PROHIBITION OF SAILINGS 83 



dish had to be caught, cured and despatched 

 to its destination before February 22nd, in 

 order that it might arrive before Lent, and a 

 ship laden with barrels of herrings or dried 

 cod was allowed to go to sea on Saint Nicholas' 

 Day, December 6th, but only if laden by that 

 date. The reason for this general prohibition 

 was the risk of winter voyages ; it was thought 

 that to sail after Martinmas was to tempt God. 

 Down to recent times, even, no Greek coasting 

 trader would put to sea between December 6th 

 and January 1st; during those days the sea 

 was hallowed for new trips, • 



Among the articles exported from London 

 free of duty to the Duke of Brittany on 

 April 22nd, 1393, were 3 barrels of white 

 licrrings and 4 cades (a cade = 600) of red 

 herrings, showing the two methods of preserving 

 the fish in use side by side. Further evidence 

 of the importance of the industry is shown 

 by the fact that provision for the benefit of 

 English and French herring fishermen was made 

 in a truce with France, June 27th, 1402. The 

 first trace of a national navigation policy is to be 

 found during the reign of Richard 11. 



On August 28th, 1394, Richard II. ordered 

 the magistrates of Whitby to prohibit strangers 

 from carrying away herrings from that town, 

 since the large purchases of foreigners upon the 

 coast of Yorkshire in the previous years had de- 

 prived the inhabitants of their food, and caused 

 an inordinate rise in the price of provisions. 



F 2 



