of the wind, not merely to attack, but to make a formidable
concentration on a part of the enemy's line, his wary opponent, De
Guichen, changed his tactics. In the first of their three actions the
Frenchman took the lee. gage; but after recognizing Rodney's purpose
he manoeuvred for the advantage of the wind, not to attack, but to
refuse action except on his own terms. The power to assume the
offensive, or to refuse battle, rests no longer with the wind, but
with the party which has the greater speed; which in a fleet will
depend not only upon the speed of the individual ships, but also upon
their tactical uniformity of action. Henceforth the ships which have
the greatest speed will have the weather-gage.

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3. A ship was said to have the weather-gage, or "the advantage of the
wind," or "to be to windward," when the wind allowed her to steer for
her opponent, and did not let the latter head straight for her. The
extreme case was when the wind blew direct from one to the other; but
there was a large space on either side of this line to which the term
"weather-gage" applied. If the lee ship be taken as the centre of a
circle, there were nearly three eighths of its area in which the other
might be and still keep the advantage of the wind to a greater or less
degree. Lee is the opposite of weather.
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It is not therefore a vain expectation, as many think, to look for
useful lessons in the history of sailing-ships as well as in that of
galleys. Both have their points of resemblance to the modern ship;
both have also points of essential difference, which make it
impossible to cite their experiences or modes of action as tactical
_precedents_ to be followed. But a precedent is different from and