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 command with Monck ; but his health gave way under the strain, and he was compelled to go on shore at Southwold. ‘We found him,’ wrote the secretary of the admiralty, who had visited him, ‘in a very weak condition, full of pain both in his heaxl and left side, which had put him into a fever, besides the anguish he endures by the gravel, insomuch that he has no rest night or day, but continues groaning very sadly. This place affords no accommodation at all for one in his condition, there being no physician to be had hereabouts, nor any to attend him with necessary applications (6 July). He had thus no share in the final victory of the war, 31 July, but equally with Monck was presented with a gold chain worth 300l. ‘as a mark of favour for his services against the Dutch ’ (6 Aug.) ; Penn and Lawson were also at the same time presented each with a chain of 100l. value ; and all four with a large gold medal (, Hist. Met. ii. 307). One of these medals, believed to he B1ake’s, was bought for William IV in 1832 (Gent. Mag. cii. i. 352), and is now kept at Windsor. The junior flag officers received chains of value 40l., and smaller medals, one of which is now in the British Museum.

A few weeks' rest happily restored Blake’s health so far as to permit him to return to the fleet (Cal. 20 Sept.) ; but the press of work was over, and durin the winter his time was divided between admiralty business in London and his executive duties at Portsmouth (Cal. 19 Nov. ; 2, 31 Dec; 4, 25 Feb., &c.) After the peace with Holland in April 1654, he still continued the senior commissioner of the admiralty, and in July was appointed to command the tleet, which sailed on 29 Sept, for the Mediterranean, where, during the war, English interests had been very inadequately represented. His instructions seem to have been to carry on reprisals against the French, to repress the African pirates, to demand redress for injuries done to English ships, and, in general terms, to visit the different ports of the Mediterranean, in order-as it is now called to show the flag. In this way he visited Cadiz, Gibraltar, Alicant, Naples, and Leghorn (14 March 1654-5, Add. MS. 9304) ; but his earlier letters have unfortunately not been preserved, and there is no authentic account of his proceedin at this time. It is said that he also visited Malaga, and that whilst there he compelled the governor to make reparation for an outrage inflicted on an English seamen. The man had committed a gross offence: he had insulted the procession of the host. If complaint had been made, he should have been punished; ‘ but,’ said Blake, ‘I will have you know, and the whole world know, that none but an Englishman shall chastise an Englishman.’ The story is extremely doubtful. It rests only on the evidence of Bishop Burnet (Hist. of Own Times (Oxford edit), i. 137), whose testimony is by no means unimpeachable ; it is told in a very hearsay sort of manner, without. any date; and it is difficult to believe that had any such thing occurred, it would not be referred to in some of the existing official correspondence. lt is, however, a story which has been very generally accepted, and, together with that of his capture of the French frigate already referred to, has perhaps done more than the whole of his historical career to tix the popular idea of Blake’s character. At Leghorn he is said ( Memoirs, ii. 507) to have demanded and obtained from the Grand Duke of Tuscany and from the pope reparation for the countenance shown to Prince Rupert, and for the loss sustained at the hands of VanGalen (see ); and 60,000l. is said to have been actually paid (, ii. 43). The statement is, however, entirely unsupported by exact evidence, and is virtually contradicted by Blake's silence in his extant letters from Leghorn, and his reference to others from the same place, as of little importance (12 Jan. 1654-5, Add. MS. 9304).

From Leghorn he went on to Tunis, where, according to his instructions, he demanded restitution or satisfaction for piracies committed on English subiects. This was positively refused, and finding negotiations vain and the Turks insolent, Blake finally resolved to reduce them by force to terms of civility. On the morning of 4 April 1655, his fleet sailed into Porto Farina, and anchored under the castles. As the fight began, a light wind off the sea blew the smoke over the town and shielded the English, so that after some hours’ cannonade, having set on fire all the ships, to the number of nine, they retreated into the roadstead with no greater loss than twenty-five killed and about forty wounded. Blake was doubtful whether, in thus attacking the Tunis pirates in their stronghold, he had not exceeded his instructions, and in his official report expressed a hope that ‘his highness will not be offended at it, nor any who regard duly the honour of our nation (18 April,, iii. 232). Cromwe11’s reply was most gracious (13 June ; ibid. iii. 547) ; at the same time he sent orders to proceed off Cadiz, and carry on hostilities against Spain, with an especial view to intercept the the ships, or to pgrevent reinforcements being sent to the West Indies. In May Blake had visited Algiers, where the

