116 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



estimated at 10,000. Even if those figures were exaggerated, 

 they indicate, as Parliament admitted, that the measures 

 hitherto taken to revive the fisheries had failed. It remained 

 for King James to try another plan, that of exercising an 

 effective sovereignty on the British seas by prohibiting foreign 

 fishermen from fishing within them without taking license and 

 paying tribute. 



Before passing to the reign of James something must be 

 said about one symbol of this sovereignty, as it was now re- 

 garded the striking of the flag and top-sails. From the be- 

 ginning of the fifteenth century, when the Flemish herring- 

 boats, and no doubt others, lowered their sails to English ships 

 (see p. 43), there appears to be no record of the ceremony 

 until the middle of the next. In the reign of Henry VIII., 

 although he was sometimes called " Lord of these seas," * and 

 ships were appointed to " keep the passage of the narrow sea," 

 the honour of the flag was probably only occasionally enforced. 

 But under Edward VI., during the Protectorate of Northumber- 

 land, we find it stated in the King's Journal that in April 

 1549 "the Flemings' men-of-war would have passed our ships 

 without vailing bonnet, which they seeing shot at them, and 

 drave them at length to vail bonnet and so depart " ; and again 

 in July of the following year, at Dieppe, the Flemish ships 

 lowered their sails to an English man-of-war. 2 This appears to 

 be the first recorded instance of foreign men-of-war saluting 

 the ships of the King of England, and it is noteworthy that in 

 the latter case it was performed in a French port by Flemish 

 vessels. 



That it was not always demanded in the absolute manner of 

 later times is shown by orders issued by the Privy Council in 

 1552. The Baron de la Garde was in command of a French 

 fleet of twelve men-of-war, and Sir Henry Dudley, whose force 

 was weaker, asked how he should act " touching the preemin- 

 ence of honnour to be gyven " when he met the Baron. The 

 Council replied that " in respect of thamitie and that the sayd 

 Baron is stronger then he uppon the sees sume tymes yelde and 

 sume tymes recey ve thonnour " ; and he was told to use the 



1 Froude, Hist. England, iii. 69. 



2 King Edward's Journal, in Burnet, Hist. Reformation, ii. (v. of ed. 1865). 

 Oppenheim, Hist. Administration Roy. Navy, 106. 



