190 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



up his right to the fishings. 1 Declarations equally strong were 

 expressed in despatches to the British ambassador at The Hague. 

 The king, it was said, would not be taught the laws of nations 

 " by them nor their Grotius." 2 It would be to their advantage 

 to ask the king's leave for the fishing and to acknowledge his 

 right as other princes had done, or it might well come to pass 

 " that they that will needs bear all the world before them with 

 their Mare Liberum, may soon come to have neither Terram et 

 solum nor Rempublieam Liberam," phrases which lead one to 

 think that James penned the missive himself. 2 The Council 

 intimated to the ambassadors that the king declined to discuss 

 only the two points mentioned in their instructions, and that 

 they must get powers from the States-General to deal with the 

 question of the herring fishery. 



Language of this kind from the king and Council disturbed 

 and perplexed the envoys. They were anxious that the friendly 

 relations between the two countries should be strengthened, and 

 yet it appeared not unlikely that they would have to return 

 home without having been heard on any of the matters in 

 dispute. They began to think that after all it would be better 

 if the fishery question were taken up and settled, and they 

 advised the States-General in that sense. The British ambas- 

 sador at The Hague was using pressure with the same object. 

 But the Prince of Orange told him that in his opinion the 

 States of Holland would refuse to give authority for the fishery 

 question to be opened, "for fear of the people," because the 

 livelihood of 50,000 of the inhabitants of that province depended 

 on the herring -fishing, and they feared that the same thing 

 would happen with the tribute the king claimed as had happened 

 with the dues at the Sound, which had been gradually raised 

 until they had become an intolerable burden. He threw out 

 the suggestion at the same time that perhaps the freedom of 

 fishing might be purchased by a lump sum. A little later 

 Carleton proposed to the States-General that the three subjects 

 omitted from the ambassadors' instructions should also be 

 brought into the negotiations viz., the trade in cloth, the 

 coinage, and especially the herring fishery. In a minatory 



1 Note of Treatie with the Commissioners of the Estates annent the Fishing; 

 Dec. 1618. MSS. Advoc., 31. 2. 16. 



- Naunton to Carleton, 21st December 1618. 



