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deposed that he was offered £200 "in Barbary
Gold" to take to friends in England in order to
impress the Lord Admiral. The Venetian
ambassador said that he was offered 30.000
crowns. But even James I jibbed at accepting
bribes from such a notorious pirate and went
so far as to name Ward specifically in a proclamation
of January, 1609, for the apprehension
of pirates. Ward seems to have been much
annoyed at the rejection of his suit: "Tell those
flat caps who have been the reason I was banished
that before I have done with them I will
make them sue for my pardon."
[Lloyd, 1981: 50-51]
As one of Ward's biographers put it, in a ballad called
"The Famous Sea Fight between Captain Ward and the
Rainbow," "Go tell the king of England, go tell him this from
me I Ifhe reign king of all the land, I will reign king at sea."
On one occasion in 1607, the well-known diplomat Sir
Anthony Sherley "wrote to Ward at Tunis to dissuade him
from his mode of life and sinful enterprises." Ward was so
incensed he granted freedom to a ship he'd just captured, on
condition that the Captain find Sir Anthony and convey to him
Ward's challenge to a duel. It's hard to reconcile Ward's reputation
for slow-wittedness with such flamboyant gestures.
About Sept. last (1608) Ward, being in the
Straits, met Fisher of Redriffe, bound for
England, and gave him £100 to carry to his
wife. Others of the company also sent money
for wives and f'riends. Fisher abused his trust.
On their next meeting Ward despoiled Fisher's
ship, and being reviled, had Fisher ducked at
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the yard arm, and killed. The other men to
avoid the like fate joined the pirates.
Ward having stabbed one West, a master's
mate, his men mutinied. In a great storm in the
straits under Saracota, Longcastle and others
called him to prayers, but he refused, saying
that "he neither feared God nor the devil."
[Ewen, 1939: 14. These quotes and anecdotes
derive from one of the pamphlets about Ward,
NewweJ from Sea.]
Ward now seems to have decided to remain in Barbary
and give up all hope of a peaceful retirement. He
fitted out the SOderina as his man-of-war and
made preparations for his next voyage. She
must have looked a fine ship indeed: 600 tons
burden, mounting forty bronze pieces on the
lower deck and twenty on the upper. He was at
sea in her by December 1607, in command of
an Anglo-Turkish crew of 400. However, the
SiJerma soon proved to be impractical as a
warship. Her excessive armament weighed her
down and her planks began to rot. As soon as
Ward captured a prize he took command of
her, leaving his cumbersome warship to her
fate. The great vessel sank off Cerigo early in
1608 with the loss of almost all hands-250
Turks and 150 Englishmen.
Yet this was just the start of a series ofdisasters
that lay in store for Ward in the winter
of 1607-8. First, the prize of which he had
taken command was lost at sea, and then a
galleon, which he had captured and fitted out
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