It is certain, the Netherlands are able to furnish more Ships of War, and Mariners, than all England and Scotland can do, with greater Facility, and in shorter Time: What Advantages your Majefty hath by the powerfulness of your own Ships, the fame Advantages are answer'd by the Netherlands in their Numbers: Who by reafon of their long Wars with Spain, and diligent Search over the World for Trade, are become the most orderly, and best disciplin'd Men of War by Sea in all Europe.

This great Strength of Shipping is not fo much to be accounted of, if it were not in these two Respects. The one, because it is fo exceeding near us.

The other, because Holland and Zealand are fituate between us and our best Trades, which are all Eaftward.

For our Mufcovia Fleets, our Merchant Adventurers, our Companies of Eaftland, and all which trade through the Sound, from whence we have our Materials for Shipping, mult pafs by Holland.

And if those Trades were impeach'd, all Sorts of People would fuffer together, and the Commonwealth fall into extream Poverty and Decay.

And whereas it may be objected, that our Muscovia Fleet, and our Merchant Adventurers are of fufficient Strength to make their own Paffage, and need not fear the Force of the Netherlands: I confefs, that, as they may pafs, fo they may perish.

But this is a general, and infallible Rule, in all the Course of Merchandize, That wherefoever the Adventure is great, and the Profit little, the Adventurer will foon give up.

But if the English Merchants fhall be driven to double Man their Ships, and furnish them with double Munition, and pay double Wages, then the Charge will be double to that which now it is; the Hazard will also be manifeft, for the Reasons before alledg'd.

And that which will prove as great an Inconveniency as the reft, will be; the great Price of Merchandize return'd from all thefe Burdens, will light upon the Buyer, and upon all Sorts of People, in the End.

Example may be taken by the Merchants of Seville in Spain, who, by reafon of our scattering Men of War upon their Coasts in the Indies, did pay 20 per Cent. for Convoy. This new Charge fo impoverish'd the Merchants, that both the Banks of Seville broke, as the first Misfortune that befel them, for little less than twenty Millions.

There's a great Difference between the Strength of the Netherlands, and that of the Spanish King; when he maketh any great Armado, he's driven to take up and imbark in the Shipping of all Nations; fome of his own, others from Venice, or Ragusa, others out of all the Parts of the Eaftlands, and from the Hans Towns, from the Danes, Hamburgers, Lubickers and Bremers.

These Ships are of divers Conducts, and divers Swiftneffes, fo as they cannot either affail or defend in grofs, as the English, or Netherlands can.

The Spanish King is alfo conftrained to prefs the Mariners of other Nations; as the Italian, French, Flemming and Dutch, to mingle with thofe of the Spanijh Nation. When thefe come to any Extremity, either by foul Weather, or by Fight, the Confufion is infinite; and fometimes a Ship may be caft away by mistaking of a Rope: There cannot be found any Mafters or Captains that can speak all thefe Languages; and if they could, yet were it to little Purpofe; for Men are directed at Sea, by Multitude, not in a single Voice.

Furthermore, thefe Men that are of ftrange Nations, and are taken up by Violence, fight with their Hands, but not with their Hearts; they rather defire Liberty than Victory; and rather feek to hide themselves, and fave themselves thereby, than to hazard their Lives

in a Quarrel that neither appertains to them, their Princes, or their Country.

Laftly, When the Spanish King fhall attempt any thing upon England, or Ireland, or any fuch remote Country, his Fleets are subject to great Variety of Winds and Weather, and to many Storms, by reafon whereof, the late great Spanish Admiral loft both his Enterprizes upon England: The laft Fleet alfo, that came for Ireland, was dispersed and much broken; and in the Year 1588, after the Duke of Medina was once beaten from the Narrow Seas, he loft the best Part of his Fleet by Tempeft.

On the contrary, the Netherlands have as many Ships of their own, as any Chriftian Prince hath, their Ships are of one Fashion, Conduct, and Swiftnefs; their Mariners of their own Nation, and Language; valiant and well order'd Men; and, as it is faid before, fo near us, as they will be in our Ports in a Summer's Day: So no People are so fitted by Art and Nature to annoy thefe Kingdoms as they.

It may perchance be objected, that when King Hen. VIII. had Wars with the Emperor Charles V. who was alfo Lord of the Low Countries, that the English received no Prejudice by the main Ships of the Netherlands: It is true, and I myself remember, that within thefe thirty Years, Two of her Majefty's Ships would have commanded one hundred Sail of theirs.

I remember also, when myself was a Captain in Ireland, that a hundred Foot, and a hundred Horfe, would have beaten all the Force of the strongest Provinces: But of late, I have known an Eafterling fight hand to hand with one of her Majefty's Ships; and that the Irish have, in this last War, been overthrown with an even, or a far lefs Number.

The Netherlands, in thofe Days, had wooden Guns, and the Irish had Darts; but the one is now furnifh'd with as great a Number of English Ordnance as our

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felves,

felves, and the other with as good Pikes and Mufkets as England hath.

Of which War, I know no other Profit arifing, than the Expence of two Millions, the impoverishing of this Kingdom, and the training and arming of the Irish, who have now, and ever had, their Lands and Lives reftor'd, when they have been brought to the laft Gafp, and Point of Subjection. And therefore, if this truly be fo of the former Government, Stultum eft eos invadere quos nequeant in officio retinere; 'Tis a foolish Thing to affault thofe whom we cannot keep in fubjection when overcome.

And a Council indeed far out of Course, which doth neither retain the Mind, nor reftrain the Mighty. But he that Governs by Difcourfe of former Times, fhall but take counfel of the Dead; for the Natures of all Things under the Sun are fubject to change, but the Nature of Reafon only. And it is certain, that in the Times of Alteration, the Wisdom of Nature is better than of Books; Prudence being a wife Election of thofe Things which never remain after one and the felf-fame Manner.

To reafon by Comparifon; and to prove by the Argument a Minori ed Majus, how much the Trade of England may be endanger'd by the Netherlands; your Majefty may please to remember, that Dunkirk is but a fishing Town, a bad Haven, and hath not above a dozen Sail of fmall Ships; before which Port also there is continually maintain'd a ftrong Fleet of Hollanders, and Zealanders to restrain them fo, as they can neither come forth, nor pafs in, but in a dark Night, for fear of their Enemies, and at a Spring-tide for want of Water; and it is true, that thofe few Dunkirkers have taken from the Weft-Country Merchants, within two Years only, above three thoufand Vessels, befides all that they have gotten from the reft of the Ports of England, and from the Netherlands; insomuch as they have fo impoverish'd all those Western

Merchants,

Merchants, as their Trade, in effect, is utterly decay'd; and those People which were wont to be fet at work by them, and did live in good fort, do now live by alms and begging.

If then one poor Town in Flanders, notwithstanding the Impediments before rehears'd, hath fo much impoverifh'd your Majefty's Subjects, what can Holland and Zealand do, who are able to fet out fifty Sail of better Ships than those of Dunkirk are? If it be ask’d, What would be the Confequence, if they fhould join to your Majesty's Enemies; I fhall anfwer, as the Marshal Biron did to the French King, Vous le fçavez mieux que moy; Your Majesty knows better than I.

Now, as the Netherlands may be us'd to impoverish your Majesty's Dominions, by difturbing our Trades; fo fhall they be in an Eftate to affift the Spanish King upon any Invasion, and that fo dangerously, as it can hardly be refifted; for if the King of Spain fhall prepare a Fleet in Spain, and therewith affail the Western Ports, and the Netherlands with their Fleet, and Army of the Low Countries, undertake the invading our Eaftern Parts at the fame Time, the greatest Fleets that England can make (if it be divided) will not be able to encounter either.

Furthermore, if the Netherlands be with-held from the Spanish Obedience, your Majefty hath but an Enemy of Spain; if you break with Spain, the Trade alfo is free and open to all Parts of the Eaft; but if Spain recover the Netherlands, and then quarrel with your Majefty, you fhall then find a strong War; and a ftrong Restraint of Trade on both Sides.

To all this, your Majesty may justly say, that I speak upon Suppofitions only; and I confefs it.

For firft, it is not agreed on, that if your Majefty leave the Low-Country Men, that then they will receive the Spanish King, or the Arch-Duke.

Secondly, tho' they do, that therefore it follows, that either of them will make war with your Majesty.

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