The admiral ought to have this order before he joins battle with the enemy, that all his ships shall bear a flag in their mizen-tops, and himself one in the foremast beside the mainmast, that everyone may know his own fleet by that token.  If he see a hard match with the enemy and be to leeward, then to gather his fleet together and seem to flee, and flee indeed for this purpose till the enemy draw within gunshot.  And when the enemy doth shoot then [he shall] shoot again, and make all the smoke he can to the intent the enemy shall not see the ships, and [then] suddenly hale up his tackle aboard,[6] and have the wind of the enemy.  And by this policy it is possible to win the weather-gage of the enemy, and then he hath a great advantage, and this may well be done if it be well foreseen beforehand, and every captain and master made privy to it beforehand at whatsoever time such disadvantage shall happen.

The admiral shall not take in hand any exploit to land or enter into any harbour enemy with the king’s ships, but[7] he call a council and make the captains privy to his device and the best masters in the fleet or pilots, known to be skilful men on that coast or place where he intendeth to do his exploit, and by good advice.  Otherwise the fault ought to be laid on the admiral if anything should happen but well.[8]

And if he did an exploit without assent of the captains and [it] proved well, the king ought to put him out of his room for purposing a matter of such charge of his own brain, whereby the whole fleet might fall into the hands of the enemy to the destruction of the king’s people.[29]

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] A Book of Orders for the War both by Land and Sea, written by Thomas Audley at the command of King Henry VIII.

[2] I.e. hinder.

[3] MS. ‘the shot of.’  The whole MS. has evidently been very carelessly copied and is full of small blunders, which have been corrected in the text above.  ‘Board’ till comparatively recent times meant to close with a ship.  ‘Enter’ was our modern ‘board.’

[4] ‘Ridden’ = ‘cleared.’

[5] ‘Bulge’ = ‘scuttle.’  A ship was said to bulge herself when she ran aground and filled.

[6] The passage should probably read ‘hale or haul his tacks aboard.’

[7] I.e. ‘without,’ ‘unless.’

[8] It was under this old rule that Boroughs lodged his protest against Drake’s entering Cadiz in 1587.

[9] The rest of the articles relate to discipline, internal order of ships, and securing prize cargoes.

THE ADOPTION OF SPANISH TACTICS BY HENRY VIII

INTRODUCTORY

These two sets of orders were drawn up by the lord high admiral in rapid succession in August 1545, during the second stage of Henry VIII’s last war with France.  In the previous month D’Annibault, the French admiral, had been compelled to abandon his attempt on Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, and retire to recruit upon his own coast; and Lord Lisle was about to go out and endeavour to bring him to action.