(") Burchett, P. 396. (x) Thurloe, vol. vi. P. 312. 6 lant admiral. Very few commanders ever fhewed like conduct and bravery. Nor were the fleet, and in few hours obtaining a compleat victory, • poffeffed himself of all the fhips; but being not able to bring them off, he fet them on fire, and they were < every one burnt (u). Sixteen galleons were deftroyed, befides others. Moft of them had a great part of their loading aboard, which perifhed all with the fhips (x). The laft intelligence from Cadiz (fays Mr. Maynard, the English conful at Lisbon, in a letter to Mr Thurloe, dated June 6, 1657, N. S.) faies, that the loffe of thofe fhips in the Canaries goes near their hearts; they thinking it a greater loffe to them than the galleons with the plate taken formerly; for the confequence of this loffe will be greate, in refpect they are wholly difappointed of furnishing the Weft India with fuch neceffaries as they wante; for thofe fhips were defigned to have gone from thence in few days, if general Blake had not prevented them; fo now they are driven to their lafte fhifte to freight Hollanders, and fend them (y) Id. ibid. fome, and fome for the India (y).Such were the naval exploits under the Protector! Exploits, which Mr. Waller has celebrated in more than one of his Poems. -Britain, looking with a juft difdain And knowing well, that empire must decline, To the rich troublers of the world's repofe. They that the whole world's monarchy defign'd, And the English lefs fuccessful on the continent. A body of men being fent into Flanders, And again, joined The fea's our own: and now all nations greet, He has not used too much poetical licence. Blake, after this glorious atchievement, returned to the coaft of Spain, and having cruifed there fome time, was coming home with the fleet to England, when he fell ill of a scorbutic fever, of which he died juft as he was entring Plymouth found. Cromwell's parliament, upon the news of his exploit, at Santa Cruz, had ordered him a jewel of five hundred pound, and now upon his death beftowed on him a folemn and fumptuous funeral, interring him in Henry VII.'s chap- (2) Burple (z).' This was on the 4th of September, 1657, chett, p. When his corps was conveyed from Greenwich houfe 396. by water in a barge of ftate, adorned with mourning, efcutcheons, ftandards, &c. and attended by divers of his highnefs's privy council, the commiffioners of the admiralty, the officers of the army, and navy, the Lord Mayor and aldermen of the city of London, &c. In their paffage along the river on the farther fide of the bridge and at the Tower, the great guns were dif charged, as alfo on this fide of the bridge, till they came to Westminster in the New-Palace Yard. From thence the corps was by the fame perfons of honor** conducted to Henry VII.'s chapple in the Abbey, where it was interred in a vault made on purpose; and at the interment, the regiments of horfe and foot which attended gave many great volleys of fhot. The whole was very honourably performed, according to the merit of that noble perfon, who had done fo ma⚫ny eminent fervices for his country both by fea and • land. rius Politicus, No. 389, p. Wood's Fafti, vol. i. c. 205. joined the French under Turenne, who taking (HHH) Dunkirk, immediately put it in the pof (4) Mercu- land (a).' I would not have given this detail of the honors paid to the corps of this moft virtuous, valiant and difinterested man, who loved his country, and was 1606. And beloved and práifed by men of all parties who had any fense of merit: I fay, I would not have done this, were it not to fhew how different his treatment was now, from what it was after the return of Charles II. when his body (in virtue of his Majefty's exprefs command) was taken up and buried in a pit with others in St. Margaret's church-yard, September 12, 1661: In which place, fays Wood, it now remaineth, enjoying no other monument, but what is reared by his valour, which time itself can hardly deface (b).' This base action bishop Kennet being, as I fuppofe, afhamed of, veils (c) Regifter and Chroni- over, by faying only his body was taken up and bucle, p. 536. ried in the church-yard (c).' What authority a late ingenious writer had to fay that Blake's remains were (d) Biogra- with great decency re-interred in St. Margaret's churchphia Britan- yard,' is hard to fay (d). He refers indeed to Kennet in nica, p. 816. the place above cited. His authority will by no means, (b) Wood's Fafti, ubi fupra. FI. Lond. 1728. 6 we fee, bear him out.- -Some of the other bodies taken up, and treated thus ignominiously at the fame time, were admiral Dean's, a man of bravery, who loft his life in the fervice of his country; col. Hump. Mackworth's; Sir William Conftable's; col. Bofcawen's, a Cornish gentleman, of a family diftinguished by its conftant attachment to liberty, and flourishing in great reputation, by the well known exploits of the admiral of that name; and many others too long to be here mentioned. Such was the politeness and humanity introduced by the restoration! (HHH) Dunkirk was immediately put in poffeffion of the Protector.] France and England had been but on indifferent terms. Bourdeaux had arrived in London and entered on a negotiation for peace. He met with various difficulties and delays; and during the treaty, news ar poffeffion of the protector.Such were the fived that an embargo was laid on the English, in the ports of France. This was by way of reprifal for some hostile acts faid to be done by them on the fubjects and poffeffions of that crown. Hereupon the treaty was at a ftand, and Cromwell refufed abfolutely to conclude on any thing till the embargo was taken off. The French were forced to comply, and great was the joy expreffed by them for the peace. Cardinal Mazarine, in a letter to Bourdeaux, dated Paris, December 8, 1655, N. S. writes as follows. You will understand by monfieur de Brienne all the rejoicings that were made here for the peace. I will only tell you, that amongst other figns of joy, the King hath ordered all the guns to be difcharged generally in all the frontier places of this kingdom; a thing which was never done; and likewife his Majefty will have me to have the honor to entertain him to day to dinner in publick, and you C may vol. iv. p. 254. (f) Life of believe we fhall not forget to remember in a (e) Thurloe, folemn manner, the health of the lord protector (ė).' After this, in the year 1657, a league offenfive and defenfive against Spain, was made between France and England; by which the protector engaged to fend fix thousand foot into Flanders, on condition that the French fhould undertake the fiege of Mardyke, Gravelin, or Dunkirk, and that if either of the two former places were first taken, it should be put into his hands, to be as a hoftage till he fhould be made mafter of Dunkirk, which he was to keep, restoring the other to France (ƒ). These troops were fent into Flanders at the joint expence of the contracting powers, but on their landing were taken into French pay, and took place of all the regiments of Turenne's army, fave the two old regiments loe, vol. vi. of guards (g). Mardyke the firft campaign being taken, p. 287 and was delivered up to the English, who greatly complain- 346. And ed of their being ill ufed by the French, in refpect of Note (DDD), provifions. Cromwell was ill pleafed that Dunkirk had not been befieged inftead of Mardyke, and therefore D d pe Turenne, vol. i. p. 297. (b) Thur loe, vol. vii, P. 173. the actions of Cromwell abroad; -actions which drew the eye of by-ftanders, and procured peremptorily infifted on its being undertaken early in the year 1658. Mazarine durft not refufe. Turenne had orders to invest it. He obeyed, and was foon joined by the English forces. Lockhart, the English ambaffador, had the command in chief of these, under whom was Morgan, an officer of great bravery and experience. The Spaniards, on hearing of the fiege, marched to raise it. This produced a battle, in which the victory fell to the allied army, and Dunkirk furrendered on conditions. The next day Lewis XIV. and all his court entered triumphantly into the town, and then delivered it up, according to treaty, to the English, June 15, 1658, O. S. Thus had Oliver his defire, of obtaining a footing on the continent, at the expence almoft wholly of France. Lockhart in his letter to Thurloe, written the day before Dunkirk was delivered into his hands, has the following expreffions. To-morrow before ⚫ five of the clock at night, his highnefs's forces under my command, will be poffeffed of Dunkirk.I have a great many disputes with the cardinal, about feveral things. I have agreed he shall have all the ⚫ cannon in the town, that have the armes of France upon them; but fome other things, concerning fhipping in the harbor, and the quartering the French guards, and lodging the chief officers of the army, is yett in controverfie; neverthelesse I must say, I find him willing to hear reason: and though the generallity of court and arms are even mad to see themselves part with what ⚫ they call un fi bon morceau, or fo delicatt a bit, yet he is ftill conftant to his promifes, and feems to be as glad in the generall (notwithstanding our differences in ⚫ little particulars) to give this place to his highness, as I can be to receive it. The King is alfo exceeding oblyging and civil, and hath more trew worth in him than I could have imagined (b).'From this letter, it demonftrably appears that the following anecdote of Dr. |