326 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



Covenant and insurrection. Charles found another use for 

 his fleet than the enforcement of his sovereignty of the sea 

 in the expedition to Scotland to subdue his rebellious subjects ; 

 and the British seas, even the King's Chambers, were soon 

 again the scenes of flagrant acts in violation of his authority. 

 By a strange irony it was at this time that the king's " Great 

 Ship," the famous Sovereign of the Seas, whose praises 

 were sung by Thomas Heywood, the dramatist, was launched 

 at Woolwich. Its construction had been under consideration 

 for several years ; it was begun in January 1636 and launched 

 early in October 1637. Charles took a keen personal interest 

 in his great ship, and supervised its details. He selected a 

 scutcheon and motto to be engraved on each of its 102 brass 

 guns the rose and crown, sceptre and trident, and anchor 

 and cable, with the inscription, Carolus Edgari sceptrum 

 stabilivit aquarum Charles established the dominion of 

 Edgar over the seas; and on the "beak-head" sat the effigy 

 of King Edgar, trampling on seven kings. 1 As its name 

 implied, it was meant to be a symbol as well as an instrument 

 of the king's sovereignty of the seas; and it was symbolical 

 of it in a sense undreamt of by Charles. It was costly, 

 highly decorated and begilt, but useless until it was cut 

 down and made serviceable under the Commonwealth. He 

 inserted it in the list of ships to serve in the fleet that 



1 The Sovereign of the Seas was the largest ship hitherto built for the navy ; 

 it was 127 feet long in the keel, 46 feet in breadth (inside measurement), and 19 

 feet 4 inches in depth ; the tonnage was by the "new rule" 1552 tons, by the 

 "old rule" 1823 tons. She was also by far the most expensive. Her cost was 

 40,833, 8s. l^d., besides her guns, which were estimated to cost, with engraving, 

 25,059, 8s. 8d. State Papers, Dom., ccclxi. 71 ; ccclxix. 44; ccclxxiv. 30; 

 ccclxxxvii. 87. See also Oppenheim, Hist. Administration Royal Navy, 260. 

 In 1637 a " description " of the ship was published by Thomas Heywood, dedicated 

 to the king, and with a frontispiece representation of it : " A True description of 

 his Majestic' t Royall Ship Built this yeare 1637 at Wool-witch in Kent. To the 

 great glory of our English Nation and not paraleld in the whole Christian World. 

 Published by Authoritie, London, 1637." The description, apart from the verse, 

 occupies a few pages at the end, the work dealing chiefly with the ships of the 

 ancients. A second edition was published in 1638: "A True Discription of his 

 Majestie's royall and most stately ship called the Soveraign of the Seas, built at Wol- 

 loitch in Kent 1637 with the names of all the prime officers in her," &c. Prynne 

 (Brief Animadversions, &c., p. 123) says that Charles claimed and maintained the 

 dominion of the seas by increasing the navy, &c., and " by giving the name of the 

 Edgar (with this motto engraven on it, Ego ab Edgaro quatuor maria vendico) and 

 of the Soveraign of the Sea to the Admiral of his fleet." 



