True Stories from History and Biography

e of the chair,

its place in the council chamber of Massachusetts. In fact, it was banished as an article of useless lumber. But Sir William Phips happened to see it and being much pleased with its c

ent. "And did Sir William Phips put in these screws with his own hands? I am su

ir William Phips," said Grandfather. "You will the

lated the wonderf

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NKEN T

yed a magnificent gold cup, with some other splendid articles of gold and silver plate. In another part of the room, opposite to a

lders. His coat has a wide embroidery of golden foliage; and his waistcoat, likewise, is all flowered over and bedizened with gold. His red, rough hands, which have done many a good day's work with the hammer and

g had appointed him governor of Massachusetts. Truly, there was need that the old chair should be varnished, and

orn in the province of Maine, where he used to tend sheep upon the hills, in his boyhood and youth. Until he had grown to be a man, he did not even know how to read and w

business. It was not long, however, before he lost all the money that he had acquired by his marriage, and became a poor man again. Still, he was not

ny. It was his own energy and spirit of enterprise, and his resolution to lead an i

84, he happened to hear of a Spanish ship, which had been cast away near the Bahama Islands, and which was supposed to contain a great deal of gold and silver. Phips went to the place in a s

ship had been laden with immense wealth; and, hitherto, nobody had thought of the possibility of recovering any part of it from the deep sea, which was rolling and tossing it about. But thou

the bottom of the sea. King James listened with attention, and thought this a fine opportunity to fill his treasury with Spanish gold. He appointed William P

. But the sea is so wide and deep, that it is no easy matter to discover the exact spot where a sunken vessel lies. The prospect of success seemed very smal

growing rich by plundering vessels, which still sailed the sea, than by seeking for a ship that had lain beneath the waves full half a century. They broke out in open mutiny, but were finally mastered by Phips, and compelled to obe

red the wreck of the Spanish ship, and gave him directions how to [pg 069] find

er would return laden with gold, refused to have any thing more to do with the affair. Phips might never have been able to renew the search, if the Duke of Albemarle, and some other noblemen had not lent the

t was finished, the Captain sent several men in it, to examine the spot where the Spanish ship was said to have been wrecke

e seen the gold and silver at the bottom, had there been any of those precious metals there. Nothing, however, could they see; nothing more valuable than a curious [pg 070] sea shrub, which

he spoke to one of the Indian divers. "Dive down and bring me tha

m the water, holding the sea shrub in his hand. Bu

nt he had drawn breath, "some great cannon amon

ed over the boat's side, and swam headlong down, groping among the rocks and sunken cannon. In a few moments one of them rose above the water, with a heavy lump of silver in his arms. That single

et now that it was really found, the news seemed too good to be true.

Captain Phips. "We shall ever

Grandee. Now they found a sacramental vessel, which had been destined as a gift to some Catholic church. Now they drew up a golden cup, fit for the king of Spain to drink his wine out of. Perhaps the bony hand of its former owner had been grasping the precious

length of years. It seems as if men had no right to make themselves rich with it. It ought to have been left with the skeletons of the

f silver dollars. But nobody could have guessed that these were money-bags. By remaining so long in the salt-water, they had become covered over with a crust which had the app

vast amount of wealth. A sea captain, who had assisted Phips in the enterprise, utterly lost his reason at the sight of it. He died two years afterwards, still raving about the

more than old King Midas could, they found it necessary to go in search of better sustenance. Phips resolved [pg 073] to return to England. He arrived there in 1687, and was received with

the Green Lane of Boston. The Duke of Albemarle sent Mrs. Phips a magnificent gold cup, worth at least five thousand dollars. Before Captain Phips left London, King James made him a k

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