But though the directors had been supplied with many accounts of his misdeeds, no sworn evidence could be produced against him, so Steel escaped scot-free.
All other pirates, however, were destined to be eclipsed in fame by Henry Every, _alias_ Bridgman,[2] who now made his appearance in the Indian seas.

His exploits, the great wealth he amassed by piracy, and his reputed marriage with a Mogul princess, continued to excite the public mind long after he had disappeared from the scene.

Several biographies of him were written, one of them attributed to Defoe, all of them containing great exaggerations; and a play, _The Successful Pirate_, was written in his honour.

His biographers generally give his name as John Avery, but it was as is here given.

According to the account of Van Broeck, a Dutchman, who was detained on board his ship for a time, and was on good terms with him, he was born at Plymouth, the son of a trading captain who had served in the navy under Blake.