Yet could I never see two ships builded of like proportion by the best and most skilful shipwrights in this realm ... the chiefest cause of their error is because they trust rather to their judgment than to their art, and to their eye than to their scale and compass.
He then, feeling, no doubt, that his want of technical experience in shipbuilding gave him small right to pose as a critic of the professional builders, deprecates their censure in the following words:
All which defects in building and many other I have with no less careful endeavour than with the often peril and hazard of mine own life diligently applied myself to search and find out, even to the uttermost of my skill and understanding; and although by mine own experience I can in this point speak as much as most seamen (I might say as any), having been employed in this service ever since I was able to do any, and served therein well near four prenticeships, and having in this time borne all the offices belonging to this trade, even from the lowest unto the highest, yet had I rather that any other should have taken upon them the searching and finding out of these impediments and the laying of them open, than myself; but seeing that no man that ever I heard of hath hitherto, as yet, undertaken the same, the thing being of much importance, as it is, and the dangers so great, though perhaps I shall be hardly censured for the same of the shipwrights, whose want of art or diligence I therein accuse, yet do I think it the part of every good subject rather to seek to do good to the whole state than to fear the displeasure of any one occupation.
In an undated paper, a copy of which is preserved in the Harleian MSS.,[120] he further criticises the shipwrights to the following effect:
The Shipwrights of England and of Christendom build ships only by uncertain traditional precepts and observations and chiefly by the deceiving aim of their eye, where for want of skill to work by such proportions as in Art is required and is ever certain, I have found these defects.
(1) No shipwright is able to make two ships alike in proportion nor qualities; to build a ship to any desired burden certain; nor to propose to himself how much water his ship shall draw until there be trial made thereof.
(2) Ships yet built go not upright in the sea, whereby they often lose the use of their lower tier of ordnance.
(3) They are often forced to be furred; which is a great charge and weakening to the ships; this is for want of skill to work their desired proportions.
(4) They labour and beat in the sea more than they may be made to do; which causeth often leaks to spring and weakeneth them that they cannot last so long as they might.
(5) They go not so near the wind as they might be made to do, the wind being the greatest advantage in fight.