DOMINIUM MARIS 73 



portion of the English fleet, was, in June, 1636, ordered to 

 sail northwards towards the fishing grounds. A hundred 

 licenses, signed by the king, had been prepared, which the 

 Earl was ordered to procure at Deal Castle. These licenses 

 he was to present to the Dutch fishermen, his instructions 

 being to take " after the rate of 12 d the ton of each vessel 

 accepting the license"; any ship refusing to accept the 

 license and pay the required tax was to be seized and sent 

 into an English port. 1 Shortly afterwards, another two 

 hundred licenses were sent him, and with these he sailed 

 north with a fleet of twelve vessels. 2 



The " Form of License for Fishing in English Seas," had 

 been drawn up in the following terms : 



" We are gratiously pleased by these Presents to grant 



lycense to to fish with Men and Company 



belonging to a ship or vessel called being of the 



Burthen of Tunnes, upon any of our Coastes or 



Seas of Great Brittaine and Ireland, and the rest of our 

 islands adjacent, where usually heretofore any fishing 

 hath been. And this our Lycense to continue for one whole 

 year from ye Date hereof, willing and requiring as well 

 all our Subjects as others of what Nation, Quality or Con- 

 dition soever, that they give no Impeachment or molestation 



to ye said or his Company in the said Vessell, 



in the execution of this our Lycense, upon such Paines 

 and Punishments as are to be inflicted upon the violators 

 of our Royall Protection, and the Willful Breakers of Our 

 Peace, in our aforesaid Dominions and Jurisdictions, further 

 requiring and coinanding all our Admirals, Vice- Admirals, 

 Here-Admirals and Captnes of our ships, Castles and Forts 

 to protect and assist the said in ye quiet en- 

 joying the benefit of this our Lycense." 3 



1 Col. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 326, No. 32. 



2 Beaujon's Essay, p. 176. 



3 Cal. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 326, No. 32. 



