One bit of clarification: I keep seeing references to the sinking of the Golden Vanity. In the version I'm familiar with (I haven't taken the time to look at all the others) the Golden Vanity is the ship of the "lovely Captain" and the luckless cabin boy. The ship that he sinks (even though I think the sinking as described wouldn't have been possible) is identified only as "the Spanish enemy" -- a ship that is not given a name. (Oh, yes, it could have had the name "Spanish Enemy", but that hardly seems a likely name for a ship -- especially if the Golden Vanity is an English ship -- the song is English, right? -- and if the event was around the time of the Spanish Armada, eh?) BTW in the version I have, there is no mention of a battle going on -- only that they "feared she might be taken". I always envisioned that the event in the song took place at night, or in a dense fog with the ships becalmed -- the "lovely Captain" aware of the nearness of the enemy ship, which was not aware of the Golden Vanity's presence, but would notice the becalmed ship and "take her" when daylight returned or the fog lifted. Always fun to open a few new cans of worms.

Reiver 2