The Freedom of the Seas

"If today the custom held of considering that everything pertaining to mankind pertained also to one's self, we should surely live in a much more peaceable world." -Hugo Grotius, The Freedom of the Seas (1916) The Freedom of the Seas (1916) by Hugo Grotius was originally published in Latin as Mare Liberum in 1608 and established the idea that the seas should be considered international territory and that all nations were free to use it for trade. This edition is a replica of the 1916 translation by Ralph Van Deman Magoffin and includes the original Latin text. This treatise was written as commentary on the increased amount of trade in the East Indies when Portugal claimed a monopoly on that territory. This text has been a reference for hundreds of years and is an excellent read for those interested in international law.