A Letter to a Gentleman, UPON 

A Royal Fishery,  
A Council of Trade, and  
A National Fishery.    
SIR,  
In obedience to your Commands, I here sand you my Thoughts, of a Royal Fishery, and of a Council of Trade; and whither they are Projects fit for so Great a People, as the People of England to build on, I leave you to judge.  
The first Sir, has been often tried, and is just, as if England should set up a Royal wool Manufactory, and by virtue of a large House, many Subscriptions, and Officers to receive the Money, designed to make a world of Woollen-Cloth; what the Consequence of such a Project will be, judge you: that is, Judge, whether the public Manufacture, will break the Private Manufactures, or the Private the public; and whether England can be sixpence the better supposing either.  
The other Sir, was Sir Walter Rawleigh's Project a hundred Years ago, only he calls that a State-Merchant which we call a Council of Trade.  
Now Sir, whoever seriously considers, that England, after ploughing the Seas a hundred Years, can show but Seven or Eight Millions by Trade, and that the Dutch in the same time, has actually raised above a Hundred 
* Sir Walter raleigh, Sir John Burrows, and twenty more, but especially the growing Dutch and French Fisheries plainly shows, what England has lost, may lose, and may get by Fishing.  Millions in Gold, with Seamen to defend it, out of England's Fish-Ponds, must sure own a Council of Trade, has signified very little to the English Nation; and that England by neglecting Fishing, especially the Newfoundland-Fishing, has not only lost Millions which ought to be now in Englishmen's Pockets, but has given The French opportunity to raise Millions, and that Fleet we now see, A growing Fleet Sir, rightly considered; Mountains of Gold, as well as those Jewels Seamen, being to be raised by that Fishery.  
Now Sir, that England has neglected this Rich Fishery, decayed Bridport in Dorsetshire, that flourished upon making of Nets, and twenty places more, can witness: And indeed Sir, had the six or seven hundred Ships, England had on this Rich Fishery, increased, as you know they ought to have done, instead of decreased, the World must own, England might have sent abroad, as bold a Message now, as Queen Elizabeth did, which you know Sir, silemces all ingenious Writers upon Trade and Navigation in the Nation, and plainly shows they scribble and prattle to no purpose; and that if England's Power is ever to be raised, it must be by a National Fishery or Never Raised. But Sir, to do that, requires more Art, than most Men imagine, England's National Fishery, which has virtue in't to get the Riches of the World, being to be raised without sixpence 
† That is Sir, in plain English, no Money must be raised, no Man must be forced to Fish. , when all the Money in the Nation, and Ten times as much, won't do't: And this Sir, being the sublimest Lesson, in that great Art or Mystery called Commerce, or the Art of raising the Power of a People, I lay it before you; a Lesson Sir, if you carefully Learn, and can fairly demonstrate, to the Nation, how it may be practised, there's no doubt Sir, you may have what Reward you please, the true Art of Fishing being of more value to the English Nation than can be expressed, or indeed the Philosopher's-Stone, were there such a thing; for what's that Jewel Liberty, without this Art, or that Never-to-be-valu'd-enough Religion? for tho' it has pleased God, to bless the People of this Nation, with the Oracles of his Truth in their own Tongue, yet without this Art, how is it possible to defend these Sacred Oracles? for what's these inestimable Jewels, and all the Riches and Jewels in the Nation, without a Fleet? What's a Fleet without a growing National Fishery, or solid Nursery for Seamen? especially among Neighbours whose Power is arising, who, you know, are Friends to Day for their Interest, and Enemies to 〈…〉  

The Design of these Thoughts is to show  
That all ingenious Discourses upon Trade, Navigation, &c. since Sir Walter Rawleigh's Time, even his not excepted, were only empty 
* 〈…〉, Sir, all ingenious Wri●… 'pon Fisheries, only learned●… ke out, that Fish is good ●… 'tis catched— All in●… is Writers upon Trade, in ●… Words, say nothing, and ●… blot cartload of Paper ●… purpose: Sir Walter Raw●… 's Project being the Cream ●… ll these Jests, empty Noise, ●… ain Amusements; a Pro●… Sir, that never has been, ●… never will be of sixpence ●… o the English Nation, the ●… lish Nation, under God, de●… king upon timely Raising a ●… ional Fishery; for the Day ●… Sea-Power's mastered, you ●… v, All goes with it.  Noise, and vain Amusements, and never has signified, nor never will signify sixpence to the English Nation.  
That the Rise of the French Naval Power, and the Fall of England's Fisheries, proves it with a Witness.  
That all the Wits in Europe, were Solomon to help 'em, can't raise the Wealth and Power of England, without raising England's National Fishery.  
That England's National Fishery is to be raised by Art, not Money.  
That upon that Art England's All depends, if England's All depends on Naval Power.  
And now, Sir, if any of these Thoughts chance to awaken Great Britain, who knows but it may prove a Parallel Case to what has formerly happened: A Goose, you know, awaked those that saved the Capitol, the Capitol saved Rome, Rome conquered the World. In other Words, Sir, if all these Thoughts in the egyptian Darkness we live in, does but afford us the Light of one Star, who knows but that Star may prove a Morning-Star, and led in that Glorious Sun called England's Growing National Fishery, which as it rises will become Great Britain's Glory, and the gaze, Wonder, Envy, and Terror of the World.    

London, Printed for E. Whitlock, near Stationers-Hall, 1698.