tharine, with the reft of the men of war, came up the river, and anchored over against the royal palace, the castles on both fides the river continually firing. Between four and five in the afternoon, the king of Portugal, accompanied by the two princes, his eldeft fons, with feveral perfons of the firft quality, embarked on a very noble brigantine, rowed by forty men clad in crimfon velvet, laced with filver, attended by the rest of the nobility, in barges and feluccas, and went on board the Royal Catharine.

When his majefty came by the fhip's fide he ftruck his flag; and when he came into the fhip, Sir George Rook ftruck his flag, and let fly his ftreamer, and faluted him with twentyfive guns, which was taken by the whole fleet, and anfwered from on fhore. His catholic majefty received the king of Portugal at the ladder head, which, upon this occafion, was made very commodious, and waited on him to his cabbin, giving him the right hand whilft he was in the fhip. After a short stay there, the two kings went into the brigan

tine.

When they put off, both fhips hoisted their flags, which had remained ftruck while the king of Portugal was on board the admiral, and Sir George gave two falutes of twenty-five guns each, which were followed by the rest of the fleet.

The

The king of Spain had the right hand on board the brigantine, and both kings landed under a triumphal arch, which was erected at the head of a very magnificent bridge built for this purpose, and adorned with feveral. triumphal arches which, from the palace-gate, run a good way into the river. At their landing, the king of Portugal, giving the king of Spain the right, took him by the hand and led him out of the brigantine upon the stairs, and along the bridge to the palace; the nobility, and the rest of the retinue, marching in a great deal of order; and thus they proceeded to the royal chappel, where Te Deum was fung for his catholic majesty's fafe arrival. Thence the king conducted him to his bedchamber, and there took his leave of his ca. tholic majefty; but returned foon after, accompanied by the two princes; and their majefties fupped together in public.

But, not to digrefs too far, Sir George Rook, on the twenty eighth, fent rear-admiral Dilkes on fhore to compliment the king of Portugal, to whom he was introduced by Mr. Methuen, her majesty's envoy-extraordinary, and was very kindly received: and, on the first of March, Sir George, and the rest of the officers of the fleet, introduced by the English envoy, waited upon the king of Portugal, who received them with great expreffions of kindness,

I 4

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1

The next day, vice-admiral Lake, with a fquadron of men of war and tranfports, having on board the remainder of the English and Dutch auxiliaries went up the river of Lisbon; fo that all the fhips did fafely arrive there, not one fhip, either of this fquadron or the grand fleet having mifcarried.

His catholic majefty was fo well fatisfied with Sir George's excellent conduct and deportment, that he prefented him with a sword, the hilt of which was fet with diamonds, a buckle for a hat-band, and a hook to cock a hat, fet with diamonds.

up

On the eleventh of May, the admiral failed out of the river of Lifbon with the fleet under his command; and the prince of Heffe Darm, stadt, with a body of land-troops, on board. They made the best of their way into the Mediterranean, and, on the eighteenth, appeared before Barcelona.

They had very well concerted their meafures, nothing but the difcovery of a defign to give up the place to them a few hours before the landing of the troops, could have hindered them from being mafters of that important city; fo that the forces, to the number of two thousand five hundred men, returned on board again; to favour which, the admiral threw a few bombs into the place, having otherwise no defign to injure it.

The admiral, about the beginning of June, put into the bay of Althea; to whom, on the

feventh

feventh of June at night, the country inhabitants, giving an account that there was a report that fome horse, and four hundred foot, were ready to fall upon our people and boats at the watering-place, it was immediately ordered to land a compleat number of marine-foldiers to fupport them.

Accordingly, on the eighth, in the morning, count Nugent, an officer under the prince of Heffe, brought an account to the admiral, having defired leave of him the night before to go on fhore, as a volunteer, with the forefaid marines; and to whom Sir George had given direction, he knowing the language, to take order, with the advice of the country people, for the covering of our men at the watering-place.

His lordship had the opportunity, with the confent of the captain that commanded, to fend a ferjeant with ten men to fright the governor out of a strong tower standing near the fea-fide, whereon was mounted one large brafs gun, which there was no coming at without a ladder. The governor was the fon of him that commanded the caftle of the town; and the lord Nugent thinking, by this means, to render himself mafter of the forefaid castle by this fame ftratagem, brought his fon before the gates, and urging the father with fuch threatnings, as are ufual on fuch occafions, to furrender, his lordship's ftratagem accordingly fucceeded; or otherwife this caftle, being very itrong,

ftrong, it would have taken up a great deal more time than the tarrying of one night to take it, and that without guns; fo that his gates would not have been fo easily opened: therefore, at laft, the governor, hoping to fave his honour, promifed to furrender; but withal defired, that the troops fhould fire a volley of fmall fhot, and that he would fire his guns, and fo march out with his arms. and deliver up the caftle; which was agreed to and performed whereupon Sir George commanded that the caftle fhould be blown

up.

On the ninth, the fleet paffed Cape Palas, and fo coming through the Streights of Lagos Bay, Sir Cloudefly Shovel joined them on the fixteenth with the re-inforcement from England, confifting of thirty-three fhips of the line of battle.

On the seventeenth, the admiral called a council of war; and, by what could be underflood, Sir George's new orders being to act in every undertaking in conformity with the miniftry of the kings of Spain and Portugal, it was rofolved to pafs up the Streights again, and there expect what refolutions would be taken by the two kings; and to fend away immediately an exprefs by Lagos, to give them an account of the determination of the council of war; and how that, without a competent number of troops, to be put on board the fleet, no enterprize could be per

formed