ACcording to the mutuall correspon­dence long time held betweene us, understanding by your last expresse of the 20. of October, the old stile of the affairs of England, I found my selfe ingag'd to make you a retri­bution by acquainting you with the last passages here; I believe it is not unknowne to you that there has beene open hostility between the King of Denmarke and the State, which yet continuing in full heat and violence; all the discourse for some weeks past here, has beene of a strange and new ap­pointed Navie, which the said King has beene all this last Summer a rigging in all the considerable ports of the bal­ticke, for what end we certainly could not understand; the best intelligence from thence, giving information, that it was bound for England, procur'd hither by the solicitation of the malignant party there to assist his Majesty against the Parliament, others affirming, and probably, enough, that it was to infest the Netherlandish Coasts and to make some attempts upon Hilford sluce, the Brill, or some other part of Zeland, being assisted by another fleet of our old and implacable enemies, the Dunkirks, whither­soever it was bound, or for what purpose rais'd, I can not determine, but certaine it is, that about Saint Lukes tide last, according to the English account, there arrived out of the same into Copenhagen, neere an hundred able ships, part [Page 4] Lubeckers, part stoud Merchants, and the rest Danes, which taking in there some twelve or fourteene thousand land­souldiers, besides abundance of amunition, even to supeflui­ty; under the comand of the Duke of Holstein; and then joyn'd with the grave Van Erfurt a Germane, the Admirall of Denmark and his fleet of twenty ships; they put to sea that weeke, keeping along the coast, the State here having daily avisoes from sea of their proceedings, and by their consant and continuall wrestling with military dangers, inur'd to a care of their safeties, they sent an expresse to that famous Van Trump their Admirall (being with his fleet of threescore saile of good and valiant ships not farre from the coast Zeland) to intimate the approaching of the Da­nish Armado, charging him to wait diligently on those un­welcome guests, and so to watch their movings; that if he saw occasion, hee might bid them to a bloody entertain­ment; for whatsoever were their pretentons, or whither­soever they were bound. It was cause and quarrell enough to give him battell, being profest enemies to that State. Van Trump having received that charge quickly hoys'd his sailes, and with a cheerfull and pleasant gale of wind, did run along the coasts of Zeland, Holland and F [...]zl [...]nd, being as farre as the States clame any jurisdiction in those seas, without having any notice of this talk'd-of navie, till the eve before the battell, which was on Munday the last of October Old style he had notice by a light Catch, that scou­ted out to sea ward, that there was a mighty and stupen­dious fleet to the number of at least sixscore bottomes, bea­ring to sea-ward from the coast of Humburg, and that in all probability, if he would make out to sea, he might encoun­ter them ere morning; Ven Trump exceedingly joyfull at this tiding unamaz'd at the number of their fleet, made to­ward them, by the directions of that Catch, but the wind at evening being something scant, and not sufficient to trim the sailes of his greater ships, his Admirall and some other of his fleet, being vessells of twelve hundred and a [Page 5] thousand tun was forc'd to laver about, till in the night the wind comming about, and blowing a stiffe gale in his sterne, he spoond before the waves, and by that it was cleare day light, ours had a view of the Danish Arma­do, who fail'd on, as if they had notice, intended to fall over for the North coast of England, then to trouble the Coast of Holland. But on the descriall of our fleet, with­out delay they prepar'd for fight, their admirall Erfurt di­viding his navy into three squadrons, two wings him­selfe in the midle with his musters Royall ships, making as it were the body of his battell. Van Trumpe came on almost in the selfe same forme, onely his wings keepe closer to the maine of his Armado, and so with fearfull shouts on both sides, the Danes as is their custome, drinking large carrowces to make them more couragious, they sent loud messages of death to each other, by those fatall imbas­sadors, their great Ordnance, the Constables of our ships being far more experienc't markesmen than the Danish gunners, none of those fire-bals were sent in raigne, but went either through and through the sides of their vessels, or light upon their masts, splitting them, and shearing a­sunder their tacklings, our light and nimble ships turning dexterously about, saluteng them with two broad sides and sinking some six of the right wing, the rest shockt up to their Admirall. Who was not unmindfull nei­ther of his honour, nor to invade our navy, upon which he sent out not in vaine, his great Artillery, which seemed to change the sea into a flame, at last finding our Ordnance from our vice admirall Hans Hiem the son of that Peere Hiem that tooke in 29 the Spanish plate-fleete in the Iames. to gall him shrowdly twixt his decks, trusting to the multitude of his men, they being now within halfe musket shot he ran his sword with much violence upon his sterne, and grapling after a turne or two, his ship to that of Hans Hiem, he laid him abord with some kindred of his resolutest Souldiers. When suddainly the murderers from the great Cabbine going off, and fire being given to the [Page 6] traine under the false Decks, up flew those Danes into the ayre dismembred, and others by the Admirall being clapt on in their roomes, were with the Murderers from the Cooke-roome straight cleared the Decks, and sent those Danes to drinke an everlasting health with their compa­nions. The Admirall perceiving that there was likelyhood of taking that strait ship, deserted her, and tooke about to the ayd of his right wing, which under the command of the Duke of Holstein was undertaken by Van Trump himselfe, who like a right Neptune, as if he only would be Lord of those waters, bestirs himselfe among the Danes, powring into their bosomes showres of lead like haile­stones, and throwing over pots of wilde fire and hard Granado's into their quarters and tacklings. You might have in an instant seen as it were a fiery contention for pri­ority between those two opposite Elements, fire and wa­ter, the burning ships, as it were striving to set fire upon the roomes: Which in scorne to be vanquished in their proper dwellings, as the vessels should have suffered a double death, insinuated into their holds, and sinking them extin­guished the audacious flames; the same ships at one in­stant (strange yet true) being burned and drowned, Van Trumpe boarding the Duke of Holstein, was twice repul­sed, rather by multitude then valour; those Bacon-eating Danes wishing themselves at home againe carowsing strong waters; On the sudden, were sent to their long home, where they had plenty of liquor; destiny seeming to be courteous to them in affourding them plenty of that in their deaths which they had so doted on in their lives. Hans Hiem with the Rere-Admirall and his squadron, in the interim falling in upon Erfurts left wing, which con­sisted of Lubecke mariners, they instantly cryed out for quarter, yeelding themselves without striking one stroake, with their sluggish ships, to the number of six and thirty, a large thirst of the Fleet; with which cowardly treachery of theirs, Erfurt amazed and discouraged would have pro­vided for his safety by fight; but he was as well surroun­ded [Page 7] with enemies as waves, and therefore impossibilitated of his purpose, like a valiant souldier resolves to fight it out, and set his life at as deare rate as possible, rather, then betray the trust reposed in him by his King, by betraying the ships Royall into the hands of his enemies, cheerfully therefore and suddenly hee made upon Van Trump charging his Ordnance great and small; you might have seen there all the horrours incident to mortality, men lea­ping there from one to another, death, fire, water, and sword, and all the Elements and Engines of destruction contriving their ruine. At last, by the singular skill and di­rections of Van Trump, and the valour of Hiem and others, most of the Fleet that before threatened the Seas was sunk or taken. The Duke of Holstein seeing us goe to wracke, as Hiem informed, being in a good and strong ship, vali­antly cut his passage through our Fleet, and escaped old Erfurt, after he and his souldiers had shewed as much va­lour as ever was expressed, that Nation beholding his ship boarded, on all sides ready to be taken, and himselfe led into captivity, more desperately then Christianly getting downe into the Gun-roome, gave fire to those vessels of powder which were there; he blew himselfe, souldiers and enemies that were then aboard, with his ship into pieces; that old Commander like Aiax, disdaining that any should conquer him but himselfe; after which the rest of the ships crying out for quarter, were received into the possession of Van Trump, who now had a competent victory. Of all that great fleet not one escaped that I can heare of but the Duke of Holstein, there being thirty sixe sunke and torne a pieces in the fight, and some sixty taken and made prize of, we having not lost above three ships, and those not very considerable, and not above three hundred men, they foure thousand, there being of mariners and souldiers betweene sixe and seven thousand prisoners. This is the true Rela­tion of that great and fearefull battell, then which has not been fought a more considerable one to this State. The [Page 8] King of Denmarke by this meanes being deprived of all his maritime forces; and if they were intended for England, they were happily diverted thence: Where Sir I wish you a sudden and happy tranquility, and rest,

I could have written you other Occurrences, but the Post being ready to goe aboard, I had enough to doe to noti­cifie this to you, which is a certaine truth. Farwell.