ened Parliament and demanded money. He got it. Clarendon describes how
Sir Robert Paston from Norfolk, a back-bench man, "who was no frequent
speaker, but delivered what he had a mind to say very clearly," stood up
and proposed a grant of two and a half million pounds, to be spread over
three years. So huge a sum took the House by surprise. Nobody spoke;
"they sat in amazement." Somebody at last found his voice and moved a
much smaller sum, but no one seconded him. Sir Robert Paston ultimately
found supporters, "no man who had any relation to the Court speaking a
word." The Speaker put Sir Robert Paston's motion as the question, "and
the affirmative made a good sound, and very few gave their negative
aloud." But Clarendon adds, "it was notorious very many sat silent."

The war was not in its early stages unpopular, being for the control of
the sea, for the right of search, for the fishing trade, for mastery of
the "gorgeous East." The Admiralty had been busy, and a hundred
frigates, well gunned, were ready for the blue water by February 1665.
The Duke of York, who took the command, was a keen sailor, though his
unhappy notions as to patronage, and its exercise, were fatal to an
efficient service. On the 3rd of June the duke had his one victory; it
was off the roadstead of Harwich, and the roar of his artillery was
heard in Westminster. It was a fierce fight; the king's great friend,
Charles Berkeley, just made a peer and about to be made a duke, Lord
Muskerry and young Richard Boyle, all on the duke's ship the _Royal
Charles_, were killed by one shot, their blood and brains flying in the
duke's face. The Earls of Marlborough and Portland were killed. The
gallant Lawson, who rose from the ranks in Cromwell's time, an
Anabaptist and a Republican, but still in high command, received on
board his ship, the _Royal Oak_, a fatal wound. On the other side the
Dutch admiral, Opdam, was blown into the air with his ship and crew. The
Dutch fleet was scattered, and fled, after a loss estimated at
twenty-four ships and eight thousand men killed and wounded; England
lost no ship and but six hundred men.

The victory was not followed up. Some say the duke lost nerve. Tromp was
allowed to lead a great part of the fleet away in safety, and when the
great De Ruyter was recalled from the West Indies he was soon able to
assume the command of a formidable number of fighting craft.

In less than ten days after this great engagement the plag