Thanks for the clarification, Bruce.

It's interesting that the Douce broadside mentions one hundred men on board with four being lost at sea and the shorter song that most of us are more familiar with (the one in the DT) talks about five hundred men on board with only sixty-one surviving.

Is this an example the exageration that happens when a tale is retold over and over? There are a couple of verses in the broadside that are almost entirely unreadable but I don't see any mention near the end of how many survivors there were. Of course, the Bold Benjamin mentions sailing for Spain to gain silver and gold while the broadside ballad talks about being bound for Venice. Did the change from destinations and the change from a captain to an admiral make for a more dangerous voyage and maybe a more interesting ballad?

At any rate, I've always thought the Bold Benjamin was too short. You never find out what exactly happened to the ship.


Radriano