CHARLES I. : THE NAVY 313 



Dorp was too late. As we have seen, he met the Earl of North- 

 umberland on the 20th August returning triumphantly to the 

 Downs. On asking the English Admiral why he was among 

 the busses, he was politely told " to protect the fishermen," and 

 when Northumberland asked the reason of the presence of the 

 Dutch fleet, he received the same answer, " to protect the fisher- 

 men." It was a perplexing position for Van Dorp. His instruc- 

 tions were to guard the busses from molestation, but they 

 contained no article which covered the case as it now presented 

 itself, and to attack the English squadron under the circum- 

 stances would have been foolish. He therefore sailed back to 

 the coast of Flanders to watch the Spanish ships. He returned 

 to the English coast in September, and on the very day that 

 Northumberland left the Downs for Yarmouth the Dutch fleet 

 was actually lying at that port. Van Dorp again missed both 

 the English squadron and the herring-busses, and resumed 

 " plying to and again " between Dover and Calais. 1 The States- 

 General were much incensed at this failure of their Admiral to 

 prevent the distribution of the licenses. As they well knew, it 

 furnished Charles with a precedent, and with the argument 

 that the Dutch fishermen desired his protection and were willing 

 to accept and pay for his licenses. When a suitable opportunity 

 occurred in the following year, they forced Van Dorp to resign 

 his office. 2 



As the herring-fishing was now over for the year, the States 

 had time to consider what they ought to do in the following 

 season if Charles persisted in his attempts. On two occasions 

 it was resolved to issue an edict forbidding the fishermen to 

 accept licenses from any foreign prince ; 3 and this would cer- 

 tainly have been done had Charles adhered to his policy. But 

 the States naturally hesitated, until it should be absolutely 

 necessary, to take a step which would at once have placed them 

 in direct antagonism to England in the eyes of the whole world, 

 and the publication of the edict was from time to time delayed. 

 This cautious conduct served their purpose much better, for 

 before the fishing season of 1637 arrived, the kaleidoscope of 

 Charles's foreign relations had taken another turn, and he was 



1 State Papers, Dom.. cccxxxiii. 13. 2 Muller, op. cit., 273. 



3 Reg. Holl., 19th September; Res. St.-Gen., 8th November 1636 ; Bosgoed, Bib. 

 Pise., 360. 



