Mox ego, ne scopulis hærerem semper in iisdem, Observ'd the turns and changes of the wind, The bright Taygete, and the shining bears, As to the heavenly bodies, they were observed by sailors upon a two-fold account, being of use to them in prognosticating the seasons, and guides which way to shape their course. The principal of those used in foretelling, were Arcturus, the Dog-star, Aræ, Orion, Hyades, Hodi, Castor and Pollux, Helena, &c. It was likewise customary to take notice of various omens offered by seafowls, fishes, and divers other things, as the murmuring of the floods, the shaking and buzzing noise of trees in the neighbouring woods, the dashing of the billows against the shore, and many more, in all which good pilots were nicely skilled. As to the direction in their voyage, the first practitioners in the art of navigation, being unacquainted with the rest of the celestial motions, steered all the day by the course of the sun, at night betaking themselves to some safe harbour, or resting on the shore, and not daring to adventure to sea till their guide was risen to discover their way that this was their constant custom, may be observed from the ancient descriptions of those times, whereof I shall only observe this instance ° : Sol ruit interea, et montes umbrantur opaci, Now the descending sun roll'd down the light, When some by lot attend and ply the oars, Some worn with toil lie stretch'd along the shores; There by the murmurs of the heaving deep, Rock'd to repose, they sunk in pleasing sleep, PITT. Afterwards the Phoeniciaus, whom some will have to be the first inventors of navigation, discovered the motions of some other stars, as may be observed in Pliny P, and Propertius 9: The Phoenicians we find to have been directed by Cynosura, or the lesser bear-star", which was first observed (as some are of opinion) by Thales the Milesian, who was originally a Phoenician; whereas the mariners of Greece, as well as other nations, steered by the greater bear, called Helice: whence Aratus; Ελίκη γε μὲν ἄνδρες ̓Αχαιοί Εἶν ̓ ἁλὶ τεκμαίρονται ἵνα χρὴ νῆας ἀγινῶν. Helice always is the Grecians guide, For the first observation of this they were obliged to Nauplius, if we may believe Theon, or, according to the report of Flaccus, to Tiphys, the pilot of the famous ship Argo. But of these two, we are told by Theon, the former was the securer guide, and therefore was followed by the Phoenicians, who, for skill in marine affairs, outstript not only all the rest of the world, but even the Grecians themselves. Пgwgeùs, or πęwęŃτns, was next under the master, and had his place in the head of the ship, as his name imports. To his care was committed the tackling of the ship", and the rowers, who had their places assigned by him, as appears of Phax, who performed this office in Theseus's ships". We find him every where assisting the master at consultations concerning the seasons, places, and other things w KEλevos, portisculus, agitator, or hortator remigum, is by some interpreted the boatswain: his office was to signify the word of command to the rowers *, and to distribute to all the crew their daily portion of food . Tengan was a musician, who, by the harmony of his voice and instrument, raised the spirits of the rowers, when weary with labour", and ready to faint, as we read in Statius": Acclinis malo mediis intersonat Orpheus Eustathius, Iliad. ά. Arianus, Exped. lib. vi. $ Hyginus, lib. ii. Poet. Astron. Eustathius, Il. d. Theon, in Aratum. t Argon. i. u Xenophon. Administ. Dom. lib. v. ▾ Athenæus, lib. xv. w Suidas, Plutarchus, Agide, Xeno- z Censorinus, cap. 12. Another, it may be the chief, use of music, was to direct the rowers, that they, keeping time therewith, might proceed in a regular and constant motion, lest, by an uncertain impulse of their oars, the course of the ship should be retarded: hence Flaccus in his Argonautics : -carmine tonsas Ire docet, summo passim ne gurgite pugnent. Silius also speaks to the same purpose; -mediæ stat margine puppis, Qui voce alternos nautarum temperet ictus, This music was called νίγλαρος d, or τὸ τριηρικὸν μέλος. Δίοποι, ναυφύλακες, custodes navis, were obliged to take care that the ship received no damage, by bulging upon rocks or otherwise; whence, in the night especially, we find them employed in sounding and directing the ship with long poles : Ως ναυφύλακες νυκτέρε ναυκληρίας As those who sail, with caution in the dark Guide and direct with poles the wandering bark. Τοίχαρχοι, were either those who had the charge of the τοίχοι τῆς vnds, or sides of the ship, according to Turnebus; or of the roix, or soïxoi tãv igetwv, i. e. the banks of rowers. Several other names of officers occur in authors, as rauías, who distributed to every man his share of victuals, being usually the same with the zɛλess, but sometimes it may be distinct from him. Homer mentions this officer h: Καὶ ταμίαι παρὰ νηυσὶν ἔσαν σίτοιο δοτῆρες. And officers embark'd, on whom the care Εσχαρεὺς, was a person whose business lay περὶ τὴν ἐσχάραν, about the fire, and therefore is by some thought to have been the cook; by others, the priest who offered sacrifices. Maximus Tyrius, Dissert. xxiii. c Lib. vi. v. 361. d Aristoph. ejusque Scholia Ran. act, ii. sc. 5. Pollux. h Iliad. '. e Ulpian. lib. liii. cap. 7. et 8. Pollux, lib. vii cap. 31. Eustathius, Iliad. §'. f Sophocles, Αχαιών συλλόγῳ. Advers. lib. xxviii. cap. 43. i Pollux. Aoyishs, or yeaμuarsùs, was the bursar, who kept the accounts, and registered all the receipts and expences of the ship. CHAP. XX. Of their Voyages, Harbours, &c. WHEN it was designed the fleet should put to sea, the signal being given by the admiral, the mariners hauled the ship into the water; for it was customary, when they came into the harbour to draw the sterns to dry land, to prevent their being tossed and dissipated by the waves: hence Virgil; -stant littore puppes. The sterns stand on the shore. It was frequent also for seamen, underpropping their ships with their shoulders, to thrust them forwards into the sea; so we read of the Argonauts in Valerius Flaccus : At ducis imperiis Minyæ monituque frequentes The prince commands that they no longer stay, And kneeling down, their shoulders heave the ship This was sometimes performed by levers and spars of wood, over Μοχλοῖσιν δ' ἄρα τήνγε κατέρυσιν εἰς ἅλα διαν. The heavy ship into the sea they thrust With levers. But to remedy the great trouble and difficulty of these methods, Archimedes the Syracusan obliged his countrymen with the ingenious contrivance of an engine called helix, whereby the ships were with great facility removed from the shore m. To do this, they called τὴν πρύμναν κινεῖν, or νῆας κατερύειν εἰς ἅλα. Before they embarked, the ships were adorned with flowers and garlands, which were tokens of joy and mirth", and omens of future prosperity: hence Virgil ; j Argon. i. vocat jam carbasus auras, Puppibus et læti nautæ imposuere coronas. k Hesych. Pollux. 1 Odyss. 6. m Plutarchus Marcello, Athenæus. n Aristophanis Scholiastes Acharn. act ii. sc. 5. Now's a fair wind, and all the seamen crown Because no success could be expected in any enterprize without the divine blessing and assistance, they invoked the protection of their gods by solemn prayers and sacrifices, which, as they offered to other deities, so more especially to those who had any concern or command in the sea, to the winds and tempests, to the whole train of marine gods and goddesses, but, above all, to Neptune the great emperor of the sea: thus, Anchises in Virgil, dares not adven-、 ture himself to sea, till he has first addressed himself to Neptune and Apollo: -meritos aris mactavit honores, Taurum Neptuno, taurum tibi, pulcher Apollo. A bull to Neptune, and a bull to you He sacrific'd, Apollo, as your due. A great number of instances to the same purpose may be met with in ancient writers. Nor was it enough for themselves alone to petition the gods for safety and success, but all the multitudes that thronged on such occasions to the shore, earnestly recommended them to the divine protection, and joined their fervent prayers for their deliverance from all the dangers they were going to encounter P. This done, we are told by the Scholiast upon Apollonius, that it was usual to let fly a dove; which, no doubt, was looked on as an omen of safe return, because that bird is not easily forced to relinquish its habitation, but when driven away, delights to return. Then they put to sea, the signal being given by a shout, by sound of trumpet, and several other ways; in the night it was usually given by torches lighted in the admiral-galley; an instance whereof we have in Seneca's Agamemnon 9: Signum recursus regia ut fulsit rate, Et clara lentum remigem emovit tuba, The torches being lighted, which, to guide The admiral went first, and cut the waves. E. D. The ships were usually ranged in this order: in the front went the lighter vessels, after these followed the men of war, led on by the admiral, which was commonly distinguished from the rest by the richness of her ornaments: thus we find Agamemnon's ship in the fore-mentioned place of Seneca going before the rest : Eneid. iii. v. 118. P Diodorus Siculus, lib. xiii. སྭ v,427、 |