92 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



men should be prohibited from purchasing fresh herrings which 

 had been caught by strangers; that they should be free to 

 export and sell sea fish out of the realm ; and, principally, that 

 Wednesday should be made an additional fish-day. The decay 

 of the fisheries, he said, was manifest on all the sea coast in the 

 decay of the port towns, which soon would be " remedeless," and 

 it was caused by diminished consumption of fish. at home and 

 the want of foreign markets. 1 On the other hand, Scotland, 

 Norway, Denmark, Friesland, Zealand, Holland, and Flanders 

 caught not only sufficient fish for themselves, but exported it to 

 other countries, including England ; while Spain provided her- 

 self by her fisheries on the south coast of Ireland, and France 

 " aboundeth with fishermen " from her great fisheries at New- 

 foundland and Iceland. 2 Cecil's conclusion was that there was 

 no likelihood for a long time of developing a flourishing export 

 trade in fish, and that it would be necessary to institute another 

 fish-day to increase the demand at home. On this part of his 

 proposals he entered into a long argument, showing that in 1536 

 the 500 monasteries which paid tithes to the king, with a mini- 

 mum number of 25,000 inmates, must have required a great 

 supply of fish, as fish was then eaten on at least seventy-six 

 days a year more than at the time when he wrote. 3 



By the great Act passed in 1563, " Touching certain Politic 

 Constitutions made for the Maintenance of the Navy," Wednes- 

 day was added to the two fish-days previously enjoined by the 

 statute of Edward VI., but only after long debate and opposi- 

 tion on the part of the " puritans." 4 The Act also contained 



1 " The causes of the decay of fishing must be the lack of the vse of fishing, 

 which must be divided into ij partes, small eating of fisshe in ye Realme, and not 

 selling of it abroad." 



2 The number of French vessels engaged in the Newfoundland fisheries is placed 

 at 500, with 15,000 men ; and over 100, with at least 1000 men, fished at Iceland 

 for " herrings," but no doubt for cod and ling. 



3 There are many other memoranda amongst the State Papers, some in Cecil's 

 handwriting, which deal with fish-days. One gives in detail a note of all the fish- 

 days throughout the year, amounting to 186, and in addition " a number of sayntes 

 evens were fastyng dayes that now be not observed." Ibid., xxxi. 41, 42 (1563). 



4 5 Eliz. c. 5. The debate on the Wednesday proposal lasted three days, the 

 clause being ultimately carried by 179 to 97 (Commons Journals, i. 68). It was in 

 view of the expected opposition that the long paper above referred to was prepared. 

 The Wednesday was not put on quite the same footing as the Fridays and Satur- 

 days, since "one only usual competent dish of flesh and no more" was allowed, 

 provided that at the same table "three full competent usual dishes of sea fish 



