Chap. XXIII, from the I. oj James I. to the Revolution, 495

1625. We underwritten, amongst us, someone Part, some another, are ready toverify this Relation.

Rob. EJsex. Jo. Burgh.

Charles Rich. ‘Tho. Cromwell.

Ediv. Harwood. Michael Gore.

Hen. Va entia. Jo. Watts.

Edw. Conway. Jo. Chudleigh.

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Having shewn the Reader what thePersons concerned in this fruitless Ex-pedition (on both Sides the Question)have said, in Justification of their Con-duct, it may not be amiss now, to men-tion what others have said of it.

Rushworth says : (z) " It gave“■ no small Occasion of Clamour, that" a Fleet, so well provided and man-fC ned, siiould land their Men in an" Enemy's Country, and return with-“ out some honourable Action. But" where the Fault lay, hath not been<f yet adjudged ; neither was any yet" punished for failing in that Duty." The General, for some Time, was

not admitted into the King’s Pre-" fence, and some of the Colonels of« c the Army accused him, and some" Seamen aggrav .ted the Accusation :te The General was examined before" the Council, and laid the Fault on" others in the Fleet, who let the King" of Spain's Ships pass without fight-" ing them, according to Order: They," on the other Hand, said, They had“ no Order from their General to fight." Thus were there fending and proving,ff which contributed little to salve thetf Dishonour, which the Nation fu-" stained by this unprofitable, and ill-" managed Design.

Sir William Monfon, speaking of theMisconduct of some Expeditions ofthefeTimes,concludes inthe following remark-able Manner : " I can fay no more than" join with others, who desire, that" the Subject may have Satisfaction" what the Defects, Ignorance and Er-" rors were, that upon Examination all

may appear, and every Man receive" his Reward, as he justly deserves.

“ His Majesty and State could not" have been more honoured, nor ail" in general better pleased; For Peo-" pie are persuaded, that the Realm" never enjoyed braver and more war-" like Ships than now ; Commanderst{ of greater Antiquity and Valour;" Seamen of greater Experience andf{ Skill; More Abundance and Choice" of Ammunition and Arms; Greater“ Quantity of Victuals, and all Things" else to f urnilh such an Action.

" Then would have appeared the" Weakness of a great Person in Au-" thority, when being spoken to by" one of greater Blood than himself," who friendly told him, he did not" see a Man of Experience employed in" the Fleet to Cadiz, which made him" doubt of the good Success thereof; He" answered, not like one who thinks" Example of more Weight than Con-" ceit, but rudely, ramly and disre-" spectfully ; That they were all Fools" who commanded in the Queen's Time,<c in Comparison of those now employed." But it might have been more truly<e told him : Eh at Men in Authority,“ who govern more by Will and Chance ," than by Reason and Advice, are dan-" gerous in a State ; For nothing is so" great a Weakness, as for a Man to" think he knows much, when in Effect" he knows nothing at all.

In another Place, Sir IVdliam says :

“ Spleen, Passion, and Envy to" some they have not, and the Want" of Knowledge in themselves, are“ the Bane and Destroyers of all war-" like Actions, either by Sea or Land," which could not be better verified<e than in the last unfortunate Expedi-“ tion to Cadiz : For I must fay, that" in many Ages (or rather in no Age)" we shall have the like Opportunity" again to annoy the State of Spain,“ as was then offered us, if the Enter-" prize had been as well projected and“ directed, as it was rashly begun and

6 K " prosecuted,

1625.

(z) In Answer to this, it has been laid, in Ju-stification of my Lord Wimbledon , That " who-“ ever examines his Answer to the Charge exhi-“ bited against him, will find every Particular, in" the abovementioned Paragraph, to be false.“ For, where the Fault lay , may easily be per-“ ceived, now these Original Papers appear to-“ gether. But why no Punishment was inflicted" upon the Offenders must only be submitted to

" the Will of the Prince. Who deserved it, I“ dare say, will no longer now be a Secret;“ And the Pretence of the Complainants , in not“ having Orders from their General to fight , and" what Mr. Rufloworth is pleased to call fending" and proving, will also be found to be very clear“ on the Side of the General, and quite tne Re-“ verse, on that of his Adversaries.