Earl of Rochefter had faid fomething of me, which, according to his Cuftom, was very malicious: I therefore fent Colonel Afton, a very mettled Friend of mine, to call him to Account for it. He denied the Words, and indeed I was foon convinc'd he had never faid them; but the meer Report, tho' I found it to be falfe, obliged me (as I then foolishly thought) to go on with the Quarrel; and the next Day was appointed for us to fight on Horseback, a Way in England a little unufual; but it was his Part to chufe. Accordingly, I and my Second lay the Night before at Knightsbridge privately, to avoid the being fecur'd at London upon any Sufpicion; which yet we found ourselves more in Danger of there, because we had all the Appearance of Highwaymen that had a Mind to lie fkulking in an odd Inn, for one Night; but this I fuppofe the People of that House were used to, and fo took no Notice of us, but liked us the better. In the Morning we met the Lord Rochefter at the Place appointed, who, inftead of James Porter, whom he affured Afton he would make his Second, brought an errant Life-guard Man, whom no Body knew. To this Mr. Afton took Exception, upon the Account of his being no fuitable Adverfary; efpecially confidering how extremely well he was mounted, whereas we had only a Couple of Pads: Upon which, we all agreed to fight on Foot. But as my Lord Rochester and I were riding into the next Field in order to it, he told me, that he had at first chofen to fight on Horfeback, because he was fo weak with a certain Diftemper, that he found himself unfit at all any Way, much lefs a Foot. I was extremely furpriz❜d, becaufe at that Time no Man had a better Reputation for Courage, and my Anger against him being quite over, (because I was fatisfied he never fpoke the Words I refented) I took the Li

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berty of representing what a ridiculous Story it would make, if we return'd without fighting, and therefore advised him for both our Sakes, especially for his own, to confider better of it, fince I must be oblig'd in my own Defence to lay the Fault on him by telling the Truth of the Matter. His Answer was, that he fubmitted to it, and hoped that I would not defire the Advantage of having to do with any Man in fo weak a Condition. I replied, that by fuch an Argument he had fufficiently tied my Hands, upon Condition I might call our Seconds to be Witneffes of the whole Bufinefs; which he confented to, and fo we parted.

When we returned to London, we found it full of this Quarrel, upon our being absent so long; and therefore Mr. Afton thought himself obliged to write down every Word and Circumftance of this whole Matter, in order to spread every where the true Reafon of our returning without having fought; which being never in the leaft either contradicted or refented by the Lord Rochester, entirely ruined his Reputation as to Courage, (of which I was really forry to be the Occafion) tho' no Body had still a greater as to Wit; which fupported him pretty well in the World, notwithstanding some more Accidents of the fame Kind, that never fail to fucceed one another when once People know a Man's Weakness.

Within a few Years after a War against the Dutch was declared, tho' not 'till a Squadron of our Ships had endeavoured to intercept and surprise their Smyrna Fleet, a little unfairly; of which Defign we fail'd very oddly, and by a Fault that had certainly been punished under a wife Administration. Sir Edward Spragg, who heard nothing of the War, returned Home in Company with those very Smyrna Merchants and with his whole Squadron failing fafter than they, paffed by ours that lay in Wait for them;

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and yet Sir Robert Holmes, our Commander, and alone trufted with the Secret, would not fo much as communicate it to Sir Edward Spragg, because he muft have commanded both Squadrons (as being the fuperior Officer, and confequently deprive him of a Prize, which instead of that prov'd an errant Tartar; for the Smyrna Merchants, together with their Dutch Convoy, made their Part good against Sir Robert Holmes's Squadron; and fo got safe Home, meerly for want of Sir Edward Spragg's being called to his Affiftance.

The Duke of York, always eager after a military Fame, and Admiral of England, commanded the Fleet in Perfon that Summer; which made me go a • Voluntier once more, tho' I confefs not with half fo good a Will as before; my Heart being engaged violently at that Time, and I can never forget the Tenderness of our parting.

I waited on the Duke in his own Ship, where I intended to ftay; but meeting the Earl of Offory there, who was both my Kinsman and Friend, and commanded the Victory, a Second Rate Ship; he invited me so earnestly to be with him, that I accepted his Kindness, and afterwards found I could not have been any where else fo well, on feveral Accounts; fince no Man ever did more bravely than he on all Occafions. Soon after I had fome Experience of the Duke's Firmness in any Refolution he had once taken; for tho' he grew fo very kind to me as to favour me in much greater Matters, yet I could never prevail on him to grant me one Requeft, which at that Time I thought it a little hard to be denied. My Requeft was, that if in the next Engagement he perceived any Ship to fail of doing its Duty, by Reafon of her Captain's being killed, (which was but too ufual) he would fend me an Order to go on board,

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and command her immediately; whereby, instead of being an infignificant Voluntier, I might have an Opportunity of doing the Fleet some Service, and of gaining fome Honour. But tho' he knew it well, and allow'd the Reafon of the Thing, as being the only Way of making the Voluntiers useful: yet he counted it too great an Alteration of the fettled Orders, which gave the Lieutenant in fuch a Cafe the fame Power which his Captain before had, though feldom found to make good Use of it.

Our Scouts having been negligent, De Ruiter with his whole Fleet furprized ours at South-wold Bay; fo that, weighing Anchor in great Hafte, we had much ado to defend ourfelves from their Firefhips. De Ruiter himself was feen nobly to go in a Boat from Ship to Ship, to direct and animate his Men, ordering all his Ships to attack only our great ones; which not being much above twenty, were hard put to it by fo great a Number of theirs. Yet the Enemy had no Success to boast of, except the burning our Royal Fames; which having on board her not only a thousand of our best Men, but the Earl of Sandwich himfelf, Vice Admiral of England, was enough almost to ftile it a Victory on their Side, fince his Merit in Sea Affairs was moft extraordinary in all Kinds. He dined in Mr. Digby's Ship the Day before the Battle, when no Body dreamt of fighting, and fhew'd a gloomy Difcontent, fo contrary to his ufual chearful Humour, that we even then all took Notice of it; but much more afterwards.

The Enemy alfo was once Mafter of the Royal Katherine, and had fent away her Captain Sir John Chichely, with most of her Men, to be kept Prisoners in other Ships, a few only remaining there, whom they flowed under Hatches, with a Guard over them. But the Boatfwain being among them,

with his Whistle encouraged the reft to knock downt all the Centinels first, and then to fall on the Dutch above Deck; by which brifk Action they redeemed that confiderable Ship. The Boatfwain's Name was Small, whom I had an Opportunity of knowing well afterwards when I had the Command of that Ship: He was a Non-conformift; always fober, meek, and quiet, (even too mild for that buftling Sort of Employment) and very often gave me an Image of those enthufiaftick People, who did fuch brave Things in our late Civil War: For he feemed rather a Shepherd than a Soldier; and was a Kind of Heroe in the Shape of a Saint.

But the Duke of York himself had the noblest Share in this Day's Action; for, when his Ship was fo maim'd as to be made incapable of Service, he made her lie by to refit, and went on board another, that was hotly engaged, where he kept up his Standard, till fhe was difabled alfo; and then left her for a third, in order to renew the Fight; which lafted from break of Day, 'till Sun-fet; about which Time the whole French Squadron happen'd to fail clofe by the Lord Offory's Ship; and I well remember there did not appear fo many Shot in them all, as in his Lordship's fingle Ship; whofe Condition was judged too bad to keep the Sea any longer. I then found by Experience in this Engagement, how much there is of Custom in the Matter of Courage: which makes old Troops fo formidable: for, in the Morning when the Enemy's great Shot came on both Sides of us, I thought it impoffible to efcape without lofing a Limb at least, and was accordingly pretty uneafy; but, about the Afternoon, when the Broadfides came only one way, tho' without Interruption, I began to grow a little lefs fenfible of the Danger, which yet I was very glad to fee ended at Night. By

that