Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A46081
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An impartial account of some remarkable passages in the life of Arthur Earl of Torrington together with some modest remarks on his tryal and acquitment.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing I66; ESTC R19182
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18,966
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31
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got presently under Sail and bore down upon our Fleet in a Line composed of 28 Men of War and 5 Fireships That when they came within Musquet-shot of the Defiance the head-most of our Ships the French Admiral put out the Signal of Battel which was begun by them they firing their great and small Shot very furiously on the Defiance and the rest as we came in our Line That then we made several boards to gain the Wind or at least to engage them closer but finding that way of working very disadvantageous Admiral Herbert stood off to Sea as well to have got our Ships into a Line as to have gained the Wind of the Enemy but found them so cautious in bearing down that we could never get an opportunity of doing it and in this posture continued battering upon a Stretch until five in the Afternoon when the French Admiral tacked from us and stood away farther into the Bay That Admiral Herbert's Ship and some of the rest being disabled in their Rigging we could not follow 'em but we continued some time after before the Bay and our Admiral gave him a Gun at parting In this Action Captain Aylmer in the Portland who came in soon enough for the Battel with others of the Squadron mention'd and 94 Seamen were killed and about 250 wounded as appears by a Survey taken after the Fight and our Ships received little damage except in their Sails and Rigging That as for our Officers and Seamen that Right must be done them That they behaved themselves with all the Courage and Cheerfulness that could be expected from the Bravest Men and that on the other side without lessening the Enemy it may be said That they either wanted Courage or Skill to make use of the advantage of the Place the VVind their Fireships and their number being at least double our Force they having 18 Ships the least of which was as big as the Elizabeth and it so happened at the time of the Engagement Admiral Herbert had with him but 8 Third rates 10 Fourth rates 1 Fifth rate and 2 Tenders And that the Fleet designed to rendezvous and refit at Scilly This is the Substance of what the publick account contains in relation to that Action VVe have further to the same purpose from those actually present in it that never was greater Cheerfulness exprest by Men than was by the English notwithstanding the inequality of the number they shouting incessantly not only at the sight of the French but during all the Engagement That the Admiral had for his own share seven or eight of the French battering against him for the most part of the fight and those present in that very Ship say he was above Deck during the hottest Service encouraging his Souldiers and exposing himself as much as possible though others have represented things otherwise They add That had all the rest behaved themselves as well and come up to the Fleet we had in all probability given a better account of the French than we did for which neglect several Officers were some time after tryed and some punish'd with being casheer'd from their Places and Employments 'T was on the 7 th of the same Month when the Admiral arrived with his Fleet at Plymouth and the 12 th after at Spithead on the fifteenth of which Month His Majesty our Gracious KING WILLIAM arrived there from Collonel Norton's House where he lay the night before The Principal Inhabitants of the Town to the number of above an hundred went out on Horse-back to meet him on the way and drawing up in a line expressed their Duty and Affection to His Majesty with repeated Acclamations But to omit the universal Joy expressed by all Loyal Persons there at the sight of His Majesty the ingenious and elegant Speech made by Mr. Recorder and the Attendance of Mr. Mayor and Corporation we shall only insist on what past between His Majesty and the Fleet under Admiral Herbert and the gracious marks of his Favour then shown to the Admiral and Seamen The Regiments in Garrison being drawn out and lining the Street Admiral Herbert with the chief Officers of the Fleet met His Majesty near the main Guard and attended him on board the Elizabeth the Mayor and Aldermen c. waiting upon him to the water-side where he entertained His Majesty at a very splendid Dinner which ended the King was placed as a particular Mark of his Favour towards the Admiral and great satisfaction in his Conduct and good Services to declare his Royal Intentions of conferring upon him the Title and Dignity of an Earl of his Kingdom as he had before made him one of the Commissioners of the Admiralty At the same time His Majesty was also pleased to conferr the Honour of Knighthood upon Captain John Ashby Commander of the Defiance the first Ship which engaged with the French at the Bantry and since one of the Commissioners for exercising the Office of the Admiralty after the Admiral 's Digress And on Captain Cloudesly Shovel who had so often signalized his personal Valour in his Countries Service particularly at Tripoly formerly under Sir J. Narborough and lately in the Haven of Dublin Besides this to encourage and reward the brave Seamen he distributed among those engaged in the late Brush with the French Fleet a Donative of Ten shillings a man amounting to Two thousand six hundred pound Nor can any imagine unless they know the Seamen well and have been present at occasions of that nature with what Joy and Acclamations both the Officers and all the Seamen received so great an Honour from His Majesty whom they entertained with loud Shouts and Huzza's and with all the Demonstrations of a true resoution to employ their Lives in His Majesties Service who soon after went ashore and returned to the place where he formerly Lodged Nor was he in this promise any more than the rest of his Life worse than his word for some small time after he was pleased to create him Earl of Torrington one of the Titles of the Late Duke of Albemarle and Baron Herbert of Torbay in the County of Devon the Place where he first Landed Add to this the Thanks of the House of Commons to his Lordship for the Service he did the Natian in Bantry Bay and it 's hardly possible to immagine a man in the Admiral 's Station Greater or Happier than he at that time was Favour'd by his Prince Honour'd by his Country by all men either Admir'd or Envy'd And indeed his good Fortunes seem now arrived to a kind of Plethora for it was almost impossible they could proceed any higher without Breaking This was the Pinacle the highest point of his Honour and some will say of him as it formerly was of the Roman whom his ungrateful country men afterwards dealt so ill with for all his Services that it had been happy for him if he had just then Dy'd and sunk into an honouruble Tomb press'd to Death
of Affairs and well it had been had it been Demolished that very day in which 't was Delivered to the English However it being then thought of great Concern to the Nation in respect of our Streights Trade we maintained for that end a strong Garrison in it and had at last something of Trade but enlarging our Borders a little further in the Countrey than the Moors were willing to give us leave we drew down all their Force upon us who with Numerous Armys invested the Place and assisted by some Wicked Renegades press'd it very vigorously For the relief whereof the brave Earl of Ossery designing was taken sick and Dyed as much lamented as 't was possible just as he was entering on the Voyage Hither then was Admiral Herbert sent with a Fleet under his Command to assist our People there And action enough he found both by Sea and Land attending him by Sea in a very smart Rencounter with several Turkish Men of War most or all of which were there Taken Burnt or Stranded after a Desperate Resistance But by Land the Service was if possible yet warmers for upon some Sally and other action between the Moors and the Town the Admiral not only drew his Ships near the Shoar firing incessantly on the Infidels and doing thereby very good Service but also I ended a good number of Seamen who Sallied with the Garrison against the Besiegers and gave the Black Gentlemen such Entertainment as they never before met with in their Lives throwing themselves into and over all their Lines and Trenches and piercing into the very Heart of their Camp afterwards Retreating again though not without loss yet with Incomparable Bravery and much Honour being favour'd by the Spanish Horse who really stood to it to some purpose or else they had probably been very ill dealt with by the Enemy After business there dispatch'd the Admiral 's returned with his Fleet for England continuing in the same Station till King James his Reign All Europe rung of King James's Famous Declaration for Liberty of Conscience about this time published to the World and of those methods he used in porsuance thereof to get all those Laws Repeal'd which were inseperable Obstacles to the same Officers Civil and Military were every where Canvass'd and now was the time when this King who is Notorious for having never been worse than his word was resolved to requite all the old Faithful Servants to the Crown and him He was indeed resolved to have two Strings to his Bow to alter the Government as hath been said both Civil and Military That if he cou'd not by the Gown he might by the Sword obtain his Desires Nay so fully bent were they on these Pernicious Councils that some of the fam'd Regulators themselves have no Blush to say though 't is hoped they may to read this since they are yet alive That if the Parliament wou'd not Repeal the Penal Laws the King had another way and Forty Thousand Men should do it without him To this end Sea-Officers were attackt as well as those at Land and among many other great Men and great Favourites for the Truth is the Court had then small respect of Persons Vice-Admiral Herbert lost his place and kept his Honour being proof against all the Insinuations that could be made to oblige him to betray the Nation And some time after left his Ungrateful Master for good and all and betook himself to the Court of the then Prince of Orange together with other Nobler Lords for indeed that then seemed the English Court and Whitehall one of the old Irish Kings Tendragee or some of their Forlorn Mountains In whose Court at the Hague he remain'd till the happy Fate of England required the Princes presence here with whom he came into the Quality of an Admiral Whatever has happen'd since 't is Notorious no man cou'd be better beloved by the Seamen than he was at that time His Health was drank by Sea and Land and the Prince of Orange himself was seldom named but Admiral Herbert was with him whose Letter after the Princes to the English Fleet may be supposed to have had no small Influence on them both to prevent their Engaging the Dutch and hasten their joyning the Princes as many of 'em afterwards did And indeed so memorable a piece of History is that Letter of his that it ought not to be omitted in a piece of this Nature and one of the very Original Printed Letters sent then to some Officer in the Fleet coming to our hands we shall here verbatim insert the same TO ALL Commanders of Ships and Seamen in His Majesty's Fleet. Gentlemen I Have little to add to what His Highness has exprest in general Terms besides laying before you the Dangerous way you are at present in where Ruine or Infamy must inevitably attend you if you do not joyn with the Prince in the Common Cause for the defence of your Religion and Liberties for should it please God for the Sins of the English Nation to suffer your Arms to prevail to what can your Victory serve you but to inslave you deeper and overthrow the true Religion in which you have Lived and your Fathers Dye of which I beg you as a Friend to consider the Consequences and to reflect on the Blot and Infamy it will bring on you not only now but in all after-Ages that by your means the Protestant Religion was destroy'd and your Country depriv'd of its Ancient Liberties and if it pleases God to Bless the Princes Endeavours with Success as I do not doubs but he will consider then what their Condition will be that oppose him in this so good a Design where the greatest Favour they can hope for is their being suffer'd to end their Days in Misery and Want Detested and Despised by all good Men. It is therefore and for many more Reasons too long to insert here that I as a true Englishman and your Friend exhort you to joyn your Arms to the Prince for the defence of the Common Cause the Protestant Religion and the Liberties of your Countries It is what I am well assured the Major and best part of the Army as well as the Nation will do so soon as convenience is offer'd Prevent them in so good an Action while it is in your power and make it appear That as the Kingdom has always depended on the Navy for its defence so you will yet go further by making it as much as in you lies the Protection of her Religion and Liberties and then you may assure your self of all Marks of Favour and Honour suitable to the Merits of so Glorious an Action After this I ought not to add so inconsiderable a thing as that it will for ever engage me to be in a most particular Manner Your Faithful Friend and Humble Servant AR. Herbert Aboard the Leyden in the Gorce What effect this handsome Letter had upon the Fleet has been already observed and