Editing Four Days' Battle (section)

===Later actions===
[[File:Krijgsraad van de Nederlandse vloot voor de Vierdaagse Zeeslag in 1666, RP-T-1961-95.jpg|thumb|Court martial of the Dutch fleet for the Four Days Marches Battle in 1666. [[Willem van de Velde the Younger|Willem van de Velde II.]]]]
The Dutch leader, [[Johan de Witt]], overestimating the scale of the Dutch victory, ordered de Ruyter to attack and destroy the English fleet while it was anchored in the Thames estuary, while 2,700 Dutch infantry would be transported to the Kent or Essex shores of the Thames to defeat any local militia. This two-pronged attack would, de Witt hoped, end the war in favour of the Dutch Republic. De Ruyter sailed on 25 June and reached the mouth of the Thames on 2 July. Two Dutch squadrons attempted to find a safe passage into the Thames but found the buoys and other navigational aids either removed or placed over sandbanks and a strong English squadron ready to dispute their passage. De Ruyter then decided to blockade the Thames in the hope that what he thought would be the weakened remains of the English fleet would be forced to face him and be destroyed.<ref>Fox, p. 287</ref>

Although the restored English fleet had reached numbers equal to de Ruyter's fleet by the first week of July, 1666, Rupert and Albemarle waited until the ships being fitted out and manned joined, and sailed out of the Thames on 22 July.<ref>Fox, p. 288</ref> The Dutch fleet moved away from the shallow estuary, and the two fleets met on 25 July at the [[North Foreland]] in the [[St. James's Day Battle]]. This was an English victory, although not as comprehensive as its commanders wished, because the bulk of the Dutch fleet was not destroyed, although it suffered heavy casualties.<ref>Fox, pp. 295-6</ref> The Dutch were, however, demoralised and its commanders indulged in mutual recriminations. After this battle, while the Dutch fleet was being repaired an English squadron, during [[Holmes's Bonfire]] entered the [[Vlie]] estuary and burned 150 out of a fleet of 160 merchant ships, inflicting severe economic damage on the Netherlands.<ref>Fox, pp. 296-7</ref>

The French and the Dutch accused each other of failing to ensure that their respective fleets met as planned. Louis XIV blamed the Dutch for not having its fleet ready in March, which had caused him to delay Beaufort, and the Dutch believed that Louis never intended to risk his fleet in battle.<ref>Fox, pp. 173, 176</ref> However, on 1 September de Ruyter had anchored his fleet near [[Boulogne]] and could have joined Beaufort at [[Belle-Île]], but he withdrew to Dunkirk on 8 September. Meanwhile, Beaufort had left Belle-Île and entered the [[English Channel]] reaching Dieppe on 13 September before turning back on finding de Ruyter had withdrawn, losing a new and powerful ship which was captured by four English ones. This ended naval and military cooperation between the two countries.<ref>Fox, pp. 298-9</ref>