deemed it of importance to build some vessels specially for war.

instead of relying entirely upon ships hire. d from the merchants, and more or less hastily and imperfectly adapted for it, and he strengthened the Navy I4oyal by adding to it at least two finer men-of-war than had been previously seen in England.

Vith th crown he acquired the Grace d Die.. the the :]Irti. Grtrcia, the Mtry of the Toccr, the Tri.iy, the Ftlc.., and possibly the Bo.a,e.t.re. He purchased the Cr,cl !f Exe (Cantvel of :Eu, in Iormandy), and perhaps also a small craft called the Ki.g's Btrk; he c;tptured the M. rgaret in 1490; and he huilt the P, egct, the Sot'creig, the Sxeeislakc, and the Mry Fvrte.

The ttnnagc and dimensions of the I?cgct and the Sor,'rcig. are unknown; but it is tolerably certain that both ships were 1;trgcr and more powe:ful than a,y of their predecessors in the English navy.

The l'cgct was constructed in Ieding Creek. on the I.other. under the supervision of Sir Richard Guildford. and seems to have hecn hmnched in 1489 or 1490. She carried ')5 serpentines, all apparently on the upper deck, forecastle, and poop. She had a foremast and foretop-mast, s a main-mast, main top-mast, and main top-gallut-mast, a main mizen-mast, a bonaventure mizen- nast, and a sprit-sail on the ])owsprit. Each mast seems to have carried a yard. The Jfeget was burnt in 1512.

The Sorereig was constructed, partly out of the remains of the broken-up Grace & Die, under the superintendence of Sir leginald 13my, and, in all likelihood, was launched in 14,. She was smaller than the Jfcgt, carrying only 141 serpentines. Her masts were like those of the Rcge.t, except that she had no nain top- gallant-mast. 's

Probably bought or built, 1473. 2 Baaght, 1485. Excheq. Warr. for Issues, January 31st, 14s5. s Pr.bably bought, 1470. Excheq. Warr. fi,r Issues, July lSth, 1470. P,.ught, 1478. t, Re-n:med Mtry ,d Jol. G It is known, however, that the tt,e;,! was Ct,l,ied from a French ship, the (*ol,mbe, of 600 tons. $,n of Sir John Guildford, of Hempsted. lie was made Master of the Ordnance in 1486, l]aeu Controller of the Household, and, in 1500, a K.G. s These tt,l}-masts were separate spars, but fixed, and not strikable.

Later, a Privy Councillor and K.G. He was the architect tf St. George's ('hal,el , Wmdsl', and of Henry VII.'s Chapel, Westminster. l,, Nay. At.t'ts. aml Inventories of Henry VII. (Oppcnheim), pref. xix-xxiv.