ITS MEN, ITS SHIPS AND ITS WRECKS

Let him who knows not how to pray go to sea.
OLD PROVERB.

A surly boatman, rough as seas and winds.

Some stately ship that from afar
Shone sudden, like a star,

With all her bravery on.

Full fathom five my father lies:
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Hark! now I hear them,—
Ding, dong, bell.

PRIOR.

MILMAN.

SHAKESPEARE.

CARRYING PYLGRYMS.1

2

MEN maye leve all gamys
That sayle unto St. Jamys;
For many a man itt gramys,"

When they begin to sayle.

For when they have to take the sea
Att Sandwyche, or att Wynchylsea,
Att Bristowe, or where itt maye bee,
Theyr herts begyn to fayle.

Anone the mastyr ordereth faste
To hys shippe-men in all the hast,1
To dresse hem sonne about the maste,
Ther takelyng to make.5

7

With "Howe! hissa! "6 then they cry:
"What, howe, mate, thou stondst to ny;
Thy felowe maye nat hayle thee hye!
Thus they begyn to crake.

9

A boy, or twaine, anone upsteyen
And overthwart the sayleyerde lyen;
"Y howe! taylia ! "10 the remenaunt cryen,
And pull with all thyre myght.

"Bestowe the bote,11 boteswayne, anone,
That our pylgryms 12 maye pley theron;
For som ar lyke to coughe and grone,

Ere itt bee full mydnyght.

'Hale the bowleyne! Nowe vere the sheete!
Cooke, make redy anone our mete,-
Our pylgryms have noe lust to ete;
I pray God yeve hem rest!

1 This is probably one of the oldest sea-songs in the language; it appears to date from about the middle of the fifteenth century, and, judging by phrases, it must have been written originally by a sailor. During the fifteenth century there was much carrying of English pilgrims to the shrine of St. James of Compostella, whose great day was July 25th. 3 Grieves. 4 Speed. 5 Get tackling ready.

6 "Ho, hoist !"

7 He stands too near for the next man to be able to haul properly. 8 Cry out, as seamen always do when hauling. • Go up. 10 "Yo-ho, tally!" i. e. make fast. 11 and 12 Stow the boat; make things ship-shape for the pilgrims to lie down.

Goe to the helme! What, howe, no nere! 1
Steward, felowe, a pot of bere!

"Ye shall have 't, sir, with goode chere,

Anone all of the best."

"Y howe!-trussa! 2 Hayle in the breyles!
Thou haylest nat! Bye God, thou fayles! 3
O see howe wel owre goode shippe sayles!
And thus they saie among.

"Hayle in the wartake!" 4

5

Itt shall be done!"

"Steward! cover the borde anone,

And sett bred and salt theron

And tary nat to long."

Then cometh onne and seyth "Bee mery,

Ye shall have a storme or a pery.'

Holde thou thy pese! Thou canst no whery !8
Thou medlyst wondyr sore !

Thys menewhyle the pylgryms lye,

And have theyr bowlys faste them wye,
And cry aftyr hott malvesy-

"Thou helpe for to restore."

And som wold have a saltyd tost,
For they myght ete neyther sode ne rost;
A man myght sonne paie for theyr cost,
As for onne daye or twaine.
Som laydes ther, bookys on theyr kne,
And rede soe long they myght nat see:
"Allas, myne hede woll cleve in thre!

Thus seyth another certayne.

99 10

Then commeth owre owner, lyke a lorde,
And speketh manye a royall worde,
And dresseth hym to the hygh borde 11
To see all thyngs be wel.

3 Fails.

1 No closer to the wind. 2 Probably "Truss the yard' square it, so that the truss bears its weight more. large rope.

9

-i. e.

A

6 A

If tablecloths were then used aboard-ship, which is very doubtful, this must have meant put food on the table-a phrase with that meaning is sometimes met with in old chronicles. squall. 7 and Telling the pilgrim to hold his peace, as he could not be wearied, and should not meddle so wondrously. • Boiled or roast. 10 A severe headache. 11 Goes on to the poop to look on

the decks below.

8

Anone hee calleth a carpentere,

And biddyth hym bryng with hym hys gere
To make the cabans here and ther,

With manye a febyll 2 cell.

3

A sak of strawe wer ther ryght goode,
For som must lyg 3 them in theyr hood:
I had as lefe bee in a woode

Without mete or drynk.

For when that wee sall goe to bedde
The pumpe 5 was ny oure beddes hede-
A man wer as goode to bee dede,

As smel therof the stynk."

4

1

ANONYMOUS.

IN PRAIS OF SEAFARYNGE MEN: IN HOPE
OF GOODE FORTUNE.7

WHOE Sekes the waye to win renowne,
Or flyes with wynges of his hertes fyre;
Whoe sekes to weare the lawrel crowne,
Or hath the mynd that wold aspire—
Lett him hys native soylle eschew,
Lett him goe raynge and seke a newe.
Eche hawtie herte is wel contente

With everie chaunce that shall betyde;
Noe hap can hynder hys intente;

Hys stedfoot standes, thogh fortune slyde.

"The sunne," quoth hee, "doth shine as wel
Abrode, as erst wher I did dwell."

In chaynge of streams eche fish can range,
Eche fowle contente with everie ayre,
Eche hawtie herte knowe noght of change,
Nor bee nat dround in depe despaire:
Wherfor I judg al landes aleeke

To hawtie hertes that fortune seke.

1 Gear-tools, still used aboard-ship generally. 2 A hurriedly-built cabin, such as was still built for passengers, particularly pilgrims in the East, till the maritime laws of the past century put an end to such things. 'and Lie in their clothes; in the north of England "lig" is still used in this sense. 5 and 6 The stench coming up the pump from the bilges; the less a vessel leaks, the more her bilge-water stinks.

7 By a note at the end of this song in the Sloane MS. in the British Museum, it would appear that the writer was either one of Sir Richard Grenville's party of discoverers in 1585, or the piece was written in reference to that voyage.