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The Deck is that floare of planck, whereon we place our Ordnance, it lies upon the beames; they are called by the name of first, second or third deck, beginning at the lowest: also there is the halfe deck, that is, the deck which is from the Maine-mast to the stem, and quarter-deck, which is from the steeridge aloft to the Masters cabbin:
There is also the spar-deck, which is the upper-most, betwixt the two Masts, and is made very slight, with a meting, or slight boords, towards the sides of the ship, and a grateing in the middest; also these decks are called by the name of Orlops, as they use to say, the first or second Or∣lop; a flush Deck, or as they use to say, a Deck flush, fore and aft, that is, when from stem to stem, it lies upon a right line without any fall: Note that the best contriving of a man of war, is to have the decks flush, and to have all her ports on that deck on an equall height, so as that every Peece may serve any port, the reasons are, for that the decks be∣nig flush, men may passe fore and art with much more ease, for the de∣livering powder and shot, or releeving one another; but chiefely for that if a Peece or two be dismounted by shot in any place where there is a fall, another cannot be brought to supply his place, besides the dis∣commoditie that by disjoyning the equall bearing part of the ship, the ship is much weakned, and also it looses much stowage in the sterne-sheates, yet there may be some use of these falls to a Merchant man for his defence, who may fit a close fight out of every fall, and though he loose one part of the deck, yet he may still keep more to be gained from him: The Deck cambers, that is, when it doth not lie flat, but compassing; To sinck a deck, or to let fall a deck, is to remove it and place it lower: To raise a deck, is to put it higher above water; the making of a deck is termed, the laying of a deck.