258 



THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



a declaration of war to follow. But the fleet, Coke continued, 

 was neither for revenge nor for the execution of justice for 

 past wrongs. It was primarily to put a stop to the " violent 

 current of the presumption" of men-of-war and freebooters, 

 who had abused the freedom allowed by the king to friends 

 and allies to make use of his seas and ports, by assaulting 

 one another within his Majesty's chambers and in his rivers, 

 "to the scorn and contempt of his dominion and power." 

 The king intended no rupture with any prince or state ; he 

 was "resolved to continue and maintain that happy peace 

 wherewith God hath blessed his kingdom, and to which all 

 his actions and negotiations have hitherto tended." But that 

 peace must be maintained by the arm of power, " which only 

 keeps down war by keeping up dominion." Therefore the 

 king found it necessary, even for his own defence and safety, 

 "to re-assume and keep his ancient and undoubted right in 

 the dominion of these seas, and to suffer no other prince or 

 state to encroach upon him, thereby assuming to themselves 

 or their Admirals any sovereign command; but to force the 

 to perform due homage to his Admirals and ships, and to 

 pay them acknowledgments, as in former times they did. He 

 would also set open and protect the free trade both of his 

 subjects and allies, and give them such safe conduct and 

 convoy as they shall reasonably require. He will suffer no 

 other fleets or men-of-war to keep any guard upon these 

 seas, or there to offer violence, or take prizes or booties, or 

 to give interruption to any lawful intercourse. In a word,'* 

 Coke concluded, "his Majesty is resolved, as to do no wrong, 

 so to do justice, both to his subjects and friends within the 

 limits of his seas." l 



The substance of this bombastic despatch, in which Charles 

 was fully displayed in his new figure as a Plantagenet, was 

 communicated by Boswell in a memoir to the States-General, 

 and their High Mightinesses must have rubbed their eyes as 



1 Coke to Boswell, -^ April 1635. Needham, Additional Evidences concerning 

 the Right of Soveraigntie and Dominion of England in the Sea ; Justice, A General 

 Treatise of the Dominion and Laws of the Sea, 181 ; Entick, A New Naval History, 

 xvii. If, as is probable, the mention of discourses concerning Mare Clausum re- 

 ferred to Selden's work, it would show that the author was then known to be 

 engaged in writing it. 





