Burnet in his History, "they must all have been taken, sunk, or burned, if Prince Rupert, being yet in the Channel, and hearing that they were engaged by the continued roaring of guns, had not made all possible haste to get to them." This happened shortly after two. About that time the Dutch sailors on the look-out descried a fleet of war, some sixteen to twenty vessels strong, steering towards them. De Ruyter, judging that it could be no one but Rupert, signalled to Tromp to alter his course and meet him, while he continued the pursuit. About five o'clock in the afternoon, while the chase was thus at its hottest, and rendered more dangerous by the sandbanks that were now near, the "Royal Prince," the largest and finest vessel in the whole English fleet, carrying one hundred guns, and six hundred and twenty men, commanded by Sir George Ayscue himself, suddenly made signals of distress. Monk signalled back that he could not stay to give assistance, and that Sir George must act as he found best. The "Royal Prince" had struck on the Galloper Sands. In the hurry of the moment all was done to get her afloat, but in vain. Tromp was at her at once, and a flaming fireship approached her on each side. Ayscue's lot was hard. He had fought like a lion. There were a hundred and fifty dead on his ship, and it was not by his counsel that the fleet retired. But seeing himself deserted, and surrounded by an enemy bent on his destruction, he hauled down the Admiral's flag and surrendered. Tromp, who was now on his fourth ship, sent his captain to take Ayscue and his superior officers prisoners. The English sailors were indignant, and refused to leave the ship. They were forced into the boats, but crept through the open port-holes back into the ship, until the guns were drawn in and the holes closed. As soon as the fine vessel was empty and lightened, she floated, and Tromp ordered her to be sent in triumph to Holland. But De Ruyter was wiser. Knowing that so heavy a prize would become dangerous, and that he could spare no ship to take her home, he ordered her to be burned at once. Tromp scowled and hesitated, for it was his prize, but well knowing De Ruyter's strength of will, he obeyed. In the sight of the whole Dutch fleet and of its own men, the splendid vessel was consumed by the flames. It was the anniversary of that day, a year before, when Admiral Opdam had been hurled into the air in the midst of his enemies; and as the powder stores of the “Royal Prince" caught fire, and she was lifted out of the ocean as by some mighty hand and thrown down again in fragments, a ringing cheer went up from among the Dutch sailors. In the meantime, Prince Rupert had come up with Monk towards the evening with streaming banners, blowing trumpets, and beating drums. So says Colliber, and There were several of these that carried fifteen to twenty guns more than De Ruyter's largest ship, and the prince's squadron of about twenty fresh men-of-war, who had not fired a shot and were eager for the combat, seemed certainly to incline the balance of superior strength towards the British forces. he adds that there was an imme- | strong. diate renewal of the fight; but this is evidently a mistake. De Ruyter, who could not prevent the junction, saw at once that a heavy day's fighting was still before him, for it was not probable that Monk would continue his flight after this reinforcement. He therefore signalled the fleet to stand towards the east with furled sails, for fear It was about eight o'clock in the of the sands, and having thus morning of Whit-Monday, the 14th drifted during the night, a council of June, when the fight was reof war, at break of day, deter-newed. De Ruyter's Vice-Admiral mined on a renewal of the fight, De Liefde led the way, and, comand the captains were signalled on ing alongside the "London," comboard. In his own homely lan- manded by Robert Holmes, guage, De Ruyter exhorted them Rupert's Vice-Admiral, settled so to stand by him this day, as they closely by her side that the yardhad already done. "My lords arms almost touched. The one the States, the fathers of our land, carried sixty-six pieces of cannon, our own relations, our wives and the other eighty-five, and during children, whatever we hold dearest, the running of one glass these two must urge us to retain the laurel poured the most deadly and dewreath which we have already structive fire into each other, while won, or we shall die from hunger, the rest of the two fleets gradually misery, and stench in the English engaged around this point. The prisons." The fleets thereupon pre- Prince of Monaco and his brother, pared for the engagement that was Count de Guiche, both celebrated to decide the issue between them. generals in the French army, had Whatever difference in strength received De Ruyter's permission there might have been in the first to remain on his deck during the two days had now disappeared. action. The Count was wounded. De Ruyter's fleet had dwindled by a splinter in the arm, and both down to sixty-four men-of-war, he and his brother confessed that every one of which had sadly suf- they had never witnessed anything fered in the previous day's battles. so dreadful in the whole of their Sickness, wounds, and death had career, and that the horrors of a reduced the number of his men battle on land were not to be comby half, and the incessant work pared with it. Indeed, the fury had reduced the strength of even on both sides seemed to have inthose to a very low ebb. Monk creased rather than diminished. and Rupert together, on the other Three times De Ruyter charged hand, were now sixty-one vessels and broke through the English a fleet. His ship was terribly towards the English coast, while injured, but with unflagging courage he returned to the charge, while it seemed as though his Vice-Admirals had all determined to outvie him in bravery. Tromp was almost mad. He changed from ship to ship, as Colliber says, "by a sort of Pythagorean transmigration, and sought revenge in a variety of shapes." Every vessel from which he waved his flag crashed into the enemy with renewed fury, and caused Monk to ask, in bewilderment, whether there were half-a-dozen Tromps on the Dutch fleet. About three in the afternoon De Ruyter executed a masterly manœuvre. He had divided his fleet into two halves. Tromp and himself were southward of the English fleet, Van Nes and Evertsen to the northward, when at a given sign, both rushed simultaneously at the British centre. Prince Rupert lost his mainmast and bowsprit, Monk received two dangerous shots in the powder stores, and got his mast so damaged that he had to back out. Two men-of-war, the "Bull" and the "Essex," were boarded by Captain Pouw; another, the "Clove-tree" ("Nagelboom"), a ship taken from the Dutch in the previous year, and a fourth, the "Convertine," were also captured, while the Dutch historians state that two others of the White Squadron were seen sinking about six o'clock at night. The English fleet indeed became divided. The White Squadron stood northward, the Red and the Blue southward De Ruyter having hoisted signal of general pursuit went after Rupert himself. "This fourth day," says Vice-Admiral Jordan," "at seven at night, most of our great ships disabled in masts, yards, rigging, the want of men to ply our guns, and powder and shot nearly all spent, forced our retreat, in which the 'Black Bull' and the Essex,' falling aboard each other, and one to leeward which I suppose was the 'Convertine,' are in the hands of the enemy." The English were very grateful, and the Dutch almost disposed to quarrel with heaven for marvellously interfering with the pursuit At seven or thereabouts a dense fog spread over the water, and De Ruyter, seeing that a farther approach to the sands would be highly dangerous, assembled his fleet and returned home. King Charles II. was at church attending divine service when Sir Daniel Hanney came in from Monk and related the engagement. The king stopped the service, and hearing from Sir Daniel that Monk had obtained a victory, he commanded that public thanksgiving should immediately be | given, "which," says honest Burnet, was a horrid mockery of God and a lying to the world.” The people very soon discovered the mistake. They saw the bonfires and heard the bells, but they knew "that it was rather a deliverance than a triumph." ViceAdmiral Jordan confessed that they had to submit to an all-see 66 ing Providence who knows what is best for us, and he piously praised God for wonderfully preserving him in the awfullest battle that was ever fought at sea. The Dutch historians speak of seventeen English ships that were burnt or sunk, | besides the six that were taken; they counted about three thousand prisoners, and estimated the English dead at between five and six thousand, while their own losses were given out as not exceeding six men-of-war, and two thousand killed and wounded. What the truth of this is, it would be idle to inquire, as no authentic documents or returns exist in this country from that period. But that the fleet had suffered terribly, and that the loss of the "Royal Prince" grievously afflicted the nation, may be safely assumed from the expressions that were used by many contemporary writers. One of them said that the destruction of the “Royal Prince" was a national loss, and to be universally deplored; another was indignant that a ViceAdmiral should have been compelled to surrender; and Evelyn, writing in his diary on the 17th of June, said, "I went on shore at Sheerness, but here I beheld the sad spectacle, more than half that gallant bulwark of the kingdom miserably shattered; hardly a vessel entire, but appearing rather so many wrecks, and hulls, so cruelly had the Dutch mangled us." THE FIRE OF LONDON. (Pepys' Diary and Correspondence.) A.D. 1666. SEPTEMBER 2d (Lord's day). Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose, and slipped on my night-gown, and went to her window; and thought it to be on the back side of Mark Lane at the farthest, but being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off; and so went to bed again, and to sleep. About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was, and farther off. So to my closet to set things to rights, after yesterday's cleaning. By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down to-night by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning down all Fish Street, by London Bridge. So I made my self ready presently, and walked to the Tower, and there got up upon one of the high places, Sir J. Robinson's little son going up | with me: and there I did see the houses at that end of the bridge all on fire, and an infinite great fire on this and the other side the end of the bridge; which, among other people, did trouble me for poor little Michell and our Sarah on the bridge. So down with my heart full of trouble to the Lieutenant of the Tower, who tells me that it began this morning in the king's baker's house in Pudding Lane, and that it hath burned down St. Magnus Church and most part of Fish Street already. So I down to the water-side, and there got a boat, and through bridge, and there saw a lamentable fire. Poor Michell's house, as far as the Old Swan, already burned that way, and the fire running farther, that in a very little time it got as far as the Steele Yard while I was there. Everybody endeavouring to remove their goods, and flinging into the river, or bringing them into lighters that lay off; poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched | them, and then running into boats, |