In apprehension whereof at land, I cannot forbeare the discipline
thereof, as at this day, and in the dayes of late memory, it hath beene
practised in the states of Flaunders, Fraunce, and Brittayne; whereas
the Spaniards, Wallons, Switzers, and other nations, are daily full of
murmurings and mutenies, upon every sleight occasion.
The like I also wish should be imitated by those who follow the sea;
that is, that those who are subject to command, presume no further then
to that which belongeth unto them: _Qui nescit parere, nescit imperare_.
I speake this, for that I have sometimes seene unexpert and ignorant
persons, yea, unable to judge of any poynt appertaining to government,
or the guide of a shippe, or company of men, presuming upon their fine
witts, and enamoured of their owne conceits, contradict and dispute
against grave, wise, and experimented governours: many forward fellowes,
thinking themselves better worthie to command, then to [Sidenote:
Advertisements for young servitors.] be commanded. Such persons I advise
not to goe, but where they may command; or els looking before they
leape, to consider well under whom they place themselves, seeing, for
the most part, it is in their choyce to choose a governour from whom
they may expect satisfaction; but choyce being once made, to resolve
with the patient wife in history; that, that day wherein shee married
herselfe to an husband, that very day shee had no longer any will more
then the will of her husband: and so he that by sea or land placeth
himselfe to serve in any action, must make reckoning that the time the
journey endureth, he hath no other will, nor dispose of himselfe, then
that of his commander; for in the governors hand is all power, to
recompence and reward, to punish or forgive.
Likewise those who have charge and command, must sometimes with patience
or sufferance overcome their fury and misconceits, according to
occasions; for it is a great poynt of wisedome, especially in a generall
murmuring, where the cause is just, or that, as often times it
happeneth, any probable accident may divert the minds of the
discontented, and give hope of remedie, or future event may produce
repentance, to turne, as they say, the deafe eare, and to winke at that
a man seeth. As it is sayde of Charles the fifth, emperour of Germany,
and king of Spaine; who rounding his campe, one night, disguised, heard
some souldiers rayle and speake evil of him: those which accompanied him
were of opinion, that he should use some exemplary punishment upon them;
not so, sayth he, for these, now vexed with the miseries they suffer,
ease their hearts with their tongues; but if occasion present it selfe,
they will not sticke to sacrifice their lives for my safetie. A
resolution worthy so prudent a commander, and so magnanimous a prince.
The like is written of Fabius Maximus, the famous Romayne, who endured
the attribute of coward, with many other infamies, rather then he would
hazard the safetie of his countrie by rash and incertaine provocations.
[The patience of the Earle of Nottingham.]
No lesse worthy of perpetuall memory was the prudent pollicie and
government of our English navie, in anno 1588, by the worthy Earle of
Nottingham,[172] lord high admirall of England; who, in like case, with
mature and experimented knowledge, patiently withstood the instigations
of many couragious and noble captaines, who would have perswaded him to
have laid them aboord; but well he foresaw that the enemy had an armie
aboord, he none; that they exceeded him in number of shipping, and those
greater in bulke, stronger built, and higher molded, so that they who
with such advantage fought from above, might easily distresse all
opposition below; the slaughter, peradventure, prooving more fatall then
the victory profitable: by being overthrowne, he might have hazzarded
the kingdome; whereas by the conquest, at most, he could have boasted of
nothing but glorie, and an enemie defeated. But by sufferance, he
alwayes advantaged himselfe of winde and tide; which was the freedome of
our countrey, and securitie of our navie, with the destruction of
theirs, which in the eye of the ignorant, who judge all things by the
externall appearance, seemed invincible; but truely considered, was much
inferior to ours in all things of substance, as the event prooved; for
we sunke, spoyled, and tooke of them many, and they diminished of ours
but one small pynace, nor any man of name, save onely captaine Cocke,
who dyed with honour amidst his company. The greatest dammage, that, as
I remember, they caused to any of our shippes, was to the _Swallow_ of
her majestie, which I had in that action under my charge, with an arrow
of fire shott into her beake-head, which we saw not, because of the
sayle, till it had burned a hole in the nose as bigge as a mans head;
the arrow falling out, and driving alongst by the shippes side, made us
doubt of it, which after we discovered.