vpon that there is a note with sixe or eight teeth more or lesse as the deuiser or maker shall see good and that note shall turne another wheele by the teeth on the Circumference and the wheele worke may bee so framed or pitched that when the wheele on the outside of the little Boate hath gone 50. or 100. times about that the note on the Axeltree shall turne the inner wheele but once about and then the thing being tryed that when the wheele with armes that goeth in the water hath gone once about that the Ship hath gone so many foote or ynches iustly and then when the wheele on the outside hath gone such a number of times about then the inner wheele is turned once about and then it may be saide that the Ship hath gone so much when the wheele is turned once and then that wheele shall haue a note vpon the Axeltree thereof and turne another wheele by the teeth of the Circumference and so you may make one wheele turne another and to haue so many motions that the last wheele shall not bee turned about vntill the Ship hath gone 500. or 1000. leagues As for example this The wheele that goeth on the outside of the little Boate when that it is turned round once the Ship hath gone iust sixe foote that is one Fadome and now the note that goeth on the Axeltree dooth turne a wheele by the teeth in such sort that when the outward wheele hath gone 100. times about that it is turned once and then you may conclude that when the first wheele on the inside of the Boate hath gone once about that the Ship hath gone 600 foote or 100. Fadomes and now this first wheele dooth turne another wheele in the like order that is for 100. turning to turne the other but once then you may conclude that the Ship hath gone 100. times 100. Fadome and that maketh 10000. Fadomes and that conteineth foure leagues and then there is an Axeltree on that wheele with a nut that turneth a third wheele by the teeth on the Circumference in that order as before is shewed that when the second wheele is turned 100. times about that the wheele is turned once and then you may conclude that when the third wheele is turned once about that the Ship hath gone 100. times foure leagues that is 4000. leagues And by this order this engine or instrument shall shew vnto you how much the Ship hath gone by the turning of the wheeles And to see and know how the wheeles dooth turne then there must bee made certaine spurres such as the hand or the poynters of the dyalles of a Clocke hath to come from euery wheele and so to be marked round about in such order as the dyalles haue for the houre of the day but those diuisions may bee diuided but into eyght partes or sixeteene partes and so the directer that commeth from the first wheele will shewe in his turnings the number of Fadomes and the second wheele will shew the number of leagues and the third wheele may shew you the number of skores of leagues and so to haue another to shewe the number of 100. leagues and so foorth at your pleasure you may make as many motions in it as you list as it shall be most meetest for the purpose best for continuance And this instrument being towed in a little small close Boate will shewe vnto you the way of any Ship that is to say how fast or softly that the Ship goeth thorough the water c. The deuiser of this engine or instrument was Humfrey Cole The 22. Deuise AS I haue declared in the fourth part of my Booke called A Treasure for Trauellers how to wey sunken Ships so in like manner I doo thinke it good to shewe how to make their ropes fast vnto any suncke Ship if it bee suncke very deepe in the water that they may come by no part thereof at a lowe water then it is very tedious and difficulte to make any ropes fast vnto it for that no man may come at it to make any ropes fast vnto any strong place thereof yet the Venetians and the Jtalians doo vse to diue vnder the water which we here in England cannot doo for two causes First our Countrey is more colder than theirs And secondly their Sea water is more clearer than ours for two respects for their water dooth not ebbe and flowe as ours dooth so that the wash of their Sea is alwaies in one place and our water dooth rife and fall and the water sometime beateth in one place and sometimes in another place which dooth cause our water to bee alwaies thick and in like manner by the meanes of the ebbing and flowing it causeth a tide or streame to run too and fro which will not suffer the water to be cleare and so foorth And also the Venetians and Italians haue when that they doo diue vnder the water a place of refuge to take ayre or breath in by some great vessell of mettall of sufficient bignesse and of weight and let it downe vnto the bottome with the bottome of the vessell directly vpwardes so standing vppon three or foure feete vppon the ground in the bottome of the Sea and being letten precisely downe with the bottome vpwardes it is full of ayre and then when that they cannot holde their breath no longer then they doo repayre vnto the saide vessell the feete thereof being so high that they may goe easilie vnder it and there vnder the vessell they doo breath themselues in the ayre in the bottome of the Sea c. But Englishmen be not vsed to doo that wherefore in my opinion this is a very good way that Englishmen may vse to make their ropes fast vnto any soncken Ship or vessell at a still water that is to say at a lowe water or a full Sea in the night to prepare certaine Glasses being made of purpose to bee tyght that water cannot get in and to put lightes or Candles into them and then let them downe whereas the soncken Ship is so shall they see how for to take the best holde of the Ship and then hauing prepared their Gratnels and their engynes they may catch holde of the suncken Ship at their pleasure for you may see any light thorough the water and also any thing that is neere vnto the lighte c. The 23. Deuise ANd furthermore they may make such prouision that any man may goe downe vnto the bottome of the water and remaine there at his pleasure as this first prepare leather and make a case of it in this manner First for his head and that must bee made large ynough and then there must bee two holes for his eyes and then set in Glasse and make it tight round aboutes it and so make the body and the sleeues for his armes and to bee closed so close that no water may come into it And that done then there must bee a long Truncke
if you doo the one shall annoy the other of them and the closer you doo enforce your enemies the more aduantage you shall haue of them for one shall hinder or hurt another of them The 11. Deuise IF you haue any great principall Ship of great force of Ordinance and for feare of those Deuises before spoken of least any Ship doo come aboord to put you in danger of fiering then it is best to prepare certaine strong Masts for to put out at the ports round about the Shippe and to haue peeces framed with boults without boord twentie or thirtie foote from the Ship from one Mast vnto another that no Ship may come betweene them and those framed Masts may lie within boord vntill such time as occasion shall be to vse them and to take them in and put them out at their pleasure as need of seruice doth require The 12. Deuise IF it happen so that there bee any place where there is an exploit to be done as the ayding of any place either with men or vittailes or such other like and there is Ordinance so placed at the entrance that it seemeth not possible to passe it for that the Channell commeth so neere vnto the Ordinance yet by this meanes at a suddaine it is possible for a whole Fleete to passe as this Prepare two or three old great shippes more or lesse according vnto the discretion of them that haue viewed the place where the Ordinance is that you do meane to passe with your fleete then seeing your time conuenient run aground with those olde Ships right in the face of the Ordinance with their sayles standing and then they will shaddow with their holds and sayles all the rest of the fleete till such time as they shall be past the principall danger of the Ordinance The 13. Deuise IF you haue laide any Ship aboord and you doo perceiue that he hath made a traine to the intent that when you haue entred your men to blowe them ouer boord to preuent that doo this first prepare certaine earthen pots made of purpose that will holde two or three pounde of powder more or lesse at your discretion and that the pot haue three or foure little eares round about the side that you may make a little peece of match fast thereunto vpon euery side of the pot which being filled with powder and the mouth of the pot beeing stopped and the peeces of match set on fire then where you doo perceiue that the traine is made there throwe in of these pots and then the fall of the pot will breake the pot and so the match that hangeth by the pot side will set the powder on fire and so set fire on their traine c. And also these pots be very necessarie to be throwne whereas men doo stand thicke for to burne them and to amaze them with the powder And also of these pots they may throwe into the place of the chiefest fights of the shippes to amaze the men and so by that meanes they may the easilier enter the ship c. The 14. Deuise TO cause a ship that she shall not sincke first let her be sufficiently ballested and then prepare as many caskes as halfe the shippes burthen commeth vnto and let all the caskes bee made close and tight that no water may come into them then the caske being layd close vnto the ballest and fraped down close that it doth not stirre then the ship will not sincke for any leake for the caske will make her swim and the ballest will make her beare saile The like may bee done by making close of the hatches so that the Orlop be vnder the water so that the sperkets be tight The 15. Deuise ANd furthermore for to make prouision in a ship that your men bee not spoyled with great Ordinance and especially to preuent the haile shot and Crossebarre shot or cheyne shot and yet your men to stand in a readinesse at all times then doo this first prepare Elmen planckes of 4. or 5. or 6. ynches thicke or any other plancke of such wood as will not rent or splenter and then in such a conuenient place vnder the Decke let it be strongly stanshioned all alongst the middle of the ship with two rowes of stantions and to bee of 4 or 5. foote asunder betweene the two rowes of stantions and that will bee like the case in a Galley that the Canon lieth in and then that done throw all the old ropes you can get and fill that full therewith and then when you are in fight with your enemies looke of what side he is of you then those men that are not occupied either about the Ordinance or the tackling of the Ship sailes may go vnto the further side of those plancks and be safe from the violence or spoiling of them with the shot for the ropes that are within the case wil kill the violence of the shot and especially the Crossebarre shot or cheyne shot which is the chiefest spoyling of men and yet notwithstanding the men are in a readinesse whensoeuer you haue any occasion to vse them whether it be to enter the other Ship or to defend that Ship which you are in The 16. Deuise FOr the preuention of the 8. Deuise that is to say to let them that should passe by any Bulwarke or platforme they must cheyne their Hauen or harborrow if it be of any great breadth then it must bee done in this manner for that the cheyne is of such great weight that it is almost vnpossible to make any engines to stretch or wey the Cheyne aboue the water therefore when the cheyne is laid crosse the water they must prepare certaine great Lighters made of purpose with certaine engines as Capstines or Geares or such other like deuises to wey the cheyne aboue the water and so to let the Lighter ride by the said cheyne at all times and when they would haue Shippes to passe too and fro then the Cheyne may be suncke to the bottome and when that they would haue no Shippes passe then the Lighters may wey the Cheynes Being neere vnto any place whereas Ordinance is planted it is not possible to passe in And by this meanes they maye cheyne a harborough that is a mile broade ouer hauing Lighters sufficient enough to wey the cheyne aboue the water And also by this deuise they may stop any passage vpon a suddaine although they haue no cheyne when it is so darke that the watch of any Castle or Bulwarke cannot see them to make fast some great Cabell crosse the water and to vnder-run the sayd Cabell with boates The 17. Deuise FOr to make a Ship to drawe or goe but little into the water and to hold a good winde and to saile well both by and large were very necessarie and especially in these our shallowe Seas amongst such a number of sands and banckes and as I haue shewed in my third Booke called A Treasure for
walles to enter by the shrouds either the fore shrouds or the mayne shrouds c. And furthermore this must be most principally obserued if you haue any cōsort or consorts of any other Shippe or Shippes that dooth come to helpe you or you come to helpe them that you doo not lay them aboord the one vppon the one side and the other vppon the other side for then the one of you shall doo the other of you hurt ten times more than the enemies both with your great Ordinance and also with your small shot and your owne Quarrels and Arrowes wherefore if that the other Ship be aboord alreadie alongst the side then if that you cannot haue roome to lay him aboorde on that side then lay him aboord athwart the Stemme or athwart the Stearne as you shall see to your most aduantage but in any wise come not aboord on the other side for then you shall spoyle your selfe your consort in like manner The 5. Deuise IF so be any Ship hath layd you aboord and that you are too weake for him then if so bee that you doo see the winde and the tide to bee all as one or if that it bee calme then vppon a suddaine put downe an Ancker and then as soone as euer your Ship doth ride then the tide will carrie the other Ship away from you and then if that the winde and the tide be all one it is not possible for the other Ship to come neere you againe not vntill the tide doth turne to come vnto the windward againe The 6. Deuise AND if any Ship doo giue you chace and you do know that you are too weake for him and also although he sayleth better than your Shippe then when he doth come neere vnto you and there is no remedie but he must needs lay you aboorde then goe you hence afore the winde betweene your two sheetes and then as the other Ship dooth fetch vpon you and bee readie to lay you aboord alwaies keepe your Stearne vnto him and suffer him not to come vp by your side so shall you driue them to enter at your Stearne ouer your Poope and then they shal enter so painfully for that they must clamber vp by their owne Ships boulespret such a narrowe place as the Stearne is that a fewe men shall bee able to keepe them out and this you may doo with ease as long as you haue roome to goe afore the winde that hee shall neuer bee able to lay you aboord but onely at your Stearne so that the Steeradge be well looked vnto for as soone as you doo see him preace to come vp by your side then louffe you from him and so by this meanes he shall not bee able to come neere any other place but your Stearne c. The 7. Deuise IF any Shippe hath layd you aboord about your bowes and if you would sincke him then let your Ancker next vnto him hang a Cockbell with a strong Painter or rope that the crosse or Floukes may hang a little vnderneath the water and then by the meanes of the heauing and setting of both the Shippes with the Sea the Ancker will rent or plucke out the plancke of the Ships side with Ancker Floukes and yet it will doo your owne Shippe no great hurt for that still the Ancker hangeth leuell but at one heigth and the most hurt that it may doo vnto your own Shippe it will pike but a hole but for the other Shippe she falleth downe vppon it with her whole weight a fadome long together which must needes with two or three plonges rent out the plancke of the ships side c. The 8. Deuise IF that an armie of Shippes doo ride in any Hauen or Riuer to defend any place or to keepe any place for receiuing of any more strength or vittailes that they meane to ride there still and haue placed themselues in such order that no ship may passe by them either to man a place or to vittaile that place thus it may be done first this prepare such a sufficient number of bad or olde ships as shall be conuenient and then put such kind of stuffe into them as will quickly bee fiered and then when you doo see conuenient time that the winde and tide dooth serue your turne send those olde ships before with a fewe men for to gouerne them vnder saile and with boates to saue themselues and then let them a little before set them on fire and lay the principall ships aboord crosse their Halce or Stemme and then there is no doubt but they shall driue them to let slip their Anckers or consume them with fire and then the moe men that there bee in number aboord the greater shalbe their terror if that they haue not boates enough to saue themselues and then presently after that you may come in and doo your exployte for that they will bee in such a maze with the fire that you may doo what you list for if this deuise had been put in practise by Countie Mongomery when he went vnto Rochell there is no doubt but they had both discomfited or spoyled all those ships that did ride before Rochel and also the Count Mongomery might haue landed at his pleasure The 9. Deuise WHere there is any Fleete that doth passe through the Sea that dooth carrie either some principall person of estate or els some great quantitie of treasure or other riches and haue certaine ships of great force to waft them and to doo such an exployte to come by the spoyle of the it may be thus handled if it be not disclosed the secrets of the matter is this Get some great ships of countenance that are but bad let them seeme to be the Admirall to encoūter with their Admirall or principal ships of force then when that they be aboord to set thē on fire hauing such things aboord as will burne with great terror and this will set a Ship on fire very suddainly set a great Cawderne of Pitch or Tarre vppon the fire and make a great fire vnder it and then let all the tackle aboue the head bee newly tarred and also haue such things neere as will take fire presently and then whilest you are aboord of them set fire on it and it will bee at the top on a suddaine and so shall you consume both the Ships with fire and the men in your Ship are alreadie prepared to saue themselues with their boates then the other Ships may followe the spoyle or chace at their pleasure and then when they do see their chiefest force taken from them then they will be discouraged presently The 10. Deuise THe principallest matter for to encounter with an armie of Shippes by Sea is to haue the weathergage of them for diuers causes and for that those causes are not vnknowen vnto most men I do cease for the saying of any thing therein and in like manner neuer goe aboue two Shippes in a rancke for
Trauellers the 6. and 7. Chapter how to alter the bignesse of Shippes and to keepe that molde and proportion in all poynts Wherefore if you would haue a Shippe to drawe but a little water and to saile well by the winde then doo this she must haue a flat bottome like as the Binelanders and Plaites haue on the other side of the Sea in Flanders and as I haue shewed in the 9. Chapter in my booke before mentioned that all Ships that bee slatie will saile well with the winde but now to make it to saile well by the winde then doo this That place where as the Keele should stande must bee open into the Shippe and made tight on both the sides as high or deepe as the Ship dooth goe into the water when shee is loden and in that there must be made a thing to be letten downe and to bee wound vp againe as neede shall require which thing must bee in this manner to bee as long as almost the length of the Keele and to bee well plancked and made strong according vnto the bignesse of the Shippe and to bee beaten downe into the water foure or fiue foote according vnto the quantitie of the Ship and then when you would haue it to hold a good winde cause that to bee let downe into the water and then that will not suffer the Ship to fall to Leewardes and then when that the winde is large and that you are to passe any shallowe water it may bee wound vp againe and by this meanes you may make a Ship of a hundred Tunnes not to drawe fiue foote water hauing length and breadth correspondent to beare the tonnage The 18. Deuise ANd also it is possible to make a Ship or a Boate that may goe vnder the water vnto the bottome and so to come vp againe at your pleasure as this as I haue declared in my Booke called The Treasure for trauellers in the 4. Booke called Staticke that any thing that sinketh is heauier than the proportion of so much water and if it bee lighter than the magnitude of so much water then it swimmeth or appeareth aboue the water according vnto the proportion of weight and then this being true as it is most certaine then any magnitude or body that is in the water if that the quantity in bignesse hauing alwaies but one weight may bee made bigger or lesser then it shall swimme when you would and sinke when you list and for to make any thing doo so then in the ioyntes or places that doo make the thing bigger and lesser must be of leather and in the inside to haue Skrewes to winde it in and also out againe and for to haue it sinke they must winde it in to make the thing lesse and then it sinketh vnto the bottome and to haue it swimme then to winde the sides out againe to make the thing bigger and it will swimme according vnto the body of the thing in the water And to make a small Ship or Barke or Boate do this the Barke being made of purpose let there be good store of Balest in the bottome of hir and ouer the Balest as lowe as may be let there be a close Orloppe such a one that no water may come into it and then in like manner at a sufficient heigth to haue another close Orlop that no water may come through it and that being done then bore both the sides full of holes betweene the two close Orlops and that being done then make a thing like the side of the Barke or Ship that may goe vnto the side of the Ship the one for the one side and the other for the other side and that must be made so tight and close that no water may come thorough it and that done then take leather such a quantitie as is sufficient for to serue your purpose and that leather must bee nayled close with such prouision that no water may soake thorough it and to be of that largenesse that the thing may goe close vnto the Barke or Ship side when you would and come in againe to let sufficient water in that it shall not be able to swimme And now this being done then you must make prouision of Skrewes or other engines to winde the two things on the insides of the Barke or Ships that you may winde them in or out at your pleasure and that done then for the hatch or Skotel that you must goe in or out you must haue leather round about it that you may bring that together as a pursse mouth and so with a small Skrewe you may winde it so close together that being in the bottome of the water there shal no water come in and that done then you must haue one Mast that must bee of such sufficient bignesse that it must haue a hole bored thorough the one end vnto the other as a Pompe hath and that done then when that you list to nnke then you must sound the deepenesse of the water and foresee that the water will not rise higher than the top of the Mast for the hole that goeth thorough the Mast must giue you ayre as man cannot liue without it now when you would sinke then with your Skrewes winde the two sides inwards and water will come into the holes and so the Ship or Barke will sinke vnto the bottome and there it may rest at your pleasure and then when that you would haue it swimme then with the Skrewes winde out the things on both the sides and that will thrust the water out againe at the holes and so it will rise and come vp aboue the water and swimme as it did before c. The 19. Deuise ANd furthermore you may make a Boate to goe without oares or Sayle by the placing of certaine wheeles on the outside of the Boate in that sort that the armes of the wheeles may goe into the water and so turning the wheeles by some prouision and so the wheeles shall make the Boate to goe The 20. Deuise ANd also they make a water Mill in a Boate for when that it rideth at an Anker the tyde or streame will turne the wheeles with great force and these Milles are vsed in France c. The 21. Deuise ANd in like manner they may make an engine to know the way or going of a Ship for to knowe how fast or softly that any Ship goeth which is very necessarie for al them that goeth of long voyages in a number of causes The instrument is to be made in this manner There must be made a little small Boate and then there must bee placed a wheele in the Boate that the armes thereof must goe in the water and so as the Ship passeth or goeth in the Sea so the way of the Ship doth turne the wheele by the armes that goeth in the water of the Sea and from that wheele or wheeles that goeth on the outside of the little Boate there commeth an Axeltree
meane for to plant your Ordinance there make a marke and then goe backwards twentie foote and then view the marke that you do meane for to shoote at that it be right ouer the marke that you haue made vppon the grounde and right with that marke make another marke and then goe a little further backwards and then view it againe and see that the mark that you doo meane for to shoote at and the other two markes that you haue made vppon the ground to bee all three vpon one right line by the the sight of your eye and if that they bee not then you may amende them and set them right and then those two markes will rule the matter so that you may lay the peece right vpon the marke and then you bringing your Ordinance in the night you may shoote presently as I doo more at large declare in the 25. Chapter of my booke called The Arte of shooting in great Ordinance The 30. Deuise AS touching how to shoote at a Ship tha◠is vnder saile in a Riuer they must doo this they must plant their Ordinance against some ymagined marke vppon the farther side of the water and then when that they do see that the ship doth begin to close the ymagined mark that their Ordinance lieth right against then giue fire vnto the Ordinance and they shall make a perfite shot as I doo more at large declare in the 14. Chapter of my booke called The Arte of shooting in great Ordinance The 31. Deuise IF that you haue a peece of Ordinance that is not truely bored that is to say if the core or concauitie doo not goe right in the middle of the mettall but that it dooth leane more the one way than it dooth the other way that peece will neuer shoote right vpon the marke except they doo this looke toward which side the mettall of the peece is most thickest vnto that side the peece will cast the shot and for remedie thereof they must do this First they must seeke where the mettall is most thickest and that beeing knowne then when that you doo set vp the dispart of the peece you must put halfe the diuersitie of the thickest of the mettall that it is thicker on the one side more than it is on the other side vnto the length of the dispart and then you must set the dispart iustly vppon that side and place that the mettall is most thickest and then when you doo make any shot with that peece you must giue your leuell iustly vppon the thicker side of the peece that is to say the mettall of the breech of the peece and the dispart and the marke to bee all three vppon one right line by the sight of your eye as I doo more plainly shewe in the 12. Chapter of my booke called The Arte of shooting in great Ordinance The 32. Deuise IF that any place be to be beseeged that standeth vppon a marish ground so that it is thought vnpossible for to bring the Cannon vnto it yet notwithstanding it is possible by this deuise both for to bring the Cannon vnto it and also for to place the Cannon against it although that the ground be neuer so soft First let them prepare a flat bottomd boate for euery Cannon if that it were a Cannon of 8000. weight the boate but 20. foote long and 8 foote broad if that boate were in the water the boate will swim with that Cannon at one foot deepnesse going into the water then it is a plain case whether that it be marish ground or owes it will not sinke halfe so much to be drawne ouer it being in the boate and the boate to be made tight that no water or durt doo come in and then if that the ground be so soft that they can bring no horses to make the drawe it yet it may be drawne by men and 80 men will draw it and if euery man do draw but 100. weight the boate to be made at that end that goeth forwards flatlong that it may strike against nothing And I am of that opinion that it is not possible to make any better kinde of platforme to place their Ordinance vpon in the boate for if the ground were neuer so soft it can sinke no further into it nor so far neither as it will into the water And by this meanes they may both bring their Ordinance and place their Ordinance in any groūd how soft so euer it be at their pleasure The 33. Deuise IF that it hapneth so that you haue any peece of Ordinance which when you haue laden her the shot will not goe home vnto the powder and that the peece is so cloyed that if the peece bee shot off shee will breake to saue the peece and vncloy the peece doo this for if that it were in any place of seruice if the peece doo breake there may happen three great daungers as this First the lacke of the thing when they should vse it And secondly the losse of the value of the thing And thirdly the hurt that may happen by that meanes c. And for to vncloye the peece if that you cannot by no meanes stall the peece and then put in cleane water at the tutchhole vntill that it dooth stand full of water and then koyne vp the breach of the peece that the mouth of the peece may stand dripping downewards and so let the water drop out of the mouth a two or three daies and still put in more water and keepe the tuch-hole full of water and so by that meanes the water will soake out all the Peeter from out of the powder in the peece and then that being done you may prime fresh pouder in at the tuchhole as much as may be sufficient to blow out the shot that is in the peece and in like manner you may saue the Peeter by setting a tubbe or vessell vnder the mouth of the peece c. The 34. Deuise IF through treason or otherwise the enemies haue cloyed the touchholes of your Ordinance and that you haue no Drill for to bore it out vpon the suddaine and yet you are driuen to vse your Ordinance then scale your peece both the shot and the wadde but not the powder and then put in a lower or smaller shot without a wadde and then make a traine of powder from the powder in the peece vnto the mouth of the peece and then giue leuel vnto your enemies and so giue fire at the mouth of the peece and then the force of the blast of the powder will blowe out the naile or spike out of the tuchhole but if it do not then heate the peece there abouts the tutchhole and then take a quantitie of waxe or clay and make it like a cop about the tutchhole and then take oyle and heate it hot and powre it on the tutchhole and that will so seeke by the fides of the nayles that when you doo loade the peece and shoote her