a mind to do you good but you must not expect a Monopoly of my Favours I have other Subjects to show my Bounty to and I will give and take back again when and as often as I please If you pretend to command here I 'll find ways to humble you I know of no Master but I will make you know there is a Mistress And take care upon your peril that no hurt be done Bower for I 'll make you answer for him The Misfortune of the Earl of Essex every body knows Though otherways a brave Gentleman and endow'd with excellent Qualities yet he valued himself too much upon the Queen's Favour which together with the Contrivances of his Enemies hurried him on to Courses that in the end lost him his Head A Monarch supported with a Burleigh a Walsingham a Salisbury for the Cabinet a Nottingham a Drake a Raleigh for War with a great many others equally fit for both could scarce fail of being great and fortunate nor can any thing reflect more Lustre upon her Wisdom than her choice of such men Walsingham was a Pattern for all Statesmen to copy after The Character of Sir Francis Walsingham By his Vigilance and Address he preserv'd his Mistress's Crown and Life from daily Attempts and Conspiracies against her and by a refin'd piece of Policy defeated for a whole Year together the Measures Spain had taken for fitting out their Armado to Invade England The vast Preparations that were making for a considerable time in Spain kept all Europe in suspense and it was not certain against whom they were design'd though it was the general Opinion they were to subdue the Netherlands all at once which Spain was sensibâ—e could not be done without a greater Force by Sea as well as Land than had been hitherto employ'd for that Service Queen Elizabeth thought fit to be upon her Guard and had some Jealousies that she might be aim'd at but how to find it out was the difficulty which at length Walsingham overcame He had Intelligence from Madrid That Philip had told his Council that he had dispatch'd an Express to Rome with a Letter writ with his own Hand to the Pope acquainting him with the true Design of his Preparations and asking his Blessing upon it which for some Reasons he would not yet disclose to them till the return of the Courier The Secret being thus lodg'd with the Pope Walsingham by the Means of a Venetian Priest retain'd at Rome as his Spy got a Copy of the Original Letter which was stolen out of the Pope's Cabinet by a Gentleman of the Bed-Chamber who took the Keys out of the Pope's Pocket while he slept How upon this Intelligence Walsingham found a way to retard the Spanish Invasion for a whole Year by getting the Spanish Bills protested at Genoa which should have supplied them with Money to carry on their Preparations being properly a Mercantile Affair is needless here to mention I shall only give one Instance more of Walsingham's dexterity in employing and instructing his Spies how to get him Intelligence of the most secret Affairs of Princes The Court of Queen Elizabeth had reason to have an Eye upon the King of Scots as being the next Heir to the Crown and who they knew was courted with all possible Insinuations into the French Interest In order to fathom King Iames's Intentions there was one Wigmore sent to Scotland who pretending to be disoblig'd in England fled thither for Protection Sir Francis Walsingham gives him above Ten Sheets of Paper of Instructions all writ with his own Hand which I have read in the Cotton Library so distinct and so digested as a Man of far inferior parts to Wigmore could hardly fail to be a Master in his Trade In these Papers he instructs him how to find out King James ' s Natural Temper his Morals his Religion his Opinion of Marriage his Inclinations to Queen Elizabeth to France to Spain to the Hollanders and in short to all his Neighbours He likewise directs him how to behave himself towards the King At Table when a Hunting upon his receiving good or bad News at his going to Bed and indeed in all the Publick and Private Scenes of his Life Walsingham was not mistaken in his Man for though there past a constant Correspondence betwixt them Wigmore liv'd in the greatest Favour and Familiarity with King Iames for Nine or Ten Years together without the least Suspicion of his being a Spy Walsingham also laid the Foundation of the Civil Wars in France and the Low Countries which put a final stop to the vast Designs of the House of Austria Upon which occasion he told the Queen at his Return from his Embassy to France That she had no reason to fear the Spaniard for though he had a strong Appetite and a good Digestion he had given him such a Bone to pick as would take him up Twenty Years at least and break his Teeth at last So her Majesty had no more to do but to throw into the Fire he had kindled some English Fuel from time to time to keep it burning This Great Man after all the Services he had perform'd for his Queen and Countrey gave a remarkable Proof at his Death how far he had preâ—err'd the Publick Interest to his own for he died so poor that his Friends were oblig'd to bury him privately in the Night for fear his Body should be arrested for Debt A Fault which few Statesmen since his time have been guilty of Such Ministers also for Capacity and Application were Cecil Lord Burleigh and his Son the Earl of Salisbury the Inheritor of his Father's great Qualities and Places How refin'd a Politician he was and how throughly acquainted with the most secret Designs of Foreign Courts cannot be better express'd than in the words of the same Nauntwell Appendix Numb 2. to which the Reader is referr'd But to return to Queen Elizabeth It appears by her whole Conduct she had no Inclination to Marriage being loth to share her Power with any other It 's true she seem'd sometimes to give Ear to Propositions that were made her by several Princes but this was done either to gain time or manage their Friendship to her own Ends. When the Parliament address'd her to Marry she handsomly excus'd her self in a Pathetick Speech concluding with this Expression To me said she it shall be a full satisfaction â—oth for the Memorial of my Name and for my Glory also if when I shall let my last Breath it be engraven upon my Marble Tomb Here lies Elizabeth who reign'd a Virgin and dy'd one The whole Speech is of so Noble a Strain Appendix Numb 3. that it deserves a place in the Appendix She was very sparing of Honours insomuch that Sir Francis Walsingham had been employ'd in several Embassies and other Matters of State for many Years before she could be prevail'd with to make him a Knight notwithstanding it appears that
thee That even now I have received certain Intelligence of a great Defeat given by Montross to Argyle who upon surprize totally routed those Rebels and kill'd Fifteen hundred upon the place And it 's remarkable That in the same Letter to the Queen immediately after the mentioning Montross's Victory the King adds That as for trusting the Rebels either by going to London or disbanding my Army before a Peace do no ways fear my hazarding so cheaply or foâ—lishly for I esteem the Interest thou hast in me at a far dearer rate and pretend to have a little more Wit at least by the Sympathy that 's betwixt us than to put my self into the Reverence of Persidious Rebels Which Words being compar'd with Montross's Letter it will be found the one is a Commentary upon the other I have plac'd Montross ' s Letter it self in the Appendix Appendix Numb 10. and cannot leave it without making this Observation That considering the time it was writ the Critical Minute it was deliver'd with the sad Consequences that attended it it makes this Axiom true That oftentimes the Fate of Princes and States is chiefly owing to very minute and unforeseen Accidents The Treaty of Vxbridge being thus broke off the War was renew'd with greater Fury than ever till at last the Parliament's Army having beaten the King out of the Field came to kick their Masters out of the House and having modell'd the Parliament and Army to their own minds did set up for themselves and at one Blow compleated the Ruin of their Countrey in the Murther of King Charles I. and the Extirpation of Monarchy In short a continued Series of Misfortunes attended the Royal Cause and several favourable Accidents that seem'd from time to time to promise better Events did concur in the end to the King 's undoing Till at last that Unhappy Prince in being brought before a Tribunal of his own Subjects and submitting his Neck to the Stroke of a Common Executioner taught the World an astonishing Example of the Instability of Human Greatness and in that and the rest of his Sufferings a lasting Patern of Christian Magnanimity and Patience The Character of King Charles I. The Character of King Charles I. may be taken in a great part from what has been already said and I shall only add a few things more He was a Prince of a Comely Presence of a Sweet Grave but Melancholy Aspect His Face was Regular Handsome and well-complexion'd his Body Strong Healthy and well-made and though of a low Stature was capable to endure the greatest Fatigues His Face contrary to that of his Son 's Charles II. was easily taken either in Painting or Sculpture and scarce any one though never so indifferently skill'd in their Art fail'd do hit it He had something in the Lines and Features which Physiognomists account unfortunate And it 's commonly reported that his Picture being sent to Rome to have a Busto done by it a famous Statuary not knowing whose it was told the Gentleman that brought it He was sorry if it was the Face of any Relation of his for it was one of the most Vnfortunate he ever saw and according to all the Rules of Art the Person whose it was must dye a violent Death In his Temper he was Brave Magnificent Liberal and Constant but more affable to Strangers than his own Subjects It was his Noble and Generous Behaviour that took so much with the King of Spain when he went thither to court the Infanta that he rejected the repeated Solicitations of his Council to seize him and paid him more Respect than could have been well expected if he had been King of England at that time Of his Composure of Mind in time of greatest danger he gave a Noble Instance in his Behaviour in that great Storm in the Road of St. Andrees which was worthy the Ancient Philosophers Nor did he fall short of the Bravest in Personal Courage having expos'd his Person in every Battel he was in and oftentimes charging at the Head of his Squadrons He had a good Taste of Learning and a more than ordinary Skill in the Liberal Arts especially Painting Sculpture Architecture and Medals and being a Generous Benefactor to the most Celebrated Masters in those Arts he acquir'd the Noblest Collection of any Prince in his time and more than all the Kings of England had done before him It 's said notwithstanding his Natural Generosity That he bestow'd Favours with a worse Grace than his Son King Charles the Second denied them and many times obliterated the sense of the Obligation by the manner of it But indeed he had seldom much to give being kept short of Money a great part of his Reign The Essentials of Divinity he was as much Master of as ever his Father had been but without the Allay of Pedantry Of this among other things the Papers that past betwixt him and Mr. Henderson at Newcastle will be a lasting Monument He was a great Patron of the Clergy but his employing them in the highest Offices of Trust in State Matters created Envy against them and lessen'd the Love of the Nobility towards him Yet such was the Honesty and Integrity of one of them in the greatest and most obnoxious Post in the Kingdom that when some Years after he had resign'd the Treasurer's Staff and when the Parliament wanted not Will to crush him they could not find upon the narrowest Scrutiny any one thing to object either against his Accounts or his Behaviour in that Place King Charles was a passionate Lover of his Queen who was a Beautiful Lady and in all things very well accomplish'd insomuch that his Friends regretted the Ascendant she had over him on some occasions while others tax'd him with the Character of an Uxorious Husband He was fond of his Children and kind to his Servants though these last felt sometimes the hasty Sallies of his Passion He was not mistaken of himself when he said before the High-Court of Justice That he understood as much Law as any private Gentleman in England And pity it was that any of his Ministers should have advis'd him to make Breaches in what he so well understood He spoke several Languages very well and with a singular good Grace though now and then when he was warm in Discourse he was inclinable to stammer He writ a tolerable Hand for a King but his Sense was strong and his Stile Laconick and yet he seldom wrote in any Language but English Some of his Manifestoes Declarations and other Publick Papers he drew himself and most of them he Corrected In comparing those of the King 's with the Parliament's one will be easily inclin'd to prefer for the most part the King 's for the Strength of Reasoning and the Force of Expression I have seen several Pieces of his own Hand and therefore may the better affirm That both for Matter and Form they surpass those of his Ablest Ministers and come
that refer to this Subject and confirm what has been above related Monmouth seem'd to be born for a better Fate Monmouths Character for the first part of his Life was all Sunshine though the rest was clouded He was Brave Generous Affable and extremely Handsome Constant in his Friendships just to his Word and an utter Enemy to all sort of Cruelty He was easy in his Nature but fond of Popular Applause which led him insensibly into all his Misfortunes But whatever might be the hidden Designs of some working Heads he embark'd with his own were Noble and chiefly aim'd at the good of his Countrey though he was mistaken in the means to attain it Ambitious he was but not to the degree of aspiring to the Crown till after his Landing in the West and even then he was rather Passive than Active in assuming the Title of King It was Importunity alone that previal'd with him to make that Step and he was inflexible till it was told him That the only way to provide against the Ruin of those that should come into his Assistance in case he fail'd in the Attempt was to declare himself King that they might be shelter'd by the Statute made in the Reign of Henry VII in favour of those that should obey a King de Facto Those that advis'd him had different Ends in it Some to render the Breach betwixt King Iames and him irreconcilable and thereby pave a way for a Commonwealth in playing them against one another Others to prevent a possibility of his being reconcil'd to King Iames by the merit of delivering up those that should join him which was a Thought unworthy of that nice Sincerity he had shown in all the former Conduct of his Life To confirm this I remember to have heard Rumbold say openly at his Execution in Scotland upon the account of Argyle's Invasion That Monmouth had broke his Word with them in declaring himself King And I have reason to know that he was so far from a Design upon the Crown before he left Holland that it was not without great difficulty he was persuaded to come over at all And that upon King Charles's Death he express'd a firm Resolution to make no such Attempt but to live a retir'd Life without giving King Iames any disturbance In his latter Years he us'd to complain of the little Care had been taken of his Education and in his Disgrace endeavour'd to make up that Want by applying himself to Study in which he made in a short time no inconsiderable Progress He took the occasion of his Afflictions to inform his Mind and recollect and amend the Errors of Youth which it was not strange he should be tainted with being bred up in all the Pleasures of a Luxurious Court What sedate Thoughts his Retirement brought him to and which is in a great part hitherto a Secret how little Inclination he had to make a Bustle in the World to give it in his own Words is best express'd in a Letter of his own to one that afterwards lost his Life in his Quarrel Which though without a Date appears to be writ after King Charles's Death and is plac'd in the Appendix Appendix Numb 15. which was deliver'd me by a Gentleman yet alive that was intrusted with the Key of that and other Letters that were writ at that time Mr. Spence Secretary to the late Ear of Argyle Which rather than discover he chose to submit himself to be thrice cruelly tortur'd all which he bore with a Courage worthy of the Ancient Romans The Duke of Monmouth when he was brought Prisoner to King Iames's Presence made the humblest Submissions for his Life and it 's a Mystery what could move King Iames to see him when he had no mind to pardon him But the Manner of his Death Three Days after did more than acquit him of any Meanness of Spirit in desiring to live since he died with the greatest Constancy and Tranquility of Mind and such as became a Christian a Philosopher and a Soldier The Storm being thus blown over that threatn'd his Crown King Iames thought it time to cast off the Mask and to act without disguise what till then he had in some part endeavour'd to dissemble This Parliament had express'd a more than ordinary Zeal in Attainting Monmouth and had readily granted him a competent supply to suppress that Rebellion Not only so but to testify the Confidence they had in his Promises mention'd in the former Speeches the House of Commons Pass'd a Vote nemine contradicente That they did acquiesce and intirely rely and rest wholly satisfied on His Majestyâ—s Gracious Word and repeated Declarations to support and defend the Religion of the Church of England as it is now by Law Establish'd which was dearer to them than their Lives So that they had reason to expect some suitable Returns to all this Kindness and Confidence on their sides But they were mistaken for King Iames began to talk to them in a quite other strain than he had done before And in another Speech from the Throne gave them to understand by a plain Insinuation That he was now Master and that for the future they must expect to be govern'd not by the known Laws of the Land but by his own sole Will and Pleasure No part of the English Constitution was in it self more sacred or better secur'd by Law then That by which Roman Catholicks were declar'd incapable of Places of Trust either Civil or Military in the Government And he himself when Duke of York was forc'd by the Test-Act to lay down his Office of Lord High-Admiral even at a time when he had not publickly own'd his Reconciliation to the Church of Rome But he did what lay in his power to break down this Barrier upon Monmouth ' s Defeat And in a Speech to his Parliament told them That after the Storm that seem'd to be coming when he parted with them last he was glad to meet them again in so great Peace and Quietness But when he reflected what an inconsiderable number of Men began the late Rebellion and how long they carry'd it on without any Opposition He hop'd ev'ry body was convinc'd that the Militia was not sufficient for such Occasions but that nothing but a good Force of Disciplin'd Troops was sufficient to defend Vs from Insults at Home and Abroad And therefore he had increas'd the number of Standing Forces to what they were K. Iames's Speech to the Parment after Monmouth's defeat Appendix Numb 16. And demanded a supply to support the Charge of them which he did not doubt they would comply with Then as the main End of his Speech and to let them know what he was positively resolv'd to do He adds Let no man take Exception that there are some Officers in the Army not qualified according to the late Test for their Employment The Gentlemen I must tell you are most of them well known to
For no sooner was this Office and Dignity abolish'd upon the Death of the last Prince of Orange through the Interest of a prevailing Faction but they fell into Intestine Divisions and Animosities at Home and sunk in their Reputation Abroad Insomuch that it was justly said That instead of being the Vnited they were become the Disunited Provinces There may be a Third Reason given for this Chain of Misfortunes that overwhelm'd the Hollanders the first Year of this War From a false though plausible Notion of saving Money they thought fit to reduce their Army to 25000 men and rejected the repeated Propositions of Spain to enter into a Treaty with them for a mutual Supply of Money Yearly to England and Sueden by which these Two Crowns might be enabled and encourag'd to maintain and continue the Triple League And which was yet worse the few Troops they had were in a bad Condition and sunk to a very low degree both in Discipline and Courage Their Fortifications were every where fallen into decay and their Magazines ill provided To compleat all their Misfortunes they wanted a Head to command them at least one of Weight and Authority enough to support so great a Trust. It were in vain to attempt to express the deplorable Condition of the Hollanders at that time It 's enough to say The approach of a Triumphant King flesh'd with Victories put them into so deep a Consternation that a great many of their Richest Families abandon'd their Countrey and retir'd to Hamburgh Antwerp and other places of Security while the States-General gave Orders for removing the Courts and Archives from the Hague for fear they should fall into the Enemies hands This horrid Fright which spread it self every where and grew every day greater was sufficient of it self to occasion the entire Ruin of their State though it had not been accompanied as it was with Seditions Divisions and Tumults in every Town and Province and no Enemy within their Bowels Those alone did naturally tend to the Dissolution of the Belgick Vnion without any other concurring Circumstances to hurry it on Matters standing thus with the Vnited Provinces they came to see when it was almost too late their former Errors and more particularly that of abolishing the Office of Stadtholder And now as the last Cast for their Liberty they applied to the Prince of Orange young though he was as the only Person capable to support their Tottering State and to put a stop to the Miseries that overwhelm'd their Countrey With the Universal Consent and Approbation of the People and the Publick Sanction of the States he was declar'd Stadtholder Captain and Admiral-General and restor'd to all the Dignities of his Family It 's hard to determine whether the Misfortunes of his Countrey or the Universal Love the People bore him contributed most to his Restoration However he was restor'd in spite of the Barnevelt Faction and had the pleasure to see De-Wit the greatest Opposer of his House among the other Deputies that waited upon him with the Resolutions of the States-General and deliver'd him his Commission The Difficulties this Young Prince had to struggle with in supporting his sinking Countrey would have pall'd any Courage but his own The History of the Maâ—â—schal Tureme by Monsieur de Busson render'd out of French by Ferrand Spence 1686. and may in the main be gather'd from what has been already said What these were upon his first heading the Army are in part so well express'd by a French Author who was a considerable Actor in that War on the French side and has writ the Account of it with an Impartiality not over-frequent among the Historians of his Countrey that it may not be amiss to Transcribe some few Passages relating to this matter as they lye together in the English Translation Nothing but the Season of the Year The difficulties the P. of Orange had to grapple with for retrieving his Countrey from Ruin says he hinder'd the French from attempting new Conquests or rather the Waters which cover'd the Surface of the Earth The Duke of Luxenburgh being still at Vtrecht hop'd however that if it once came to freeze he might by means of the Ice surprize several Posts that were otherwise inaccessible As the Enemy meaning the Hollanders were not unacquainted with his Design they had ever the Shovel and Pickaxe in their hands to precaution themselves against this Misfortune upon the first Frost that should come They broke the least piece of Ice hoping by taking such strict care they should render all his Measures abortive But it happening to freeze all of a sudden it was impossible for them to repair in several days what fell out in one Night This cast so great an Alarm into the Places that were the most expos'd that Peoples minds were wholly set upon removing thence what they had most precious The Consternation spread it self to the very Hague which being destitute of Walls and Defence could not otherwise expect but a strange Desolation if the Posts that cover'd it came to be forc'd However the Prince of Orange who laid the Publick Miseries as much to heart as if they had only regarded himself had not for all this been under any Apprehensions if his Troops by being so often beaten had not utterly lost their Courage For though the Ice seem'd to give a great Advantage to the French they would however run a great Risque in coming to attack him in places well intrench'd and where his Highness might oppose against them as many Men as they could have He was busied Day and Night either in adding new Fortifications to those that were already made or in encouraging his Captains and Soldiers But whatever care he took Colonel Penvin abandon'd his Post upon the Request of the Inhabitants of Dergau who sent for him to maintain their Walls The D. of Luxemburgh's Cruelties at Swammerdam The Duke of Luxemburgh trusting rather to the Terror than the Strength of his Troops marching in the mean while towards Bodegrave and Swammerdam won both Sword in hand And as if this Action had not been sufficiently glorious by reason of the little Opposition he met with he would render it the more remarkable not only by the Slaughter that he made of those that were found in Arms but of all sorts of Persons even Women and Children He was often heard amidst the piteous Cries that every one made to move him to Compassion to bid his Soldiers give no Quarter but Plunder Ravish and Kill He himself did what he said and his Men after his Example having delug'd the Streets with Rivers of Blood entred the Houses where they committed inconceivable Cruelties Several Women were violated in their Husbands Arms several Maidens in their Fathers and whoever went about to oppose such Criminal Excesses was pitilesly massacred by these Furies who suffer'd themselves to be no longer govern'd but by their disorderly Passion and by their Cruelty Thus far my
MEMOIRS Of the Most Material Transactions IN ENGLAND FOR The Last Hundred YEARS Preceding the Revolution in 1688. By JAMES WELWOOD M. D. Physician in Ordinary to His Majesty and Fellow of the College of Physicians London LONDON Printed for Tim. Goodwin at the Queen's-Head against St. Dunstan's-Church in Fleetstreet 1700. TO THE KING SIR THE Great Patrons of Liberty have not thought it below them to become the Patrons of History And any thing of that kind which concerns England does naturally claim the Protection of a Prince who by his Valour and Conduct has not only Restor'd to the English Nation that Figure they had lost in the World for near an Hundred Years past but has rais'd them to a Greater than ever they had before A Prince who in all He has done for the Common Safety of Europe could have no Brighter Examples to follow than those of his own Family For when Others have fought for Dominion and Power vain empty Notions and destructive to Mankind It has ever been a Glory peculiar to the House of Nassau to have fought for LIBERTY the Noblest Cause and the Greatest Stake that Mortals can contend for Let some Princes pretend to Fading Lawrels by depopulating Countries oppressing their Neighbours and enslaving Free People The surest and best way to transmit a Glorious Name to Posterity is to relieve the Oppress'd break off their Fetters and set the World free These require no varnish to set off their true Lustre whilst those are oblig'd to make use of false Colours to palliate the highest Injustice Let them value themselves upon a Greatness that 's borrow'd from Schemes that could hardly fail as being transmitted to them from the long Experience of the Ablest Ministers and most Refin'd Statesmen of the Age That Prince who without these Helps at his first Appearance on the Stage has by the mere Strength of his own Genius surmounted Difficulties that would have pall'd any Courage but his own and at length has broke all those Measures that had of a long time been concerting towards the enslaving of Christendom cannot fail to make one of the Noblest and Brightest Figures in History If it be the Prerogative of an Almighty Power and Goodness to set Bounds to the Raging Sea it must be the highest and most justifiable Imitation of It to put a Stop to the Ambition of Men and to shelter Nations from their Fury It is in this sense chiefly that Kings may be called Gods And it were a pity that the Lives of such were not as Immortal as their Deeds The Memory of that Prince must be lasting who in all the Wars he has been engag'd in and in all the Treaties that have been made to restore Peace to his Countrey has never made any Terms for Himself except once when the Interest of Three Kingdoms and his Own were become one and the same When succeeding Ages shall see scarce any other Coin in England but of one Stamp they must look back with Amazement upon the Reign of a Prince whose Image it bears and wonder how it was possible That during the Heat of the most Expensive War that ever was so vast a Treasure could be new minted and at so prodigious a Loss While at the same time they will commend and bless a People that with so much Cheerfulness assisted Him with Supplies suitable to such Mighty Undertakings They will be no less surpriz'd to find That amidst a great many Hardships and Disappointments which could not be avoided his Armies follow'd Him with an Inviolable Fidelity and Inimitable Courage And will hardly believe That it was within the Compass of Human Prudence to Cement so many Jarring Interests and unite so many Princes of different Religions into one Alliance and to influence their firm Adherence to that Alliance till the Glorious Conclusion of a General Peace SIR All these Great Things were reserv'd for Your MAJESTY which will be Admir'd and Extoll'd by Posterity no less than they are by the present Age And it 's but reasonable that the Memory of such Actions should live for ever The following Sheets containing a Short View of the various Disposition of Affairs in England for a whole Century before Your MAJESTY's Happy Accession to the Crown I humbly beg Leave to Lay them at Your MAJESTY's Feet with the most profound Submission and Duty that becomes May it please Your Majesty Your Majesty's most Humble most Faithful and most Obedient Subject and Servant James Welwood To the Reader THESE Sheets were writ some Years ago by the Encouragement of One whose Memory will be ever Sacred to Posterity It 's needless to mention the Occasion And they had not been publish'd now if a Surreptitious Copy of a Part of the Manuscript had not crept abroad I can hardly expect they should please in an Age like this that is fond only of what is writ for or against a Party For I have trac'd Truth as near as I could without espousing any one Interest or Faction I hope I may venture to say That I have tread as softly as was possible over the Graves of the Dead and have not aggravated the Errors of the Living As to the latter it 's enough that we are deliver'd from their Power without insulting over their Misfortunes and it is unworthy of a Generous Mind to trample upon those that are already down Most of the Accounts I have seen of the Transactions of those Times are partial to some one Side which being one of the greatest Blemishes of History I have endeavour'd to avoid But whether I have fallen into the same Error my self it is the Reader must be now Iudge I leave Satyr and Panegyrick to others I envy no man the Art of making Court to the Great by Flattery and have not Ill Nature enough for Detraction The Design of these Memoirs being only to give a Short Idea of the Thread of Affairs in England for the Space of a Hundred Years it is not to be expected that I should have observ'd the Rules of a Regular History much less any Niceness of Method or Exactness in the Narration As to the Stile I have taken very little pains about it and all I have aim'd at is to be understood In the Account I have given of the Last Reign I would not be thought to Reflect upon the Roman-Catholicks in general for what a Party among them is chargeable They were chiefly the Bigots of some Religious Orders and the New Converts that advis'd and carried on those Violences that in the end overturn'd their Master's Throne And it is hop'd the Roman-Catholicks have reason to be satisfied with their Condition under the present Reign since they enjoy an unenvied Liberty of their Religion without incurring the Hatred of their Fellow-Subjects for being in a Design to overturn the Establish'd Church which was their Case under the late King James And as I am far from wishing them less Liberty than they have yet cannot but
of England and from declaring those met at Westminster Rebels though the King again and again importun'd them to it and took their Refusal so ill that in one of his Letters to Queen intercepted at Naseby he reflects heavily upon them for it and calls them in derision his Mungrel Parliament It was likewise the dismal Prospect he had of this War even in the beginning of it that mov'd that Accomplish'd Gentleman the Lord Falkland to throw away his Life rather than be a witness of the Miseries were coming upon the Nation For though he was Secretary of State to the King and follow'd his Fortune yet seeing all his Endeavours for promoting a Peace were in vain he went on with a Party to skirmish with the Enemy the day before the first Battel of Newbury and being dissuaded by his Friends as having no Call to it being no Military Person he said He was weary of the Times and foresaw much Misery to his Countrey and hop'd he should be out of it e're night So pushing into the Battel he was slain Many Endeavours were us'd from time to time to bring Matters to an Accommodation by way of Treaty Endeavours that were us'd for an Accommodation but still some one unlucky Accident or another render'd them all abortive At the Treaty of Vxbridge though the Parliament's Demands were high and the King show'd a more than ordinary Aversion to comply with them yet the ill posture of the King's Affairs at that time and the fatal Consequences they fear'd would follow upon breaking off of the Treaty oblig'd a great many of the King's Friends and more particularly that Noble Person the Earl of Southampton who had gone Post from Vxbrige to Oxford for that purpose to press the King again and again upon their Knees to yield to the necessity of the Times and by giving his Assent to some of the most material Propositions that were sent him to settle a lasting Peace with his People The King was at last prevail'd with to follow their Counsel and the next Morning was appointed for signing a Warrant to his Commissioners to the effect And so sure were they of a happy end of all differences that the King at Supper complaining his Wine was not good one told him merrily He hop'd that his Majesty would dâ—ink better before a Week was over at Guildhall with the Lord Mayor But so it was that when they came early next morning to wait upon him with the Warrant that had been agreed upon over Night they found his Majesty had chang'd his Resolution and was become inflexible in these Points The unhappy Occasion this Alteration has lain hitherto a Secret in History and might have continued such still if a Letter from the Marquess of Montross in Scotland Montross's Fatal Letter whereof I have seen a Copy under the Duke of Richmond's Hand did not give a sufficient Light into it To make the Matter better understood it 's necessary to say something of Montross and his Actions in Scotland This Nobleman had been at first very active and zealous for the Liberties of his Countrey and was the first man that past the River Tweed at the Head of Five hundred Horse upon the Scots First Expedition into England But being afterwards disoblig'd or as some say repenting of his former Error he left that Side and came in to the King at the breaking out of the War between Him and the Parliament When the Scots came into England the second time to assist the Parliament Montross apply'd himself to the King for a Commission to levy War against his Rebel Subjâ—cts as they were call'd of Scotland assuring his Majesty he was able with the Assistance of his Friends and Concurrence of the rest of the Royal Party to make at least a very considerable Diversion if not to reduce the whole Countrey to his Majesty's Obedience Accordingly the Marquess was made Governor of Scotland where in the space of five Months with a handful of raw undisciplin'd Men and those not half arm'd he did over-run a great part of the Countrey and gain'd three very considerable Battels the last of which was that of Inverlochy fought the second of February 1644. according to the English and 1645. according to the Scotch Account In this Battel the Earl of Argyle was entirely defeated and the Prime of the Noble Family of the Campbells cut off with inconsiderable Loss on Montross's side who next day dispatch'd an Express to the King with the News of this and his two former Victories And in his Letter express'd his utter Aversion to all Treaties with his Rebel-Parliament in England as he calls them Tells the King he is heartily sorry to hear that his Majesty had consented to Treat and hopes it is not true Advises him not to enter into Terms with his Rebellious Subjects as being a thing unworthy of a King And assures him That he himself was now so much Master of Scotland that he doubted not but to be able within a few Months to march into England to his Majesty's assistance with a brave Army And concludes with this odd Expression When I have conquer'd from Dan to Beersheba as I doubt not I shall very quickly I hope I may have then leave to say as David ' s General said to his Master Come thou lest this Countrey be call'd by my Name This Letter writ with such an Air of Assurance and by a Person that was thought capable to make good his Promises and the Matter contain'd in it suiting but too well with the King's Inclinations was unluckily deliver'd to the King but a few Hours before he was to have sign'd the Warrant before-mention'd and had as ill effects as the worst of King Charles's Enemies could have wish'd for it dash'd out in a moment all the Impressions his best Friends had been making upon him for a considerable time towards a full Settlement with his People It look'd as if there was some secret Fatality in this whole matter for it could hardly have been imagin'd that a Letter writ the Third of February in the furthermost North Corner of Britain should come so soon to Oxford considering the length of the Journey the badness of the Roads at that time of the Year especially through the Mountainous parts of Scotland together with the Parliament's and Scotch Armies and Garisons that were posted all along the Road And yet certain it is it came through all these Dangers and Inconveniences in very few days for it 's indors'd upon the Copy I have seen That it was deliver'd to the King during the Treaty of Vxbridge which every body knows began the 30 th of Ianuary and ended the 22 d of February And further it must have been deliver'd before the 19 th of February because King Charles takes notice of it in a Letter to the Queen of that Date found among others at Naseby where he says Though I leave News to others yet I cannot but tell
than the King 's and with the more cheerfulness for by this time he had parted on ill terms with his Parliament and without obtaining a Supply While the King was advancing towards the North the Scots drew to their Borders and it was debated at several Councils of War where a Committee of Estates assisted Whether they should expect the King upon the Borders as they had done before or march into England and carry the War out of their own Countrey But they had taken no Resolution in the matter before the King was got as far as York In this nice Juncture there came a Gentleman to the English Border who sent a Message to the Earl of Rothes That he desir'd to acquaint him with a Matter of the greatest Importance and Secresy if he might privately and with safety speak with him alone Rothes thereupon sent a Trusty Servant with a Passport to conduct him to his Quarters where the Gentleman told him That he was directed particularly to him as a Person of great Honour and whom they could safely trust with a Message from several Great Men of England who were griev'd for the Ruin they foresaw must necessarily attend their Country if the King should make himself Absolute Master of Scotland seeing after that they were to expect the same Fate considering how little to the King's satisfaction things had been carried in the Parliament of England and how much he had resented their refusing a Subsidy to carry on this War He told him That nothing was so much desir'd in England as a Free Parliament to redress their Grievances And if the Scots would march immediately into England the King must necessarily be straitned to that degree in his Affairs as to be oblig'd to call a Parliament And that upon their March the City of London and the greatest part of the Nobility and Gentry would not only petition the King for a Free Parliament but likewise mediate between the King and them and bring matters to such an Accommodation as might be for the good of both Nations Adding withal That if the Scots slipt this Opportunity they were never to expect the like again The Gentleman having deliver'd this Message gave the Earl a Letter directed to him and sign'd by about Twelve Noblemen much to the same purpose but writ more cautiously and in more general terms desiring him for a further Explanation to give entire Credit to the Bearer whom they had fully inform'd of their Intentions Rothes with the Gentleman's leave acquainted General Lesley afterwards Earl of Leven and one or two of the most Leading Men of the Committee of Estates with this Message and upon solemn Promises of Secrecy show'd them the Letter both which agreeing so well in the main with the Intelligence they had receiv'd from England and suiting with their own Inclinations determin'd them in the Point And next morning in the Council of War It was resolv'd to march into England that Afternoon which accordingly they did Rothes in the mean time dispatch'd back the Messenger with an Answer to the Noblemen he suppos'd had writ to him Thanking them for their Advice and acquainting them with the Resolution had been taken thereupon It fell out afterwards at the Treaty of Rippon when the English and Scotch Commissioners grew familiar with one another that the Earl of Rothes came from Newcastle to the Place of Treaty and one of the English Noblemen making him a Visit they fell into Discourse about the present Juncture of Affairs The English Nobleman express'd how much he had been surpriz'd upon the first News of the Scots entring into England and told him That though he hop'd it would now turn to the Advantage of both Nations yet it was in it self a dangerous and rash Attempt and might have been fatal to the Scots if the King had not been pleas'd to enter into a Treaty for an Accommodation of Matâ—ers in dispute between them Rothes was at a stand what to make of this Discourse considering this Nobleman was one of those whose Name was to the Letter formerly mention'd and therefore answer'd That he wondred his Lordship was surpriz'd at an Action he had so much influenc'd And that if it had not been for the Invitation of himself and his Friends perhaps the Scots â—rmy might have continued still on the other side of Tweed The Two Lords being equally in the dark as to one another's meaning were at length upon producing of the Letter both of them undeceiv'd and found it was a mere Forgery which was afterwards acknowledg'd by the Contriver who was the Lord Savile created some time after Earl of Sussex This Letter though forgotten now was much talk'd of during the Civil Wars And I have seen several Original Papers of those Times that mention'd it A Noble Lord lately dead whose Name was to the Letter never made any scruple of telling this Passage to his Friends in the manner I have related it And I once had a Copy of the Letter it self from the Original which was then and I believe is still among the Papers of the Noble Family of Rothes which I have since lost I must confess I have dwelt longer upon this matter than consists with the Brevity I intended and that it might have been more properly mention'd in another place Yet thus it was that a Counterfeit Invitation brought the Scots into England in the Year 1640. And considering the Consequences it may be said That Providence many times seems to play with Human Affairs and influences the Fate of Kingdoms by Counsels and Measures the most improbable to succeed if he had not design'd them to be subservient to his great Ends. There is an Historian for whom I have the highest Veneration Bishop of Salisbury's Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton who in his Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton mentions a Passage not unlike to this and perhaps it may be the very same though his Relation and mine differ in the time and some other Circumstances And seeing I happen'd to look into that Book some time after I had writ these Sheets that I may do Justice to its Reverend Author whose Information I am willing to believe may be better than my own though I had mine from no common Hands I shall give his Account of it in his own words and the rather for that I do not remember the Date of the Letter upon which the Passage turns though I do the main Design and Contents of it But that the Reader may not be wholly in the dark says this Great Historian about the Grounds of this Confidence the Covenanters had I shall set down what I had from some Persons of Great Honour who were fully inform'd about it When the Earls of Dumfermling and Loudon came to London a Person of Quality of the English Nation whose Name is suppress'd because of the Infamy of this Action came to them and with great Vehemence press'd them to engage in a new War
and among other Motives brought them Engagements in writing from most of the greatest Peers of England to join with them and assist them when they should come into England with their Army This did much animate them for they had not the least doubt of the Papers brought them But all this was discover'd at the Treaty of Rippon to have been a base Forgery For there the Scâ—ttish Lords looking very sullenly upon some of the English Lords as on Persons of no Faith or Truth the Lord Mandevil came to the Earl of Rothes and asked the reason of that change of their Countenances and Behaviour in them who after some high Reflections at length challeng'd him and the other Lords of not keeping what they engag'd to them Upon which that Lord stood amaz'd and told him and so did the other Lords there That they had sent no such Messages nor Papers to them and that they had been abus'd by the blackest Imposture that ever was Thus it appear'd concludes this Author how dangerous it may be to receive some things that seem to have the highest probabilities in them easily and upon trust To leave this Subject it may not be improper to add another Passage out of the same Book where that Reverend Prelate speaking of the Inâ—lucements that prevail'd with the Scots to come into the Assistance of the Parliament Three Years after tells us That among other Arguments That Paper which was sent down in the Year 1640 as the Engagement of Twenty eight of the Peers of England for their Concurrence with the Scottish Army that Year was shown to divers to engage them into a grateful Return to those to whom it was pretended they were so highly oblig'd For though the Earl of Rothes and a few more were well satisfied about the Forgery of that Paper yet they thought that a Secret of too great Importance to be generally known therefore it was still kept up from the Body of the Nation To shut up what relates to K. Charles I. K. Charles's thoughts of Resigning the Crown to his Son After the Treaty of Newport was broke off and he once more carried away by the Army he found his Case was desperate and thereupon began to have some Thoughts of Resigning the Crown to the Prince of Wales as the only means in that unhappy Condition to preserve it for his Family But before he had time to digest this Resolution or an opportunity to acquaint the Parliament with it he was hurried on to his Trial. The last day of that Trial he earnestly propos'd That before Sentence pass'd he might be heard before the Lords and Commons in the Painted Chamber where he had something to offer for the Peace of the Kingdom and the Liberty of the Subject which might settle all differences It is probable he meant by this to have resign'd the Crown which his Enemies having some Intimation of and fearing it might be accepted they were the more forward to proceed to Sentence and Execution Likewise some days before his Death About setting up the Duke of Gloucester King the prevailing Party had thoughts of setting up the Duke of Gloucester King This was not kept so secret but King Charies had some notice of it for the Duke and his Sister having leave to wait upon him the Night before the Execution he took the Young Duke in his Arms and told him They were going to take off his Father's Head and may be they would set the Crown upon his Head which he forbad him to accept of while his Two Elder Brothers were Living There befel him an Accident which though a Trifle in it self and that no Weight is to be laid upon any thing of that nature yet since the best Authors both Ancient and Modern have not thought it below the Majesty of History to mention the like it may be the more excusable to insert it The King being at Oxford during the Civil Wars went one day to see the Publick Library where he was show'd among other Books a Virgil nobly Printed and exquisitely bound The Lord Falkland to divert the King would have his Majesty make a Trial of his Fortune by the Sortes Virgilianae His consulting the Sortes Virgilianae which every body knows was an usual kind of Augury some Ages past Whereupon the King opening the Book the Period which happen'd to come up was that part of Dido's Imprecation against Aeneas which Mr. Dryden translates thus Yet let a Race untam'd and haughty Foes His peaceful Entrance with dire Arms oppose Oppress'd with Numbers in th' unequal Field His Men discourag'd and himself expell'd Let him for Succonr sue from place to place Torn from his Subjects and his Son's embrace First let him see his Friends in Battel slain And their untimely Fate lament in vain And when at length the cruel War shall cease On hard Conditions may he buy his Peace Nor let him then enjoy Supreme Command But fall untimely by some hostile Hand And lye unburi'd in the common Sand. It is said K. Charles seem'd concern'd at this Accident and that the Lord Falkland observing it would likewise try his own Fortune in the same manner hoping he might fall upon some Passage that could have no relation to his Case and thereby divert the King's Thoughts from any Impression the other might have upon him But the place that Falkland stumbled upon was yet more suited to his Destiny than the other had been to the King 's being the following Expressions of Evander upon the untimely Death of his Son Pallas as they are translated by the same Hand O Pallas thou hast fail'd thy plighted Word To fight with Reason not to tempt the Sword I warn'd thee but in vain for well I knew What Perils Youthful Ardor would pursue That boiling Blood would carry thee too far Young as thou were 't in Dangers raw to War O curst Essay of Arms disast'rous Doom Prelude of Bloody Fields and Fights to come To return to our History Upon the Death of King Charles I. there was a Total Eclipse of the Royal Family for Twelve Years During a great part of which time an unusual Meteor fill'd the English Orb and with its surprizing Influences over-aw'd not only Three Kingdoms but the powerfullest Princes and States about us A Great Man he was and Posterity might have paid a just Homage to his Memory if he had not embrued his Hands in the Blood of his Prince or had not usurp'd upon the Liberties of his Countrey It being as natural a Curiosity in mankind to know the Character of a Fortunate Vsurper as of a Lawful King it may not perhaps be much amiss to say something of Oliver Cromwell By Birth he was a Gentleman The Usurpation and Character of Oliver Cromwell and bred up for some time at the Vniversity though nothing of a Scholar When the Civil Wars broke out he took the Parliaments Side and his first Employment in the Army was a Captain
Author Notwithstanding these Difficulties and Discouragements that seem'd insuperable wonderful and surprizing were the Consequences of the Prince of Orange's Restoration As if that Family alone were design'd of Heaven to be the Founder and Restorer of Holland It fell out that immediately upon his being call'd to the Helm the whole Scene of their Affairs chang'd to the better At the Head of a small ill-disciplin'd Army discourag'd by continual Losses he not only put a Stop to the French Conquests but by taking first Naerden in spite of an Army near four times greater than his own and carrying afterwards the War out of his own Countrey he oblig'd the Enemy to abandon their Conquests in Holland as fast as they had gain'd them and be contented to retire to the Defence of their own Frontiers This War was attended with various Successes on all sides and most of the Princes of Europe came to be some way or other engag'd in it till at last it ended in the Treaty of Nimeguen The part King Charles acted in all these Transactions contributed but little to his Glory for he had been unsuccessful while he was engag'd in the War and when he came to be a Mediator for the Peace all Parties grew jealous of him and neglected him It was during the Course of this War as has been said before that King Charles aton'd for all the Errors of his Reign by marrying his Niece the Lady Mary to the Prince of Orange And whatever were the Motives that induc'd him to comply in this with the Universal Wishes of his People it has been found since that not only England but the greatest part of Europe do share at this day in the Blessings that have attended it By this Match the Prince of Orange had a double Interest in England both as a Prince of the Blood himself and in Right of his Princess the next Presumptive Heir He liv'd with King Charles in as much Friendship as was possible for one that would not enter into an Interest separate from that of his Country or of England Insomuch that in all the Endeavours that were made to exclude the Duke of York from the Crown he look'd on without espousing any of the Parties that struggled for or against the Bill of Exclusion though he knew it was design'd that He and the Princess should succeed upon the Death of King Charles When King Iames came to the Throne the Prince of Orange tried all possible means to cultivate a sincere Friendship with him and to persuade him to enter into such Measures as might tend to the Common Safety of Europe and the Happiness of England which if King Iames had given Ear to would have preserv'd the Crown upon his Head And so cautious was he of giving him no reasonable ground of Complaint that though in King Charles's time he had given a Generous Welcome to the Duke of Monmouth at the Request of that King upon his retiring to Holland Yet as soon as he knew that that unhappy Gentleman designâ—d to invade England upon King Iames's Accession to the Throne he offer'd to come over in Person to his Assistance and sent him with all Expedition the English and Scotch Troops that were in the Service of the States It had been happy for King Iames if he had complied with the Advice of the Prince of Orange or had not by his Success against Monmouth been push'd on to make the Steps that have bee mention'd together with a great many more for Brevity's sake here omitted towards his own Ruin and that of the Constitution of England But being flatter'd with the gaudy Charms of Absolute Power and the empty Merit of Restoring the Romish Religion he drove on without Controul till at last he forc'd the People of England upon an inevitable necessity of calling in the Prince of Orange to retrieve the expiring Liberties of their Countrey At the same time an indissoluble Friendship and Alliance which King Iames had enter'd into when Duke of York and had cultivated afterwards when he came to the Crown was a matter of that vast Consequence to the Neighbouring Princes and States as would not permit them to stand by as unconcern'd Spectators of the Scene that was acting in England but oblig'd them likewise to save recourse to the Prince of Orange for breaking off their own Fetters by breaking first those of England But by what Steps and concurring Accidents and with what surprizing Circumstances this Mighty Design came about may some time or other though perhaps not so properly in this Age be the Subject of a Second Part when it meets with one of more Leisure and Capacity to write it FINIS Addenda ad Page 36. Concerning the Reign of King James I. It may not be impertinent in this place to say something of that Convocation that was held in the beginning of this King's Reign Which had never been taken notice of in History if it were not for the use that was made of it in our late Debates about the Lawfulness of the Oaths to his present Majesty This Convocation goes under the name of Overall's Convocation and has been of late years often mentioned in Print upon that account And since a very Learned Divine has told us upon a solemn Occasion Dr. Sherlock That it was the Canons of this Convocation that first Enlightned his Eyes and persuaded him of the Lawfulness of the Oaths to his Majesty I shall only take notice of a few things about them It 's very probable that this Convocation was call'd to clear some Doubts that King Iames might have had about the Lawfulness of the Hollanders the 〈…〉 off the Monarchy of Spain 〈…〉 withdrawing for good and all their Allegiance to that Crown Which was the Great Matter then in Agitation in most Courts of Christendom It appears plainly by some of those Canons that the Highflown Notions of Prerogative and Absolute Obedience which came afterwards into fashion were not much known at that time at least the Clergy were not of that Opinion It 's true This was the first time that the Distinction of a King de jure and de facto was ever mention'd as a Point of Divinity or a Doctrine of the Church though it had been taken notice of before and that but once as a Matter of Law in an Act of Parliament of Henry 7. But these Canons did never receive the Royal Approbation and therefore are in the same case as if they had never been King Iames thought these Points too nice to be much touch'd upon and was highly displeas'd with the Members of that Convocation for medling in Matters which he thought were without their Sphere Thereupon he writ that angry Letter to Dr. Abbot afterwards Bishop of Sarum the Original of which it was my fortune to fall upon and to publish upon another Occasion It 's hop'd the Reader will not be displeas'd to read it again And it runs thus Good Doctor Abbot I Cannot abstain
the just Rewards of Rebellion Only give me leave after I have reduc'd this Countrey to your Majesty's Obedience and conquer'd from Dan to Beersheba to say to your Majesty then as David's General did to his Master Come thou thy self lest this Countrey be callâ—d by my Name For in all my Actions I aim only at your Majesty's Honour and Interest as becomes one that is to his last Breath May it please your Sacred Majesty Innerlochy in Lochaber Feb. 3. 1645. Your Majesty's most Humble most Faithful and most Obedient Subject and Servant MONTROSS NUMB. XI The Address of General Monk and his Officers from Scotland to the Parliament of England against Monarchy upon Richard Cromwell's Abdication Right Honourable THAT a Nation may be born in a day Whitlock's Memoirs p. 679 680. is a truth which this days experience witnesseth unto us against all the dictates of humane Reason and that a glorious Cause whose Interest was laid low even in the dust should be in one day restored to its life and lustre when almost all the Asserters of it had so manifestly declined it by a defection of many years cannot be imputed to less than the greatest and most powerful manifestation of the Arm of God that ever this or former Generations saw or heard of In the sense of this the greatest of our Temporal Mercies we now come to address to your Honours as those whose presence we have so long wanted that had you staid but a little longer it might have been left to be enquired what England was we mean what was become of that People by whom God for so many years filled the World with so much admiration and terror But though this great Work be as most justly it ought to be wonderful in our eyes yet when we consider its Author who calls things that are not as if they were bringeth down to the Pit and raiseth up again we see that nothing is difficult to Faith and the Promises of God are sure and stable even then when in the eye of man no less than impossible We cannot but acknowledge to our exceeding great sorrow and shame that our selves though we hope most of us through weakness and frailty not out of design have very much contributed to those Provocations which have caused God to depart from our Israel and we could heartily wish that even amongst those that help to make up your own number there had not been an helping hand to this sad and deplorable work But we see when God's hour is come and the time of his people's deliverance even the set time is at hand he cometh skipping over all the Mountains of Sin and Unworthiness that we daily cast in the way We are not willing to detain your Honours too long upon this Subject and therefore beseeching the God of all our Mercies to heal the backslidings of his people and not to charge unto their account in this his day of their deliverance their miscarriages whilst they were wandering in dark and slippery places after the imaginations of their own hearts we with all humility and affection in the first place congratulate you in this your happy Restoration to the Government of these Nations which God was pleased once so to own in your hands as to make you both the praise and wonder of the Earth the glory and rejoicing of his People and the terror of your Adversaries and we acknowledge it a singular condescension in you in this day of so great difficulties to take upon you so heavy a burthen And seeing his late Highness hath been pleased to manifest so much self-denial and love to his Country Richard Cromwell in appearing for the Interest thereof against his own we humbly intreat that some speedy care may be taken for him and his family together with her Highness Dowager that there may be such an honourable Provision settled upon them and such other Dignities as are suitable to the former great Services of that Family to these Nations And in the next place we cannot but humbly beseech you now you have an opportunity than which a fitter your hearts did never pray for to finish the work of Reformation that hath been so long upon the wheel and met with so great Obstructions that you would not heal the wound of the daughter of God's people slightly but make so sure and lasting provision for both their Christian and Civil Rights as that both this and future Generations may have cause to rise up and call you Blessed and the blackest of Designs may never be able to cast dirt in your faces any more And as helpful to these two great Concernments Religion and Liberty we humbly propose unto your mature consideration these two Desires First that you would be pleased to countenance Godliness and all the sincere professors thereof encourage an able and laborious Ministry and suffer no other Yoak to be imposed upon the Consciences of God's people than what may be agreeable to the Word of God and that you would be a terror to all impious prophane and licentious People whatsoever Secondly that you would so vindicate and assert the Native Rights and Liberties of these Nations in and by the Government of a Free-State that there may not be the voice of an oppressed one in our Land but that all may enjoy the blessed fruits of your righteous and peaceable Government And for the prevention of all possibility for ambitious Spirits ever to work their ends against you we humbly desire you to be very careful as well what persons you entrust with the management of the Armies and Navies of this Commonwealth as of the measure of that Power and Authority you depart with to them or substitute in them Touching the qualifications of the Persons we desire they may be truly godly and conscientious Touching the measure of their Authority that it may be adequate to the nature and being of a Commonwealth And whilst you are thus pleading and asserting the Interest of God and his People you may rest assured with greatest confidence that we shall appear in your defence and the vindication of your Authority against the opposition of all Arbitrary Powers whatsoever And to that blessed and All-powerful God who is able to spirit you for this great work you are and shall daily be recommended in the prayers of Your most loyal and most Obedient Servants George Monk Thomas Read Ralph Cobbet Tim. Wilks Robert Read Iohn Cloberry Abra. Holmes Henr. Dorney Dan. Davison Rich. Heath Mi. Richardson I. Hubbelthorn Tho. Iohnson P. Crisp. He. Brightman Phil. Watson Tho. Dean Ierem. Smith Will. Davis Iames Wright Ios. Wallinton Will. Helling Ethelb Morgan Rob. Winter Iohn Paddon Anthony Nowers The Form of the Declaration and Engagement taken by General Monk and his Officers against Monarchy and the Family of the Stuarts at his coming up from Scotland I A. B. Whitlock's Memoirs p. 684. do hereby declare That I do renounce the pretended Title of
done into English Twelves Lex Parliamentaria or a Treatise of the Law and Custom of the Parliaments of England By G. P. Esq Octavo Memoirs of Denzil Lord Holles Baron of Ifield in Sussex from the Year 1641 to 1648. Octavo The Compleat Horseman discovering the surest Marks of the Beauty Goodness Faults and Imperfections of Horses The Signs and Causes of their Diseases the true Method both of their Preservation and Cure with Reflections on the regular and preposterous use of Bleeding and Purging Also the Art of Shooing with the several kinds of Shooes adapted to the various Defects of bad Feet and the Preservation of good Together with the best Method of breeding Colts backing them and making their Mouths c. By the Sieur de Solleysell Querry to the present French King for his Great Horses and one of the Royal Academy of Paris To which is added A most excellent Supplement of Riding collected from the best Authors With an Alphabetical Catalogue of all the Physical Simples in English French and Latin by Sir William Hope Deputy-Lieutenant of the Castle of Edinburgh Folio The Gentleman's Jockey and approv'd Farrier instructing in the Natures Causes and Cures of all Diseases incident to Horses With an exact and easy Method of breeding buying dieting and otherwise ordering all sorts of Horses as well for common and ordinary use as the Heats and Course With divers other Curiosities Collected by the long Practice Experience and Pains of I. H. Esq Matthew Hodson Mr. Holled Mr. Willis Mr. Robinson Mr. Holden Thomas Empson Mr. Roper Mr. Medcalfe and Nath. Shaw The Eighth Edition with Additions Octavo The Roman History from the building of the City to the perfect Settlement of the Empire by Augustus Caesar containing the Space of 727 Years design'd as well for the understanding of the Roman Authors as the Roman Affairs The Fourth Edition carefully revis'd and much improv'd By Lawrence Echard A. M. of Christ-College in Cambridge Vol. I. Octavo The Roman History from the Settlement of the Empire by Augustus Caesar to the Removal of the Imperial Seat by Constantine the Great containing the Space of 355 Years Vol. II. For the Use of his Highness the Duke of Glocester The Second Edition By Lawrence Echard A. M. Octavo Politica Sacra Civilis Or a Model of Civil and Ecclesiastical Government wherein besides the Positive Doctrine concerning State and Church in general are debated the principal Controversies of the Times concerning the Constitution of the State and Church of England tending to Righteousness Truth and Peace By George Lawson Rector of More in the County of Salop. The Second Edition Octavo An Account of Denmark as it was in the Year 1692. The Third Edition Octavo An Account of Sueden Together with an Extract History of that Kingdom Octavo Of Wisdom Three Books Written Originally in French by the Sieur de Charron With an Account of the Author Made English by George Stanhope D. D. late Fellow of King's-College in Cambridge From the best Edition Corrected and Enlarged by the Author a little before his Death In Two Volumes Octavo A New Voyage to Italy With curious Observations on several other Countries as Germany Switzerland Savoy Geneva Flanders and Holland Together with useful Instructions for those who shall travel thither Done out of French The Second Edition enlarged above one Third and enriched with several New Figures By Maximilian Misson Gent. In Two Volumes Octavo A Compleat Body of Chirurgical Operations containing the whole Practice of Surgery With Observations and Remarks on each Case Amongst which are inserted the several ways of delivering Women in Natural and Unnatural Labours The whole Illustrated with Copper Plates explaining the several Bandages Sutures and divers useful Instruments By M. de lâ— Vanguion M. D. and Intendant of the Royal Hospitals about Paris Faithfully done into English Octavo A Relation of a Voyage made in the Years 1695 1696 1697 on the Coasts of Africa Streights of Magellan Brazil Cayenna and the Antilles by a Squadron of French Men of War under the Command of M. de Gennes By the Sieur Froger Volunteer-Engineer on Board the English Falcon. Illustrated with divers strange Figures drawn to the Life Octavo Travels into divers parts of Europe and Asia undertaken by the French King's Order to discover a new way by Land into China Containing many curious Remarks in Natural Philosophy Geography Hydrography and History Together with a Description of Great Tartary and of the different People who inhabit there By Father Avril of the Order of the Jesuits Done out of French To which is added a Supplement extracted from Hakluit and Purchas giving an Account of several Journeys over Land from Russia Persia and the Mogul's Country to China Together with the Roads and Distances of the Places Twelves A Compendium of Universal History from the Beginning of the World to the Reign of the Emperor Charles the Great Written Originally in Latin by Monsieur Le Clerc Done into English Octavo A Political Essay or Summary Review of the Kings and Government of England since the Norman Conquest By W. P y Esq. Octavo The Art of preserving and restoring Health explaining the Nature and Causes of the Distempers that afflict Mankind Also shewing that every man is or may be his own best Physician To which is added a Treatise of the most Simple and Effectual Remedies for the Diseases of Men and Women Written in French by M. Flamand M. D. and faithfully translated into English Twelves A Defence of the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England Written in Latin by I. Ellis S. T. D. Now done into English To which are added Lambeth Articles Together with the Judgment of Bishop Andrews Dr. Overall and other Eminent and Learned Men upon them Twelves The Present State of Christendom consider'd in Nine Dialogues between 1. The present Pope Alexander VIII and Lewis XIV 2. The Great Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Savoy 3. King Iames II. and the Mareschal de la Feâ—illade 4. The Duke of Lorrain and the Duke of Schonberg 5. The Duke of Lorrain and the Elector Palatine 6. Lewis XIV and the Marquis of Louvois 7. The Advoyer of Berne and the Chief Syndic of Geneva 8. Cardinal Ottoboni and the Duke de Chaulnes 9. The Young Prince Abafti and Count Teckley Done out of French Octavo Bellamira or the Mistress A Comedy As it is Acted by Their Majesties Servants Written by the Honourable Sir Charles Sedley Baronet