University of Virginia Library

An Apologie for Sea-men, or the Description of a Marriners paines and aduentures.

Vp sluggard Muse from Leathe's lazy Lake,
And in plaine tearmes, a true Description make,
Of toyles, of dangers, and excessiue paines,
That Sea-men suffer for the Land mens gaines.
The one doth hue a Shore, in wealth and ease,
The other furrowes through th'vncertaine Seas.
The one in pleasure liues, and lyes at home,
The other cuts the raging salt-Sea fome.
The one aduentures onely but his goods,
The other hazards all, both goods and bloods.
Mongst Pirates, tempests, rocks, fogs, gulfes and shelues,
The Sea-men ventures all, and thats themselues.
The Land-man (dangerlesse) doth eate and sleepe,
The Sea-man stems and plowes the Ocean deepe.
The one fares hard, and harder he doth lye,
The other lyes and faires, soft, sweet, and dry.
The one with dauntlesse vnrebated courage,
Through greatest perils valliently doth forrage,
And brings home Iewels, Siluer, Gold, and Pearles,
T adorne both Court and Citie Dames, and Girles.
They set whole Kingdomes both at wars or peace,
They make wealth flowe, and plenty to encrease.
The Countries farre remote, they doe vnite,
They make vs sharers in the worlds delight:
And what they get with paine, they spend in pleasure,
They are no Mizers, hoorders vp of treasure.
The oldest man aliue, did neuer see
A Sailer and a Niggards minde agree.
No, if their paines at Sea were ten times more,
Tis all forgotten when they come ashore.
And this much I dare publish with my pen,
They are the best of Seruiceable men,
The wals of Kingdomes, Castles of defence,
Against Inuasion of each forreigne Prince.
A torch lights not it selfe, yet wastes and burnes,
So they their liues spend, seruing others turnes.
The Marchant sits at home, and casts vp sums,
And reckons gaines and losse, what goes, what comes:
To what his whole aduentures may amount,
He Ciphers, numbers, and he casts Account.
And euery angy boystrous gust he heares
Disturbs his sleepe, and fils his heart with feares,
His goods at Sea awakes and startles him,
For with them, his estate doth sinke or swim.
But yet for all this heart tormenting strife,
He's in no daunger of the losse of life
By cut throate Sea-theeues, or a world of woes,
Which many a Sailers life and state or' throwes.
The Mariner abides the desperate shocks
Of winde and weather, Pirates, sands and rocks:
And what they get, they freely spend away,
A whole months wages, in a night, or day.
Their labours on the Sea they leaue a shore,
And when all's spent, then to't againe for more:
And pitty tis there should be such neglect
Of such, whose seruice merits such respect.
Whole spawnes of Land-sharks, and of guilded Guls,
Of painted Mammets, and ilfauoured truls,
Will hold their noses and cry fogh and fye,
When seruiceable Marriners passe by:
And then (their stomacks somewhat more to ease)
What stinking tarlubbers (quoth they) are these.
Then Mistris Fumpe troubled with the stitch,
She's poysned with the smell of tarre and pitch.
Some Frankinsence, or Iuniper, oh quick,
Make haste I say, the Gentlewoman's sicke.
And Mounsier Puffepast with the sattin slop,
That sits in a Tobacco-sellers shop,
And makes a stinke worse then a brace of Beares:
When with a whiffe his witlesse worship sweares,
How Sailers are Rude fellowes, and doe smell,
Of pitch and tarre worse then the smoke of hell.
But were the case now, as I erst haue knowne,
That vse of men should haue their seruice showne,
One Marriner would then doe much more good,
Then twentie of these Sattin Milksop brood.
Of all men then the Nauigator can,
For King and Countries cause, best play the man:
And howsoere they smell of tarre and pitch,
Their painefull toyles doe make great Kingdomes rich.
If we by foraine Warre should be annoyed,
Then chiefly Marriners must be imployed,
They on the Sea must bide the fiercest brunt,
Grim death and danger they must first affront.
One fight at Sea, with Ships couragious mand,
Is more then three great battels on the Land.
There men must stand to't, theres no way to fly,
There must they Conqu'rers liue or Conquerd die.
And if they dye not by some launching wound
They are in hazard to be sunke and drownd.
The murdring bullets, and the brinish waues,
Are many a valliant Sea-mans death and graues.
And tis a lamentable case to thinke,
How these mens seruiceable number shrinke,
Decreasing and consuming euery day,
Where one doth breede, at least fowre doe decay,
Some the Sea swallowes, but that which most grieues,
Some turne Sea-monsters, Pirates, roauing theeues:
Imploying their best skill in Nauigation,
Gainst their owne Prince, and kin, and natiue Nation,
By which meanes many a Marchant is vndone,
And Pirates nere the better for whats won.
For if (like Mosse his Mare) they be catcht napping,
They bid the world their last farewell at Wapping.
Which fatall Hauen, hath as many slaine,
As could disturbe and shake the power of Spaine:
And want of meanes, but (chiefly want of grace)
Hath made so many perish in that place.
But to conclude my Ryme, with heart and speach,
I doe my God (for Iesus sake) beseech,
That he for Sailors will vouchsafe to please,
To graunt them good imployment on the Seas.
So honest salt-Sea-watermen adiewe,
I haue bin, am, and will be still for you.