steady to any form of religion; and therefore his meaning, it may be presumed (if he spoke sincerely) was, that he would return to the old form of government:' for, whatever he pretended, this was his great aim. He did not overturn the constitution to leave it in ruins, but to set it up again, and himself at the head of it; and though he compared his own government at first to that of a high-constable, yet all his subsequent efforts were directed to get the chaos new formed, and his own authority sanctified by the regal title and the appearance of a legal parliament.

326

ADMIRAL BLAKE.*

[1598-1657.]

ROBERT BLAKE, whose name occupies one of the first places in the naval annals of England, and who for integrity and a truly patriotic spirit is unquestionably one of the first of her illustrious characters, was the son of a merchant in the Spanish trade settled at Bridgewater in Somersetshire, at which place he was born in 1598. From the Grammar School of Bridgewater he removed in 1615 to Oxford, where he was entered at St. Alban's Hall. Thence he migrated to Wadham College. His academical character was that of a youth, who with a considerable turn for study combined a love of rural amusement. In February, 1617, he took the degree of B. A.

He was early tinctured with republican principles, and in reprobation of the severity with which Dr. Laud, then Bishop of Bath and Wells, pressed uniformity in his diocese, began to fall into the puritanical opinions. From the natural bluntness and sincerity of his disposition his sentiments speedily transpiring, the Puritan party procured his return for Bridgewater, in 1640. On the breaking out of the civil war, he

* AUTHORITIES. Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, and Le diard's Naval History.

declared for the parliament. In 1643, he was at Bristol under the command of Colonel Fiennes, who entrusted him with a little fort on the line, and (as Clarendon informs us) when the Governor had agreed to surrender that city to Prince Rupert, he for some time held out, and was only preserved from punishment by the consideration of his inexperience in the laws of war. He served afterward in Somersetshire, and through his good intelligence in that county was enabled, in conjunction with Sir Robert Pye, to surprise Taunton for his employers. Of this place, the only garrison possessed by the parliament in the west, he was in 1644 appointed Governor; and though it's works were not strong, it's supplies adequate, or it's garrison numerous, by his strict discipline and his kind behaviour to the townsmen he found means to keep it against the King's forces. Even when Goring, with nearly ten thousand men, had actually taken part of the town, Blake still held out the other part with the castle, till he received relief. When the parliament had voted that no farther addresses should be made to his Majesty,' Colonel Blake concurred with the borough of Taunton in expressing his gratitude. He disapproved, however, of the trial of Charles as illegal; and was frequently heard to say, 'he would as freely venture his life to save the King, as ever he had done to serve the parliament.' But this was, probably, chiefly owing to the humanity of his temper; as he subsequently united himself closely with the republican party, and was, perhaps, the

* For this service, the parliament ordered the garrison a bounty of two thousand, and the Governor a present of five hundred pounds.

ablest of their officers. In 1649, he was appointed, in conjunction with Colonel Deane and Colonel Popham, to command the fleet; and being ordered to sail with a squadron of men of war in pursuit of Prince Rupert, he blocked him up for four months in Kinsale Harbour. At last the Prince, despairing of

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relief by sea, and perceiving that Cromwell was on the point of taking the town by land, forced his way through Blake's squadron with the loss of three of his ships, and took refuge at Lisbon. Thither he was followed by Blake; but the Portuguese Monarch refusing him the privilege of attacking his foe, he took five Brazil vessels richly laden, and at the same time sent his Majesty notice that, unless he ordered the Prince's ships out of the Tagus, he would seize the rest of that fleet.' After various exertions and achievements, he pursued the Prince to the port of Carthagena, where he lay with the remainder of his ships; and instantly despatched a messenger to the Spanish Governor, informing him that an enemy to the State of England was in his port, whom as the King of Spain was in amity with the parliament, he desired leave to attack.' The Governor refusing his compliance, and Rupert escaping to Malaga, Blake followed him thither with the utmost expedition, and nearly destroyed his whole fleet.

In February 1651, he also took a French man of war of forty guns, and upon his return to England received the thanks of the parliament, and was made Warden of the Cinque Ports. His next service was the reducing of the Isles of Scilly, which were held for the King. He then sailed for Guernsey, and after a more stubborn resistance brought it under the

power of parliament. For these exertions, he was elected one of the Council of State.

In 1652, broke out the memorable war between the two Commonwealths of England and Holland, in which nothing less was contested than the dominion of the sea, and which was waged with a degree of animosity and resolution proportioned to the importance of the dispute. The chief commanders of the Dutch fleets were Van Trump, De Ruyter, and De Witt, the most celebrated names in their annals. The States General having carried on their trade without opposition, and almost without rivalry, not only throughout the inactive reign of James I. but also during the turbulent years of his successor, had attained great power and wealth; and with power and wealth, arrogance is but too commonly associated. Having recently equipped a large fleet, without any apparent subject of alarm for themselves, or any avowed design of attacking their neighbours, they were not beheld by the English without jealousy and care was accordingly taken to fit out an armament, which might secure their trade from interruption, and their coasts from insult. Of this, Blake was constituted Admiral for nine months.

:

Thus situated, the two nations remained without hostilities on either side till the eighteenth of May, 1652, when Van Trump appeared in the Downs with forty five men of war. Blake, who had then but twenty three under his command, saluted him with three single shot, requiring that he should strike his flag:' upon which Van Trump, in contempt, fired on the contrary side. Blake fired a second and a third gun, which the Dutch, Admiral answered with a broadside. The English Commander therefore, per

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