UNDER THE STUARTS: JAMES I. : A NEW POLICY 135 



keeps Dutch trade going, and Dutch trade sets the world's 

 afloat " ; l and the argument that national power and wealth 

 depended on the sea fisheries became a commonplace in the 

 seventeenth century, and was urged as a reason why the 

 English people should secure for themselves the fisheries in 

 their own seas. This, it was said, would do more good to 

 the kingdom than all the mines and the whole trade in 

 cloth and wool ; the fisheries would be more valuable to us 

 than the Indies were to Spain, or than was the commerce 

 with the West Indies; they were the "very goal and prize 

 of trade and of the dominion of the sea." 2 Had not Holland, 

 which was "not so big as one of his Majesty's shires," and 

 where nothing " grew " save " a few hops, madder, and cheese," 

 become a rich and powerful state, full of goodly towns, 

 and the great mart of Europe, owing to the fish drawn 

 from the British seas ? Did not Dutch ships, in return for 

 the fish they exported, come back laden with the riches of 

 other lands, with oil and wine, honey and wool, from France 

 and Spain; with velvets, silks, and spices from the Medi- 

 terranean; with corn and wax, hemp, iron, and timber, from 

 the Baltic ? And all this great commerce was founded on 

 their fisheries in his Majesty's seas. 



Two other arguments were very commonly put forward, 

 that the development of the fisheries would directly increase 

 shipping, and also give birth to many other industries. 

 Ingenious and detailed calculations were made to show that 

 if 20 busses were built at a seaport they would cause other 

 80 ships to be constructed, increase the number of mariners 

 by 1000, and give employment to nearly 8000 people by 

 sea and land. " It is the fish taken upon his Majesty's coasts," 

 said Sir William Monson, the Admiral of the Narrow Sea, 

 " that is the only cause of the increase of shipping in Europe ; 

 and he that hath the trade of fishing becomes mightier than 

 all the world besides in number of ships." 3 Dutch ships 

 crowded our ports; they carried away English commodities 



1 Meynert Semeyns, Een corte beschryvinge over de Jfaring-visscheryc in Hollandt. 



2 Keymer, Observations on Dutch Fishing ; Monson, Naval Tracts, in Churchill's 

 Collection, iii. 467 ; H. Robinson, Brief e Considerations concerning the Advancement 

 of Trade, p. 50 ; England's Great Interest by encouraging the setting up of the Royal 

 Fishery, &c., &c. 



3 A Demonstration of the Hollanders increase in Shipping and our Decay here- 

 in. State Papers, Dom., xlvii. 112. 



