JAMES I.; MARE LIBERUM 23 



unsuccessful. It was as the direct result of the long period 

 of almost constant naval warfare from 1652 to 1713 that 

 Holland ceased to hold a place of power among the nations 

 of Europe. Jealousy caused by the success of the Dutch 

 fisheries was, in no small measure, a reason for these wars. 

 Their ultimate result was all that England had desired ; 

 her own fisheries had by no means realised the sanguine 

 expectations of their early promoters, but she was left 

 without this formidable rival in the North Sea. Meanwhile 

 it is of importance to observe that the desire to emulate 

 the Dutch was the reason for all the efforts made during 

 the seventeenth century to promote national fisheries in 

 Britain. 



