The Morgan Library & Museum in New York city has a new exhibition that opened on Friday, “The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives,” which chronicles three hundred years of diaries and journals of the famous and the obscure. In particular interest to those of a nautical bent is the diary of the pirate Bartholomew Sharpe,  who in 1682, stood trial for piracy and murder. He was acquitted after turning over to to King Charles II a true pirate’s treasure – a hand-drawn chart book—or derrotero—seized from the Spanish ship Rosario. The chart book provided the English with invaluable intelligence in challenging Spanish domination of the Americas.   Instead of dancing in the gibbett,  Captain Sharpe was feted and had his diary copied in manuscript form bound in fine red leather, and presented to members of the royal court.

The copy [on display] was made by chartmaker William Hacke, whose artistry turned Sharpe’s humble diary into an object of luxe and his experience into a tale of glory.   Sharpe’s shipboard diary does not survive, so it is impossible to know for certain how closely this recopied version adheres to the original text. But we can be sure that this copy, with its many florid passages, was heavily enhanced to highlight Sharpe’s bravery and patriotism.

Pride and Piracy: Bartholomew Sharpe (ca. 1650–1690)

The exhibit runs through May 22, with excerpts, commentary and an audio guide available on-line .