CHARLES I. : THE NAVY 315 



it was "more than manifest" there would be so much other 

 work for his navy that the business of the fishing must needs 

 fall asleep of itself. He would advise a silence on all hands in 

 regard to it, and not to interrupt "business with moving a 

 question about that which would necessarily do itself (sic) with- 

 out questioning." Sir Thomas Roe also sent the queen assur- 

 ances in the same sense. The king, he said, would never retract 

 his declaration of the dominion of the sea, but " only for this 

 year, and at the request of the Prince (her son) and in contem- 

 plation of concurrence expected with him, he will not trouble 

 their fishing." These assurances seemed so far satisfactory to 

 the States that the edicts were suppressed. They would be 

 well content, they informed Elizabeth, if the king "forgot it 

 and spoke no more of it," which she told them she was con- 

 fident he would not, having things of greater importance on 

 hand. 1 



The young Elector, Prince Charles Louis, took a considerable 

 part in the conversion of the king ; or rather, he was made use 

 of by the Dutch ambassador for this purpose. When Van 

 Beveren first arrived in London, he let it be known that the 

 States were desirous of doing something for the Prince; but 



1 Roe to Ferentz, Oct. 15, 1636. State Papers, Dom., cccxxxiv. 15. Goring 

 to his father, Lord Goring, Feb. , 1637. Ibid., cccxlvi. 33. Goffe to Archbishop 



Laud, Feb. 2. Ibid., cccxlvi. 23. The Queen of Bohemia to Archbishop Laud, 



4 

 Feb. . Ibid., cccxlvi. 34. Laud to the Queen, Feb. 28. Ibid., cccxlviii. 62. 



Roe to the Queen, Mar. 17. Ibid., cccl. 16. The Queen to Laud, ^^ 4 - Ibid., 



cccli. 1. Goffe's letter to Laud was as follows: "Your Grace will receive intelli- 

 gence from other hands that certain edicts which were ready to be published by 

 the States against paying any acknowledgment for leave to fish are now suppressed 

 upon the hopes of his Majesty's relinquishing that business for the present. But 

 the Prince of Orange, not willing to content himself with probabilities, hath been 

 very pressing with the Queen of Bohemia to have some assurance given him that 

 the king would not interrupt their fishing this year. And if no other way might 

 be afforded, he is very urgent at least that the Elector (the son of Elizabeth) would 

 write to him and assure him so much. How much such an assurance would be 

 prejudicial to the honour of his sacred Majesty your Grace can best judge. But I 

 thought it my duty to add that though their edicts are suppressed, yet their book 

 in answer to Mr Selden's Mare Clausum is ready to come forth : and the author is 

 neither so modest nor discreet that the Elector should trust him [? the Prince of 

 Orange] with any written assurance in that kind. The Prince of Orange hath been 

 so much upon this that it hath given others cause to believe that the Elector will 

 be moved in it." 



