The man in black releases Richard from his chains

As Richard lies passed out on the floor of the Black Rock, the man in black enters the ship (he is in the form we saw him in "The Incident" talking to Jacob). He touches Richard on the shoulder, which causes him to wake up shocked.

The man in black gives Richard some water and Richard asks him he is in hell. The man in black says that they are in hell and that he's been on the island long before the Black Rock crashed there.

Richard asks about his wife and the man in black says that "he" must have her, implying Jacob. He says that he'll help Richard and set him free from the chains as long as he agrees to do anything he asks. Richard agrees to the deal.

After releasing him from the chains, the man in black says "It's good to see you out of those chains," the same thing he said to Richard as Locke in "LA X." Then he says that if they are going to escape from hell (the island), they'll have to kill the devil (Jacob).

So how long before the Black Rock crashed did the man in black become trapped on the island and is this his original human form? It seems that even in the 1800s, he was still a master manipulator.