tuguese; and Blake, taking out their officers and strengthening their crews, converted them into men-of-war. Five days later his fleet was reinforced by Popham with several large ships, and definite instructions to seize or do stroy any ships or goods belonging the king of Portugal or his subjects. The king, on the other hand, was enraged at the injury which had been done him, and still more when the homeward-bound Brazil fleet ran ignorantly in amongst the blockading squadron, and was captured; he went on boar Prince Rupert's ship, and besought him to go out at once, his own squadron and all the Portuguese fleet, and drive away the English. Rupert was nothing! loth to attempt this; but a foul wind in the first place, and afterwards a want of cooperation on the part of the Portuguese, prevented his gaining any distinct success, though Blake had with him but a very small force, his ships being apparently distributed at Cadiz and along the coast (Warburton, iii. 313; Thurloe, i. 157). All the same, the blockade was raised; and the Portuguese, determined to make make with the parliamentary government, desired the princes to leave the Talgus. The latter accordingly set sail from Lisbon on 29 Sept. 1650, an ran through the straits into the Mediterranean, plundering as they went. They had already made several captures when, in the early days of November, Blake came up with the greater part of their squadron, which had been separated from the ships in which the princes sailed in a storm off Cape Gata. Blake chased the detached ships into Cartagena, and, without standing on any close observance of the rights of a neutral port, followed them in, drove them ashore, and set fire to them (Warburton, iii. 317; Heath, 275). The princes, with three ships only, got to Toulon, and thither Blake followed them; he at once sent in a protest against their being allowed the succour of a French port, and when this produced no eilect he ordered reprisals against French ships. These measures of retaliation cooled the warmth of the French welcome, and the princes thought it best to quit the port, and to make what haste they could out of the Mediterranean. They did, in fact, sail to the West Indies, where, some eighteen months later, Maurice was lost in a hurricane (Warburton, iii. 324, 382). And meantime Blake, having instructions that Penn was on his way to relieve him [see Penn, Sir William], returned to England, where he arrived towards the middle of February 1650–1. On his passage down the Mediterranean he met, it is said, a French ship of war, mounting forty guns, ‘whose captain he commanded on board, and asked him if he was willing to lay down his sword. The captain answered No! Then Blake bade him return to his ship and fight it out as long as he was able, which he did; and after two hours' fight he came in and submitted, and kissing his sword delivered it to Blake, who sent him and his ship with the rest into England ’ (Whitelock's Memorials, 16 Jan. 1650–1). The story is so evidently absurd in every particular that it would not be worth repeating were it not that it is strictly contemporary, and, though resting on no authority yond more gossip, is, so far, evidence of the peculiarly chivalrous character which popular opinion attributed to Blake. The official approval is better attested: the thanks of parliament were given him ‘for his great and faithful service,’ and a sum of 1,000l. as a mark of the parliament’s favour (Calendar, 13 Feb. 1651). He was shortly afterwards (15 March) a pointed to command the squadron designed’ or the Irish seas and the Isle of Man, and on news of a powerful Dutch fleet, commanded by Tromp, being in the neighbourhood of the Scilly islands, he was ordered (1 April) to proceed thither, with all his force, to demand of Tromp for what purpose he had come, and with what intentions; and if the explanation should not be satisfactory, then to require him to desist, and, if necessary, ‘to use the best ways and means to enforce him, and in all things to preserve the honour and interest of this nation.' The threatened collision with the Dutch passed over for the time, but the alarm was su client to point out to the parliament the necessity of subjugating the Scilly islands, which were held as strongholds of the royalist privateers. Blake was accordingly ordered to reduce them no easy task, for the navigation was difficult, the fortifications strong, and the garrison numerous. Negotiations proved unavailing; but Blake, by seizing on Tresco, succeeded in establishing a strict blockade of St. Mary’s, and having brought some of his smaller ships in front of the castle he effected a practicable breach, and compelled the governor to surrender on easy terms (Calendar, 23 May, 6 June). There were indeed murmurings at the leniency shown to these very stiff-necked malignants; but the council of state was quite well aware of the importance of the capture, and approved of the whole business (28 June).
Blake continued in the west, taking measures for the security of the Scilly islands and refitting his ships. In August he received a commission ‘to command in chief, in the absence of Major-general Disbrowe, all forces in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, somerset, and Dorset’ (19 Aug.), a commission which was cancelled only three days later; for Popham had just died, Deane was with the army,
