UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA School of Library Science x *■'/ z^v/j^ ^!,™T Y OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HII illinium 00022092398 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/historyofkingcharlesec ^V-i 1 " '"'*'' '■■'■"' I; ,: , ■ ■'•■- " : 4 .'■■ ■ « ilk. ; 'ii lliSSii; . i / ', . '-.„.,„,." ^RPER AND BR OT HEPS NEVl HISTORY KING CHARLES THE SECOND ENGLAND. BY JACOB ABBOTT. SSmij JiUfltabfufls. N E W YORK: HARPER du^e of Orleans. Duchess of Montpensier, 19. Duchess of Montpensier. Henrietta Maria. Prince Charles, 16. King Charles I. G 98 King Charles II. [1646. The young king. The Palace Royal. In the above table, the first column Contains the name of Henry IV., the second those of three of his children, with the persons whom they respectively married, and the third the four grandchildren, who, as cousins, now found them- selves domesticated together in the royal pala- ces of France. The young king was, as has already been said, about eight years old at the time of Prince Charles's arrival. The palace in which he re- sided when in the city was the Palace Royal, which was then, and has been ever since, one of the most celebrated buildings in the world. It was built at an enormous expense, during a previous reign, by a powerful minister of state, who was, in ecclesiastical rank, a cardinal, and his mansion was named, accordingly, the Palace Cardinal. It had, however, been recently taken as a royal residence, and its name changed to Palace Royal. Here the queen regent had her grand apartments of state, every thing be- ing as rich as the most lavish expenditure could make it. She had one apartment, called an ora- tory, a sort of closet for prayer, which was light- ed by a large window, the sash of which was made of silver. The interior of the room was ornamented with the most costly paintings and 1646.] Reception at Paris. 99 A royal household in miniature. Child's play on a magnificent scale. furniture, and was enriched with a profusion of silver and gold. The little king had his range of apartments too, with a whole household of offi- cers and attendants as little as himself. These children were occupied continually with ceremo- nies, and pageants, and mock military parades, in which they figured in miniature arms and badges of authority, and with dresses made to imitate those of real monarchs and ministers of state. Every thing was regulated with the ut- most regard to etiquette and punctilio, and with- out any limits or bounds to the expense. Thus, though the youthful officers of the little mon- arch's household exercised no real power, they displayed all the forms and appearances of royal-. ty with more than usual pomp and splendor. It was a species of child's play, it is true, but it was probably the most grand and magnificent child's play that the world has ever witnessed. It was into this extraordinary scene that Prince Charles found himself ushered on his arrival in France. At the time of the prince's arrival the court happened to be residing, not at Paris, but at Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau, as has already been stated, is about forty miles from Paris, to the southward. There is a very splendid pal- 100 King Charles II. [1646. Fontainebleau. The young Duchess de Montpensier. ace and castle there, built originally in very an- cient times. There is a town near, both the castle and the town being in the midst of a vast park and forest, one of the most extended and magnificent royal domains in Europe. This forest has been reserved as a hunting ground for the French kings from a very early age. It covers an area of forty thousand acres, being thus many miles in extent. The royal family were at this palace at the time of Prince Charles's arrival, celebrating the festivities of a marriage. The prince accordingly, as we shall presently see, went there to join them. There were two persons who were anticipa- ting the prince's arrival in France with special interest, his mother, and his young cousin, the Duchess of Montpensier. Her Christian name was Anne Marie Louisa.* She was a gay, frivolous, and coquetish girl, of about nineteen, immensely rich, being the heiress of the vast estates of her mother, who was not living. Her father, though he was the lieutenant general of * She is commonly called, in the annals of the day in which she lived, Mademoiselle, as she was, par eminence, the young lady of the coui't. In history she is commonly called Made- moiselle de Montpensier ; we shall call her, in this narrative, simply Anne Maria, as that is, for our purpose, the most con- venient designation. 1646.] Reception at Paris. 101 Character of the duchess. Marriage plans. the realm, and the former king's brother, was not rich. His wife, when she died, had be- queathed all her vast estates to her daughter. Anne Maria was naturally haughty and vain, and, as her father was accustomed to come oc- casionally to her to get supplies of money, she was made vainer and more self-conceited still by his dependence upon her. Several matches had been proposed to her, and among them the Emperor of Germany had been named. He was a widower. His first wife, who had been Anne Maria's aunt, had just died. As the em- peror was a potentate of great importance, the young belle thought she should prefer him to any of the others who had been proposed, and she made no secret of this her choice. It is true that he had made no proposal to her, but she presumed that he would do so after a suitable time had elapsed from the death of his first wife, and Anne Maria was contented to wait, consid- ering the lofty elevation to which she would at- tain on becoming his bride. But Queen Henrietta Maria had another plan. She was very desirous to have Anne Maria for the wife of her son Charles. There were many reasons for this. The young lady was a princess of the royal family of France ; 102 King Charles II. [1646. Queen Henrietta's plan for Charles and Anne Maria. she possessed, too, an immense fortune, and was young and beautiful withal, though not quite so young as Charles himself. He was sixteen, and she was about nineteen. It is true that Charles was now, in some sense, a fugitive and an exile, destitute of property, and without a home. Still he was a prince. He was the heir apparent of the kingdoms of England and Scot- land. He was young and accomplished. These high qualifications, somewhat exaggerated, per- haps, by maternal partiality, seemed quite suf- ficient to Henrietta to induce the proud duchess to become the prince's bride. All this, it must be remembered, took place before the execution of King Charles the First, and when, of course, the fortunes of the family were not so desperate as they afterward be- came. Queen Henrietta had a great many conversations with Anne Maria before the prince arrived, in which she praised very highly his person and his accomplishments. She narrated to the duchess the various extraordinary adven- tures and the narrow escapes which the prince had met with in the course of his wanderings in England ; she told her how dutiful and kind he had been to her as a son, and how efficient and courageous in his father's cause as a soldier. 1646.] Reception at Paris. 103 Prince Charles goes to Paris. He proceeds to Fontainebleau. She described his appearance and his manners, and foretold how he would act, what tastes and preferences he would form, and how he would be regarded in the French court. The young duchess listened to all this with an appearance of indifference and unconcern, which was part- ly real and partly only assumed. She could not help feeling some curiosity to see her cousin, but her head was too full of the grander desti- nation of being the wife of the emperor to think much of the pretensions of this wandering and homeless exile. Prince Charles, on his arrival, went first to Paris, where he found his mother. There was an invitation for them here to proceed to Fon- tainebleau, where, as has already been stated, the young king and his court were now residing. They went there accordingly, and were received with every mark of attention and honor. The queen regent took the young king into the car- riage of state, and rode some miles along the avenue, through the forest, to meet the prince and his mother when they were coming. They were attended with the usual cortege of carria- ges and horsemen, and they moved with all the etiquette and ceremony proper to be observed in the reception of royal visitors. 104 King Chaki.es II, [1646. Meeting in the forest. The prince and the duchess. When the carriages met in the forest, they stopped, and the distinguished personages con- tained in them alighted. Queen Henrietta in- troduced her son to the queen regent and to Louis, the French king, and also to other per- sonages of distinction who were in their train. Among them was Anne Maria. The queen re- gent took Henrietta and the prince into the car- riage with her and the young king, and they proceeded thus together back to the palace. Prince Charles was somewhat embarrassed in making all these new acquaintances, in circum- stances, too, of so much ceremony and. parade, and the more so, as his knowledge of the French language was imperfect. He could understand it when spoken, but could not speak it well him- self, and. he appeared, accordingly, somewhat awkward and confused. He seemed particu- larly at a loss in his intercourse with Anne Maria. She was a little older than himself, and, being perfectly at home, both in the cere- monies of the occasion and in the language of the company, she felt entirely at her ease her- self ; and yet, from her natural temperament and character, she assumed such an air and bearing as would tend to prevent the prince from being so. In a word, it happened then, 1646.] Reception at Paris. 105 Anne Maria's memoirs. Her description of the prince. as it has often happened since on similar occa- sions, the beau was a little afraid of the belle. The party returned to the palace. On alight- ing, the little king gave his hand to his aunt, the Queen of England, while Prince Charles gave his to the queen regent, and thus the two matrons were gallanted into the hall. The prince had a seat assigned him on the following day in the queen regent's drawing-room, and was thus regularly instated as an inmate of the roy- al household. He remained here several days, and at length the whole party returned to Paris. Anne Maria, in after years, wrote reminis- cences of her early life, which were published after her death. In this journal she gives an account of her introduction to the young prince, and of her first acquaintance with him. It is expressed as follows : " He was only sixteen or seventeen years of age, rather tall, with a fine head, black hair, a dark complexion, and a tolerably agreeable countenance. But he neither spoke nor un- derstood French, which was very inconvenient. Nevertheless, every thing was done to amuse him, and, during the three days that he re- mained at Fontainebleau, there were hunts and every other sport which could be commanded 106 King Charles II. [1646. Return to Paris. Impressions on Charles. in that season. He paid his respects to all the princesses, and I discovered immediately that the Queen of England wished to persuade me that he had fallen in love with me. She told me that he talked of me incessantly ; that, were she not to prevent it, he would be in my apart- ment* at all hours ; that he found me quite to his taste, and that he was in despair on account of the death of the empress, for he was afraid that they would seek to marry me to the em- peror. I listened to all she said as became me, but it did not have as much effect upon me as probably she wished." After spending a few days at Fontainebleau, the whole party returned to Paris, and Queen Henrietta and the prince took up their abode again in the Palace Royal, or, as it is now more commonly called, the Palais Royal. Charles was much impressed with the pomp and splen- dor of the French court, so different from the rough mode of life to which he had been accus- tomed in his campaigns and wanderings in En- gland. The etiquette and formality, however, were extreme, every thing, even the minutest motions, being regulated by nice rules, which * This means at her residence. The whole suite of rooms occupied by a family is called, in France, their apartment. 1646.] Reception at Paris. 107 Pomp and splendor. Anecdotes of the court. made social intercourse and enjoyment one per- petual ceremony. But, notwithstanding all this pomp and splendor, and the multitude of offi- cers and attendants who were constantly on service, there seems to have been, in the results obtained, a strange mixture of grand parade with discomfort and disorder. At one time at Fontainebleau, at a great entertainment, where all the princes and potentates that had been drawn there by the wedding were assembled, the cooks quarreled in the kitchen, and one of the courses of the supper failed entirely in con- sequence of their dissensions ; and at another time, as a large party of visitors were passing out through a suite of rooms in great state, to descend a grand staircase, where some illustri- ous foreigners, who were present, were to take their leave, they found the apartments through which they were to pass all dark. The servants had neglected or forgotten to light them. These and similar incidents show that there may be regal luxury and state without order or comfort, as there may be regal wealth and power without any substantial happiness. Not- withstanding this, however, Prince Charles soon became strongly interested in the modes of life to which he was introduced at Paris and at 108 King Charles II. [1647. Gay life of the prince. His attention to Anne Maria. Fontainebleau. There were balls, parties, fes- tivities, and excursions of pleasure without num- ber, his interest in these all being heightened by the presence of Anne Maria, whom he soon began to regard with a strong degree of that pe- culiar kind of interest which princesses and heir- esses inspire. In Anne Maria's memoirs of her early life, we have a vivid description of many of the scenes in which both she herself and Charles were such prominent actors. She wrote always with great freedom, and in a very graphic man- ner, so that the account she gives of this period of her life forms a very entertaining narrative. Anne Maria gives a very minute account of what took place between herself and Charles on several occasions in the course of their ac- quaintance, and describes particularly various balls, and parties, and excursions of pleasure on which she was attended by the young prince. Her vanity was obviously gratified by the inter- est which Charles seemed to take in her, but she was probably incapable of any feelings of deep and disinterested love, and Charles made no impression upon her heart. She reserved herself for the emperor. For example, they were all one night invited to a grand ball by the Duchess de Choisy. This 1647.] Reception at Paris. 109 The Duchess de Choisy's ball. Anne Maria's toilet. lady lived in a magnificent mansion, called the Hotel de Choisy. Just before the time came for the party of visitors to go, the Queen of En- gland came over with Charles to the apartments of Anne Maria. The queen came ostensibly to give the last touches to the adjustment of the young lady's dress, and to the arrangement of her hair, but really, without doubt, in pursu- ance of her policy of taking every occasion to bring the young people together. " She came," says Anne Maria, in her nar- rative, " to dress me and arrange my hair her- self. She came for this purpose to my apart- ments, and took the utmost pains to set me off to the best advantage, and the Prince of Wales held the flambeau near me to light my toilet the whole time. I wore black, white, and car- nation ; and my jewelry was fastened by ribbons of the same colors. I wore a plume of the same kind ; all these had been selected and ordered by my aunt Henrietta. The queen regent, who knew that I was in my aunt Henrietta's hands, sent for me to come and see her when I was all ready, before going to the ball. I accordingly went, and this gave the prince an opportunity to go at once to the Hotel de Choisy, and be ready there to receive me when I should arrive. 110 King Charles II. [164». The prince's assiduities. Fete at the Palais Royal. I found him there at the door, ready to hand me from my coach. I stopped in a chamber to re- adjust my hair, and the Prince of Wales again held a flambeau for me. This time, too, he brought his cousin, Prince Rupert, as an inter- preter between us ; for, believe it who will, though he could understand every word I said to him, he could not reply the least sentence to me in French. When the ball was finished and we retired, the prince followed me to the porter's lodge of my hotel,* and lingered till I entered, and then went his way. " There was another occasion on which his gallantry to me attracted a great deal of atten- tion. It was at a great fete celebrated at the Palais Royal. There was a play acted, with scenery and music, and then a ball. It took three whole days to arrange my ornaments for this night. The Queen of England would dress me on this occasion, also, with her own hands. My robe was all figured with diamonds, with * In all the great houses in Paris, the principal buildings of the edifice stand back from the street, surrounding a court- yard, which has sometimes shrubbery and flowers, and a fountain in the center. The entrance to this court-yard is by a great gate and archway on the street, with the apartments occupied by the porter, that is, the keeper of the gate, on oue side. The entrance to the porter's lodge is from under the archway. 1648.] Reception at Paris. Ill Anne Maria's dress. News of the beheading of Charles I. carnation trimmings. I wore the jewels of the crown of France, and, to add to them, the Queen of England lent me some fine ones of her own, which she had not then sold. The queen praised the fine turn of my shape, my air, the beauty of my complexion, and the brightness of my light hair. I had a conspicuous seat in the middle of the ball-room, with the young King of France and the Prince of Wales at my feet. I did not feel the least embarrassed, for, as I had an idea of marrying the emperor, I regarded the Prince of Wales only as an object of pity." Things went on in this way for a time, until at last some political difficulties occurred at Par- is which broke in upon the ordinary routine of the royal family, and drove them, for a time, out of the city. Before these troubles were over, Henrietta and her son were struck down, as by a blow, by the tidings, which came upon them like a thunderbolt, that their husband and fa- ther had been beheaded. This dreadful event put a stop for a time to every thing like festive pleasures. The queen left her children, her palace, and all the gay circle of her friends, and retired to a convent, to mourn, in solitude and undisturbed, her irreparable loss. 112 King Charles II. [1648. Charles becomes king. Henrietta's distress. Chapter VI. Negotiations with Anne Maria. OUR Prince Charles now becomes, by the death of his father, King Charles the Sec- ond, both of England and of Scotland. That is, he becomes so in theory, according to the principles of the English Constitution, though, in fact, he is a fugitive and an exile still. Not- withstanding his exclusion, however, from the exercise of what he considered his right to reign, he was acknowledged as king by all true Roy- alists in England, and by all the continental powers. They would not aid him to recover his throne, but in the courts and royal palaces which he visited he was regarded as a king, and was treated, in form at least, with all the con- sideration and honor which belonged to royalty. Queen Henrietta was overwhelmed with grief and despair when she learned the dreadful tid- ings of the execution of her husband. At the time when these tidings came to her, she was involved, also, in many other sufferings and tri- als. As was intimated in the last chapter, se- 1649.] Anne Maria. 113 Difficulties in Paris. Flight of the royal family. rious difficulties had occurred between the roy- al family of France and the government and people of the city of Paris, from which a sort of insurrection had resulted, and the young king and his mother, together with all the principal personages of the court, had been compelled to fly from the city,. in the night, to save their lives. They went in a train of twenty or thirty car- riages, by torch-light, having kept their plan a profound secret until the moment of their de- parture. The young king was asleep in his bed until the time arrived, when they took him up and put him into the carriage. Anne Maria, whose rank and wealth gave her a great deal of influence and power, took sides, in some de- gree, with the Parisians in this contest, so that her aunt, the queen regent, considered her as an enemy rather than a friend. She, however, took her with them in their flight ; but Anne Maria, being very much out of humor, did all she could to tease and torment the party all the way. When they awoke her and informed her of their proposed escape from Paris, she was, as she says in her memoirs, very much delighted, for she knew that the movement was very un- wise, and would get her aunt, the queen regent, and all their friends, into serious difficulties. H 114 King c HARL ES II. [1649. Anne Maria'* > ill humor. Her prevarication. She dressed herself as quick as she could, came down stairs, and proceeded to enter the queen regent's coach, saying that she wanted to have one or the other of certain seats — naming the best places — as she had no idea, she said, of be- ing exposed to cold, or riding uncomfortably on such a night. The queen told her that those seats were for herself and another lady of high rank who was with her, to which Anne Maria replied, "Oh, very well; I suppose young la- dies ought to give up to old people." In the course of conversation, as they were preparing to ride away, the queen asked Anne Maria if she was not surprised at being called up to go on such an expedition. " Oh no," said she ; " my father" (that is, Gaston, the duke of Orleans) " told me all about it beforehand." This was not true, as she says herself in her own account of these transactions. She knew nothing about the plan until she was called from her bed. She said this, therefore, only to tease her aunt by the false pretension that the secret had been confided to her. Her aunt, however, did not believe her, and said, " Then why did you go to bed, if you knew what was going on ?" " Oh," replied Anne Maria, " I thought it would be a good plan to get some sleep, as I did not 1649.] Anne Maria. 117 Terror and confusion. Arrival of the royal family at St. Germain's. know whether I should even have a bed to lie upon to-morrow night." The party of fugitives exhibited a scene of great terror and confusion, as they were as- sembling and crowding into their carriages, be- fore they left the court of the Palais Royal. It was past midnight, in the month of January, and there was no moon. Called up suddenly as they were from their beds, and frightened with imaginary dangers, they all pressed forward, eager to go ; and so hurried was their departure, that they took with them very scanty supplies, even for their most ordinary wants. At length they drove away. They passed rapidly out of the city. They proceeded to an ancient palace and castle called St. Germain's, about ten miles northeast of Paris. Anne Maria amused her- self with the fears, and difficulties, and priva- tions which the others suffered, and she gives an account of the first night they spent in the place of their retreat, which, as it illustrates her tem- perament and character, the reader will like, perhaps, to see. " I slept in a very handsome room, well paint- ed, well gilded, and large, with very little fire, and no windows,* which is not very agreeable * Thai is, with uo "lass to the windows. 118 King Charles II. [1649. Inconveniences and privations of the party at St. Germain's. in the month of January. I slept on mattress- es, which were laid upon the floor, and my sis- ter, who had no bed, slept with me. I was obliged to sing to get her to sleep, and then her slumber did not last long, so that she disturbed mine. She tossed about, felt me near her, woke up, and exclaimed that she saw the beast, so I was obliged to sing again to put her to sleep, and in that way I passed the night. Judge whether this was an agreeable situation for one who had had little or no sleep the night before, and who had been ill all winter with colds. However, the fatigue and exposure of this ex- pedition cured me. " In a short time my father gave me his room, but as nobody knew I was there, I was awoke in the night by a noise. I drew back my cur- tain, and was astonished to find my chamber filled with men in large buff skin collars, and who appeared surprised to see me, and knew me as little as I did them. I had no change of linen, and when I wanted any thing washed, it was done in the night, while I was in bed. I had no women to arrange my hair and dress me, which is very inconvenient. Still I did not lose my gayety, and they were in admiration at my making no complaint ; and it is true that I am 1649.] Anne Maria. 119 Anne Maria's adventures. Her courage and energy. a creature that can make the most of every thing, and am greatly above trifles." To feel any commiseration for this young lady, on account of the alarm which she may be supposed to have experienced at seeing all those strange men in her chamber, would be sympathy thrown away, for her nerves were not of a sensibility to be affected much by such a circumstance as that. In fact, as the difficult- ies between the young king's government and the Parisians increased, Anne Maria played quite the part of a heroine. She went back and forth to Paris in her carriage, through the mob, when nobody else dared to go. She some- times headed troops, and escorted ladies and gentlemen when they were afraid to go alone. Once she relieved a town, and once she took the command of the cannon of the Bastile, and is- sued her orders to fire with it upon the troops, with a composure which would have done honor to any veteran officer of artillery. We can not go into all these things here in detail, as they would lead us too far away from the subject of this narrative. We only allude to them, to give our readers some distinct idea of the tempera- ment and character of the rich and blooming- beauty whom young King Charles was wishing so ardently to make his bride. 120 King Charles II. [1649. Situation of Henrietta. Her destitution and dangers. During the time that these difficulties con- tinued in Paris, Queen Henrietta's situation was extremely unhappy. She was shut up in the palace of the Louvre, which became now her prison rather than her home. She was sep- arated from the royal family ; her son, the king, was generally absent in Holland or in Jersey, and her palace was often surrounded by mobs ; whenever she ventured out in her carriage, she was threatened with violence and outrage by the populace in such a manner as to make her retreat as soon as possible to the protection of the palace walls. Her pecuniary means, too, were exhausted. She sold her jewels, from time to time, as long as they lasted, and then contracted debts which her creditors were con- tinually pressing her to pay. Her friends at St. Germain's could not help her otherwise than by asking her to come to them. This she at last concluded to do, and she made her escape from Paris, under the escort of Anne Maria, who came to the city for the purpose of conducting her, and who succeeded, though with infinite difficulty, in securing a safe passage for Henri- etta through the crowds of creditors and politi- cal foes who threatened to prevent her journey. These troubles were all, however, at last settled, 1649.] Anne Maria. 121 Charles's plans for regaining his kingdom. The English exiles. and in the autumn (1649) the whole party re- turned again to Paris. In the mean time the young King Charles was contriving schemes for getting possession of his realm. It will be recollected that one of his sisters married the Prince of Orange, and she was now residing at the Hague, a city in Holland, near the sea. Charles went often there. It was a sort of rendezvous for those who had been obliged to leave England on ac- count of their attachment to his father's for- tunes, and who, now that the father was dead, transferred their loyalty to the son. They felt a very strong desire that Charles's plans for get- ting possession of his kingdom should succeed, and they were willing to do every thing in their power to promote his success. It must not be supposed, however, that they were governed in this by a disinterested principle of fidelity to Charles himself personally, or to the justice of his cause. Their own re-establishment in wealth and power was at stake as well as his, and they were ready to make common cause with him, knowing that they could save themselves from ruin only by reinstating him. Charles had his privy council and a sort of court at the Hague, and he arranged channels 122 King Charles II. [1649. Charles at the Hague and at Jersey. Anne Maria. of communication, centering there, for collecting intelligence from England and Scotland, and through these he watched in every way for the opening of an opportunity to assert his rights to the British crown. He went, too, to Jersey, where the authorities and the inhabitants were on his side, and both there and at the Hague he busied himself with plans for raising funds and levying troops, and securing co-operation from those of the people of England who still remained loyal. Ireland was generally in his favor too, and he seriously meditated an expe- dition there. His mother was unwilling to have him engage in these schemes. She was afraid he would, sooner or later, involve himself in dangers from which he could not extricate him- self, and that he would end by being plunged into the same pit of destruction that had in- gulfed his father. Amid all these political schemes, however, Charles did not forget Anne Maria. He was eager to secure her for his bride ; for her for- tune, and the power and influence of her con- nections, would aid him very much in recover- ing his throne. Her hope of marrying the Em- peror of Germany, too, was gone, for that poten- tate had chosen another wife. Charles there- 1649.1 Anne Maria. 123 Anne Maria discontented. Charles's messenger. fore continued his attentions to the young lady. She would not give him any distinct and deci- sive answer, but kept the subject in a state of perpetual negotiation. She was, in fact, grow- ing more and more discontented and unhappy in disposition all the time. Her favorite plan of marrying the emperor had been thwarted, in part, by the difficulties which her friends — her father and her aunt especially — had contrived secretly to throw in the way, while outwardly and ostensibly they appeared to be doing all in their power to promote her wishes. They did not wish to have her married at all, as by this event the management of her vast fortune would pass out of their hands. She discovered this, their double dealing, when it was too late, and she was over whelmed with vexation and chagrin. Things being in this state, Charles sent a spe- cial messenger, at one time, from the Hague, with instructions to make a formal proposal to Anne Maria, and to see if he could not bring the affair to a close. The name of this messen- ger was Lord Germain. The queen regent and her father urged Anne Maria now to consent to the proposal. They told her that Charles's prospects were brighten- ing — that they themselves were going to render 124 King Charles II. [1649. Lord Germain's proposal. Anne Maria seems to yield. him powerful protection — that he had already acquired several allies — that there were whole provinces in England that were in his favor ; and that all Ireland, which was, as it were, a kingdom in itself, was on his side. Whether they seriously desired that Anne Maria would consent to Charles's proposals, or only urged, for effect, what they knew very well she would persist in refusing, it is impossible to ascertain. If this latter were their design, it seemed likely to fail, for Anne Maria appeared to yield. She was sorry, she said, that the situation of affairs in Paris was not such as to allow of the French government giving Charles effectual help in gaining possession of the throne ; but still, not- withstanding that, she was ready to do what- ever they might think best to command. Lord Germain then said that he should pro- ceed directly to Holland and escort Charles to France, and he wanted Anne Maria to give him a direct and positive reply ; for if she would really accept his proposal, he would come at once to court and claim her as his bride ; other- wise he must proceed to Ireland, for the state of his affairs demanded his presence there. But if she would accept his proposal, he would im- mediately come to court, and have the marriage 1649.] Anne Maria. 125 Plan of Lord Germain. Anne Maria's objections. ceremony performed, and then he would re- main afterward some days with her, that she might enjoy the honors and distinctions to which she would become entitled as the queen con- sort of a mighty realm. He would then, if she liked the plan, take her to Saint Germain's, where his mother, her aunt, was then residing, and establish her there while he was recover- ing his kingdom ; or, if she preferred it, she might take up her residence in Paris, where she had been accustomed to live. To this the young lady replied that the last- mentioned plan, that is, that she should con- tinue to live at Paris after being married to Charles, was one that she could not think of. She should feel altogether unwilling to remain and enjoy the gayeties and festivities of Paris while her husband was at the head of his armies, exposed to all the dangers and privations of a camp ; nor should she consider it right to go on incurring the expenses which a lady of her rank and position must necessarily bear in such a city, while he was perhaps embarrassed and distress- ed with the difficulties of providing funds for his own and his followers' necessities. She should feel, in fact, bound, if she were to become his wife, to do all in her power to assist him ; and 126 King Charles II. [1649. Lord Germain's replies. The subject renewed. it would end, she foresaw, in her having to dis- pose of all her property, and expend the avails in aiding him to recover his kingdom. This, she said, she confessed alarmed her. It was a great sacrifice for her to make, reared as she had been in opulence and luxury. Lord Germain replied that all this was doubt- less true, but then, on the other hand, he would venture to remind her that there was no other suitable match for her in Europe. He then went on to name the principal personages. The Emperor of Germany and the King of Spain were both married. Some other monarch was just about to espouse a Spanish princess. Oth- ers whom he named were too young ; others, again, too old ; and a certain prince whom he mentioned had been married, he said, these ten years, and his wife was in excellent health, so that every species of hope seemed to be cut off in that quarter. This conversation leading to no decisive re- sult, Lord Germain renewed the subject after a few days, and pressed Anne Maria for a final answer. She said, now, that she had a very high regard for Queen Henrietta, and, indeed, a very strong affection for her ; so strong that she should be willing to waive, for Henrietta's 1649.] Anne Maria. 127 Anne Maria objects to Charles's religion. The negotiation broken off. sake, all her objections to the disadvantages of Charles's position ; but there was one objection which she felt that she could not surmount, and that was his religion. He was a Protestant, while she was a Catholic. Charles must re- move this difficulty himself, which, if he had any regard for her, he certainly would be willing to do, since she would have to make so many sacrifices for him. Lord Germain, however, immediately discouraged this idea. He said that the position of Charles in respect to his kingdom was such as to render it impossible for him to change his religious faith. In fact, if he were to do so, he would be compelled to give up, at once, all hope of ever getting pos- session of his throne. Anne Maria knew this very well. The plea, however, made an excel- lent excuse to defend herself with from Lord Germain's importunities. She adhered to it, therefore, pertinaciously; the negotiation was broken off, and Lord Germain went away. Young adventurers like Charles, who wish to marry great heiresses, have always to exer- cise a great deal of patience, and to submit to a great many postponements and delays, even though they are successful in the end ; and sov- ereign princes are not exempted, any more than 128 King Charles II. [1649. Woman's brief power. Charles takes the subject in his own hands. other men, from this necessity. Dependent as woman is during all the earlier and all the later years of her life, and subjected as she is to the control, and too often, alas ! to the caprice and injustice of man, there is a period — brief, it is true — when she is herself in power ; and such characters as Anne Maria like to exercise their authority, while they feel that they possess it, with a pretty high hand. Charles seems to have felt the necessity of submitting to the in- convenience of Anne Maria's capricious delays, and, as long as she continued to only make ex- cuses and objections instead of giving him a di- rect and positive refusal, he was led to persevere. Accordingly, not long after the conversations which his messenger had held with the lady as already described, he determined to come him- self to France, and see if he could not accom- plish something by his own personal exertions. He accordingly advanced to Peronne, which was not far from the frontier, and sent forward a courier to announce his approach. The royal family concluded to go out in their carriages to meet him. They were at this time at a famous royal resort a few leagues from Paris, called Compiegne. Charles was to dine at Compi- egne, and then to proceed on toward Paris, where 1649.] Anne Maria. 129 The royal family ride out to meet Charles. Remark of the queen regent. he had business to transact connected with his political plans. Anne Maria gives a minute account of the ride of the royal family to meet Charles on his approach to Compiegne, and of the interview with him, on her part, which attended it. She dressed herself in the morning, she says, with great care, and had her hair curled, which she seldom did except on very special occasions. When she entered the carriage to go out to meet the king, the queen regent, observing her appearance, said archly, " How easy it is to tell when young ladies expect to meet their lovers." Anne Maria says that she had a great mind to tell her, in reply, that it ivas easy, for those who had had a great deal of experience in prepar- ing to meet lovers themselves. She did not, however, say this, and the forbearance seems to show that there was, after all, the latent ele- ment of discretion and respect for superiors in her character, though it showed itself so seldom in action. They rode out several miles to meet the com- ing king ; and when the two parties met, they all alighted, and saluted each other by the road side, the ladies and gentlemen that accompa- nied them standing around. Anne Maria no- I 130 King Charles II. [1649. The meeting at Compiegne. Anne Maria's displeasure. ticed that Charles addressed the king and queen regent first, and then her. After a short de- lay they got into their carriages again — King Charles entering the carriage with their majes- ties and Anne Maria — and they rode together thus back to Compiegne. Anne Maria, however, does not seem to have been in a mood to be pleased. She says that Charles began to talk with the king — Louis XIV. — who was now twelve years old, about the dogs and horses, and the hunting customs in the country of the Prince of Orange. He talked on these subjects fluently enough in the French language, but when afterward the queen regent, who would naturally be interested in a different class of topics, asked him about the affairs of his own kingdom and his plans for re- covering it, he excused himself by saying that he did not speak French well enough to give her the information. Anne Maria says she de- termined from that moment not to conclude the marriage, "for I conceived a very poor opinion of him, being a king, and at his age, to have no knowledge of his affairs." Such minds as Anne Maria's are seldom very logical ; but such an inference as this, that he was ignorant of his own affairs because he declined explaining plans 1650.] Anne Maria. 131 Charles eats no ortolans. Anne Maria's displeasure. whose success depended on secrecy in such a company as that, and in a language with which, though he could talk about dogs and horses in it, he was still very imperfectly acquainted, is far too great a jump from premises to conclu- sion to be honestly made. It is very evident that Anne Maria was not disposed to be pleased. They arrived at Compiegne. As the king was going on that evening, dinner was served soon after they arrived. Anne Maria says he ate no ortolans, a very expensive and rare dish of little birds, which had been prepared expressly for this dinner in honor of the royal guest,* " but flung himself upon a piece of beef and a shoul- der of mutton, as if there had been nothing else at table. After dinner, when we were in the drawing-room, the queen amused herself with the other ladies and gentlemen, and left him with me. He was a quarter of an hour with- out speaking a word ; but I am willing to be- lieve that his silence was the result of respect rather than any want of passion, though on this * The ortolan is a very small bird, which is fattened in lamp-lighted rooms at great expense, because it is found to be of a more delicate flavor when excluded from the day- light. They come from the island of Cyprus, and have been famous in every age of the world as an article of royal lux- ury. 132 King Charles II. [1650. Charles's silence. Departure ior Paris. occasion, I frankly confess, I could have wished it less plainly exhibited. After a while, getting tired of his tediousness, I called another lady to my side, to see if she could not make him talk. She succeeded. Presently one of the gentlemen of the party came to me and said, He kept looking at you all dinner time, and is looking at you still. To which I replied, He has plenty of time to look at me before he will please me, if he does not speak. The gentle- man rejoined, Oh, he has said tender things enough to you, no doubt, only you don't like to admit it. To which I answered, Come and seat yourself by me the next time he is at my side, and hear for yourself how he talks about it." She says she then went and addressed the king herself, asking him various questions about persons who were in his suite, and that he answered them all with an air of mere com- mon politeness, without any gallantry at all. Finally, the hour for the departure of Charles and his party arrived, and the carriages came to the door. The French king, together with his mother, and Anne Maria, and the usual at- tendants, accompanied them some miles into the forest on their way, and then, all alighting, as they had done when they met in the morn- 1650.] Anne Maria. 133 The farewell in the forest. Anne Maria's account of it. ing, they took leave of each other with the usu- al ceremonies of such occasions. Charles, after bidding King Louis farewell, advanced with Lord Germain, who was present in his suite at that time, to Anne Maria, and she gives the fol- lowing rather petulant account of what passed : " ' I believe,' said Charles, ' that my Lord Ger- main, who speaks French better than I do, has explained to you my sentiments and my inten- tion. I am your very obedient servant.' I an- swered that I was equally his obedient servant. Germain paid me a great number of compli- ments, the king standing by. After they were over, the king bowed and departed." Charles, who had been all his life living rouo-h- ly in camps, felt naturally ill at ease in the brill- iant scenes of ceremony and splendor which the French court presented ; and this embarrass- ment was greatly increased by the haughty air and manner, and the ill-concealed raillery of the lady whose favorable regard he was so anxious to secure. His imperfect knowledge of the lan- guage, and his sense of the gloomy uncertainty of his own prospects in life, tended strongly to increase his distrust of himself and his timidi- ty. We should have wished that he could have experienced somewhat kinder treatment from 134 King Charles II. [1650. Charles's motives. A new opening for Anne Maria. the object of his regard, were it not that his character, and especially his subsequent histo- ry, show that he was entirely mercenary and selfish himself in seeking her hand. If we can ever, in any instance, pardon the caprice and wanton cruelty of a coquette, it is when these qualities are exercised in thwarting the designs of a heartless speculator, who is endeavoring to fill his coffers with money by offering in ex- change for it a mere worthless counterfeit of love. Charles seems to have been totally discour- aged by the result of this unfortunate dinner party at Compiegne. He went to Paris, and from Paris he went to St. Germain's, where he remained for several months with his mother, revolving in his mind his fallen fortunes, and forming almost hopeless schemes for seeking to restore them. In the mean time, the wife whom the Emperor of Germany had married instead of Anne Maria, died, and the young belle sprang immediately into the excitement of a new hope of attaining the great object of her ambition after all. The emperor was fifty years of age, and had four children, but he was the Emper- or of Germany, and that made amends for all. Anne .Maria immediately began to lay her trains 1650.] Anne Maria. 135 Anne Maria's plans. Her farewell visit. again for becoming his bride. What her plans were, and how they succeeded, we shall, per- haps, have occasion hereafter to describe. Though her heart was thus set upon having the emperor for her husband, she did not like, in the mean time, quite to give up her younger and more agreeable beau. Besides, her plans of marrying the emperor might fail, and Charles might succeed in recovering his kingdom. It was best, therefore, not to bring the negotia- tion with him to too absolute a close. When the time arrived, therefore, for Charles to take his departure, she thought she would just ride out to St. Germain's and pay her respects to Queen Henrietta, and bid the young king good-by. Neither Queen Henrietta nor her son at- tempted to renew the negotiation of his suite on the occasion of this visit. The queen told Anne Maria, on the other hand, that she supposed she ought to congratulate her on the death of the Empress of Germany, for, though the negotia- tion for her marriage with him had failed on a former occasion, she had no doubt it would be resumed now, and would be successful. Anne Maria replied, with an air of indifference, that she did not know or think any thing about it. The queen then said that she knew of a young 136 King Charles II. [1650. Henrietta's remarks. A party. man, not very far from them, who thought that a king of nineteen years of age was better for a husband than a man of fifty, a widower with four children, even if he was an emperor. " However," said she, " we do not know what turn things may take. My son may succeed in recovering his kingdom, and then, perhaps, if you should be in a situation to do so, you may listen more favorably to his addresses." Anne Maria was not to return directly back to Paris. She was going to visit her sisters, who lived at a little distance beyond. The Duke of York, that is, Henrietta's son James, then fourteen or fifteen years old, proposed to accompany her. She consented. Charles then proposed to go too. Anne Maria objected to this, saying that it was not quite proper. She had no objection to James's going, as he was a mere youth. Queen Henrietta removed her ob- jection by offering to join the party herself; so they all went together. Anne Maria says that Charles treated her with great politeness and attention all the way, and paid her many com- pliments, but made no attempt to bring up again, in any way, the question of his suit. She was very glad he did not, she says, for her mind being now occupied with the plan of mar- 1650.] Anne Maria. 137 The marriage broken up. Charles turns to other subjects. rying the emperor, nothing that he could have said would have done any good. Thus the question was considered as virtually settled, and King Charles, soon after, turned his thoughts toward executing the plans which he had been long resolving for the recovery of his kingdom. 138 King Charles IT. [1650. Charles resolves on an expedition into Scotland. His followers. Chapter VII. The Royal Oak of Boscobel. TT was in June, 1650, about eighteen months -*- after the decapitation of his father, that Charles was ready to set out on his expedition to attempt the recovery of his rights to the En- glish throne. He was but twenty years of age. He took with him no army, no supplies, no re- sources. He had a small number of attendants and followers, personally interested themselves in his success, and animated also, probably, by some degree of disinterested attachment to him. It was, however, on the whole, a desperate en- terprise. Queen Henrietta, in her retirement at the Louvre, felt very anxious about the re- sult of it. Charles himself, too, notwithstand- ing his own buoyant and sanguine tempera- ment, and the natural confidence and hope per- taining to his years, must have felt many fore- bodings. But his condition on the Continent was getting every month more and more desti- tute and forlorn. He was a mere guest wherev- er he went, and destitute of means as he was, 1630.] Royal Oak of Boscobel, 139 Charles's three kingdoms. Public feeling in Scotland. he found himself continually sinking in public consideration. Money as well as rank is very essentially necessary to make a relative a wel- come guest, for any long time, in aristocratic circles. Charles concluded, therefore, that, all things considered, it was best for him to make a desperate effort to recover his kingdoms. His kingdoms were three, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Ireland was a conquered kingdom. Scotland, like England, had descended to him from his ancestors ; for his grandfather, James VI., was king of Scotland, and being on his mother's side a descendant of an Eno-lish king, he was, of course, one of the heirs of the English crown ; and on the failure of the other heirs, he succeeded to that crown, retaining still his own. Thus both kingdoms descended to Charles. It was only the English kingdom that had really rebelled against, and put to death King Charles's father. There had been a great deal of difficulty in Scotland, it is true, and the re- publican spirit had spread quite extensively in that country. Still, affairs had not proceeded to such extremities there. The Scotch had, in some degree, joined with the English in resisting Charles the First, but it was not their wish to throw off the royal authority altogether. They 140 King Charles II. [1650. Demands of the Scotch. Charles lands in Scotland. abhorred episcopacy in the Church, but were well enough contented with monarchy in the state. Accordingly, soon after the death of the father, they had opened negotiations with the son, and had manifested their willingness to acknowledge him as their king, on certain con- ditions which they undertook to prescribe to him. It is very hard for a king to hold his scepter on conditions prescribed by his people. Charles tried every possible means to avoid sub- mitting to this necessity. He found, however, that the only possible avenue of access to En- gland was by first getting some sort of posses- sion of Scotland ; and so, signifying his willing- ness to comply with the Scotch demands, he set sail from Holland with his court, moved north- ward with his little squadron over the waters of the German Ocean, and at length made port in the Frith of Cromarty, in the north of Scot- land. The Scotch government, having but little faith in the royal word of such a youth as Charles, would not allow him to land until he had for- mally signed their covenant, by which he bound himself to the conditions which they had thought it necessary to impose. He then landed. But he found his situation verv far from such as 1650.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 141 Negotiations and debates. Charles crowned King of Scotland. comported with his ideas of royal authority and state. Charles was a gay, dissipated, reckless young man. The men whom he had to deal with were stern, sedate, and rigid religionists. They were scandalized at the looseness and ir- regularity of his character and manners. He was vexed and tormented by what he consider- ed their ascetic bigotry, by the restraints which they were disposed to put upon his conduct, and the limits with which they insisted on bound- ing his authority. Long negotiations and de- bates ensued, each party becoming more and more irritated against the other. At last, on one occasion, Charles lost his patience entirely, and made his escape into the mountains, in hopes to raise an army there among the clans of wild Highlanders, who, accustomed from infancy to the most implicit obedience to their chieftains, are always very loyal to their king. The Scotch nobles, however, not wishing to drive him to ex- tremities, sent for him to come back, and both parties becoming after this somewhat more con- siderate and accommodating, they at length came to an agreement, and proceeding together to Scone, a village some miles north of Edin- burgh, they crowned Charles King of Scotland in a venerable abbey there, the ancient place 142 King Charles II. [1650. Cromwell marches against Scotland. Charles invades England. of coronation for all the raonarchs of the Scot- tish line. In the mean time, Cromwell, who was at the head of the republican government of England, knowing very well that Charles's plan would be to march into England as soon as he could ma- ture his arrangements for such an enterprise, determined to anticipate this design by declar- ing war himself against Scotland, and marching an army there. Charles felt comparatively little interest in what became of Scotland. His aim was En- gland. He knew, or supposed that there was a very large portion of the English people who secretly favored his cause, and he believed that if he could once cross the frontier, even with a small army, these his secret friends would all rise at once and flock to his standard. Still he attempted for a time to resist Cromwell in Scot- land, but without success. Cromwell penetrated to the heart of the country, and actually passed the army of Charles. In these circumstances, Charles resolved to leave Scotland to its fate, and boldly to cross the English frontier, to see what he could do by raising his standard in his southern kingdom. The army acceded to this plan with acclamations. The king accordingly 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 143 Public feeling in England. Cavaliers and Roundheads. put his forces in motion, crossed the frontier, issued his manifestoes, and sent around couriers and heralds, announcing to the whole popula- tion that their king had come, and summoning all his subjects to arm themselves and hasten to his aid. This was in the summer of 1651, the year after his landing in Scotland. It certainly was a very bold and almost des- perate measure, and the reader, whether Mon- archist or Republican, can hardly help wishing the young adventurer success. The romantic enterprise was, however, destined to fail. The people of England were not yet prepared to re- turn to royalty. Some few of the ancient noble families and country gentlemen adhered to the king's cause, but they came in to join his ranks very slowly. Those who were in favor of the king were called Cavalier's. The other party were called Roundheads. Queen Henrietta Maria had given them the name, on account of their manner of wearing their hair, cut short and close to their heads all around, while the gay Cavaliers cultivated their locks, which hung in long curls down upon their shoulders. The Cavaliers, it turned out, were few, while the Roundheads filled the land. It was, however, impossible for Charles to 144 King Charles II. [1651. Cromwell follows Charles. Scenes of confusion and misery. retreat, since Cromwell was behind him ; for Cromwell, as soon as he found that his enemy had actually gone into England, paused only long enough to recover from his surprise, and then made all haste to follow him. The two armies thus moved down through the very heart of England, carrying every where, as they went, universal terror, confusion, and dismay. The whole country was thrown into extreme excite- ment. Every body was called upon to take sides, and thousands were perplexed and unde- cided which side to take. Families were di- vided, brothers separated, fathers and sons were ready to fight each other in their insane zeal, the latter for the Parliament, the former for the king. The whole country was filled with ru- mors, messengers, parties of soldiers going to and fro, and troops of horsemen, with robberies, plunderings, murders, and other deeds of vio- lence without number, and all the other ele- ments of confusion and misery which arouse the whole population of a country to terror and dis- tress, and mar the very face of nature in time of civil war. What dreadful struggles man will make to gain the pleasure of ruling his fel- low-man ! Along the frontiers of England and Wales 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 147 The River Severn. Situation of Worcester. there flows the beautiful River Severn, which widens majestically at its mouth, and passes by the Bristol Channel to the sea. One of the largest towns upon this river is Worcester. It was in those days strongly fortified. It stands on the eastern side of the river, with a great bridge opposite one of the gates leading across the Severn in the direction toward Wales. There are other bridges on the stream, both above and below, and many towns and villages in the vicinity, the whole presenting, at ordinary times, a delightful scene of industry and peace. Worcester is, perhaps, three hundred miles from the frontiers of Scotland, on the way to London, though somewhat to the westward of the direct route. Charles's destination was the capital. He pushed on, notwithstanding the difficulties and disappointments which embar- rassed his march, until at last, when he reached the banks of the Severn, he found he could go no further. His troops and his officers were wearied, faint, and discouraged. His hopes had not been realized, and while it was obviously dangerous to stop, it seemed still more danger- ous to go on. However, as the authorities of Worcester were disposed to take sides with the king, Charles determined to stop there for a lit- 148 King Charles II. [1651. Charles proclaimed king. Skirmishes with Cromwell's forces. tie time, at all events, to refresh his army, and consider what to do. He was received in the city with all due hon- ors. He was proclaimed king on the following day, with great parade and loud acclamations. He established a camp in the neighborhood of the city. He issued great proclamations, call- ing upon all the people of the surrounding coun- try to come and espouse his cause. He estab- lished his court, organized his privy council, and, in a word, perfected, on a somewhat hum- ble scale it is true, all the arrangements proper to the condition of a monarch in his capital. He began, perhaps, in fact, to imagine himself really a king. If he did so, however, the illu- sion was soon dispelled. In one short week Cromwell's army came on, filling all the ave- nues of approach to the city, and exhibiting a force far too great, apparently, either for Charles to meet in battle, or to defend himself from in a siege. Charles's forces fought several preliminary battles and skirmishes in resisting the attempts of Cromwell's columns to get possession of the bridges and fords by which they were to cross the river. These contests resulted always in the same way. The detachments which Charles 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 149 .The great battle. Charles defeated. had sent forward to defend these points were one after another driven in, while Charles, with his council of war around him, watched from the top of the tower of a church within the city this gradual and irresistible advance of his de- termined enemy with an anxiety which grad- ually deepened into dismay. The king, finding his situation now desperate, determined to make one final attempt to retrieve his fallen fortunes. He formed his troops in array, and marched out to give the advancing army battle. He put himself at the head of a troop of Highlanders, and fought in person with the courage and recklessness of despair. The officers knew full well that it was a question of victory or death ; for if they did not conquer, they must die, either by wounds on the field of battle, or else, if taken prisoners, by being hung as traitors, or beheaded in the Tower. All possibility of escape, entrapped and surrounded as they were in the very heart of the country, hundreds of miles from the frontiers, seemed utterly hopeless. They fought, therefore, with reckless and desperate fury, but all was in vain. They were repulsed and driven in on all sides, and the soldiers fled at length, carrying the of- ficers with them, in tumult and disorder, back through the gates into the city. 150 King Charles IT. [1651. Charles retreats. He attempts to rally his forces. An army flying in confusion to seek refuge in a city can not shut the gates behind them against their pursuers. In fact, in such a scene of terror and dismay, there is no order, no obedi- ence, no composure. At the gate where Charles endeavored to get back into the city, he found the way choked up by a heavy ammunition cart which had been entangled there, one of the oxen that had been drawing it being killed. The throngs of men and horsemen were stopped by this disaster. The king dismounted, abandoned his horse, and made his way through and over the obstruction as he could. When he got into the city, he found all in confusion there. His men were throwing away their arms, and press- ing onward in their flight. He lightened his own burdens by laying aside the heaviest of his armor, procured another horse, and rode up and down among his men, urging and entreating them to form again and face the enemy. He plead the justice of his cause, their duty to be faithful to their rightful sovereign, and every other argument which was capable of being ex- pressed in the shouts and vociferations which, in such a scene, constitute the only kind of communication possible with panic-stricken men ; and when he found that all was in vain, 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 151 The rout. Charles escapes from the city. he said, in despair, that he would rather they would shoot him on the spot than let him live to witness such an abandonment of his cause by the only friends and followers that had been left to him. The powerful influence which these expostu- lations would otherwise have had, was lost and overborne in the torrent of confusion and terror which was spreading through all the streets of the city. The army of Cromwell forced their passage in, and fought their way from street to street, wherever they found any remaining re- sistance. Some of the king's troops were hemmed up in corners, and cut to pieces. Oth- ers, somewhat more fortunate, sought protec- tion in towers and bastions, where they could make some sort of conditions with their victo- rious enemy before surrendering. Charles him- self, finding that all was lost, made his escape at last from the city, at six o'clock in the even- ing, at the head of a troop of horse. He could not, however, endure the thought of giving up the contest, after all. Again and again, as he slowly retreated, he stopped to face about, and to urge his men to consent to turn back again and encounter the enemy. Their last halt was upon a bridge half a mile from the city Here 152 King Charles II. [1651. Charles holds a consultation. His followers. the king held a consultation with the few re- maining counselors and officers that were with him, surveying, with them, the routed and fly- ing bodies of men, who were now throwing away their arms and dispersing in all directions, in a state of hopeless disorganization and despair. The king saw plainly that his cause was irre- trievably ruined, and they all agreed that noth- ing now remained for them but to make their escape back to Scotland, if by any possibility that could now be done. But how should they accomplish this end ? To follow the multitude of defeated soldiers would be to share the certain capture and death which awaited them, and they were themselves all strangers to the country. To go on inquiring all the way would only expose them to equally certain discovery and capture. The first thing, however, obviously was to get away from the crowd. Charles and his attendants, therefore, turned aside from the high road — there were with the king fifty or sixty officers and noble- men, all mounted men — and moved along in such secluded by-paths as they could find. The king wished to diminish even this- number of followers, but he could not get any of them to leave him. He complained afterward, in the 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 153 The guides. The party get lost. account which he gave of these adventures, that, though they would not fight for him when battle was to be given, he could not get rid of them when the time came for flight. There was a servant of one of the gentlemen in the company who pretended to know the way, and he accordingly undertook to guide the par- ty ; but as soon as it became dark he got con- fused and lost, and did not know what to do. They contrived, however, to get another guide. They went ten miles, attracting no particular attention, for at such a time of civil war a coun- try is full of parties of men, armed and un- armed, going to and fro, who are allowed gen- erally to move without molestation, as the in- habitants are only anxious to have as little as possible to say to them, that they may the soon- er be gone. The royal party assumed the air and manner of one of these bands as long as daylight lasted, and when that was gone they went more securely and at their ease. After proceeding ten miles, they stopped at an ob- scure inn, where they took some drink and a little bread, and then resumed their journey, consulting with one another as they went as to what it was best to do. About ten or twelve miles further on there 154 King Charles II. [1651. Situation of Boscobel. Places of refuge. was a somewhat wild and sequestered region, in which there were two very secluded dwell- ings, about half a mile from each other. One of these residences was named Boscobel. The name had been given to it by a guest of the pro- prietor, at an entertainment which the latter had given, from the Italian words bosco bello, which mean beautiful grove. It was in or near a wood, and away from all high roads, having been built, probably, like many other of the dwellings reared in those days, as a place of re- treat. In the preceding reigns of Charles and Elizabeth, the Catholics, who were called po- pish recusants, on account of their refusing- to take an oath acknowledging the supremacy of the British sovereign over the English Church, had to resort to all possible modes of escape from Protestant persecution. They built these retreats in retired and secluded places, and constructed all sorts of concealed and secure hiding-places within them, in the partitions and walls, where men whose lives were in danger might be concealed for many days. Boscobel was such a mansion. In fact, one of the king's generals, the Earl of Derby, had been concealed in it but a short time before. The king in- quired particularly about it, and was induced himself to seek refuge thorp. 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 155 The White Ladies' Convent. The Penderels. This house belonged to a family of Giffards, one of whom was in the suite of King Charles at this time. There was another mansion about half a mile distant. This other place had been originally, in the Catholic days, a con- vent, and the nuns who inhabited it dressed in white. They were called, accordingly, the white ladies, and the place itself received the same name, which it retained after the sisters were gone. Mr. GifFard recommended going to the White Ladies' first. He wanted, in fact, to con- trive some way to relieve the king of the en- cumbrance of so large a troop before going to Boscobel. They went, accordingly, to the White Ladies'. Neither of the houses was occupied at this time by the proprietors, but were in charge of house- keepers and servants. Among the tenants upon the estate there were several brothers of the name of Penderel. They were woodmen and farm servants, living at different places in the neighborhood, and having charge, some of them, of the houses above described. One of the Pen- derels was at the White Ladies'. He let the fugitives in, tired, exhausted, and hungry as they were, with the fatigue of marching nearly all the night. They sent immediately for Rich- 156 King Charles II. [1651. Disguise of the king. Disposal of the jewels. ard Penderel, who lived in a farm-house near by, and for another brother, who was at Bosco- bel. They took the king into an inner room, and immediately commenced the work of effect- ually disguising him. They gave him clothes belonging to some of the servants of the family, and destroyed his own. The king had about his person a watch and some costly decorations, such as orders of knighthood set in jewels, which would betray his rank if found in his possession. These the king distributed among his friends, intrusting them to the charge of such as he judged most likely to effect their escape. They then cut off his hair short all over, thus making him a Roundhead instead of a Cavalier. They rubbed soot from the fire-place over his face, to change the expression of his features and complexion. They gave him thus, in all respects, as nearly as possible, the guise of a squalid peasant and laborer of the humblest class, accustomed to the privations and to the habits of poverty. In the mean time Richard Penderel arrived. Perhaps an intimation had been given him of the wishes of the king to be relieved of his com- pany of followers ; at any rate, he urged the whole retinue, as soon as he came to the house, 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 157 Charles separates from his followers. His concealment. to press forward without any delay, as there was a detachment of Cromwell's forces, he said, at three miles' distance, who might be expected at any moment to come in pursuit of them. Giffard brought Penderel then into the inner room to which the king had retired. " This is the king," said he. " I commit him to your charge. Take care of him." Richard undertook the trust. He told the king that he must immediately leave that place, and he conducted him secretly, all disguised as he was, out of a postern door, without making known his design to any of his followers, ex- cept the two or three who were in immediate attendance upon him. He led him away about half a mile into a wood, and, concealing him there, left him alone, saying he would go and see what intelligence he could obtain, and pres- ently return again. The troop of followers, in the mean time, from whom the king had been so desirous to get free, when they found that he was gone, mounted their horses and rode away, to escape the danger with which Richard had threatened them. But, alas for the unhap- py fugitives, they did not get far in their flight ; they were overtaken, attacked, conquered, cap- tured, and treated as traitors. Some were shot, 158 Ktng Charles II. [1651. The king's forlorn condition. The rain. one was beheaded, and others were shut up in prisons, where they pined in hopeless privation and suffering for many years. There was, how- ever, one of the king's followers who did not go away with the rest. It was Lord Wilraot, an influential nobleman, who concealed himself in the vicinity, and kept near the king in all his subsequent wanderings. But we must return to the king in the wood. It was about sunrise when he was left there, the morning after the battle. It rained. The king tried in vain to find a shelter under the trees of the forest. The trees themselves were soon thoroughly saturated, and they received the driving rain from the skies only to let the water fall in heavier drops upon the poor fugi- tive's defenseless head. Richard borrowed a blanket at a cottage near, thinking that it would afford some protection, and brought it to his charge. The king folded it up to make a cush- ion to sit upon ; for, worn out as he was with hard fighting all the day before, and hard rid- ing all the night, he could not stand ; so he chose to use his blanket as a protection from the wet ground beneath him, and to take the rain upon his head as it fell. Richard sent a peasant's wife to him present- 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 159 Woman's fidelity. Weary pastime. ly with some food. Charles, who never had any great respect for the female sex, was alarm- ed to find that a woman had been intrusted with such a secret. " My good woman," said he, " can you be faithful to a distressed Cavalier?" " Yes, sir," said she ; " I will die rather than betray you." Charles had, in fact, no occasion to fear. Woman is, indeed, communicative and confiding, and often, in unguarded hours, reveals indiscreetly what it would have been better to have withheld ; but in all cases where real and important trusts are committed to her keeping, there is no human fidelity which can be more safely relied upon than hers. Charles remained in the wood all the day, ex- posed to the pelting of the storm. There was a road in sight, a sort of by-way leading across the country, and the monarch beguiled the wea- ry hours as well as he could by watching this road from under the trees, to see if any soldiers came along. There was one troop that appear- ed, but it passed directly by, marching heavily through the mud and rain, the men intent, ap- parently, only on reaching their journey's end. When night came on, Richard Penderel return- ed, approaching cautiously, and, finding all safe, took the king into the house with him. They 160 King Charles II. [1651. The king's thoughts in the wood. He resolves to escape into Wales. brought him to the fire, changed and dried his clothes, and gave him supper. The homeless monarch once more enjoyed the luxuries of warmth and shelter. During all the day, while he had been alono in the wood, he had been revolving in his mind the strange circumstances of his situation, vain- ly endeavoring, for many hours, to realize what seemed at first like a dreadful dream. Could it be really true that he, the monarch of three kingdoms, so recently at the head of a victori- ous army, and surrounded by generals and of- ficers of state, was now a friendless and solitary fugitive, without even a place to hide his head from the cold autumnal storm ? It seemed at first a dream ; but it soon became a reality, and he began to ponder, in every form, the question what he should do. He looked east, west, north, and south, but could not see, in any quarter, any hope of succor, or any reason- able prospect of escape. He, however, arrived at the conclusion, before night came on, that it would be, on the whole, the best plan for him to attempt to escape into Wales. He was very near the frontier of that coun- try. There was no difficulty to be apprehend- ed on the road thither, excepting in the cross- 1651.] Royal Oak op Boscobel. 161 Richard enters into the king's plan. They set out on their journey; ing of the Severn, which, as has already been remarked, flows from north to south not far from the line of the frontier. He thought, too, that if he could once succeed in getting into Wales, he could find secure retreats among the mountains there until he should be able to make his way to some sea-port on the coast trading with France, and so find his way back across the Channel. He proposed this plan to Richard in the evening, and asked him to ac- company him as his guide. Richard readily consented, and the arrangements for the jour- ney were made. They adjusted the king's dress again to complete his disguise, and Rich- ard gave him a bill-hook — a sort of woodman's tool — to carry in his hand. It was agreed, also, that his name should be Will Jones so far as there should be any necessity for designating him by a name in 'the progress of the journey. They set out at nine o'clock that same night, in the darkness and rain. They wished to get to Madely, a town near the river, before the morning. Richard, knew a gentleman there, a friend of the Royalist cause, who he thought would shelter them, and aid them in getting across the river. They went on very well for some time, until they came to a stream, a J i . - ~ ~ - "-v 162 King Charles II. [1651. The miller and the mill. The pursuit. branch of the Severn, where there was a bridge, and on the other side a mill. The miller hap- pened to be watching that night at his door. At such times every body is on the alert, sus- pecting mischief or danger in every unusual sight or sound. Hearing the footsteps, he call- ed out, " Who goes there?" " Neighbors," re- plied Richard. The king was silent. He had been previously charged by Richard not to speak, except when it could not possibly be avoided, as he had not the accent of the coun- try. " Stop, then," said the miller, " if you be neighbors." The travelers only pressed for- ward the faster for this challenge. " Stop !" repeated the miller, " if you be neighbors, or I will knock you down ;" and he ran out in pur- suit of them, armed apparently with the means of executing his threat. Richard fled, the king closely following him. They turned into a lane, and ran a long distance, the way being in many places so dark that the king, in following Rich- ard, was guided only by the sound of his foot- steps, and the creaking of the leather dress which such peasants were accustomed in those days to wear. They crept along, however, as silently, and yet as rapidly as possible, until at length Richard turned suddenly aside, leaped 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 163 Arrival at Madely. Interview with Mr. Woolf. over a sort of gap in the hedge, and crouched down in the trench on the other side. Here they remained for some time, listening to as- certain whether they were pursued. When they found that all was still, they crept forth from their hiding-places, regained the road, and went on their way. At length they arrived at the town. Rich- ard left the king concealed in an obscure cor- ner of the street, while he went to the house of Mr. "Woolf to see if he could obtain admission. All was dark and still. He knocked till he had aroused some of the family, and finally brought Mr. Woolf to the door. He told Mr. Woolf that he came to ask shel- ter for a gentleman who was wishing to get into Wales, and who could not safely travel by day. Mr. Woolf hesitated, and began to ask for further information in respect to the stran- ger. Richard said that he was an officer who had made his escape from the battle of Wor- cester. " Then," said Mr. Woolf, « I should hazard my life by concealing him, which I should not be willing to do for any body, un- less it were the king." Richard then told him that it was his majesty. On hearing this, Mr. Woolf decided at once to admit and conceal 164 King Charles II. [1651. Reception at Mr. Woolf 's. Concealment in the barn. the travelers, and Richard went back to bring the king. When they arrived at the house, they found Mr. Woolf making preparations for their recep- tion. They placed the king by the fire to warm and dry his clothes, and they gave him such food as could be provided on so sudden an emerg- ency. As the morning was now approaching, it was necessary to adopt some plan of conceal- ment for the day, and Mr. Woolf decided upon concealing his guests in his barn. He said that there were holes and hiding-places built in his house, but that they had all been discovered on some previous search, and, in case of any sus- picion or alarm, the officers would go directly to them all. He took the travelers, accordingly, to the barn, and concealed them there among the hay. He said that he would himself, dur- ing the day, make inquiries in respect to the practicability of their going on upon their jour- ney, and come and report to them in the evening. Accordingly, when the evening came, Mr. Woolf returned, relieved them from their con- finement, and took them back again to the house. His report, however, in respect to the continuance of their journey, was very unfavor- able. He thought it would be impossible, he 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 165 The king advised to return. said, for them to cross the Severn. The Repub- lican forces had stationed guards at all the bridg- es, ferries, and fords, and at every other prac- ticable place of crossing, and no one was allow- ed to pass without a strict examination. The country was greatly excited, too, with the in- telligence of the king's escape ; rewards were offered for his apprehension, and heavy penal- ties denounced upon all who should harbor or conceal him. Under these circumstances, Mr. Woolf recommended that Charles should go back to Boscobel, and conceal himself as se- curely as possible there, until some plan could be devised for effecting his escape from the country. The king had no alternative but to accede to this plan. He waited at Mr. Woolf 's house till midnight, in order that the movement in the streets of the town might have time entirely to subside, and then ^disappointed and discouraged by the failure of his hopes, he prepared to set out upon his return. Mr. Woolf made some changes in his disguise, and bathed his face in a decoction of walnut leaves, which he had prepared during the day, to alter his complex- ion, which was naturally very dark and pecu- liar, and thus exposed him to danger of discov- 166 King Charles II. [1651. The return journey. Fording the river. ery. When all was ready, the two travelers bade their kind host farewell, and crept forth again through the silent streets, to return, by the way they came, back to Boscobel. They went on very well till they began to approach the branch stream where they had met with their adventure with the miller. They could not cross this stream by the bridge with- out going by the mill again, which they were both afraid to do. The king proposed that they should go a little way below, and ford the stream. Richard was afraid to attempt this, as he could not swim ; and as the night was dark, and the current rapid, there would be imminent danger of their getting beyond their depth. Charles said that he could swim, and that he would, ac- cordingly, go first and try the water. They groped their way down, therefore, to the bank, and Charles, leaving his guide upon the land, waded in, and soon disappeared from view as he receded from the shore. He returned, how- ever, after a short time, in safety, and reported the passage practicable, as the water was only three or four feet deep ; so, taking Richard by the hand, he led him into the stream. It was a dismal and dangerous undertaking, wading thus through a deep and rapid current in dark- 1651.] Royal Oak op Boscobel. 167 Arrival at Boscobel. The king's exhausted condition. ness and cold, but they succeeded in passing safely over. They reached Boscobel before the morning dawned, and Richard, when they arrived, left the king in the wood while he went toward the house to reconnoiter, and see if all was safe. He found within an officer of the king's army, a certain Colonel Carlis, who had fled from Wor- cester some time after the king had left the field, and, being acquainted with the situation of Boscobel, had sought refuge there ; William Penderel, who had remained in charge of Bos- cobel, having received and secreted him when he arrived. Richard and William brought Colonel Carlis out into the wood to see the king. They found him sitting upon the ground at the foot of a tree, entirely exhausted. He was worn out with hardship and fatigue. They took him to the house. They brought him to the fire, and gave him some food. The colonel drew off liis maj- esty's heavy peasant shoes and coarse stockings. They were soaked with water and full of gravel. The colonel bathed his feet, which were sadly swollen and blistered, and, as there were no oth- er shoes in the house which would answer for him to wear, Dame Penderel warmed and dried 168 Kino Ciiari.es II. [1651. Colonel Carlis. The oak. those which the colonel had taken off, by filling •them with hot ashes from the fire, and then put them on again. The king continued to enjoy such sort of com- forts as these during the night, but when the morning drew near it became necessary to look out for some place of concealment. The Pen- derels thought that no place within the house would be safe, for there was danger every hour of the arrival of a band of soldiers, who would not fail to search the mansion most effectually in every part. There was the wood near by, which was very secluded and solitary ; but still they feared that, in case of a search, the wood would be explored as effectually as the dwelling. Under these circumstances, Carlis was looking around, perplexed and uncertain, not knowing what to do, when he perceived some scattered oaks standing by themselves in a field not far from the house, one of which seemed to be so full and dense in its foliage as to afford some hope of concealment there. The tree, it seems, had been headed down once or twice, and this pruning had had the effect, usual in such cases, of making the branches spread and grow very thick and full. The colonel thought that though, in making a search for fugitives, men might 1651.] Royal Oak of Bosgobel. 171 The kins: takes shelter in the oak. very naturally explore a thicket or a grove, they would not probably think of examining a de- tached and solitary tree ; he proposed, accord- ingly, that the king and himself should climb up into this spreading oak, and conceal them- selves for the day among its branches. The king consented to this plan. They took some provisions, therefore, as soon as the day began to dawn, and something to answer the purpose of a cushion, and proceeded to the tree. By the help of William and Richard the king and the colonel climbed up, and established themselves in the top. The colonel placed the cushion for the king on the best support among the limbs that he could find. The bread and cheese, and a small bottle of beer, which Rich- ard and William had brought for their day's supplies, they suspended to a branch within their reach. The colonel then seated himself a little above the king, in such a manner that the monarch's head could rest conveniently in his lap, and in as easy a position as it was possi- ble, under such circumstances, to attain. Rich- ard and William, then, after surveying the place of retreat all around from below, in order to be sure that the concealment afforded by the foliage was every where complete, went away, promising to keep faithful watch during the day, 17*2 King Charles II. [1651 Situation of the king in the oak. Hi3 sufferings. and to return in the evening. All things being thus arranged in the oak, the colonel bade his majesty to close his eyes and go to sleep, say- ing that he would take good care that he did not fall. The king followed his directions, and slept safely for many hours. In the course of the day the king and Carlis saw, by means of the openings between the leaves, through which, as through loop-holes in a tower, they continually reconnoitered the sur- rounding fields, men passing to and fro, some of whom they imagined to be soldiers searching the wood. They were hot, however, themselves molested. They passed the day undisturbed, except by the incessant anxiety and alarm which they necessarily suffered, and the fatigue and pain, which must have become almost intolera- ble before night, from their constrained and com- fortless position. Night, however, came at last, and relieved them from their duress. They de- scended from the tree and stole back cautiously to the house, the king resolving that he could not bear such hardship another day, and that they must, accordingly, find some other hiding- place for him on the morrow. We can scarcely be surprised at this decision. A wild beast could hardly have endured a second day in such a lair. Other plans of concealment for the king were 1651.] Royal Oak of Boscobel. 173 Fame of the Royal Oak. Measures for its protection. accordingly formed that night, and measures were soon concerted, as we shall see in the next chapter, to effect his escape from the country. The old tree, however, which had sheltered him so safely, was not forgotten. In after years, when the monarch was restored to his throne, and the story of his dangers and his escape was made known throughout the kingdom, thousands of visitors came to look upon the faithful tree which had thus afforded his majesty its un- conscious but effectual protection. Every one took away a leaf or a sprig for a souvenir, and when, at last, the proprietor found that there was danger that the whole tree would be car- ried away unless he interposed, he fenced it in and tilled the ground around it, to defend it from further mutilation. It has borne the name of the Royal Oak from that time to the present day, and has been the theme of narrators and poets without number, who have celebrated its praises in every conceivable form of composi- tion. There is, however, probably no one of them all who has done more for the wide ex- tension of its fame among all the ranks and gra- dations of society than the unknown author of the humble distich, " The royal oak, it was the tree, That saved his royal majesty." 174 King Charles II. [1651. The king in the house of Boscobel. New place of concealment. Chapter VIII. The King's Escape to France. "T^THEN the king and Carlis came into the * ™ house again, on the evening after their wearisome day's confinement in the tree, Dame Penderel had some chickens prepared for his majesty's supper, which he enjoyed as a great and unexpected luxury. They showed him, too, the hiding hole, built in the walls, where the Earl of Derby had been concealed, and where they proposed that he should be lodged for the night. There was room in it to lay down a small straw pallet for a bed. The king thought it would be very secure, and was con- firmed in his determination not to go again to the oak. Before his majesty retired, Carlis asked him what he would like to have to eat on the morrow. He said that he should like some mutton. Carlis assented, and, bidding his master good night, he left him to his repose. There was no mutton in the house, and Rich- ard and William both agreed that it would be unsafe for either of them to procure any, since, 1651.] Escape to France. 175 The stolen mutton. The little gallery. as they were not accustomed to purchase such food, their doing so now would awaken suspi- cion that they had some unusual guest to pro- vide for. The colonel, accordingly, undertook himself to obtain the supply. Getting the necessary directions, therefore, from Richard and William, he went to the house of a farmer at some little distance — a tenant, he was, on the Boscobel estate — and groped his way to the sheep-cote. He selected an animal, such as he thought suitable for his purpose, and butchered it with his dagger. He then went back to the house, and sent William Penderel to bring the plunder home. William dressed a leg of the mutton, and sent it in the morning into the room which they had assign- ed to the king, near his hiding hole. The king was overjoyed at the prospect of this feast. He called for a carving-knife and a frying-pan. He cut off some callops from the joint, and then, after frying the meat with Carlis's assistance, they ate it together. The king, becoming now somewhat accus- tomed to his situation, began to grow a little more bold. He walked in a little gallery which opened from his room. There was a window in this gallery which commanded a view of the 176 King Charles II. [1651. The king's devotions. The arbor in the garden. road. The king kept watcli carefully at this window, as he walked to and fro, that he might observe the first appearance of any enemy's ap- proach. It was observed, too, that he appar- ently spent some time here in exercises of de- votion, imploring, probably, the protection of Heaven, in this his hour of danger and distress. The vows and promises which he doubtless made were, however, all forgotten, as usual in such cases, when safety and prosperity came again. There was a little garden, too, near the house, with an eminence at the further end of it, where there was an arbor, with a stone table, and seats about it. It was retired, and yet, being in an elevated position, it answered, like the window of the gallery in the house, the double purpose of a hiding-place and a watch-tower. It was far more comfortable, and probably much more safe, than the wretched nest in the tree of the day before ; for, were the king discovered in the arbor, there would be some chances of es- cape from detection still remaining, but to have been found in the tree would have been certain destruction. In the mean time, the Penderels had had mes- sengers out during the Saturday and Sunday, 1651.] Escape to France. 177 Plan for the king's escape. Mrs. Lane. communicating with certain known friends of the king in the neighboring towns, and endeav- oring to concert some plan for his escape. They were successful in these consultations, and be- fore Sunday night a plan was formed. It seems there was a certain Colonel Lane, whose wife had obtained a pass from the authorities of the Republican army to go to Bristol, on the occa- sion of the sickness of a relative, and to take with her a man-servant. Bristol was a hun- dred miles to the southward, near the mouth of the Severn. It was thought that if the king should reach this place, he could, perhaps, suc- ceed afterward in making his way to the south- ern coast of England, and embarking there, at some sea-port, for France. The plan was ac- cordingly formed for Mrs. Lane to go, as she had designed, on this journey, and to take the king along with her in the guise of her serv- ant. The arrangements were all made, and the king was to be met in a wood five or six miles from Boscobel, early on Monday morning, by some trusty friends, who were afterward to conceal him for a time in their houses, until all things should be ready for the journey. The king found, however, when the morning approached, that his feet were in such a condi- M 178 King Charles II. [1651. A dark and stormy night. The Penderels bid the king farewell. tion that he could not walk. They according- ly procured a horse belonging to one of the Pen- derels, and put him upon it. The brothers all accompanied him as he went away. They were armed with concealed weapons, intending, if they were attacked by any small party, to de- fend the king with their lives. They, howev- er, went on without any molestation. It was a dark and rainy night. Nights are seldom oth- erwise in England in September. The broth- ers Penderel, six of them in all, guided the king along through the darkness and rain, until they were within a mile or two of the appointed place of meeting, where the king dismounted, for the purpose of walking the rest of way, for greater safety, and three of the brothers, taking the horse with them, returned. The rest went on, and, after delivering the king safely into the hands of his friends, who were waiting at the appointed place to receive him, bade his majes- ty farewell, and, expressing their good wishes for the safe accomplishment of his escape, they returned to Boscobel. They now altered the king's disguise in some degree, to accommodate the change in his as- sumed character from that of a peasant of the woods to a respectable farmer's son, such as 1651.] Escape to France. 179 The king's disguise. He sets out on his journey. would be a suitable traveling attendant for an English dame, and they gave him the new name of William Jackson in the place of Will Jones. Mrs. Lane's sister's husband was to go with them a part of the way, and there was another gentleman and lady also of the party, so they were five in all. The horses were brought to the door when all was ready, just in the edge of the evening, the pretended attend- ant standing respectfully by, with his hat un- der his arm. He was to ride upon the same horse with Mrs. Lane, the lady being seated on a pillion behind him. The family assembled to bid the party farewell, none, either of the travelers or of the spectators, except Mrs. Lane and her brother-in-law, having any idea that the meek-looking William Jackson was any other than what he seemed. They traveled on day after day, meeting with various adventures, and apparently with narrow escapes. At one time a shoe was off from the horse's foot, and the king stopped at a black- smith's to have it replaced. While the smith was busy at the work, the king, standing by, asked him what news. " No news," said the smith, " that I know of, since the grand news of beating the rogues, the Scots, at Worcester." 180 King Charles II. [1651. The incident at the blacksmith's. AVinding up the jack. The king asked if any of the English officers who were with the 'Scots had been taken since the battle. " Some had been captured," the smith replied, "but he could not learn that the rogue Charles Stuart had been taken." The king then told him that if that rogue were tak- en, he deserved to be hanged more than all the rest, for bringing the Scots in. "You speak like an honest man," said the smith. Soon aft- er, the work was done, and Charles led the horse away. At another time, when the party had stopped for the night, the king, in accordance with his assumed character, went to the kitchen. They were roasting some meat with a jack, a ma- chine used much in those days to keep meat, while roasting, in slow rotation before the fire. The jack had run down. They asked the pre- tended William Jackson to wind it up. In try- ing to do it, he attempted to wind it the wrong way. The cook, in ridiculing his awkwardness, asked him what country he came from, that he did not know how to wind up a jack. The king meekly replied that he was the son of a poor tenant of Colonel Lane's, and that they seldom had meat to roast at home, and that, when they had it, they did not roast it with a jack. 1651.] Escape to France. 181 The king arrives at Leigh. Old Pope the butler. The party at length arrived safely at their place of destination, which was at the house of a Mrs. Norton, at a place called Leigh, about three miles from Bristol. Here the whole par- ty were received, and, in order to seclude the king as much as possible from observation, Mrs. Lane pretended that he was in very feeble health, and he was, accordingly, a good deal confined to his room. The disease which they selected for him was an intermittent fever, which came on only at intervals. This would account for his being sometimes apparently pret- ty well, and allowed him occasionally, when tired of being shut up in his room, to come down and join the other servants, and hear their con- versation. There was an old servant of the family, named Pope, a butler, to whose care the pretended Will- iam Jackson was specially confided. On the following morning after his arrival, Charles, feeling, notwithstanding his fever, a good appe- tite after the fatigues of his journey, went down to get his breakfast, and, while there, some men came in, friends of the servants, and Pope brought out a luncheon of bread and ale, and placed it before them. While they were eat- ing it, they began to talk about the battle of 182 King Charles II. [1651. The king is discovered. Colonel Wyudham. Worcester, and one of the men described it so accurately, that the king perceived that he must have been there. On questioning him more par- ticularly, the man said that he was a soldier in the king's army, and he began to describe the person and appearance of the king. Charles was alarmed, and very soon rose and went away. Pope, who had had, it seems, his suspicions be- fore, was now confirmed in them. He went to Mrs. Lane, and told her that he knew very well that their stranger guest was the king. She denied most positively that it was so, but she immediately took measures to communicate the conversation to Charles. The result of their consultations, and of their inquiries about the character of Pope for prudence and fidelity, was to admit him to their confidence, and endeavor to secure his aid. He was faithful in keeping the secret, and he rendered the king afterward a great deal of very efficient aid. There was a certain Colonel Wyndham, whose name has become immortalized by his connection with the king's escape, who lived at a place called Trent, not far from the southern coast of England. After much deliberation and many inquiries, it was decided that the king should proceed there while arrangements should 1651.] Escape to France. 183 The king goes to Colonel Wyndham's. Wanderings of Lord Wilmot. be made for his embarkation. When this plan was formed, Mrs. Lane received a pretended letter from home, saying that her father was taken suddenly and dangerously sick, and urg- ing her immediate return. They set out ac- cordingly, William having so far recovered from his fever as to be able to travel again ! During all this time, Lord Wilmot, who has already been mentioned as a fellow-fugitive with Charles from the battle of Worcester, had followed the party of the king in his progress through the country, under various disguises, and by different modes of travel, keeping near his royal master all the way, and obtaining stolen interviews with him, from time to time, for consultation. In this way each rendered the other very essential aid. The two friends arrived at last at Colonel Wyndham's together. Mrs. Lane and her party here took leave of the king, and returned northward toward her home. Colonel Wyndham was a personal acquaint- ance of the king. He had been an officer un- der Charles I., in the civil wars preceding that monarch's captivity and death, and Charles, who, as Prince of Wales, had made a campaign, as will be recollected, in the west of England, before he went to France, had had frequent in- 184 Kino Charles II. [1651. The king's cordial reception. Plan for conveying him to France. tercourse with Wyndham, and had great confi- dence in his fidelity. The colonel had been at last shut up in a castle, and had finally surren- dered on such conditions as secured his own lib- erty and safety. He had, consequently, since been allowed to live quietly at his own estate in Trent, though he was watched and suspect- ed by the government as a known friend of the king's. Charles had, of course, great confidence in him. He was very cordially received into his house, and very securely secreted there. It would be dangerous for Wyndham him- self to do any thing openly in respect to find- ing a vessel to convey the king to France. He accordingly engaged a trusty friend to go down to the sea-port on the coast which was nearest to his residence, and see what he could do. This sea-port was Lyme, or Lyme-Regis, as it is sometimes called. It was about twenty-five miles from Trent, where Wyndham resided, toward the southwest, and about the same dis- tance to the eastward of Exeter, where Charles's mother had some years before sought refuge from her husband's enemies. Colonel Wyndham's messenger went to Lyme. He found there, pretty soon, the mas- ter of a small vessel, which was accustomed to 1651.] Escape to France. 185 Proposal of Wyndham's messenger. The captain agrees to it. ply back and forth to one of the ports on the coast of France, to carry merchandise. The messenger, after making inquiries, and finding that the captain, if captain he may be called, was the right sort of man for such an enter- prise, obtained an interview with him, and in- troduced conversation by asking when he ex- pected to go back to France. The captain re- plied that it would probably be some time be- fore he should be able to make up another car- go. " How should you like to take some pas- sengers ?" said the messenger. " Passengers ?" ' inquired the captain. " Yes," rejoined the oth- er ; " there are two gentlemen here who wish to cross the Channel privately, and they are willing to pay fifty pounds to be landed at any port on the other side. Will you take them ?" The captain perceived that it was a serious business. There was a proclamation out, of- fering a reward for the apprehension of the king, or Charles Stuart as they called him, and also for other of the leaders at the battle of Worces- ter. All persons, too, were strictly prohibited from taking any one across the Channel ; and to conceal the king, or to connive in any way at his escape, was death. The captain, howev- er, at length agreed to the proposal, influenced, 1»6 King Charles II. [1651. Arrangements for crossing the Channel. Prospect of success. as the colonel's messenger supposed, partly by the amount of his pay, and partly by his inter- est in the Royal cause. He agreed to make his little vessel ready without delay. They did not think it prudent for the king to attempt to embark at Lyme, but there was, a few miles to the eastward of it, along the shore, a small village named Charmouth, where there was a creek jutting up from the sea, and a lit- tle pier, sufficient for the landing of so small a vessel as the one they had engaged. It was agreed that, on an appointed day, the king and Lord Wilmot were to come down to Charmouth, and take up their lodgings at the inn ; that in the night the captain was to sail out of the port of Lyme, in the most private manner possible, and come to Charmouth ; and that the king and Wilmot, who would, in the mean time, be watching from the inn, when they saw the light of the approaching vessel, should come down to the pier and embark, and the captain then im- mediately sail away. The messenger accordingly went back to Col- onel Wyndham's with intelligence of the plan that he had formed, while the captain of the vessel went to work as privately as possible to lay in his stores and make his other prepara- 1651.] Escape to France. 187 The captain's wife. Her suspicions. tions for sea. He did this with the utmost pre- caution and secrecy, and succeeded in deceiv- ing every body but his wife. "Wives have the opportunity to perceive indications of the con- cealed existence of matters of moment and weight which others do not enjoy, in studying the countenances of their husbands. A man can easily, through the day, when surrounded by the world, assume an unconcerned and careless air, though oppressed with a very considerable mental burden ; but when he comes home at night, he instinctively throws off half his dis- guise, and conjugal watchfulness and solicitude easily penetrate the remainder. At least it was so in this case. The captain's dame per- ceived that her husband was thoughtful and ab- sent-minded. She watched him. She observ- ed some indications that he was making prep- arations for sea. She asked him what it meant. He said he did not know how soon he might have a cargo, and he wanted to be all ready in season. His wife, however, was not satisfied. She watched him more closely still, and when the appointed night came on which he had agreed to sail, finding that it was impossible for him to elude her vigilance, he told her plainly that he was going across the Channel on private 168 King Charles II. [1651 Strenuous opposition of the captain's wife. The plan fails business, but that he should immediately re- turn. She declared positively that he should not go. She knew, she said, that the business was some- thing which would end in ruining him and his family, and she was determined that he should not risk her safety and his own life in any such desperate and treasonable plans. She locked the door upon him, and when he insisted on being released, she declared that if he did at- tempt to go, she would immediately give warn- ing to the authorities, and have him arrested and confined. So the discomfited captain was compelled to give up his design, and break his appointment at the Charmouth pier. In the mean time, the king and Lord Wil- mot came down, as had been agreed upon, to Charmouth, and put up, with many other trav- elers, at the inn. There was great excitement all over that part of the country, every one talk- ing about the battle of Worcester, the escape of the king, and especially about an expedition which Cromwell had been organizing, which was then assembling on the southern coast. Its destination was the island of Jersey, which had thus far adhered to the Royalist cause, and which Cromwell was now intending to reduce 1651.] Escape to France. 189 The fugitives in great danger. Their disappointment to subjection to him. The bustle and move- ment which all these causes combined to cre- ate, made the king and Lord Wilmot very anx- ious and uneasy. There were assemblies con- vened in the villages which they passed through, and men were haranguing the populace on the victories which had been gained, and on the fu- ture measures to be pursued. In one place the bells were ringing, and bonfires were burning in celebration of the death of the king, it being rumored and believed that he had been shot. Our two fugitives, however, arrived safely at the inn, put up their horses, and began to watch anxiously for the light of the approaching vessel. They watched, of course, in vain. Midnight came, but no vessel. They waited hour after hour, till at last morning dawned, and they found that all hope of accomplishing their en- terprise must be abandoned. They could not remain where they were, however, another day, without suspicion ; so they prepared to move on and seek temporary refuge in some other neighboring town, while they could send one of the attendants who came with them back to Colonel Wyndham's, to see if he could ascer- tain the cause of the failure. One or two days were spent in inquiries, negotiations, and de- 190 King Charles II. [1651. Narrow escape of the fugitives. The four horse-shoes. lays. The result was, that all hope of embark- ing at Lyme had to be abandoned, and it was concluded that the fugitives should proceed on to the eastward, along the coast, to the care of another Royalist, a certain Colonel Gunter, who might perhaps find means to send them away from some port in that part of the country. At any rate, they would, by this plan, escape the excitements and dangers which seemed to en- viron them in the neighborhood of Lyme. It was fortunate that they went away from Charmouth when they did ; by doing so they narrowly escaped apprehension; for that night, while the king's horse was in the stable, a smith was sent for to set a shoe upon the horse of one of the other travelers. After finishing his work, he began to examine the feet of the other horses in the stalls, and when he came to the one which the king had rode, his attention was particularly attracted to the condition and appearance of the shoes, and he remarked to those who were with him that that horse had come a long journey, and that of the four shoes, he would warrant that no two had been made in the same county. This remark was cpioted the next day, and the mysterious circumstance, trifling as it was, was sufficient, in the highly excitable state of 1651.] Escape to France. 191 The fugitives arrive at Shoreham. Colonel Gunter's plan. the public mind, to awaken attention. People came to see the horse, and to inquire for the own- er, but they found that both had disappeared. They immediately determined that the stranger must have been the king, or at least some distin- guished personage in disguise, and they sent in search of the party in every direction ; but the travelers had taken such effectual precautions to blind all pursuit that their track could not be followed. In the mean time, the king journeyed secret- ly on from the residence of one faithful adherent to another, encountering many perplexities, and escaping narrowly many dangers, until he came at last to the neighborhood of Shoreham, a town upon the coast of Sussex. Colonel Gunter had provided a vessel here. It was a small vessel, bound, with a load of coal, along the coast, to the westward, to a port called Pool, beyond the Isle of Wight. Colonel Gunter had arranged it with the master to deviate from his voyage, by crossing over to the coast of France, and leaving his passengers there. He was then to return, and proceed to his original destination. Both the owner of the vessel and the master who commanded it were Royalists, but they had not been tolcl that it was the kins: whom 192 King Charles II. [1651. The king recognized. The fugitives embark. they were going to convey. In the bargain which had been made with them, the passen- gers had been designated simply as two gentle- men of rank who had escaped from the battle of Worcester. When, however, the master of the vessel saw the king, he immediately recog- nized him, having seen him before in his cam- paigns under his father. This, however, seem- ed to make no difference in his readiness to convey the passengers away. He said that he was perfectly willing to risk his life to save that of his sovereign, and the arrangements for the embarkation proceeded. The little vessel — its burden was about sixty tons — was brought into a small cove at Bright- helmstone, a few miles to the eastward from Shoreham, and run upon the beach, where it was left stranded when the tide went down. The king and Lord Wilmot went to it by night, ascended its side by a ladder, went down immediately into the cabin, and concealed them- selves there. When the rising tide had lifted the vessel, with its precious burden, gently from the sand, the master made easy sail, and coast- ed along the English shore toward the Isle of Wight, which was the direction of the voyage which he had originally intended to make. He 1651.] Escape to France. 193 Isle of Wight. Proposal of the master of the ship. did not wish the people at Shoreham to observe any alteration of his course, since that might have awakened suspicion, and possibly invited pursuit ; so they went on for a time to the west- ward, which was a course that rather increased than diminished their distance from their place of destination. It was seven o'clock in the morning when they sailed. There was a gentle October breeze from the north, which carried them slowly along the shore, and in the afternoon the Isle of Wight came fully into view. There were four men and a boy on board the ship, constituting the crew. The master came to the king in the cabin, and proposed to him, as a measure of additional security, and to prevent the possibil- ity of any opposition on the part of the sailors to the proposed change in their course which it would now soon be necessary to make, that the king and Lord Wilmot should propose the plan of going to France to them, asking their inter- est with the captain in obtaining his consent, as it had not yet been mentioned to the captain at all ; for the sailors had of course understood that the voyage was only the usual coastwise trip to the port of Pool, and that these strangers were ordinary travelers, going on that voyage. The N 194 King Charles II. [1651. Plan for gaining over the sailors. Its success. master, therefore, thought that there would be less danger of difficulty if the king were first to gain the sailors over himself, by promises or rewards, and then all come together to gain the captain's consent, which could then, at last, with apparent reluctance, be accorded. This plan was pursued. The two travelers went to the sailors upon the forecastle, and told them, with an air of honest confidence, that they were not what they seemed. They were merchants, they said, and were unfortunately a little in debt, and under the necessity of leav- ing England for a time. They had some mon- ey due to them in Rouen, in France, and they wanted very much to be taken across the Chan- nel to Dieppe, or some port near Rouen. They made known their condition to the sailors, they said, because they wanted their intercession with the captain to take them over, and they gave the sailors a good generous present in money for them to spend in drink ; not so gen- erous, however, as to cast suspicion upon their story of being traders in distress. Sailors are easily persuaded by arguments that are enforced by small presents of money. They consented to the plan, and then the king and Lord Wilmot went to express their wishes 1651.] Escape to France. 195 Approach to the French coast. An alarm. to the captain. He made many objections. It would delay him on his voyage, and lead to many inconveniences. The passengers, how- ever, urged their request, the sailors seconding them. The wind was fair, and they could eas- ily run across the Channel, and then, after they landed, the captain could pursue his course to the place of his destination. The captain final- ly consented ; the helm was altered, the sails were trimmed, and the little vessel bore away toward its new destination on the coast of France. It was now five o'clock in the afternoon. The English coast soon disappeared from -the horizon, and the next morning, at daylight, they could see the French shore. They ap- proached the land at a little port called Fecamp. The wind, however, failed them before they got quite to the land, and they had to anchor to wait for a turn of the tide to help them in. In this situation, they were soon very much alarm- ed by the appearance of a vessel in the offing, which was coming also toward the shore. They thought it was a Spanish privateer, and its appearance brought a double apprehension. There was danger that the privateer would cap- ture them, France and Spain being then at 196 King Charles II. [1651. A consultation. The fugitives landed safely on the French shore- war. There was danger, also, that the master of their vessel, afraid himself of being captured, might insist on making all haste back again to the English coast ; for the wind, though con- trary so long as they wished to go on into their harbor, was fair for taking them away. The king and Lord Wilmot consulted together, and came to the conclusion to go ashore in the lit- tle boat. They soon made a bargain with the sailors to row them, and, hastily descending the vessel's side, they entered the boat, and pushed off over the rolling surges of the Channel. They were two miles from the shore, but they reached it in safety. The sailors went back to the vessel. The privateer turned out to be a harmless trader coming into port. The English vessel recrossed the Channel, and went on to its original port of destination ; and Lord Wilmot and the king, relieved now of all their anxieties and fears, walked in their strange En- glish dress up into the village to the inn. 1651.] The Restoration. 197 Interest felt in Charles's wanderings. New dangers. Chapter IX. The Restoration. \ S the readers of a tale are generally in- 4 -£•*- clined to sympathize with the hero of it, both in his joys and in his sorrows, whether he is deserving of sympathy or not, they who fol- low the adventures of Charles in his wanderings in England after the unfortunate battle of Wor- cester, feel ordinarily quite a strong sensation of pleasure at finding him at last safely landed on the French shore. Charles himself doubt- less experienced at first an overwhelming emo- tion of exultation and joy at having thus saved himself from the desperate dangers of his con- dition in England. On cool reflection, howev- er, he soon perceived that there was but little cause for rejoicing in his condition and pros- pects. There were dangers and sufferings enough still before him, different, it is true, from those in which he had been involved, but still very dark and threatening in character. He had now, in fact, ten years of privation, poverty, and exile before him, full of troubles from beginninsr to end, 198 King Charles II. [1651. The king goes to Paris. His reception there. The new series of troubles began to come upon him, too, very soon. "When he and his companion went up to the inn, on the morning of their landing, dressed as they were in the guise of Englishmen of humble rank, and hav- ing been put ashore, too, from a vessel which immediately afterward sailed away, they were taken for English thieves, or fugitives from jus- tice, and refused admission to the inn. They sent to some gentlemen of the neighborhood, to whom they made themselves known, so that this difficulty was removed, their urgent wants were supplied, and they were provided with the means of transportation to Paris. Of course, the mother of the fugitive monarch, yet almost a boy, was rejoiced to welcome him, but he re- ceived no very cordial welcome from any one else. Now that Charles had finally abandoned England, his adherents there gave up his cause, of course, as totally lost. The Republicans, with Cromwell at their head, established a very firm and efficient government, which the na- tions of the Continent soon began to find that it would be incumbent on them to respect. For any foreign court to harbor a pretender to the British crown, when there was an established government in England based on a determina- 1651.] The Restoration. 199 The king renews his attentions to Anne Maria. She dismisses his suit. tion of the people to abrogate royalty altogeth- er, was to incur very considerable political dan- ger. Charles soon found that, under these cir- cumstances, he was not likely to be long a very welcome guest in the French palaces. He remained, however, in Paris for a short time, endeavoring to find some way to retrieve his ruined fortunes. Anne Maria was still there, and he attempted to renew his suit to her. She listened to the entertaining stories which he told of his dangers and escapes in En- gland, and for a time, as Charles thought, en- couraged his attentions. In fact, at one time he really believed that the affair was all settled, and began to assume that it was so in speaking with her upon the subject. She, however, at length undeceived him, in a conversation which ended with her saying that she thought he had better go back to England, and "either get his head broken, or else have a crown upon it." The fact was, that Anne Maria was now full of a new scheme for being married to Louis XIV. himself, who, though much younger than she, had attained now to a marriageable age, and she had no intention of regarding Charles in any other light than as one of the ordinary crowd of her admirers. She finally extinguish- 200 King Charles II. [1655. Charles disagrees with his mother. He goes to Holland. ed all his hopes by coolly requesting him not to visit her so frequently. In addition to his other sources of discomfort, Charles disagreed with his mother. She was a very decided Catholic, and he a Protestant, from policy it is true, and not principle, but he was none the less rigid and inflexible on that account. He and his mother disagreed in re- spect to the education of the younger children. They were both restricted in their means, too, and subject to a thousand mortifications from this cause, in the proud and haughty circle in which they moved. Finally, the king decided to leave Paris altogether, and try to find a more comfortable refuge in Holland. His sister and her husband, the Prince of Orange, had always treated him, as well as all the rest of the family, with great kindness and attention ; but now, to complete the catalogue of his disasters, the Prince of Orange died, the power of the government passed into other hands, and Mary found herself deprived of influence and honor, and reduced all at once to a private station. She would have been glad to continue her protection to her brother, but the new gov- ernment feared the power of Cromwell. Crom- well sent word to them that England would 1655.] The Restoration. 201 Charles retires to Cologne. Usurpation of Cromwell. consider their harboring of the fugitive as tan- tamount to a declaration of war ; so they noti- fied Charles that he must leave their dominions, and find, if he could, some other place of retreat. He went up the Rhine to the city of Cologne, where it is said he found a widow woman, who received him as a lodger without pay, trusting to his promise to recompense her at some future time. There is generally little risk in giving credit to European monarchs, expelled by the temporary triumph of Republicanism from their native realms. They are generally pretty cer- tain of being sooner or later restored to their thrones. At any rate, Charles was restored, and his restoration was effected in a manner wholly un- expected to all mankind. In order that the cir- cumstances may be clearly understood, the read- er must recall it to mind that Charles the First had been deposed and beheaded by the action of a Parliament, and that this Parliament was, of course, at his death the depository of sover- eign power in England. In a short time, how- ever, the army, with Cromwell at its head, be- came too strong for the Parliament. Cromwell assumed the supreme power under the name of the Protector. He dissolved Parliament, and 202 King Charles II. [1655. Deposition of Richard Cromwell. Violence of Lambert. expelled the members from their seats. He gov- erned the country as protector for many years, and when at length he died, his brother Rich- ard Cromwell attempted to take his place. Rich- ard did not, however, possess the talent and en- ergy of his brother, and he soon found himself totally inadequate to manage the affairs of gov- ernment in such stormy times. He was de- posed, and the old Parliament which Cromwell had broken up was restored. There followed, then, a new contest between the Parliament and the army, with an officer named Lambert at the head of the latter. The army proved the strongest. Lambert stationed guards in the streets leading to the Parliament House one day when the members were about to assemble, and turned the members all back as they came. When the speaker arrived in his carriage, he ordered his soldiers to take hold of the horses' heads and turn them round, and lead them home again. Thus there was no ac- tual outward violence, but the members of Par- liament were intimidated, and gave up the at- tempt to exercise their power, though they still reserved their claim, and their party was busy all over the kingdom in attempting to restore them to their functions. In the mean time, the 1655.] The Restoration. 203 Aflairs in England. No true republic there. army appointed a sort of council, which they invested with supreme authority. It does not come within the scope and design of this volume to give a full account of the state of public affairs during the interregnum between the death of Charles I. and the Restoration of the monarchy under Charles II., nor of the points of controversy at issue among the vari- ous parties formed. The reader, however, must not suppose that, during this period, there was at any time what could, with any propriety, be called a republic. A true republic exists only where the questions of government are fairly and honorably submitted to the whole popula- tion, with a universal disposition to acquiesce peaceably in the decision of the majority, when that is ascertained. There probably has never been any such state of things as this in any country of Europe since the Christian era. There certainly was no such state of things in England in the time of the Commonwealth. There were a great many persons who wished to have it so, and who called themselves Re- publicans ; but their plan, if that were indeed their plan, was never tried. Very likely it was not practicable to try it. At any rate, it cer- tainly was not tried. The sovereignty taken 204 King Charles II. [1655. The Parliament. The army. Cromwell. from the Stuart dynasty in the person of Charles I. was neve?" vested in the people at large. It was seized forcibly by the various powers al- ready existing in the state, as they found them- selves, one after another, able to sieze it. The Parliament took it from Charles. The army took it from Parliament. Then Oliver Crom- well took it from the army. He found himself strong enough to hold it as long as he lived, and when he died he delivered it to his brother Richard. Richard could not hold it. The Par- liament rose to a sort of supplementary exist- ence, and took it from Richard, and then the army took it from Parliament again. Finally, General Monk appeared upon the stage in Scot- land, as we shall presently see, marched down through England, and, with the help of thou- sands and thousands who were tired of these endless changes, took it from the army and re- stored it once more to the Parliament, on con- dition of their placing it back again in the hands of the king. Thus there was no republic at all, from beginning to end. Nor is it at all certain that there ought to have been. The difficulties of really, truly, and honestly laying the national sovereignty in the hands of the whole population of such a realm 1655.] The Restoration. 205 Great difficulties in the way of organizing a republic. as England, and of so organizing the population that its decisions shall actually control the legis- lation of the country and the public administra- tion of its affairs, are all but insuperable. The English people found the tyranny and oppres- sion of royalty intolerable. They arose and set royalty aside. It devolved, then, on the next strongest power in the state to assume the au- thority thus divested ; this was the Parliament, who governed, just as the king had done, by the exercise of their own superior power, keep- ing the mass of the community just where they were before. It is true that many individuals of very low rank rose to positions of great pow- er ; but they represented only a party, and the power they wielded was monarchical power usurped, not Republican power fairly conferred upon them. Thus, though in the time of the Commonwealth there were plenty of Republi- cans, there was never a republic. It has al- ways been so in all European revolutions. In America, Legislatures and executive officers of state are only agents, through whom the great population itself quietly executes its will, the two millions of votes in the great elections be- ing the real power by which every thing is con- trolled. But Cromwell, Napoleon, Lamartine, 206 King Charles II. [1659. Parties in England. General Monk. Cavaignac, and all the others, whatever formal- ities of voting may have attended their induc- tion into office, have always really held their power by force of bayonets, not of ballots. There is great danger that it will continue so in Eu- rope for a long time to come. But to return. It was in 1659 when the ar- my, with Lambert at its head, expelled the Par- liament. All England was now divided into parties, some for the Parliament, some for the army, some for the king. There was a distin- guished general in Scotland at this time named Monk. He had been left there by Cromwell in command of the military forces in that country. He was a man considerably advanced in life, and of great circumspection, prudence, and steadi- ness of character. All parties wished to gain his influence, but he kept his own counsel, and declared openly for neither. He, however, began to get together his for- ces, and to make preparations to march into England. People asked him what he intended to do, but he would give no definite answer. He was six weeks getting ready for his expedi- tion, during which time many deputations were sent to him from the various parties, making different propositions to him, each party being 1660.] The Restoration. 207 Monk marches to England. The Parliament restored. eager to obtain his adhesion to their cause. He received all their deputations, heard what they had to say, made no definite reply to any of them, but went on quietly with his work. He got the various divisions of his army at length together, made provisional arrangements for the government of Scotland during his absence, and set out on his march. He entered England in January, 1660, and advanced toward London. The English army was scattered all over the kingdom ; but Monk opened negotiations with the leaders of it, and also with the members of Parliament, and, with- out committing himself absolutely to either par- ty, he managed to have the Parliament restor- ed. They assembled peaceably in London, and resumed their functions. A part of the En- glish army was there for their protection. Monk, as he approached London, sent word to Parliament asking that quarters might be pro- vided for him and his army there. Parliament, desirous of conciliating him and securing his co-operation in sustaining their power, acceded to this request. The other troops were remov- ed ; Monk entered London in triumph, and took possession of all the strong-holds there, holding them nominally under Parliamentary authority. 208 King Charles II. [1660. Monk's adroit management. A new Parliament called. MonK still kept his ultimate designs pro- foundly secret. No party very strongly op- posed him, for no party knew whether to re- gard him as an enemy or a friend. The Roy- alists, however, all over the kingdom, took new courage, and a general expectation began to pervade the minds of men that the monarchy was to be restored. The Parliament rescinded the votes which had been most decisive against the house of Stuart and monarchical rule. The most prominent Republicans were dismissed from office under various pretexts, and men known to be loyal were appointed in their place. Finally, the Parliament itself was dissolved, and writs were issued for the election of a new one, more in accordance with the ancient forms. When at length this new Parliament assem- bled, the public mind was in a great fever of excitement, there being a vague expectation every where that the monarchy was to be re- stored, while yet the Restoration was openly spoken of by no one. The first votes which were taken in the House of Commons indicated a very favorable state of feeling toward monar- chy ; and at length, a few days after the open- ing of the session, it was announced that there was a messenger at the door with a communi- 1660.1 The Restoration. 209 Messenger from the king. The king's Declaration. cation from the king. The announcement was received with the wildest acclamations of joy. The messenger was immediately ordered to en- ter. The communication was read, the vast as- sembly listening with breathless attention. It contained, in the first place, a letter, in which the king stated that, having heard that the people of England had restored the Parlia- ment according to the ancient forms, he hoped that now the Parliament would go on and com- plete the good work which had been begun, and heal the distractions of the kingdom by rein- stating him as sovereign in the ancient rights and prerogatives of the crown. The second part of the king's communication, and by far the most important part, was what was called his Declaration, a document in which he announced formally what his intentions were in case he were restored to the throne. One of these assurances was, that he was ready to for- give and forget the past, so far as he might him- self be supposed to have cause of complaint against any of his subjects for the part they had taken in the late transactions. He professed his readiness to grant a free pardon to all, ex- cepting those who should be expressly excluded from such pardon by the Parliament itself. O 210 King Charles II. [1660. Principles of the king's Declaration. General satisfaction. The Declaration also set forth that, inas- much as there was prevailing throughout the country a great diversity of religious opinion, the king, if restored to his throne, whatever his own religious views or those of his government might be, would agree that his subjects should be allowed full liberty of conscience in all re- spects, and that nobody should be molested in any way on account of his religious faith or usages of worship. And, finally, the Declaration contained a cov- enant on the part of the king, that whereas there had been great changes of property, aris- ing from fines and confiscations for political of- fenses during the period of the Revolution, he would not himself disturb the existing titles to property, but would leave them to be settled on such principles and in such a way as Parlia- ment should direct. The letter from the king, and especially the Declaration, gave the utmost satisfaction. -The latter disarmed those who would otherwise have opposed the return of the king, by quieting their fears of being disturbed in respect to their lib- erty or their property. Immediately after these papers were read, they were ordered to be pub- lished, and were sent every where throughout 1660.1 The Restoration. 211 Charles proclaimed king. Money voted. the kingdom, awakening, wherever they went, the greatest demonstrations of joy. The Par- liament passed a vote that the ancient Consti- tution of the kingdom, of government by king, Lords, and Commons, ought to be restored, and they went forth in a body into the public places of the city to proclaim Charles II. king. Parliament voted immediately a grant of fifty thousand pounds, a sum equal to more than two hundred thousand dollars, for the king's imme- diate use, with large sums besides for the other members of the family, and sent a committee of noblemen to Holland to carry the money and to invite the king back to his dominions. As soon as tidings of these events reached the Con- tinent, every body hastened to pay their court to his majesty. From being neglected, desti- tute, and wretched, he suddenly found himself elevated to the highest pinnacle of prosperity and fame. Every body offered him their aid ; his court was thronged, and all were ready to do him honor. The princely mother of one of the young ladies who had rejected the offer of his hand in the day of his adversity, sent him an intimation that the offer would be accepted if he would renew it now. A fleet crossed the Channel to receive the king 212 King Charles II. [1660. The king arrives in London. Monk made Duke of Albemarle. and convey him to London. His brother James, the Duke of York, was placed in command of it as Lord High Admiral of England. The fleet sailed for Dover. General Monk went to Dover to receive the king at his landing. He escorted him to London, where the monarch, returning from his long exile, arrived on the twenty-ninth of May, the very day when he became thirty years of age. General Monk, whose talent, skill, and con- summate management had been the means of effecting this great change without violence or bloodshed, was rewarded by being made Duke of Albemarle. This was a very great reward. In fact, no American imagination can conceive of the images of glory and grandeur which are connected in the mind of an Englishman with the idea of being made a duke. A duke lives in a palace ; he is surrounded by a court ; he expends princely revenues ; he reigns, in fact, often, so far as the pomp and pleasure of reign- ing are concerned, over quite a little kingdom, and is looked up to by the millions beneath his grade with a reverence as great, at least, as that with which the ancients looked up to their gods. He is deprived of nothing which pertains to pow- er but the mere toil, and care, and responsibility