THE RELATIONS OF THE STATE WITH 



when fish took the place of meat. The fishermen, fearing 

 that their "occupation," like Othello's, would be "gone," 

 when religious scruples no longer compelled the people to 

 eat fish, made their voice heard in an Act of Parliament, 

 which, " considering that due and godly abstinence is a mean 

 (sic) to virtue, and to subdue men's bodies to the soul and 

 spirit, and considering also specially that fishers and men 

 using the trade of living by fishing in the sea may thereby 

 the rather be set on work," abolished all days of abstinence, 

 in the hope that fish might be more generally eaten, not 

 only on fast-days, but as an every-day diet. This Act, 

 however, seems to have fallen short of its intention, and in 

 Elizabeth's reign (5 Eliz. c. 5) the eating of fish was again 

 enforced on certain days "for increase of the provision of 

 fish, and the more usual and common eating thereof ; " and 

 it was particularly pointed out that this enactment was 

 " purposely intended and meant politickly for the increase 

 of mariners and fishermen, and repairing of port towns and 

 navigation, and not for any superstition to be maintained 

 in the choice of meats." This enactment, which was 

 revived at various times, has left its mark upon the present 

 age in the popular use of salt fish on Good Friday. 



Repression of foreign competition was the next step in 

 the new policy. Not only were foreigners subject to double 

 duties, but the importation of fish from abroad was for- 

 bidden, even if brought in English vessels, unless actually 

 captured by English fishermen. Enactments of this nature 

 were of frequent occurrence from the reign of Henry VIII. 

 down to quite a recent period. But these laws, hastily con- 

 ceived in one interest, had as often to be repealed in 

 different laws, another. One Act, for example (5 Eliz. c. 5), forbade the 

 selling of cod in barrels partly as a protection 6f the pur- 

 chaser against fraud, partly as a preventive of the importa- 



Restrictions 

 on foreign 

 fish. 



Incompati- 



