Hope lifts his heart, before whose vivid ray veers, Till her black battery on the column bears. veer, Dark clouds incumbent on their wings appear. In front they view the consecrated grove Of Cypress, sacred once to Cretan Jove. The thirsty canvass, all around supplied, Still drinks unquench'd the full aërial tide; And now, approaching near the lofty stern, A shoal of sportive dolphins they discern. From burnish'd scales they beam'd refulgent rays, Till all the glowing ocean seems to blaze. Soon to the sport of death the crew repair, Dart the long lance, or spread the baited snare. One in redoubling mazes wheels along, And glides, unhappy! near the triple prong. Rodmond, unerring, o'er his head suspends The barbed steel, and every turn attends. Unerring aim'd the missile weapon flew, And, plunging, struck the fated victim through. Th' upturning points his ponderous bulk sustain; On deck he struggles with convulsive pain. But while his heart the fatal javelin thrills And flitting life escapes in sanguine rills, What radiant changes strike th' astonished sight! What glowing hues of mingled shade and light! Na qual beauties gild the lucid west, With parting beams all o'er profusely drest; Not lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn, When orient dews impearl th' enamell'd lawn, Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow, That now with gold empyreal seem'd to glow; Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view, And emulate the soft celestial hue; Now beam a flaming crimson on the eye; The wondrous magnet, guides the wayward prow -- But see! in confluence borne before the blast, Four hours the sun his high meridian throne ⚫ Scud is a name given by seamen to the lowest clouds, which are driven with great rapidity along the atmo sphere, in squally or tempestuous weather. When the wind crosses a ship's course, either directly or obliquely, that side of the ship upon which it acts, is called the weather side: and the opposite one, which is then pressed downwards, is called the lee side. Hence all the rigging and furniture of the ship are, at this time, distinguished by the side, on which they are situ ated; as the lee cannon, the lee braces, the weather braces, &c. The topsails are large square sails, of the second degree in height and magnitude. Reefs are certain divisions or spaces by which the principal sails are reduced when the wind increases; and again enlarged proportionably, when its force abates. The haliards and top-bow-linest soon are gone, While the rent canvass flutter'd in the wind, Clue-lines are ropes used to truss up the clues, or lower corners of the principal sails to their respective yards, particularly when the sail is to be close reefed or furled.-Reef-tackles are ropes employed to facilitate the operation of reefing, by confining the extremities of the reef close up to the yard, so that the interval becomes slack, and is therefore easily rolled up and fastened to the yard by the points employed for this purpose. § Earings are small cords, by which the upper corners of the principal sails, and also the extremities of the reefs, are fastened to the yard-arms. The mizen is a large sail of an oblong figure, extended upon the mizen mast. Clue garnets are employed for the same purposes on the mainsail and foresail, as the clue-lines are upon all other square sails. See note ‡, above. **It is necessary in this place to remark that the sheets, which are universally mistaken by the English poets and their readers for the sails themselves, are no other than the ropes used to extend the clues or lower corners of the sails to which they are attached. To the mainsail and foresail there is a sheet and a tack on each side; the latter of which is a thick rope, serving to confine the weather clue of the sail down to the ship's side, whilst the former draws out of the lee-clue or lower corner on the opposite side. Tacks are only used in a side wind. tt The helm is said to be a weather, when the bar by which it is managed is turned to the side of the ship next the wind. Each motion watches of the doubtful chase, Obliquely wheeling through the liquid space; So, govern'd by the steersman's glowing hands, The regent helm her motion still commands. But now the transient squall to leeward past, Again she rallies to the sullen blast. The helm to starboard* turns-with wings inclined The sidelong canvass clasps the faithless wind, The mizen draws; she springs aloof once more, While the fore-staysailt balances before. The fore-sail braced obliquely to the wind, They near the prow th' extended tack confined; Then on the leeward sheet the seamen bend, And haul the bow-line to the bowsprit end. To topsails next they haste-the bunt-lines gone, The clue-lines through their wheel'd machinery run On either side below the sheets are mann'd: Again the fluttering sails their skirts expand, Once more the topsails, though with humbler plume Mounting aloft their ancient post resume. Again the bow-lines and the yards are braced,t And all th' entangled cords in order placed. The sail, by whirlwinds thus so lately rent, In tatter'd ruins fluttering, is unbent. With brails refix another soon prepared, Ascending, spreads along beneath the yard. To each yard-arm the head ropell they extend, And soon their earings and the roebins bend. That task perform'd, they first the braces** slack, Then to its station drag th' unwilling tack; And, while the lee clue-garnet's lower'd away, Taught aft the sheet they tally and belay.tt Now to the north, from Afric's burning shore, A troop of porpoises their course explore; In curling wreaths they gambol on the tide, Now bound aloft, now down the billow glide. Their tracks awhile the hoary waves retain, That burn in sparkling trails along the main. These fleetest coursers of the finny race, When threat'ning clouds th' etherial vault deface, Their rout to leeward still sagacious form, To shun the fury of th' approaching storm. The helm being turned to starboard, or to the right side of the ship, directs the prow to the left, or to port, and vice versa. Hence the helm being put a starboard, when the ship is running northward, directs her prow towards the west. †This sail, which is with more propriety called the fore-topmast-staysail, is a triangular sail, that runs upon the fore-topmast-stay, over the bowsprit. It is used to command the fore part of the ship, and counterbalance the sails extended towards the stern. See also the last note of this Canto. A yard is said to be braced when it is turned about the mast horizontally, either to the right or left; the ropes employed in this service are accordingly called braces. § The ropes used truss up a sail to the yard or mast whereto it is attached are, in a general sense, called brails. The head-rope is a cord to which the upper part of the sail is sewed. Rope-bands, pronounced roebins, are small cords used to fasten the upper edge of any sail to its respective yard. ** Because the lee-brace' confines the yard so that the tack will not come down to its place till the braces are cast loose. tt Taught implies stiff, tense, or extended straight; and tally is a phrase particularly applied to the operation of #Tinoneer, (from timonnier, Fr.) the helmsman or hauling aft the sheets, or drawing them towards the ship's steersinan. stern. To belay is to fasten. Fair Candia now no more beneath her lee Protects the vessel from th' insulting sea: Round her broad arms, impatient of control, Roused from their secret deeps, the billows roll. Sunk were the bulwarks of the friendly shore, And all the scene an hostile aspect were. The flattering wind, that late, with promisel zid, From Cardia's bay th' unwilling ship betray'd, No longer fawns beneath the fair disguise, But Eke a ruffian on his quarry flies.Fost on the tide she feels the tempest blow, And dreads the vengeance of so fell a foe. As the proud horse, with costly trappings gay, Exulting, prances to the bloody fray, Spurning the ground, he glories in his might, But reels tumultuous in the shock of fight: Even so caparison'd in gaudy pride, The bounding vessel dances on the tideFierce, and more fierce the southern demon blew, And more incensed the roaring waters grew: The ship no longer can her topsails spread, And every hope of fairer skies is fled. Bow-lines and haliards are relax'd again, Clue-lines haul'd down, and sheets let fly amain; Clued up each top-sail, and by braces squared, The seamen climb aloft on either yard; They furl'd the sail, and pointed to the wind The yard, by rolling tackles* then confined. While o'er the ship the gallant boatswain flies : Like a hoarse mastiff through the storm he cries: Prompt to direct th' unskilful still appears; Th' expert he praises, and the fearful cheers. Now some to strike top-gallant yards attend ;† Some travellers up the weather-backstays seni, At each mast-head the top-ropes|| others bend. The youngest sailors from the yards above Their parrels,¶ lifts,** and braces soon remove : Then topt an-end, and to travellers tied, [slide, Charged with their sails, they down the backstays The yards secure along the boomstt reclined, While some the flying cords aloft confined.- The rolling tackle is an assemblage of pulleys, used to confine the yard to the weather-side of the mast, and prevent the former from rubbing against the latter by the fluctuating motion of the ship in a turbulent sea. † It is usual to send down the top-gallant yards on the approach of a storm. They are the highest yards that are rigged in a ship. Travellers are slender iron rings, encircling the backstays, and used to facilitate the hoisting or lowering of the top-gallant yards, by confining them to the back. stays, in their ascent or descent, so as to prevent them from swinging about by the agitation of the vessel. Backstays are long ropes extending from the right and left side of the ship to the top-mast heads, which they are intended to secure, by counteracting the effort of the wind upon the sails. Top ropes are the cords by which the top-gallant yards are hoisted up from the deck, or lowered again in stormy weather. Their sails reduced, and all the rigging clear, The ship no longer can her courses* bear: The lee clue-garnet and the bunt-lines ply. The courses are generally understood to be the main sail, foresail, and inizen, which are the largest and lowest sails of their several masts; the term is, however, sometimes taken in a larger sense. The parrel, which is usually a movable band of rope, t It has been remarked before in note **, p. 19, col. 1, Is employed to confine the yard to its respective mast. that the tack is always fastened to windward; accordingly, **Lifts are ropes extending from the head of any mast as soon as it is cast loose, and the clue-garnet hauled up, to the extremities of its particular yard, to support the the weather clue of the sail immediately mounts to the weight of the latter; to retain it in balance; or to raise yard; and this operation must be carefully performed in one yard-arm higher than the other, which is accord-a storm, to prevent the sail from splitting or being torn ingly called topping. tt The booms, in this place, imply any masts or yards lying on deck in reserve, to supply the place of others which may be carried away by distress of weather, &c. to pieces by shivering. It is necessary to pull in the weather-brace when ever the sheet is cast off, to preserve the sail from shak ing violently. By spilling-lines* embraced, with brails confined Hadst thou, Arion! held the leeward post, For, while their orders those aloft attend, The spilling-lines, which are only used on particular occasions in tempestuous weather, are employed to draw together and confine the belly of the sail, when it is inflated by the wind over the yard. The violence of the wind forces the yard so much outward from the inast on these occasions, that it cannot casily be lowered so as to reef the sail, without the ap Įlication of a tackle to haul it down on the mast. This is afterwards converted into rolling tackle. See note, ist col. p. 20. Jears are the same to the mainsail, foresail, and mizen, as the haliards (note, 1st col. p. 19) are to all inferior sails. The tye is the upper part of the jears. Reef-lines are only used to reef the mainsail and oresail. They are past in spiral turns through the eye. .et holes of the reef, and over the head of the sails between the rope-band legs, till they reach the extremities of the reef, to which they are firmly extended, so as to lace the reef close up to the yard. Shrouds are thick ropes, stretching from the mastheads downwards to the outside of the ship, serving to support the masts. They are also used as a range of tope-ladders, by which the seamen ascend or descend, to perform whatever is necessary about the sails and rigging. The reef-band is a long piece of canvass sewed across the sail, to strengthen the canvass in the place where the eye let holes of the reef are formed. "The outer turns of the earing serve to extend the sail along the yard; and the inner turns are employed to confine its head-rope close to its surface. See note 1, d col. p. 19. ft A sea is the general name given by sailors to a single wave or billow: hence, when a wave bursts over the deck, the vessel is said to have shipped a sea. Uplifted on its horrid edge she feels The shock, and on her side half-buried reels: In dark suspense on deck the pilots stand, Now down the mast the sloping yard declined, With notes divine implored his consort lost; To weather a shore is to pass to the windward of it, which at this time is prevented by the violence of the storm. To try, is to lay the ship, with her near side in the direction of the wind and sea, with the head somewhat inclined to the windward; the helm being laid a-lee to retain her in this position. See a farther illustration of this in the last note of this Canto. The topping lift, which tops the upper part of the mizen-yard, (see note **, p. 20.) This line and the six following describe the operation of reefing and balancing the mizen. The reef of this sail is towards the lower end, the knittles being small short lines used in the room of points for this purpose, (see note, 1st col. p. 19, and note", p. 20;) they are accordingly knotted under the foot-rope or lower edge of the sail. $ Lash'd a-lee is fastened to the lee-side. See note t p. 18. Though round him perils grew in fell array, To guide him through that intricate abode. They sound the well,* and, terrible to hear! The Muse that tuned to barbarous sounds her The ramparts crack, the solid bulwarks rend, string, Now spreads, like Dædalus, a bolder wing; As yet, amid this elemental war, On deck the watchful Rodmond cries aloud, When o er the ship, in undulation vast, And hostile troops the shatter'd breach ascend. And Fate, vindictive, all their skill defies. To plunge the nerves of battle in the wave: The well is an apartment in the ship's hold, serving to enclose the pumps. It is sounded by dropping a mea sured iron rod down into it by a long line. Hence the in crease or diminution of the leaks are easily discovered. The brake is the lever or handle of the pump, by which it is wrought. The waist of a ship of this kind is a hollow space, about five feet in depth, between the elevations of the |