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The mafter faid obedient to command, .* 2769),
To raife the tack the ready failors Hands.6, A
Gradual it loofens, while th' involving clue,
Swell'd by the wind, aloft unruffling few.
The fheet and weather-brace they now ftand by
The lee clue-garnet and the bunt-lines ply.
Thus all prepar'd, Let go.the fheet, he cries;
Impetuous round the ringing wheels it flies;
Shivering at first, till by the blaft impell'd,
High o'er the lee-yard arm the canvas fwell'd:
By fpilling lines embrac'd, with brails confin'd,
It lies at length unfhaken by the wind.
The forefail then fecur'd, with equal care
Again to reef the main-fail they repair.
While fome high mounted over-hawl the tye,
Below the down-hawl tackle & others ply.

Jears

*It has been remarked before, that the tack is always faftened to windward; accordingly as foon as it is caft loofe and the clue-garnet hawled up, the weather-clue of the fail immediately mounts to the yard; and this operation must be carefully performed in a ftorm, to prevent the fail from fplitting, or being torn to pieces by fhivering.

It is neceffary to pull in the weather-brace whenever the fheet is caft off, to preferve the fail from fhaking violently.

Tha fpilling-lines, which are only used on particular occafions in tempeftuous weather, are employed to draw together and confine the belly of the fail, when it is inflated by the wind over the yard..

The violence of the wind forces the yard fo much outward from the maft on these occafions, that it cannot be eafily lowered fo as to reef the fail, without the application of a tackle to hawl it down on the mall. This is afterwards converted into rolling-tackle..

Jears*, lifts, and brails, a feaman each attends,
Along the mall the willing yard defcends.
When lower'd fufficient they fecurely brace ;
And fix the rolling tackle in its place

The reef-lines and their ear-rings now prepar'd,
Mounting on pliant fhrouds, they man the yard,.
Far on th' extremes two able hands appear,
Arion there, the hardy boatfwain here;
That in the van to front the tempeft hung;
This round the lee yard-arm, ill-omen'd! clung,
Each ear-ring to its flation firft they bend :
The reef-band then along the yard extend:
The circling ear-rings, round th' extremes entwin'd,
By outer and by inner turns they bind.

From

Jears are the fame to the main-fail, forefail, and mizen, as the haliards are to all the inferior fails. The tye 2 is the upper part of the jears.

+Reef-lines are only used to reef the main fail and forefail. They are paffed in fpiral turns through the eye-let holes of the reef, and over the head of the fails between the rope-band-legs, till they reach the extremities of the reef, to which they are firmly extended, fo as to lace the reef close up to the yard.

Shrouds are thick ropes, firetching from the maft-heads downwards to the outfide of the fhip, ferving to fupport the mafls. They are alfo ufed as a range of rope-ladders by which the feamen afcend or defcend, to perform whatever is neceflary about the fails and rigging.

The reef-hand is a long piece of canvas fewed acrofs the fail, to frengthen the canvas in the place where the eyelet holes of the reef are formed...

The outer turns of the ear-ring ferve to extend the fail along the yard; and the inner turns are employed to. confine its head rope close to its furface.

From hand to hand, the reef-lines, next receiv'd,
Thro' eye-let holes and roebin-legs were reev'd.athen I
The reef in double folds involv'd they lay go
Strain the firm cord and either end belay

Hadft thou Arion! held the leeward poft,
While on the yard by mountain billows toff,
Perhaps oblivion o'er our tragic tale
Had then forever drawn her dufky veil.
But ruling Heaven prolong'd thy vital date,
Severer ills to fuffer and relate!

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For while their orders those aloft attend,
To furl the main-fail, or on deck defcend,
A fea* up-furging with tremendous roll,
To diftant ruin feems to doom the whole.
O friends fecure your hold! Arion cries!
It comes all-dreadful, flocping from the fkies!
Uplifted on its horrid edge. the feals

The fhock, and on her fide half-buried reels:
The fail, half-buried in the whelming wave,
A fearful warning to the feamen gave:
While from its margin, terrible to tell!
Three failors with their gallant boatswain fell.
Torn with refiftlefs fury from their bold,
In vain their ftruggling arms the yard infold:
In vain to grapple flying cords they try;
The cords, alas! a folid gripe defy!

Prone on the midnight furge with panting breath
They cry for aid, and long contend with death.
High o'er their heads the rolling billows sweep,.
And down they fink in everlafting fleep.-
Bereft of power to help, their comrades fee
The wretched victims die beneath the lee ;
With fruitlefs forrow their loft fate bemoan;
Perhaps a fatal prelude to their own!

In

A fea is the general name given by failors to a fingle wave or billow; hence when a wave burlts over the deck, the veffel is faid to have fhipp'd a sea.

In dark fufpence on deck the pilots fland,
Nor can determine on the next command.
Tho' fill they know the veffel's armed fide,
Impenetrable to the clasping tide :

Tho' fill the waters by no fecret wound
A paffage to her deep receffes found;
Surrounding evils yet they ponder o'er,
A form, a dangerous fea, and leeward fhore!
Should they, tho' reef d, again their fails extend,
Again in fluttering fragments they may rend;
Or fhould they ftand, beneath the dreadful ftrain,
The down-preft fhip may never rife again;
Too late to weather * now Morea's land,
Yet verging faft to Athens rocky ftrand.--
Thus they lament the confequence fevere,
Where perils unallay'd by hope appear.
Long in their minds revolving each event,
At laft to furl the courfes they confent.
That done to reef the mizen next agree,
And try + beneath it, fidelong in the fea.
Now down the maft the floping yard declin'd,
Till by the jears and topping lift confin'd.

The

To weather a fhore, is to pafs to the windward of it, which at this time is prevented by the violence of the form.

+ To try, is to lay the fhip, with her fide wards in the direction of the wind and fea, with the head fomewhat inclined to the windward: the helm being laid a-lee to retain her in that pofition. See a further illuftration on this in

the laft note of this Canto,

The topping-lift which tops the upper end of the mizen-yard. This line and the fix following defcribe the operation of reefing and balancing the mizen. The reef of this fail is towards the lower end, the knitles being small fhort lines used in the room of points for this purpose they are accordingly knotted under the foot-rope, or lower edge of the fail.

The head, with doubling canvas fenc'd around,
In balance, near the lofty peak, they bound.
The reef enwrapt, th' inferted knittles ty'd,
To hoift the fhorten'd fail again they hi'd.
The order given, the yard aloft they fway'd;
The brails relax'd, th' extended sheet belay'd.
The helm its poft forfook, and lafh'd a-lee ́*,
Inclin'd the wayward prow to front the sea.

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When facred Orpheus, on the Stygian coaft,
With notes divine implor'd his confort loft;
Tho' round him perils grew in fell array,
And fates and furies flood to bar his way;
Not more advent'rous was th' attempt to move
The powers of hell with ftrains of heavenly love,
Than mine to bid th' unwilling mufe explore
The wilderness of rude mechanic lore.
Such toil th'unwearied Dadalus endur'd..
When in the Cretan labyrinth immur'd;...
Till art her falutary help beftow'd,

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To guide him through that intricate abode. go on a Thus, long entangled in a thorny way,

That never heard the fweet Pierian lay,

The Mufe that tun'd to barbarous founds her ftring

Now fpreads like Dadalus a bolder wing;

The verfe begins in fofter ftrains to flow,

Replete with fad variety of woe.

As yet amid this elemental war,

That fcatters defolation from afar,
Nor toil nor hazard nor distress appear
To fink the feamen with unmanly fear.
Tho' their firm hearts no pageant honour boast.
They fcorn the wretch that trembles in his poft.
Who from the face of danger ftrives to turn,
Indignant from the focial hour they spurn.

Lafh'd a-lee,, is faltened to the fide lee.

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