CHARLES I. : THE NAVY 333 



for then we must strike them, although peradventure to our 

 own prejudice. But this punctilio of honour," added the 

 secretary to the Lord High Admiral, with prophetic instinct, 

 " will one day cause more blood to be drawn than ere it will 

 bring profit or honour to our king." l 



Meanwhile Tromp and his resolute men were getting im- 

 patient. Since they had cooped up the hated Spaniard in 

 the English roadstead, they had been reinforced from Hol- 

 land, so that the Dutch fleet was soon in the overwhelming 

 strength of a hundred sail. Tromp also knew that Charles 

 had arranged (for a substantial consideration) to supply the 

 Spanish Admiral with gunpowder, of which he stood in dire 

 need, and that thirty Dunkirk sloops had succeeded in joining 

 Oquendo. Above all, he had in his pocket the express orders, 

 just issued by the States-General, " to destroy the Spanish fleet, 

 without paying any regard to the harbours, roads, or bays of 

 the kingdom where it might be found." 2 He promptly seized 

 an opportunity to carry out his orders. Information reached 

 London on 8th and 9th October that the Dutch were preparing 

 to attack. Commands were at once sent to warn them to 

 desist, and they were informed that the king was going to fix 

 a short period for the departure of both fleets' and this 

 message was conveyed to the Dutch Admiral. On the evening 

 of the 10th, the gunpowder for the Spanish fleet came along- 

 side, and the accidental discharge of a gun on one of the 

 Spanish ships killed a Dutch sailor. This was enough. Be- 

 fore the fog lifted next morning Tromp's fleet was under sail ; 

 the roar of cannon announced that the attack had begun ; and 

 within a few hours the Spanish galleons were driven ashore, 

 burnt, sunk, or in flight for Flanders, with Tromp in hot 

 pursuit. The English Admiral acted on the prudent advice 

 which had been given to him by Smith. He made a show of 

 resenting the violation of the King's Chambers by firing at 

 the Dutch. In Madrid it was afterwards said he had fired 

 his guns into the air, but Pennington himself tells us that 



1 Smith to Pennington, 19th Sept. State Papers, Dam., ccccxxviii. 111. 



2 " De Spaansche Vloot te vernielen sender eenige aanschouw of reguard te 

 Hi-men op de Havenen, Reeden, of Baayen van de Coningryken, waar de zelve 



zoude zyn te bekomen." Resol. Stat.-Oen., ^, ^ Sept. 1639. Aitzeina, Saken van 

 Staet en Oorlogh. Byukershoek, Qwvttiones Jurit Publici, lib. i. 



