ECHENEIS REMORA. 517 



and that without any paine that she putteth herself 

 unto, without any holding or putting backe, or any 

 other means, save only by cleaving and sticking fast 

 to a vessel; in such a sort that this one small and 

 poore fishe is sufficient to resist and withstand so 

 great a power both of sea and navie; yea, and to 

 stop the passage of a ship, doe what they will to the 

 contrarie. What should our fleets and armadoes at 

 sea make such turrets in their decks and forecastles 

 for? Wherefore should they fortifie their ships in 

 warlike manner, to fight from them upon the sea, as 

 it were from mure and rampier on firme land ? See 

 the vanitie of man ! Alas, how foolish are we to make 

 all this adoe, when one little fish, not above half a 

 foot long, is able to arrest and stay perforce, yea, 

 and hold as prisoners, our goodly tall and proud ships, 

 so well armed in the beakehead with yron pikes and 

 brazen tines; so offensive and dangerous to bouge 

 and pierce any enemies 5 ship which they doe en- 

 counter ! Certes, reported it is, that in the naval 

 battaile before Actium, wherein Antonius and Cleo- 

 patra the queene were defeated by Augustus, one of 

 these fishes staid the admiral's ship, wherein M. An- 

 tonius was, at what time as he made all the hast 

 and meanes he could devise, with help of ores, to 

 encourage his people from ship to ship, and could not 

 prevaile, untill he was forced to abandon the said 

 admirall and go into another galley. Meanwhile 

 the armada of Augustus Caesar, seeing this disorder, 

 charged with greater violence, and soone invested the 

 fleete of Antonie. 



" Of late daies also, and within our remembrance, 



