IAMES by the grace of God, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the faith, &c. To all and singuler persons, to whom it may appertaine, Greeting. Although we doe sufficiently know by our experience in the Office of Regall dig­nitie (in which by the fauour of Almighty God, we haue bene placed and exercised these many yeeres) as also by the obseruation which we haue made of other Christian Princes exemplary actions, how farre the absolutenesse of Soueraigne power extendeth it selfe, And that in regard thereof wee need not yeeld accompt to any person vnder God, for any action of ours, which is lawfully grounded vpon that iust Prerogatiue: Yet such hath euer bene, and shalbe our care and desire to giue satisfaction to our neighbour Princes, and friendes, in any action which may haue the least relation to their Subiects and Estates, as wee haue thought good (by way of friendly premonition) to declare vnto them all, and to whom soeuer it may appertaine, as followeth.

Whereas we haue bene contented since our comming to the Crowne, to tolerate an indifferent and promiscuous kinde of libertie to all our friendes whatsoeuer, to fish within our Streames, and vpon any of our Coastes of Great Britaine, Ireland, and other adiacent Islands, so farre foorth as the permission or vse thereof might not redound to the empeachment of our Preroga­tiue Royall, nor to the hurt and damage of our louing Subiects, whose preseruation and flou­rishing estate wee hold our selfe principally bound to aduance before all worldly respects: So finding that our conniuence therein, hath not onely giuen occasion of ouer great encrochments vpon our Regalities, or rather questioning of our Right, but hath bene a meanes of much dayly wrongs to our owne people that exercise the trade of Fishing, as (either by the multitude of strangers, which doe preoccupy those places, or by the iniuries which they receiue most commonly at their handes) our Subiects are constrained to abandon their Fishing, or at the least are be­come so discouraged in the same, as they hold it better for them, to betake themselues to some [Page]other course of liuing, whereby not onely diuers of our Coast-Townes are much decayed, but the number of Mariners dayly diminished, which is a matter of great consequence to our Estate, considering how much the strength thereof consisteth in the power of Shipping, and vse of Na­uigation: Wee haue thought it now both iust and necessary (in respect that wee are now by Gods fauour liueally and lawfully possessed, aswell of the Island of Great Britaine, as of Ire­land, and the rest of the Isles adiacent) to bethinke our selues of good and lawfull meanes to preuent those inconueniences, and many others depending vpon the same. In the conside­ration whereof, as wee are desirous that the world may take notice, that wee haue no intention to deny our Neighbours and Allyes, those fruits and benefits of Peace and friendship, which may be iustly expected at our handes in honour and reason, or are affoorded by other Princes mutually in the point of Commerce, and exchange of those things which may not prooue preiu­diciall to them: So because some such conuenient order may bee taken in this matter, as may sufficiently prouide for all these important considerations which doe depend thereupon; Wee haue resolued first to giue notice to all the world, That our expresse pleasure is, that from the beginning of the Moneth of August next comming, no person of what Nation or qualitie soeuer, being not our naturall borne Subiect, bee permitted to fish vpon any of our Coasts and Seas of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the rest of the Isles adiacent, where most vsually heretofore any Fishing hath bene, vntill they haue orderly demaunded and obtained Licenses from vs, or such our Commissioners, as wee haue authorized in that behalfe, Viz. at London for our Realmes of England and Ireland, and at Edenborough for our Realme of Scotland; Which Licenses, our intention is, shalbe yeerely demaunded, for so many Vessels and Ships, and the Tonnage there­of, as shall intend to Fish for that whole yeere, or any part thereof, vpon any of our Coastes and Seas as aforesaid, vpon paine of such chastisement, as shal be fit to bee in flicted vpon such wilfull offendours.

Giuen at our Palace of Westminster the sixt day of May, in the seuenth yeere of our Raigne of Great Britaine, France and Jreland.

God saue the King.