THE THIRD DUTCH WAR 



493 



months' assessments, at the rate of 70,000 a-month, for the 

 king's " extraordinary occasions " ; but this was designed 

 merely to allow them time to deal with the Declaration of 

 Indulgence before Charles could afford to dismiss them. The 

 contest with the king on this question ended in victory for 

 the Parliament, which then passed the Test Act, disqualifying 

 Catholics for all offices under the crown. The king was 

 still resolved to pursue the war. The money voted by Par- 

 liament served to equip a fleet; and as the Duke of York 

 was made ineligible owing to the Test Act, Prince Rupert 

 took his place as admiral. In May 1673 the combined naval 

 forces of France and England sought out De Ruyter on his 

 own coast, and three battles were fought in the summer, on 

 28th May, 4th June, and llth August, both sides claiming 

 victory; but the Dutch prevented the projected landing of 

 English troops, and compelled the allies to retire to their 

 own coasts. 1 



By this time, however, the king saw he could not with 

 safety continue to carry on the war much longer. Spain, 

 which had already declared war against France, threatened 

 to do the same against England unless peace was made, and 

 this would destroy the lucrative English trade with that 

 country. The war was intensely unpopular in England, and 

 the seamen fought without heart. The timid conduct of the 

 French squadrons in the various battles excited deep and 

 widespread resentment. It was on all sides rumoured that 

 Charles had sold his country in order to carry out the selfish 

 designs of Louis. The subsidies, moreover, were soon exhausted, 

 and it would be necessary to ask Parliament again for more 

 money. It was clear that the appeal which Charles had 

 made to the spirit or vanity of the nation with respect to 

 the honour of the flag and the sovereignty of the sea had 

 thoroughly failed, although inspired and mercenary pens did 

 what they could to arouse enthusiasm. These efforts were 

 indeed a measure of the unpopularity of the third Dutch 

 war. Before it broke out certain authors had handled the 

 theme. The learned Prynne, who lost his ears for opposing 



1 Hume, loc. cit. Temple's Memoirs, i. 166. State Papers, Dom., cccxi. 75, 82, 

 206 ; cccxiii. 233. Commons' Journals, ix. 246. Dumont, op. cit., VII. i. 206. 

 ffollantsche Mercurius, 1672, p. 265. 



