456 James I, Naval Expeditions y Scc t of the English,

1618. Virginia, which without; staying for anyThing else, took the Governour , onBoard, and returned for England 3 Andno other Occasion of his Recall beingknown, it is probable the French bul-lied the King into it.

Purchas,

Vol. I.p. 656.Harris’* Col.P. I. p. 196.Mr. W.Hare's Voy-age fromSurat to se-veral Partsof the East-Indies.

The Dutchsurprize andtake fourEnglishShips , anduse the Menbarbarousy ,

Ho re’s Voyage to the several Parts'of the Indies.

In the Year 1618. the Dragon andthe Expedition, two Ships belonging tothe Eaft-India -Company , were sent,under the Command of Mr. W. Hore,from Surat to Achen, Bantam and o-ther Parts of the Eajl-Indies. I shallobserve nothing more of this Voyage,but that the Dragon going out of thePort of Fecoo, with three other Ships,belonging to the Company, which hadthey been there to take in their Lading,were treacherously set upon by six sub-stantial Dutch Ships, prepared for Bat-tle, whereas they were so encumberedthat they were not able to use theirGuns, and consequently were in noCondition to fight. The Dutch, there-fore, took them, after a short Resistancefrom the Dragon only, and, accordingto their usual Method, treated theMenin a most barbarous and inhuman Man-ner.

Greenian ss-Trade.

Purchas, This, and the following Years, theVol. III.p. Affairs of Greenland went but badly.Greenland- The Dutch and Zealanders were tooTrade. mighty for the English, and not only,in a great Measure, put them by theirTrade, but, upon all Occasions, whenit was in their Power, treated themmuch in the fame Manner, as they didin the Eas Indies.

^stUDo-^ Among other Transactions of theminion qsthe Year 1609. I mentioned a Proclama-Seas, p . 66 . tion published by King James , prohi-biting all Foreigners Fishing in the Bri-tish Seas; And the Pretence the Dutchthereupon made of Immemorial Possession.The following Extract of a Letter,writ-ten by the Secretary of State in Eng-land, to the English Ambasfadour at theHague, dated December 21. 1618, withhis Answer, &c. will give the Readeran Idea of what this easy King thoughtfit to have farther done in this Matter.

" As to their claiming an Immemo-" rial Posseffion, founded by the Laws“ of Nations, (fays the Secretary) His" Majesty will have them told; That" the Kings of Spain have foughtLeavetc to fist* there (in the British Seas) by" Treaty from this Crown, and that" the King of France (a nearer Neigh-" hour to our Coast than they) to this" Day requests Leave for a few Vef-" fels to fish for Provision for his own" Houstold, and that it appears so" much the more strange to His Ma-" jesty, that they, being a State of so" late a Date, should be the first that" would presume to question His Ma-" jesty’s ancient Right, so many Hun-‘ c dred Years, inviolably possessed, byhis Progenitors, and acknowledged" by all other ancient States and" Princes. That themselves, in their" Publick Letters, of the last of June,“ seemed then to confirm their Imme-" morial Posfesson (as they termed it)“ with divers Treaties, as are, of the" Years 1550, and another between" His Majesty’s Predecessors and" Charles V, as Prince of those Pro-" vinces, and not by the Law of Na~" tions. To which their last Plea," His Majesty would have told them," That he, being an Islander Prince," is not ignorant of the Laws and" Rights of his own Kingdom, nor" does expect to be taught the Laws“ of Nations, by them, nor their Gro-" tius 3 For His Majesty taking this" for a high Point of His Sovereign-(< ty, will not have it slighted, in any" Fashion, whatsoever, &c, - - - - -“ Let them advise to seek Leave from" His Majesty, and to acknowledge“ His Pvight, as other Prinees have" done, and do 3 Or it may well cometf to pass, that they, who will needs" bear all the World before them, withee their Mare Liberum, may soon cometr to have neither Terram and Solum ,

" nor Rempublicam Liberam.

To whichLetter, theAmbassador, re-turning an Answer, among other Things,fays r

<e I told the Prince of Orange, that" howsoever His Majesty, both in Ho-" nour of His Crown and Person, andce Interest of His Kingdoms, neithertc could nor would any longer desist" from having His Right acknowledged" by this State, as well as by all otherfC Princes and Common wealths 3 Efpe-

" cially

ni.

1618.