CHAPTER II - Of the Sea

Summary

The waves begin to raise themselves at first from a small breeze of wind, and by the increase and continuance of the breeze they grow longer, higher, and bigger.

The sea is not immediately made rough in the beginning of high winds, but the waves swell by degrees and slowly, until they come to be as bigg as mountains; then they expand and break themselves, and fall over with dashing.

Then the following wave from behind raiseth it again with much curled and foaming scum, neatly spotted with the white foam, looking like marble. This breaking and foaming of the waves is successively repeated.

So the swelling waves continually follow one another, moving before the wind with a quick motion; but when these waves are short, they dash over the ship and break much, so that the ship is hardly able to live.

In stormy weather little waves curl upon the top of the great ones, and lesser again upon them.

The ships do not feel these smaller waves, but only the great ones, that are called sea-mountains, which heave and mount the ship with them, but nevertheless she always keeps her straight way through these unpathed waves, which is wonderful to behold.