120

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

by the discovery and preparation of white lead, which was found to answer thepurpose much better.

; The mode of using, or rather fixing, these decorative materials, was bythat mode of painting well known even to moderns by the term of encaustic,which was found to answer tolerably well. The extremities of the prowand poop were enriched by a very singular species of ornament *, which will bebetter understood by inspection than comprehended by the most laboured de-cription. This practice was so universal, that there are very few, if any, of therepresentations of ancient vessels, either on coins, or in sculpture, which havebeen transmitted down to the present times, but which contained an intendedrepresentation of it. By the Latins it was called Corymbus, and by the GreeksAxpovsov, or the highest part of the vessel. The forms were not always alike :sometimes the ingenious artist carved on them the representation of a shield,others preferred the head of some animal, or perhaps an helmet was intro-duced, but in the greater part it was confined either to a globe, or an ornamentedscroll.

The decorations of the stern or poop differed very materially from those ofthe head, and were much more magnificent. It was customary, also, to fixat the extremity of it a staff or pole upright, to which were tied or affixedstreamers of various colours, which, being blown out by the wind, produced thatspecies of gaudy ornament, the use of which has been continued with little orindeed no variation, in many countries, down to the present day. It was more-over usual among many nations, to add the head of a goose, (in some instancesmerely a scroll) curiously carved, and sumptuously gilt; but so indeterminateare authors on the subject, that there has been much ridiculous dispute, whetherit was affixed at the head or the stern, though the best authorities of sculptureuniformly prove its situation to have been on the latter.

The foregoing appear to have been the principal and most customary methodsthe ancients had of adorning their vessels, and intermixing splendor with thehorrors of war ; but the magnificence with which, on some occasions, they deco-rated those particular parts, which custom had more particularly honoured withdecoration, might easily vie with the most luxurious splendor of eastern magni-ficence. It was by no means uncommon to gild a considerable part of the ves-sel, especially the rostrum, or beak: the awning, and a great part of the in-

* See Plate 7, Fig. 1 and 2.

board