To Camber, or Cambering.
We say, is a decke lies cambering when it is higher in the midle, then at either end, and so doth not lie upon a right line: This word, is most commonly applied to the ships keele and beames, and other rounding-peeces, in the ships frame. Cam∣ber-keeled, is when the keele is bent in the midle upwards, which hap∣pens many times by a ships over lying a-ground, when either her after∣most part, or fore-most doth not touch: but the most common cause, and the chiefe reason of combering in great and long ships, is the sharpenesse of the Hull afore and abast, and the fowlenesse of their floare. A mid-ships, which having more bredth to beare upon the water, is har∣der to sinke then both ends before and abast: which by reason of their sharpnesse, and great waight, over-head, and in their rakes, which over∣hangs the ground-worke, sinke faster into the water, and so their weight forces the keele and whole worke in the mid-ships, to give way up∣wards, which is the maine reason of the ships cambering.