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A. C. 1665. a new paffage which De Wit now difcovered by founding. They arrived at Berghen, and took their trade under convoy; but they were difperfed by a storm, and fome of them fell into the hands of the English: the reft of the fleet returned to Holland, in a fhattered condition.

Plague in
London

act.

At this period, the plague made terrible havoc in London, where it fwept off above one hundred thousand of the inhabitants. The king, in order to avoid the contagion, retired to Hampton-court, from whence he removed his houfhold to Salisbury; but this city being foon infected, he chofe his refidence at Oxford. Charles had excited the famous Bernard Van Ghalen bishop of Munfter, to take arms against the States-general, in confideration of receiving a large fubfidy from England. This turbulent prelate affembled a body of twenty thousand men, with which he invaded the province of Overyffel, and reduced feveral places: but the French king and the duke of Lunenburg fending a confiderable reinforcement to the Dutch army, and the fubfidy from England being ill paid, he was glad to liften to terms of accommodation.

The parliament meeting at Oxford in the beginning of October granted twelve hundred thousand pounds to the king for the fupport of the war, and one hundred thoufand to the duke of York, in acknowledgment of his fignal fervices. Then they Five mile paffed the famous "Five mile act," by which every non-conforming preacher was banished five miles from the place where he had been minister, after the act of indemnity, unlefs he would take the oath of non-refiftance. They were treated in this manner, on pretence that they had endeavoured to poifon the minds of the people, by inftilling into them the principles of fchifm and rebellion. Tho' this profecution was fet on foot by the chancellor, who was the implacable enemy of the prefbyterians,

the bill met with great oppofition in the upper A. C. í665. house, from his intimate friend the earl of Southampton. The fame fect was perfecuted with equal severity in Scotland, though the majority of that nation were prefbyterians. The nonjuring minifters were commanded by a proclamation to remove with their families, to the distance of twenty miles from the places where they used to refide, on pain of incurring the penalty annexed to feditious practices. These people would have been reduced to a deplorable fituation, had not the charity of their friends increased, in proportion to the feverity of the government.

against Eng

The king of France, importuned by the States- France degeneral, at length recalled his ambaffadors, and, clares war in January, declared war against England, though land. he did not enter heartily into the quarrel of his allies; and, indeed, this declaration was necessary to maintain the credit of the penfionary, whom it was certainly his intereft to fupport. The states likewife found means to engage the king of Denmark in their caufe, by virtue of a large fubfidy, in confideration of which he obliged himself to Burnet. maintain a fleet of thirty fail for their fervice: at Ralph. the fame time they raised up fuch a number of enemies against the bishop of Munfter, that he was fain to fue for peace, which was concluded at Cleves in the month of April. In the beginning of February, the king returned to London, and war was declared against France. In the course of the same month, the queen by miscarrying, difproved the common opinion of her being barren from fome conftitutional impediment.

The command of the fleet being bestowed upon prince Rupert and the duke of Albemarle, the former, with forty fhips, failed in queft of the duke of Beaufort, who was faid to be at Belleisle, with a fquadron of fix and thirty fhips, ready to

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A. C. 1666. enter the channel and join the Dutch fleet. After he had failed on this expedition, De Ruyter apengagement peared between Newport and Dunkirk, with feventy-one ships of the line, twelve frigates, thirEnglish and teen fire fhips, and eight yachts; Evertzen and Dutch, in Tromp acting as inferior admirals. The duke of latter have Albemarle, though greatly inferior in number to the advan the enemy, bore down upon them without hesitation, on the first day of June; and the Dutch captains were fo eager to engage, that they ordered their cables to be cut, that they might be the fooner able to close with the English. The battle began with incredible fury: Tromp, and afterwards De Ruyter, were obliged to fhift their flags, because their fhips had fuftained fuch damage that they were in danger of finking; one of their fleet was blown up, and admiral Evertzen killed with a cannon-ball. On the other hand, Sir William Berkeley, who led the van of the English, steered into the midst of the enemy, where his fhip was overpowered and taken, after a gallant refiftance, in which he loft his life: one or two English fhips were funk, notwithstanding the valour and activity of Albemarle, who, though in the decline of life, fought with all the ardour and vivacity of a youthful warrior. Night parted the combatants; but next day the weather being more moderate, the fight was renewed with redoubled violence. Van Tromp having engaged himself too far among the English, would have been taken, had not De Ruyter come to his affiftance, and brought him off. Thefe two admirals were of oppofite factions, and rivals for glory: they were infpired with emulation, and fought with equal conduct and refolution. The Dutch being joined with a reinforce ment of fixteen fhips, and the English fleet fhattered in fuch a manner, that not above eight and twenty fail remained fit for fervice, the duke of Albemarle

4

Albemarle was obliged to fheer off, and retreat to- A. C. 1666, wards the coaft of England, followed by the victorious enemy, who had come up with him towards the evening, when a calm prevented them from beginning a fresh attack. In the morning of the third day, Albemarle having made a previous difpofition, fent the difabled fhips a-head, while he himself remained in the rear with thofe that were still capa'ble of fervice, fo as to form a line a-stern occafionally for the reception of the purfuers. About two o'clock, when the Dutch were almost within gun-fhot, the duke defcried prince Rupert and his fquadron to the fouthward, crowding all their fails to come up with him, and immediately hauled upon a wind to join this reinforcement. Sir George Ayfcue, in a hip of one hundred guns had the misfortune to ftrike on the Galloper fands, where he was furrounded and taken. The two English fleets having joined, prepared for another engagement, and in the morning bore down upon the Dutch, who waited for them without flinching. A fourth battle was now begun with equal rage and refolution on both fides, and continued until it was interrupted by a thick fog, when the English found themselves fo maltreated, that they took this opportunity to retire, with the lofs of divers large fhips that were funk or taken by the enemy. Both

fides claimed the victory; but the Dutch had certainly obtained the advantage, though there was no glory loft by either nation.

English un

Both fleets were foon refitted and De Ruyter The Dutch was ordered to put to fea, to join the duke de Beau- feet defeatfort with the French fquadron. On the twenty-ed by the fourth day of July, he fell in with the English der prince fleet, commanded by prince Rupert and the duke Rup rt and of Albemarle : it amounted to above one hundred Albemarle, fail, while that of the ftates did not exceed eightyeight hips of war and nineteen firefhips. The bat

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A. C. 1666. tle began near the mouth of the Thames, and was fought with equal rage and emulation. Sir Thomas Allen, vice-admiral of the white, defeated the van of the enemy, and three of their inferior admirals were flain. In the mean time Sir Jeremy Smith, vice admiral of the blue, was worsted by Van Tromp, who followed the chace fo far that he was entirely feparated from the center. De Ruyter being overpowered by numbers, fuftained the engagement till night with difficulty; and was next day attacked by the whole force of the English navy. He bore the fhock with unfhaken refolution, and gained more glory by his retreat than the English acquired by their victory. They followed him to the coaft of Flushing, and then failed in quest of Tromp, whom they defcried near Harwich; but, in fpite of all their efforts, he retreated with very little lofs to the Texel. He was of the Orange faction, and supposed to have deserted De Ruyter from motives of animofity. This admiral having complained of his conduct, he was put under arreft, and his commiffion beftowed upon another officer. The duke of Albemarle detached Holmes, with a fquadron, to infult the coast of Holland. In the road of Vlye he burned a great number of veffels, and two fhips of war appointed for their convoy: then he made a defcent upon the inland of Schelling, and reduced the town of Brandaris to afhes. After this expedition, the English fleet took their ftation near the ifle of Wight, to hinder the junction of the French and Dutch fquadrons, while De Ruyter anchored in the road of St. John, near Boulogne. There he was taken dangerously ill of a contagious diftemper, which had made terrible havock among the feamen; and the ftates thought proper to recal him to Holland. The duke of Beaufort, thinking they were ftill in the neighbourhood of Boulogne, failed up the channel

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