[By swearing.]
We had no small cause to give God thankes and prayse for our
deliverance; and so, all our ships once come together, wee magnified his
glorious Name for his mercie towards us, and tooke an occasion hereby to
banish swearing out of our shippes, which amongst the common sort of
mariners and sea-faring men, is too ordinarily abused. So with a
generall consent of all our companie, it was ordayned that in every ship
there should be a palmer or ferula, which should be in the keeping of
him who was taken with an oath; and that he who had the palmer should
give to every other that he tooke swearing, in the palme of the hand, a
palmada with it, and the ferula. And whosoever at the time of evening,
or morning prayer, was found to have the palmer, should have three
blowes given him by the captaine or master; and that he should be still
bound to free himselfe, by taking another, or else to runne in daunger
of continuing the penaltie: which executed, few dayes reformed the vice;
so that in three dayes together, was not one oath heard to be sworne.
This brought both ferulas and swearing out of use.[85]
And certainly, in vices, custome is the principall sustenance; and for
their reformation, it little availeth to give good counsell, or to make
good lawes and ordenances except they be executed.