It is upon the chance that these sole survivors of the great catastrophe might have been secured, by action during the night, that the validity of Nelson’s regrets turns.  Concerning this, it is impossible to affirm positively one way or the other; therefore his regrets were well grounded.  It is not certainties, but chances, that determine the propriety of military action.  Had Villeneuve, conscious that he had done nothing as yet, and not fully aware how the fight had gone, hesitated about running away, and had several British ships dropped to leeward together, which was all they had to do, and what the dismasted French had done, it was quite within the bound of possibilities that the “Genereux” and the “Guillaume Tell” would have been crippled at their anchors.  “If” and “but,” it may be objected.  Quite so; it is on if and but, not on yea and nay, that military criticism justly dwells.  A flash of lightning and a crash of thunder may be seen and heard; it is the still small voice that leads the hero to success.  As regards Villeneuve, indecision was his distinguishing trait; and Bonaparte wrote that if any error could be imputed to him, it was that he had not got under way as soon as the “Orient” blew up, for by that time the battle was lost beyond redemption.

The extent of the victory was decided by this retreat, and Nelson, before devoting himself to the new duties entailed by his successes, paused an instant that he might first acknowledge his debt of gratitude to God and man.  A memorandum was issued at once to the captains of the Squadron: 

    Vanguard off the mouth of the Nile, 2d August, 1798.

Almighty God having blessed His Majesty’s arms with victory, the Admiral intends returning Public Thanksgiving for the same at two o’clock this day; and he recommends every ship doing the same as soon as convenient.

    HORATIO NELSON.

To those under his command he at the same time issued a general order, congratulating, by explicit mention of each class, the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, upon the event of the conflict.  “The Admiral desires they will accept his most sincere and cordial thanks for their very gallant behaviour in this glorious battle.”  It was this habit of associating to himself, in full recognition and grateful remembrance, those who followed and fought with him, that enthroned Nelson in the affections of his men; nor will it escape observation that the warmth, though so genuine, breathes through words whose quietness might be thought studied, were they not so transparently spontaneous.  There is in them no appeal to egotism, to the gratified passion for glory, although to that he was far from insensible; it is the simple speech of man to man, between those who have stood by one another in the hour of danger, and done their duty—­the acknowledgment after the event, which is the complement of the famous signal before Trafalgar.