MISCELLANEOUS. 1161 



commences, "as within these few yeeres now last past there have bene 

 levied, perceived, and taken by certain officers of the admiraltie, of 

 such marchants and fishermen as have used and practised the adven- 

 tures and journeys into Iceland, Newfoundland, Ireland, and other 

 places commodious for fishing, and the getting of fish, in and upon the 

 seas and otherwise, by wey of marchants in those partees, divers great 

 exactions, as summes of money, doles or shares of fish, and such other 

 like things, to the great discouragement and hindrance of the same 

 marchants and fishermen, and to no little dammage of the whole com- 

 monwealth, and thereof also great complaints have bene made, and in- 

 formations also yerelyto the King's Majesties most honorable councell; 

 for reformation whereof," &c., &c. From this period, and in conse- 

 quence of the measures adopted, rewards to officers of the government 

 were discontinued, and the Newfoundland fishery became entirely free 

 to every inhabitant of the realm. 



It is of interest to remark that the foreign trade of England was then 

 limited to the Flemish towns, and to the fishing grounds. To extend 

 commerce by still further encouragement to the branch of industry be- 

 fore us, a curious act of Parliament was passed in 1563, which provided 

 ' ' that as well for the maintenance of shipping, the increase of fishermen and 

 marines, and tlie repairing of port-towns, as for the sparing of the fresh 

 victual of the realm, it sliall not be lawful for any one to eat fiesh on 

 Wednesday sand Saturdays* unless under iheforfeitureof3 for each of- 

 fence, excepting in cases of sickness and those of special Licenses to be ob- 

 tained." For these licenses peers were required to pay about six 

 dollars, knights and their wives about three dollars, and other persons 

 one dollar and a half; but neither peer nor commoner could eat beef 

 on the two prohibited days. As will be remembered, this was a sort 

 of transition period in religion; and, fearing that the act would be con- 

 sidered as popish, it was provided that " whoever shall, by preaching, 

 teaching, writing, or open speech, notify that any eating of fish, or 

 forbearing of flesh, mentioned in this statute, is of any necessity for 

 the serving of the soul of man, or that it is the service of God other- 

 wise than as other politic laws are and be, then such persons shall be 

 punished as spreaders of false news ought to be." Such were the 

 means adopted to increase "shipping" in the infancy of English 

 navigation. 



These laws were speedily followed by others. In 1571 , fishermen of 

 the realm were permitted to export sea-fish free of the customs ; while 

 the same year, and by another act, foreign fishermen anchoring on the 

 English coast, or interfering in waters where nets were used, were 

 liable to seizure and confiscation. 



Meantime the Newfoundland fishery was prosecuted with great 

 vigor. The number of vessels employed in it, of various flags, is esti- 

 mated at three hundred and fifty or four hundred. The ships of 

 France and Spain, in 1577, were much more numerous than those of 

 England, for the reason, as is stated, that the English merchants still 

 sent a part of their vessels to Iceland. It appears, however, that the 

 English ships were the best; that they gave protection to those of 

 other nations, and exacted tribute or payment for the service. The 



* Palgrave, in his History of the Anglo-Saxons, observes of the origin of the names 

 of the days of the week in the Saxon mythology, that "Lastly came Sacter, from whom 

 Saturday is named. He was represented as standing upon a fish, and he held a bucket 

 in his hand, so that he appears to have been a water deity." London ed., p. 53. 



