THE Seaman's Companion BEING A Plain Guide to the Understanding OF ARITHMETICK GEOMETRY TRIGONOMETRY NAVIGATION and ASTRONOMY Applied Chiefly to NAVIGATION AND Furnished with a Table of Meridional Parts to every third Minute With excellent and easie ways of keeping a Reckoning at Sea never in Print before ALSO A Catalogue of the Longitude and Latitude of the principal Places in the World With other useful things The Third Edition corrected and amended By MATTHEW NORWOOD Mariner LONDON â—â—â—â—â—ed by Anne Godbid and John Playford for William Fisher at the Postern-Gate near Tower-Hill Robert Boulter at the Turks-Head and Ralph Smith at the Bible in Cornhill Thomas Passinger at the Three Bibles on London-Bridge and Richard Northcot next St. Peter's Alley in Cornhill and at the Anchor and Mariner on Fishstreet-Hill TO THE READER THE famous and ever to be admired Art of Navigation having been so learnedly handled and written of not only in all other Languages but also in our Mother-Tongue by so many learned and able men both of former and of our present Age that it may seem impossible to write any thing more thereof that hath not already been done by others yet in my experience which I have seen being at Sea in several Vessels where divers young Mariners have been I have heard this general Complaint among them that though the things that are chiefly useful for them in their Art may be found in several Books here and there dispersed yet they could wish that there were such a Book contrived that might be soley useful for them entire by it self which then would be more convenient for them and might be purchased at a more reasonable rate than otherwise they could be by buying of so many sorts of Books which they must be constrained to do if ever they intend to be able Proficients in that most noble Profession of Navigation at which they chiefly aimed This Complaint of theirs was one chief Motive which induced me to collect and compose the subsequent Treatise which I have endeavoured to handle in such a methodical manner as it ought to be read and practised by the young Seaman For First There is a Treatise of ARITHMETICK containing all the Rules thereof which are necessary for the Seaman to know and practise all or most of the Questions thereof being made applicable in one kind or other to Nautical Affairs Secondly There is a Treatise of GEOMETRY containing the first Grounds and Principles thereof with the making and dividing of the Mariners Scale and Compass with the projecting of the Sphere in Plano and the resolving of many Questions in Astronomy which are useful in Navigation thereby Thirdly you have a Treatise of the practick part of NAVIGATION wherein is shewed after a new experienced way used by the Author how to keep a Reckoning at Sea the making and use of the Plain Sea-Chart the Doctrine of plain Triangles made applicable to such Questions in Navigation as concern Course Distance Rumb Difference of Longitude and Departure likewise a Table of Meridional parts to every third Minute and the application and use thereof exemplified in Questions of Sailing by Mercator's Chart with Tables of Longitude and Latitude of Places of right Ascension and Seasons of certain Fixed Stars with Rules to keep a Reckoning and to find the Latitude by the Meridian Altitude of the Sun or Stars Fourthly There is a short Treatise of ASTRONOMY wherein you have the Doctrine of Spherical Triangles applied to Questions in Astronomy and Navigation This is the brief Sum and Substance of the following Treatise which I commend to the Practice of all young Sea-men desiring their kind acceptance of these my first Labours which if I shall find to be kindly entertained by them it will encourage me to lanch farther into the more nice and critical part of this most noble Science In the mean time I commend this to them wishing good success in all their honest and laudable undertakings and in the interim bid them Farewel MATTHEW NORWOOD THE CONTENTS Of ARITHMETICK NUmeration 1 Addition 2 Subtraction 5 Multiplication 7 Division 10 Reduction 16 The Golden Rule or Rule of Three 19 The Rule of Interest and Interest upon Interest 24 The Rule of Fellowship 25 Of GEOMETRY Geometrical Definitions 28 How to raise a Perpendicular 30 How to divide a line into two equal parts 31 How to raise a Perpendicular on the end of a line ibid. From a Point given to let fall a Perpendicular 32 How to draw Parallel lines 33 How to make a Geometrical Square 34 How to make an Oblong or Square whose length and breadth is given 34 How to make a Diamond-figure whose Side and Angles shall be limited 35 To make a Rhomboiades whose Sides and Angles are given 36 To find the Center of a Circle 37 To find the Center of that Circle which shall pass through any three given points which are not situate in a streight line 37 How to divide a Circle into 2 4 8 16 32 equal parts 40 The Projection of the Mariners Compass 41 The Projection of the Plain Scale 42 The Projection of the Sphere in Plano 45 The Names and Characters of the Signs with the Months they belong to 48 How to project the Sphere 49 The meaning of certain Terms of Art 51 How to find the Suns Meridian Altitude 55 How to find the Amplitude of rising or setting ibid. How to find the Azimuth at six of the Clock 57 To find the Altitude at six 58 To find the Altitude the Sun being due East or West 59 How to find the Ascensional Difference ibid. To find the time of the Suns rising or setting 60 To find what hour it is the Sun being due East or West 61 To find the time of Day breaking and Twilight ending 62 To find the Continuance of Twilight ibid. To find the length of the longest day in any Latitude 63 To find the Suns Place and right Ascension 68 To find the Suns declination c. 69 Terms of Art used in Navigation explained 70 Prâ—positions of Sailing by the Plain Scale 72 Questions in Navigation resolved from page 73 to page 92 Of a Travis 92 The manner of keeping a Reckoning at Sea 97 Concerning the Variation of the Compass 102 The Use of a Plain Sea-Chart 108 Of Oblique TRIANGLES THe application whereof are in ten Questions perfectly explained all which Questions are applied to Questions in Sailing and are wrought both Geometrically by the Plain Scale and also by the Tables of Sines Tangents and Logarithms from page 113 to page 146 A Table of Meridional parts to every third minute 146 A Declaration of the Table 158 The Use of the Table of Meridional parts exemplified in five Questions appertaining to Navigation from page 160 to page 166 Of the Longitude and Latitude of Places A Table of them 167 The Use of them 171 How to keep a Reckoning of the Longitude and Latitude a Ship makes at Sea 172 The Names Declinations and Seasons
of their intersection draw your line to the end of your given line and it shall be a Perpendicular you see it is the same the other was PROP. IV. To let fall a Perpendicular from a Point to a given Line LEt the given line be D A the point from whence the Perpendicular is to be let fall be at C. From the point C draw a white line to the given line by guess as C A divide it into two equal parts which is done at B then continuing ½ the line C A which is A B or C B in your Compasses and your Compasses fixed one foot at B describe the Arch C D and where it cuts the given line there will your Perpendicular fall from the given point for C D is Perpendicular to the given line D A. PROP. V. To draw a Line parallel to a Line given LEt the given line be A S It is required to draw a line so that the two lines may run at both ends one by the other and never meet which is parallel one to the other Open your Compasses to that extent as you would have the two lines asunder and go towards one end of the given line as at S and describe the Arch u and with the same distance come towards the other end as at A and describe another Arch which is N and by the top of these two Arches draw the line R O which is parallel to A S. PROP. VI. To draw a Line parallel to a given Line from any Point assigned LEt the given line be S L the point assigned be A take the distance from S to A and carry it towards the other end of the given line as at L describe the Arch n then take the distance from L to S and fixing one foot of your Compasses in the given point A cross the Arch n with the arch o and by the place of their intersection and the point assigned draw a line which shall be parallel to S L. PROP. VII To make a Square of a Line given LEt the Line given be A equal to which draw the side of the Square B E and from one end of it raise a Perpendicular and by it set off the length of A as here from E the Perpendicular was raised and the length of A set upon it which is the side of the Square E D continue the same distance in your Compasses and go to D and describe the Arch 8 carry the same distance to B and cross the Arch 8 with f and from the intersection of those two Arches draw the sides C D and C B which makes the Square BEDC this is a true square PROP. VIII To make a Square whose Length and Bredth is given THese sorts of Squares are called Geometrical Squares when but two sides are equal namely the two longest sides or the two shortest sides The Angles are all equal namely right Angles Suppose the Length of the Square be A the bredth B I desire to make it first draw a line equal to A for the length of it as S V then from any end of that Line raise a Perpendicular as here from V and set off the line B for the bredth of it upon it which falls in the Perpendicular line at L then take the length of A and describe the Arch n fixing your Compasses one foot in L then take B the bredth and cross that Arch by another fixing your Compasses one foot in S and draw L K and K S from the place of their intersection as you did in the other Thus the two opposite sides in this Square are equal and the Angles in both all equal for they are right Angles PROP. IX To make a Diamond Figure of a Line and an Angle given A Diamond Figure is a Figure of four equal sides but the Angles are two of them acute and two of them obtuse the acute Angles are equal and the obtuse Angles are equal one to another Let A B be the given line C B the measure of the given Angle A being the angular point first take the line AB and draw a line of its length for one side of the figure namely 8 0 then take the Semidiameter of the Arch C B which is C A and fixing one foot of your Compasses in 8 describe the Arch S 0 and take the Arch B C and set it off from O to S then draw the line S 8 equal to 8 O this done keep the length of O 8 in your Compasses and from S and O describe the Arches n and t and draw the sides O R and S R as you did in the other figures and thus S R is equal to 8 O or R O is equal to 8 S and the opposite Angles also equal I forbear to shew the reasons of their being equal because it hath been handled by others and indeed it is so plain that with a little consideration you may know it PROP. X. To make a Rhomboiades of two given sides and an Angle included A Rhomboiades is a figure whose opposite sides and opposite Angles are equal as a Geometrical Square is but in this they differ a Rhomboiades hath never a right Angle but two obtuse and two acute whereas the other hath all right Angles it differs from the Diamond figure also for in one the sides are all equal and in this but two equal sides I need not shew the working of it because it differs not from a Diamond figure only in taking the two sides apart to describe the Arches at L I suppose you may conceive how it is made by seeing this which is here made the given sides and Angle is s O N I have not set down the Arch to measure the Angle at O. I suppose from what hath been said you will conceive how that is PROP. XI To find the Center of a Circle Draw a line from side to side of the Circle at a venture as A C and divide that line into two equal parts by a Perpendicular as was shewed before that Perpendicular line draw through the Circle from side to side as is u S and it shall be the Diameter of the Circle the half of which is the Semidiameter or very Center ⊙ It is possible to find the Center of a Triangle after the same manner Suppose the Triangle whose Center you would find were A C n divide any side into two equal parts by a Perpendicular and it will go through the Center of the Triangle as the side A C is divided into two equal parts by the Perpendicular B S then I say B S goeth through the Center of this Triangle but to find whereabouts in this Perpendicular the Center of the Triangle is I know by no other means but by removing your Compasses in this line from place to place till you find it which is here found to be at u. But this is but a botchingly way and with a little more labour you may find it at once therefore mind
Fellowship THis Rule is the Rule of Three done several times in one Sum or Question for here are several Stocks and several men that own them now if the principal or all their Stocks gain so much how much shall each man gain according to the Stock he put in I 'll say if the whole Stock gained so much what shall the first mans Stock gain and so for the rest Quest 1. Six men make a Stock the first puts in 30 l. the second 40. l. the third 52 l. the fourth 58 l. the fifth 60 l. and the sixth 78 l. If the whole Stock together gains 200 l. what shall each man have so that there may be no wrong First find the whole Stock by adding every mans Stock together which is 318 l. Then say If the whole Stock 318 l. gains 200 l. what shall the first mans Stock gain  l. First 30 Second 40 Third 52 Fourth 58 Fifth 60 Sixth 78  318 For the Second If the whole Stock 318 l. gains 200 l. what shall 40 l. gain which is the second Stock The like is to be understood of the rest I forbear to work them as being out of my intentions I leave their operation to your genius who never learned them Quest 2. There where five men made a Stock the first put in 200 l. the second 59 l. the third 180 l. the fourth 78 l. the fifth 240 l. they lost at the return of the Ship 120 l. I demand each mans Loss proportionable to his Venture First find the whole Stock by adding every mans Venture together this done say for the first mans Loss if the whole Stock lost 120 l. what shall the first mans Stock 200 l. lose For the second If the whole Stock lose 120 l. what shall the second man lose which put in 59 l And so for the rest The way to prove one of these Questions is less trouble than the Rule of Three for after you have done add all your Facits together and it will make the same that was lost in the whole Stock or gained in the whole Stock if the Question be for Gain and this stands to good reason for every mans Loss or Gain must together be equal to the whole or else they do not contribute to the Loss or enjoy the Gain that they have lost or gained There is more intricacy in this Rule than I have here cited but the Foundation-work lies on the Rule of Three and the intricacy that I speak of will be understood with some consideration I had thoughts to have shewed it but it is shewed as well as can be I think by Mr. Record and Mr. Hodder besides it would take up much paper and I should digress from my intentions to Navigation What I have shewed since I treated of the Rule of Three is only a shew how all Rules depend upon this Golden Rule Blame me not for being so large in Arithmetick but both that and all faults else season with the Salt of a charitable Construction remembring that Navigation is imperfect without it I end GEOMETRY THat which I shall handle in Geometry will be only that part of it which is used in Navigation He that will treat of it at large had best to put it in a Treatise by it self and he that will learn to be a good Geometrician let him apply himself to Euclid's Works There is no Art but hath a dependency on it and Navigation depends much on it which enforceth me to treat upon some principles of it Geometrical Definitions A Point or Prick is this and is void of length breadth or thickness A Line is length without bredth or thickness and is properly called the nearest distance if a streight line between two places but if not streight but circular it is termed an Arch. A Triangle is when three lines meet making three angular points now there be two sorts right lined and spherical spherical being all the sides Arches of great Circles There be three sorts of Angles namely obtuse acute and right angles If divers Circles be described having all one Center they be called Concentricks but if they have divers Centers they be called Excentricks The Circumference of any Circle consists of 360 degrees every degree being 60 minutes The Diameter of a Circle is a line drawn from one side of the Circle to the other through the Center As A C. The Semidiameter of a Circle is half the Diameter or the distance from the Circumference to the Center PROP. I. To raise a Perpendicular from the middle of a Line given THe line given is A B divide it into two equal parts at F then open your Compasses to any convenient distance above half the length of the given line and fix one foot in B and with the other describe the Arch C with the same distance fix one foot of your Compasses in A and cross the other Arch by the Arch D mind where they intersect and from that place which is ⊙ draw a line to the middle of your given line A B namely to F then is F ⊙ a true perpendicular from the middle of the line A B for it is so directly from it that it leans no way PROP. II. To divide a Line into two equal Parts by a Perpendicular THe given line is A B fix one foot of your Compasses in A and setting them at any convenient distance above half the given line describe the Arches D and f carry your Compasses to B with the same distance and describe the Arches C and e so as they may cross the other Arches as they do in ⊙ mind it and by those intersections lay your scale and draw the line ⊙ ⊙ which will cut the given line in the middest and be a perpendicular to it which was required PROP. III. To raise a Perpendicular to the end of a Line given HEre your given line is A B fix one foot of your Compasses in that end of your given Line which you would raise your Perpendicular from which is B and extend your Compasses to any convenient distance as in the example from B to R and describe the Arch R c D continue the same distance in your Compasses and fix one foot in R extend the other upwards to c then making c the Center describe the Arch 1 2 3 and beginning at R set off that distance three times upon that Arch as 1 2 3 from the place where your Compasses fall the third time which is 3 draw a line to the place where you began your work which is B and it is a Perpendicular to your given line Another way After you have described the Arch R c D with the same distance which described it extend your Compasses from R to c from c with the same distance describe the Arch u which is part of the Arch R 1 2 3 then extend the same distance again which falls at D and cross the Arch before described as N and from the place
the Course For the Course As the Distance run A B 108 miles comp arith 7,966576 Is to Radius   So is the Difference of Latitude A D 90 miles 1,954242 To the Course or Rumb Sine comp B 33 d. 33 m. 9,920818 For the Departure As Radius  To the Distance run A B 108 miles 2,0334237 So is Sine the Course A 33 deg 33 min. 9,9424616 To D B the Diff of Longi here found to be 60 miles 1,7758853 You may ask the reason why the Course is not 33 deg 45 min. as it was first given to be I answer because of the part of an unite that the Difference of Latitude was set down more than it should be for if you observe I said it was almost 90 miles when I found it before Now the error is not worth minding in Sailing for the Difference that the Fraction causeth is but 12. min. of a degree of a point of the Compass which is no more than the 56 th part of a point If you mind I have worked the Course thus found and it doth not alter the Difference of Longitude or Departure which should be 60 miles if I had worked to the least Fraction for the Logarithm here is nearest to the Logarithm of 60 in the Tables Indeed I worked on purpose thus because those that I have taught when they could not find it come out right as the other was could not tell where the fault lay now this will direct them to know that some part of a unite missing in the finding of the Sides may make some minutes Difference in the Course But now here in the following Examples we will work to a Fraction namely to the 10 th or 100 th part of a unite in the sides to shew how it is done though in Sailing if you work to half an unite it is near enough or for any ordinary uses and that the Tables give and most commonly to less Departure from the Meridian and Distance run given to find the Course and Difference of Latitude QUESTION V. Admit the Departure from the Meridian were the same that the Difference of Latitude was in the first Question 60 miles the Distance run also 108 miles I demand the Course and Difference of Latitude let the Latitude you set from be 50 deg HEre the Course from the Meridian will be the Complement of the Course there and the Difference of Latitude will be the Difference of Longitude or Departure from the Meridian there But instead of taking the Logarithm answering to the number here take the Logarithm answering to ten times the number and so you shall always have your sides come out to the tenth part of a unite I say it will come out in tenths for you must divide by 10 to bring it into miles after it is done Now instead of multiplying your given sides by 10 do but set a Cipher more to the number and it is done as now for 60 set down 600 which is ten times 60 for 108 set down 1080 which is ten times 108 and thus for any number that will be comprehended in the Radius of the Tables Proportion for the Course As Distance run given B A 1080 tenths comp arith 6,9665762 Is to Radius  So is the Departure from the Meridian 600 tenths D B 2,7781512 To the Sine of the Course A 33 deg 45 min. 9,7447274 For the Difference of Latitude As Radius  To the Distance run 1080 tenths B A 3,0334327 So is the Sine comp of A 33 deg 45 m. 9,9198464 To the Diff. of Latitude in tenths D A 898 tenths 2,9533708 Divide these tens by 10 and it gives the miles contained in the side D A the Difference of Latitude which is 89 miles 8 tenths of a mile whereas before it was 90 miles whis is 2 tenths of a mile more Now when you have the sides thus found in tenths or Centisms work for the Angles and you will find them to come out roundly alike But if you desire more exactness work then in Centisms provided that the numbers in Centisms do not out-run the Tables A Centism is the hundredth part of an unite or of any thing and if I would put the number 60 into Centisms I will set two Ciphers behind it and it is the same as before I multiplied 60 by 100 for it is 6000 the like is to be understood of any other number I would work to the nearest Fraction for the Angles here but I conceive it to be no way beneficial and therefore I 'll refer it to the work of the Sphere where it is of â—uch more use this finds the Angles to a minute which is near enough It is like that some will be so curious that this way of finding things to the tenth or hundredth part of unit will not suffice them but they would have the real number answering to the Logarithm to the 1000 th part of a unite because I find it of no real consideration or use in Navigation I omit that here and desire such to look in Book 1. Page 11. of my Fathers Trigonometry and there it is plainly shewed By the Plain Scale This Question differs nothing from the other in its operation only as you work in the other from a North and South line here you work from an East and West line The work is this First draw an East and West line and from the west end of it set off your Departure from the Meridian which is from D to B 60 miles from D raise the Perpendicular D A which is a North and South line and draw it at length then take the Distance run 108 miles and fix one foot of your Compasses in B with the other cut the Meridian line D A which it doth in A. Draw the side A B then is B the place your Ship is at after her Sailing A is the place of her setting out A D is the Difference of Latitude and N O s is an Arch of 60 deg from the Angle D A B as a Center the measure of N O is the Course and is performed as before in the last Example and also of the Difference of Latitude as in other Examples The Difference of Latitude is D B 90 miles The Course is North 33 deg 45 min. Easterly D A B or N O. The Plain Scale of equal parts will not resolve to the least Fraction as the Tables will now to a tenth part of a mile I confess a good Diagonal Scale will produce things to a small Fraction If you would know what Latitude you are in divide 90 by 60 and the Quotient will be degrees namely 1 deg the Remainder minutes namely 30 min. Now because your Latitude was Northerly and you have gone to the Northwards you have increased it 1 deg 30 min. so that you must add the Difference of Latitude to 50 deg and it makes 51 deg 30 min. if you have gone to the Southwards you must