make this offer for
the public good and safety, and, therefore, no particular credit can
be given them for kindness towards the troublesome mariner. But the
relations between Ingle and Cornwallis are rather perplexing. The
latter accused Ingle of not returning the value of goods entrusted to
him, and also of landing, during his absence, "some men near his
house," and rifling "him to the value of 2,500 l at least."[78] All
this was done after Cornwallis had showed his devotion to Parliament,
by releasing Ingle. It must be remembered in connection with the
devotion to Parliament, that Ingle was doing the great carrying trade
for Cornwallis. Besides, after Ingle had made him his attorney, he
went to Maryland and there sued three men for the pillage and
destruction of his property, without implicating Ingle. In the absence
of full records concerning these two men, it is unfair to judge either
of them harshly in this matter.

The indefinite allusion to Ingle's piracy in 1644 was not sustained,
but in 1649 he was again called "pirate." The definition of piracy has
undergone many changes within the past three hundred years. From
robbery committed upon the high seas, it has come to mean, "acts of
violence done upon the ocean or unappropriated lands or within the
territory of a state through descent from the sea, by a body of men
acting independently of any political or organized society."[79] The
pirate has also been held as an enemy, whom the whole human race can
oppress. These definitions are from the international standpoint. What
was the English law at the time of Ingle? The treatment of pirates was
regulated by the Act of Parliament, made in the reign of Henry
VIII.,[80] and Sir Leoline Jenkins, on September 2d, 1668, at a
session of the Admiralty, said, "now robbery as 'tis distinguished
from thieving or larceny, implies not only the actual taking away of
my goods, while I am, as we say, in peace, but also the putting me in
fear, by taking them away by force and arms out of my hands, or in my
sight and presence, when this is done upon the sea, without a lawful
commission of war or reprisals, it is downright Piracy."[81] In the
Assembly of March, 1638, piracy was defined as follows: "William
dawson with divers others did assault the vessels of Capt. Thomas
Cornwaleys his company feloniously and as pyrates & robbers to take
the said vessels and did discharge divers peices charged wi^th
bulletts & shott against the said Tho