UNDER THE STUARTS I JAMES I. : A NEW POLICY 139 



payment of his Majesty's duties of fishing, but also to have 

 his kingdom provided with fish at such reasonable rates and 

 prices as other nations have maintained thereby navigation 

 and mariners; and setting of an infinite number of subjects 

 on work within the realm of England and Scotland to 



o 



strengthen his Majesty's dominion by sea and land, as the 

 chief point of a most commendable Union," that is to say, 

 a union of England and Scotland, the idea of which was 

 still in the mind of James. The justification for imposing 

 a tribute on foreign fishermen, which was to be in kind, 

 was the king's right to the tithe, " grounded by ancient 

 customs and records of his Majesty's predecessors demanding 

 the tenth fish ; whereunto three things were required : (1) 

 how his Majesty's tithe and right can be evidently proved ; 

 (2) precedents, that other kings and princes have and do 

 the like in their seas; (3) that it shall give no cause of 

 offence to other princes or states to move war." The second 

 part of the project was to build a "competent number" of 

 ships or busses yearly, and so to re-establish the fishing trade 

 which, it was said, one Violet Stephens and other discontented 

 fishmongers from England had transferred to Enkhuisen and 

 other places in Holland some ninety years earlier, teaching 

 the Dutch to come and fish in the British seas a false tale 

 current in England in the reign of James. 



As an alternative plan, to be put into immediate execution 

 in connection with the truce just concluded between Spain 

 and the United Provinces, 1 it was proposed that, his Majesty's 

 right and tithe having been made plain as above described, 

 the Hollanders themselves should be invited to join on reason- 

 able terms with the English projectors in the fishing trade 

 for one-third part, or even a half, of the fishery. This course, 

 it was believed, would prevent any cause of offence, being, 

 it was said, in agreement with " the known precedents of other 

 princes." It was also thought that it would be agreeable to 

 the Hollanders, since they would see that the Society of Fish- 

 ing Merchants, being free from license or tribute, could afford 

 to have busses built in Denmark for themselves should that 

 be necessary. If the Hollanders could be induced to associate 



1 Treaty of Antwerp, 3 J *** 1609. 



