Sheates.
The Sheates are bent to the clew of all sailes: In all sailes, that are lowe sailes, they serve to hale-aft, or round-aft the clew of the saile, but in top-sailes, they serve to hale-home (that is to hale close) the clew of the saile to the yard-armes, when they hale-aft the sheate of the fore-saile, it is to make her fall off from the wind, when the ship will not fall off from the wind, they flat-in the fore-sheate, that is, pull the saile flat in by the sheate, as neere into the ships side as may be; Ease the Sheate of the saile, that is, to veere-out, or let goe a little of it. Let fly the Sheate, that is, let it run-out as far as it will, and then the saile will hold no wind, but lie floating loose (and then if it be an ex∣traordinary stresse of wind) it will split the gale to peeces; but this we doe both with top-saile-sheates, and the other sheates, when we sus∣pect the wind will be so great that it will carry our masts by the boord, or over-set the ship: Also in great stiffe gales, we use to bind an other roape to the clew of the saile above the Sheate-block, to succour and ease the Sheate, least it should breake, and that roape we call a false Sheate, and this is only used to the maine, and fore-sailes: Those plancks under water, which come along the Run of the ship, and are closed to the Sterne-post, are called Sheates, and that part within-boord, abast, in the Run of the ship, is called the sterne-sheates.