was the effect of Richlieu's politics, who beft underflood the different interefts of the feveral European powers, of any minilter that nation ever had, or, it is to be hoped, for the peace of Chriftendom, will ever have. He revived the difpute between the Dutch and us, refpecting the fifhery; and the famous Hugo Grotius was induced to write a treatife, under the title of Mare Liberum, wherein, with great eloquence, he endeavoured to fhew the weakness of our title to dominion over the fea: which, according to his notion, was a gift from God, common to all nations. This was anfwered by Selden, in his famous treatise, entitled, Mare Claufum; wherein he has effectually demonftrated, from the principles of the law of nature and nations, and from hiftory, that a dominion over the fea may be, and has been, acquired. This book of Mr. Selden's was publifhed in 1634, and by the countenance then, and afterward, fhewn by king Charles toward this extraordinary performance, we may fairly conclude, that he had very just and generous notions of his own, and his people's rights in this refpect, though he was very unfortunate in taking fuch methods as he did to fupport them.

The French minifter perfifted fteadily in his Machiavellian scheme, of using the power and industry of the Dutch, to interrupt the trade, and leffen the maritime force of Britain. With this view alfo, a negotiation was begun between that crown and the ftates of Holland, for dividing the Spanish Netherlands between them; and under colour of thus affifting them, in support of their pretenfions to an equal right over the fea, and in promoting their trade, to the prejudice of ours, Richlieu carried on fecretly and fecurely his darling object of raising a naval force in France to promote which, he spared not either for pains or expence, procuring from all parts the ableft perfons in all arts and fciences, any way relat ing to navigation, and fixing them in the French fervice, by giving them great encouragement.

The

The apprehenfions which the king had entertained of this new league between the French and Dutch, were fo heightened in the year 1635, by the junction of the fleets of thofe two powers, and the intelligence he had, that France was shortly to declare war against Spain, and from thence to derive that occafion they had been fo long feeking to divide the Netherlands between themfelves and their new allies; all whofe pretenfions, in refpect to the right of fishing in, and ufing an unreftrained navigation in the feas, they had undertaken to fupport, that he refolved to be no longer paffive. In order to defeat this defign, and maintain the fovereignty annexed to the English crown, as well as the nation's credit, as a maritime power; the king faw, that it was neceffary to equip and put to fea a fuperior naval force.

This it feemed exceeding hard to do, without the affiftance of a parliament; and yet the delays in granting aids had been fo great in former parliaments, that his majesty was very doubtful of fucceeding, if for this he trusted to a parliamentary fupply. His lawyers, knowing both the nature of the caie, and his deep diftrefs, fuggefted to him, that upon this occafion, he might have recourfe to his prerogative; which opinion having been approved by the judges, he thereupon directed writs to be iffued, for the levying of fhip-money. Thefe writs were, for the prefent, directed only to fea-ports, and fuch places as were near the coaft; requiring them to furnish a certain number of fhips, or to grant the king an equivalent thereto. The city of London was directed to provide feven fhips for twenty-fix days, and other places in proportion. To make the nation more easy under this tax, the king directed, that the money raifed thereby, fhould be kept apart in the exchequer; and that a diftinct account fhould be given of the fervices to which it was applied. Yet, in fpite of thefe precautions, the people murmured grievously;

which, however, did not hinder this project from being carried into execution.

With the help of this money, the king, in the month of May, 1635, fitted out a fleet of forty fail, under the command of Robert earl of Lindfey, who was admiral; Sir William Monfon, vice-admiral, Sir John Pennington, rear-admiral: as alfo another of twenty fail, under the earl of Effex. The firft of thefe fleets failed from Tilbury-Hope on the 26th of May. Their inftructions were, to give no occafion of hoftility and to fuffer nothing that might prejudice the rights of the king and kingdom. The French and Dutch fleets joined off Portland, the laft of this month; and made no fcruple of giving out, that they intended to affert their own independency, and to queftion that prerogative which the English claimed in the narrow feas; but as foon as they were informed that the English fleet was at fea, and in fearch of them, they quitted our coaft, and repaired to their own.

Our admiral fent a bark upon the coast of Britany, to take a view of them; and from the time of the return of this bark, to the 1ft of October, this fleet protected our own feas and fhores, gave laws to the neighbouring nations, and effectually afferted that fovereignty which the monarchs of this kingdom have ever claimed. The good effect of this armament, and the reputation we gained thereby abroad, in fome meafure quieted the minds of the people; as it convinced them, that this was not an invention to bring money into the exchequer, without refpect had to the end for which it was raised.

The king, perfectly fatisfied with what had been done this year, and yet well knowing that it would fignify little if another, and that at least as good a fleet, was not fet out the next; to raise the money neceffary for equipping fuch a force, had recourfe again to his writs for levying of fhip-money: but now the aid was made more extenfive, The burden, indeed,

in itself, was far from being preffing: at the utmost it did not amount to above 236,000l. per annum, which was not quite 20,000l. a month throughout the whole kingdom; yet the making it an univerfal aid, and the affeffing and collecting it in the parliamentary methods, without parliamentary authority, gave it an air of oppreffion, and made it extreamly odious.

in order to prevent all doubts from his own fubjects, and alfo to prevent any falfe furmifes gaining ground in foreign nations, as to the defign of this potent armament; the king thought fit to exprefs his royal intentions to the world, in the moft public, and in the most authentic manner: that, at one and the fame time, it might appear what himfelf demanded, and what had been paid in acknowledgment of the right of his ancestors in regard to thofe things, as to which thefe demands were made.

In 1636, the king fent a fleet of fixty fail to fea, under the command of the earl of Northumberland, admiral; Sir John Pennington, vice-admiral, and Sir Henry Marom, rear-admiral. They failed first to the Downs, and from hence to the north, where the Dutch buffes were fifhing upon our coaft. The admiral required them to forbear; which they not feeming difpofed to do, he fired upon them: this put them into great confufion, and obliged them to have recourfe to other methods. The Dutch, therefore, applied themselves to the earl of Northumberland; defired him to mediate with the king, that they might have leave to go on with their fifhing this year, for which they were content to pay 30,000l. and expreffed alfo a willingness to obtain a grant from the king, for his permiffion for their veffels to fifh there for the time to come, paying an annual tribute.

Such is the beft account that can be collected of the caufes and confequences of this expedition, from our beft hiftorians. But the earl of Northumberland delivered a journal of his whole proceedings, figned

with his own hand; which is, or at least was preferved in the paper-office. In that journal, there are feveral memorable particulars. The Dutch fishingbuffes, upon the appearance of his lordship's fleet, did take licences, to the number of two hundred, though he arrived amongst them pretty late in the year. He exacted from them twelve pence per ton, as an acknowledgment; and affirms that they went away well fatisfied., It was pretended by the Dutch in king Charles the fecond's time, that this was an act of violence; and that nothing could be concluded as to the right of this crown, from that tranfaction: fince the Dutch did not pay, because they thought what was infifted upon to be due, but, because they were defenceiefs. His lordship's journal fets this pretence entirely afide; fince it appeared from thence, that they had a fquadron of ten men of war for their protection; as alfo, that Auguft the 20th, 1636, the Dutch vice-admiral Dorp, came with a fleet of twenty men of war: but inftead of interrupting the earl in his proceedings, he faluted him by lowering his topfails, ftriking his flag and firing his guns; after which he came on board, and was well entertained by the earl of Northumberland. It is farther mentioned in that journal, that upon his lordship's return from the north, and anchoring in the Downs, he had notice of a Spanish fleet of twenty-fix fail, bound for Dunkirk; to reconnoitre which he fent one of the ships of his fquadron, called the Happy Entrance; to which fingle fhip, that fleet paid the marks of refpect, which were due to the English flag whenever it appeared.

The king meant to have continued both this method of railing money, and of fitting out fleets annually; and by giving feveral young noblemen commands at fea, to have rendered them the more capable of ferving their country in times of greater danger: but he quickly found this impracticable. The nation grew fo exceedingly diffatisfied with this

method