"It is very ftrange, that amongst fo many dangers to which King Charles the Second was ex

pofed, and from which he was surprisingly and "miraculously delivered, neither Lord Clarendon, "nor any 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 the neceffity to make "his journey with the utmost fecrefy) did com"municate his defign to no person whatsoever. "He ordered Fleming, (a fervant of the Earl of Wigtoun) 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 Majesty ap

pointed; and that Fleming, with these horses, "should remain alone till he heard from the King. "At the time appointed, the King (having gone "to bed, and afterwards dreffed himfelf) privately

goes out at a back door, and leaving only a let"ter to fome one of his fervants in whom he con"fided, with an account of his having gone from "thence for a few days, and with directions to "keep his absence as fecret as poffible, under pre"tence of his being indifpofed, came to the "place,

B 2

place, where he found Fleming with the horses "as he had directed. He then acquainted Fleming "of his defign to fpeak with his fifter at the

Hague; and, not regarding the hazards he "might be expofed to, away he went with his "flender equipage and attendance, travelling "through the moft fecret by-ways, and con

triving it fo, that he came to the Hague by fix "in the morning, and alighted at a scrub inn, in

a remote part of the town, where he was con"fident none would know him under the disguise "she was then in. He immediately fent Fleming "to acquaint his fifter where he was, and left it to her to contrive the way and manner of having access to her, fo as not to be known. "Fleming, having dispatched his commiffion in

a very short time, (lefs than an hour) was no "fooner returned to tell the King, whom he "found in the room where he had left him, (where " he had been still alone) than an unknown per

fon came and afked of the landlord, if two "Frenchmen had not alighted at his houfe that "morning. The landlord replied, that two men "had come, but of what country he knew not. "The stranger required him to tell them that he "wanted to speak to them; which being done, "the King was much furprized, but withal in"clined to fee the perfon. Fleming opposed it, "but the King being positive, the perfon was in

troduced,

"troduced, being an old reverend-like man, with "a long grey beard, and ordinary grey cloaths, "who looking and speaking to the King, told him, he was the perfon he wanted to speak to (and all alone) on matters of importance. The King, believing it might perhaps be a message " from his fifter, or being curious to know the "refult of fuch an adventure, defired Fleming to "withdraw; which he refufed, 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 stranger "bolted the door, (which brought the King to "think on what might or would happen) and at "the fame time falling on his knees, pulled off "his very nice and artificial mafk, and discovered "himself to be Mr. Downing, (afterwards welp "known by the name of Sir George Downing, "and Ambassador from the King to the States-> "General after the Restoration) then Ambaf"fador from Cromwell to the States-General;

being the son of one Downing, an Independent "Minister, who attended fome of the Parliament "Men that were once fent to Scotland to treat "with the Scots to join against the King, and "who was a very active and violent enemy to the Royal Family, as appears by this hiftory. The King, you may imagine, was not a little fur

prized at the difcovery; but Downing gave "him no time for reflection, speaking to him «immediately in the following manner: That " he humbly begged his Majesty's pardon for any "hare or part he had acted during the rebellion' against his royal intereft, and affured him, that though he was juft now in the fervice of the « Ufurper, he wished his Majefty as well as any "of his fubjects; and would, when an occafion "offered, venture all for his fervice, and was "hopeful that what he was about to fay would • convince his Majefty of his fincerity. But be"fore he mentioned the caufe of his coming to " him, he must infift, that his Majefty would folemnly promife him not to mention what had happened, neither to Fleming nor to any person' whatever, until it pleafed God that his Majefty "was restored to his Crown, when he should have "no reason to defire that it fhould be concealed; "though even then, he muft likewife have his "Majefty's promise never to ask, or expect he "fhould difcover, how or when he came to know "of his Majefty's being there. The King having folemnly engaged on the terms required, Down"ing proceeded and told him, that his Mafter the

"

Ufurper, being now at peace with the Dutch, "(and the States fo dependent and obfequious to "him that they refufed nothing he required) had " with the greatest fecrefy, in order to make it

"more

"more effectual, entered into a treaty, by which (amongst other trifling matters agreed to be"tween them) the chief and indeed main end of "the negociation was, that the States ftood en"gaged to feize and deliver up to the Ufurper the "person of his Majefty, if at any time he should "happen by chance or by defign to come within "their territories, when required thereto by any " person in his name; and that this treaty, being "figned by the States, was fent to London, from "whence it had returned but yesterday morning, "and was totally finished yesterday night, be"tween himself and a Secret Committee of the States. Downing likewife reprefented to his Majefty, that his Mafter's (Cromwell's) intelligence was fo good, that a difcovery would be "made even to himself (Downing) of his Ma

jefty's being there; and if he neglected to ap"ply to have him feized, his Mafter would refent "it to the highest degree, which would infallibly "cost him his head, and deprive his Majefty of « a faithful fervant; and being defirous to prevent "the miserable confequences of what would fol

low, if his being here were difcovered, he re"folved to communicate the danger he was in to "his Majefty, and, for fear of a future discovery, "he had disguised himself, being determined to "entruft no perfon with the fecret. He then

propofed, that his Majefty fhould immediately

"mount