A. D.I 190. ^^^ 



In fea engagements they ftill preferved the antient femicircular line 

 of battle, ftationing the ftrongeil vefTels in the wings, or points, with a 

 view to inclofe the enemy as in a net. The foldiers, ftationed on the 

 upper deck, (or on the raifed platform or forecaftle, ' fuperioribus tabu- 

 latis') made a clofe bulwark, of their (hields ; and, to give them free 

 room to fight, the rowers fat together below. When the hoflile fleets 

 approached, the found of the trumpets and the fhouts of the men gave 

 the fignal for the engagement, which commenced with a difcharge of 

 miflile weapons on both fides : the fliarp beaks, or fpurs, were forcibly 

 dafhed againfl: the enemy's fides : the oars were entangled : and the hos- 

 tile veflels being grappled together, a clofe fight enfued, while the en- 

 gineers endeavoured to burn their enemy's fhips with the Greek fire, 

 which was now in common ufe with the Turks and Saracens, as well as 

 the Chriftians. 



1 191 — During the fiege of Aeon a battle was fought between the 

 Chriftians and the Turks upon the fea. In one galley the Turks got 

 poflefllon of the upper tire of oars, and the Chriftians retaining the low- 

 er tire, they pulled the vefl^el different ways *. 



While Richard was on his paflage from Cyprus to Paleftine, he fell in 

 with a, very large fhip loaded with warlike ftores and provifions, and hav- 

 ing onboard, according to the moft moderate and probable account, 

 eight hundred foldiers for the relief of the garrifon of Aeon. She car- 

 ried three very lofty mafts ; but her fails were of little avail to her, for 

 it was almoft calm, and flie was too heavy to make much way with her 

 oars. Richard's Hght gallies, by the ufe of their oars, moved round her 

 with the greateft agility, and attacked her furioufly in every diredion : 

 but the great ftrength and loftinefs of her fides gave her fuch a fuperi- 

 ority over them, that ftie baffled all their efforts, till Richard in a rage 

 threatened to crucify every man in the fleet, if fhe Ihould efcape. Then 



* This curious circumftance, which affords a Donatus Jannotius ^Refp. Venet. p. 257] fays, 



clear demonftration that the antient gallies carried there are biremes, triremes, and qulnqueremcs in the 



their oars in tires above each-other in the manner arfenalat Venice : but unlefs he means gallies with 



defcribed in the early part of this work, has not two, three, and five, men to an oar, I fiifpeft he 



been fo much obferved by writers, as it ought to has facrificed accuracy of dcfcription, to, what he 



be ; and it is the more worthy of attention, if it be, fuppofes, fine language ; and fome judicious tra- 



as I believe it is, the latefl certain notice of veflels velers, who have vifited the arfcnal, tell me that my 



carrying more than one tire of oars. Vinifauf's fufpicion is well founded. The fame mifapplica- 



defcription of the gallies gives room to believe, that tion of the word appears on fome of the medaU 



there were fome even with three tires ; but I find of Louis XIV. — 15aptifta Burgus, who publifhed 



no particular mention of any one fuch ve(fel in his his panegyrical hiilory of Genoa in the year 1 641, 



very circumflantial work, and indeed none, which evidently ufes biremes and triremes to denote the dif- 



can be depended on, in any other ; though feveral ferent Czes of gallies ; and he denies that there can 



writers of that and the fucceeding ages, in their af- polTibly be any more than one tire of oars. — \ ma- 



feftation of clafTical latinity, have obfcured their nufcript of the Cotton library [_Titus, A, xxvi, 3] 



narratives by applying the term triremes to gallies promifes, according to the catalogue, fome iiiform- 



of every kind, and alfo to the great fhips of the alion, illuftrated with drawings, concerning tri- 



Saracens, [e. g. IV. Newbrig. L. i, c. ZO R. de rcmes and other naval affairs. I5ut the drawings, 



Diceto,eol.b6l. — M.Paris, p. 1 62. — Ottonis Frifing. which are very bad, have no galliea with more thaa 



Gejl. Frid. ap. Muratori Script. F. vi, col. 668.] one tire of oars. 



Vol. I. Y y 



