No one can possibly envy the life in a merchant ship of the Middle Ages, with every possible opportunity for friction and the captain not allowed a free hand. The passenger came on board in fear and trepidation, bringing with him his own bed and bed-coverings, which, as happened in 1278, for instance, were stolen from him occasionally. A proper cabin he could not have, the sleeping space permitted to him being three cubits long and one cubit wide. Under the Venetian statutes every merchant or mariner could take on board free one mattress; the former could also have one trunk, but this was not allowed to his servant. The passengers brought with them for the voyage all their food, wine, cooking utensils, and even their firewood, but there were special precautions taken to guard against fire, which was one of the eternal terrors in all ships even down to the nineteenth century. Thus there is a curious regulation preventing passengers in Venetian ships from frying fish, and another forbidding them to split wood. Water was supplied free both to passengers and crew, but this was controlled by measure, for economical reasons. Arrived on board, the passenger would deposit his gold with the captain for safe keeping. He lived on biscuits, salt meat, vegetables, cheese, onions, garlic and vinegar, and there was a Barcelona ordinance of 1258 which compelled the shipowner to keep a supply of food to last fifteen days, and this was to include bread, wine, salt meat, vegetables, oil and water. As regards victualling, cargo ships found it easier than pilgrim ships, for the former could usually hug the shore and put into the land for provisions. Indeed it was one of the characteristics of a good pilot that he knew where the ship could obtain fresh drinking water. The merchant, with his costly goods, out of which he hoped to make big profits, found himself in the company of rough mariners who were lacking the innocence of the carved saints in a cathedral. Thieving was going on all the time whenever there was a chance. Nowadays you sometimes hear one seaman describe another as so dishonest that he would steal the ship’s anchor if he could. It is an obvious exaggeration, but the expression was perfectly accurate in the times of which we are now speaking. There was a passage in the maritime law which dealt with this species of theft. Thus, it runs, if a ship not under way was robbed of her anchors, and the thief was caught and confessed, he was to be flogged and to make good twice the damage. Similarly, if a sailor robbed a merchant or the captain, he was to be punished, and there are penalties laid down against swearing, blasphemy and other vices.