But if we would wish to get an insight into the life and conditions on board an English sailing ship of the Middle Ages, we can find no more illuminating information than is contained in a MS. now in the possession of Trinity College, Cambridge. This depicts the troubles and tribulations on board a pilgrim ship of the time of Edward III, written by a contemporary. In explanation of this poem given below, it should be added that the carrying of pilgrims to the shrine of St. James was a regular branch of the shipping trade. In those days no less than in the present century the miseries of sea-sickness and general discomfort associated with sea-travel were a nightmare to the landsman. But this quaint poem, which is the earliest sea-song in existence, so well portrays the life of the seafaring man that it is most probably the composition of a sailor accustomed to pursue his calling on one of these merchant ships. Alternatively the author was a landsman who had kept his eyes and ears open during the voyaging and noted accurately the work on shipboard. The poem begins gloomily enough and describes the getting under way, the hoisting of the ship’s boat, the setting sail, trimming sheets, and the accommodating of the passenger-pilgrims. In spite of the archaic spelling and phraseology it is surprising how modernly this sea-song reads and how truly it seems to depict contemporary ship life. “Men may leve all gamys That saylen to Seynt Jamys: For many a man hit gramys[23] When they begyn to sayle. “For when they have take the see, At Sandwyche, or at Wynchylsee, At Brystow, or where that hit bee, Theyr herts begyn to fayle. “Anone the mastyr commaundeth fast To hys shyp-men in all the hast[24] To dresse[25] hem sone about the mast, Theyr takelyng to make. “With ‘howe! hissa!’ then they cry, ‘What, howe! mate, thow stondyst to ny[26] Thy fellow may nat hale the by’: Thus they begyn to crake.[27] “A boy or tweyne anone up-styen,[28] And overthwart the sayle-yerde lyen:-- ‘Y how! taylia!’[29] the remenaunt cryen, And pull with all theyr myght. “‘Bestowe[30] the boote, bote-swayne, anon, That our pylgryms may pley thereon: For som ar lyke to cowgh and grone, Or hit be full mydnyght.’ “‘Hale the bowelyne! now, vere the shete! Cooke, make redy anoon our mete, Our pylgryms have no lust to ete, I pray God yeve hem rest.’ “‘Go to the helm! what, howe! no nere![31] Steward, felow! a pot of bere!’ ‘Ye shall have, sir, with good chere, Anone all of the best.’ “‘Y howe! trussa! hale in the brayles! Thou halyst nat, be God, thow fayles![32] O se howe well owre good shyp sayles!’ And thus they say among. “‘Hale in the wartake!’[33] ‘Hit shall be done.’ ‘Steward! cover the boorde anone,[34] And set bred and salt thereone. And tary nat to long.’