276 THE SEA. 



worldly and his spiritual affairs as if preparing for death, before he set forth," while now 

 they opened up a brisk trade with that country and Portugal. Till now they had been 

 compelled to bear the insults and injuries of the Easterlings without combined attempt 

 at defence; now they retaliated, captured one of their admirals on the coast of Norway, 

 and hoisted a besom at the mast-head in token that they had swept the seas clean from 

 their pirate enemies. 



And now, in turn, some of them became pirates themselves, more particularly Hendrick 

 van Borselen, Lord of Veere, who assembled all the outlaws he could gather, and committed 

 such depredations, that he was enabled to add greatly to his possessions in Walcheren, by 

 the purchase of confiscated estates. He received others as grants from his own duke, who 

 feared him, and thought it prudent at any cost to retain, at least in nominal obedience, 

 one who might render himself so obnoxious an enemy. "This did not prevent the 

 admiral for he held that rank under the duke from infesting the coast of Flanders, 

 carrying off cattle from Cadsant, and selling them publicly in Zeeland. His excuse was 

 that the terrible character of his men compelled him to act as he did; and the duke 

 admitted the exculpation, being fain to overlook outrages which he could neither prevent 

 nor punish." A statute of the reign of Henry VI. sets forth the robberies committed 

 upon the poor merchants of this realm, not merely on the sea, but even in the rivers and 

 ports of Britain, and how not merely they lost their goods, but their persons also were 

 taken and imprisoned. Nor was this all, for "the king's poor subjects dwelling nigh the 

 sea-coasts were taken out of their own houses, with their chattels and children, and 

 carried by the enemies where it pleased them." In consequence, the Commons begged 

 that an armament might be provided and maintained on the sea, which was conceded, and 

 for a time piracy on English subjects was partially quashed. 



Meantime, we had pirates of our own. Warwick, the king-maker, was unscrupulous 

 in all points, and cared nothing for the lawfulness of the captures which he could make 

 on the high seas. For example, when he left England for the purpose of securing Calais 

 (then belonging to England) and the fleet for the House of York, he having fourteen 

 well-appointed vessels, fell in .vith a fleet of Spaniards and Genoese. "There was a very 

 sore and long continued battle fought betwixt them," lasting almost two days. The 

 English lost a hundred men; one account speaks of the Spanish and Genoese loss at 

 1,000 men killed, and another of six-and-twenty vessels sunk or put to flight. It is certain 

 that three of the largest vessels were taken into Calais, laden with wine, oil, iron, wax, cloth 

 of gold, and other riches, in all amounting in value to no less than 10,000. The earl was 

 a favourite with the sailors, probably for the license he gave them ; when the Duke of 

 Somerset was appointed by the king's party to the command of Calais, from which he was 

 effectually shut out by Warwick, they carried off some of his ships and deserted with 

 them to the latter. Not long after, when reinforcements were lying at Sandwich waiting 

 to cross the Channel to Somerset's aid, March and Warwick borrowed 18,000 from 

 merchants, and dispatched John Dynham on a piratical expedition. He landed at Sand- 

 wich, surprised the town, took Lord Rivers and his son in their beds, robbed houses, took 

 the principal ships of the king's navy, and carried them off, well furnished as they were 

 with ordnance and artillery. For a time Warwick carried all before him, but not a few 



