REM OR A. 509 



cannot be found any thing equall or like unto this one element, 

 wherein she hath surmounted and gone beyond her own selfe in a 

 wonderful number of respects* For first and foremost, Is there 

 any thing more violent than the sea, and namely when it is troubled 

 with blustring winds, whirlepuffs. storms and tempests? or wherein 

 hath the wit of man been more employed (seeke out all parts of the 

 whole world) than in seconding the waves and billows of the sea, 

 by saile and ore? Finally, is ought more admirable than the ine- 

 narrable forcp of the reciprocal! tides of the sea. ebbing and flowing 

 as it doth, whereby it keepeth a current also, as it were the stream 

 of some great river ? 



r _ %i The current of the sea is great, the tide much, the winds vehe- 

 ment and forcible, and more than that, ores and sailes withall to 

 help forward the rest, are mightie and powerfull : and yet this one 

 little sillie fish, named echeneis, that checketh, scorneth, and ar- 

 rest<th them all: let the winds blow as much as they will, rage the 

 storms and tempests what they can, yet this little fish commaundeth 

 their furie, restraineth their puissance, and maugre all their force 

 as great as it is, compelleth ships to stand still : a thing which no 

 cables be they never so big and able as they will, can performe. 

 She bridleth the violence and tameth the greatest rage of this uni- 

 versall world, and that without any paine that she putteth herselfe 

 unto, without any holding and putting backe, or any other meane, 

 save only by cleaving and sticking fast to a vessell : in such a sort 

 as this one small and poore fish 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 they all what they can possible to the contrarie. 

 What should our fleets and armadoes at sea, make such turrets in 

 their decks and forecastles ? what 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 beake-head with yron pikes and brazen tines ; so 

 offensive and dangerous to bouge and pierce any enemie ship which 

 they doe encountre. Certes, reported it is, that in the naval bat- 

 taile before Actium, wherein Antonius and Cleopatra the queene 

 were defeited by Augustus, one of these fishes staied the admirall 



