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faken, though he was at first exposed to the fire of He then ordered his officers to fend

fixty cannon.

out their long boats well manned to feize nine of the

piratical ships lying in the road, himself continuing to fire upon the caftle. This was fo bravely executed, that with the lofs of only twenty-five men killed, and forty-eight wounded, all the fhips were fired in the fight of Tunis. Thence failing to Tripoly, he concluded a peace with that nation; then returning to Tunis, he found nothing but fubmiffion. And fuch indeed was his reputation, that he met with no farther oppofition, 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 Tufcany 60,000l. and, as it is faid, sent home fixteen fhips laden with the effects, which he had received from several states.

The refpect 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, fome of his failors went afhore, and meeting a proceffion of the hoft, 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 refenting this indignity, fell upon them and beat them feverely. When they returned to their fhip, they complained of their ill treatment; upon which Blake fent to demand the priest who had procured it. The viceroy answered that, having no authority over the priests, he could not fend him: to which Blake replied, "that he did not enquire into "the extent of the viceroy's authority, but that if

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"the priest were not fent within three hours, he "would burn the town." The viceroy then fent the priest to him, who pleaded the provocation given by the feamen. Blake bravely and rationally answered, that if he had complained to him, he would have punished them feverely, for he would not have his men affront the established religion of any place; but that he was angry that the Spaniards fhould af fume 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 fent him back, being fatisfied that he was in his power. This conduct fo much pleafed Cromwell, that he read the letter in council with great fatisfaction, and faid, "he hoped to make the name "of an Englishman as great as ever that of a Roman "had been."

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In 1656, the Protector having declared war against Spain, dispatched Blake with twenty-five men of war to infeft their coafts, and intercept their fhipping. In purfuance of thefe orders he cruifed all winter about the Streights, and then lay at the mouth of the harbour of Cales, where he received intelligence that the Spanish plate-fleet lay at anchor in the bay of Santa Cruz, in the ifle of Teneriffe. On the 13th of April 1657,.he departed from Cales, and on the 20th arrived at Santa-Cruz, where he found fixteen Spanish veffels. The bay was defended on the northfide by a caftle well mounted with cannon, and in other parts with seven forts with cannon proportioned to the bignefs, all united by a line of communication manned with mufqueteers. The Spanish admiral drew up his finall fhips under the cannon

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of the caftle, and ftationed fix great galleons with their broadfides to the fea: an advantageous and prudent difpofition, but of little effect against the English commander; who determining to attack them, ordered Stayner to enter the bay with his fquadron; then, pofting fome of his larger fhips to play upon the fortifications, himfelf attacked the galleons, which, after a gallant refiftance, were at length abandoned by the Spaniards, though the least of them was bigger than the biggest of Blake's fhips. The forts and fmaller veffels being now fhattered and forfaken, the whole fleet was fet on fire, the galleons by Blake, and the smallest veffels by Stayner, the English veffels being too much fhattered in the fight to bring them away. Thus was the whole plate-fleet deftroyed," and the Spaniards," according to Rapin's remark," fuftained a great lofs of fhips, money, men, and merchandize, 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 ftrengthens himself.

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"The whole action," fays Clarendon, "was fo "incredible, that all men, who knew the place, won"dered that any fober man, with what courage fo"ever endowed, would ever have undertaken it, and

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they could hardly perfuade themselves to be"lieve what they had done: while the Spaniards "comforted themfelves with the belief, that they "were devils and not men who had deftroyed them "in fuch a manner. So much a strong refolution of "bold and courageous men can bring to pass, that "no refiftance or advantage of ground can difap

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point them; and it can hardly be imagined "how fmall a lofs the English fuftained in this unparalleled action, not one fhip being left behind, and the killed and wounded not exceeding σε 200 men; when the flaughter on board the Spa"nifh fhips and on fhore was incredible." The general cruised for fome time afterwards with his victorious fleet at the mouth of Cales, to intercept the Spanish shipping; but finding his conftitution broken by the fatigue of the last three years, determined to return home, and died before he came to land.

His body was embalmed, and having lain fome time in ftate at Greenwich-houfe, was buried in Henry VII's chapel, with all the funeral folemnity due to the remains of a man fo famed for his bravery, and fo fpotlefs 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 exprefs command, and buried in a pit in St. Margaret's church-yard. Had he been guilty of the murder of Charles I. to infult his body had been a mean revenge; but as he was innocent, it was, at least, inhumanity, and, perhaps, ingratitude. "Let no man," fays the oriental proverb, pull a dead lion by the beard."

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But that regard which was denied his body has been paid to his better remains, his name and his memory. Nor has any writer dared to deny him the praise of intrepidity, honefty, contempt of wealth, and love of his country. "He was the first man,' fays Clarendon, "that declined the old track, and "made it apparent that the fciences might be at

❝tained

"tained in lefs time than was imagined. He was "the first man that brought fhips to contemn caftles "on fhore, which had ever been thought very "formidable, but were discovered by him to make

a noise only, and to fright those who could rarely "be hurt by them. He was the first that infused "that proportion of courage into feamen, by making them fee, by experience, what mighty things

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they could do if they were refolved, and taught "them to fight in fire as well as upon the water; and though he has been very well imitated and follow"ed, was the first that gave the example of that "kind of naval courage, and bold and refolute "atchievements."

To this atteftation of his military excellence, it may be proper to fubjoin an account of his moral character from the author of Lives English and Foreign. "He was jealous," fays that writer, "of "the liberty of the fubject, and the glory of his "nation; and as he made ufe of no mean artifices "to raise himself to the highest command at fea, fo "he needed no intereft but his merit to fupport him " in it. He fcorned nothing more than money, "which, as fast as it came in, was laid out by him "in the fervice of the ftate, and to fhew that he was animated by that brave public fpirit, which "has fince been reckoned rather romantick than "heroick. And he was fo difinterested, that though

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no man had more opportunities to enrich him"felf than he, who had taken fo many millions "from the enemies of England, yet he threw it all "into the publick treasury, and did not die 500l. "richer than his father left him; which the author

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