y the Second possessed a most formidable fleet, numbering
some five hundred vessels of war. During the reign of his successor a
novel artifice in naval warfare was resorted to by the English which
merits notice. The English admiral caused a number of barrels of
unslaked lime to be placed in his ships. Having brought his fleet to
windward of the enemy--the French--he ordered water to be poured on the
lime. This of course raised a great and dense smoke, which, being blown
by the wind into the very faces of the French, prevented the latter from
seeing on what quarter they were being attacked. A panic arose, and
spread, among the French vessels, and the victory fell easily to the
English.

The navy of Edward the Third numbered eleven hundred ships when he
undertook the invasion of France. But the great majority of these were
not properly men-of-war--in fact, there were only five fully equipped
warships; the rest were for the most part merchant vessels converted
into fighting ships and transports for the time being. The navy of King
Philip of France, though numerically weaker, far surpassed that of the
English king in point of equipment. Of the four hundred ships of which
it consisted, no fewer than one hundred had, been built purposely for
war, according to the best principles of naval architecture then known.
Bows, catapults, javelins, and weapons of a like description were the
engines of offence used on both sides, and with these much havoc was
wrought at close quarters. The English were victorious, notwithstanding
the more scientific equipment of their foes. The French ships were
boarded, and the flower of King Philip's naval force must that day have
perished.

Henry the Seventh did much for the improvement of the English navy. It
was during his reign that the _Great Harry_ was built, which was really
the first large ship built directly for the Royal Navy. Hitherto the
vessels employed by England for national defence or offence had been
supplied by certain maritime towns; but the _Great Harry_ was the
property of the people. She was built in 1488, and had port-holes for
cannon in the lower deck, being the first vessel thus constructed. The
_Great Harry_ was subsequently far surpassed by another of King Henry's
ships, the _Grace de Dieu_, which was no less than one thousand tons
burden, and carried seven hundred men and one hundred and twenty-two
guns, (some writers mention only eighty guns) the largest of