''•Mp. XXIX from the L of James, I. to the Revoltitiori.

52

g 1636. For the carrying on of this War, the^ r ^ ndon - King drew together an Army of nearT Q'ised™ y fix Thousand Horse, and about thatNumber in Foot, all very well disciplin-ed Men, under good and experiencedOfficers. With this Army, abundantlysupplied with a Train of Artillery, andall other Provisions necessary, the King. advanced towards the Borders of Scot-

fatei Fleet l an d- The King had likewise provided° ut ‘ a good Fleet; and had caused a Body ofthree Thousand Foot to be embarked onthose Ships, all which were put underthe Command of the Marquis of Hamil-ton, who was to infest the Country by

(e) I must not omit a Transaction, which hap-pened at Sea about this Time, and which, tho’we were not primarily concerned in it, happenedon our Coast, and has too near a Relation to ourAffairs to be passed by in Silence. The most par-ticular Account I find of this Action is in Mr.Secretary Burchett’ s History of the Naval Warsof Spain , which I shall, therefore, beg Leave to

VcW follow.

“In 1639, (says my Author) the Spaniards“ fitted out a considerable Fleet, under the“ Command of Antonio de Oquendo , consisting of“ sixty-seven large Ships and Gallions, manned“ with five and twenty Thousand Seamen, and“ having on Board twelve Thousand Landmen,“ designed, aswas believed, to dislodge the Dutch“ Ships from before Dunkirk, and landtheTroops“ there, for the Relief of Flanders-, and the Rest“ of the Spanish Provinces. The Dutch, hav-“ ing two or three Squadrons at Sea, the Spa-“ ntjh Fleet, coming up the Channel, was met,“ near the Streights of Dover, by one of them,“ consisting of seventeen Sail, under the Com-“ mand of Herbert van Tromp. And notwith-“ standing the Enemy’s great Superiority, Tromp“ ventufed to attack them. Finding himself,“ however, too weak, he got to the Windward,“ failing along towards Dunkirk, and continually“ firing Guns, as a Signal to the Dutch Vice-Ad-“ miral, who lay off that Place, to come to his“ Assistance, who accordingly joined him, the next“ Morning, between Dover and Calais, where,“ engaging the Spaniards, a very sharp Fight en-“ sued between them, which lasted several Hours,“ The Dutch had greatly the Advantage, and“ having taken one Gallion, funk another, and“ much shattered the Rest, at Length, forced“ them upon the English Coast, near Dover.“ This done, Tromp, being in Want of Bali and“ Powder, stood away for Calais, to borrow“ some of the Governour of that Place, who“ readily supplying him, he returned again to“ Dover. Upon h s Approach, the Spaniards got“ within the South Foreland, and put themselves“ under the Protection of the neighbouring Ca-“ sties.

“ The two Fleets continuing in this Posture“ for many Days, observing each other, the Mi-“ nisters of both Nations were not less employ-‘‘ ed, in watching each other’s Motions at White-‘ hall, and encountering one another with Me-“ morials. The Spanish Resident importuned“ the King, that he would keep the Hollanders“ in Subjection two Tides, to give the Spaniards“ an Opportunity of making away for Spain ;Cc But the King, being in Amity with them both,'* w »s resolved to stand Neuter, and whereas the

Sea, to hinder their Trade, and to 16361make a Descent upon the Land. (e)

There was, indeed, a Pacification Rapm-lbefore the Conclusion of this Year > But eldre " on °the War broke out anew the Year sol- 1 4°'lowing, and the Council of England de-clared with one Voice; that it was ab-solutely necessary to reduce the Scotsto their Duty by Force of Arms.

This Year, the King, with the Ad- J fourthvice of his Privy Council; called a Parliamentfourth Parliament, which met on the ^ ^ ’thirteenth (Clarendon fays the third) ofApril ; But the fame Council which ad-vised the Calling of it was the Occasion6 S of

“ Spaniards had hired some English Ships to“ transport their Soldiers to Dunkirk, uponCom-“ plaint made thereof, by theDutch Ambassador,“ strict Orders were given that no Ships or Ves-" sels, belonging to His Majesty’s Subjects; should“ take any Spaniard on Board, or pass below“ Gravefend without Licence. However, after“ much Plotting and Counterplotting on both“ Sides, the Spaniard, at Length, outwitted his“ Enemy, and found Means, by a Stratagem, in“ the Night, to conyey away, thro’ the Downs i“ round by the Horth-Sand-Head, and the Back“ of the Goodwin, twelve large Ships to Dunkirk,“ arid in them four Thousand Men. In Excuse“ of this gross Neglect of the Dutch Admirals f“ in leaving that Avenue from the Downs un-“ guarded, they fay, they were assured by the“ English, that no Ships, of any considerable“ Burden could venture by Night to fail that“ Way.

“ The tivo Fleets had now continued in their“ Stations near three Weeks, when King Charles“ sent the Earl of Arundel to the Admiral of“ Spain, to desire him to retreat upon the first“ fair Wind: But, by this Time, the Dutch“ Fleet was, by continual Re-inforcements from“ Zealand and Holland, encreafed to a Hundred“ Sail, and seeming disposed to attack their Ene-“ mies, Sir John Pennington, Admiral of His“ Majesty’s Fleet, who lay in the Downs, with“ four and thirty Men of War, acquainted the“ Dutch Admiral, that he had received Orders to“ act in Defence of either tif the two Parties,“ which should be first attacked. The Spaniards,“ however, growing too presumptuous on the“ Protection they enjoyed, a Day or two after,“ Sred some Shot at Fan Tromp’& Barge, when he" was himself in her, and killed a Man with a“ Cannon-ball, on Board one of th e Dutch Ships,“ whose dead Body was presently sent on Board“ Sir John Pennington, as a Proof, that the Spa-" niards were the first Aggressors, and had vjo.“ latest the Neutrality of the King of England’s.“ Harbour. Soon after this, the Dutch Admi-" ral came to a Resolution of attacking the Spa-“ niards ; But before he put it in Execution, he“ thought sit to write to Admiral Pennington,“ telling him, that the Spaniards having infring-“ ed the Liberties of the King of England’s Har-“ hour, and become the Aggressors, he found“ himself obliged to retaliate Force with Force,“ and attack them, in which, pursuant to theDe-“ duration he had made to him, he not only“ hoped for, but depended on his Assistance's“ Which, however, if he should not please to“ grant, he prayed the Favour, that he would,“ at least, give him Leave to engage the Enemy,

’• otherwise