To FRESHEN the bawse

When a Ship remains in such a situation, it is always necessary to wrap some old canvas, mat, leather, or such like material, round that part of the cable which rubs against the stem, &c. The matter used for this purpose is called service: but as the violent agitation of the ship, produced by the tempest, or sea, as she rides in an open road, must communicate a great friction to the cable; the service will consequently be soon worn through: it is necessary therefore to have it frequently renewed by a fresh application of the like materials, behind the former, for the preservation of the cable, on which everything depends; and this renewal of service is called freshening the hawse, a circumstance which cannot be too vigilantly observed.

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