From this Time forwards, 'till the King's Return to Kent, thefe Lords met every Day in the Councilchamber at Whitehall, and by that prevented the Unruliness of the Rabble; who, the firft Hour after the King's abfconding, pull'd down the Houfes of the Florentine Envoy, and the Spanish Ambaffador: The laft of whom had full Amends made him, notwithstanding fo high an Infolence; for the Earl of Mulgrave (tho his Mafter was gone, and his Staff laid afide) yet thought the Honour of the Nation fo much concern'd, that he prefum'd to take upon himfelf to order an Apartment in Whitehall immediately, and a great Table to be kept for him twice a-Day, with Yeomen of the Guard to attend in his outward Room, (which they never do but on the King only) for which Strain of Authority he had the Fortune to be thank'd by the Prince of Orange. This was the higheft Refpect that could poffibly be paid to the King of Spain his Mafter; and yet for himself a bet ter Reparation was made afterward by King William, who gave him 17,000 l. in lieu of his Loffes; but it rather was for his good Service in perfuading all the Houfe of Auftria to acknowledge him King.

All this was after the King's being discover'd in Kent, before which Time the Peers fat daily in the Council-chamber at Whitehall; where the Lord Mulgrave one Morning happened to be advertis'd pri vately, that the King had been feiz'd by the angry Rabble of Feversham, and had sent a poor Country man with the News, in order to procure his Refcue; which was like to come too late, fince the Meffenger had waited long at the Council-door, without any Body's being willing to take Notice of him. This fad Account mov'd him with Compaffion, at fuch ah extraordinary Inftance of worldly Uncertainty; and no Cautions of offending the prevailing Party were

able

able to restrain him from fhewing a little Indignation at fo mean a Proceeding in the Council. Upon which, their new Prefident adjourn'd it haftily, in order to prevent him; but that Lord carneftly conjur'd then all to fit down again prefently, that he might acquaint, them of a Matter which admitted of no Delay, and was of the highest Importance imaginable. Accordingly the Lords, who knew nothing of the Bufinefs, could not but hearken to it; and thofe few that guefs'd it and faw the Confequence, yerwanted Time for concerting enough together, about fo nice and fo yery important a Matter. The Lords therefore fat down again; and he then reprefented to them, what a Barbarity it would be for fuch an Affembly to conpive at the Rabble's tearing in Pieces even any priž vate Gentleman, much more a Prince: So that they fufpended their Politicks a-while, and call'd in the Meffenger, who told them with Tears, how the King had with much Difficulty engag'd him to deliver a Letter from him, to any Perfons whom be could find, willing to fave him from fo imminent a Danger The Letter had no Superfcription, and was to this Effect: To acquaint the Reader of it, that he had been discover'd in his Retreat by fome Fishermen of Kent, and fecur'd at first there by the Gentry, who were yet afterwards forc'd to refign him into the Hands of an infolent Rabble.

On fo preffing an Occafion, and now fo very pub lickly made known, the Council was furprized and under fome Difficulty: At prefent it influenc'd them enough to make them fend two Hundred of the Lifeguard under their Captain the Earl of Feversham, first to rescue the King from all Danger of the common People, and afterward to attend him to the Sea-fide, if he continued his Refolution of retiring;, which

they thought it more décent to connive at, than to detain him here by Force. not

But it feems he was prevail'd on to lay afide, or rather defer his Journey to France, 'till a farther Op-. portunity; and it is not unlikely, that trufting no Body at that Time, he might only pretend to be convinc'd of his Error in going away, in order to get a better Opportunity for it at London than he could hope for in that Country, where he was so narrowly watch'd. But whatever his Defign was, the Shew of Welcome which attended his Coach thro London, inclin'd him a little to flight his Friends; openly blaming all thofe Peers, who, in his Abfence, and out of mere Neceffity, had taken on themselves a Power that was fo very useful to the publick Quiet.

The King's Return alter'd all the Measures taken in the Prince of Orange's Camp; which was by this Time become a Court, and all Places fuppos'd to be at their Disposal. The Prince (who needed Counfel, had now more Occafion than ever to affemble all those about him, who were either of Quality or Confideration enough for it) at last resolv'd to connive at the King's going into France, and to preserve him from Violence in order to it.

According to this Defign of forcing him away by the Defpair of any Accommodation, the Earl of Feverfham (whom the King fent to the Prince) was clapt into Prifon immediately; and Mr. Zuyleftein was fent in all Hafte to Kent, to forbid the King's approaching to London.

But the King was arriv'd there before; which ob lig'd the Prince to dally no longer, and to fend three Lords in fuch a Manner, as might seem almost to pronounce his Doom. They came about Midnight, and defir'd Admittance to his Bed-fide; where the Marquis of Hallifax inform'd him from the Prince,

that

that it was dangerous to his Majefty, as well as the publick Peace, to remain in London; and fo defired his immediate going to Ham, a House near it, belonging to the Dutchess of Lauderdale.

The King underflood the Meffage, as well as his Danger in being refractory; therefore only defired Ham might be chang'd for Rochefter, a Town not far from the Sea-coast of France, to which the Lords foon brought him the Prince's Confent; and fo he was convey'd thither by Water, under a Guard of fifty Dutchmen, whose Officer had private Orders to qet him escape afterwards to France.

The fame Night that the King was fent thus to Rochester, the Prince of Orange came to London; where the People were fo frighted with a Report fpread about of fome Irish Papifts intending a Maffacre, that he was receiv'd with Satisfaction. Whe * The next Day he summon'd all the Lords in Town to St. James's, where he kept his Court; and after he had in a few Words opened the Cause of his coming, he defir'd them to confider of the fitteft Means to accomplish the good Ends and Promifes in his Declaration.

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The Lords accordingly met next Day, where they only chofe the Marquis of Hallifax for their Speaker, and made an Order against any Papifts appearing about the Houfe of Parliament. But on Monday following, Notice was brought to the Lords of the -King's being escaped from Rochester, according to the before-mention'd tacit Agreement about that Matter between him and the Prince.

They all agreed alfo now in two Things, the most Cimportant that could be. The first was, that a Convention should be fummoned by circular Letters/in the Prince of Orange's Name, to all thofe Places which have a Right of chufing Members of Parlia

ment: And secondly, that the Prince should be defired to manage all publick Affairs, as well as the publick Moneys, in the mean Time.

This Addrefs of the Lords, invefting the Prince with almoft regal Power, yet was a little perplexing; for, as he could not but think it dangerous to dally with fuch an Offer: fo, on the other Hand, it was not very fafe to accept it, without the Approbation of the Commons also.

The Difficulty lay in this; that he could have that Approbation neither formally, nor plainly, without firft affembling a Parliament; which yet itself alone was fo great an Act of Sovereignty, that to call it by the Lords Advice only, was in a Manner accept→ ing the regal Power from them.

He was advised in this, for a good Expedient was refolved on. He replied, that he would confider of their Addrefs: and in the mean Time affembled at

St. James's all thofe in Town who had been Members of King Charles's two laft Parliaments; together with the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, and fifty Representatives of the Common-Council; whom he defired to confider the Neceffity of coming preently to fome good Refolution.

Accordingly they all went to Westminster next Day, where in the ufual House of Commons (chufing Mr. Powel for their Speaker) they imitated the Lords, in making exactly the fame Addrefs.

As foon as they had thus publickly address'd to the Prince, and every Man had privately adjusted his own Conditions with him; both Houfes diffolved themselves, in order to go into their feveral Countries to influence the approaching Election of that Convention which was to fettle all Things.

The Pretenfions of the Princefs of Denmark were cafily accommodated: For, fince the Lord Churchill (who