Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 05.djvu/182

 and Blake received pressing orders ‘forthwith to go to sea in person, to keep those affairs in good order, an prevent any impressions that may be made on the seamen by misrepresentation of affairs,’ and also ‘to prevent any supplies being sent from foreign parts to the king of Scotland’ (22 Aug.) Accordingly, with his flag in the Victory, he took his station in the Downs, whence he effectually prevented any foreign assistance being sent to the king, or to any of the king’s supporters. The hopes of the king were crushed at Worcester on 3 Sept.; but all through the autumn attempts were made to cnrrjv arms and stores to his partisans in Ireland, and the watch from the Downs was continued till well into the winter. In September Colonel Heane was ordered to reduce Jersey, held, as the Scilly islands had been, by an enterprising and piratics] body of cavaliers. Blake was ordered to accompany him ‘with such ships as he thought fit, and to give his best advice and assistance for its reduction’ (20 Sept.) Against an attack in force, Jersey, now completely isolated, could do very little, and before October was out this last of the royalist strongholds had surrendered to the parliamentary army.

On 1 Dec. 1651 the council of state for the year began its sittings. Blake was for the first time a member, and during the next months attended with some regularity (Calender, 1651–2, Introd., p. xlvii), which was brought abruptly to an end by the imminence of war with Holland. On 10 March 1651–2 he attended the council for the last time; only eleven members were present, when, probably at his own suggestion, he was ordered to repair to Deptford, Woolwich, and Chatham, to hasten forth the summer fleet, ‘for which there is extraordinary occasion' (11 March). The war broke out in May, and though there had been an accidental collision off the Start some days earlier, the first brunt of it fell on the fleet which had been got together in the Downs. Blake, with the bulk of his force, had gone along the coast to Rye, leaving Bourne, his rear-admiral, with only nine ships in the Downs, when, on 18 May, Tromp, with a large fleet, appeared outside, blown over, as he said, by stress of weather, from Dunkirk. His professions were amicable, but his bearing was most insolent; he anchored off Dover, did not salute the castle, and during the rest of the day exercised his men with small arms, firing repeated volleys. The next day about noon Blake was seen approaching from the westward; but the wind was foul, and his progress slow. Tromp weighed and stood over towards the French const, but afterwards, on getting news of the encounter off the Start, he bore up and ran down towards the English, his fleet following without further signal. Blake, observing this sudden alteration of course, at once understood that Tramp meant to attack him, and prepared for battle. As the Dutchman drew near and came within musket-shot, without striking flag or lowering topsails, he orderer a gun to he fired as a signal to engage. The Dutch fleet consisted of between forty and fifty ships. Blake had with him only fifteen; but these were, as a rule, larger and more powerful than the Dutch. On either side there was no attempt at formation; Tromp’s fleet had come on in a straggling line, which would have closed round Blake's squadron had not Bourne with his division arrived in the nick of time, and fallen heavily on the Dutch rear. Thus reinforced the English fully held their own. The battle raged for four hours, and ended may with the day, when Tromp, having lost two ships, drew off; and the English anchored off Hythe. The next day the Dutch were seen steering towards the coast of France, and Blake, having collected his fleet at Dover, went into the Downs. The exact history of this battle and the transactions which preceded it is to be found in an official pamphlet, entitled ‘The Answer of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England to three papers delivered in to the Council of State by the Lords Ambassadors Extraordinary of the States General of the United Provinces.' It contains the letters of Blake, Bourne, and Tromp, as well as a number of depositions and other papers. The popular story, which has been repeated by Mr. Dixon, is absurdly incorrect. It is unnecessary to examine it in detail, but it may be well to point out that Tromp's attack was certainly not a surprise to Blake; that as his ship, the James, was lying to, whilst Tromp's, the Broderode, was coming down before the wind, the first broadside could not have been fired into the James‘s stern; that as the James was cleared for action she had, for the time, neither cabin nor cabin windows; that it is in the highest degree improbable that Blake, whilst ordering shotted guns to be fired on an insulting enemy, was below, either reading or drinking; and lastly, that as, according to every picture, tradition, and the custom of the age, he had a smooth, clean-shaven face, it is quite impossible that he could curl his whiskers in his anger.

On the news of this battle the parliament took immediate measures for strengthening the fleet; but during the summer of 1652 Blake was alone in his office of general at sea,