DOMINIUM MARIS 77 



the dominion of the sea," that he could say little on the 

 subject. At the same time, he felt that both English and 

 Dutch would soon be so much occupied with matters of greater 

 importance, that they would tacitly leave the matter as 

 it stood. He himself " would advise a silence of this business 

 on all hands, and not to interrupt businesses with moving 

 a question about that which will necessarily do itself without 

 questioning." * To this Elizabeth replied, putting the atti- 

 tude of the States simply as one in which they were well 

 content to leave the matter alone, " so the king forgets it, 

 and speaks no more of it, which she tells them she is con- 

 fident he will not, having things of greater importance 

 to do now." 2 Swayed by all these considerations, then, 

 both sides were unwilling to force matters to extremities, 

 although the Dutch still held to their theory of Mare Liberum, 

 and the king still maintained his hereditary right to 

 Dominium Maris. 



Having no intention of going to war, Charles now essayed 

 the subtle paths of diplomacy. Early in 1637, licenses 

 were sent to Sir William Boswell, then at the Hague, to 

 be distributed among the Dutch fishermen ; at the same 

 time, Charles attempted to force the situation by con- 

 cluding a secret treaty with the Spaniards, by which it 

 was arranged that each holder of a license from the king 

 of England was to receive a pass from the Spanish authorities, 

 entitling its possessor to a voyage to and from the fishing 

 ground safe from molestation from the Dunkirkers, who 

 were " to take care not to disturb such of the Hollanders, 

 though then their enemyes, as had ye King's license." 3 

 This secret treaty fell through, owing to " the perverseness 

 of the Spanish Ministers," and the Hollanders accordingly 

 refused to accept the licenses from the King of England. 4 



1 Gal. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 348, No. 62. 2 Ibid. vol. 351, No. 1. 



3 Gal. S.P. Dom. Car. II., vol. 339 (" A Collection of divers particulars, 

 etc."). 



*Cal. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 363, No. 21. 



