lion, and Mercury; who, on their return, brought us word, that the English fleet lay in the buoy of the Nore, consisting of thirtyfour sail, and three more which lay in the Downs. The wind continuing at E. N. E.

The prince immediately thereupon gave another signal of stretching the whole fleet in a line, from Dover to Calais, twenty-five deep; so that our fleet reached within a league of each place; the flanks and rear were guarded by our men of war. This sight would have ravished the most curious eyes of Europe. When our fleet was in its greatest splendor, the trumpets and drums playing various tunes to rejoice our hearts; this continued for above three hours.

Immediately after the prince gave us a sign to close, and sailed that night as far as Beach, and commanded us to follow the signal by lights he had hung out to us, viz. all the small sail should come up to him by morning.

By the morning-day we espied the Isle of Wight, and then the prince ordered the fleet to be drawn into the same posture, as before related; yet not stretching above half channel over, in this place. About five in the morning we made the Start, the wind chopping about to the westward; upon which we stood fair by Dartmouth, and so made for Torbay, where the prince again ordered the whole fleet into the same posture as at Dover and Calais.

Upon his arrival at Torbay, the people on land, in great numbers, welcomed his highness with loud acclamations of joy.

Immediately after the prince gave two signals, that the admirals should come a-board him, which they did; and then ordered, that the whole fleet should come to an anchor, and immediately land; and further ordered, that the admirals should stand out at sea, as a guard, as well as the smaller men of war, to attend and guard their landing; and also ordered six men of war to run in to guard Torbay.

The prince then put out a red flag at the mizen-yard-arm, and provided to land in sixty boats, laid ready for that purpose: upon which the prince signified, that General Mackay with his six regiments of English and Scotch should first land; and also, that the little Porpus, with eighteen guns, should run a-ground, to secure their landing. But there was no opposition; for the people bid us heartily welcome to England, and gave us all manner of provisions for our refreshment.

The fifth of November (a day never to be blotted out of the Englishman's heart) the prince caused to be lauded about two thousand. On the sixth we landed as many horse and foot as we could possibly, and so continued the seventh: the country bringing in all manner of provision, both for man and horse, and were paid their price honestly for it.

The prince the same day commanded Captain M-to search the Lady Cary's House, at Tor-Abby, for arms and horses; and so all other houses which were Roman Catholicks. The lady, enter. taining them civilly, said her husband was gone to Plymouth: they

brought from thence some horses and a few arms, but gave no further disturbance to the lady or her house. Nor shall it be forgotten, what was faithfully acted at this lady's house, immediately on our arrival at Torbay: there were a priest and some others with him upon a watch tower, to discover what our fleet was, whether French or Dutch. At last they discovered the white flags on some of our men of war; the ignorant priest concluded absolutely we were the French fleet, which, with great impatience, they had so long expected; and, having laid up great provisions for their entertainment, the priest ordered all to the chapel to sing Te Deum, for the arrival of their supposed forces; but, being soon undeceived on our landing, we found the benefit of their provisions: and, instead of vostre serviture Monsieur, they were entertained with yeen Mynheer, can you Dutch spraken; upon which they all run away from the house, but the lady and a few old servants.

?

The whole army, to the best of my knowledge, consisted of eighteen thousand horse, three thousand dragoons, and one thousand eight hundred foot, besides a thousand voluntier persons of quality, horse well equipped, and about five hundred horse for carriage.

November the eighth, the prince came from Chudleigh, towards Exeter, with the greatest part of his army attending him, and, about one of the clock, entered at the west-gate of the city, welcomed with loud acclamations of the people.

The manner of his publick entrance into Exeter was as follows. 1. The right honourable the Earl of M with two hundred horse, the most part of which were English gentlemen richly mounted on Flanders steeds, managed and used to war, in head-pieces, back and breast, bright armour.

2. Two hundred blacks brought from the plantations of the Netherlands in America, having on embroidered caps lined with white fur, and plumes of white feathers, to attend the horse.

3. Two-hundred Finlanders or Laplanders in bear-skins taken from the wild beasts they had slain, the common habit of that cold climate, with black armour, and broad flaming swords.

4. Fifty gentlemen, and as many pages to attend and support the prince's banner, bearing this inscription, God and the Protestant religion.

5. Fifty led horses, all managed and brought up to the wars, with two grooms to each horse.

6. After these rode the prince on a milk-white palfrey, armed cap-a-pee, a plume of white feathers on his head, all in bright armour, and forty-two footmen running by him.

7. After his highness followed likewise on horseback two hundred gentlemen and pages.

8. Three-thousand Switzers with fuzees.

9. Five hundred voluntiers, each two led horses.

10. His captain and guards six-hundred, armed cap-a-pee. The rest of the army brought up the rear.

That night the prince lay at the deanery, having before ordered the advanced guard to march to Clist-heath, and settled the quarters of the army; which was done so much to the content and satis faction of the inhabitants in, and about the city, and such just pay. ments made for what the soldiers had, and such civil behaviour among them, without swearing and damning and debauching of women, as is usual among some armies, that it is to admiration to behold. I am sure, Sir, I was an eye-witness of the whole order, and, when we marched away from this city, their joy was turned into dulness and cloudiness.

On the ninth the prince commanded Dr. Burnet to order the priest-vicars of the cathedral, not to pray for the Prince of Wales, and to make use of no other prayer for the king, but what is in the second service, which they refused to observe, till they were forced and very severely threatened; the bishop and the dean being then gone from the city.

About twelve this day, notice was given to the canons, and all the vicars, choral and singing lads, to attend in the cathedral im mediately, for that the prince would be there; and Dr. Burnet ordered them, as soon as the prince entered into the quire, they should sing Te Deum, which was observed. The prince sat in the bishop's chair, and all his great officers attending on him. After Te Deum was sung, Dr. Burnet, in a seat under the pulpit, read aloud the prince's declaration, and reasons for this his expedition; when this was over, the prince returned to the deanery.

The baggage was many days bringing from Torbay, but the am munition, both arms for foot and horse, and the artillery, were brought in to Topsham Road, and there, by boats and other carriages landed; the field-pieces were sent after the army at Clist-heath, the brass cannon remaining some of them in Exon.

The greatest part of the army were ordered to march forward to Ottery and Honyton, and in several parties were ordered to divers places in the county. One party was sent to the North of Devon, for horses, which were bought at excessive rates. From Roman Catholicks, they took horses without money; and many gentlemen, who might have had money, refused, as the bishop's son, and divers others.

On Sunday, Dr. Burnet preached at the cathedral on this text, Psalm cvii. last verse. Ferguson preached in the Presbyterian meeting-house, but was fain to force his way with his sword up to the pulpit, for even the old Presbyter himself could not away with the breath of his brother Ferguson in his diocese: his text was in Psalm Iciv. Who will rise up for me, against evil doers.' I heard one of that gang say, that his discourse came, very much under the lash of the 25th of Edward the Third; he is not much regarded by any of the prince's retinue.

Sir William W—

who had been at Ford with the prince, to see Sir William C- -, were both refused to be seen of him. One Major M- -, and Sir Will were in commission to make new levies, which was carried on vigorously, and many enlisted under

them: But Sir W—, it seems, began to use an old trade of taking money for quarters: complaint was made thereof to the prince, and they were discarded, and the men disbanded to seek for new officers. But Sir W- does continue under the prince's protection.

The prince was here above three days, before any appearance of gentry came, insomuch that the great officers began to wonder, that the prince should be invited in to England by them, and not to appear to the prince's assistance; but this consternation was soon over, when a considerable body of the gentry came in to him. Some that were for taking off the test and penal laws, they have not appeared as yet. So that now the counties of Cornwall and Devon are in the possession of the gentry thereof, and the prince's army quite marched

away.

Pendennis Castle is managed by several gentlemen, who take their turns. Plymouth Fort is declared for the prince's service, by the Earl of B, who, it seems, was to have been poisoned, by throw. ing white mercury over a leg of mutton (appointed as one dish for his supper) instead of flour: for that, and some other reasons, he secured the Lord Hturned out all Papist soldiers, and has taken in the country soldiers into the fort. Since which, there is an association among the gentry, worded much after that of my Lord Shaftsbury's.

Mr. Seymour being made Governor of Exeter and the Lord Mordaunt in his absence, there are new levies raising every day; so that this city is almost full of these new regiments, which are hourly disciplining by officers and old soldiers left here by the prince. All their arms are the prince's, and I am told, he brought with him as many as will set out twenty-thousand, both horse and foot. I am apt to believe this to be true, having seen most of what has been landed. All the vessels that brought up the ammunition, &c. are returned again to Torbay, under the guard of the principal men of war, a squadron of which lie now in the sound of Plymouth, and saluted each other with many cannon from the fort and the fleet.

On Sunday last, there was a report that the twenty-thousand French were landed at Porlock in this county, upon which the whole country rose with pikes, spits, scythes, and what weapons they could get, and made away for Exeter, but it proved a false alarm; for there were two small French ships driven by the Dutch fleet a-shore, and the French quitted their vessels and went on land, and were some killed, others sent hither. So that now they are pretty quiet again; but it has given that advantage to the commissioned officers, who are to raise new levies, to pick and chuse amongst them whom they please.

I shall now return again to the prince. When his highness left Exeter, Wednesday Nov. 21, he marched with his own guards, at tended by a great many of the gentry both of Somersetshire and Devon to St. Mary Ottery, where he dined; after which he marched to Axminster, where he continued four days; from thence to Crook. horn, where he tarried only one night; from thence to Sherborne,

where his highness was splendidly entertained by the Lord D: from thence he went to Wincanton, where he lodged at the house of one Mr. Churchill a merchant, and, it is credibly reported, designs for Oxford.

Sir, I have given you the best account I can of this great affair; you may communicate it to such friends as you think fit. Sir, I am, with all due respects, Your most obedient servant,

Wincanton, 1 Dec. 1688.

N. N.

A further Account of the Prince's Army, in a Letter sent from Exon, dated Nov. 24.

HAD I not insensibly overslipped my time the last post, you had received this then. When I came here, I endeavoured to inform myself, after the best manner I could, as to the number and quality of the prince's army; and all generally concluded them to be about thirty-thousand, all picked men, and many of them personally present at the siege of Buda. This I am certain of, that they ap peared to be men resolute, well disciplined, and stout, and of an extraordinary stature, and their arms suitable, muskets, swords, and pikes, being far larger than ever I yet saw; and notwithstanding the streets were thronged, almost as thick as yours on a lord-mayor's day, yet was it even a rarity to see one of them shorter than six foot; and some of them were, I am confident, six foot and a quarter, if not six foot and an half in height: so that, were it lawful to trust in an arm of flesh, they might have some cause to presume. But the tenor of their words was otherwise; their civil deportment and their honesty of paying for what they have (and the strictness of their discipline hinders them from being otherwise) winning not a little the affections of the country-men, who daily resort thither, forty or fifty in a gang, to be enlisted. My Lord Mordaunt's regiment was soon compleated, which, with two others, was raised and maintained at the charge of the gentry in this county, of which Edward Seymour, Esq. is by the prince made governor. During his highness's stay here, which was till last Wednesday, there appeared a court most splendid, composed, not only of foreign, but of many of the English nobility and gentry, which came hither to wait on his highness since his arrival, of both ranks, upwards to the number of sixty, all mighty gallant in their equipage, each striving thereby to add to the glory of their design. The gentry of these parts first seemed slow in their advances to serve the prince; but, as soon as the ice was broke by Capt. Burrington, the majority soon followed his steps, and have entered into an association. It is to admiration to consider the vast magazine of all warlike utensils brought hither by the prince's army, their baggage having for a fortnight together been con. tinually landing, and yet not fully ended. Were it not for the badness of the roads, as I was informed by a private sentinal, they could draw into the field an artillery of above two-hundred pieces: but the greatest curiosity I yet saw was a bridge of boats; such as I