Which particular battle this picture is supposed to represent cannot be stated, since old Holinshed uses it over and over again for almost every naval engagement to which he makes reference right back as far as the Conquest. That cannon were not then in existence does not appear to trouble him at all. But we may take it as fairly representative of an action at sea in the times in which the historian lived and wrote.] Though there are indications of a somewhat similar arrangement in earlier times, it would appear that the seamen were either paid by the king or hired with their ship, while the soldiers were paid by some noble or even bishop who had supplied them as a feudal obligation. The pay does not seem to have been quite so liberal as in former times, but it was not bad if we allow for the difference in its value compared with that of to-day. In the _Gabriel Royal_, for instance, Sir William Trevellian, the captain--a soldier--got 1_s._ 6_d._ a day. The master and the rest of her company, officers, seamen, and soldiers, got 5_s._ a month (of twenty-eight days), but the master and other officers got in addition what were called "dead shares", in number from six to one-half. This means that the master got six men's pay besides his own--altogether 35_s._--a month, and so on in proportion. The gunners got extra pay, called "rewards"--we might call it "efficiency pay"--varying from 5_s._ a month for the master gunner to 1_s._ 8_d._ for the private gunners. The provision allowance was respectable--England was renowned for good feeding at this period. Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each man had 1/2 pound of beef and 1/4 pound of bacon for his dinner, and the same for supper. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays they had to be content with two herrings and 1/8 pound of cheese for each of these meals, while on Fridays or "ffishe days beynge ffastinge dayes" they had to go without supper, but for dinner had either half a cod or half a stock fish and a pound of butter between four men, or, if they preferred it, could divide ten herrings and a pound of cheese between them. As for bread, every man got either a pound of bread or biscuit daily, while instead of the "grog" or "optional cocoa" of to-day, he got a liberal allowance either of beer or "beverage" made of two parts water to one of "sack".