THE Royal Progress; OR, A DIARY OF THE King's Journey, From His MAJESTY's setting out from Kensington, till His return.  
By a Person of Quality.  
LONDON: Printed, and sold by J. Whitlock, near Stationers-Hall. 1695.   

THE Royal Progress, etc.  
THE Royal Progress being resolved on, and Preparations made accordingly, and the Guards sent away before to lie on the Road, the King left Kensington on Thursday the Seventeenth of October, 1695. and arrived at Newmarket the same Evening; where the Eighteenth at Night happened a Fire, which began in a Stable, but was soon extinguished, and the Damage it did was very inconsiderable. Several Gentlemen of these Parts came to wait on his Majesty, and to welcome him Home and to this Place, and then took occasion to Congratulate his Majesty on his taking the City and strong Castle of Namur: The next Day was spent in Hunting, with which his Majesty was extremely diverted. On Sunday, being the Twentieth, the principal Members of the University of Cambridge attended his Majesty here, viz. at Newmarket, and the Vicechancellor made a short Congratulatory Speech upon his Majesty's happy Success Abroad, and his safe Return: And his Majesty, in answer to it, was graciously pleased to give them great Assurances of his Royal Favour and Protection; after which they all had the honour to kiss his Majesty's Hand.  
The next Moaning, being the Twenty first, the King parted from hence, and arrived the same Evening at Althrop, in Northamptonshire, being attended by divers of the Nobility, and the principal Persons of the Country. This is a noble Seat belonging to the Earl of Sunderland, an ancient Family, the Spencers having long possessed it; here his Majesty stayed a whole Week: The concourse of Nobility, and Gentry, and chief Inhabitants of Northampton (which is near this Place) is very great. The King took the Diversion of the Rural Sports two or three of the first Days, and on Thursday the 24th. his Majesty dined with the Earl of Northampton at Castle-Ashby, a very fine House in the same County; and the next, being the 25th. the King did the Earl of Montague the Honour to dine with him at Boughton, a stately and magnificent Pile of Building: Here his Majesty was splendidly Entertained, and was attended with a great Number of the Nobility and Gentry of this County, whom his Majesty received very kindly, and told them, Their County was, in his Opinion, the finest in England, and, perhaps, in the whole World; that nothing made a Gentleman look like a Gentleman, but living like one. His Majesty thanked them for their good Company; and, indeed, he had a great deal, for there was hardly any Body of Note that did not come upon this Occasion; and as my Lord Montague was showing his Majesty his House, Painting, Carving, etc. the King told my Lord, 'Twas not good for One to set One's Heart on any of them, for neither He nor his Lordship should be there Forty Years hence to see them.  
The 28th. his Majesty left Althorp, and came in the Evening to Stamford; but went (tho' out of his way) to see Burghly House, the Seat and constant Residence of the Earl of Exeter, who was come away to London; which his Majesty being informed of, was pleased to ask, if he had carried his House with him? answer was made no; Then, says the King, I'll go and see it; which his Majesty did twice, that night and the next morning, being extremely satisfied with it: 'Tis a noble Pile of Stone Building, built indeed about a hundred Years since by William Lord Burghley, but mightily adorned and beautified by the present Earl of Exeter, who lives very Great and Nobly when there, like himself, and like an English Nobleman; for loftiness of Rooms, great variety of Pictures, and fine Painting and Carving, done by the greatest Masters of Italy, brought thence by his Lordship, maintained and liberally rewarded, for Terraces, Conduits, Fishponds, Fountains, etc. It may vie with, nay, is thought the best in England. The Painting and Carving are so curious, that some very great Travellers, and Men of exquisite Judgement, have affirmed they have met with nothing either in Italy or in France that exceeds them. The Park is improved, by planting a multitude of Walks of Ash, Elm, Chesnut, and several other sorts of Trees. Through this Park passeth the old Roman Way, mentioned by many Authors, and so on to Walcote, above Berneck. At Wothorpe, a little distance from this the Earl of Exeter has another handsome Seat, with a little Park walled about: It was built by Thomas Cecil, Earl of Exeter, and tho' not very small (for it was large enough to hold the late Duke of Buckingham and his Family for some Years) yet so mean did it seem, in comparison with the former, that its Pounder pleasantly said, He built it only to retire to out of the Dust, while his great House of Burghley was a sweeping.  
At Stamford the Mayor and Aldermen, attended with their two Burgesses, waited on the King, and had the honour to kiss his Majesty's Hand, and of welcoming him into those Parts, with all possible Demonstrations of Joy, by ringing of Bells, making of Bonfires, and setting up of Illuminations throughout the whole Town.  
The 29th. the King dined at Sir John Brownlow's at Bilton near Grantham, and came that Night to Lincoln, being attended by a mighty concourse of People.  
The 30th. in the Morning his Majesty left this Town, and went to Welbeck, having been met by the Duke of Newcastle Seven Miles off, at Dunham-Ferry, the Entrance into this County. The 31st. being the last Day of October, the King dined with his Grace the Duke of Newcastle at Welbeck, after having received the Diversion of Hunting in the Forest of Shirewood, where are an infinite Number of Deer, and Branchy-headed Stags; his Majesty gave order for the filling up the Saw-Pits there, which are dangerous to Huntsmen. Welbeck-Abbey lies on the North-West side of this County of Nottingham, about a Mile and a half from Workensop, a Town famous for the abundance of Liquorice planted and cultivated there. Welbeck Abbey is a very noble Building, seated in the lowest part of a fine Park, surrounded with Trees of excellent Timber, and was the Seat of William and Henry, late (and also is of the present) Duke of Newcastle.  
November 1st. his Majesty dined at the Earl of Kingston's, and was nobly entertained.  
November 2d. The Lord-Mayor and Aldermen of York, in their Formalities, waited on the King that Morning at Welbeck Abbey, being introduced by the Duke of Newcastle; the Recorder made a Speech to his Majesty, who was pleased to confer the Honour of Knighthood upon the Lord-Mayor, Gilbert Metcalf Esquire. In the Evening the Lord-Archbishop of York, with his Clergy, attended his Majesty, and congratulated his happy Success and safe Return, expressed their Gratitude for his Majesty's Care of the Church, who had showed himself truly the Defender of the Faith; gave his Majesty great Assurance of their Zeal, and Loyalty to his Interests, and Government; prayed for all Blessings to attend his Royal Person, and recommended Themselves to his Royal Protection; which his Majesty was pleased to assure them of, as also of his good Grace, and Favour.  
The Corporations of Newark and East-Retford attended the King, and kissed his Majesty's Hand: The Recorder of each Place congratulated his Majesty's glorious Success at Namur, and safe Return to England, and gave the King a most hearty Welcome in these Parts; all which his Majesty took very kindly from them.  
November 3d. The King left Welbeck in the Afternoon, and came in the Evening to the Earl of Stamford's House at Brodgate, where his Majesty lay that Night.  
November 4th. About Nine this Night the King came to Warwick Castle to my Lord Brooks, being received with great Acclamations, ringing of Bells, Illuminations, Fireworks, and other Expressions of Joy and Respect.  
The Mayor and Aldermen of Warwick met his Majesty at the Towns-end, and attended his Coach to the Castle, where the King was met Splendidly, and manificently Entertained by my Noble Lord Brooks; who also provided a Bowl of Punch for the Towns-People, of One hundred and twenty Gallons, made in a Vessel called Guy Earl of Warwick's Pot. Great were the Acclamations of the People here; Godsave King William; and, long live King William, etc.  
November 5th. The King left Warwick in the morning, being attended by my Lord Brook, several Gentlemen of the County, and the Magistrates, out of the Town, and some part of the way. The King dined with my Lord Duke of Shrewsbury at Eyfort, and in the Evening came to Burford, where his Majesty stayed till the Eighth; when the King left that Place, and arrived in the Evening at Woodstock, having in his way seen Cornbury-House.  
And on the 9th. in the Morning his Majesty came to Oxford, being met at some distance from thence by his Grace the Duke of Ormond, Chancellor of the University, and the Vicechancellor and the Doctors in their Habits: As also by the Magistrates of the City in their Formalities; and the Compliments of both being made to his Majesty, by the Vicechancellor for the one, and by the Recorder for the other, they proceeded on Horseback before his Majesty's Coach to the Theatre, where a splendid Entertainment was provided, with great variety of excellent Music; The Conduit of the City running all the while with Wine. The Thanks of the University were returned to his Majesty, for this Royal Favour and Honour, in a very Elegant Latin Oration; And the Duke of Ormond, Chancellor of this University, presented the King, on his Knees, a large Bible in English, a large Common-Prayer Book, and the Cuts of the University, all richly Bound, and Printed in Folio, at the Theatre; with a Pair of Gold-Fringe Gloves.  
After Dinner the Vicechancellor, Noble Men, and Gentlemen present, had the Honour to kiss his Majesty's Hand, and attended the King to his Coach, who was pleased to tell them, That this was a Visit of Kindness, not Curiosity; And therefore He did not go to see the Colleges, having seen the whole University before.  
And so, after a short stay, his Majesty went on, and arrived at Windsor about Seven in the Evening, on the Ninth Instant.  
The King dined with my Lord Godolphin at Cranborn-House on Sunday the Tenth Instant, and held a Council at Windsor in the Evening.  
His Majesty honoured Sir Stephen Fox with his Royal Company at Dinner on the Eleventh, being Monday, at Chiswick, and returned in the Evening to his Royal Residence at Kensington.  
Having completed his Royal Progress in Six and twenty Days, to his entire Satisfaction, having been blessed with extraordinary Wether, with a Continuation beyond what was to be expected from the Season; and was received every where, either as his Majesty passed, or stayed, with hearty English Demonstrations of Respect, Zeal, Affection, and Fidelity.  
The Four Elements conspired to make the King's Journey Pleasant and Prosperous; and never did his Majesty see so much real English Greatness, visible in the Magnificent Entertainments every where provided for Him, far exceeding what our Neighbour-Nations ever did, when ever their Monarches vouchsafed them the Honour of a Visit; and, indeed, thus much may be said now, and without the the least Tincture of Flattery, That this Progress will have happy and glorious Effects, by engaging the Hearts of all those of His Majesty's Subjects, who before had only heard what great Things the King had done for them, and all Europe, but now had the Honour and Happiness to see that excellent Prince, that was destined by Heaven to make this Renow'd Kingdom of England flourish, beyond what it ever did in ancient Times; and to retrieve her Reputation, and make her Fame as lasting as Time itself; and, to crown all, to establish Us in an Honourable and Durable Peace.  
FINIS.   

There is lately Published,  
ANgliae Tutamen: Or, the Safety Engand. Being an Account of the Banks, Lotteries. Mines, Diving, Draining, Lifting, and other Engines, and many pernicious Projects now on foot; tending to the Destruction of Trade and Commerce, and the Impoverishing this Realm. With Reflections thereon.  
Solon Secundus: Or, some Defects in the English Laws; with their proper Remedies.  Both sold by J. Whitlocck, near Sationers-Hall.