Page:Daring deeds of famous pirates; true stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneers (1917).djvu/29

 lying quietly in their own havens with their cargoes of herrings.

As an attempt to make the North Sea more possible for the innocent trading ships, the kings of England at different dates came to treaties with those in authority on the other side. Richard, for example, made an agreement with the King of Prussia. In 1403 "full restitution and recompense" were demanded by the Chancellor of England from the Master-General of Prussia for the "sundry piracies and molestations offered of late upon the sea." Henry , writing to the Prussian Master-General, admitted that "as well our as your marchants have, by occasion of pirates, roving up and downe the sea" sustained grievous loss. Finally it was agreed that all English merchant ships should be allowed liberty to enter Prussian ports without molestation. But it was further decided that if in the future any Prussian cargoes should be captured on the North Sea by English pirates, and this merchandise taken into an English port, then the harbour-master or "governour" was, if he suspected piracy, to have these goods promptly taken out of the English ship and placed in safe keeping. Between Henry and the Hanseatic towns a similar agreement was also made which bound the cities of Lubec, Bremen, Hamburg, Sund and Gripeswold "that convenient, just and reasonable satisfaction and recompense" might be made "unto the injured and endamaged parties" "for all injuries, damages, grievances, and drownings or man-*slaughters done and committed" by the pirates in the narrow seas.

It would be futile to weary the reader with a complete list of all these piratical attacks, but a few of them may here be instanced. About Easter-time in the year 1394 a Hanseatic ship was hovering about the North Sea when she