Item.  The victuallers shall follow the third rank and shall bear in their tops their flags.  Also that neither of the said wings shall further enter into fight; but, having advantage as near anigh[6] as they can of the wind, shall give succour as they shall see occasion, and shall not give care to any of the small vessels to weaken our force.  There be, besides the said ships mentioned, to be joined to the foresaid battle fifty sail of western ships, and whereof be seven great hulks of 888 ton apiece, and there is also the number of 1,200 of soldiers beside mariners in all the said ships.

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] A similar list of ships is in a MS. in the Cambridge University Library.

[2] This paper gives the order of the wings and vanguard only.  The fifty west-country ships that were presumably to form the rearguard had not yet joined.

[3] MS. ‘closing.’

[4] The fleets did not get contact till August 15.

[5] MS. ‘messel.’

[6] MS. ‘a snare a nye.’  The passage is clearly corrupt.  Perhaps it should read ’neither of the said wings shall further enter into the fight but as nigh as they can keeping advantage of the wind [i.e. without losing the weather-gage of any part of the enemy’s fleet] but shall give succour,’ &c.

LORD LISLE, No. 2.

[+Record Office, State Papers, Henry VIII.+]

The Order for the said Fleet taken by the Lord Admiral the 10th day of August, 1545.[1]

1.  First, it is to be considered that every of the captains with the said ships appointed by this order to the vanward, battle and wing shall ride at anchor according as they be appointed to sail by the said order; and no ship of any of the said wards or wing shall presume to come to an anchor before the admiral of the said ward.

2. Item, that every captain of the said wards or wing shall be in everything ordered by the admiral of the same.

3. Item, when we shall see a convenient time to fight with the enemies our vanward shall make with their vanward if they have any; and if they be in one company, our vanward, taking the advantage of the wind, shall set upon their foremost rank, bringing them out of order; and our vice-admiral shall seek to board their vice-admiral, and every captain shall choose his equal as near as he may.

4. Item, the admiral of the wing shall be always in the wind with his whole company; and when we shall join with the enemies he shall keep still the advantage of the wind, to the intent he with his company may the better beat off the galleys from the great ships.[2]

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] The articles are preceded, like the first ones, by a list of ships or ‘battle order,’ showing an organisation into a vanward, main body (battle), and one wing of oared craft.  See Introductory Note, p. 19.