Easterlings were Now although there have been many that by way of Argument and for discourse sake would goe about to prove that the Seas are free and Common and ought not to be bounded by any other Laws than their own Shoars and Sands yet the necessity of Order in Mutual Commerce and the safety of Mens Goods and Lives may teach us by the very light of Nature that Laws are as necessary for the government and preservation of such as frequent the Seas as of those that trade on the firm Land And though there be such Persons that dare presume thus to dispose of and at their pleasure dispossess his Majesty of this his undoubted Birthright the Royalties of the Seas which his Ancestors have held beyond all memory yet I hope he will never be unprovided of others to vindicate as much as in them lies by their Lives as well as their Pens that Right of his Crown and maintain those ancient Laws and Customs of his Kingdoms unto which all foreign Princes and Nations have freely submitted as by several Records yet to be seen in the Tower of London will evidently appear And because it is the general disposition of Men to choose rather to i emain in ignorance than to be at charges or by labour and industry to search and find out the truth of things to inform such as are willing at least at anothers cost not to be ignorant and strengthen the knowing they being many and very copious I shall here only give you a Breviat of so many of them as may suffice for this occasion 1. There is to be seen a Record therefore in the Rolls there Concerning Taxes and Tributes imposed upon Ships passing and Fishing upon our Coasts the Ordinance was made in the second yeare of Richard the second by the assent of Parliament 2. And to like purpose is that of Edward the fourth where it is manifestly exprest that the King appointed Wafters to guard the Fishers not only of his own Realm but Forrainers and Strangers that Fish upon his Coasts and that the Wafters tooke a Ratable proportion of Every Ship towards their Cost and Expences securing their Fishing and that these Wafters were to Prohibit all other Wafters whatsoever that presumed to take the Office upon them and to Commit them to Prison 3. Cambden in his description of the North Riding of Yorkshire sayth that the Hollanders in their Fishing for Herrings upon the North Coast of England did first obtain Licence from Scarbrough Castle 4. And all Neighbour Princes upon any such occasion have obteined Licence for their Subjects to Fish in our Seas as in a Truce of War agreed between Henry the 4th and the French King 5. Also during a Treaty between Henry the 6th and the Duchess of Burgundy those of Brabant and Flanders had Liberty of free Fishing granted them 6. And so it was in a another Truce between the said King and the Duchess of Burgundy 7. The like we find in a Truce between Edward the 4th and Francis Duke of Britain 8. Phillip the 2 d King of Spaine in the first year of Queen Mary Obtained Licence for his subjects to Fish upon the North Coasts of Ireland for the terme of 21 Years paying for the same yearly 1000 pounds which was accordingly brought into the Exchequer of Ireland and received by Sir Henry Fitton the then Treasurer there 9. And the King of France as others of his Predecessors by speciall Licence only of the King of England Fisheth upon our Coasts near Rye with a sett and Limited Number of small Boats and that only for Provision for his own Houshould 10. All States and Princes doe generally give Laws to pass and fish in the Seas Coasting upon their own Territories and also Impose Taxes and Tributes for their own Profit and Commodity 11. The Emperour of Russia compelleth all Fishermen within his Seas though it be many Leagues from the Maine to pay him Tribute 12. In the Seas and Islands under the King of Sweden they pay Taxes to him 13. The King of Denmark at his Wardhouse in the sound hath for every Licence a Doller and for the Seale and Rose a Noble of every Ship and for every Last of Herrings being 12. Barrels a Doller 14. The Duke of Medina Sidonia in Spain hath his greatest Revenues out of the Taxes lay'd on Fishermen 15. All Princes of Italy bordering upon the Seas Receive a proportion of like benifit 16. And the Hollanders themselves Impose Taxes on the Fish taken by their Fishermen in our Seas But I shall keep my self neare home and within the Soveraignty of our own Seas which our Antient Monarchs of Britain even from the first Memory that we can have of them were always most carefull to preserve for First the Antient Britains admitted very few or no strangers at all into their Service at Sea least turning Renegadoes they might upon occasion lay them open to the Incursions of their Neighbours the Gaules by discovering to them the manner of their Shipping which they kept as a very great secret and therefore when Julius Caesar came with an intention first of all to invade this Island Gaul though very near and in sight of it could not supply him with any that could give him a certaine Intelligence of the Place or which way unless in Vessels of his own or a few passage Boats used by Traders to get thether But these were Countermanded by a great Strength at Sea which the Britains were Masters of Shipps of a good Bulk and serviceable in that Age for fight which they continually employed to Round the Island and scoure the seas which course the Romans after they once came to be setled in the Isle put in practice and after something a better method finding here such Timber as they could not be provided with for that use in any other part of their Empire After the Romans Edgar King of the Saxons continually kept in readiness a Navy of 400 Ships which being divided into 4 severall fleets did every year after Easter take their Course to the 4 quarters of England where they remained to Guard and scower the Seas until the Winter following After Edgar then Etheldred for defence of the British Seas and Kingdom caused of every 310 hides of Land a Ship to be built which all meeting at Sandwich made the greatest Navy that ever this Kingdom set forth to Sea After him Canutus the Dane Maintained a mighty Fleet of Ships for the safety of the Seas and Kingdome and so the succeeding Kings to William the Conqueror I might instance in severall of our Kings of later Ages who to maintain the Rights and Priviledges of the Seas have set forth Mighty Fleets and by force kept off the Hollanders and other Nations till they by the increase of their Shipping have grown to that greatness both in Riches and strength that they think they may doe any thing and for some time have usurpt that right which undoubtedly
safely answer for my self and the main of my Discourse that it is wholly New and such as never before appeared in Print both as to the Manner Charges and Advantage of Planting either one or a thousand Acres in the way and at the Distances propounded I confess I am but a bad Writer and have been all my time more experienc'd in the Practice then the Theory of this kind of Husbandry yet having more consulted the Publick then my self I hope the Learned will indulge me and so I deliver things as they ought pardon the Rudeness of my words and expression A farther Advertisement to the Reader THough this Book came out tâ—us late yet it was finished at least the first and biggest part about three years since but I was not able to publish it by reason of my own great want and former Losses till I had obtained the Subscriptions of several Gentlemen in the Countrey who Reading it and approving both my Design and Method freely contributed to the Charges of this Publication ERRATA PAge 2 l. 25 r. within these few years p. 7 l. 4 for which in r. within ib. l. 29 r. dy-square p. 19 l. 32 after but 1. of p. 20 l. 9 r. that time ib. l. 18 for Masts 1. Mast. p. 22 l. 14 15 r. Incroachment p. 26 l. 12 for chalk r. shank p. 32 l. 33 so every r. very p. 33 l. 32 r. they will l. 34 r. of Trees p. 39 l. 14 for their r. the. p. 41 l. 22 after whole r. ground p. 49 l. 23 for parted r. planted p. 51. l. 5 for that r. after p. 63 l. 1. for de r. side p. 65 l. 20 after preserved r. in every Acre p. 66 l. 33 after small r. houses after p. 160 as far as 1691. for 141 142 c. 161 162 c. p. 161 l 32 dele the breadth cf. p. 177 l. 33 for whereby r. where p. 181 l. 13 for as r. when p. 182 l. 8 Anniseed r. Anniseseed p. 236 l. 19. for as in r. alike in p. 251. l. 17. for Rona r. Rova p. 253 l. 23 for Stars r. Scars Other Faultâ—less considerable and onely literal the Readers judgment will easily supply THE CONTENTS The First Book IN this Book is set down the great benefit that does apise from Trading which is the Strength and Riches of a People as also that the Kings of England are the Soveraign Lords of the British Seas and that the said Seas have by force of Arms been kept and protected from the Power of all other Nations or Kings in memory by undoubted Records ever since Edgar Etheldred Canutus the Dane Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror and all the Kings of England successively to this day You have in it also a Collection of certain Breviats of several Records now in the Tower of London proving the Soveraignty of the British Seas wholly to belong to the Kings of England demonstratedly the Examples of several other Kings and Princes how they keep by force of Arms all Seas within their Territories You have also here in passage shown the great use of Ships how they are the strength of a Kingdom or People and the chief Instruments of Trade And this part lastly is concluded with a short Declaration of the woful Wasts and Decay of all Woods and Timber in England especially in His Majesties Forests not only during the Troubles but to this very day together with some short Proposals for ppeserving these Trees that are now standing and growing planting wast Lands for a future supply and several wayes of improving Barren Lands The Second Book IS treated the Planting Forrest-Lands and other wast-Lands with Plants for Timber-trees also of all kinds of Earth Simple or Compound Rich or Barren and the manner and way of improving the same either by planting Seed or sets for Timber trees or Vnderwoods Likewise by draining or watering such Lands that require the same and Devonshiring or Burning thâ—se Lands grown over with Bushes Heath Furres Goss or such like Also the way of Improving all the said several sorts of Earths by Lime Marl Dung and many other such like Improvements likewise by Plowing Delving Trenching or Plow-trenching the said Land and sowing seed for Corn or Grass and of several Observations and Directions therein The Third Book YOu have set down the manner and way of planting one Acre of Land Statute-measure that is 16 foot and a half to the Pearch with seed or sets for Timber trees and Vnderwoods at several distances as from 1 foot to 4 Pearch Also the converting the said Woods to several uses with the Charges and Profit of performing the same and several Observations in planting the said Woods Also a Conjecture at the growth and Age of Timber-trees as Oaks that are now standing and grow which said Trees may be probably concluded to be the Production of the Earth at the Creation of the World together with Preparatory Directions by plowing and sowing with choice of Seed and Plants in order to the planting a thousand Acres The Fourth Book YOu have Directions to plant a thousand Acres of Land Woodland-measure 18 foot to the Pearch with Seed and Sets for Timber trees and Vnderwoods at the several distances before mentioned and that is from one foot to four Pearch Also here is set down the particular and total accounts of the Charges and Profit of planting of the said Land by Plowing or delving and sowing or setting the same with seed or sets As also converting the said Woods to several uses The Fifth Book IN this Book are Directions set down how to plant 200 Acres of Land as well for Pleasure as for Profit wherein there shall be pleasant Walks with Timber-trees and Groves of Vnderwoods and several Orchards and Gardens with Fruit Flowers and Herbs both for food and Physick variety of Fowl Bees Silk-worms Bucks Does Hares and other Creatures of several kinds And a short account of the Charges and Profit of keeping a thousand Doe-Cenies in Hutches the Profit amounting to 4500 l. per Annum Also Fish-ponds and Streams of Water stored with many kind of Fish and stocked with Decoy Ducks And the use and vertues of all the Plants growing in this Garden of Pleasure The Sixth Book YOu have a Description of the Islands of Orkney and Shotland with the manner and way of the Hollanders Fishing and Trading in those Seas and Islands Also a Diurnal or short account of Coasting from London to those Islands with a discovery of several Rocks and Harbours on that Coast Here is likewise set down that the Original of the Hollanders Trade which is now much increased and spread through a great part of the World was and is from the Fish they every year take on the Coast of England and Scotland And in this Book lastly is set down the great benefit that does arise from Trade with a short discourse that the Traffick of Europe hath been engrossed into the hands and carried
on all along by the Venetians Genoese Portugals Easterlings Hollanders and English and that the falure and decay of the one was the original rise to another Also a Composition which the Hollanders made with King Charles the First to pay unto his Majesty one hundred thousand pounds yearly and a hundred thousand pounds ready down The TABLE PAge 1 2 Discourse of Trade Page 3 4 5 6 Several records to prove that the Soveraignty of the British Seas do wholly belong to the Kings of England P. 7 8 Several proposals for the preserving timber-trees P. 9 10 Hammers and Furnaces for Iron great wasters of woods From p. 11 to p. 17 Several wayes of Improving Land From p. 18 to 22 Great Wasts committed by Keepers others Page 23 to 29 Observations and Directions to make a good serviceable and profitable Fence Page 30 31 The Charges of making the said Fence Page 32 The Original of Ground and Plants Page 33 to 40 Several kind of grounds not good to plant trees in Page 41 to 44 The choice of Seed and Plants P. 45 to 51 Directions to plant one acre of Land several wayes and at several distances Page 52 The Number of Seed and Plants given to Plant a thousand acres of Land at several distances Page 53 54 The best season of the yeat and the manner and way of plowing Ground in which to sow or set Seed or Plants P. 55 All kind of seed plants will not thrive in one kind of earth P. 56 to 59 Several observations in plowing sowing and setting seed and plants for Trees Page 60 to 63 Several observations in transplanting Trees P. 64 to 66 Several observations in planting for Under-Woods P. 67 to 71 Transplanting Trees of great bulk or growth P. 72 to 75 Observations in dressing or proyning Trees P. 76 to 80 The growth and age of Timber-Trees P. 81 Two several Chains to plant seed or sets by P. 82 to P. 103 is set down the profit of Planting a thousand acres of Land with seed or sets for Timber-trees and under-Woods Page 104 An account given of 29548000 acres of Land in England besides that which is allowed for the High-wayes P. 105 Loss of ground by reason of the Fence P. 106 to p. 125 you have an account of the charges by plowing and planting seed and sets for Timber-trees and under-Woods P. 126 to p. 159 you have an account of the Charges by delving the Land and planting seed and sets for Timber-trees and under-Woods P. 160 to 163 Planting pleasant walks with Timber-trees and Groves P. 164 to 169 The Charges and Profit keeping 1000 tame Conies P. 170 171 Several observations about sheep P. 172 175 Several directions to make an Aviary also a Fish-pond and several observations about Pigeons P. 176 The choice of Cows for a Dairy P. 177 to p. 183 A particular view of every part of the pleasant Land P. 183 184 An Alphabet of all Herbs growing in the Kitchin and Physick Gardens P. 185 186 187 Several Observations about planting Herbs P. 188 189 Directions to Plant Hops P. 190 191 192 A View of the Pleasant-Land P. 193 to p. 243 The Vertues and use of Trees and Herbs P. 244 to p. 248 Several Physical Directions P. 249 to p. 270 A Discourse of the Fishing-Trade of Great-Britain ENGLAND'S IMPROVEMENT REVIVED THE FIRST BOOK The Argument In this Book is set down the great benefit that doâ— arise from Trading which is the Strength and Riches of a People as also that the Kings of England are the Soveraign Lords of the British Seas and that the said Seas have by force of Armes been kept and protected from the Power of all Nations and Kings in memory by undoubted Records ever since Edgar Etheldred Canutus the Dane Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror and all the Kings of England to this day You have in it also a Collection of certain Breviats of several Records now in the Tower of London proving the Soveraignty of the British Seas wholly to belong to the Kings of England demonstrated by the Examples of several other Kings and Princes how they keep by force of Armes all Seas within their Territories You have also here in Passage shewn the great use of Ships how they are the Strength of a Kingdom or People and the chief Instruments of Trade And this part lastly is concluded with a short Declaration of the wofull wasts and decay of all Woods and Timber in England especially in his Majesties Forrests not only during the Troubles but to this very day Together with some short Proposals for preserving those Trees that are now standing and growing planting wast Lands for a future supply and several ways of improving Barren Lands HAving not long since in obedience unto his Majesties Gracious Declaration for the Fishing-Trade of Great Britain discoursed something of Trade in general and how it hath flourished together with its Decay throughout Europe as well as here in England and particularly of the Fishing-Trade and the great advantage that might accrue to this Nation thereby I think it needless to repeat here what I have other where more largely set down It is well known that Trade is the Life of all the habitable World and that by the extent thereof the Venetians and Genoese did engross the greatest part of the Wealth of Europe and by their Shipping which continually supplyed them with Men became a Terror unto all about them But when their Trading decayed their Strength and Glory did with it fall as if those two Twins who were happily born together were unwilling to survive each other After the Venetians and Genoese the Easterlings or Haunse Towns being Masters of the Trade were very powerfull at Sea and Land and in their own Bottoms transported our Staple Commodities all over Europe when we for want of Ships could only look on and see them grow rich by our encrease I need not tell how also by their Shipping the Saxons Danes and Normans invaded England being the more powerfull because Masters of a great Trade but when that began to fail their Strength and Shipping sensibly decayed After the Easterlings the Portugals discovering the way to the Indies by the Cape of good hope quickly became Ingrossers of the whole Trade thither and at once undermined the Venetians and all the Haunse Towns and encreasing with the strength of Spain became as formidable at home by Land as they were abroad at Sea But now in these years those great Trades are fallen betwixt Us and the Hollander only the Hollander by art and industry hath better improved his Interest and made himself rich by our Staple Commodities For the Original of all their Trade and Merchandise together with the great support of it was and is from the Fish they take in the Seas belonging unto England and Scotlandm with the Product whereof they are grown to that greatness that now they are and may be as ill Neighbours to England as the
belongs to his Sacred Majesty I might here enter upon the praise of the great use of Shipping and the farr greater advantage that comes to a Nation thereby of what importance it is to any People both for encrease of their Riches and Wealth Maintainance of their Peace and to make them formidable to those that are round about them But I shall forbear only thus much it cannot but be infinitely more to us of this Island then to any other Nation in Europe Nature haveing given us the Sea for our bounds which we can neither Pass nor Defend but by the Convenience of Shipping Adding to this the great love his Majesty hath to Navigation and his promoting all kind of Industry that may conduce to the securing of this Nation from all assaults that way there is none of his Loyall Subjects but think themselves bound as much as their Talent and Capacity will amount to some one way some another to advance so Noble a Design For my own part till an opportunitie offers of serving his Majesty upon that Element abroad I shall indeavour what lies in my power for preparing something in order to it upon the Land at home and shall hence take the occasion to Discourse of that great foundation of all Shipping Tymber chiefly the Oak None therefore can be ignorant of the great Wasts committed in this Nation of all sorts of Timber and especially of this which in the space of 100 years but much more within these 30 years so that his Majesty's Forrests that have most abounded with the best Materials in the World for Shipping are very much impoverished and Decayed Partly therefore upon the Reasons before mentioned as a good Subject and partly out of my duty having had Imployment as a sworn Officer in one of his Majesties Forrests and at present dwelling on the Borders thereof and thereby better able to see and judge the Wasts that have been Committed In Order to the preserving and increasing of this so necessary a Materiall I Humbly Propose First That there be speciall care taken for the Preservation of all such Timber as shall yet be found standing and Growing 2. That there be provision made for the Planting of young Timber Trees in such wast places of the Kingdom as are capable to produce them 3. That no Person whether of the Nobility or private Gentlemen be permitted to Cut down Grub or stock up any Timber Trees or Woods of Timber under full growth or at the growth of 9 foot in the girt or Compass which is 3 foot Diameter For in the Parish where I dwell there hath been 5 several falls of Timber Trees the most of them Oaks sould by private Gentlemen within this 7 years whereof the greatest grown Oak was not above 12 Inches at the Lower or Butt End if hewed by square but the most part of them not above 8. 4. That all Owners of Woods be injoyned at the time and season of their Cutting or felling the Under Woods to leave standing and growing 20 of the best thriving young Trees in each or every acre of Wood so cut or felled if there be not so many already standing and Growing at the time of Cutting and those to be preserved until they be of growth as aforesaid for all Woods have Univesally Received a Mortal Blow within the space of 30 years notwithstanding there is a statute for the Preservation and Maintainance of the same Made the 35 Henry 8 and the 1. Elizabeth That at every fall of Timber there should be 12 storers or standils left and growing upon an acre or every acre of Land so felled Now if the King and Kingdom were so sensible of the want of Timber in those daies being 116 years since much more may we now therefore it is a thing to be regarded and of great Concernment for the abuses of Woods are Infinite and intollerable notwithstanding the words of the Statute Indeed I have seen in many places at the falls where they have lest the number of Standils and more But instead of them have cut down those that were Reserved before and at the next fall even they escaped not only a new race of young standils were left againe in their steads to answer the bare word of the Statute and not the true meaning of it which by this shift is very much abused therefore if Provision be not made to prevent that and to put the true intention of the Statute in more force there can be no encrease of Timber trees expected 5. Sith Timber and timber Trees by due observation are found to decay very fast it behoveth every good husband not only to Maintain and preserve such trees as remain and so by the Statute to be set out but voluntarily to Plant more and because there is such a universal inclination to hurle down it were expedient that since Wit and Providence will not Authority should Constrain some men as well Lords as Tenants to Plant set or sowe with Acorns Ashen-keyes Beechmast c. For every hundred Acres of Land one acre Or to Plant the said Acre with sets or Plants and to preserve and keep the same until they come to full growth as aforesaid Now although in former Ages when England was overgrowne with Woods The Felling Grubbing of Stocing up of Trees did prove a great benefit to the Nation by making room for Men Corn and Cattle Yet moderation is now more necessary for the too much overthrowing of Timber-trees and stocking up Woods hath brought a great scarcity of that Necessary Commodity and if for the over-greedy use and advantage though but small at the present there be no regard of future occasions there will follow Extream want for there are many necessaries which without Fireing are of little use and Corn will require Mils to grinde if all were Meddow and Pasture the Life of Cattle then Arable Land the Life of Men were dead when for one commodities sake another is abandon'd by some private men less expedient for the Publick Weale it must of Necessity be destructive and much it is to be lamented that the Devastation of Woods threatens a grievous weakening to this Kingdome such a pestilent heat issueth out of the many forges and furnaces for the making of Iron as hath Devoured many Famous Woods and by credible report there hath been lately in Sussex above 130. Hammers and Furnaces for Iron the hammers and furnaces spending each of them in every 24. hours three or 4 loade of Charcole more or less which in a yeare amounteth unto an infinite quantitie but because for lack of Water in the summer to blow their Bellowes all of them cannot worke the whole year we cannot give an account so Exactly yet a probable Estimate we may make how many load of Coale all the said Hammers and Furnaces may expend in one yeare and to that end We shall suppose that one time with another they may all worke two third parts of the year which is
Work house it self of the Blood which is the Liver whence for want of Blood which is as it were the Food follows the consumption of the whole body Seventhly if the Distillation flow in aboundance and gross down the Marrow of the Back it causeth the Palsie by hindring the Animal Spirit that it cannot be distributed by the Nerves springing from the Backbone Eighthly if it fill the Nerves of the Muscles only it becomes the Spasma or Convulsion Ninthly if it flow subtle and penetrating the Nerves it is at length gathered together in the extremities of the Members and there raises Pains which in the Feet are called the Gout in the Hands Chiragra or the hand-Gout in any of the Joynts of the Bones Arthritica the running Gout in the Hip it is called Ischias or the Hip-gout or the Sciatica Tenthly if those kind of Runnings stay in the Head they procure divers diseases as when they are subtle the Head-ach too raw and and flegmatick the Lethargie salt and cholerick the Phrensie gross and mixt with a melancholly humour the Epilepsie or Falling-sickness When as the spirits diffused through the whole Body making hast to relieve the spirits besieged in the Brain make most vehement stirs and fight till they either overcome and repel the Disease or else faint and are extinguished But if the gross flegmatick humours have occupied all the vessels of the Brain at once it becomes the Apoplexie that is a privation of all sense and motion whence also the vital fire in the heart is soon after extinguished All thse Diseases are both prevented and also if they go not too far cured first by Exercise secondly by Rectification of the Brain by good smells thirdly by a thin hot and sulphury Air fourthly by thin light Meat and Drink And if these will not prevail you have liberty to go to the Physitians Ninthly Obstruction is a stopping of the Bowels by thickned flegm whence it comes to pass that they cannot execute their office for example when the Entrals are stopt that they cannot void it is the Volvuli or wringing of the Guts when the Liver is stopt the Dropsie for the Chylus being not turned into blood flows through the Veins and Members and is not turned into Members when the bladder of the Gall is stopt the Yellow-Jaundice when the Spleen the Black-Jaundice for in the first the Choler in the other the Melancholly when it cannot be voided diffuseth it self through the Blood but when the Urin Pipes or the Veins or the Bladder are stopped that is by reason of the breeding of Tartar which they call the Stone which stopping the passages by its sharpness pains the Veins and Nerves The Cure is first by Purgations secondly by Medicines attennating or breaking cutting and driving out the gross humors before they are gendred or knit Tenthly Putrefaction is the corruption of some humors in the Body as either of Flem or of Choler or of Melancholly which putrefying in or out of their Vessels produce Fevers or Ulcers The Cure is first Expurgation of the place affected secondly a good Diet and Daily Exercise thirdly Motion Eleventhly Inflammation is a burning of the Vital Spirit or of the Blood caused by the too much motion either of the Body by wearying it or of the Mind by Musing and Anger or else by Putrefaction or else by Obstruction for it is known out of Physicks that Motion doth heat even unto firing and that by Obstruction doth by Antiperistasis exasperate the heat included even in those things that are watery and putrid so that at length it breaks out violently When the blood is kindled within it becomes a Fever when under the skin St. Anthonies â—ire The General Cure is the Opening a Vein and Cooling If you like not this way the Physicians can better direct Thus have I cast into the great Treasury my Widows Mite and if it shall be instrumental for the incouraging the Industry of others I shall think I have well imployed both my time and my labour and if any shall be pleased to put these Proposals of mine into practice either as to a less or greater quantity of ground I doubt not but he will find I have been too sparing a Discoverer both of the Pleasure and Profit which are to be reaped thereby Having hitherto dicoursed of the Planting Timber Trees to make provision for the building of Ships the main strength and support of these Nations as well as the chief Instruments of Trade all over the World I have to the five foregoing Books added the following Treatise wherein not altogether from the purpose I have set down the great Improvement which has been made by Shipping to a Nation the vast benefit of Trade particularly of the Fishing Trade in order to which you have an Account of a Voyage to Orkney and Shotland with the Manner and Way of the Hollanders Fishing and Trading in those and the adjacent Islands This Discourse was printed by it self in the year 1662 and having now an opportunity to reprint it I have rather chosen to make it a part of this than let it go abroad in a second Edition alone as it did in the first 'T is the same word for word now as it was then and this I have done purposely that I might if possible satisfie all and yet not be tedious ENGLAND'S IMPROVEMENT REVIVED THE SIXTH BOOK The Argument You have a Description of the Islands of Orkney and Shotland with the manner and way of the Hollanders Fishing and Trading in those Seas and Islands Also a Diurnal or short account of Coasting from London to those Islands with a discovery of several Rocks and Harbours on that Coast Here is likewise set down that the Original of the Hollanders Trade which is now much increased and spread through a great part of the World was and is from the Fish they every year take on the Coast of England and Scotland And in this Book lastly is set down the great benefit that does arise from Trade with a short discourse that the Traffick of Europe hath been engrossed into the hands and carried on all along by the Venetians Genoese Portugals Easterlings Hollanders and English and that the falure and decay of the one was the original rise to another Also a Composition with the Hollanders made with King Charles the First to pay unto his Majesty one hundred thousand pounds yearly and a hundred thousand pounds ready down With a particular Account of the Herring Ling Cod and other fish taken in the British Seas by the Hollanlanders and other Nations every year worth ten Millions of pounds IN the year 1633 being then an Apprentice to Mr. Matthew Cradock of London Merchant one of the Society for the Fishing Trade of Great-Britain I was sent to Sea by the Right Honorable the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery and his Associates for the discovery of the Island of Shotland the manner and way of Trading the Profits and Customes
no place in the habitable World lies more convenient and better situated than this Isle though no People seem more averse some out of negligence and listlesness others wilfully ignorant To do therefore what lies in me to awaken the industry of the first and condemn the froward peevishness of the other I could not conclude this Subject without giving the following Account of some Observations in order hereto collected out of a small Treatise of Sir John Burrows printed in the Year 1633. THe Hollanders by reason of those multitude of Ships and Mariners they have extended their Trade to all parts of the World exporting for the most part in all their Voyages our Herring and other Fish for the maintenance of the same in exchange whereof they return the several Commodies of other Countries From the Southern parts as France Spain and Portugal for our Herrings they return Oiles Wines Prunes Honey Wools and store of Coin in specie From the Streights Velvets Sattins and all sorts of Silkes Alomes Currans Oyles and all Grocery ware with much Money From the East-Countreys for our Herrings and other French and Italian Commodities before returned they bring home Corne Wax Flax Hemp Pitch â—arr Soap-Ashes Iron Copper Steel Clap-boards Timber Deal-board Dollers and Hungaria Gilders From Germany for Herrings and other salt-Fish Iron Steel Glass Milstones Rhenish-Wines Silkes Velvets Rashes Fustians Baratees and such like Frankford Commodities with store of Rixdollers From Brabant they return for the most part ready Money with some Tapestries yea some of our Herring are carried as farr as Brasile Now to carry on this great Trade they have 700 Strand-boates 400 Euars and 400 Sullits Drivers and Todboates wherewith the Hollanders fish upon their own Coasts every one of those imploying another ship to fetch salt and carry their Fish into other Countreys being in all 3000 sail also they have 100 Doger-boates of about 150 Tuns a piece also 700 Pincks and Well-boates from 60 to 100 Tun a piece wâ—ich altogether Fish upon the Coasts of England and Scotland for Cod and Ling onely and each of these employ another Vâ—ssel for Providing salt and transporting of their Fish making in all 16â—0 ships For the Herring season they have 1600 Busses at the least all of them fishing onely upon our Coasts and every one of these maketh work for 3 other ships that attend her the one to bring in salt from Forraign Parts another to carry the said salt and Cask to the Busses and to bring back their Herrings and the third to transport the said Fish into â—oreign Countreys so thâ—t the Total Number of ships and busses plying the Herring-Faire is 6400 every â—uffe one with another imployâ—th 40 Men Mariners an Fâ—shers within her own Hold and the rest ten Men a piece which amounteth to â—12000 Fisheâ—s aâ—d Mariners All which maintain above double so many Tradesmen Women and Children a Land Moreover they have 4â—0 other Vessels that take Herring at Yarmâ—uth and there sell them for ready Mony so that the Hollanders besides 300 ships before mentioned fishing upon their own shores have at least 6800 ships only maintained by the seas of Great Britain by which meanes principally Holland being not so big as one of our shires in England have encreased the number of their shipping to at least 10000 sail being more then are in England France Spain Portugal Italy Denmark Poland Sweden and Russia Besides these of Holland Lubeck hath 700 Great ships Hamborough 600 Embden 1400 whereunto add the ships of Bremer Biscay Portugal Spain and France which for the most part Fish in our seas and it will appear that 10000 sail of Forreign Vessels and above are imployed and maintained by Fishing upon our Coasts By reason of those Multitude of ships they cannot imploy less then 200000 Mariners and Fishers out of which they daily furnish their longer Voyages to all parts of the World for by this meanes they are not onely enabled to brook the seas and to know the use of the Tackles and Compass but are likewise instructed in the Principles of Navigation and Pilotage Moreover How mighty the Publick Revenue and Customes of the Hollanders are encreased by their Fishing may appear in that above thirty years since over and above the Customes of other Merchandise Excises Licences Wâ—ftage and Lastage there was payed to the State for Custom of Herring and other salt-fish above 300000 pound in one year besides the tenth fish and Caske payed for Waftage which cometh at least to as much more among the Hollanders onely whereunto the tenth of other Nations being added it amounteth to a far greater summ We are likewise to know That great part of their Fish is sold in other Countries for ready Money for which they commonly export of the finest Gold and silver and coming home recoyne it of a baser allay under their own â—amp which is not a small meanes to auâ—ment their Publick treasure Also the gain made by private men must of necessity be exceeding great as by observing the particulars following will plainly appear During the Wars between the King of Spain and the Hollanders before the last Truce Dunkirke by taking spoiling and burning the Busses of Holland and setting great Ransome upon their Fishermen enforced them to compound for great Sums that they might Fish quietly for one year Whereupon the next year after the Fishermen agreed amongst themselves to pay a Dollar upon every Last of Herrings towards the maintenance of certain Ships of Warr to Waft and secure them in their Fishing by reason whereof there was a Record kept of the several Lasts of Herrings taken that year and it appeared thereby that in one half year there were taken 300000 Lasts of Herrings which at 12 pound the Last amounteth to 3600000 and at 16 or 20 pound the Last they are ordinarily sold then transported into other Countreys it cometh between both Prises at least to 5000000 of Pounds Whereunto if we add the Herrings taken by other Nations together with the Codd Ling Hake and the Fish taken by the Hollanders and other our Neighbours upon the Brittish Coast all the year long the Total will evidently arise to be above 10000000 of pounds yearly or every year And to Conclude such is the Clear and Indubitable Right of our Soveraign Lord the KING to the Superiority of the Brittish Seas that no Man can produce Clearer Evidence for any part of his Estate And as those Seas under God are the Principal Means of our Wealth and safety so it doth much concern all his true subjects who are bound by the Law of Grace and Nature with Heart and Hand to preserve and maintain the same with the Hazard of their Lâ—ves Goods and fortunes FINIS