APPENDIX D 751 



able to their Countrey, And doe betake themselues to the seruice of 

 diuers forreine States, vnder the title of men of Warre, to haue 

 thereby occasion to continue their vnlawful and vngodly course of lining 

 by spoile vsing the seruice of those Princes but for colour and pretext, 

 but in effect making themselues commonly no better then Pirats to 

 robbe both our owne Subiects their Countreymen, and the subiects 

 of other Princes our neighbours, going in their honest Trade of 

 Merchandize : By which courses they doe impeach the quiet traffique 

 of Nations one with other, leaue our Realme vnfurnished of men of 

 their sort, if we should haue cause to vse them, and inure themselues 

 to an impious disposition of liuing by rapine and euill meanes, 

 although by reason of the Uniuersall peace wherein wee are at this 

 present with all Christian Princes and States, they may haue a more 

 plentifull employment in an orderly and lawfull Nauigation, then at 

 any time of late yeeres they conld haue had : We haue thought 

 it necessary in time to preuent the spreading of such a corruption 

 amongst our Subiects of that sort and calling, whereby our Nation 

 will be so much slandered, and our Realme so greatly disaduantaged. 

 Wherefore we doe will and command all Masters of ships, Pilots, 

 Mariners, and all other sort of Seafearing men, who now are in the 

 Martiall seruice of any forreine States, that they doe presently 

 returne home into their owne Countrey, and leaue all such forreine 

 Seruices, and betake themselues to their vocation in the lawfull 

 course of Merchandize, and other orderly Nauigation, upon such 

 paines and punishments as by the Lawes of our Eealme may be 

 inflicted upon them, if after this declaration of our pleasure, they 

 shall not obey. And we doe also vpon the same paines straitly 

 charge and command al our Subiects of that profession, that none 

 of them shall from hencefoorth take Letters of Marke or Reprisall, 

 nor serue vnder any that hath such Letters of Marke or Reprisall 

 from any forreine Prince or State whatsoeuer, Nor otherwise employ 

 themseiues in any warlike Seruices of any forraine State vpon the 

 Sea, without speciall License obtained from our selfe, or from our 

 high Admirall, as they will answer the contrary at their perils. 



And forasmuch as although we are in Peace with all Christian 

 Princes and States, yet during the continuance of the Warre betweene 

 the King of Spain and the Archdukes on the one side, and the 

 vnited Prouinces of the Low-Countreys on the other side, many 

 chances may happen, as some already haue happened, of difficult 

 interpretation to our Officers and Subiects how to behaue them- 

 selues in such cases, vnlesse they be explained vnto them: We 

 haue thought it conuenient to make an open declaration how our 

 said Officers and Subiects shall demeane themselues towards the 

 Subiects aswell of the King of Spaine and Archdukes, as also of 

 the States vnited in the cases following. 



First our pleasure is, That within our Portes, Hauens, Rodes, 



