11 o o 



from Highgate to London on a hot fummer's day, he 

 took cold, which proved fatal to him. He died in June 

 1662, in the 40th year of his age. He was highly elleemed 

 by his contemporaries, as will appear from the following 

 teftimonies. Dr. Pope, in his life of Ward, hifliop of Sa- 

 lisbury, fpeaking of Mr. Rooke, fays he was profoundly 

 (killed in all forts of learning : " I duril," fays he, " ven- 

 ture my life upon the truth of any proportion which he 

 alerted, either in mathematics, natural philofophy, or hif- 

 tory, for I never knew him affirm any thing pofitively, that 

 was dubious. And when I have allied his opinion of an 

 hypothefis, his ufual anfwer was, I have no opinion. He was 

 very modeft, and fparing of his words, unlefs among inti- 

 mate friends, and never talked idly. I may truly fay I 

 never was acquainted with any perfon who knew more and 

 fpoke lefs." Mr. Hooke places him among thofe who were 

 moll eminent for their knowledge and improvement of aftro- 

 nomy. Dr. Sprat, in his Hiffory of the Royal Society, 

 fpeaks of him as " a man of a profound judgment, a vaft 

 comprehenfion, prodigious memory, and iolid experience. 

 His fkill in mathematics was reverenced by all the lovers of 

 thofe ftudies, and his perfeftion in many forts ef learning 

 deferves no lefs admiration." 



The only pieces which were publifhed from his papers 

 confift of " Obfervationes in Cometam, qui meilfe Decem- 

 bri Anno 1652 apparuit ;" " Directions for Seamen going 

 to the Eaft and Weft Indies," which were drawn up at the 

 appointment of the Royal Society, and inferted in their 

 Tranfa&ions for 1665 ; " A Method for obferving the 

 Eclipfes of the Moon ;" " A Difcourfe concerning the 

 Obfervations of the Eclipfes of the Satellites of Jupiter;" 

 and " An Account of an Experiment made with Oil in a 

 long Tube." Ward's Life of the Greiham Profeffors. 



Rooke, Sir George, a celebrated naval commander, the 

 fon of fir William Rooke, knight, of an ancient and ho- 

 nourable family in the county of Kent, was born in 1650. 

 Though deftined for another profeffion, a ftrong inclination 

 for the fea-fervice induced him to enter into the navy. His 

 firft ftation was that of a volunteer, in which he diftinguifhed 

 himfelf by his undaunted courage and indefatigable applica- 

 tion to bufinefs. He very foon obtained the poft of lieu- 

 tenant, from whence he rofe to that of captain before he 

 was thirty years of age, which was confidered as a very ex- 

 traordinary circumftance, at a time when no man, be his 

 quality what it would, was advanced to that ftation before he 

 had given ample teftimonies of his being able to fill it with 

 honour. Thefe preferments he obtained during the reign of 

 Charles II. and under his fucceflor, James II., he was ap- 

 pointed to the command of theDeptford,a fourth rate man of 

 war. His obligations to the Stuart family did not prevent his 

 hearty concurrence in the revolution, and in 1689 he was ap- 

 pointed by admiral Herbert as commodore, with a fquadron 

 on the coaft of Ireland. In this ftation he concurred with 

 major-general Kirke in the famous relief of Londonderry. 

 Soon after he was employed in efcorting the duke of Schom- 

 berg's army, and landing them fafe near Carrickfergus, fa- 

 cilitated the fiege of that place, and, after it was taken, 

 failed with his fquadron along the coaft ; where he firft 

 looked into the harbour of Dublin, manned all his boats, and 

 infulted the place where king James was in perfon ; and in 

 the night of the iSth of September, he formed the defign 

 of burning all the veffels in the harbour, which he would 

 certainly have executed, if the wind had not fhifted and 

 driven him out to fea. In 1690 he was, upon the recom- 

 mendation of the earl of Torrington, appointed rear-admiral 

 of the red, and in that rank he ferved in the fight off 

 Beachy-Head, in which unfortunate affair it was admitted, 



R O O 



on all hands, that he had done his duty. He was employed 

 twice or thrice to convoy king William to Holland, and in 

 1692 he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral of the 

 blue, when he ferved in the famous battle of La Hogue. 

 This was on the 2 2d of May, and he behaved with fuch 

 diftinguifhed courage as to obtain the moil marked applaufe 

 of admiral Ruffel, it being owing to his vigorous behaviour 

 that the laft ftroke was given to that important day, which 

 threw the French entirely intoconfulion, and forced them to 

 run fuch hazards, in order to fhelter themfelves from their 

 victorious enemies. The next day was, however, ftill more 

 glorious, for vice-admiral Rooke had orders to go into La 

 Hogue and burn the enemy's (hips as they lay. There were 

 thirteen large men of war, which had crowded up as far as 

 poifible, and the tranfports, tenders, and ffiips with ammu- 

 nition, were difpofed in fuch a manner that it was thought 

 impoflible to burn them. Moreover, the French camp was 

 in fight, with all the troops intended to have been employed 

 in an invafion of this country, and feveral batteries upon the 

 coaft well fupplied with heavy artillery. Notwithftanding 

 all thefe preparations, admiral Rooke performed the bufinefs 

 entrufted to him with fo much fkill and judgment, that he 

 deftroyed twelve fhips of the line, and one fifty-fix gun fri- 

 gate. This defperate enterprife he effected with the lofs of 

 ten men only. The behaviour of the vice-admiral at La 

 Hogue appeared to the king fo great, and fo worthy of 

 public notice, that, having no opportunity at that time of 

 providing for him, he fettled upon him a penlion of 1 000/. 

 per annum for his life. In 1693 the honour of knighthood 

 was conferred upon him, and he was, at the fame time, made 

 vice-admiral of the red. 



The grand fleet of the Englifh and Dutch proceeding to 

 fea in the month of May, fir George Rooke was detached 

 from it with a fquadron of twenty-three (hips of both na- 

 tions, to convoy a large fleet of merchantmen up the Medi- 

 terranean. The French, in the mean time, had been indefa- 

 tigable in repairing their lufles, and with a very powerful 

 fleet, of which the Englifh miniftry had obtained no proper 

 intelligence, were lying in Lagos-bay, off Portugal, to inter- 

 cept the combined fleet. On defcrymg the enemy, admiral 

 Rooke ordered the fmaller (hips to make their efcape into 

 the neareft Spanifh ports, and flood off under an eafy fail for 

 the proteftion of the reft. Two Dutch men of war, and a 

 great number of merchant- (hip:, were captured : the conduft. 

 of the Englifh admiral was, however, not only exempt from 

 all blame, but he received the thanks of the merchants, and 

 his promotion was not in the lealt impeded by this misfor- 

 tune, which was owing to the mifmanagement of the mi- 

 nifters. In 1696, having the chief command of the Channel 

 fleet, he was ordered to prevent the Toulon fleet from get- 

 ting into Breit, which, from the defective manning of his 

 fhips, he was unable to accomplifh. On this account he 

 underwent a long examination before the houie of commons, 

 but nothing appeared upon which a charge againll him could 

 be founded. He continued in command till the peace of 

 Ryfwick, in 1697. He was chofen member of parliament 

 for Portfmouth, and in this capacity he performed the duties 

 of his ftation with aftivity and energy ; however, as he 

 moflly voted with the Tories, great pains were taken by the 

 oppofite party to ruin him in the king's opinion ; but, to the 

 honour of king William, when prefled to remove fir George 

 Rooke from his feat at the admiralty, he anlwered relolutely, 

 " I will not." " Sir George (continued his majelty) ferved 

 me faithfully at fea, and 1 never will difplace him for afting 

 as he thinks moft for the fervice of his country in the houfe 

 of commons :" an anfwer truly worthy of a Britifh prince, as 

 it tends to preferve the freedom of the conllitution, and the 



liberty 



