Plutarch, Caesar and buccaneering tales

There is no dearth of stories about the exploits of pirates. In his 'Life of Julius Caesar', Plutarch describes an interesting encounter between Caesar and the Cilician pirates who roamed the Mediterranean sea. The story goes that while he was going from Rome to Rhodes in 75 BC, Caesar was captured by the pirates, who demanded a ransom of 20 talents (a denomination) for his release.On hearing this, Caesar is believed to have burst out laughing, saying they did not know whom they had captured and promising to pay them 50. Once the ransom was paid and he was set free, writes Plutarch, Caesar collected a small fleet, captured the pirates and had them killed.
A General Historie of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates has an interesting account of the early 18th century, which is often referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy. Among the most famous pirates of the time was Blackbeard, who operated in the Caribbean Sea. Tales about his ruthlessness are legend.
One especially fanciful story has Blackbeard shooting his first mate, saying, "If I didn't shoot one or two crewmen now, then they'd forget who I was."
Also read:Guns, GPS & pirates