No! the tears have Nature’s passport, but the wish is poor and vain,
  Since every noblest human work such sacrifice doth gain;
  God appoints the course of Genius, like the sweep of stars and sun: 
  Honor to the World’s rejoicing, and the Will that must be done!

JOURNAL OF A PRIVATEERSMAN.

II.

We left our privateer, the Revenge, Captain Norton, of Newport, Rhode Island, making sail for New Providence, with her lately captured prize.  There was an English Court of Admiralty established on this island, and here the prize was to be condemned and sold.  The Journal begins again on Monday, 10th August, 1741.

* * * * *

Monday, 10th. Fine breeze of wind at N.W., with a large sea.  At 5 A.M. saw Hog Island & the island of Providence.  Fired a gun & lay to for a pilot to take us in.  At 8 a pilot boat came off, & Jeremiah Harman, Master of our prize, in her, having arrived the day before.  Passed by the Rose man of war, stationed here.  We saluted her with 7 guns, & she returned us 5.  Ran aground for’ard & lay some time off of Major Stewart’s house, but the man of war sent his boat to carry out an anchor for us, and we got off.  The Cap’t went ashore to wait on his Excellency, & sent the pinnace off for the prisoners, who were immediately put in jail.

Thursday, 13th. Landed all our corn, and made a clear hole of the prize.  At 9 P.M. it began to thunder & lighten very hard.  Our sloop received great damage from a thunderbolt that struck our mast & shivered it very much, besides tearing a large piece off the hounds.  As it fell, it tore up the bitts, broke in the hatch way, and burst through both our sides, starting the planks under her wale, melting several cutlasses & pistols, and firing off several small arms, the bullets of which stuck in her beam.  It was some time before we perceived that she leaked, being all thunder struck; but when the Master stepped over the side to examine her, he put his foot on a plank that was started, and all this time the water had been pouring in.  We immediately brought all our guns on the other side to give her a heel, & sent the boat ashore for the Doctor, a man having been hurt by the lightning.  When we got her on a heel, we tried the pumps, not being able to do it before, for our careful carpenter had ne’er a pump box rigged or fit to work; so, had it not been for the kind assistance of the man of war’s people, who came off as soon as they heard of our misfortune, & put our guns on board the prize, we must certainly have sunk, most of our own hands being ashore.  This day, James Avery, our boatswain, was turned out for neglect of duty.