THE FIRST LECTVRE Concerning NAVIGATION Read Publickly at Sr. Balthazar Gerbier's ACADEMY AT Bednall-Greene Septemb20th .1649 LONDON Printed by Gartrude Dawson 1649. The first Lecture concerning NAVIGATION AS the Deep declares at all times the mervellous wonders of that great Author guider and preserver of all things can it be otherwaies but a marvellous occupâ—tion and can it be but glorious to the mind of the creature to exercise it self on that whereon the spirit of God was pleased to move before all things were Certainly Navigation whereof we shall now treate cannot but afford a glorious delight to the mindes of lovers of knowledge as the Seas affords a world of wealth to those that make Navigation their Trade Is it not as rare as it is wonderfull That with an Instrument so little as an Astralabe is and â—ith that called a Sea Compas By the first to measure the Circles of the Heavens the height and distance of the Sunne and Stars by the second which hath neither mouth tongue legs nor hands man is told guided and shewen where East West North and South is not onely in the stediest case a vessel can be but when the moved waves tosseth the same as towards the Clouds and thence lets it reelas into an Abisme No wonder Salomon the wisest of all men said that the hardest to be found is the way a Ship makes through the Seas And is the wonder not the greater that it findes the straight course thereof through that vaste perpetuall moving and removing body as exactly when the firmament appâ—ars as black as Inck and all the lights of Heaven are covered with the Night as with an estinguisher as well as at the clearest day Is it not a wonder above wondâ—rs that after so many months Navigations that after such varieties changes of Winds intermixture of â—tormes the violence of tides so constantly changeable a Vessel arives to the mouth of an Harbour as straight as if it were a Ferry-boat drawn by acord fastened from one shoare to the other With the â—oyall Prophet David let all men say Qui descendunt mare in navibus facientes operationem in aquis multis ipsi viderunt opera Domini mirabilia ejus in profundo Dixit stetit spiritus prâ—cella exaltati sunt fluctus ejus Ascendunt usque at coelos descendunt uâ—que ad abystos anima eorum in malis tâ—bâ—scebat Turbati sunt moti sunt sicut ebâ—ius omnis sapâ—entia eorum devorata est Et clamaverunt ad Dominum eum tribularentur de necessitatibus eorum eduxit eos Et statuit procellam ejus in auram siluerunt fluctus ejus Et laetati sunt quia siluerunt deduxit eos in portum voluntatis eorum confitâ—antur Domino misericordiae ejus mirabilia ejus filiis hominum That is They that go down to the Sea in Ships that doe businesse in great Waters These see the works â—f the Lord and his wonders in the deep For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy winde which lifteth up the waves thereof they mount up to the Heaven they go down again to the depths their soul is melted because of trouble They reel too and fro and stagger like a drunken man are at their wits end Then they cryed unto the Lord in their distresses He maketh the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are still Then are they glad because they be quiet so he bringeth them unto their desired haven Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goâ—dnesse and for his wonderfull works to the Children of men Psalm 106. Let uâ— then take profit of this present meditation wherein wee shall find the great benefit of the Art of Navigation in that it doth not onely serve for the transportation of men and goods from one part to the furthest of the world and towards the which God was nâ—t pleased to prescribe any high wayes for Carts nor Horses but to make men acquainted with all such parts in which God doth manâ—fâ—st the varieties of his power and of his bottomlesse treasuries so with Nations in some of which his divine fathâ—rly mercy is glorified and his justice made more apparent rendring man also more capable to participate of those numerous riches 〈…〉 what the Indâ—an precious shoaâ—es are garnished with by all the golden bowels of the Earth where nature by the Sun beams is made capable of sucâ— productions by what the Mother wâ—mbe pearls is possest with by that wherwith Aarons breast was made so shâ—ning glâ—rious man loads his Vessels as freely as Carts on other grounds with the most ordâ—nary fruits and production of the Earth Spices and Balms for the preservation and restauration of man and in that plenty as common fields in other parts produce Pease and Turnips Flax and Trees for Tâ—rpâ—ntine Navigation therefore may well be said to be for man a Science the most profitable of all Arts if man can make that use of it as may justly draw blessings unto him which is to be compast by doing that so earnestly wisht by the aforesaid King David Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men And by being as ready to labour in his cause in which no soul can suffer any ship-wrack as to hazard life ship and goods for transitory things Wee shall begin with the Sea and say first what it is and why it is called Ocean Concerning Navigation THE Sea is all the vast extent of Water which environs the Earth The Water hath been created by God in principio creavit Deus Coelum Terram Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters This is confirmed by the writs of Moses in his Generation or of-spring of this World The water doth engender and maintains it self in the Sea the Rivers come from it and return to it The Egyptians have made foure Elements of each one whereof they have made two The one Male and the other Female They doe believe that the Ayre which engenders the winde is the Male and that which is loaden with clouds and which doth not stirre to be the Female They call the Water of the Sea Male and all other water Female They say that the Fire the flame whereof burns is Male and that which shineth without doing harm is the Female They doe believe that the hardest Earth as the Stons and Rocks are Males and doe give the name of Female to that which is maniable It is called the Ocean Sea by reason of its quick and continuall motion for Oris in Greek is to hasten or else it s called Oceane quasi Cianeus for it embraces the Rivers of the Earth It receives divers names according to the diversitie of places by the which it passes as the Sea of China India
Persia c. The Sea hath no colour for our sight doth not remain on the superficies of the water but descends lower and at a great distance its colour is like that of Heaven when it is disturbed by the Winds it is suscepâ—ible of divers colours The Sea â—â—ses increasing seven dayes which is called quick waâ—er and seven other dayes it retires decreasing which is called dead water Aristotle treats of the causes of the increâ—sing aâ—d decreasing in the second of the Meteors as also Hipocrates in the Book of the Ayre and water where he sayes That there is a proper cause of Astrologie viz by naturall vertue the Moon has on the waters therefore as the Moon increaseth and â—ecreaseth so likewise doth the Sea The increasing and decreasing of the Sea shall be more at full discoursed of in his proper time and place How the Sea belongs to the perfection of the Woâ—ld and that the World would have perished without it and how it engenders water THe world could not have been perfect without the Sea forasmuch if ther were no begining of water ther would be no water simply and if there were no water simple also there would be no mixt and thus there could not be any thing of that which is engendred by water also there would be no body continued and conglutinated to be found if there were no water Generation would be destroyed and consequently all the Woâ—ld if there were no beginning of waters as also there could not be found all the assemblings of contraries which are possible Thus nature would faile to that which is unavoidably necessary and failing to the same the water would be hindered in the action Whereof it would happen there being no beginning of waters that the workmanship of nature would perish and consequently the world Aristotle in the second of the Meteors sayes that the waters of the Seas ingender in Septentrion he will say that the greatest part of the waters of the Sea ingenders in Septentrion as the great Albert in the second of the Meteor sixth Chapter declaâ—es where he sayes that the Sea runs from Septentrion to the Meridian The cause thereof is that its higher in Septentrion then towards the Merâ—dian and the reason wherefore it is higher is because that the cold of the Septentrion engenders more water then the Sea could contain in the space distance and height of its coasts The water which is in the Meridian consumes and deminishâ—s by the heat of the Sun therefore one part of the Septentrion water drives the other back towards the lowermost side yet neverthelesse doth move acciâ—entally from the place of its generation because that it being moist runs to be retained in the dry The reason why the water consumes it self so much in the Meridien part is because that the Sun turns alwayes in his excentrique circle its cenâ—er being not the same with that of the Earth so that if the Diameter of the Circle of the Sun were passed between its center and that of the Earth the greatest part of the Diameter would be at one side and the lest at the other in the consideration of the Center of the Earth It s shewen by Geometricall reason that the greatest length of Diameter is neer the twentâ—eth degree of Gemini and that the least length is at the twentieth degree of Sagitarius opposite signe It appears 〈◊〉 that the Sunne approaches more neerer the Earth in the Meridian Part then in the Septentrion thus by its approaching heats in such a manner that it consumes the water and burns the Earth which he doth not at the Septentrion Wherefore the water of the Sea is Saltish and and that it is the best for the Navigatiâ—n THe matter which causes the Sâ—a to be Saltish is because that there are two sortâ— of vapours viz. Hot and Moist and Hot and Dry The one whereof evaporates from the superficies of the Sea and the other raiâ—eth it self from the bottom by force of the Suns heat and that of the Stars which are efficient causes of its vapours and because that the vapour of the water is very subtill between these two therefore it elevates its self in the ayre and is consumed by the Sun and there remaâ—neth nothing else but the exhalations of the earth the which are dissipated extended and mingled among the water as appears by the example of eating for the disgeasted meat spreads and divides it self through the members and all the grosse and undigested substance remains in such a manner also the Vâ—pour of the Earth spread remains amongst the substance of the water of the Sea and the coldnesse of the water pâ—shes in such coldnesse and consumes it self by coldnesâ—e because of mingling by Antiperistacis which is to say for two contrary things joyned together which becomes stronger then before for the heat of the exhalation which issues from the bottom of the Sea fortifies it self by the vertue of the Sun with its contrary which is the coldnes and thus the Heat overcomes which is that which is required in the generation of the saltish taste It is also more convenient for Navigation that the water be saltish then fresh for the saltish water is heavier then the fresh That it is so it s proved by many experiences whereof the one is Take fresh water and mingle it with a good quantiâ—y of salt so that the salt melts and be disolved in water then take a fresh Eg and put it on the mixtioned water the thicknesse of the water which proceeds from the mixtion of the Salt will bear the Eg by its thicknesse and will swim over it the which in the fresh water descends to the bottome By this same experience is also demonstrated that a Vessel will sinck sooner in fresh water then in salt water for the fresh water divides it self sooner and closes more lightly then the salt water Of the different Motions which are in the Ocean Sea GReat part of the water is engendred in Septentrion and runs from Sâ—ptenâ—rion towards Meridien as aforesaid when the tide increases we doe see the Sea move at one side and when it decreaseth it moves quite contrary it beginneth first to decrease where it hath had the first increase Thus it appeares that the Sea hath contrary motions and different the one from the other Seneca sayes that there is no cause of the of the course waters from one place to the other then the high and low places Except that only motion by the which the Sea increaseth and decreaseth For as aforesaid it followes the order of the Moon For the water of the Sea increases and decreases in all the parts of the world that is to say in Orient Occident Septentrion and Meridien and also it decreases in all the said parts Therefore the Sea hath no proper place where it beginnes its increasing or decreasing And thus the water doth move by accident from one part to the other except towards the
bottome for such a Motion doth not happen by accident but by the proper essence agreeing to its Forme Wherefore the Sea doth not overflow augment nor inlarge THe cause wherefore the Sea doth not overflow augment nor inlarge though â—o much water ingendreth in it and that it doth continually receive so many rivers and fountaineâ— Is that the Sea is the naturall receptable of all the waters and their retyring place and therefore it doth not overflow nor inlarge for a place cannot drive back nor hinder the enâ—rance of the thing which by nature ought to be in her since naturally the place ought to conforme it self with that which it incloses as the Sea which is capable to receive in her all the Rivers and neverthelesse ought not to overflow nor augment for their entrance Also the Sea doth not overflow because it is of such a vast extent that the Rivers are as nothing in consideration to it it s also because the heat of the Sun and the Air of the Wind consumes such a quantity of water that though the Sea continually engâ—nders and that the Rivers incessantly enter into it God hath ordained that it should not lessen nor augment as it is written in Job Lord thou hast set a Limite the which it shall not passe The Hâ—ly Writ sayes in Genesis that the water of the Deluge did rise 15 cubits over the highest Hils under the Heavens in so much that all the Earth was covered with water But though this increasing of water was so great yet neverthelesse the Sea did not overflow the earth going out of its Limiâ—es and bounds The increasing of the water did proceed of two causes the one waâ— that the Windowes of Heaven were opened as the Text sayes and it rained on the earth fourty dayes and fourty nights exceedingly the Fountains Rivers and Currents did overflow in so much that the earth was covered therewith as beforesaid every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground except Noah who onely remained alive and they that were with him in the Ark and afterwards the same Text sayes That God made a winde to passe over the earth which abated the water The raine from Heaven was also restrained and the earth returned in its first being Of the Antiquity of Navigation GOD the Creator of the universall world did ordain the making of the first Vessell aâ— it is written in the six chapter of Genesiis that God commanded Noah to make an Ark of Gopher wood and to pitch it within and without with pitch The length of the Ark was of three hundred cubits the breadth of it fifty cubits and the height of it thirty cubits Those of Lydia were the first inventors of making of vessels but they had no other invention then to joyne one beam to another well nailled and well caulked Afterwards Epaminondas did set forth the vessels in perfection to Navigate The famous Captain Bias was in the war of Peloponesse with Ships Carricks and Galleyes Sâ—lomon King of Jerusalem did send Vessels into Tharsis which went and came each third yeare and brought Gold Silver Ivory and divers other things Julus Solinus sayes that all the Meridien Sea which embraces Africque was navigated from the Indies to Spaine Plinie writes in the second Booke threescore and seven chapter that in his time all the circuit of Spaine and France was navigated and of all the Occident From the Isle of Cadiz which is at the entry of the Gibraltar straet to the Est Indian was navigated before Plato's time When Tiberius Caesar did govern the Empire there were seen in the Arabian Sea Ensignes of Vessels which the Spaniards had lost In the time of Augustus Caesar the greatest part of the Ocean Sea was navigated When Selucus and Antioclâ—us did reign all the coast of the Caspien Sea was navigated and known by the Macedonian Armies The King of Switzerland gave to Metellus some Indians which navigating with Marchandizâ—s were driven by a Tempest from their Country to Germany In the time of the Teutonickall Emperours there were Est-Indian Ambassadours found on the Germaine coast which were driven thither by the force of the wind Some Authors write of great number and multitude of Ships which were in the ancâ—ent times as those of the Assirians Persians Grecians c. Homer writes that the Grecian Navy which came to Troy had one thousand one hundred and fourscore ships Xerces King of Persia came with five thousand five hunderd Ships seven hunderd thousand men and three hunderd thousand of his Friends and Aliens to the Grecians destruction and when he came to the Ponticke Sea he made a Bridge of Ships over it on the which he passed with his Army The next Lecture concerning Navigation will be of its use How to foresee storms by the signes of the Sun and the Moon of Fires which appear when there are storms at Sea What the winde is and its qualities how it is engendered what the 32 points of the Compasse are to know by the Moon at what houre it doth flow or is full Sea And how to Saile by the Globe c. Saturday next God willing there shall be a Lecture of Fortification