"Surely," he says, "the stream is
necessary to be turned to the good of this kingdom, to whose
sea-coasts alone God has sent us these great blessings and
immense riches for us to take; and that every nation should carry
away out of this kingdom yearly great masses of money for fish
taken in our seas, and sold again by them to us, must needs be a
great dishonour to our nation, and hindrance to this realm."
The Hollanders then had about 50,000 people employed in fishing
along the English coast; and their industry and enterprise gave
employment to about 150,000 more, "by sea and land, to make
provision, to dress and transport the fish they take, and return
commodities; whereby they are enabled yearly to build 1000 ships
and vessels." The prosperity of Amsterdam was then so great that
it was said that Amsterdam was "founded on herring-bones."
Tobias Gentleman published in 1614 his treatise on 'England's Way
to win Wealth, and to employ Ships and Marines,'[16] in which he
urged the English people to vie with the Dutch in fishing the
seas, and thereby to give abundant employment, as well as
abundant food, to the poorer people of the country.
"Look," he said, "on these fellows, that we call the plump
Hollanders; behold their diligence in fishing, and our own
careless negligence!" The Dutch not only fished along the coasts
near Yarmouth, but their fishing vessels went north as far as the
coasts of Shetland.
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