There is nothing that hath brought me into more admiration of the
power and force of antiquitie, than their diligence and care had of
their nauies: wherein, whether I consider their spéedie building, 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 séene 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 hundred. And albeit the formes and
apparell of these vessels 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 farre excéed them; so that if one of
their biremes onlie conteined so much in burden as a ship of ours of
six hundred 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 beséech thee gentle
reader) to wade yet a little further in the report of these ancient
formes & kinds of vessels. For albeit that the discourse hereof maketh
little to the description of our present nauie in England: yet shall
the report thereof not be vnprofitable and vnpleasant 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 gallie 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: Thucidides referreth the triremes to
Ammocles of Corinthum; the quadriremes were deuised by Aristotle of
Carthage; the quinquiremes by Nesichthon of Salamina; the gallie of
six rowes by Xenagoras 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; Ptolom. 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 confirme the same. I must needs confesse therefore,
that the ancient vessels far exceeded ours for capacitie:
neuerthelesse if you regard the forme, and the assurance 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
value than theirs: for as the greatest vessell is not alwaies 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 intended.
The nauie of England may be diuided into three sortes, of which the
one serueth for the warres, the other 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 generallie 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.
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 continent as those of England. And therefore the common report
that strangers make of our ships amongst 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 Porphyriogenito," though
other fetch it from _Ad mare_ the Latine words, another sort from
_Amyras_ the Saracen magistrate, 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 present (which is the foure and
twentith of hir reigne) alreadie 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 belonging to hir maiestie as I could come
by at this present._
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 woonder
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 better 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 companie, beside the
supplie of other vessels apperteining to hir subiects to furnish vp
hir voiage.
Beside these hir grace hath other in hand also, of whome 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 sight 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 report 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 hardlie 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 long since to haue had
sixtéene or seuentéene, 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 occasion 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
ducats at the least, if they should presentlie be sold. What shall we
thinke then of the greater, but especiallie of the nauie roiall, of
which some one vessell is woorth two of the other, as the shipwrights
haue often told me? It is possible that some couetous person hearing
this report, will either not credit it at all, or suppose 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
armor, wishing the quéenes monie to be rather laid out to some
spéedier returne of gaine vnto hir grace, bicause the realme (saith
he) is in case good enough, and so peraduenture he thought. But if as
by store of armour 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 censure, 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
countrimen, 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 oftentimes distressed. But most of all were the Normans
therein to be commended. For in a short processe of time after the
conquest of this Iland, and good consideration 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 thereby reaped in the end
their wished securitie, wherewith before their times this Iland was
neuer acquainted. 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, how the vpper parts of them aboue the water onelie were
[Sidenote: The Britons fasted all the while they were
at the sea in these ships.]
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
policie or superstition, as yet I doo not read.
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 prouided a
nauie of 1600 aliàs 3600 saile, which he diuided 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 remembred) is
Etheldred, who made a law, that euerie man holding 310 hidelands,
should find a ship furnished to serue him in the warres. Howbeit, and
as I said before, when all their nauie 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 commonlie 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 will 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 hundred leagues from the
cape or point of Cornewall, as I haue beene informed. This also I
vnderstand by report of some trauellers, that if anie of our vessels
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 equator, 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 daies, &
home againe in Cornewall in other eight wéekes, which is a goodlie
matter, beside the safetie and quietnesse in the passage. But more of
this elsewhere.