3.17. Of the nauie of England. Chap. 17.
EEBO page image 200
Of the nauie of England. Chap. 17.
_THere is nothing that hath brought me into more
admi|ration of the power and force of antiquitie, than
their dili|gence and care had of their nauies: wherein, whether I consider their
spéedie build|ing, or great number of ships which some
one kingdome or region possessed at one instant; it
giueth me still occasion, either to suspect the
historie, or to thinke that in our times we come verie
farre behind them. For what a thing is it to haue a
ship growing on the stub, and sailing on the sea
within the space of fiue and fiftie daies? And yet
such a nauie was to be séene in the first
war of Carthage, led thither by
Duellius the Romane. In the warres also against Hieron
two hundred and twentie tall ships bare leafe
& saile within fiue and fortie daies. In the
second warre of Carthage the nauie that went with
Scipio was felled in the wood, and séeme to saile on
the sea fullie furnished in sixe weekes: which vnto
them that are ignorant of things doth séeme to be
false and vnpossible. In like maner for multitude, we
find in Polybius, that at one skirmish on the
sea the Romans lost seauen hundred
vessels, which bare ech of them fiue rowes of ores on
a side, and the Carthaginenses fiue hun|dred. And
albeit the formes and apparell of these ves|sels were
not altogither correspondent to our ships and gallies
made in these daies: yet the capacitie of most of them
did not onelie match, but farrre excéed them, so that
if one of their biremes onlie contei|ned so much in
burden as a ship of ours of six hun|dred tun: what
shall we thinke of those which had seauen rowes of
ores walking on a side? But least I
should séeme to speake more of these forren things
than the course of the historie doth permit without
licence to digresse: giue me leaue (I be séech thee
gen|tle reader) to wade yet a little further in the
report of these ancient formes & kinds of
vessels. For albe|it that the discourse hereof maketh
little to the de|scription of our present nauie in
England: yet shall the report thereof not be
vnprofitable and vnplea|sant to such as shall reade
among the writings of their capacities and moulds. It
shall not be amisse therefore to begin at the nauie of
Xerxes, of which ech meane vessell
(as appéereth by Herodot) was able to receiue
two hundred and thirtie souldiers, and some of them
thrée hundred. These were called triremes, and were
indéede gallies that had thrée rowes of ores on euerie
side; for the word Nauis is indifferentlie
applied so well to the gallies as ship, as to the
conuersant in histories is easie to be found. In old
time also they had gallies of foure rowes, fiue rowes,
six, seauen, eight, nine, twelue, yea fifteene rowes
of ores on a side; iudge you then
of what quantitie those vessels were. Plinie
lib. 7. noteth one Damasthenes to be the first
maker of the gallies with two rowes called biremes:
Thucidi|des referreth the triremes to
Ammocles of Co|rinthum; the quadriremes were deuised
by Aristo|tle of Carthage; the quinquiremes by
Nestchthon of Salamina; the gallie of six rowes by
Xenago|ras of Syracusa: from this to the tenth
Nesigiton brought vp; Alexander the great caused one
to be made of twelue; Ptolomeus Soter of fiftéene;
Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus of thirtie; Pto|lom
Philad of fortie; Ptol. Triphon of fiftie: all which
aboue foure were none other (in mine opinion) than
vnweldie carts, and more seruing for pleasure and to
gaze vpon, than anie vse in the wars for which they
should be deuised. But of all other I note one of
fortie rowes, which Ptolo. Philopater builded,
conteining 200 and eightie cubits in length, and eight
and fortie cubits in breadth: it held also foure
thousand ores, foure hundred mariners, and three
thousand souldiers, so that in the said vessell were
seauen thousand and foure hundred persons: a report
incredible, if truth and good testimonie did not
con|firme the same. I must needs confesse therefore,
that the ancient vessels far exceeded ours for
capacitie: neuerthelesse if you regard the forme, and
the assu|rance from perill of the sea, and
therewithall the strength and nimblenesse of such as
are made in our time, you shall easilie find that ours
are of more va|lue than theirs: for as the greatest
vessell is not al|waies the safest, so that of most
huge capacitie is not alwaies the aptest to shift and
brooke the seas: as might be seene by the great
Henrie, the hugest vessell that euer England framed in
our times. Neither were the ships of old like vnto
ours in mould and maner of building aboue the water
(for of low gallies in our seas we make small account)
nor so full of ease within, sith time hath ingendred
more skill in the wrights, and brought all things to
more perfection than they had in the beginning. And
now to come vnto our purpose at the first in|tended.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 The nauie of England may be diuided into three
sortes, of which the one serueth for the warres, the
o|ther for burden, and the third for fishermen, which
get their liuing by fishing on the sea. How manie of
the first order are mainteined within the realme, it
passeth my cunning to expresse; yet sith it may be
parted into the nauie roiall and common fleete, I
thinke good to speake of those that belong vnto the
prince, and so much the rather, for that their number
is certeine & well knowne to verie manie.
Certes there is no prince in Europe that hath a more
beautifull or gallant sort of ships than the quéenes
maiestie of England at this present, and those
gene|rallie are of such exceeding force, that two of
them being well appointed and furnished as they ought,
will not let to encounter with thrée or foure of those
of other countries, and either bowge them or put them
to flight, if they may not bring them home.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Neither are the moulds of anie forren barkes so
conuenientlie made, to brooke so well one sea as
another lieng vpon the shore in anie part of the
con|tinent as those of England. And therefore the
common report that strangers make of our ships
a|mongst themselues is dailie confirmed to be true,
which is, that for strength, assurance, nimblenesse
and swiftnesse of sailing, there are no vessels in the
world to be compared with ours. And all these are
committed to the regiment and safe custodie of the
admerall, who is so called (as some imagine) of the
Gréeke word Almiras a capiteine on the sea,
for so saith Zonaras in Basilio Macedone &
Basilio Porphyrioge|nito, though other fetch it
from Ad mare the Latine words, another sort
from Amyras the Saracen ma|gistrate, or from
some French deriuation: but these things are not for
this place, and therefore I passe them ouer. The
quéenes highnesse hath at this pre|sent (which is the
foure and twentith of hir reigne) al|readie made and
furnished, to the number of foure or fiue and twentie
great ships, which lie for the most part in Gillingham
rode, beside thrée gallies, of whose particular names
and furnitures (so far foorth as I can come by them)
it shall not be amisse to make report at this time.
The names of so manie ships belong|ing to hir
maiestie as I could come by at this present.
Compare 1577 edition:
1
2
3 - The Bonaduenture.
- Elizabeth Ionas.
- White Beare.
- Philip and Marie.
- Triumph.
- Bull.
- Tiger.
- Antlope.
- Hope.
- Lion.
- Victorie.
- Marie Rose.
- Foresight.
- Swift sute.
- Aid.
- Handmaid.
- Dread nought.
- Swallow.
- Genet.
- Barke of Bullen.
- Achates.
- Falcon.
- George.
- Reuenge.
It is said, that as kings and princes haue in the
yoong daies of the world, and long since framed
themselues to erect euerie yeare a citie in some
one place or other of their
kingdoms (and no small woon|der that Sardanapalus
should begin & finish two, to wit,
Anchialus and Tharsus in one daie)
so hir grace dooth yearelie build one ship or other to
the bet|ter defense of hir frontiers from the enimie.
But as of this report I haue no assured certeintie, so
it shall suffice to haue said so much of these things:
yet this I thinke worthie further to be added, that if
they should all be driuen to seruice at one instant)
which God forbid) she should haue a power by sea of
about nine or ten thousand men,
which were a notable com|panie, beside the supplie of
other vessels apperteining to hir subiects to furnish
vp hir voiage.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Beside these hir grace hath other in hand also, of
whom hereafter as their turnes doo come about, I will
not let to leaue some further remembrance. She hath
likewise thrée notable gallies: the Spéed well, the
Trie right, and the Blacke gallie, with the fight
whereof and rest of the nauie roiall, it is incredible
to saie how greatlie hir grace is delighted: and
not without great cause (I saie)
sith by their meanes hir coasts are kept in quiet, and
sundrie forren enimies put backe, which otherwise
would inuade vs. The number of those that serue for
burden with the other, whereof I haue made mention
alreadie, and whose vse is dailie séene, as occasion
serueth, in time of the warres, is to mée vtterlie
vnknowne. Yet if the re|port of one record be anie
thing at all to be credited, there are 135 ships that
exceed 500 tun, topmen vnder 100 and aboue fortie 656:
hoies 100: but of hulkes, catches,
fisherboats, and craiers, it lieth not in me to
deliuer the iust account, sith they are hard|lie to
come by. Of these also there are some of the quéenes
maiesties subiects that haue two or three, some foure
or six, and (as I heard of late) one man whose name I
suppresse for modesties sake, hath bene knowne not
long since to haue had sixtéene or se|uentéene, and
emploied them wholie to the wafting in and out of our
merchants, whereby he hath reaped no small commoditie
and gaine. I might take occa|sion
to tell of the notable and difficult voiages made into
strange countries by Englishmen, and of their dailie
successe there: but as these things are nothing
incident to my purpose, so I surcease to speake of
them. Onelie this will I ad, to the end all men shall
vnderstand somewhat of the great masses of treasure
dailie emploied vpon our nauie, how there are few of
those ships, of the first and second sort, that being
apparelled and made readie to sale, are not woorth one
thousand pounds, or thrée thousand du|cats at the
least, if they should presentlie be sold. What shall
we thinke then of the greater, but espe|ciallie of the
nauie roiall, of which some one vessell is woorth two
of the other, as the ship wrights haue often told me?
It is possible that some couetous person hea|ring this
report, will either not credit it at all, or sup|pose
monie so emploied to be nothing profitable to the
queenes coffers: as a good husband said once when he
hard there should be prouision made for ar|mor,
wishing the quéenes monie to be rather laid out to
some spéedier returne of gaine vnto hir grace,
bi|cause the realme (saith he) is in case good enough,
and so peraduenture he thought. But if as by store of
ar|mour for the defense of the countrie, he had
likewise vnderstanded that the good kéeping of the
sea, is the safegard of our land, he would haue
altered his cen|sure, and soone giuen ouer his
iudgement. For in times past, when our nation made
small account of nauigation, how soone did the Romans,
then the Saxons, & last of all the Danes
inuade this Iland? whose crueltie in the end inforced
our countrumen, as it were euen against their wils, to
prouide for ships from other places, and build at home
of their owne, whereby their enimies were offentimes
di|stressed. But most of all were the Normans therein
to be commended. For in a short processe of time
af|ter the conquest of this Iland, and good consider
at i|on had for the well kéeping of the same, they
supposed nothing more commodious for the defense of
the countrie, than the maintenance of a strong nauie,
which they spéedilie prouided, mainteined, and
there|by reaped in the end their wished securitie,
where|with before their times this Iland was neuer
ac|quainted. Before the comming of the Romans, I doo
not read that we had anie ships at all, except a few
made of wicker and couered with buffle hides, like
vnto the which there are some to be seene at this
present in Scotland (as I heare) although there be a
little (I wote not well what) difference betwéene
them. Of the same also Solinus speaketh, so
far as I remember: neuerthelesse it may be gathered by
his words,The Bri|tons fasted all
the while they were at the sea in these
ships. how the vpper parts of them aboue the
wa|ter onelie were framed of the said wickers, and
that the Britons did vse to fast all the whiles they
went to the sea in them: but whether it were doone for
poli|cie or superstition, as yet I doo not read.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 In the beginning of the Saxons regiment we had some
ships also, but as their number and mould was litle
and nothing to the purpose, so Egbert was the first
prince that euer throughlie began to know this
necessitie of a nauie, and vse the seruice thereof in
the defense of his countrie. After him also other
princes, as Alfred, Edgar, Ethelred, &c:
indeuoured more and more to store themselues at the
full with ships of all quantities, but chieflie Edgar,
for he pro|uided a nauie of 1600 aliàs 3600
saile, which he diui|ded into foure parts, and sent
them to abide vpon foure sundrie coasts of the land to
keepe the same from pirats. Next vnto him (and worthie
to be re|membred) is Etheldred, who made a law, that
euerie man holding 310 hidelands, should find a ship
furni|shed to serue him in the warres. Howbeit, and as
I said before, when all their name was at the
greatest, it was not comparable for force and sure
building, to that which afterward the Normans
prouided; neither that of the Normans anie thing like
to the same that is to be séene now in these our
daies. For the iourneies also of our ships, you shall
vnderstand, that a well builded vessell will run or
saile com|monlie thrée hundred leagues or nine hundred
miles in a wéeke, or peraduenture some will go 2200
leagues in six wéekes and an halfe. And suerlie, if
their lading be readie against they come thither,
there be of them that will be here, at the west
Indies, & home againe in twelue or thirteene
wéekes from Colchester; although the said Indies be
eight hun|dred leagues from the cape or point of
Cornewall, as I haue beene informed. This also I
vnderstand EEBO page image 202 by report of some
trauellers, that if anie of our ves|sels happen to
make a voiage to Hispaniola or new Spaine,
called in time past Quinquezia and
Haiti, and lieth betwéene the north tropike
and the equa|tor, after they haue once touched at the
Canaries, (which are eight daies sailing or two
hundred and fiftie leages from S. Lucas de
Barameda in Spaine) they will be there in
thirtie or fourtie dates, & home a|gaine in
Cornewall in other eight wéekes, which is a goodlie
matter, beside the safetie and quietnesse in the passage. But more of this
elsewhere.
