history of Marine architecture.

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them, overtaken by our frigots, and they still remain the monuments thereof inour navy.

Not to disgrace bur neighbouring nations, but vindicate ourselves, in thesenine following particulars the navy royal exceeds all kingdoms and states inEurope :

i. Swift Styling .

Which will appear by a comparative induction Of all other nations .—First, forthe Portugal , his carvils and caracts , whereof few now remain, (the charges ofmaintaining them far exceeding the profit they bring in) they were the veriestdrones on the sea, the rather because formerly their seeling was darn’d up with acertain kind of mortar to dead the shot, a fashion now by them disused.

The French (how dexterous soever in land battles) are left-handed in sea-fights, whose best ships are of Hutch 'building.

The Hutch build their ships so fib aity and hoy ant , they have little hofld inthe Water in comparison of Ours, which keep the better winde, and so out-sailthem.

The Spanish pride hath infected their ships With loftiness , which makes thembut the fairer marks to our shot.

Besides, the wind hath so much power of them in bad weather, so that itdrives them two leagues for one of ours to the leeward, which is very dangerousupon a lee-shore.

Indeed the Turkish frigots , especially some 36 of Algier , formed and builtmuch near the English mode , and manned by renegadoes , many Of them English ,being already too nimble heel'd for the Hutch , may hereafter prove mischievousto u$ if not seasonably prevented.

2. Strength.

I confine this only to the timber whereof they are made, our English oakbeing the best in the world. True it is, (to our shame and sorrow be it writtenn.nd read) the Hutch of late have built them some ships of English oak, which(through the negligence or covetousness of some great ones ) was bought here,and transported hence. But the best is that as bishop Latimer once said to onewho had preached his sermon, that he had gotten his f die-sticky but not his

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