She had cost a total of £16,226.0.1d (including the work to fit her for ordinary, with a further £6,627 spent in 1790 to prepare her for sea.

[2] Inconstant returned to England in July that year, sailing again in November bound for Toulon to join Samuel Hood's fleet.

She was briefly commanded by Captain George Cockburn in 1794, who was succeeded by Thomas Fremantle in January 1795.

Under Fremantle, and as part of the fleet under Admiral William Hotham, she fought against the 80-gun ship of the line Ça Ira on 10 March 1795.

As he did so, HMS Agamemnon, commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson, surged past to continue the fight.

On 25 March Inconstant recaptured HMS Speedy from the French, and went on to form part of Nelson's squadron in August.

On 5 February, 1797 she and HMS Blanche captured American merchantman "Fortune" 4 leagues off Marseilles bound for to Genoa.

Because Inconstant served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorised in 1850 for all surviving claimants.