BLAKE, ROBERT, a celebrated English admiral, was born in the month of August 159S. His fa ther, Mr Humphry Blake, was a Spanish merchant, who had made a considerable fortune, and purchased a small estate in the neighbourhood of Bridgewater, where his family had long been settled. Robert was sent to a free school in that town, and afterwards re moved to Oxford, where be prosecuted his studies for seven years, being a member, first of St Alban's Hall, and then of Wadham College. He took a degree before leaving the university ; but was unsuc cessful in the pursuit of academical preferment. Du ring his residence there, displayed that temper which afterwards became more conspicuous in his i ' political conduct. Though a humourist, and, in that character, extren.ely agreeable to the jovial compa nions with whom he associated, his humour was strongly tinctured with sarcastic severity ; and, while he pleased his friends by his chearfulness, he grati fied his own censorious propensity, by attacking the pride of courtiers, and the arrogance of churchmen.
In the parliament which sat in April 1610, lie took his place as a burgess for Bridgewater. This honour lie owed to the Puritans, who promoted his views on account of his integrity, his dislike to per secution, and his strong leaning to the cause of liber ty. But he had no opportunity then of spewing what talents he possessed as a senator ; and in the long parliament which succeeded he lost his election.
When the civil war broke out, he declared for the parliament, and soon took arms in its support. As an officer, he displayed great military talents. He was employed on every occasion which particu larly called for dexterity or courage ; and recom mended himself so much by his able and zealous ser vices, that, in 1644, he was appointed governor of Taunton, in Somersetshire, a place which he had ta ken by surprise, and which was of the utmost conse quence to the parliament, being the only garrison they possessed on that side of the island. Here he was besieged by General Goring, at the head of 10,000 men ; but he, and his gallant handful of troops, made such an obstinate and successful resist ance, that the parliament bestowed upon them a hand some pecuniary reward. While he held this honour able appointment, he skewed his devotedness to the cause which he had espoused, by joining in an ad dress of thanks to the House of Commons, for re
.solving that no more addresses should be presented to the king. The last military achievement which he performed, was reducing Dunster castle, a seat be longing to the ancient family of Lutterel, from which the king's troops frequently sallied forth, to the great annoyance of the surrounding country.
Hitherto Blake had not signalised himself more than many others who were engaged in the same en terprise ; but the time was now arrived, when he was to enter on a new scene of exertion, to stand alone and unrivalled in a most important branch of the public service, and to add fresh lustre to his own reputation and to that of his country. On the 12th of Februa ,.ry 1649, he was appointed one of the commissioners of the navy ; and a few days after, an act was passed, nominating him, in conjunction with Deane and Pop ham, who were likewise land officers, to the command of the fleet. With our ordinary ideas of naval duty, it seems a strange transition, to pass, without any professional preparation, from the colonelcy of a re giment, or the government of a town, to the difficult and important situation of an admiral, who must not only be acquainted with the mere act of fighting, but also with the practice of common navigation, and the principles of maritime tactics. Strange, however, as the transition appears, and unlikely to contribute to the advantage of the state, it succeeded so well in this case, that those who made it soon became more emi nent than almost any who had preceded them, and ac quired for themselves a name which will ever adorn the naval annals of the country. With regard to Blake, in particular, he seems to have been a man distin guished by that original force of mind, that natural quickness of 'apprehension and dexterity of powers, which enables the individual, by whom it is possess ed, to acquire any species of knowledge with facili ty, and to apply it to practical purposes with wis dom and effect. There was, besides, in Blake, a pe culiar energy of character, which, commanding re spect as soon as it was observed, would soon recon cile those who were under him to his authority, in. duce them to overlook his want of technical science, and make them not only anxious to aid his endeavour in acquiring what he thus needed, but also willing to confide in his decisions, and ready to carry them into execution.