DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0516
i9U of the military affairs of greece).
being had in great admiration by the rude and ignorant mortals of those
limes, were, in memory of their inventors, ranslated srmongsi. th? stars,
and metamorphosed into constellations by the poets of those, or the suc-
ceeding ages. Thus much concerning the invention of ships.
At their first appearance in the world, all ships, for whatever use de-
signed, t\ere of the same form ; but the various ends of navigation, same
of which were better answered by one form, some by another, soon gave
occasion to fit out ships, not in bigness only, but in the manner of their
construction and equipment, differing from one another. Not to trouble
you with a distinct enumeration of every little alteration, which would
be endless, they were chiefly of three sorts, ships of burden, of war,
and of passage. Ships of passage were distinguished by several names,
taken usually from their carriages ; those that served for the transporta-
tion of men being called by the general names of *-o£ia and ttfiSaSsg' or,
when filled with armed men, by the particular titles of otfXiTaywyoi. and
ggundT$8$! those in which horses were transported were named' Sa^yoi,
Wirwyuyoi, and hippogines, to mention no more.
Ships of burden were called oXx&osg, <po£rr,yoi, and yr\o7a.. to distinguish
them from ships of war, which were properly teiJned vaJVg : they were
usually of an orbicular form, having large and capacious bellies to con-
tain the greater-quantity of victuals, provisions, and other necessaries,
with which they were laden ; whence they are sometimes called £goy-
yuXai, as on the contrary, ships of war we find named paxgo) (1) be-
ing extended to a greater length than the former, wherein they agreed in
part with the transport vessels, which were of a form betwixt the ships of
war and burden, being exceeded by the latter in capaciousness, by the
former in length. There was likewise another difference amongst these
ships ; for men of war, though not wholly destitute of sails, were chiefly
rowed with oars, that they might be the more able to tack about upon
any advantage, and approach the enemy on his weakest side ; whereas,
vessels governed by sails, being left to the mercy of the winds, could
not be managed by so steady a conduct ; hence the ships of war were
usually styled scj'xwsroi, and xuirqpv}. Ships of burden were commonly
governed with sails and those of transports often towed with cords : not
but that .in both these all the three ways of government, viz. by sail, oar,
and cords, were upon rccasion made use of.
Ships of war are said to have been first rigged out by Parhalus, or
Samyres ; as others, by Semiramis ; but according to some (2), by iEgse-
on. They were further distinguished from olher sorts of ships by va-
rious engines, and accessions of building, some to defend their own sol-
diers, others to annoy enemies, an account of which shall be insert
ed in the following chapters ; and from one another in later ages, by se-
veral order*, or ranks of oars, which were, not, as some vainly imagine,
placed upon the same level in different parts of the ships ; nor yet, ac-
cording to others, directly and perpendicularly above one another's
heads ; but their seats, being fixed one at the back of another, ascended
gradually in the manner of stairs. The most usual number of these
banks was three, four, and five ; whence there is so frequent mention
of vsfo <rgij)fsi£, rergvgeis, and Kzw^sig, i, e. trireme, quadrireme, and quin»
quireme gallies, which exceeded one another by a bank of oars, and coe»
(1) Ulpianus ia Demosth, Orat. ady. Lepti- (2)Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. vii. cap. ult,
rtevr.
being had in great admiration by the rude and ignorant mortals of those
limes, were, in memory of their inventors, ranslated srmongsi. th? stars,
and metamorphosed into constellations by the poets of those, or the suc-
ceeding ages. Thus much concerning the invention of ships.
At their first appearance in the world, all ships, for whatever use de-
signed, t\ere of the same form ; but the various ends of navigation, same
of which were better answered by one form, some by another, soon gave
occasion to fit out ships, not in bigness only, but in the manner of their
construction and equipment, differing from one another. Not to trouble
you with a distinct enumeration of every little alteration, which would
be endless, they were chiefly of three sorts, ships of burden, of war,
and of passage. Ships of passage were distinguished by several names,
taken usually from their carriages ; those that served for the transporta-
tion of men being called by the general names of *-o£ia and ttfiSaSsg' or,
when filled with armed men, by the particular titles of otfXiTaywyoi. and
ggundT$8$! those in which horses were transported were named' Sa^yoi,
Wirwyuyoi, and hippogines, to mention no more.
Ships of burden were called oXx&osg, <po£rr,yoi, and yr\o7a.. to distinguish
them from ships of war, which were properly teiJned vaJVg : they were
usually of an orbicular form, having large and capacious bellies to con-
tain the greater-quantity of victuals, provisions, and other necessaries,
with which they were laden ; whence they are sometimes called £goy-
yuXai, as on the contrary, ships of war we find named paxgo) (1) be-
ing extended to a greater length than the former, wherein they agreed in
part with the transport vessels, which were of a form betwixt the ships of
war and burden, being exceeded by the latter in capaciousness, by the
former in length. There was likewise another difference amongst these
ships ; for men of war, though not wholly destitute of sails, were chiefly
rowed with oars, that they might be the more able to tack about upon
any advantage, and approach the enemy on his weakest side ; whereas,
vessels governed by sails, being left to the mercy of the winds, could
not be managed by so steady a conduct ; hence the ships of war were
usually styled scj'xwsroi, and xuirqpv}. Ships of burden were commonly
governed with sails and those of transports often towed with cords : not
but that .in both these all the three ways of government, viz. by sail, oar,
and cords, were upon rccasion made use of.
Ships of war are said to have been first rigged out by Parhalus, or
Samyres ; as others, by Semiramis ; but according to some (2), by iEgse-
on. They were further distinguished from olher sorts of ships by va-
rious engines, and accessions of building, some to defend their own sol-
diers, others to annoy enemies, an account of which shall be insert
ed in the following chapters ; and from one another in later ages, by se-
veral order*, or ranks of oars, which were, not, as some vainly imagine,
placed upon the same level in different parts of the ships ; nor yet, ac-
cording to others, directly and perpendicularly above one another's
heads ; but their seats, being fixed one at the back of another, ascended
gradually in the manner of stairs. The most usual number of these
banks was three, four, and five ; whence there is so frequent mention
of vsfo <rgij)fsi£, rergvgeis, and Kzw^sig, i, e. trireme, quadrireme, and quin»
quireme gallies, which exceeded one another by a bank of oars, and coe»
(1) Ulpianus ia Demosth, Orat. ady. Lepti- (2)Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. vii. cap. ult,
rtevr.