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HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

of the navy in former times; and secondly, how by supplying these shipps thatare decayed, it may happily bee restored to more strength and reputation thenit had in any age heretofore.

In former times, we linde that our kings have enlarged their dominions ratherby land then sea forces, whereat even strangers have marvelled, considering themany advantages of our seate for the seas ; but since the change of weapons andfight, Henry the Eighth, makeing use of Ittalian shipwrights, and encouraginghis owne people to build strong shipps of warr, to carry great ordinance, by thatmeanes established a puissant navy, which, in the end of his reigne, consisted of71 vessels, whereof 30 were shipps of burthen, and contayned in all 10,550 tonns,and two were gallys, and y e rest were smalle barkes and row-barges, from 80tons downewards to 1 5, which served in rivers, and landing of men. Edwardthe Sixth, in the 5th and 6th of his reigne, had but 53 shipps, contayning in all11,065 tons, and manned w th 7995 men, and of those only 28 vessels of above2.8 tons a peice.

Queen Mary had but 46 of all sortes.

In the first yeare of queene Elizabeth, in a declaration made (as it seemeth)by the officers of y e admiralty, what forces the state could then fit to sea, thereare reckoned of the queene’s owne shipps but 22 thought serviceable and fitt tobee preserved, and 10 decayed, and to bee continued in charge only dureing thedainger of the time, and then to bee sold or disposed to the queene’s best proffett.All these 32 contayned 7110 tons, and required 5610 men at sea.

In the 30th yeare of her reigne, that navy of 176 English shipps, which,with 14,992 men, (by God’s assistance) overthrew the pretended InvincibleArmada of Spaine, had 34 of the queene’s shipps, being in all 12,190 tons,and carrying 6225 men aboard.

In the 44th (which was her last yeare compleate) the whole navy in ordinarycharges contayned 53 vessels, whereof fourty-two were serviceable, and 11decayed: the serviceable were 33 shipps, five gallys, and 4 barkes : the shippsin tons were 14,060, as Mr..Baker rated them, and they required 6846 men.

From this view of former times, wee come to declare perticulerly the namesof the shipps, how his Ma y ‘ navy may bee againe established to a greater strengththen ever it had, by supplying only the late decayed shipps, and with lessecharge tnen was sustayned even whilst they did decay.

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