1734, "Observata de argento vivo, ad Reg. | admiring the abilities, and reverencing the virtue Soc. et Acad. Scient."

These are the writings of the great Boerhaave, which have made all encomiums useless and vain, since no man can attentively peruse them without

of the author.*

* Gent. Mag. 1739, vol. ix. p. 176.—N.

BLAKE.

compliance with those new ceremonies which he was then endeavouring to introduce.

Ar a time when a nation is engaged in a war with an enemy whose insults, ravages, and bar barities have long called for vengeance, an ac- When the civil war broke out, Blake, in concount of such English commanders as have me formity with his avowed principles, declared for rited the acknowledgments of posterity, by ex- the parliament; and thinking a bare declaration tending the powers and raising the honour of their for right not all the duty of a good man, raised a country, seems to be no improper entertainment troop of dragoons for his party, and appeared in for our readers.* We shall therefore attempt a the field with so much bravery, that he was in a succinct narration of the life and actions of Ad-short time advanced, without meeting any of those miral Blake, in which we have nothing farther in obstructions which he had encountered in the view than to do justice to his bravery and con- university. duct, without intending any parallel between his achievements and those of our present admirals. ROBERT BLAKE was born at Bridgewater, in Somersetshire, in August, 1598, his father being a merchant of that place, who had acquired a considerable fortune by the Spanish trade. Of his earliest years we have no account, and therefore can amuse the reader with none of those prognostics of his future actions, so often met with in memoirs.

In 1645, he was governor of Taunton, when the Lord Goring came before it with an army of 10,000 men. The town was ill fortified and unsupplied with almost every thing necessary for supporting a siege. The state of this garrison encouraged Colonel Windham, who was ac quainted with Blake, to propose a capitulation; which was rejected by Blake with indignation and contempt: nor were either menaces or per suasion of any effect, for he maintained the In 1615, he entered into the university of Ox- place under all its disadvantages, till the siege was ford, where he continued till 1623, though with-raised by the parliament's army. out being much countenanced or caressed by his He continued, on many other occasions, to superiors, for he was more than once disappointed give proofs of an insuperable courage, and a in his endeavours after academical preferments. It steadiness of resolution not to be shaken: and, is observable that Mr. Wood (in his Athene Ox- as a proof of his firm adherence to the parlia onienses) ascribes the repulse he met with atment, joined with the borough of Taunton in reWadham College, where he was competitor for a fellowship, either to want of learning, or of stature. With regard to the first objection, the same writer had before informed us, that he was an early riser and studious, though he sometimes relieved his attention by the amusements of fowling and fishing. As it is highly probable that he did not want capacity, we may therefore conclude, upon this confession of his diligence, that he could not fail of being learned, at least in the degree requisite to the enjoyment of a fellowship; and may safely ascribe his disappointment to his want of stature, it being the custom of Sir Henry Savil, then warden of that college, to pay much regard to the outward appearance of those who solicited preferment in that society. So much do the greatest events owe sometimes to accident or folly!

turning thanks for their resolution to make no more addresses to the King. Yet was he so far from approving the death of Charles I. that he made no scruple of declaring, that he would venture his life to save him, as willingly as he had done to serve the parliament.

In February, 1648-9, he was made a commissioner of the navy, and appointed to serve on that element, for which he seems by nature to have been designed. He was soon afterwards sent in pursuit of Prince Rupert, whom he shut up in the harbour of Kingsale, in Ireland, for seve ral months, till want of provisions and despair of relief excited the prince to make a daring effort for his escape, by forcing through the parliament's fleet: this design he executed with his usual in trepidity, and succeeded in it, though with the loss of three ships. He was pursued by Blake to the coast of Portugal, where he was received into the Tagus, and treated with great distinction by the Portuguese.

He afterwards retired to his native place, where "he lived," says Clarendon, "without any appearance of ambition to be a greater man than he was, but inveighed with great freedom against the license of the times, and power of the court." Blake coming to the mouth of that river, sent In 1640, he was chosen burgess for Bridge to the King a messenger, to inform him, that the water by the Puritan party, to whom he had re-fleet in his port belonging to the public enemies of commended himself by the disapprobation of the commonwealth of England, he demanded Dishop Laud's violence and severity, and his non-leave to fall upon it. This being refused, though

This life was first printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1740.-N.

the refusal was in very soft terms, and accompa nied with declarations of esteem, and a present of provisions, so exasperated the admiral, that,

without any hesitation, he fell upon the Portu- during the commotions of England, had arrived guese fleet, then returning from Brasil, of which to that height of naval power, and that affluence he took seventeen ships, and burnt three. It was of wealth, that, with the arrogance which a long to no purpose that the King of Portugal, alarmed continued prosperity naturally produces, they at so unexpected a destruction, ordered Prince began to invent new claims, and to treat other Rupert to attack him, and retake the Brasil ships. nations with insolence, which nothing can defend Blake carried home his prizes without molesta- but superiority of force. They had for some tion, the Prince not having force enough to pur-time made uncommon preparations at a vast exsue him, and well pleased with the opportunity of pense, and had equipped a large fleet, without quitting a port where he could no longer be protected.

any apparent danger threatening them, or any avowed design of attacking their neighbours. This Blake soon supplied his fleet with provisions, unusual armament was not beheld by the English and received orders to make reprisals upon the without some jealousy, and care was taken to French who had suffered their privateers to mo- fit out such a fleet as might secure the trade from lest the English trade; an injury which, in those interruption, and the coast from insults; of this days, was always immediately resented, and if Blake was constituted admiral for nine months. not repaired certainly punished. Sailing with In this situation the two nations remained, keep this commission, he took in his way a French ing a watchful eye upon each other, without actman of war valued at a million. How this ship ing hostilities on either side, till the 18th of May, happened to be so rich, we are not informed; but 1652, when Van Trump appeared in the Downs as it was a cruiser, it is probable the rich lading with a fleet of forty-five men of war. Blake, was the accumulated plunder of many prizes. who had then but twenty ships, upon the ap Then following the unfortunate Rupert, whose proach of the Dutch admiral saluted him with fleet by storms and battles was now reduced to three single shots, to require that he should, by five ships, into Carthagena, he demanded leave striking his flag, show that respect to the English of the Spanish governor to attack him in the which is due to every nation in their own domiharbour, but received the same answer which had nions; to which the Dutchman answered with a been returned before by the Portuguese: "That broadside; and Blake, perceiving that he intendthey had a right to protect all ships that came ed to dispute the point of honour, advanced with into their dominions; that if the admiral were his own ship before the rest of his fleet, that, if it forced in thither, he should find the same security; were possible, a general battle might be preventand that be required him not to violate the peace ed. But the Dutch, instead of admitting him to of a neutral port." Blake withdrew upon this treat, fired upon him from their whole fleet, withanswer into the Mediterranean; and Rupert out any regard to the customs of war, or the law then leaving Carthagena entered the port of of nations. Blake for some time stood alone Malaga, where he burnt and sunk several English against their whole force, till the rest of his squadmerchant ships. Blake judging this to be an in- ron coming up, the fight was continued from befringement of the neutrality professed by the tween four and five in the afternoon till nine at Spaniards, now made no scruple to fall upon Ru- night, when the Dutch retired with the loss of pert's fleet in the harbour of Malaga, and having two ships, having not destroyed a single vessel, destroyed three of his ships, obliged him to quit nor more than fifteen men, most of which were the sea, and take sanctuary at the Spanish court. on board the Admiral, who, as he wrote to the In February, 1650-1, Blake still continuing to parliament, was himself engaged for four hours cruise in the Mediterranean, met a French ship with the main body of the Dutch fleet, beof considerable force, and commanded the cap-ing the mark at which they aimed; and as Whittain to come on board, there being no war de- lock relates, received above a thousand shot. clared between the two nations. The captain, Blake, in his letter, acknowledges the particular when he came, was asked by him, whether "he blessing and preservation of God, and ascribes was willing to lay down his sword, and yield?" his success to the justice of the cause, the Dutch which he gallantly refused, though in his enemy's having first attacked him upon the English coast. power. Blake, scorning to take advantage of an It is indeed little less than miraculous, that a artifice, and detesting the appearance of treachery, thousand great shot should not do more executold him, "that he was at liberty to go back tion; and those who will not admit the interpoto his ship, and defend it as long as he could." sition of providence, may draw at least this inThe captain willingly accepted his offer, and after ference from it, that the bravest man is not always a fight of two hours, confessed himself conquered, in the greatest danger. kissed his sword, and surrendered it.

In 1652, broke out the memorable war between the two commonwealths of England and Holland; a war in which the greatest admirals that perhaps any age has produced, were engaged on each side, in which nothing less was contested than the dominion of the sea, and which was carried on with vigour, 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 of their own nation, and who had been perhaps more renowned, had they been opposed by any other enemies. The States of Holland, having carried on their trade without opposition, and almost without competition, not only during the inactive reign of James I. but

In July, he met the Dutch fishery fleet with a convoy of twelve men of war, all which he took, with 100 of their herring-busses. And in September, being stationed in the Downs, with about sixty sail, he discovered the Dutch admirals De Witt and De Ruyter with near the same number and advanced towards them; but the Dutch being obliged, by the nature of their coast, and shallowness of their rivers, to build their ships in such a manner that they require less depth of water than the English vessels, took advantage of the form of their shipping, and shel tered themselves behind a flat, called Kentish Knock; so that the English, finding sorne of their ships aground, were obliged to alter their course; but perceiving early the next morning that the Hollanders had forsaken their station, they pur

Monk and Dean stationed themselves again at the mouth of the Texel, and blocked up the Dutch in their own ports with eighty sail; but hearing that Van Trump was at Goree with 120 men of war, they ordered all ships of force in the river and ports to repair to them.

On June 3d, the two fleets came to an engagement, in the beginning of which Dean was carried off by a cannon-ball; yet the fight continued from about twelve to six in the afternoon, when the Dutch gave way, and retreated fighting.

It was not long before he had an opportunity | into their harbour; then, knowing that Blake of revenging his loss, and restraining the inso- was still in the North, came before Dover, and lence of the Dutch. On the 18th of February, fired upon that town, but was driven off by the 1652-3, Blake being at the head of eighty sail, castle. and assisted, at his own request, by Colonels Monk and Dean, espied Van Trump with a fleet of above 100 men of war, as Clarendon relates, of 70 by their own public accounts, and 300 mer chant ships under his convoy. The English, with their usual intrepidity, advanced towards them; and Blake in the Triumph, in which he always led his fleet, with twelve ships more, came to an engagement with the main body of the Dutch fleet, and by the disparity of their force was reduced to the last extremity, having received in his hull no fewer than 700 shots, when Lawson in the Fairfax came to his assistance. The rest of the English fleet now came in, and the fight was continued with the utmost degree of vigour and resolution, till the night gave the Dutch an opportunity of retiring, with the loss of one flag-ship, and six other men of war. The English had many vessels damaged, but none lost. On board Lawson's ship were killed 100 men, and as many on board Blake's, who lost his captain and secretary, and himself received a wound in the thigh.

Blake, having set ashore his wounded men, sailed in pursuit of Van Trump, who sent his convoy before, and himself retired fighting towards Bulloign. Blake ordered his light frigates to follow the merchants, still continued to harass Van Trump, and on the third day, the 20th of February, the two fleets came to another battle, in which Van Trump once more retired before the English, and making use of the peculiar form of his shipping, secured himself in the shoals. The accounts of this fight, as of all the others, are various; but the Dutch writers themselves confess that they lost eight men of war, and more than twenty merchant ships; and it is probable that they suffered much more than they are willing to allow, for these repeated defeats provoked the common people to riots and insurrections, and obliged the States to ask, though ineffectually, for peace.

In April following, the form of government in England was changed, and the supreme authority assumed by Cromwell; upon which occasion Blake, with his associates, declared that, notwithstanding the change in the administration, they should still be ready to discharge their trust, and to defend the nation from insults, injuries, and encroachments. "It is not," says Blake, "the business of a seaman to mind state affairs, but to hinder foreigners from fooling us." This was the principle from which he never deviated, and which he always endeavoured to inculcate in the fleet, as the surest foundation of unanimity and steadiness. "Disturb not one another with domestic disputes, but remember that we are English, and our enemies are foreigners. Enemies! which, let what party soever prevail, it is equally the interest of our country to humble and restrain."

On the 4th in the afternoon, Blake came up with eighteen fresh ships, and procured the English a complete victory; nor could the Dutch any otherwise preserve their ships than by retiring once more into the flats and shallows, where the largest of the English vessels could not approach. In this battle Van Trump boarded vice-admiral Pen; but was beaten off, and himself boarded, and reduced to blow up his decks, of which the English had gotten possession. He was then entered at once by Pen and another; nor could possibly have escaped, had not De Ruyter and De Witt arrived at that instant and rescued him.

However the Dutch may endeavour to extenuate their loss in this battle, by admitting no more than eight ships to have been taken or de stroyed, it is evident that they must have received much greater damages, not only by the accounts of more impartial historians, but by the remonstrances and exclamations of their admirals themselves; Van Trump declaring before the States, that "without a numerous reinforcement of large men of war, he could serve them no more ;" and De Witt crying out before them, with the natural warmth of his character, "Why should I be silent before my lords and masters? The English are our masters, and by consequence masters of the sea."

In November, 1654, Blake was sent by Cromwell into the Mediterranean with a powerful fleet, and may be said to have received the homage of all that part of the world, being equally courted by the haughty Spaniards, the surly Dutch, and the lawless Algerines.

In March, 1656, having forced Algiers to submission, he entered the harbour of Tunis, and demanded reparation for the robberies practised upon the English by the pirates of that place, and insisted that the captives of his nation should be set at liberty. The governor having planted bat teries along the shore, and drawn up his ships under the castles, sent Blake a haughty and insolent answer: "There are our castles of Goletta, and Porto Ferino," said he, "upon which you may do your worst;" adding other menaces and insults, and mentioning in terms of ridicule the inequality of a fight between ships and castles. Blake had likewise demanded leave to take in After the 30th of April, 1653, Blake, Monk, water, which was refused him. Fired with this and Dean, sailed out of the English harbours with inhuman and insolent treatment, he curled his 100 rnen of war, and finding the Dutch with 70 whiskers, as was his custom when he was angry, sail on their own coasts, drove them to the Texel, and, entering Porto Ferino with his great ships, and took fifty doggers. Then they sailed north-discharged his shot so fast upon the batteries and ward in pursuit of Van Trump, who, having a castles, that in two hours the guns were dismountfleet of merchants under his convoy, durst noted, and the works forsaken, though he was at enter the Channel, but steered towards the Sound, and, by great dexterity and address, escaped the three English admirals, and brought all his ships

first exposed to the fire of sixty cannon. He then ordered his officers to send out their long boats well manned to seize nine of the piratical ships

lying in the road, himself continuing to fire upon | the gallcons, which, after a gallant resistance, were the castle. This was so bravely executed, that with the loss of only twenty-five men killed, and forty-eight wounded, all the ships were fired in the sight of Tunis. Thence sailing to Tripoli, he concluded a peace with that nation; then returning to Tunis, he found nothing but submission. And such indeed was his reputation, that he met with no farther opposition, but collected a kind of tribute from the princes of those countries, his business being to demand reparation for all the injuries offered to the English during the civil wars. He exacted from the Duke of Tuscany 60,000!., and, as it is said, sent home sixteen ships laden with the effects which he had received from several states.

at length abandoned by the Spaniards, though the least of them was bigger than the biggest of Blake's ships. The forts and smaller vessels being now shattered and forsaken, the whole fleet was set on fire, the galleons by Blake, and the smaller vessels by Stayner, the English vessels being too much shattered in the fight to bring them away. Thus was the whole plate-fleet destroyed, "and the Spaniards," according to Rapin's remark, "sustained a great loss of ships, money, men, and merchandise, while the English gained nothing but glory." As if he that increases the military reputation of a people did not increase their power, and he that weakens his enemy in effect strengthens himself.

"The whole action," says Clarendon, "was so incredible, that all men, who knew the place, wondered that any sober man, with what courage soever endowed, would ever have undertaken it, and they could hardly persuade themselves to be lieve what they had done: while the Spaniards comforted themselves with the belief, that they were devils and not men who had destroyed them in such a manner. So much a strong resolution of bold and courageous men can bring to pass, that no resistance or advantage of ground can disappoint them; and it can hardly be imagined how small a loss the English sustained in this unparalleled action, not one ship being left behind, and the killed and wounded not exceeding 200 men; when the slaughter on board the Spanish ships and on shore was incredible." The general cruized for some time afterwards with his victorious fleet at the mouth of Cales, to intercept the Spanish shipping; but finding his constitution broken by the fatigue of the last three years, determined to return home, and died before he came to land.

The respect with which he obliged all foreigners to treat his countrymen, appears from a story related by Bishop Burnet. When he lay before Malaga, in a time of peace with Spain, some of his sailors went ashore, and meeting a procession of the host, not only refused to pay any respect to it, but laughed at those that did. The people, being put by one of the priests upon resenting this indignity, fell upon them and beat them severely. When they returned to their ship, they complained of their ill-treatment; upon which Blake sent to demand the priest who had procured it. The viceroy answered that, having no authority over the priests, he could not send him to which Blake replied, "that he did not inquire into the extent of the viceroy's authority, but that if the priest were not sent within three hours, he would burn the town." The viceroy then sent the priest to him, who pleaded the provocation given by the seamen. Blake bravely and rationally answered, that if he had complained to him, he would have punished them severely, for he would not have his men affront the established religion of any place; but that he was angry that the Spaniards should assume that power, for he would have all the world know "that an Englishman was only to be punished by an Englishman." So having used the priest civilly, he sent him back, being satisfied that he was in his power. This conduct so much pleased Cromwell, that he read the letter in council with great satisfaction, and said, “he hoped to make the name of an Englishman as great as ever that of a Roman had been." In 1656, the Protector, having declared war against Spain, despatched Blake with twenty-five men of war to infest their coasts, and intercept their shipping. In pursuance of these orders he But that regard which was denied his body has cruised all winter about the Straits, and then lay been paid to his better remains, his name and his at the mouth of the harbour of Cales, where he memory. Nor has any writer dared to deny him received intelligence that the Spanish plate-fleet the praise of intrepidity, honesty, contempt of lay at anchor in the bay of Santa-Cruz, in the isle wealth, and love of his country. "He was the of Teneriffe. On the 13th of April, 1657, he de- first man,” says Clarendon, “that declined the old parted from Cales, and on the 20th arrived at track, and made it apparent that the sciences Santa-Cruz, where he found sixteen Spanish ves- might be attained in less time than was imagined. sels. The bay was defended on the north side by He was the first man that brought ships to cona castle well mounted with cannon, and in other temn castles on shore, which had ever been parts by seven forts with cannon proportioned thought very formidable, but were discovered by to the bigness, all united by a line of communica-him to make a noise only, and to fright those who tion manned with musqueteers. The Spanish admiral drew up his small ships under the cannon of the castle, and stationed six great galleons with their broadsides to the sea; an advantageous and prudent disposition, but of little effect against the English commander; who determining to attack them, ordered Stayner to enter the bay with his squadron; then posting some of his larger ships to play upon the fortifications, himself attacked

His body was embalmed, and having lain some time in state at Greenwich-house, was buried in Henry VII.'s chapel, with all the funeral solemnity due to the remains of a man so famed for his bravery, and so spotless in his integrity; nor is it without regret that I am obliged to relate the treatment his body met a year after the Restoration, when it was taken up by express command, and buried in a pit in St. Margaret's churchyard. Had he been guilty of the murder of Charles I. to insult his body had been a mean revenge; but as he was innocent, it was, at least, inhumanity, and, perhaps, ingratitude. "Let no man," says the oriental proverb, "pull a dead lion by the beard."

could rarely be hurt by them. He was the first that infused that proportion of courage into seamen, by making them see, by experience, what mighty things they could do if they were resolved, and taught them to fight in fire, as well as upon the water; and though he has been very well imitated and followed, was the first that gave the example of that kind of naval courage, and bold and resolute achievements."