8 9 6 
An hiftorical Account of the Intercourfe 
Book I. 
«« and Reafons for the King’s Majefty to behold his own 
« Cafe with an Eye of Prevention ; but efpecially finding 
« a Combination betwixt France and Holland to take and 
«. divide the Provinces of Flanders betwixt them, and to 
44 poffefs the maritime Towns, as Dunkirk , and others 
«« oppofite to England. This made his Majefty think 
44 how to quench the Fire that might flame into his own 
*« Hotife. And having Intelligence that they were both 
44 to join in one Fleet, a Thing not ufually done by the 
44 French ; and they making no publick Declaration of 
* c the Defign of their Ships, as commonly Princes ufe to 
44 do in fuch Cafes, his Majefty could make no lefs Con' 
44 ftruCtion, than that they intended to deprive him of his an- 
“ cient and allowed Prerogative of the Narrow Seas 
44 which behoved him as much to defend, as his King- 
44 dom ; for he that covets the one, will do as much by 
“ the other, if it were in his Power to effeCt it. Where- 
44 fore his Majefty armed thefe Ships following to Sea, to 
44 enquire the Reafon at their Hands, not intending to injure 
“ any Nation, but to keep himfelf and Subjects from be- 
44 ing injured, and to curb the Infolency and Pride of any 
44 People that fhould go about to infringe, his Royal Pre- 
44 rogative.” 
It may not be amifs to obferve here, that the Word Pre- 
rogative is ufed in a Senfe by this Author, which interefts 
the SubjeCt as much as the Prince ; for the Prerogative 
here contended for, though nominally in the Crown, was 
virtually in the People of England ; and it was to main- 
tain their Right that the famous Selden was encouraged to 
compofe his Mare Claufum , in Anfwer to Grotius\ Book, 
entitled Mare Liberum , intended to juftify, by Reafon, the 
ambitious Projects of the Dutch. That this was truly the 
Cafe, and that the King had nothing in View but for the 
Benefit of his Subjects, appears plainly, by the Care he 
took for advancing the Trade to the Eajl- Indies, which 
began now to decline exceedingly ; for the Dutch had fo 
frighted them by their Severities, that the Servants of the 
Eajl-India Company were afraid to difpute with them, and 
not much inclined to fettle in any Colonies there ; fo that 
by degrees, our Trade would have fallen to nothing, which 
was precifely what the Dutch defired, and were, by all 
Means, endeavouring to bring about. 
The King, to redrefs this Evil, and to prefer ve this 
Trade, as far as it was poflible, liftened to the Propofals 
made by Sir William Court en^ and fome other rich Mer- 
chants of London , for fending a Squadron into thofe Parts 
to fettle and trade, but without Prejudice to the Rights 
of the Eajl-India Company ; and accordingly by his Com- 
miflion, under his Royal Signature, dated the 1 2 th of De- 
umber 1 635, he did grant Licence to the Perfons therein 
named, to fend a certain Number of Ships into the Eajl- 
Indiesy and they accordingly did fend fix large Ships, Sir 
WilliamCourten himfelf adventuring One hundred and twen- 
ty thoufand Pounds. Thefe Adventurers had very good 
Succefs abroad, if they could have found any Way to have 
got their Riches home ; but the Dutch were too cunning 
for that ; for, dreading the Eftablifhment of a free Trade 
between the Englijh and the Indians , they refolved to take 
Things in the Beginning, and accordingly fo way-laid the 
Dragon and the Catherine , which were two of the largeft 
Ships thefe Gentlemen had employed, that not far from the 
Cape of Good-Hope they funk both the Veffels, and every 
Soul in them, by which a great Number of able Seamen 
were loft, together with a Cargo of the Value of One 
hundred and fifty thoufand Pounds. 
Neither was this the fingle Adi of this kind, for in the 
Year 1641, the fame Proprietors, except Sir William Cour- 
ts , who was dead, fitted out feven more Ships, which 
likewife failed to the Eajl- Indies, and were again met with 
by the Dutch % for in the Month of January 1643, the 
Henry Bonaventure , laden with Pepper and other Indian 
Goods, ran aftiore upon Maurice-I/land, in the Hands of 
the Dutch , who, under Pretence of helping the Mafter 
and Seamen to fave the Goods, feized and poffeffed them- 
selves of Ship, Tackle, Ammunition, Merchandize, and 
Provifions, and converted the fame to the Ufe of the faid 
Eajl-India Company *, and Adrien Vanderjlel , the Gover- 
nor of- the I Hand, lent away the Mafter and Mariners with- 
•* ' * 2 
out any Manner of Succour or Relief, to the Damage of 
Mr. Courten, and the reft of the Interefted, the Sum of 
10000 Pounds and upwards. And about the Month of 
June 1643, the Bona Efparanza making a trading Voyage 
from Goa to Mac cao, in the Streights of Malacca , was 
violently fet upon by two Dutch Ships, Men of War (be- 
longing to the faid Company) called Vendillo and the 
Portogallo , whereof Seignior Fermeren and Seignior Gea- 
land % with the Lieutenant of the Fort of Malacca were 
Commanders, who, in a hoftile Manner, killed the Ma- 
fter, Roger Fuckerman^ and divers Seamen were wounded, 
the reft took Prifoners, and robbed them of all their Goods, 
Merchandize, Books of Accounts, Writings, and Papers, 
and afterwards led the Mariners about the Streets of Bata- 
via in Derifion of the Englijh Nation, dragging alfo the 
King’s Colours after them in Triumph, contrary to the 
Laws of Nations and common Amity ; all which tended 
to the Damage of Mr. Court en and the Interefted in that 
Voyage, to the Sum of 75000 Pounds, or thereabouts. 
Upon the News of thefe inhuman Dealings, Mr. Cour- 
ten was forced to abfent himfelf from tht Exchange, hh 
Bills were protefted in England , Holland , and Zealand \ fo 
he became infolvent, and was out-law’d, with Sir Edward 
Littleton , in the Years 1644 and 1645, for the Sum of 
Fifty thoufand Pounds, or thereabouts. Sir Edward 
Littleton , being then fequeftrated for his Fidelity and Al- 
legiance to his Majefty, and in the aCtual Service of 
the King, could not appear to profecute his Action, either 
before the Parliament, or the Courts of Holland , for 
Reparation of the violent Injuries aforefaid. Sir Paul 
Pindar having taken up feveral great Sums of Money, and 
advanced them to the King’s Ufe, was with the reft of the 
Commifiioners for the contracted Farms of the Cuftoms, 
fined 1 50,000 /. by the Parliament, and alfo profecuted at 
Law for the faid Debts, whereby he became a Prifoner in 
his own Houfe, and during the late diftempered Times 
made incapable to look after his Proportion of the faid Da- 
mages from the Eajl-India Company of Holland. 
Thus all this Project for reviving and reftoring the Eajl- 
India Trade came to nothing ; but thofe Merchants, who 
had engaged in them fuch vaft Sums, were utterly beg- 
gared. It is true, that King Charles I. interpofed in their 
Behalf with the States, which ferves rather to fhew the 
Care of that Monarch, even in his loweft Circumftances, 
for the Intereft of his Subjects, than to demonftrate the 
Juftice of the Dutch , who with much ado were brought to 
pay 85,000 Gilders, which proves that the Charge muft 
have been juft, though the Satisfaction was almoft below 
Notice. While things ftood thus in England , the Dutch 
Eajl-India Company carried all before them in the Eajl - 
Indies , and having none to oppofe them, eftablifhed them- 
felves fo efFe&ually, that it was not only impoflible for the 
Englijh to form any Defigns to their Prejudice, but they 
were forced likewife to lay afide all thoughts of recovering 
their juft Rights, and to abandon their Affairs as a trading 
Body for feveral Years. Such were the fad EffeCts of our 
Confufions at home, with regard to our Trade abroad, 
and this too at fuch a critical Juncture, when fo much might 
have been done for the Service of this Nation. 
This is, indeed, a very dark and difmal Scene, the Pro- 
fpeCt of which was never clearly exhibited to the View of 
an Englijh Reader; nor fhould I have dwelt upon it fo 
long now, but that at this Diftance of Time I fuppofe all 
Prejudices are worn off, and we may be allowed to judge 
freely of the Mifchiefs of the Civil War brought upon us, 
not only by the Confufions and Slaughters it created 
amongft ourfelves, but in the Injuries likewife, which by 
its Confequences it drew upon thofe Branches of our Com- 
merce, which might otherwife have made us the richeft 
and greateft People in Europe . This is a Confideration 
that ought never to be forgot, becaufe while we retain it in 
our Memory, it is impoflible that we fhould be guilty of 
any fuch Overfight for the future, or that we fhould fuffer 
ourfelves to be betrayed into fo fatal an Opinion, as that 
any Advantages that can be procured by the Overthrow of 
one Party, or the prevailing of another amongft us, can in 
any degree campenfate the vaft Loffes we fuftain in Trade, 
when by reafon of fuch Difturbances as thefe Struggles 
create, we are diverted from the Attention we ought 
always^ 
