Halyards—bow-lines—clue-lines—reef tackles—earings.
Halyards are those ropes by which sails are hoisted or lowered. Bow-lines are ropes fastened to the outer edge of square sails in three different places, that the windward edge of the sail may be bound tight forward on a side wind, in order to keep the sail from shivering. Clue-lines are fastened to the lower corners of the square sails, for the more easy furling of them. Reef-tackles are ropes fastened to the edge of the sail, just beneath the lowest reef; and being brought down to the deck by means of two blocks, are used to facilitate the operation of reefing. Earings are small ropes employed to fasten the upper corners of the principal sails, and the extremities of the reefs, to the respective yard-arms, particularly when any sail is to be close furled.
[Page 68], l. 6.
Brail up the mizen quick.
The mizen is a large sail bent to the mizen mast, and is commonly reckoned one of the courses, which consist of the main-sail, fore-sail, and mizen. As the word brails is a general name given to all the ropes which are employed to haul up the bottoms, lower corners, and skirts of the great sails; so the drawing them together, for the more ready operation of furling, is called brailing them up. The effect which the operation of brailing up the mizen produces, is noticed in the last note of this Canto.
[Page 68], l. 7.
Man the clue-garnets, let the main-sheet fly!
Clue-garnets are the same to the main-sail and fore-sail, which the clue-lines are to all other square-sails, and are hauled up when the sail is to be furled or brailed. Sheets: it is necessary in this place to remark, that the sheets, which are universally mistaken by our English poets for the sails, are in reality the ropes that are used to extend the clues, or lower corners of the sails, to which they are attached.