Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/191

.], and cables. The admirals shifted their flags into smaller vessels, for neither first nor second-rates could enter. Five-and-twenty English and Dutch ships of the line of lesser size, with their frigates, fireships, and ketches, now prepared to make the attempt to force the boom and burn the fleet, and the duke of Ormonde prepared the way by landing two thousand eight hundred men at six miles from Vigo, and marching on the harbour, where he attacked and carried a strong fort and a platform of forty pieces of cannon at its mouth. The moment the British colours were seen flying on the fort the fleet put itself in motion. Admiral Hopson led the way in the "Torbay," and, running with all sail set, dashed against the boom and burst through it. He was followed by the whole squadron under a tremendous fire from the ships and batteries; but both ships and batteries were soon silenced, the batteries by the soldiers on land, the ships by the fleet. They captured eight ships of war and six galleons; the rest were set fire to by themselves or the French, to prevent them falling into the hands of the English. The Spaniards had lost no time in removing as much of the plate and merchandise as they could; but the allies seized on seven millions of pieces of eight in plate and other goods, and the Spaniards are supposed to have saved twice as much. Sir George Rooke left Sir Cloudesley Shovel, who just arrived, to bring home the prizes, and sailed home with the rest of the fleet and troops in triumph, complaining that Cadiz too might have been taken, had Ormonde done his duty, and Ormonde retorting the blame upon him.

Had this terminated the usual campaign it might have been considered, to a certain extent, a success; but an expedition, sent out to cruise in the waters of the West Indies under the brave old Benbow, had a worse fate. He came up with a French fleet under Du Casse, steering along the shore near St. Martha, and though he had ten sail of the line and the enemy only the same, he found himself deserted by most of his captains, under the plea that the enemy was too strong. Benbow, upbraiding their cowardice, attacked the whole fleet with only two vessels. The battle lasted off and on from the 19th of August to the 21th, some others of the ships occasionally joining him. On the last day his leg was shattered by a chain-shot, and he was wounded in the face and in the arm; yet he caused himself to be placed on the quarter-deck in a cradle, and continued issuing his orders to the last. Seeing it in vain to contend longer, he returned to Jamaica, and ordered a court-martial to be held on his officers. Du Casse, who had reached Carthagena in safety, wrote to Benbow this note:—"Sir,—I had little hope on Monday last but to have supped in your cabin; but it pleased God to order it otherwise. I am thankful for it. As for those cowardly captains who deserted you, hang them up, for by God they deserve it. Yours, ."

Benbow certainly acted in the Frenchman's spirit of honest indignation over such cowardice. Kirby and Wade were sentenced to be shot; Constable, of the "Windsor," was cashiered and imprisoned; others were suspended or reprimanded. Kirby and Wade were sent home to receive their punishment; but, to prevent any applications in their favour, order had been taken at all the ports, and they were shot on board ship at Plymouth under a death warrant ready waiting them there. The reason assigned for the disobedience of the officers was the rough conduct of Benbow, who was one of the old boisterous school of seamen, but brave and honest. The disgrace thus inflicted on his command, combining with his shattered condition, soon also brought him to his grave.

Marlborough returned to England in November, and was received with great applause. Notwithstanding some sharp criticisms on his campaign, the public saw clearly enough that he was a far superior general to William, and augured great things from his future command. The queen during the summer had been making acquaintance with her subjects in Oxford, Bath, and Bristol, with the double object of cultivating a good feeling towards her amongst the people, and cultivating the health of her husband, who was attacked with a severe asthma. She was royally received at every place, and dined with the heads of the university at Oxford, not fearing any poison, like king William. During this journey, too, occurred an incident which was a perfect reiteration of "The King and the Miller of Mansfield," except that the incident befell in the first place the prince of Denmark. Having gone from Bath to Bristol incognito, and with only a single military officer, amongst other places he appeared on 'Change; and, though he was recognised, none of the merchants presumed to accost him, or to invite him to their houses. But one honest John Duddlestone, a boddice-maker, thinking it would be a lasting disgrace to the city should the prince be allowed to go away without any courteous recognition, stepped up to him when all the merchants had gone away, and asked whether he were the queen's husband, as was reported. Being assured that this was the case, he excused his townsmen's apparent want of loyalty by attributing it to their not venturing to accost him, and invited him to take a simple dinner at his house. He promised him only plainest English fare, a piece of roast beef, a plum-pudding, and home-brewed of his wife's own making. The prince, delighted with the simple loyalty of the man, went along with him. On reaching the house, honest John Duddlestone shouted at the foot of the stairs to his wife to put on her best apron and come down, for the queen's husband and a gentleman-officer were come to dine with them. Dame Duddlestone soon made her appearance in a smart blue apron, and the prince was so charmed with his host and hostess and their entertainment, that he invited them to visit him at Windsor Castle. In course of time, John Duddlestone going to London to buy whalebone, took his wife with him, and made Windsor on their road. They found ready access to the prince through a card he had left them, and were heartily received by him and introduced to the queen. The queen, equally pleased at their attention to her husband, invited them to stay dinner, had them clad in full court costume, and introduced them to the courtiers as the "most loyal persons in the city of Bristol." After dinner the queen knighted the worthy boddice-maker, saying, according to the good wife's version of it, when she often related the extraordinary story, "Stou up, Sir Jan." Queen Anne also presented Lady Duddlestone with her own gold watch and chain, which the good dame always wore on holiday occasions with much pride. The queen, moreover, offered Sir John a place under government, or a handsome sum of money; but the stout knight respectfully declined anything, saying that from the number of