels, merchant stalls, and everything else mariners needed and desired when resting their sea legs. New Providence Harbour (Nassau) hosted some 600 pirates at its peak c. 1700, while at the same time, Madagascar had 1,500 pirates using the island as a base. Port Royal was a favourite of the buccaneers, but Golden Age pirates continued to make good use of its 100 taverns and other dubious facilities which gave rise to its nickname as the 'Sodom of the New World'. Port Royal was used in this way until its destruction during an earthquake in 1692.

许多海盗避风港很快就发展成了大城镇，里面有旅店、妓院、商贩摊位，以及海员们在海上休息时需要和渴望的一切。新普罗维登斯港（拿骚）在1700年左右的高峰期接纳了约600名海盗，而在同一时期，马达加斯加有1500名海盗以该岛为基地。皇家港是海盗们的最爱，但黄金时代的海盗继续充分利用其100家酒馆和其他可疑的设施，这使其有了 "新世界的索多玛 "的绰号。皇家港一直以这种方式使用，直到1692年的地震中被摧毁。

司法与海盗行为的减少

The British government, pressured by legitimate merchants, colonists, and rulers such as the Moghul emperor was eventually obliged to act against piracy. The government was also greatly concerned that piracy was so rife it was driving out honest settlers from its colonies and leaving them so unpopulated they were becoming a great temptation for foreign powers to take over. From 1701, colonies were permitted to try and hang pirates themselves rather than ship them to England. In the 1710s, colonial governors like Woodes Rogers (1679-1732) in the Bahamas were sent out from London specifically to replace the often-corrupt government apparatus in the colonies and wipe out piracy in their jurisdiction. These new governors had both a carrot and stick to achieve their brief. The stick was naval warships and the hangman’s noose, while the carrot was a royal pardon from King George I of Great Britain (r. 1714-1727) and the promise of land and work in the colonies. Many pirates did accept a pardon, and those who did not were eventually hunted down. An additional strategy which worked well was to offer cash rewards for those who informed on and captured pirates; many of these informers were former pirates themselves.

英国政府在合法商人、殖民者和莫卧儿皇帝等统治者的压力下，最终不得不对海盗行为采取行动。政府还非常担心，海盗活动如此猖獗，将诚实的定居者赶出了殖民地，使这些殖民地人迹罕至，成为外国势力占领的巨大诱惑力。从1701年起，殖民地被允许自己尝试绞死海盗，而不是把他们运到英国。1710年，巴哈马群岛的伍兹·罗杰斯（1679-1732）等殖民地总督被从伦敦派出，专门取代殖民地内腐败的政府机构，并在其管辖范围内消灭海盗。这些新总督用胡萝卜和大棒来完成他们的任务。大棒是海军战舰和绞刑架，而胡萝卜则是大不列颠国王乔治一世（1714-1727年）的皇家赦免，以及在殖民地提供土地和工作的承诺。许多海盗确实接受了赦免，而那些不接受赦免的海盗最终被追捕绞杀。另一个行之有效的策略是为那些举报和抓获海盗的人提供现金奖励；这些举报人中的许多人前身就是海盗。

New Providence was shut down as a pirate haven in 1718. The Royal Navy became an ever-more powerful presence in the western Atlantic, and when the colonial governors heard of illegal trade going on in any new havens, they moved in swiftly with their warships. There was also a change of tactic with the navy, like the pirates themselves, opting for fast sloops instead of heavy gunships to pursue these criminals of the high seas. At the same time in the Indian Ocean, the East India Company began to use convoys and more aggressively protect its assets at sea. With their havens under attack and with far fewer possibilities to sell on stolen goods, a life of piracy became a very difficult one. It was also now much more dangerous as capture became more likely and the punishments harsher.

1718年，新普罗维登斯的海盗港湾被关闭。皇家海军在大西洋西部变得越来越强大，当殖民地总督听说在任何新的避风港进行非法贸易时，他们就会带着战舰迅速行动。海军的战术也发生了变化，就像海盗一样，选择了快速单桅帆船而不是重型炮艇来追击这些公海上的罪犯。与此同时，在印度洋，东印度公司开始使用护航船队，更积极地保护其海上资产。由于海盗的避风港受到攻击，出售赃物的可能性大大减少，海盗的生活变得非常艰难，也变得更加危险了，因为被捕的可能性更大，惩罚也更严厉。

The old days of letting off most pirate crews with a flogging as a warning and hanging only the captain were over. Now, entire crews were being brought to justice in show trials that ended in mass executions. In 1722 at Cape Coast Castle, Guinea in West Africa, 52 of Bartholomew Roberts’ crew were hanged in one day. At places like Execution Dock in Wapping, London, or Deadman’s Cay near Port Royal, the sight of hanged pirates swaying in the sea breeze became a familiar one to locals and passing ships. The most notorious pirates had their corpses hung in an iron cage, left to rot in the open air for one or two years. Even those who escaped the death sentence often only had their fate delayed as they were either given lengthy sentences in disease-ridden prisons or transported to penal colonies for a short sharp life of hard labour.

以鞭打作为警告、只吊死船长的方式来释放大多数海盗的旧时代已经过去。现在，整艘船的船员都被绳之以法，进行以大规模处决为结局的展示性审判。1722年，在西非几内亚的海岸角城堡，巴塞洛缪·罗伯茨的52名船员在一天之内被绞死。在伦敦瓦坪的处决码头或皇家港附近的死人岛等地，被绞死的海盗在海风中摇曳的景象成为当地人和过往船只熟悉的景象。最臭名昭著的海盗的尸体被挂在铁笼子里，让他们在户外腐烂一到两年时间。即使是那些逃脱了死刑的人，他们的命运往往也只是被推迟了，因为他们要么在疾病缠身的监狱中被判处长期徒刑，要么被运往刑罚殖民地，过着短促的苦役生活。

Piracy was never entirely stamped out, it is, after all, one of those crimes that seems to have always bedevilled humanity. However, as colonies came to establish themselves with more robust institutions of government and justice, so more people had a cause to see the end of piracy. Even the pirates themselves, those who had escaped the hangman’s noose, often settled down to a more respectable living on plantations or operated as honest merchants, the very targets they had once terrorized.

海盗行为从未完全杜绝，毕竟它是那些似乎一直困扰着人类的罪行之一。然而，随着殖民地建立起更健全的政府和司法机构，更多的人有理由看到海盗行为的结束。即使是海盗自己，那些逃过绞刑架的人，也常常在种植园里过着更体面的生活，或者作为诚实的商人经营，而这类人正是他们曾经恐吓过的目标。