1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 313 ij peces of tymbre for the halse of the seyd ship.

1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias lxiv. 130 To let slippe their Gabells by theyr Halsis.

1589 W. Wren in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 147 Wee..cut our cable at the hawse.

a1608 F. Vere Comm. (1657) 28 After many attempts to wind up the anchor I was forced to cut cable in the haulse.

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 10 The Hauses are those great round holes before, vnder the Beak-head, where commonly is vsed the Cables when you come to an Anchor, the bold or high Hause is the best.

1633 T. James Strange Voy. 46 Our Cables froze in the hawse.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) A Bold Hawse, is when the Hole is lofty above Water.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. iv. 330 We were in a leaky ship, with three cables in our hawses.

1842 J. F. Cooper Jack o' Lantern I. 140 Two men appeared near the Knight-heads..looking at the vessel's hawse.

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes A halse or cable to draw a bote or ship withall. [1611 Alzaniere..a halse or halsier in a ship].

a1642 W. Monson Naval Tracts (1704) iii. 346/1 Cat~holes are over the Ports in the Gun-Room..to heave the Ship a stern by a Cable, or Hause.

1630 J. Taylor Brave Sea-fight in Wks. iii. 39/1 In the darke night they might haue chained two or three Frigots together, and turning them vpon them, vpon the Ebbe, thwart their hawse, might much haue endangered them.

1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 332 Both fell foul one anothers houlses, through which mischance her boltsprit gave our mizen shrouds a [etc.].

1666 London Gaz. No. 21/4 He fell thwart the Man of Wars Halse.

1667 London Gaz. No. 160/4 The Vice Admiral..intended then to cross the Hause.

1712 E. Cooke Voy. S. Sea 350 Then I lay a-thwart the Enemy's Harse.

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. xvi. 280 Nothing would suit Nelson but this four-decked ship, so we crossed the hawse of about six of them, and..were abreast of her.

1859 C. Reade Love me Little (Ward) ix. 112 ‘There are mischiefmakers behind’. ‘Ay?.. I'll teach them to come across my hawse’.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. (at cited word) If a vessel drives at her anchors into the hawse of another she is said to ‘foul the hawse’ of the vessel riding there; hence the threat..‘If you foul my hawse, I'll cut your cable’.

1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 33 The ship on hull, the helme on lee, full hawse in tumbling roades.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Burning in the Hawse, is when the Cable endures an extraordinary Stress. Clearing the Hawse, is the untwisting of two Cables, which being let out at two several Hawses, are wound about one another. Riding upon the Hawse, is when any weighty Substance falls directly before the Hawse, or lies across it.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Fresh Hawse, when there is Reason to suspect the Cable may be fretted in those Holes... Freshing the Hawse, is when new Pieces are laid upon the Cable in the Hawse.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. i. 116 These..gusts make it difficult for ships..to keep a clear hawse when anchored.

1788 Chambers's Cycl. (new ed.) Hawse, foul, implies that the cables lie across the stern, or bear upon each other, so as to be rubbed or chafed by the motion of the vessel.

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship II. 254* When a ship at her moorings has her cables lead strait to her anchors, without crossing, she is said to ride with an open hawse.

1881 L. R. Hamersly Naval Encycl. (at cited word) If from an open hawse a ship swings 180° she brings a cross in the hawse, a second half swing in the same direction makes an elbow, a third, a round turn, a fourth, a round turn and an elbow, and so on.

1813 J. M. Good et al. Pantologia (at cited word) Hawse-bags, are bags of canvas made tapering, and stuffed full of oakum..to prevent the sea from washing in at these [hawse] holes.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hawse-blocks, bucklers, or pieces of wood made to fit over the hawse-holes when at sea, to back the hawse-plugs.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hawse-bolsters, planks above and below the hawse-holes. Also, pieces of canvas stuffed with oakum and roped round, for plugging when the cables are bent.

c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 55 The hawse boxes, or deck pipe.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hawse-box, or Naval Hood, pieces of plank bolted outside round each of the hawse-holes, to support the projecting part of the hawse-pipe.

1881 L. R. Hamersly Naval Encycl. Hawse-Boxing..was formerly a projection left upon the hawse~timbers in the wake of the hawse-holes.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hawse-bucklers, plugs of wood to fit the hawse-holes, and hatches to bolt over, to keep the sea from spurting in.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 373 To ride hawse-fallen, is when the water breaks into the hawse in a rough sea, driving all before it.

1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) i. xvi. 81 To RideHawse-fall, is when in a rough Sea the Water breaks into the Hawses.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 373 Riding hawse-full, pitching bows under.

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 123 Hawse-hook, the breast-hook over the hawse-holes.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Hawse-timbers, the upright timbers in the bow, bolted on each side of the stem, in which the hawse-holes are cut.

c1500 Melusine (1895) xxiv. 166 He made to be haused a lytel galyote out of the grete galeye with viii hores.

a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 62/1 Euery thing was hawsed aboue the mesure: amercementes turned into fines, fines into raunsomes.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III 11 b Halsed up their sailes.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxv. xxv. 568 Bomilcar..having sea-roume, halsed up sailes.

c1475 Partenay 498 Puttyng my hole hert..and thought ay To your honour, hawse, and encrese also.