Cardan writeth, that, at Paris, in France, he himself saw certain serpents with winges. When the river Tiber overflowed its bankes, many serpents were discovered,

As also, in the time of Mauritius, the Emperor, a dragon came into the city, after which prodigy, insued a great pestilence. Now as these hideous creatures are hurtfull to man, so also they are most inamoured of man; and, if there be any truth or veritie to be ascribed to historie, they have been most passionately affected to man, woman and childe: which showes, that it is a worke of divinitie, as a just punishment of our sins, to turne their affable natures to a most ravenous and devouring crueltie.

And to instance this with examples, Ælian reports, that there was one Iliava, a Thessalian neatherd, that kept oxen in Ossa, hard by the fountaine Hemonius, that a dragon fell in love with, for his yellow haire, which seemed in its amiable colour to resemble gold; and often came creeping unto him like an amorous lover, licking his haire and face so gentlie, as the man professed he never felt the like.

[Many other examples are produced by our author, which it is unnecessary to touch upon here. It will be sufficient to refer our curious readers to the learned and ingenious authors of the Universal History, Vol. VI. p. 837, 838. So that we shall immediately proceed to the relation mentioned in the title-page; which is as follows.]

In Sussex, there is a pretty market-towne, called Horsam, neare unto it a forrest, called St. Leonards forrest, and there, in a vast and unfrequented place, heathie, vaultie, full of unwholesome shades, and overgrowne hollowes, where this serpent is thought to be bred; but, wheresoever bred, certaine and too true it is that there it yet lives. Within three or four miles compasse are its usual haunts, oftentimes at a place called Faygate, and it hath been seene within halfe a mile of Horsam, a wonder, no doubt, most terrible and noisome to the inhabitants thereabouts. There is always in his tracke or path left a glutinous and slimie matter (as by a small similitude we may perceive in a snailes) which is very corrupt and offensive to the scent, insomuch that they perceive the air to be putrified withall, which must needes be very dangerous. For though the corruption of it cannot strike the outward part of a man, unless heated into his blood, yet by receiving it in at any of our breathing organs (the mouth or nose) it is by authoritie of all authors, writing in that kinde, mortall and deadlie, as one thus saith:

The serpent, or dragon, as some call it, is reputed to be nine feete, or rather more, in length, and shaped almost in the forme of an axeltree of a cart, a quantitie of thickness in the middest, and somewhat smaller at both endes. The former part, which he shootes forth as a necke, is supposed to be an elle long, with a white ring, as it were, of

scales about it. The scales along his backe seem to be blackish, and so much as is discovered under his bellie appeareth to be red; for I speake of no nearer description than of a reasonable ocular distance. For coming too neare it hath already beene too dearely payd for, as you shall heare hereafter.

It is likewise discovered to have large feete, but the eye may be there deceived; for some suppose that serpents have no feete, but glide upon certain ribbes and scales, which both defend them from the upper part of their throat unto the lower part of their bellie, and also cause them to move much the faster. For so this doth, and rids way, as we call it, as fast as a man can run. He is of countenance very proud, and, at the sight or hearing of men or cattell, will raise his necke upright, and seem to listen and looke about, with great arrogancy. There are likewise on either side of him discovered two great bunches so big as a arge foote-ball, and, as some thinke, will in time grow to wings; but God, I hope, will to defend the poor people in the neighbourhood, that he shall be destroyed before he growe so fledge.

He will cast his venome about four rodde from him, as by woefull experience it was proved on the bodies of a man and woman comming that way, who afterwards were found dead, being poysoned and very much swelled, but not prayed upon. Likewise a man going to chase it, and, as he imagined, to destroy it with two mastive dogs, as yet not knowing the great danger of it, his dogs were both killed, and he himselfe glad to returne with hast to preserve his own life. Yet this is to be noted, that the dogs were not prayed upon, but slaine and left whole; for his food is thought to be, for the most part, in a coniewarren, which he much frequents, and it is found much scanted and impaired in the encrease it had woont to afford.

These persons, whose names are hereunder printed, have seene this serpent, beside divers others, as the carrier of Horsam, who lieth at the White Horse, in Southwark, and who can certifie the truth of all that has been here related.

JOHN STEELE.

CHRISTOPHER HOLDER,

And a Widow Woman dwelling nere Faygate,

ENGLAND'S WAY TO WIN WEALTH,

AND

TO EMPLOY SHIPS AND MARINERS:

OR,

A plain Description what great Profit it will bring unto the Commonwealth of England, by the erecting, building, and adventuring of Busses to sea a fishing: With a true Relation of the inestimable Wealth that is yearly taken out of his Majesty's Seas by the Hollanders, by their great Numbers of Busses, Pinks, and Line-boats: And also a Discourse of the Sea-coast Towns of England; and the most fit and commodious Places and Harbours that we have for Busses; and of the small Number of our Fishermen; and also the true Valuation, and whole Charge of building and furnishing to Sea, Busses and Pinks, after the Holland Manner, By Tobias Gentleman, Fisherman and Mariner.

Printed at London for Nathaniel Butter, 1614. Quarto, containing fifty Pages, exclusive of the Dedication.

This pamphlet, with the other, intitled, The Royal Fishery revived, are published at the request of a subscriber.

The occasion of their first writing and publication, was, a complaint, which the nation still has occasion to continue, from the Dutch usurpation on our fishery, which, if duly considered, may be thought worth the regard of the legislature, as the best nursery for mariners, and the best employment for the poor of this nation: All which is so well ascertained by this author, that it needs no further recommendation from the publisher; I shall only therefore advertise the reader, that he, being a fisherman, has rather endeavoured to make himself understood, in terms proper to explain his design, than to polish his description with art and a laboured stile.

To the Right Noble, Learned, and truly Honourable Henry, Lord Howard,, Earl of Northampton, Baron of Marnhill, Constable of the Castle of Dover, Lord Warden, Chancellor and Admiral of the Cinque Ports, Lord Privy Seal, Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter, and one of his Majesty's most Honourable PrivyCouncil.

RIGHT HONOURABLE,

SEEING that by nature our country challengeth a greater interest in us, than our parents, friends, or children can, and that we ought, for preservation thereof, to oppose our lives unto the greatest dangers: It

is the part of every native to endeavour something to the advancement and profit thereof, and not to affect it for that we possess in it, but to love it for itself, as being the common mother and nourisher of us all. For my own part, albeit my short fathom can compass no such great design as I desire, yet from a willing mind, (as he that offered his hands full of water to great Artaxerxes) I am bold enough to present this project of my honest and homely labours, beseeching your Lordship, whose virtues have truly ennobled you, to take the same into your protection: And prefer it to the view of our most royal sovereign, recommending the good effecting thereof to his gracious favour and furtherance, Doubtless, your actions and endeavours, having all been full of virtue and goodness, are not the least prevailing motives whereby his Majesty hath so endeared you unto him. In this, then, you shall not think yourself disparaged, the matter being both honest and commendable, and in true value of as great substance, as the offer of Sebastian Cabot, to King Henry the Seventh, for the discovery of the West-Indies,

Humbly,

At your Lordship's commandment,

TOBIAS GENTLEMAN.

́OBLE Britons, forasmuch as it hath pleased the Almighty God

NOBLE

to make us a happy nation, by blessing and inriching this noble kingdom with the sweet dew of his heavenly word, truly and plentifully preached amongst us; and also in situating our country in a most wholesome climate, and stored with many rich and pleasant treasures for our benefit; which also yieldeth, in abundance, all things necessary, so that we do not only excel other nations in strength and courage, but also all other kingdoms, far remote, are, by our English commodities, relieved and cherished: It seemeth that the wisdom of our gracious God hath reserved us, as some precious gem, unto himself in invironing our country with the plenteous ocean sea, and dividing of us from the whole continent of the rest of the inferior world, by our rich and commodious element of water, which, in due seasons, yieldeth to us in abundance: For, although our champion soil, by the diligence of the husbandman, be plentiful unto us, yet do these watery regions and dominions yield yearly great variety of all kinds of most wholesome and dainty fishes; so that it may seem strange and disputable, and hard to determine, which of his Majesty's dominions, of the Land or Seas, be richest. Myself being the most unworthy of all, in that I am no scholar, but born a fisherman's son by the sea-side, and spending my youthful time at sea about fisher affairs, whereby, now I am more skilful in nets, lines, and hooks, than in rhetorick, logick, and learned books; yet, in those few which I have read, besides the instinct of nature, which maketh me to know, that every one should endeavour himself, the

best he is able, to be beneficial and profitable to the kingdom and commonwealth wherein he is born; which was a forcible motive to incite me to think of this present discourse, the penning whereof was thus occasioned.

It was my fortune, some two years past, to be sent for into the company of one Master John Keymour, who is a man very well deserving of his country; and he, knowing me to have experience in fisher affairs, demanded of me the charge both of busses and line-boats, after the Hollanders fashion; and shewed unto me some few notes that he had gathered and gotten from other men of my trade, which he seemed greatly to esteem; for that himself was altogether unexperienced in such business: And further, I delivered to him certain principal notes, which he seemed greatly to esteem; for that he said, that he did mind to shew them unto the right honourable council; whereupon I entered into the cogitation of writing this true relation, out of my own experience and knowledge, touching the inestimable sums of money taken yearly, for fish and herrings, out of his Majesty's seas by strangers, whereby they have not only maintained their wars many years against the Spaniard, both by land and sea, he being one of the great monarchs of the world; and, at length, they have not only wearied him in the wars, and brought him to good terms and reasonable composition; but also it is most apparent, notwithstanding the huge charge of their wars so long continued, which would have made any other nation poor and beggarly, they, on the contrary, are grown exceeding rich and strong in fortified towns and beautiful buildings, in plenty of money and gold, in trade and traffick with all other nations; and have so increased and multiplied their shipping and mariners, that all other nations and countries in the world do admire them.

Moreover, whereas one haven in one of their towns did, in former times, contain their ships and shipping with infinite cost, now they have cut out two havens more to a town; and at this present are all three havens scarce sufficient with room enough to contain their ships and shipping; and, by reason of their industrious fisher trade, not one of their people are idle, nor none seen to beg amongst them, except they be some of our own English nation.

And what their chiefest trade is, or their principal gold mine, is well known to all merchants, that have used those parts, and to myself and all fishermen; namely, that his Majesty's seas is their chiefest, principal, and only rich treasury, whereby they have so long maintained their wars, and have so greatly prospered and inriched themselves.

If their little country of the United Provinces can do this, as it is most manifest before our eyes, they do, then what may we, his Majesty's subjects, do, if this trade of fishing were once erected among us, we having, in our own countries, sufficient store of all necessaries to accomplish the like business: For the Hollanders have nothing growing in their own land for that business, but they are compelled to fetch all their wood, timber, and plank, wherewith they build and make all their ships of, out of divers countries; and their iron out of other places; their hemp and cordage out of the Eastern countries; their hoops and barrel-boards out of Norway and Sprucia; their bread-corn out of