sent danger,) you shall shoot two pieces presently one after another; and if in danger of fire, three pieces presently one after another.

In foul weather every man shall fit his sails to keep company with the rest of the fleet, and not run so far ahead by day, but that he may fall astern the admiral before night. In case we should be set upon by sea, the captain shall appoint sufficient company to assist the gunners; after which, if the fight require it, the cabins between the decks shall be taken down, and all beds and sacks employed for bulwarks; the musketeers of every ship shall be divided under captains, or other officers, some for the forecastle, others for the wast, the rest for the poop, where they shall abide, if they be not otherwise directed. The gunners shall not shoot any great ordnance at other distance than pointblank. An officer or two shall be appointed to take care that no loose powder be carried between the decks, or near any linstock or match in hand. You shall saw divers hogsheads in two parts, and filled with water, set them aloft the decks. You shall divide your carpenters, some in the hold, if any shot come between wind and water, and the rest between the decks, with plates of lead, plugs, and all things necessary laid by them. You shall also lay by your tubs of water certain wet blankets to cast upon and choke any fire. The master and boatswain shall appoint a certain number of sailors to every sail, and to every such company a master's mate, boatswain's mate, or quartermaster, so as when every man knows his charge and place, things may be done without noise or confusion, and no man to speak but the officers: as for example, if the master or his mate bid heave out the maintopsail, the master's mate, boatswain's mate, or quarter master which hath charge of that sail, shall with his company perform it without calling out to others; and so for the foresail, foretopsail, spritsail, and the rest; the boatswain himself taking no particular charge of any sail, but overlooking all, and seeing every one do his duty.

No man shall board a ship of the enemy without order, because the loss of a ship to us is of more importance than

of ten to the enemy; as also by one man's boarding all our fleet may be engaged, it being a great dishonour to lose the least of our fleet. Every ship being under the lee of the enemy, shall labour to recover the wind, if the admiral endeavour it, and we find an enemy to leeward of us, the whole fleet shall follow the admiral, vice-admiral, or other leading ships within musket shot of the enemy, giving so much liberty to the leading ships after her broadside discovered, as she may stay and trim her sails; then is the second ship to give her side, and the third and fourth, which done they shall all take as the first ship, and giving the enemy the other side, shall keep him under a perpetual volley: thus must you do to the windermost ship of the enemy, which you shall batter in pieces, or force her to bear up and entangle the rest, falling. foul one of another to their great confusion.

If the admiral give chase and be headmost man, the next ship shall take up his boat if other order be not given: or if any other ship be appointed to give chase, the next ship, if the chasing ship have a boat at her stern, shall take her up. If any make a ship to strike, he shall not enter her till the admiral come up.,

The musketeers, divided into certain quarters of the ship, shall not deliver their shot but at such distances as their commander shall direct them. You shall take a special care for the keeping of the ship clean between the decks, to have your ordnance in order, and not cloyed with trunks and chests. Let those that have provision of victuals, deliver it to the steward; and every man put his apparel in canvas cloak bags, except some few chests which do not pester the ship. Every one that useth any weapon of fire, be it musket or other piece, shall keep it clean, and if he be not able to amend it, being out of order, he shall presently acquaint his officer therewith, who shall command the armourer to amend it.

No man shall keep any feasting or drinking between meals, nor drink any healths on the ship's provision. Every captain, by his purser, steward, or other officer, shall take a

weekly account how the victuals waste. The steward shall not deliver any candles to any private man, or to any pri

vate use.

Whosoever shall steal from his fellows either apparel or any thing else, shall be punished as a thief; or if any one steal any victuals, either by breaking into the hold or otherwise, he shall receive the punishment of a thief and the murderer of his fellows.

There is no man shall strike any officer, be he captain, lieutenant, ensign, sergeant, corporal of the field, a quartermaster, nor the master of any ship, master's mate, boatswain, or quartermaster; I say, no man shall offer any violence to any of these, but the supreme officer to the inferior, in time of service, upon pain of death. No private man shall strike one another, upon pain of receiving such punishment as a martial court shall think him worthy of.

No man shall play at cards or dice, either for his apparel or arms, upon pain of being disarmed, and made a swabber. And whoever shall shew himself a coward upon any landing or otherwise, he shall be disarmed, and made a labourer and carrier of victuals for the rest.

No man shall land any men in any foreign parts without order from the general, the sergeant-major, or other chief officer, upon pain of death: and wheresoever we shall have cause to land, no man shall force any woman, be she Christian or heathen, upon pain of death. And you shall take especial care, when God shall suffer us to land in the Indies, not to eat any fruits unknown; such fruits as you do not find eaten by birds on the tree, or beasts under the tree, you shall avoid.

You shall not sleep on the ground, nor eat any new flesh, till it be salted two or three hours, which otherwise will breed a most dangerous flux; so will the eating of overfat hogs or turkeys. You shall also have a great care that you swim not in any rivers, but where you see the Indians swim, because most of the rivers are full of alligators. You shall not take any thing from any Indian by force, for from

thenceforth we shall never be relieved; but you must use them with all courtesy. And for trading or exchanging with them, it must be done by one or two of every ship for all the rest, and the price to be directed by the Cape merchant, for otherwise all our commodities will be of small price, and greatly to our hinderance.

For other orders on the land we will establish them (when God shall send us thither) by general consent: in the mean time I will value every man's honour according to their degree and valour, and taking care for the service of God and prosperity of our enterprise.

When the admiral shall hang out a flag or ensign on the mizen shrouds, you shall know it to be a flag of counsel to come aboard.

THE

DUTIFUL ADVICE

OF

A LOVING SON

TO

HIS AGED FATHER".

SIR,

I HUMBLY beseech you, both in respect of the honour of God, your duty to his church, and the comfort of your own soul, that you seriously consider in what terms you stand, and weigh yourself in a Christian balance; taking for your counterpoise the judgments of God. Take heed in time, that the word Tekel, written of old against Belshazzar, and interpreted by Daniel, be not verified in you, whose exposition was, You have been poised in the scale, and found of too light weight.

Remember that you are now in the waning, and the date of your pilgrimage well nigh expired, and now that it behoveth you to look towards your country, your force languisheth, your senses impair, your body droops, and on every side the ruinous cottage of your faint and feeble flesh threateneth the fall: and having so many harbingers of death to premonish you of your end, how can you but prepare for so dreadful a stranger? The young man may die quickly, but the old man cannot live long: the young man's life by casualty may be abridged, but the old man's by no physic can be long adjourned; and therefore, if green years

a This piece has always passed among sir Walter Ralegh's remains, as written by himself; but it appears rather to be a libel against him, written by some of his enemies. For

RALEGH, MISC. WORKS.

this reason it is taken from his works, and added here, for the satisfaction of those who may be of another opinion. BIRCH.

Y y