^•hap.XLL
from the I. oj James I. to the Revolution,
6at
*672. manded by De Ruyter, Cornelius Van\Tromp , and Banckert.
The Count d'EJlrees, with. the White*nentf Squadron, having the Advantage of theWind, began the Fight, (0) with VanTromp. And it soon became general,^ being carried on with great Obstinacy
raises 1 *' and Fury. Schram , who was Vice-Ad-ani miral of Van Tramp's Squadron, was
idnbai killed ; As was, likewise, Rear-Admi-killed, ral Vlag, of Banckert’$ Squadron, withseveral of the Captains who command-ed under them. The Golden Lion , inwhich Van ‘Tromp himself was, had a-bove aHundred Men killed and wound-ed, and was very much shattered; And,in this Condition, she was very near be-ing burnt by a Fire-lhip, set upon herby Sir William Reeves. Van Tromp wasthen obliged to hoise his Flag on Boardthe Prince on Horseback , and her Main-Mast being shot by the Board, he re-moved to the Amsterdam, and after-wards to the Comet. Of Prince Ru-pert's Squadron, Captain Leg boardedand took the Dutch Ship called the Ju-piter ; But she was surprized and re-taken, while the Englijh were busied inrummaging her. At Length, the fu-rious Attack made by Sir Edwards £ Spragge, seconded by the other Squa-l- reai be- drons, obliged the Dutch to retreat so**n£ ieir k* r within their Sands, that the Englijhand French could not pursue them, (p)especially as it was. dark, without thegreatest Danger, and they were, there-j. fore, obliged to stand off.
k'tlsC 071 De Ruyter and Van Tromp, in their
ldes - Letters to the States, the former, how-ever, with more Modesty than the lat-ter, pretend, upon Supposition andHear-fay, that the Englijh lost fourteenor more Ships and Fire-ships; But ourAccounts allow no rpore than one Fri-gat funk, and the Fire-ships which werespent in the Action. The French, whobehaved tolerably well, in this Day’sAction, had two Men of War funk.The Dutch own the Loss of five or sixFire-sliips destroyed by our Men of
War. The Deventer, one of their Men 1672.of War, which, with several others, wasmuch disabled, and towed out of theFleet, funk before the W’-dings, andmost of her Men were drowned, (cj)
The Confederate Fleet remained on The Dutchthe Coast, without receiving any Re- ssps* ainforcement, or being able, on Accountof a strong Westerly Wind, to get ridof the Incumbrance of their woundedMen. The Dutch, on the contrary,being on their own Coasts, were plenti-fully supplied with all Necessaries, andre-inforced by several Men of War, inthe Room of those which were disabledin the last Battle. These Circumstances(which the Dutch Writers themselvesallow) encouraged them, on the fourthof June, the W ind having veered aboutto the North-East, a stiss Gale, totake that Advantage, to leave theirLurking-holes, and come off to theConfederates.
They began to approach them a- The secondbout Noon, but the Confederates, togain Sea-room, made a Shew of retir-ing towards the Englijh Coast; (r) But,
.having gained this Point, they tack’dabout, and, about five in the Evening,began the Battle, in the fame Order asin the former. De Ruyter seemed atfirst to design a close Fight with PrinceRupert ; But, being come almost with-in Musket-fhot, bore away again,whichmade it be supposed, he had receivedsome considerable Damage. In themean Time, Sir Edward Spragge, be- Edwarding engaged with Van Tromp, made soterrible a Fire, that he obliged him to JU 'bear off: And encountering afterwardswith Sweersy Vice-Admiral of Van1 romp's Squadron, he put both him,and his whole Division to the Flight.
Spragge , likewise , encountered VanTromp, Ship to Ship, but at some Di-stance, for Want of a Wind ; Notwith-standing which, he shot down his Ad-miral’s Flag, and made a terribleSlaughter among his Men. This braveCommander behaved himself upon other
Occasions,
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60 not know, whether he be so entirely to bePended on. The Author of Fan Tromp’s Lifelows, fiye and fifty large Ships, fourteen Frig;five and twenty Fire-lhips, fourteen Advice-Bo;and seven Galliots, in all, aHundred and fifteLut the Author of De Ruyter & Life makes tlbare aHundred, and Bafnage, aHundred and c
(0) Mr. Secretary Burchett fays, the Fiwas begun between Sir Edward Spragge , Adral of the Blue , and the Dutch Vice-AdmiVan Tromp.
(p) This the Dutch will by no Means 01
But pretend, they anchored in goodOrder, and atthe very Place of the Engagement, of which, theyfay, the Confederates had left them in Possession.
(yj Bafnage , in his Relation of this Day's Ac- Bafnage An-tion, renders the Justice due to th e, Englijh, and nales des _fays, they fought with that ardent Valour which is ProY. Unies..natural to the Englijh Nation.
(r) Dutch Writers are mighty big with thisPart of the Story; And will needs have it, thatFear, and not Policy, was the Occasion of it ; Pre-tending it was with much Difficulty they, at last,made them stand and engage.