272 A. D. 1612. 



' nations, having defpifed all diftindion in her open or free fea, and 

 ' has even had the boldnefs to flile herfelf invincible !' 



In his third chapter, he complains, ' that Britain is robbed in 

 her own feas by foreign fifliers, who like an inundation crowd her 

 fhores with their fifhing-vefTels ; infomuch, that the filh thereby are fo 

 much diminifhed, that whereas thirty years before they were wont to 

 come in fhoals up to our very houfes, now it puts our poor fifliers to 

 the toil and hazard of going many miles out to fea in quell of them ! 

 That the Scots, formerly obferving and confidering this damage, obliged 

 the Dutch, by treaty, to keep at eighty miles diftance from their fliores 

 in their fiftiery ; and themfelves to pay a tribute at the port of Aber- 

 deen ; where a tower was ereded for that and other purpofes, at which 

 the Dutch paid that tribute even in the memory of our fathers ; al- 

 though by the diftradions, &c. of fucceeding times the fame be now 

 -quite negleded.' 



In his 4th and laft chapter, he endeavours to prove, by quotations 

 from civilians, &c. that the fea (the paflage of flrangers within his pro- 

 pofed limits) is tributable, (and that Cepola particularly affirms this of 

 the Venetian gulf), both on account of fafeguards from pirates, and of 

 the expenfe of maintaining beacons, and likewife for leave to fifli with- 

 in fuch limits. 



But as neither he, nor any one elfe, ever undertook to fix exadly any 

 certain mark whereby to know the limits fo claimed in the fea, this 

 occafioned the Hollanders in thofe days to fay fcoffingly, that if the 

 Englifli would pleafe to fix palifadoes round the feas they claimed as 

 their property, they would willingly fubmit to their claim. Otherwife, 

 whilft the fea remained fo unfixed, indivifible, and uncertain, they 

 fliould continue to ufe it in common with all other nations, both for 

 navigation and fifhery. To fay the truth, what has been obferved by 

 others, carries obvious demonfiration and reafon with it, viz. that a 

 claim to any uncertain dominion implies a kind of nullity in it ; and 

 would alfo be produdive of an infinity of contentions : feeing it is im- 

 pofllble for the moft innocent and intelligent to know exadly the limits 

 of fuch a claimed dominion ; nor, confequently, can they always be 

 able to avoid encroaching on it, fince the claimers themfelves are un- 

 able to fix any marks to their limits. 



Till now the Englifli Eafl-India trade was carried on by fundry fepa- 

 rate fliocks, making particular running-voyages ; but in this year they 

 united all into one general joint capital flock. Yet it feems to have 

 been a great overfight, that even for fome years after this confolidation 

 of flock, they did not (like the Portuguefe and Dutch) ered any forts 

 nor permanent fettlements in India. They fent but one fliip this year 

 ,on the ioint-flock account. 



