THE OCEAN AS A BATTLE-FIELD 291 



Unfortunately, it fell to his lot to fight against 

 the only other power whose aims were similar to 

 England's, viz. the use of naval strength only for the 

 protection of commerce at sea against unprincipled 

 aggression. I allude, of course, to Holland. I have 

 ever thought it a sad thing that such men as Blake 

 and Van Tromp were brought into conflict, and I 

 cannot at all determine, with any satisfaction to my- 

 self, which country was to blame in this almost fratri- 

 cidal conflict. Nor would it, I fear, be of any service 

 if we could definitely and impartially apportion the 

 blame. It must suffice to say that, after a tremendous 

 struggle," in which the heroic qualities of both sides 

 were fully manifested, the gallant Dutch people were 

 crushed, their country was brought to the brink of 

 ruin, and Britain became absolutely mistress of the 

 sea. What continental historians may say about the 

 use made by her of this tremendous power does not 

 matter ; the events following cannot lie, and they tell 

 us in plain and unmistakable language that she used 

 her power for the benefit of mankind, and not at all 

 for purposes of aggression. 



Indeed, the events immediately succeeding the 

 overthrow of the naval power of the Netherlands had 

 all the characteristics of abstract justice. For the 

 great Puritan admiral, having developed to the highest 

 degree not only the fighting, but the diplomatic in- 

 stinct in the course of his mighty struggle with the 

 Dutch, was now to attack the ancient foes of his 

 country and the scourge of Holland. There was no 

 longer any question of an armada being fitted out 

 to chastise the haughty Protestant islanders, but the 

 fleets of those islanders actually maintained so close 



