512 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1SI2. 



ther they shall be able wholly to 

 accomplish the object they have in 

 view, will depend upon the assist- 

 ance which they may receive from 

 the public. 



Account of Selden's celebra- 

 ted Work, Mare Clausum. 

 From. Dr.AikirCs Lives of Selden 

 and Usher. 



In 1634, the Dutch had almost 

 monopolized the northern fisheries; 

 and discussions having been en- 

 tered into concerning their right 

 of frequenting, and taking herrings 

 on, the British shores, it was re- 

 collected that Selden many years 

 before had written a treatise to 

 assert the English dominion of the 

 sea. Of the composition of this 

 work, which under the title of 

 Mare Clausum, was first published 

 in 1636, the history merits a de- 

 tail. 



The illustrious Grotius, as early 

 as 1609, had published a work en- 

 titled " Mare Libernm," in order 

 to establish the right of the Dutch 

 to navigate to the East Indies, in 

 opposition to the exclusive claim 

 of the Portui^uese. Some years 

 afterwards, Selden, among his va- 

 rious studies, engaged in a refuta- 

 tion of the principles of this per- 

 formance; for although the " Mare 

 Clausum" is not avowedly an an- 

 swer to the*' Mare Liberum," the 

 contrasted title evidently shews 

 that the author had that work in 

 view. At the time when Selden's 

 History of Tythes had brought 

 him into disgrace with King James, 

 the Admiral of England having 

 heard of his writing on the subject 

 of the dominion of the sea, pro- 

 bably with the intention of do- 



ing him service, mentioned the 

 circumstance to the King, who or- 

 dered him to pre[)are the work for 

 publication. Selden obeyed, and 

 in the summer of 1G18 presented a 

 fair copy to his Majesty, who, after 

 perusing it, gave it to the Aduiiral 

 in order to be examined by Sir 

 Henry Marten, president of the 

 court of admiralty. He read and 

 approved it, and the manuscript 

 was returned to the Admiral, who 

 took Selden with his book to the 

 King's closet for the royal impri- 

 matur. James was just about to 

 sign it, when he observed, " 1 re- 

 collect something is said here con- 

 cerning the northern sea, which 

 may perhaps displease my brother 

 of Denmark, and I would not now 

 have him offended, because 1 owe 

 him a large sum of money, and 

 am goina: to borrow a eieater." It 

 was therefore returned to the au- 

 thor for alteration. When this 

 was effected, the work was for 

 some time under the inspection of 

 the Earl of Pembroke ; but at 

 length the King and his ministers 

 seem to have lost all interest in it, 

 and the papers were suffered to 

 lie above fifteen years forgotten in 

 Selden's cabinet. It was hinted to 

 him as one cause of this neglect, 

 that some officious persons had in- 

 sinuated to the Admiral, that cer- 

 tain things in the treatise appeared 

 to restrict the jurisdiction of the 

 Admiralty Court ; and also, that 

 the King himself fancied that the 

 mention made in it of certain 

 treaties with foreign powers might 

 prove prejudicial to his views. In 

 the subsequent reign other subjects 

 fully occui)ied Selden's attention, 

 as well as that of the court ; and it 

 was not till the spring of 1635 

 that, the King's maritime rights 



being 



