Wren,' their date can be fixed to a time not later than the spring of 1672, for Dr.Matthew Wren, F.R.S., died on June 14 in that year, having served as the lord admiral's secretary since 1667, when Coventry resigned his commissionership of the navy.

They consist of twenty-six articles, which follow those of the late war so closely that it has not been thought worth while to print them except in the few cases where they vary from the older ones.
They are accompanied however in the 'Sea Book' by three 'Further Instructions,' which do not appear in any previous set.

They are of the highest importance and mark a great stride in naval tactics, a stride which owing to Granville Penn's error is usually supposed to have been taken in the previous war.

For the first time they introduced rules for engaging when the two fleets get contact on opposite tacks, and establish the much-abused system of stretching the length of the enemy's line and then bearing down together.

But it must be noted that this rule only applies to the case where the fleets are approaching on opposite tacks and the enemy is to leeward.