UNDER THE STUARTS : JAMES I. I A NEW POLICY 127 



Keymer wrote in 1620 and submitted to King James, it is also 

 said that the Hollanders employed about 3000 ships and 50,000 

 people in fishing on the coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 

 This tract has usually been attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh 

 and is published among his works, and it obtained celebrity in 

 consequence, both in this country and on the Continent, but it 

 was without doubt written by Keymer. 1 A more moderate 



for Sir Edward Ford, in the year 1664. Keymer states that he found in Holland 

 more than 20,000 sail of ships and "hoyes," more than was possessed by England, 

 France, Spain, and other eight countries in Europe. The same figure is given by 

 Sir Thomas Overbury, who visited the Netherlands in 1609 (Observations in his 

 Travels, upon the State of the Seventeen Provinces, 1626). 



1 Observations touching Trade and Commerce with the Hollander, and Other 

 Nations ; presented to King James, wherein is proved that our Sea and Land Com- 

 modities serve to enrich and strengthen other Countries against our own. Raleigh's 

 Collected Works, viii. 351. Oldys, in his Life of Raleigh, which was published in 

 1736, says there was some reason to doubt whether Sir Walter Raleigh was the 

 author of this treatise : it was first printed in 1653, first associated with Raleigh's 

 name by being bound up with his " Remains " in 1656, and first definitely said to be 

 Raleigh's by Roger Coke in his Detection of Court and State ; and he gives reasons 



Fig. 5. Facsimile of Keymer' s Signature to his ' Book of Observations. ' 



for the opinion that it was written by John Keymer and not by Raleigh (Collected 

 Work, i. 441). But, as Raleigh's latest biographer states, Raleigh still has the 

 credit of it (Stebbing, Sir Walter Raleigh, 267). I have, however, found the original 

 signed manuscript copy among the State Papers for 1620 (State Papers, Dom., cxviii. 

 114, December 1620), and an unsigned and slightly altered copy among those 

 for 1623 (State Papers, Dom., clvii. 45). The original is endorsed, Keymers bookc 

 of observations for your moste excellent Mai touchinge trade and traffique beyond 

 ye Seas and in England wherein he certaynly findeth y l your sea and land Com- 

 modities doe scarve to inrich and strengthen other Cuntries agnst your Kingdomc ; 

 icfh ivere y e urgent causes why he endeavoured himself c to take extraordynarie 

 paynes for y e redresse : soe it maie stande A your J/a'i good Likinge. 1620. It 

 is subscribed, "Your Mattes most loyall and true harted Subject, John Keymer," 

 and it is the same treatise as is published in Raleigh's Works, with a few trifling 



