1653.

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"have used thee; and that I doe heartily wish there may
" be a good peace between the two common-wealths."

"Sk. My lord, If it please God I live and come well
home againe, as I hope in God I fhall, I will goe to the
lords, and deliver your meffage to them, and lett them
fully know your goodnes to me; and I shall acquaint

good store of my neighbours with your noble carryage
"towards me and I pray to God with all my heart to
"bleffe you, and to give you a fafe and happy voyage."

The Skipper went away a joyful man, and had his ship and all his goods to a penny-worth restored to him, which he faid he wondered att, they having bin, as he called it, in hucksters hands; and in token of his thankfullness, he fent back by Whitelocke's men a holland cheese and a great bottle of brandy wine for a present to Whitelocke. Butt he believing the poor man to have more need of it than himselfe, who was no lover either of that meat or drinke, Whitelocke sent them back agayne, with his hearty thankes to the skipper for his love; who (as Whitelocke was afterwards informed) did fufficiently publish the kindnes of the english ambaffador to him, and that to as many of the lords as he could fpeake with, as well as to his neighbours and countreymen; fo that Monfieur Lagerfeldt paffing that way by land homewards, was informed of it for newes, and afked Whitelocke (when they mett) about it.

This was done by Whitelocke uppon defigne to create the better opinion of him and his fuperiors, and the more averfenes to the war in the inferiour fort of people of that countrey, and to amuse the lords the more by this action

uppon

H

Nov. 8.

uppon his going for Sweden; and the paffages are the more 1653. particularly remembered for the variety, and to show the fubtlety of these kind of people; and that even from them (as from all forts of men) fomewhat as to these publique affayres may be learned, and use made thereof.

Most of Whitelocke's men were very fea-ficke, only himfelfe and three or fewer more held well; the Catch was lost, or ranne home for feare of the weather: the wind came into the north-east, fo that Whitelocke could make no way in his course, but was forced to steere back towards the coaft of England.

A great dutch fhip (as they supposed) a man of warre, hovered within fight of Whitelocke this day; butt when Whitelocke came towards her, fhe made away from him, and would by no meanes come nearer to him, having gott the advantage by the wind and distance to keepe off from him.

All the last night the fea continued extreame rough, and the weather full of raine and stormes, fo that the ships (efpecially the merchantmen) were in great daunger of being founderd in the fea.

The wind continued flatt and high against Whitelocke's course; who theruppon in the morning confulted with the captaine, master, and pilotes of his fhip what was best for them to doe.

The officers were all of the opinion, that there was great daunger of their being driven uppon the coaft of Holland, where fo lately they loft fome of their owne men of warre, when the ftormes were much like thofe wherin Whitelocke Q 2

now

9.

Nov. 9.

1653, now was, and the wind in the fame quarter; they were alfo of opinion, that the merchantmen of his fleet were in extreme daunger to be loft in these great ftormes; and that (as the wind fate) it was impoffible to hold on their course for Gothenbergh: uppon these reasons, and by the advice of the officers and many of Whitelocke's people being extreame fick, he ordered to direct their courfe to Yermouth,.

or fome port thereabouts in England, that, if poffible, they might reach fight of the english coaft before night; which they indeavoured, till about noone, then the wind weared. about to west south west, whereuppon they flood on agayne in their course for Gothenbergh..

Divers strange fifhes fhowed themselves playing and tumbling in the waters; the fowle flewe about difturbed with the ftormes; the firmament powred downe water, and thicke clowdes darkened it. A great number of fishermen; were abroade, very induftrious, and gaining out of these feas a vast commodity and profit by their fishing..

They have smalle territories, little land of their own ;: yett, by their industry and navigation in trade, and fishing, they gaine vaft treasures.

Cambden writing thereof, notes what an extraordinary plentifull, and gainfull herring fishing the Hollanders and Zealanders ufe to have in the neighbouring fea, having first obtained leave from the castle of Scarborough, according to the antient custome.

Then he blames his countrymen (not undeservedly) who ever grant leave to fish, butt through a kind of negligence, refigning the profitt to strangers; for it is almost incredible

(faith he) what a vast some of money the Hollanders make 1653. by fishing on our coasts.

Hitchcocke, in his booke prefented to the parlement in queen Elizabeth's days, writes, that the Hollanders and Zealanders every year fend forth 400 or 500 veffalls, called Buffes, to fish for herrings in this eafterne fea.

1.

Sir John Boroughs, in his treatise of the foveraignty of the British feas, computes the number of their fhips and veffells imployed about the fishing trade, to be 6400; their marriners and fifliermen he reckons to the number of 168,000; their publique revenue out of fishing, he accounts to neer a million yearly; and the private wealth gained by it, he estimates yearly to 10,000,000 of our pounds fterling out of their trade of fishing in our feas."

Whither his calculation be exact or not, will not be neceffary to caft up. Doubtles the profit of this fishing trade, gained by these Netherlanders on the British feas, is very huge and vast; and it may not improperly be faid of them, as is prophefyed of the tribes of Zebulon and Iffachar, in the bleffing pronounced by Mofes uppon them, Deuteronomy xxxiii. 19. 66 They fhall fucke of the abundance of the "feas, and of treafures hid in the fands."

These ftormes drove the fishermen home agayne; nor would Whitelocke looke after them, nor neglect his course to follow them, butt tooke the best care he could for defence of his felfe, being now in the middeft of ennemies, who would neglect no opportunity they could meet with to deftroy him.

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10.

All this day ftood aloofe from him a great ship, making all the fayle fhe could to the windward of him, and (as Whitelocke's men fupposed) she had other companions of the dutch convoyes not farre off from her; as they could difcover by the perfpective, fhe was the fame fhip they faw yesterday but neither then nor now, in the day time, would come neer to Whitelocke, and he would not permit his fhips to goe out of their due courfe to follow this Dutchman, who ftill kept the advantage of being to windward of Whitelocke, and fo lay off still from him.

Whitelocke doubting least the defigne of the Dutch men of warre now abroade for convoyes, (whereof he supposed this great ship to be one) might be in the night time to intercept one of his baggage fhips; he renewed his orders, that the Adventure and Fortune fhould fayle in the lee or sterne of the Phoenix, and the Elizabeth and captain Welch to keepe in the fterne of the baggage fhips, to be close togither to relieve and affift one another as there fhould be occafion.

In this order they fayled in their course; butt the wind comming about more to the north, and being in the evening due weft, and weft north west, they had butt bare wind enough to hold on their course, butt they could not gaine or advance much way in it.

The wind continued all night full againft Whitelocke's course; fo that they toyled. all the darke night in the rough feas and contrary winds, the fhips rowling and toffing very much, and were in great daunger; yett could they not gayne any way att all in their intended course.

Towards