The Dutch admiral made a skilful retreat, and saved all the merchant ships, except thirty.

He lost, however, eleven ships of war, had two thousand men slain, and near fifteen hundred taken prisoners.

The English, though many of their ships were extremely shattered, had but one sunk.

Their slain were not much inferior in number to those of the enemy.
All these successes of the English were chiefly owing to the superior size of their vessels; an advantage which all the skill and bravery of the Dutch admirals could not compensate.

By means of ship money, an imposition which had been so much complained of, and in some respects with reason, the late king had put the navy into a situation which it had never attained in any former reign; and he ventured to build ships of a size which was then unusual.