570
I<S S7-
England as-sists theSwedes a-gainft theDanes.
1659.
Charles II. Naval Expeditions * &c. of the English* Book Id*
Towards the Conclusion of this Year,there being a War between Sweden andDenmark, those who were then at theHelm in England, taking Part with theformer, sent out a strong Squadron, (theCommand of which they gave to SirGeorge As cough ) to their Assistance, aswell as to observe the Dutch, who tookPart with the latter. But it proving thisYear a very severe Winter, he was pre-vented by Ice from attempting anyThing, and so returned home as he went.
The next Year, another Fleet wasfitted out, with the samelntent, and putunder the Command of General Moun-tague. But he hearing the GeneralDisposition in England to restore theRoyal Family, suddenly returned, onPretence of wanting Provisions, to assistin the intended Revolution. Upon his•Arrival, he was, by Monk’s Advice,sent to take Charge of the Fleet; And,being well received by Vice-Admiral
Lawson , he disposed him, and the other 1659*Officers, to submit to the Determinationof the next full Parliament; Whichvoted the King’s Restoration.
Thus he soon after employed the Montaguefame Ships in briaging over his Sove- brings overreign King Charles II. from Holland, King Chaffi !He being, in the Beginning of the ,Year 1660. invited, by his People, to I ° °‘come and sit on the Throne of his An-cestors.
I should now go back to give a shortAccount of what passed after the Deathof Oliver Cromwell, ’till the Return ofKing Charles II. But the Transactionsof that Space of Time, tho’ not full twoYears, were so many, and so intricate,that it would be impossible to abridgethem within the Compass to which I amlimited. I shall therefore pass them byin Silence, and proceed to the Reignof King Charles II. after the Restora-tion.
CHAP, XXXVII.
Sun dry Naval and other Eransahlions of the Engliffi, at the Beginning of KingCharles list Reign , to the Conclufon of the Tear, 1663.
1660.Rapin.Rennet.Harris'j Col.ColumnaRolirata.King CharlesII Restora-tion, andProclama-tion.
His Returnto London.
Several ofthe princi-pal Tranfa&ionsofthisTear.
I N G Charles II. being actuallyrestored, by the Vote of bothHouses of Parliament, was pro-claimed with great Solemnity, onthe eighth of May, in London, and De-puties from the Parliament and City de-parted, on the eleventh, to wait on theKing, who expected them at the Hague.On the sixteenth, he gave them Audi-ence, on the three and twentieth he tookShipping, arrived the six and twentieth,sst Dover, and from thence to Canter-bury, and the nine and twentieth, hisBirth-day, arrived at fVhitehall'.
The fifth of July, the King, withhis two Brothers, the great Officers of
the Crown, and both Houses of Parlia-ment, were entertained by the City,withgreat Magnificence. On the nine andtwentieth of Augufl, the King gave hisRoyal Assent to the Act of Indemnity.The thirteenth of September , died theDuke of Gloucefer, the King’s youngestBrother, of the small Pox. Soon after,ten of the Regicides, who had been ex-cluded the Act of Indemnity, and ofthe nine and twenty who were tried andcondemned, suffered according to theirSentence. Nine of the old Bishops, whowere yet living, were restored to theirSees. In OBober, the Princess Dowa-ger of Orange, the King’s Sister, came to
England,
1660 -
“ a most magnanimous Resolution. In a Word," (concludes he) as he was guilty of many“ Crimes, against which Damnation is denounced,“ and for which Hell-fire is prepared, so he had“ some good Qualities, which have caused thecc Memory of some Men in all Ages to be cele-“ brated, and he will be looked upon by Posteri-c- ty as a brave uiicked Man.” What this Illu-strious Author meant by Wickedness and Crimesis, without Doubt, hisUsurpation of the Govern-ment, and the too great Hand he had, in theMurder of the King. " H we consider him as“ a private Man (fays Rapin ) it may with Aliu-“ ranee be said, that his Morals and Conduct" were very regular. He had none of the Vices
" to which Men are commonly addicted. Glut-" tony, Drunkenness, Gaming, Luxury, Ava-" rice, were Vices with which he was never re-" proached." And in his Publick Capacity; “If“ we compare him 'with the two last Kings, the“ Disparity will be evident, with Regard to the" Glory and Reputation of the Englijh Nation.“ James I. and Charles I seemed to have studied“ how to debase the Englp Name; Whereas“ Cromwell , in the Space of four or five Years,“ carried it as high as it was capable to be raif-" ed, and in this Respect was not at all inferiour" to Queen Elizabeth.” Burnett History of hisown Times.