Strange to say, the St. Elmo's light, or "corposant", was regarded as a heaven-sent vision prognosticating favour and protection. Knowing nothing of electricity, and being unaware that the gradual collection of the electric fluid into the weird luminous balls of light which, during thunderstorms, sometimes collect at mast-head or yard-arm, is supposed to render the ship less likely to be struck by lightning, one cannot help thinking it remarkable that this phenomenon, which certainly has quite a supernatural appearance, did not inspire more terror than confidence in the seamen of the Middle Ages. I remember two "corposants" appearing at the fore-top-mast head and at the yard-arm on board the old _Nelson_ in a storm of thunder and wind, off the Australian coast. They remained--occasionally shifting their position a little--for some considerable time. It was doubtless something of this kind which William, Earl of Salisbury, saw one night, in a hard gale of wind, on his way back from the Holy Land in 1222. The storm was so fierce that he gave up hope of life, and threw his money and richest apparel overboard. Suddenly, when the tempest was at its height, all hands saw "a mighty taper of wax burning brightly at the prow". They also thought they saw the figure of a celestial being standing beside it, screening it from the wind. The ship's company were at once reassured of ultimate safety, but the Earl was the most confident of all, because he felt certain that he was being repaid for his piety at the time of his initiation into the honour of knighthood, on which occasion he had brought a taper to the altar, and arranged for it to be lighted every day in honour of the Holy Virgin. FOOTNOTES: [8] A coarse woollen stuff. [9] Innkeepers. [10] Threw the enemy's survivors overboard and drowned them. [11] Called. [12] At one time the "British Blue" was rather fond of calling himself a "matlow" or "matlo", though it is said the custom is falling into disuse. It has been stated that it dates from the old comradeship of French and English in the Crimean War. The French word _matelot_, by the way, is derived from _matelas_, a mattress. Before hammocks, two men used a mattress in turn, one being always on watch. [13] I say "ordinary" advisedly, as an archer got 3_d._ a day in 1346 and probably earlier. [14] "Hereby would I shew you how foolhardy is he who adventures himself in such peril, if he be in debt to any man, or is in deadly sin; for one goes to sleep at night never knowing whether one will awake at the bottom of the sea." [15] Paul Lacroix. CHAPTER V Some Mediæval Sea-fights