o was to lead the
fleet] made an easy sail, and when they came within a convenient
distance lay by; and the Dutch fleet having put themselves in order we
did the like. Sir Christopher Myngs, vice-admiral of the prince's
fleet, with his division led the van. Next his highness with his own
division followed, and then Sir Edward Spragge, his rear-admiral; and
so stayed for the rest of the fleet, which came up in very good
order. By such time as our whole fleet was come up we held close upon
a wind, our starboard tacks aboard, the wind SW and the enemy bearing
up to fall into the middle of our line with part of their fleet. At
which, as soon as Sir Christopher Myngs had their wake, he tacked and
stood in, and then the whole line tacked in the wake of him and stood
in. But Sir C. Myngs in fighting being put to the leeward, the prince
thought fit to keep the wind, and so led the whole line through the
middle of the enemy, the general [Monck] with the rest of the fleet
following in good order.'

The account then relates how brilliantly Rupert fought his way
through, and proceeds, 'After this pass, the prince being come to the
other side and standing out, so that he could weather the end of their
fleet, part of the enemy bearing up and the rest tacking, he tacked
also, and his grace [Monck] tacking at the same time bore up to the
ships to the leeward, the prince following him; and so we stood along
backward and forward, the enemy being some to windward and some to
leeward of us; which course we four times repeated, the enemy always
keeping the greatest part of their fleet to windward, but still at so
much distance as to be able to reach our sails and rigging with their
shot and to keep themselves out of reach of our guns, the only
advantage they thought fit to take upon us at this time. But the
fourth time we plying them very sharply with our leeward guns in
passing, their windward ships bore up to relieve their leeward party;
upon which his highness tacked a fifth time and with eight or ten
frigates got to the windward of the enemy's whole fleet, and thinking
to bear in upon them, his mainstay and main topmast being terribly
shaken, came all by the board.' Monck not being able to tack for
wounded masts 'made up to the prince,' and then the Dutch, after a
threat to get between the two admirals, suddenly bore away before the
wind for Flushing.[1]

The manoeuvre by which Myngs attempted from to windward to divide the
enemy's f