But to see how negligent we were in this business, that
our fleet of Jordan's should not have any notice where: Spragg
was, nor Spragg of Jordan's so as to be able to meet and join in
the business, and help one another; but Jordan, when he saw
Spragg's fleet above, did think them to be another part of the
enemy's fleet! while, on the other side, notwithstanding our
people at Court made such a secret of Jordan's design that nobody
must know it, and even this office itself must not know it; nor
for my part; I did not, though Sir W. Batten says by others'
discourse to him he had heard something of it; yet De Ruyter (or
he that commanded this fleet) had notice of it, and told it to a
fisherman of ours that he took and released on Thursday last,
which was the day before our fleet came to him. But then, that
that seems most to our disgrace, and which the Duke of York did
take special and vehement notice of, is, that when the Dutch saw
so many fire-ships provided for them, themselves lying, I think,
about the Nore, they did with all their great ships, with a
North-east wind, (as I take it they said, but whatever it was, it
was a wind that we should not have done it with,) turn down to
the Middle-ground; which, the Duke of York observed, never was
nor would have been undertaken by ourselves.
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