The principal tomb in the Old Church of Delft is that of Admiral Tromp,
the Dutch Nelson. While quite a child he was at sea with his father
off the coast of Guinea when an English cruiser captured the vessel
and made him a cabin boy. Tromp, if he felt any resentment, certainly
lived to pay it back, for he was our victor in thirty-three naval
engagements, the last being the final struggle in the English-Dutch
war, when he defeated Monk off Texel in the summer of 1653, and was
killed by a bullet in his heart. The battle is depicted in bas-relief
on the tomb, but the eye searches the marble in vain for any reminder
of the broom which the admiral is said to have lashed to his masthead
as a sign to the English that it was his habit to sweep their seas. The
story may be a myth, but the Dutch sculptor who omitted to remember
it and believe in it is no friend of mine.
This is D. Goslings' translation of Tromp's epitaph:--
_For an Eternal Memorial_
You, who love the Dutch, virtue and true labour, read and mourn.
The ornament of the Dutch people, the formidable in battle, lies low,
he who never lay down in his life, and taught by his example that a
commander should die standing, he, the love of his fellow-citizens,
the terror of his enemies, the wonder of the ocean.
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