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ARBORI PULLENIANE

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RBOR ô, montis viridans apríci
Quæ fuper nutas juga culta, falve!

Ruris ô noftri decus, atque laffo

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S the following anecdote contains a remarkable circumftance belonging to the English History, if you think it worthy a place in your Mifcellany, it is at your fervice. It may be neceffary to inform your readers, that it is a tranfcript from the hand-writing of the famous Mr. LoCKHART, author of the Memoirs of Scotland; and that the original manuscript was inserted in a blank leaf of a volume of Lord CLARENDON's Hiftory of the Rebellion, to which author the introdution to the ftory particularly refers.

Numb. III.

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Yours, &c.

ANEC

ANECDOTE relating to King CHARLES the Second.

IT

T is very ftrange, that amongst fo many dangers, to which King CHARLES II. was expofed, and from which he was furprizingly and miraculoufly delivered, neither this, nor any other author I have met with, takes the leaft notice of one of a very extraordinary, nature, which happened to him in Holland, and which was as follows.

*

The King, when at Bruffels, being defirous and refolved to fee his fifter the Princefs of Orange, but withal under a neceffity to make the journey with the utmoft fecrecy, did communicate his defign to no perfon whatsoever. He or dered FLEMING (a fervant of the Earl of Wigton) who was in his fervice, and of whofe fidelity he neither then nor ever after did doubt, fecretly to provide a couple of good horfes, and have them ready at a certain place and time of the next enfuing night by his Majefty appointed: that FLEMING with thefe horfes fhould remain alone till he heard from the King.

At the time appointed, the King (having gone to bed, and afterwards dreffed himself, and privately gone out of a back-door, and leaving only a letter to fome one of his fervants in whom he confided, with an account of his having gone from them for a few days, and with directions to keep his abfence as fecret as poffible under pretence of being indifpofed) came to the place: there he found FLEMING with the horfes as he had directed. He then acquainted FLEMING of his defign of going to the Hague; and not regarding the hazards he might be expofed to, away he went with this flender equipage and attendance, travelling through the moft fecret by-ways, and contriving it fo that he came to

*Meaning Lord CLARENDON.

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the Hague by fix in the morning, and alighted at a fcrub inn in a remote part of the town, where he was confident none would know him under the difguife he was then in. He immediately fent FLEMING to acquaint his fifter where he was, and to leave it to her to contrive the way and manner of his having accefs to her, fo as not to be known.

FLEMING having difpatched his commiffion in a very fhort time (lefs than an hour) was no fooner returned to the King (finding him in the room where he had left him, and where he had been still alone) than an unknown person came and asked of the landlord, if two Frenchmen had not alighted at his house that morning? The landlord replied, that indeed two men had come, but of what country he knew not. The ftranger defired him to tell them, he wanted to speak to them; which he having done the King was much furprized, but withal inclined to fee the perfon. FLEMING oppofed it, but the King being pofitive, the perfon was introduced, being an old reverend-like man, with a long beard and ordinary grey cloaths; who looking and fpeaking to the perfon of the King told him, he was the perfon he wanted to speak to, and that all alone, on matters of importance. The King believing it might perhaps be a return from his fifter, or being curious to know the refult of fuch an adventure, defired FLEMING to withdraw; which he refused, till the King taking him afide told him there could be no hazard from fuch an old man, for whom he was too much, and commanded him to retire.

They were no fooner alone, than the ftranger bolted the door (which brought the King to think on what might or would happen) and at the fame time falling upon his knees, pulled off his very nice and artificial mafk, and difcovered himself to be Mr. DoWNING (afterwards well known by the name of Sir GEORGE, and ambaffadour from the King to the States, after his reftoration) then envoy or ambaffadour from CROMWELL to the States, being the fon of one DOWNING an independent minifier, who attended fome of

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the parliament-men who were once fent to Scotland to treat with the Scots to join against the King, and who was a very active virulent enemy to the Royal Family, as appears from this history. *

The King you may eafily imagine was not a little fur prized at the discovery. But DoWNING gave him no time for reflection, having immediately spoke to him in the following manner: That he humbly begged his Majesty's pardon for any fhare or part he had acted during the rebellion against his Royal intereft; and affured him, that tho' he was just now in the service of the Ufurper, he wifhed his Majefty as well as any of his fubjects; and would, when an occafion offered, venture all for his fervice; and was hopeful, what he was to fay would convince his Majefty of his fin cerity but before he mentioned the cause of his coming to him, he must infift that his Majefty would folemnly promise to him not to mention what had happened and he was to fay, to FLEMING, or any other perfon whatfoever, until it pleafed God his Majefty was reftored to his crowns, when he fhould not have reason to defire it concealed ; tho' ever then he must likewife have his Majefty's promife, never to afk or expect he should difcover how or when he came to know of his being there.

The King having folemnly engaged in the terms required, DOWNING proceeded, and told, that his mafter the Ufurper, being now at peace with the Dutch, and the States so dependant and obfequious to him that they refufed nothing he required, had with the greatest fecrecy, in order to make it more effectual, entered into a treaty, by which among other trifling matters agreed to hinc inde, the chief and indeed main end of the negotiation was, that the States stood engaged to feize and deliver up to the Ufurper the perfon of his Majefty, if fo be at any time he fhould happen, by chance or defign, to come within their territories, when re

*Lord CLARENDON'S.

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