' A gull would have no
difficulty
in overtaking the
swiftest ship which ever sailed.
swiftest ship which ever sailed.
John Donne
_ 'Erat ei' (i.
e.
Tiberius) 'in
oblectamentis serpens draco, quem ex consuetudine manu sua cibaturus,
cum consumptum a formicis invenisset, monitus est ut vim multitudinis
caveret. ' Suetonius, _Tib. _ 72.
l. 37. _Sea-goales_, i. e. sea-gaols. 'goale' was a common spelling.
See next poem, l. 52, 'the worlds thy goale. ' Strangely enough,
neither the Grolier Club editor nor Chambers seems to have recognized
the word here, in _The Calme_, though in the next poem they change
'goale' to 'gaol' without comment. The Grolier Club editor retains
'goales' and Chambers adopts the reading of the later editions,
'sea-gulls.
' A gull would have no difficulty in overtaking the
swiftest ship which ever sailed. Grosart takes the passage correctly.
'Sea-goales' is an accurate definition of the galleys. ' Finny-chips'
is a vivid description of their appearance. Compare:
One of these small bodies fitted so,
This soul inform'd, and abled it to row
Itselfe with finnie oars.
_Progresse of the Soule_, I. 23.
Never again shall I with finny oar
Put from, or draw unto the faithful shore.
Herrick, _His Tears to Thamesis_.
l. 38. _our Pinnaces. _ 'Venices' is the reading of _1633_ and most of
the MSS. , where, as in _1669_, the word is often spelt 'Vinices'. But
I can find no example of the word 'Venice' used for a species of ship,
and Mr. W.
oblectamentis serpens draco, quem ex consuetudine manu sua cibaturus,
cum consumptum a formicis invenisset, monitus est ut vim multitudinis
caveret. ' Suetonius, _Tib. _ 72.
l. 37. _Sea-goales_, i. e. sea-gaols. 'goale' was a common spelling.
See next poem, l. 52, 'the worlds thy goale. ' Strangely enough,
neither the Grolier Club editor nor Chambers seems to have recognized
the word here, in _The Calme_, though in the next poem they change
'goale' to 'gaol' without comment. The Grolier Club editor retains
'goales' and Chambers adopts the reading of the later editions,
'sea-gulls.
' A gull would have no difficulty in overtaking the
swiftest ship which ever sailed. Grosart takes the passage correctly.
'Sea-goales' is an accurate definition of the galleys. ' Finny-chips'
is a vivid description of their appearance. Compare:
One of these small bodies fitted so,
This soul inform'd, and abled it to row
Itselfe with finnie oars.
_Progresse of the Soule_, I. 23.
Never again shall I with finny oar
Put from, or draw unto the faithful shore.
Herrick, _His Tears to Thamesis_.
l. 38. _our Pinnaces. _ 'Venices' is the reading of _1633_ and most of
the MSS. , where, as in _1669_, the word is often spelt 'Vinices'. But
I can find no example of the word 'Venice' used for a species of ship,
and Mr. W.
