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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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INTRODUCTION
6 Probi homilies, or gentlemen of character, forming- a council to the Captain-General ;
4 Commissaries of Stores ;
2 Commissaries over the Arms ;
3 Physicians ; 3 Surgeons ;
5 Master Engineers and Carpenters ;
15 Master Smiths ;
12 Master Fletchers ;
5 Cuirass men and Helmet-makers ;
15 Oar-makers and Shaft-makers ;
10 Stone cutters for stone shot ;
Io Master Arblast-makers ;
20 Musicians ;
20 Orderlies, &c.
30. The musicians formed an important part of the equip-
ment. Sanudo says that in going into action every vessel should
make the greatest possible display of colours ; gon-
Music ; and
other par- falons and broad banners should float from stem to
ticulars. stern, and gay pennons all along the bulwarks ; whilst
it was impossible to have too much of noisy music, of pipes,
trumpets, kettle-drums, and what not, to put heart into the crew
and strike fear into the enemy.*
So Joinville, in a glorious passage, describes the galley of
his kinsman, the Count of Jaffa, at the landing of St. Lewis in
Egypt :
" That galley made the most gallant figure of them all, for it was painted all over, above water and below, with scutcheons of the count's arms, the field of which was or with a cross fiaíée ,g ules.t He had a good 300 rowers in his galley, and every man of them had a target blazoned with his arms in beaten gold. And, as they carne on, the galley looked to be some flying creature, with such spirit did the rowers spin it along- ;—or rather, with the rustle of its flags, and the roar of its nacaires and drums and Saracen horns, you might have taken it for a rushing bolt of heaven."
The galleys, which were very low in the water, could not
keep the sea in rough weather, and in winter they never
willingly kept the sea at night, however fair the weather might
* The Catalan Admiral Roger de Loria, advancing at daybreak to attack the Provençal Fleet of Charles of Naples (1283) in the harbour of Malta, " did a thing which should be reckoned to him rather as an act of madness," says Muntaner, " than of reason. He said, ` God forbid that I should attack them, all asleep as they are ! Let the trumpets and nacaires sound to awaken them, and I will tarry till they be ready for action. No man shall have it to say, if I beat them, that it was by catching them asleep.'" (Muni. p. 287.) It is what Nelson might have done !
The Turkish admiral Sidi 'Ali, about to engage a Portuguese squadron in the Straits of Hormuz, in 1553, describes the Franks as " dressing their vessels with flags
and coming on." (J. As. ix. 70.)
t A cross patcée, is one with the extremities broadened out into feet as it were. $ Page 5o.
§ The galley at p. ¢q is somewhat too high ; and I believe it should have had no shrouds,
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