two-masted vessel, with the sails furled on the yards, the foremast being the largest. De Baif was, therefore, correct in saying that the artemon was the largest sail in the ship.

I come now to the ships of the middle ages, and avail myself of the documents published by M. Jal in his Archæologie Navale. From the Capitulaire Nautique, 1255, we have the following list of sails of ships of certain dimensions:

"Navis de milliariis ccc usque DC in proda ita sit contata in velis, habeat artimonem terzarolem et dolonum, unum de fustagno vel de bombasio, et parpaglonem unum de canaveza. In medio habet majorem et dolonum de bombasio."—t. ii. p. 434.

The

Here we find the artemon at the prow (proda). dolon is not, as generally supposed, confined to the prow, as we find one " in medio," on the middle or main

mast.

This is confirmed by certain contracts, entered into by the Genoese, to provide ships for Louis IX. In one of these, given by Jal (ii. 388), they are bound to supply two ships, each to have

"Arborem unam de prorra (sic) longitudinis cubitorum quinquaginta unius, grossitudinis palmorum tredecem minus quarta

item arborem unam de medio longitudinis cubitorum quadraginta septem . . Item debet habere vela sex cotoni infra scriptarum mensurarum, videlicet, pro artimono cubitorum sexaginta item velum unum de medio cubitorum quinquaginta

sex

octo."

Here the artemon is the largest sail, and belongs to the largest mast, which is the foremast," arbor de prora."

According to Wetstein, there is in the "Versio Syra Posterior," on the margin, "artemon est stipes in capite," i. e. the mast at the head of the vessel; and in the antient Scholia on Juvenal, in the passage in the 12th satire, where he describes the disabled state of the ship of Catullus.

"Vestibus extentis et quod superaverat unum

Velo prora suo."

The scholiast observes, " Artemone solo velificaverunt." The artemon is not mentioned by Julius Pollux.

There is a passage in Isidore of Seville which would seem to imply that the name of the sail at the prow was dolon; and we are told by many writers that Pliny and Pollux give this sail the same name; but Pliny does not mention the dolon at all, and Pollux merely says that it is the smallest sail (ó de sλaтTwy doλwv.-i. 91.). The meaning of the passage in Isidore depends on the punctuation. It is as follows: "Dolon est minimum velum et ad proram defixum. Artemo dirigendæ potius navis causa commendatum quam celeritate." As it is Origines, xix. 3. pointed, this means that "the dolon is the smallest sail, and placed at the bow. The artemon rather for the purpose of directing the ship than for speed." I suspect, however, that it should be read thus "The dolon is the smallest sail; and, placed at the bow, the artemon rather for directing the ship than for speed: " and that the authority of Isidore may be added to the others, to show that it is the foresail. It is, at all events, not contradictory to that of the authors I have quoted. Isidore is, however, by no means high authority on such a subject.

According to etymologists *, the word is derived from аρтaw, appendere, or apтnua, an appendage. Now, knowing as we do, that the antients depended for speed upon one principal sail, an appendage or additional sail at the bow of the ship was required for the purpose of directing the vessel when in the act of putting about; for, although there could be no difficulty in bringing the ship's head to the wind with the great sail alone, a small sail at the bow would be indispensable for making her "pay off," that is, bringing her head round, otherwise she would acquire stern-way †, and thereby endanger the rudders, if not the ship itself.

The annexed figure of an African corn-ship, from the reverse of a coin of the emperor Commodus, appears to give a good idea of the relative size and position of the two principal sails.‡

I am inclined to think that the etymology is a correct one, as Vitruvius uses the word to denote the "leading block" in

PROVID AUG

a system of pullies. But this block forms no part of the purchase, but is a mere appendage used for the purpose of changing the direction of the force.

The sails were strengthened by bands of rope sewed

* See Calepenius, ad verb.

If any of my readers have tried to heave a cutter to, with her squaresail set and kept aback, they will understand this; - haud inexpertus loquor.

Taken from a coin in the Museum at Avignon, by the author.

across them; so that if one part was rent, the injury would be confined to one compartment. This mode of strengthening sails appears to have been continued till a late period, as we find it in one of the figures in Breydenbach.*

In one of the coins of the emperor Commodus, representing a wheat-ship, we have this mode of strengthening the sails clearly expressed.†

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* The modern practice of using canvas bands is, perhaps, no improvement on the ancient practice of using rope bands. A correspondent of the Nautical Magazine (1834, p. 87.), who signs himself Master of a British Merchant Ship, states, that in a long voyage his stock of spare canvas was expended, and he was forced to employ rope bands instead. This he found to answer perfectly well, and thinks it an improvement.

† Admiral Smyth observes with regard to this coin, that it “ was struck, A. D. 186, and it testifies the care of Commodus in the frumentarean supply. He established a company of merchants, and a fleet for conveying corn from Africa to Rome, to guard against any misfortunes that might befall the ships which transported it from Egypt. As this was a good act, his inflated vanity on the occasion shall pass uncensured."-No. 294. of Admiral Smyth's Collection, p. 161. of his Catalogue.

and the smallest ” (φαρον και ελασσον, art. επιδρομον). Pliny also mentions that there was a sail at the stern, and we frequently see a mast there, as in the above figure; but I have seen no representation of one with a sail set upon it.

The next class of sails are the Suppara, or topsails. Isidore describes them as having only one sheet*, i. e. the rope which extends the foot of the sail, and named in Latin pes veli (Gr. Tous) †. This would imply that the sail was triangular, attached to a yard with the apex undermost. This seems so strange a mode of setting a triangular sail as to be almost incredible. It would appear, however, that in the middle ages such topsails were actually in use; for in an old collection of views in the Knights' Library, at Malta, printed about the beginning

*"Siparum, genus veli unum pedem habens, quo juvari navigia solent in navigatione quoties vis venti languescit; de quo Lucanus:

'Summaque pandens

Suppara velorum perituras colligit auras.'

Origines, lib. xix. c. iii

† Commentators and translators have no difficulty as to the meaning of Tous, or pes veli, the rope which extends the lower corner of the sail to the side of the ship, Anglicè, "the sheet;" but they are puzzled with рожоυs, oг "propes." Böckh supposes it the lower end of the rope, or that which was fastened to the ship's side: "Untern Ende der Schote, und wurden am Schiffe befestigt."-Urkunde, p. 154. I can see no difficulty in the matter; all large square sails must have two ropes at each lower corner of the sail, one to draw it aft, and the other to draw it forward; the former is called the sheet, the latter the tack. Now πрожоυs, or propes," is obviously the tack, it would naturally be called the fore-sheet, but that is appropriated to the sheet of the foresail: with the antients, both ropes were called πodes, "sheets;" thus Aristotle, describing the shifting of a sail, says, тo de πрos την πρωραν ποδιαιον ποιησαμενοι εφιασιν (Mechan. 8.), hence what the antients called the fore-sheet is now called the tack.

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