THE FIGHT.
How we found the Dutch fleet at anchor on Friday half seas over,
between Dunkirke and Ostend, and made them let slip their
anchors. They about ninety, and we less than sixty. We fought
them, and put them to the run, till they met with about sixteen
sail of fresh ships, and so bore up again. The fight continued
till night, and then again the next morning from five till seven
at night. And so, too, yesterday morning they begun again, and
continued till about four o'clock, they chasing us for the most
part of Saturday, and yesterday we flying from them. The Duke
himself and then those people who were put into the catch, by and
by spied the Prince's fleet coming, upon which De Ruyter called a
little council, (being in chase at this time of us,) and
thereupon their fleet divided into two squadrons; forty in one,
and about thirty in the other (the fleet being at first about
ninety, but by one accident or other, supposed to be lessened to
about seventy); the bigger to follow the Duke, the less to meet
the Prince. But the Prince come up with the Generall's fleet,
and the Dutch come together again and bore towards their own
coast, and we with them; and now what the consequence of this day
will be, we know not.
Pages:
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862