extraordinary to the court of France, with compliments of condoleance to that king upon the death of Louis Francis, of France, duke of Anjou. He was highly careffed in that court, and treated, in fome refpects, as a prince of the blood. The king preffed him to take a command in his army, and bid him afk what appointments he pleased; adding, " & j'en feray au dela. I will do even more. I know," faid he, "you are born to a great eftate; yet, while your father lives, you are in the condition of a cadet." His lordship excufing himself, the king fent Monfieur de Louvois the next day to his lodgings; who told him the king was pleafed to bestow a command upon him; and defired him to ask what command he would have; and, that, in afking, he might be as bold as a lion. His lordship returned him a compliment in answer: upon which he faid, "Come, my lord, I fee you are modeft, let me fpeak for you; will twenty thousand piftoles for an equipage, and ten thousand piftoles a year do? If not, fay what you will have, and chufe what command you please." The earl ftill declined the offer, faying he was already engaged in the feafervice of his own prince in the war against the Dutch. At his parting from the court of France he was prefented with a jewel of two housand pounds value.

In May, 1673, the king gave him the command of the St. Michael, a first-rate

fhip, and made him rear-admiral of the blue fquadron, for that great fea-fight against the Dutch which happened fhortly after. Sir Edward Spragge commanded in chief that fquadron in the engagement, being on board the Prince; but that ship being difabled in the fight, with Van Trump, and Spragge himself flain, as he was going in his boat on board another fhip, his lordship lay to defend the Prince from being fired, or taken, by the enemy; and, towards night, brought her off in tow, and joined prince Rupert's fquadron.

He was then made rear-admiral of the red fquadron, and, towards the close of that fummer's expedition, in September, he was fent to the Buoy in the Nore to command the fleet there lying, in chief; and to wear the flag of union on his main-top-maft-head. This was attended with a penfion of two hundred and fifty pounds fettled upon him, as having had that command and privilege, it being a ufual eftablishment, given of course, or by the king's courtefy, to all who have had the honour of the flag.

It was at the latter end of the fame year, that he formed a defign upon HelvoetЛluys, where, when he was laft in Holland, he had feen, with indignation, the Royal Charles, taken by the Dutch at Chatham, lain up, with all the Maes fquadron, as in a fecure harbour.

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Being

Being defirous, from that time, of an opportunity to revenge the difgrace that this nation fuffered at Chatham, by returning another of the like nature upon Holland, he received advice from a correfpondent in that country, that this place, where twenty two of the largest Dutch men of war were lain up, close by one another, and, which, for its great importance, ufed to be well guarded, was then left with only a fmall garrison of two companies of foot; and, that the batteries, at the entrance of the port, were in no good condition.

His lordship thereupon fent Monfieur St. Paul, his gentleman of the horse, who, tho' a Frenchman, fpoke very good Dutch, and, having married a Dutch woman of the Hague, had acquaintance in that town, and the country about it, to take an exact account of the place, and to bring him a plan.

St. Paul executed his commiffion with much industry, exactness, and great hazard of life; and, when he brought the account of it to White-hall, his majefty was fo pleased with it, that he promised him a confiderable reward for his pains, though he never had it. The execution of the defign appearing very feafible, the earl obtained the king's orders and inftructions to go, with ten frigates and two thousand land-men, to make a descent at Helvoetfluys, and to deftroy the Royal Charles and fuch other fhips as he found there.

Every thing was ready; but, on the fame night he was to take his leave, he received the king's countermand, which gave him great vexation. Sir John Narborough, who was to command next his lordship, in this expedition, knew the coafts of Holland, and the port of Helvoetfluys, perfectly well, and was to discharge the part of chief-pilot in the action.

When the king made difficulties in the matter, Sir John told him, He would undertake, at the peril of his head, to carry in the fhips at half flood; and the earl undertook to tell his majefty, That he would fire the Dutch fhips with a halfpenny candle, or he should place his head upon Weftminster- hall, by Cromwell's, for the greatest traitor that ever breathed.

It was, in truth, the eafinefs of executing fo great an enterprize, that caused it to be thwarted by a very great man, who was jealous of the glory that would thence redound to the earl of Offory. Mr. Ellis was afterwards upon the place with his lordship, who found the plan St. Paul had brought him very exact, and the thing as easy to have been executed as he had before imagined.

In November, 1674, the earl was fent into Holland about the match between the prince of Orange and the lady Mary, daughter to the duke of York. On the eighteenth of November, 1676, he was made lord cham

berlain

berlain to the queen, Don Francifco de Melo, the Portuguese ambaffador, who was also her chamberlain, being difplaced on a complaint of the bishop of London for licensing popish books.

The prince of Orange fending over M. Bentick to England, recommended him by letter to the earl of Offory, and to his father, to affift him in propofing the match with the lady Mary; but thefe noblemen advised him to apply to the earl of Danby, then lord<treafurer, left he should oppofe it if moved by any other. The affair fucceeded, and the prince had leave to come over at the end of the campaign.

In February following, the earl of Offory ...went into Holland, to enter upon the command of general of the king of Great-Britain's fubjects in the pay of the states. It was in the campaign of that year, and at the conclufion of the war, that the memorable battle of Mons was fought, in which the famous marshal of Luxemburgh was forced to retreat, and the earl of Offory gained fo much glory. The ftates of Holland, the duke of VillaHarman, governor of the Low-Countries, and the king of Spain himself, in a letter under his own hand, acknowledged the great fervices he had performed in the campaign.

In April, 1678, he was restored to the privy-council, of which the earl of Shaftfbury was made prefident, and was foon after defigned