A TRUE RELATION OF THE Engagement OF HIS MAJESTY'S FLEET UNDER The Command of His Royal Highness, WITH THE Dutch Fleet, May 28. 1672.  
In a LETTER from Hen: Savile Esq on Board His Royal Highness, to the Earl of Arlington, Principal Secretary of State.  
Published by Authority.  
In the SAVOY: Printed by Tho. Newcomb. 1672.   


A True RELATION OF THE Engagement Of His Majesty's Fleet, under the Command of His Royal Highness, with the Dutch Fleet, May 28. 1672.  
My Lord,  
THe frequent commands I have received from your Lordship for an Account of our late Engagement, exact enough to be made public, do at last end in this following Narration, which had been sent you sooner, if the Wether, and many other Accidents that Seamen are liable to, had not hindered us from having such Accounts from every Flag, as were necessary to make up one fit for your Lordship, and those you intent to impart it to; whom I will suppose to be Landmen, for my own excuse: For, if I were to give such a Relation as would fully satisfy Seamen, the terms themselves concerning Tacking and Wind, etc. without any thing material relating to the Matter, would be too voluminous, to expect it should find a Reader out of Wapping or Rothorith. All that I pretend to, is Brevity and Truth; for the first, I must make it good as I can; for the other, I have such Witnesses as are unquestionable.  
Our whole Fleet being at Anchor in Southwold-Bay, taking in Water, on Tuesday the 28th of May, betwixt Two and three a Clock in the Morning, the Wind E. by N. a small Gale, one of our Scouts came in, giving the usual Signals of seeing the Enemy; upon which, His Royal Highness immediately gave those of weighing Anchor, and getting under Sail, which was performed with all the speed possible, considering the short warning; for before Seven the whole Blue Squadron were a Head of the Red, and the White a Stern; in which order, and at which time, the Battle began, the Enemy having the Wind of us. The Squadron under Bankaert being the Van of their Fleet, attacked the French, which made the Rear of ours, they both separated themselves from both their Fleets, and so continued engaged out of our sight almost the whole day, Sailing to the Southward: At first Bankaert came briskly down upon Monsieur d' Estrees, but afterwards finding it too hot, kept at a greater distance.  
The Earl of Sandwich with the Blue Squadron in the Van of our Fleet, was attacked by Van Ghent, in the Rear of theirs, and endeavouring to get the Wind of the Enemy, found so great opposition, that after having sunk a Man of War which laid him on Board, having above half his men killed, his Ship wholly disabled, and having put off two Fireships, was no longer in a condition to put off the third, which burned her; the only Ship we lost the whole day: His Lordship, and all the Officers, except Capt. Haddock, being lost with her; of which some few ordinary Men that were saved by Swimming to our Ships and Boats, give us no farther Account.  
The Henry, that was one of her Seconds, commanded by Capt. Digby, Son to the Earl of Bristol, having put off several Fireships; most of her Men, her Captain, and almost all her Inferior Officers slain, fell into the hands of the 〈…〉 little time retaken, and sent safe into 〈…〉 Capt. Strickland in the Plymouth.  
Sir Joseph Jordan, Vice Admiral of the Blue, pursued the design his Admiral did not live to finish, and succeeded in it, getting the Wind of the Enemy, which he and his Division kept the rest of the day.  
The Body of their Fleet commanded by Monsieur de Ruyter, attacked the Body of ours, commanded by His Royal Highness; De Ruyter was accompanied by Van Esse, another Admiral, and their Seconds, which all at a convenient distance fired upon the Prince, who being to Windward of her own Division, could receive little or no assistance from them; the Capt. Sir John Cox killed, the Main-Top-Mast, Flagstaff, and Standard, being shot down, and the Ship entirely disabled in three hours' time, His Royal Highness thought it convenient to change his Ship; so that about Ten a Clock being attended by Monsieur Blanckfort, myself, Mr. Ashton, Monsieur du Puys, and John Thompson his best Pilot, he went on Board the St. Michael, Sir Robert Holmes Commander, and there put up a new Standard, which because of the great smoke, could not be seen well enough to be attended by his Division. About this time, the Royal Katherine newly come from the River with fresh Men, and wanting many of the Conveniencies necessary for her defence, was boarded and taken by the Enemy, her Capt. Sir John Chichely being carried prisoner on Board their Ships; but the Enemy leaving no great number of Men in her, they were afterwards overpowred by ours, who carried the Dutch that had taken her, prisoners, and the Ship safe into Harbour. His Royal Highness continued on his way, attended by the Phoenix, Capt. Le Ne●● Commander, on Head of him, and the Fairfax Capt. Leg Commander, and the Victory the Earl of Ossory Commander close a Stern, till afterwards Capt. Berry in the Resolution, and Sir Fretchevile Holles in the Cambridge, came also on Head of us, but were both very soon disabled, the latter having also lost her Commander; the Earl of Ossory in the Victory took their places; the Engagement being very hot all this time. Towards Five in the Evening His Royal Highness observing his Ship to Sail heavily, the London, and many of the Vice-admirals' Division having overtaken the St. Michael, found upon enquiry that she had six foot Water in the Hold; so that with the same Company he brought thither, except his Pilot, who was killed there, he carried his Standard on Board the London, Sir Edward Spragg Commander; where after fight an hour or two with the Ships to Windward, they were forced to bear down, and gave opportunity to the Duke and Sir Joseph Jordan to join; at which time de Ruyter put out a Signal, upon which all his Fleet bore down to join the Zealanders, who with others had engaged the French all day; who being to Leeward, did as well as it was possible for them to do with the distance, the Dutch being to Windward, kept from them. Thus ended the Battle, and the Day; The Duke with about Thirty Sail kept to Windward of the Dutch all night, standing to the S. E. and found himself still so the next morning, and so continued till about Six a Clock; when seeing some Ships a Stern, upon supposition, they were the Remainders of our Fleet, His Royal Highness tacked and stood with them, and found them to be as he guest, and the whole French Squadron with them; about Seven he returned to his own Ship, as well refitted as was possible by the care of Captain Narbrough.  
About Ten the whole Fleet were together, and about Twelve we saw the Dutch standing after us, upon which we Tacked, having the Weather-Gage, and stood to them, in hopes of Engaging them presently: But, when the Van of our Fleet was come up to the Body of theirs, they Tacked, and stood back towards their own Coasts; Notwithstanding which we had certainly engaged them, had we not been prevented about Three a Clock by a sudden Fog, which lasted till Six; and though it then cleared up, it blew so fresh, and was so late, and so near their Banks, that we did not think it safe to Attacke them, but continued Sailing by them almost within Canon shot till Nine at Night; when, being within a League of the Oyster-Banck, off the Coast of Zealand, we Tacked, and stood till Three in the Morning to the Northwest, at which time we stood back till Six, to see if we could perceive the Enemy, which not discovering, we Anchored till the Afternoon, that we got under Sail, and stood back to our own Coast, being very stormy weather.  
As for our Losses, Besides the Royal james, there is not one Ship lost, though several Commanders slain; The Earl of Sandwich, Mr. Digby Captain of the Henry, Sir Fretcheville Holles Captain of the Cambridge, Sir Io. Cox Captain of the Prince, Captain Pearce of the St. George, Captain Waterworth of the Anne, Captain Hannam of the Triumph, Captain Yennes of the Alice and Francis Fireship, and Monsieur de la Rabiniere Rear-Admiral of the French, Captain eliot of the York, Captain Ludman of the Monk; and two of the French Captains, Monsieur des Ardans', and Monsieur du Mesnou are wounded; several Lieutenants and inferior Officers are killed, whose Names it were too tedious a business to set down. Of the Volonteers of Note, My Lord Maidstone, Mr. Montague, Mr. Richard nichols, and Mr. Roger Vaughan, both of his Royal Highness' Bedchamber, Mr. Trevanian His Gentleman-Usher, Sir Philip Cartwright, Sir Charles Harboured, Captain Bromley, Captain Bennett, Mr. Cotterel, Captain Burgh, Captain Barry, Mr. Napier, Brother to a Scotch Lord of that Name, Mr. Bowles, le Chevalier de Serand, and le Chevalier de Bezy are killed; and, if there are any others, their Names are not yet come to our Knowledge: Mr. Tufton, Monsieur le Comte de Canaples, le Chevalier de Chasteaumourant, Monsieur Escorbiac, Mr. Wren, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Howard, Mr. Skelton, and Mr. Hall are all Wounded, Mr. May hath lost his Arme.  
The Advantage we have over the Enemy consists in a Man of War taken of 48 Guns, called the Steverens, Commanded by one Elzevir; Another taken, but afterwards sunk (being Leaky) of 52 Guns, called the josua, Commanded by john Dyche; A Third Sunk by the Earl of Sandwich; A Fourth by Sir Edward Spragg, both betwixt 60 and 70 Guns; a Fireship taken, and we forced them to Spend most of the rest, without doing us any damage: We have very good grounds to believe we have sunk more, and amongst the rest a Flagship; but, thinking it better to err on the modest side, I only write Matter of Fact; and, lest I should break my Word in the other Article, (I mean of Brevity) I Humbly kiss your Hands, and am,  
My Lord, Your Lordship's most Faithful, and most Obedient Servant H. Savile. From on Board the Prince, near the Middle Ground, June 6. 1672.   

THe Writer of this Letter could not think fit to mingle in his Relation, any Expressions of His Royal Highness' Personal Behaviour, because it was prepared for his own sight: But it is most certain, That never any Prince, or it may be as truly said, any Private person, was in an Action of War, exposed to more danger from the beginning to the end of it; His Conduct and Presence of Mind, equalling his Fearless Courage, and carrying him to change his Ship three times, setting up the Royal Standard in each of them, to animate his own Men, and to brave the Enemy.   

SInce the writing of this Letter, is brought in an Account of the Killed and Wounded.  
The number Killed, amounting at the most to, between Seven and eight hundred;  
And the Wounded to about as many: Besides those that were lost in the Royal James.  
The Losses on the part of the Enemy, are in this particular, as in all others, kept very secret; only they do own from all hands, That they have had as many Men Killed and Wounded in this Engagement, as in any two Battles before.   
FINIS.