the fallen Courages of his followers that a French Gentleman named Fleury de Cusan Lord of Buat and Captain of a Troop of Horse in the States service who came in the Fleet in Quality of a Volunteer hearing those words of de Ruiter leapt presently out of the Boat with his drawn Sword in his hand into the Sea up to the middle in Water crying out Friends folâ—ow me Upon which the Soldiers and Mariners being ashamed not to follow his Example leapt out likewise in Troops and got to Land whilst the Men of War fired without intermission upon the Town so that advancing further the Confederate Troops vigorously attackt the Swedish Horse who came to meet them to dispute their passage There was never any thing more bloody than that shock nor was there ever any Courage appear'd so undaunted as that shewn by the Allies in that Rencounter so that the Swedes being no longer able to endure so fierce and obstinate an attack quitted their ground and retired in Confusion towards the Bridge But the Danes and Hollanders pursued them so close that they entred with them into the Town set it on fire in two places and then quitted it again However the fire did no great damage because it was quickly quench'd by the diligence of the Enemies The day following de Ruiter detacht away 4 men of War to go and cruize between the Isles of Langeland and Spro and 3 more to go and block up the passages of Nyburg in Order to prevent the Swedes from putting any succours into Funen In the mean while a part of the Danish Horse had already begun to disembark and the next day they all Landed Some days before the descent King Gustavus Adolphus had entred the Isle of Falster at the head of a Body of Horse to encourage his Troops by his presence and defend the Neighbouring Isles from the Irruption of the Danes and before his departure he seemed to the Ambassadors to be more inclinable to a Peace than before But all those fair appearances were but the pure effects of a dissembling Policy that induced him to make all those advances to gain time and to prevent the mischiefs threatned him by the Junction of the Danish and Dutch Fleets so that he was extreamly surprised when he was informed a little while after that the two Fleets were already at Sea Upon that news he hastned away with all speed to Kotfoot with a full Resolution to throw succours into Funen where he foresaw the Enemies designed to make a Descent But the Confederate Fleets having prevented his vigilance he was much astonish'd to hear at his arrival the Extraordinary noise of Cannon and small Arms which put him into such a Transport of fury that he Resolved to go immediately in Person into Funen to rouse up the drooping courage of his men and thereby prevent a blow that was likely to Ruine his fairest hopes and cut short the swift Career of his Conquests But his Council more wise and Considerate than he disswaded him from it by Representing to him to what great and inevitable danger he would thereby expose himself since there being no other way for him to pass into Funen but in a pitiful sorry boat in which he could hardly without a Miracle escape being taken by his Enemies Having therefore chang'd his resolution he only sent thither General Steenbok who arrived there time enough to be a Spectator of the misfortune of his Party and to bear a share in the total defeat of the Swedish Army In the mean while the Hollanders and the Danes seeing Fortune begun to declare for them resolved without any demurring to push on their Enterprizes to the utmost while Time was and to prevent the Winter which would soon disable their Fleets from staying any longer at Sea General Ernest Albert de Eberstein was arrived at the Army of the Allies ever since the 14th of the same Month with a Reinforcement of 4 German Regiments 4 more of Brandenburghers 800 Polanders and 1000 Danish Horse besides Foot he had landed near Middlelvaart in the Isle of Funen and two Days after his Arrival he joyned General Schak near Odenzee On the 22d the Danish Army with all those Auxiliary Troops advanced within a Mile of Nyburg where they arrived about 11 a Clock and discovered the Sweedish Army under the Command of the Prince of Sultsback and General Steenbok ready ranged in Order of Battle upon the side of a Mountain in a very advantagious Place for them since they had the Town of Nyburg behind them and tall Hedges and a large deep Ditch before them which they had thick lined with Musqueteers and Dragoons well retrencht However the Danes put themselves likewise in Order of Battle General Eberstein commanded the Right wing Marshal Tramp the left and General Schak the Main Battle where were placed the Dutch Colonels Killigrew Kuik Meteren and Ailua with their Troops The Fight was begun by the Danish Horse for Eberstein and Schak fell with all the Vigour imaginable upon the Enemies and broke through them as far as the Hedges but there they found so much Resistance from the Swedish Musqueteers and Dragoons that it was impossible for them to get any further For the Swedes adding Desperation to their natural Bravery not only repulsed their Enemies but put them into such disorder that both the Right and Left Wing of their Army began to give way and further they made themselves Masters of some of their Cannon upon which Schak having sent Order to the Dutch to come up and charge the Colonels Killigrew Meteren and Ailua putting themselves at the Head of them led them up charging them to keep close together the Right Wing of the Swedes did their utmost to break them but the Pikes having repulsed them they were forced in a few Moments after to quit their Post and their Cannon and betake themselves to Flight The right Wing of the Swedes having been thus driven out of the Field the Hollanders fell upon the Left which they likewise broke so that the Victory which seemed at first to have declared for the Swedes then forsook them Upon which the Imperialâ—sts Brandenburgers Danes and Polanders taking Advantage of that Defeat charged the Swedish Horse with so much Vigor that they forced them to retire into Nyburg so that their Foot being deserted by the Horse was surrounded by the Polanders who cut them almost all in pieces The Prince of Sultsbach and General Steenbok seeing the Fortune of the Day lost being loth to coop themselves up in Nyburg fled through a Wood towards the Sea-coast where finding a Fisher-boat by vertue of large Offers of Mony they persuaded the Master of it to pass them over the Night following into Zealand accompanied only with two or three Servants Whilst the Land-Army of the Allies was engaged with the Swedes General Sohak sent to intreat de Ruiter to advance with his Fleet before Nyburg in order to besiege it by Sea in
fall upon the Merchant Fleet with design to burn them we quitted the Fight to hasten to their assistance After the Action was over I sent for the General Officers of the Fleet Evertsz and De Ruiter on board the Admiral whilst Florisz was left to take care those Ships of the Fleet should be repaired that had need of it We therefore consulted upon the present State of Affairs whether it would be advisable for us to leave our Merchant Ships to their shifts to go and attackt the Enemies once more since we were to weak to spare a detachment of Men of War strong enough to Convoy them and besides that we had some grounds to fear the English might have still some body of reserve towards Callis or whether it would not be better to defend them by making them keep close by us and so in a fighting posture to wait the Enemâ—es charge And because we were in want of Powder order was given to husband it well and not to make one shot unprofitably We discovered to the East-ward at a good distance from us the Ship called the Ostritch so terribly battered and disabled that she had nothing left but her Main and Mizzen Saâ—ls whereupon I ordered de Wilde to go and take her and bring her to the Fleet. As soon as we had got together all our Shâ—ps both Men of War and Merchants we stood to the North-West and towards evening we had a great Calm But de Wilde not being able to bring off the Ostritch the English carried her away next day to their Fleet. That day about 11 a Clock the Enemies came and charged us again They had posted in the Wings of their Fleet five or six of their best Shâ—ps to Endeavour to intercept some of our Ships We fought all that day till the Dusk of Nâ—ght Captaâ—n le Sage of Zealand and le Bruin Van Zeelst of Amsterdam and some Merchant Ships were separated from the Fleet. Towards evening several Captains came and Complain'd that they had no Ammunition left upon which because I had on board the Admiral a great many Bullets 8 pounders I distributed them amongst those who had Guns of that Bore We still pursued our Course the Wind at West-North-West and every one endeavoured to repair their respective Ships as well as it was possible On the 2d of March the English attackt us again with a great deal of vigour and we had hardly fought two hours but half of our Ships had spent all their Ammunition we fired some guns for a signal to them to come on board us which they did I placed them in the main body of the Fleet and charged them to make shew as if they wanted nothing telling them that they which still had any Ammunition should take care to defend them so that I made a shift to maintain the fight till night defending them all that while with not above 25 or 30 Ships that were still provided with Powder and Bullets Two hours after Blake having assembled all his Forces made shew as if he would fall upon us once more When I saw that I took in my Sails and let him know I was ready to begin again with him upon which after the Vanguards of the two Fleets had charged one another for some time the English at length sheer'd off to Sea ward and Blake being out of Cannon shot came no more at us Vice-Admiral Evertsz coming then to me told me they wanted Powder and Bullets When night was come we hang out Lantherns continuing all the while our former Course with a North North East Wind. Blake likewise hung out his Lanthenrs being to the Leeward Towards mid-night we lost sight of the Enemies lights and the next morning we perceived Callis bearing South-West of us at about 2 miles dâ—stance without seeing any English at all I am perswaded they are retired towards the Isle of Wight to repair and resit their Ships c. The success of this Battle made so great a noise at London that they made no difficulty to publish abroad that Tromp Evertsz and de Ruiter were totally Routed and that 100 Merchant Ships and 50 Men of War of the Dutch were taken or sunk nay and this noise was Echoed over all Europe and was carried into France Sweedland Denmark and to render what they affected to speak of it the more credible the Parliament appointed an Extraordinary Thanksgiving day to be kept on that occasion and what seemed fully to Authorize so great a Triumph and exalt the glory of Blake was that the Prisoners were led in a Drove to Canterbury under the Guard of a Troop of Horse and that in all the places through which they passed they affected to ring the Bells thereby to make that defeat to appear the more signal and incontestable tho the Dutch at the same time no less confidently pretended that the Action did not pass altogether so much to the advantage of the English that they ought to have attributed to themselves all the Glory of it since say they excepting the Merchant Ships that fell into their hands the Hollanders had not much less right to pretend to the Victory than their Enemies But tho' the Arms of the United Provinces had received some Check on the Occean The Great Duke of Tuscany ill satisfied at the Conduct of the English yet they were Victorious in the Mediterranean that which had passed in the attempt made for the recovery of the Phoenix had so offended the Great Duke of Tuscany that he lookt upon such a violence committed in his Ports to be an intrenchment upon his Soveraignty so that he Commanded the 6 English Men of War either to go out of that Harbour in which the Hollanders had kept them besieged almost 8 Months or else to restore them their Frigat again Appleton who Commanded those Ships in chief held a consultation with Bodley who had another Squadron of 8 men of War and one Fire-Ship at Porto Longone They resolved then that as soon as Bodley should have weighed Anchor Appleton should slip out of Legorn in order to go and joyn him and to attack the Hollanders with their United Force On the 12th of March at the Dusk of night the Dutch begun to discover Bodley's Squadron and the day following four of his Ships came nearer followed by the rest that appeared to be still at about 4 or 5 miles distance from the former The Forces of the Hollanders consisted of 16 Men of War and a Fire-Ship besides 6 or 7 Merchant Ships that came from the Streights to whom the Dutch Commanders declared That if they would take part with them in the Battle they should share with them in the Booty As to the Forces of the English they were reduced to two Squadrons whereof one was of 6 and the other was of 7 Men of War besides a Flute and a Fire-Ship According to the project concerted between Bodley and Appleton this latter was not to come
Persons that past last Sunday near the Enemies Fleet about 20 miles to the Westward of Schuitenes we thought we had some reason to fear they would attempt a second charge upon us which makes us put in practice all things that may tend to secure our preservation having for that effect pray'd the Governour to Order the Barrier to be repaired that shuts up the Port that so being shut up we may be in safe shelter from Fire-ships We also have intreated him to repair the works and Batteries and put them into a better condition as likewise to cause some new works to be raised in convenient places to plant Cannon upon And he has assured us he will take care to have all things done that may contribute to the security of the Havens of the King his Master that we are at present busied in transporting to shore 20 peices of Cannon out of our ships and 10 more out of the Merchants ships which we can very well spare by reason of the smallness of the Port to be employed there in our defence we will likewise endeavour to make a Fire-ship if we can perswade one of our Merchants to give us his ship for that use All things being so Ordered we hope under the Protection of God sufficiently to provide for the security of so rich a Booty as that intrusted with us by vigorously repulsing the attacks of the English in which we implore the assistance and blessing of God and we promise on our part to contribute thereto with all that shall lie in our power c. The English lost in that attack 2 Captains with one of Mountague's Sons and 3 men of War whereof one stuck in the Rocks out of which the Dutch took the Guns to employ them in their own defence And the Wooden Posts that formed the Barrier of the Haven were Reimplaced in Order to secure the Fleet from the English Fire-ships But they durst not venture upon another charge but tackt about towards their main Fleet quitting the Rocks of Norway to make the best of their way towards their own Country And so by that means the Dutch ships that were pregnant with immense Riches the ships alone that came from the East-Indies being valued at above 12 Millions of Livers or one Million Sterling were delivered from the disasters that threatned them When Admiral de Ruiter was arrived in the Fleet as we have said it was thought fit by the Advice of all the rest of the General Officers that the States Deputies and Lieutenant Admiral de Ruiter should remove out of the ship Amity into the Delfland called formerly the Great Spaniard and that each Squadron of the Fleet should make a detachment of 7 Frigats or bigger Men of War with some Fire-ships to form a 4th Squadron for Admiral de Ruiter who had to Command it under him Aart Van Nes Vice-Admiral of the Meuse and Frederick Staghouwer Rear-Admiral of the College of the Admiralty of the North. They likewise regulated the placing of the Flags ordering that Admiral de Ruiter's Squadron should bear it on their main mast that of Lieutenant Admiral Cornelius Evertsz on their mizzen-mast the Squadron of Lieutenant Admiral Tromp on the Poop and that of Lieutenant Admiral Tierk Hiddes on the Fore mast All the World begun already to conceive great Hopes of so formidable a Fleet commanded by 2 of the greatest men of the Age and directed by the Council of the wisest Deputies of the State Things being in that Condition there Remained nothing but to form some Noble Enterprize that might raise the Glory of the Chieftains and the Courage of the Seamen that was pall'd by the ill success of the last fight And accordingly the Deputies and Admiral de Ruiter with the rest of the General Officers of the Fleet Resolved to sail towards the Coasts of England or Scotland as thinking they might meet at some advantage with the English Fleet as they were supposed to be coming back laden with the spoils of the Dutch East-India ships or at least might succour these latter and rescue them out of the Enemies hands That project seemed well contrived but a contrary Wind hindred the execution of it for growing more boisterous and turning quite opposite against them it was impossible for the Fleet to steer to the North-ward which at the same time favoured the retreat of the English On the 25th of the Month of August the Advanc'd guard of the Dutch Fleet having pursued two English Advice Yachts took them and by their means were informed that the English Fleet consisting of about 70 sail of Men of War had been cruizing some days upon the Coast of Norway to hunt after the East-India ships but that afterwards pursuing their course on the 18th towards Hitland they came to an Anchor in the bay of Breezond having left upon the Coasts of Norway a Squadron of 20 ships under the Command of Captain Tyddeman and that on the 23d having unmoored from Hitland they put out to Sea again On the 25th of the same Month the Advanced guard of the Dutch Fleet discovered an English man of War of the white Squadron so that they found by that the two Fleets were pretty near one another yet without being able to see one another or to discover what course each other steer'd During these transactions the Dutch resolved to sail with all possible diligence towards Bergen in hopes to meet and maul the small English Squadron in those parts and accordingly on the 29th the Holland Fleet arrived upon the Coast of Norway and heard there by the report of some Galliots that the English had attack the Dutch homeward bound East-India ships in the Port of Bergen as likewise other Dutch Merchant ships that were retired thither but that after a fight of 3 hours and a half they were forced to cut their Anchor Cables and shamefully to flie away with considerable loss and damage So that the Dutch Fleet had not only mist of the English Fleet but arrived too late before Bergen to attach Tyddeman In the mean time the States Deputies received a Letter from Captain Bitter that Commanded in chief the East India ships who signified to them that since the fight with the English things there went very strangely For that Mr. Alefelt or Aleveld General of the Danish Troops in Norway and Mr. Steignon Governour of the Town and Castles of Bergen who told the Dutch very roundly that if they expected they should continue their care to protect them from the oppression of the English they must pay them down on the nail the sum of 100000 Crowns to satisfie them and the rest of the Officers and Soldiers for the pains and hazard they had been at in their defence and that when they should have received that money they would be ready to sacrifice their Lives and Estates against all that should attempt upon the liberty of their Harbours adding that for the love they had to the United