An English Garner: Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (4 of 8)
History
An English Garner: Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (4 of 8)
English literature
Wherefore, seeing the profit so plain; and, by the grace of GOD, so
certain; both by the Busses and Line-boats, whereby the Hollanders have
so long gained by: let all noble, worshipful, and wealthy subjects put
to their adventuring and helping hands, for the speedy launching and
floating forward of this great good common wealth business, for the
strengthening of His Majesty's dominions with two principal pillars,
which are, with plenty of coin brought in for Fish and herrings from
other nations, and also for the increasing of mariners against all
common invasions. And also for the bettering of trades and occupations,
and setting of thousands of poor and idle people on work, which now
know not how to live; which by this Trade of Busses shall be employed:
as daily we see is done, before our eyes, by the Hollanders. And, as
always it hath been seen, that those that be now the fishermen of
England have been always found to be sufficient to serve His Majesty's
ships in former time, when there has been employment: which fellows,
by this new trade of building and setting forth of Busses will be
greatly multiplied and increased in this land. Which fellows, as we
see the Hollanders, being well fed in fishing affairs, and strong[er]
and lustier than the sailors that use the long southern voyages that
sometimes are greatly surfeited and hunger-pined: but these courageous,
young, lusty, fed-strong younkers, that shall be bred in the Busses,
when His Majesty shall have occasion for their service in war against
the enemy, will be fellows for the nonce! and will put more strength
to an iron crow at a piece of great ordnance in traversing of a cannon
or culvering, with the direction of the experimented [_experienced_]
Master Gunner, than two or three of the forenamed surfeited sailors.
And in distress of wind-grown sea, and foul winter's weather, for
flying forward to their labour, for pulling in a topsail or a
spritsail, or shaking off a bonnet in a dark night! for wet and cold
cannot make them shrink, nor stain that the North seas and the Busses
and Pinks have dyed in the grain, for such purposes.
And whosoever shall go to sea for Captain to command in martial
affairs, or to take charge for Master in trade of merchandise (as in
times past I have done both) will make choice of these fellows: for I
have seen their resolution in the face of their enemy, when they have
been _legeramenta_ [Italian for _light-hearted_] and frolicsome, and as
forward as about their ordinary labours or business.
[Sidenote: It is not unknown, that last year [1613] there was a general
press along the coast of England, from Hull in Yorkshire unto St.
Michael's Mount in Cornwall, only for sailors to furnish but seven
ships, for the wafting over [_conveying_] of the Count Palantine and
his noble Princess but twenty-eight leagues.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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