the king of his Realme of England, by ye going in, entring & passage of such forain & strange persons into his realme of Norwey & other dominions, streits, territories, jurisdictions & places subdued and subject to him, specially into his Iles of Fynmarke, and elswhere, aswell in their persons as their things and goods: for eschuing of such losses, perils, hurts & damages, and that such like (which God forbid) should not hereafter happen: our said soveraigne Lord the king hath ordeined and statuted, that all and singular strangers, aswell Englishmen and others willing to apply by Ship and come into his Realme of Norwey and other dominions, streits, territories, jurisdictions, Isles & places aforesaid with their ships, to the intent to get or have fish or any other Marchandises, or goods, shall apply and come to his Towne of Northberne, where the said king of Denmarke hath specially ordained and stablished his staple for the concourses of strangers and specially of Englishmen, to the exercise of such Marchandises: granting to the said Englishmen that they shall there injoy in and by all things the same favour, privileges and prerogatives which they of the Hans did enjoy. Therefore our said soveraigne Lord the king willing the love, affinitie and amities to be firmely observed, which betwixt his said Uncle and his noble progenitors of good memory, their Realmes, lands, dominions, streites, territories, jurisdictions and their said places, and the same our soveraigne Lord the king & his noble progenitours of famous memory, his great men, subjects, Realmes, lands & dominions hath bene of old times hitherto continued, nor nothing by our said soveraigne Lord the king or his people to be attempted or done whereby such amities by reason of any dissensions, enemities or discords might be broken by the advise of the Lords spirituall & temporall & of the commons of his said Realme of England, assembled in this present Parliament, hath ordained, prohibiting that none of his liege people nor subjects of his Realme of England by audacitie of their follie presume to enter the Realmes, lands, dominions, straits, territories, jurisdictions & places of the said king of Denmarke against ye ordinance, prohibition & interdiction of ye same his Uncle above remembred, & in contempt of the same, upon paine of forfeiture of all their moveable goods & imprisonment of their persons at the kings will.

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graunted, or other privileges hereafter to bee granted to the sayde English Marchants by the aforesayde Master and lords of the Countrey. And furthermore by the tenor of these presents wee straitely commaund all and singular the aforesaid English Marchants, that they attend, advise, obey and assist, as it becommeth them, the sayde governours so to bee chosen, and their deputies in all and singular the premisses, and other things, which any way may concerne in this behalfe their rule and governement. Given in our Palace at Westminster under the testimonie of our great Seale the sixt day of June in the fift yeere of our reigne.

A note touching the mighty ships of King Henry the fift, mentioned hereafter in the treatie of keeping the Sea, taken out of a Chronicle in the Trinitie Church of Winchester.

EODEM Anno quo victoria potitus est videlicet Anno Domini 1415. & regni sui Anno tertio, post bellum de Agencourt, conducti a a Francis venerunt cum multis Navibus recuperaturi Harfletum. Sed Rex Angliæ misit fratrem suum Johannem Ducem Bedfordiæ & Andegaviæ, qui pugnavit cum eis & vicit, & Naves cepit, & quasdam submersit: cæteri fugerunt cum Hispanis navibus qui venerant cum eis Anno gratiæ 1416. Sequenti vero Anno redierunt potentiores, & iterum devicti perpetuam pacem cum Rege composuerunt, & propter eorum naves fecit Rex fieri naves quales non erant in mundo. De his sic conductis a Francis ita metricè scribitur.

Regum belligero trito celeberrimus arvo

Gallos, Hispanos, Janos, devicit, & Urget,
Vastat; turbantur cætera regna metu.
Navali bello bis devicti quoque Jani.

A branch of a Statute made in the eight yeere of Henry the sixt, for the trade to Norwey, Sweveland, Denmarke, and Fynmarke.

ITEM because that the kings most deare Uncle, the king of Denmarke, Norway & Sweveland, as the same our soveraigne Lord the king of his intimation hath understood, considering the manifold & great losses, perils, hurts and damage which have late happened aswell to him and his, as to other foraines and strangers, and also friends and speciall subjects of our said soveraigne Lord

the king of his Realme of England, by ye going in, entring & passage of such forain & strange persons into his realme of Norwey & other dominions, streits, territories, jurisdictions & places subdued and subject to him, specially into his Iles of Fynmarke, and elswhere, aswell in their persons as their things and goods: for eschuing of such losses, perils, hurts & damages, and that such like (which God forbid) should not hereafter happen: our said soveraigne Lord the king hath ordeined and statuted, that all and singular strangers, aswell Englishmen and others willing to apply by Ship and come into his Realme of Norwey and other dominions, streits, territories, jurisdictions, Isles & places aforesaid with their ships, to the intent to get or have fish or any other Marchandises, or goods, shall apply and come to his Towne of Northberne, where the said king of Denmarke hath specially ordained and stablished his staple for the concourses of strangers and specially of Englishmen, to the exercise of such Marchandises: granting to the said Englishmen that they shall there injoy in and by all things the same favour, privileges and prerogatives which they of the Hans did enjoy. Therefore our said soveraigne Lord the king willing the love, affinitie and amities to be firmely observed, which betwixt his said Uncle and his noble progenitors of good memory, their Realmes, lands, dominions, streites, territories, jurisdictions and their said places, and the same our soveraigne Lord the king & his noble progenitours of famous memory, his great men, subjects, Realmes, lands & dominions hath bene of old times hitherto continued, nor nothing by our said soveraigne Lord the king or his people to be attempted or done whereby such amities by reason of any dissensions, enemities or discords might be broken by the advise of the Lords spirituall & temporall & of the commons of his said Realme of England, assembled in this present Parliament, hath ordained, prohibiting that none of his liege people nor subjects of his Realme of England by audacitie of their follie presume to enter the Realmes, lands, dominions, straits, territories, jurisdictions & places of the said king of Denmarke against ye ordinance, prohibition & interdiction of ye same his Uncle above remembred, & in contempt of the same, upon paine of forfeiture of all their moveable goods & imprisonment of their persons at the kings will.

Another branch of a statute made in the tenth yeere of the reigne of Henry the sixt concerning the state of the English Marchants in the dominions of the 'king of Denmarke.

ITEM because that our soveraigne Lord the king at the grievous complaint to him made in this Parliament by the commons of his realme of England being in this Parliament is informed, that many of his faithfull liege people be greatly impoverished, undone, & in point to be destroyed by the king of Denmarke & his lieges, which be of the amitie of the king our soveraigne Lord, because that they do daily take of his said faithful subjects their goods, so that they have taken of marchants of York and Kingston upon Hul goods & marchandises to the valour of v.M.li. within a yeere, and of other lieges & marchants of ye Realme of England goods & cattals to the valour of xx. M.li. wherof they have no remedie of the said king of Denmarke, nor of none other, forasmuch as none of them commeth within the Realme of England, nor nothing have in the same Realme of England, & that ye goods be taken out of the same Realme: The king willing to provide remedy for his said liege people, hath ordeined & established, that if ye goods of any of ye said his lieges be or shalbe taken by the said king of Denmarke or any of his said lieges, the keeper of the privie seale for ye time being, shall have power to make to ye partie grieved letters of request under the privie seale, w1out any other pursuite to be made to any for restitution to be had of ye goods so taken & to be taken. And if restitution be not made by such letters, the king our soveraigne lord by the advise of his counsel shal provide to the partie grieved his covenable remedy, according as ye case requireth.

Here beginneth the Prologue of the processe of the Libel of English policie, exhorting all England to keepe the sea, and namely the narrowe sea: shewing what profite commeth thereof, and also what worship and salvation to England, and to all English-men.

THE true processe of English policie
Of utterward to keepe this regne in
Of our England, that no man may deny,

Ner say of sooth but it is one of the best,

Is this, that who seeth South, North, East and West,
Cherish Marchandise, keepe the admiraltie;
That we bee Masters of the narrowe see.

For Sigismond the great Emperour,
Wich yet reigneth, when he was in this land
With king Henry the fift, Prince of honour,
Here much glory, as him thought, he found,
A mightie land which had take in hand
To werre in France, and make mortalitie,
And ever well kept round about the see.

And to the king thus hee sayd: My brother,
(When hee perceived two Townes Caleis and Dover)
Of all your Townes to chuse of one and other,
To keepe the sea and soone to come over
To werre outwards and your regne to recover:
Keepe these two Townes sure, and your Majestee
As your tweyne eyne: so keepe the narrowe see.
For it this sea bee kept in time of werre,
Who can heere passe without danger and woe?
Who may escape, who may mischiefe differre?
What Marchandie may forby bee agoe?
For needs hem must take trewes every foe:
Flanders and Spaine, and other, trust to mee,
Or ellis hindred all for this Narrow see.

Therefore I cast mee by a little writing
To shewe at eye this conclusion,
For conscience and for mine acquiting
Against God and ageyne abusion,

And cowardise, and to our enemies confusion.
For foure things our Noble sheweth to me,
King, Ship, and Swerd, and power of the see.

Where ben our ships, where ben our swerds become?
Our enemies bed for the ship set a sheepe.

Alas our rule halteth, it is benome.

Who dare well say that lordship should take keepe?
I will assay, though mine heart ginne to weepe,

To doe this werke, if wee will ever thee,
For very shame to keepe about the see.
Shall any Prince, what so be his name,
Which hath Nobles moch leche ours,