Rights which none but such Monsters as themselves would unjustly detain from so great and so good a Prince Wherefore being deeply sensible of their danger they prepare for War but whether it should be Offensive or Defensive was yet a question among them But at last considering that if there must be a War it had ever been a Maxim among the greatest Politicians that it was most prudent to make the Enemies Country the Seat of it They resolved upon an Offensive War hoping that Scotland would quickly be weary of maintaining two Armies since it had so much ado to keep one And that since they were informed their Levies went on flowly they thought that their Forces which were already on Foot might easily go and surprize them before they lookt for them or were half ready to entertain them In order whereunto Cromwel being called out of Ireland was in great state made Captain General of all their Forces raised or to be raised in England Scotland and Ireland The Lord Fairfax who had in him some sparks of Loyalty waving at once that Employment and his own Commission not as some imagine to avoid the hazard of that Expedition for he was one that never turned his back upon danger but because he was unwilling any longer to be subservient to those base and vile Designs which he now began to abhor Whilst these preparations were making in England the King removed from the Hague to Diep in Normandy and from thence to Scheveling from whence after a dangerous Storm and narrow escape of some English Vessels which lay in wait for him he arrived safe at the Spey in the North of Scotland which the Parliament being informed of they sent some Lords to receive and attend him from thence to Edinburgh where he is received by the Parliament and Committee of Estates and Kirk with infinite expressions of Fidelity and Affection the common people like so many Echoes to their Superiors and the whole City sounding nothing but Vive le Roy. But Cromwel being advanced with his Army into Scotland and having been successful in some smaller Encounters and given them a total overthrow at Dunbar they found themselves in a sad and perplexed condition having not only the Enemy raging in the bowels of that Kingdom but being extreamly divided also amongst themselves wherefore they now thought it high time to unite among themselves In order whereunto a general meeting was appointed at St. Johnstons which should consist of King Lords and Commons and the Assembly of the Ministers in which Assembly several Lords formerly in favour with the Kirk were admitted to Commands in the Army and a Liberty to sit in Parliament as Hamilton Lauderdale and others And Major General Massey formerly Governour of Glocester for the Parliament but afterward reconciled to the King was admitted to a Command in the Army And as the perfection of all the Kings Coronation was there resolved upon so that now their wounds began to heal and their breaches to be made up again and it was generally hoped that these Clouds of Division being blown over a serene Sky would immediately follow and the Sun of Prosperity shine on their future proceedings The Parliament of Scotland in pursuance of those resolutions at St. Johnstons having dissolved themselves in order to the Kings Coronation it was performed on the first of January at Schone in as Solemn and Splendid manner as the exigency of the time could bear his Majesty with a great Train of his Nobles and others went first to the Kirk where a Sermon was Preacht by a Scotch Minister whose name was Duglass upon those words then they brought out the Kings Son and put upon him the Crown and gave him the Testimony and made him King and Jehojadah and his Son Anointed him saying God save the King 2 Chron. 23 11. Joined to these words and Jehojadah made a Covenant between all the People and between the King that they should be the Lords People v. 16. Which Sermon being ended he was conducted from his Chair of State which was placed in the Kirk to that erected for his Coronation by the Lord High Constable and the Earl Marshal where being placed he was Proclaimed King by Herald King at Arms and then clad with a Robe of State by the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Steward After which sitting he consented to the National Covenant the Solemn League Covenant Directory and the Catechisms and promised upon his Royal word to perform them so far as he understood them to be agreeable to the Word of God in his own Family in his Kingdom of Scotland and in all his other Dominions as soon as it should please God to restore him thereunto Which being done the Coronation Oath was next read which was Enacted in the first Parliament of King James and is as follows That His Majesty shall maintain that Religion Discipline and Worship that is most agreeable to the Word of God to the best Patrons of Reformation and is against all Heresy Schism Idolatry Superstition and Prophaneness that he should govern the Kingdom by Law and Equity and that he should maintain the just Rights of the Crown and Priviledges of the People After the reading of which Oath he declared with an audible Voice that he did promise in the name of the great God who Lives for ever that he would to the uttermost of his Power endeavour to do the things contained in that Oath Which done Herald King at Arms went to the four corners of the Stage and demanded of the People four times whether they were willing that Charles the Second Son and Heir of Charles the First should be King over them to which the People answered Long live King Charles God Save the King Then the Marquess of Argile Presented him with the Royal Scepter the Earl of Eglington put on the Spurs the Lord High Constable set the Crown upon his Head and the Earl Marshal having unsheathed the Sword put it into his hand to defend the Faith withal which having held a while he delivered it to the Earl of Glencarn to be carried before him Then the Nobility Gentry and Commons of the Kingdom did as in the presence of the Great God that Lives for ever swear Allegiance Fealty and Obedience to him as to their Liege and Soveraign Lord and the whole Ceremony was concluded by an Exhortation of the Minister to his Majesty to the Nobility to the Clergy and to the Commons the sum and substance whereof was in reference to the Covenant which they then lookt upon as the Center from which every Line both of Soveraignty and the Subjects Duty was to be drawn in their respective Circumstances And for a power to perform what he then exhorted them to the assistance of God is invoked by prayer who being Alpha and Omega they made him the first with whom they began and the last with whom they finished So soon as the Crown was set upon his Head he made a
short but pithy Speech to the People telling them that he did esteem the Affections of his good People more than the Crowns of many Kingdoms and should be ready by God's Assistance to bestow his Life for their defence wishing to live no longer than he saw Religion and that Kingdom to flourish in all Happiness with many other expressions of like Love and Affection toward them The Ceremonies of the Coronation being ended and a plentiful Entertainment prepared he sate down at one Table and the Lords at another many Caresses and Testimonies of Joy reciprocally passing between them And Dinner being ended they all returned to St. Johnstons in the same Order and Pomp as they came from thence to Schoneâ— Bonfires Ringing of Bells and the loud Acclamations of the People were sufficient demonstrations of the Publick Joy which the Scots were filled withall and the great expectations they had of Happiness and Felicity under the Influence of his mild and easie Government Having now obtained the actual possession of one of his Kingdoms and being reconciled to that Parliament he was not in the least daunted by the late Miscarriages but as if he had been encouraged by his former Unhappiness and raised in mind like Anteus by his Fall he proceeded to the raising of such an Army as might then have been rather wisht for by the Affectionate than expected by the Reasonable And indeed such was the Confluence of Faithful Subjects that continually resorted to him and were resolved to carry on and if possible maintain an endangered and an endangering Cause against the most successful and hitherto prevailing Interest that he was in a little time Master of a greater Army in the Field than either his own hope or his Enemies guilty fear could suspect Wherefore he bravely appears himself in the management of his own Affairs as Generalissimo of that Army which consisted of two and twenty thousand fighting Men. Nor was his care less employed about his Garrisons than it was about those Forces he had in the Field knowing that it was prudence to provide for a Retreat though he expected a Conquest and not neglect the providing a Refuge in the worst of Dangers whilst according to Reason he need to think of nothing but Safety in the best of Victories Wherefore to hasten the work for every minute of delay was then fatal and cherish the dejected Vulgar who were now somewhat discouraged by lying under the burden of a double Army with the honour and pleasure of his gracious presence He took a progress to view the most considerable of them and see them well fortified and furnisht with all necessary Provisions encouraging the Engineers by his Bounty and directing and guiding them by his Skill But those vast Preparations were too formidable to his Enemies for them to suffer 'em to go on without an Attempt at least to hinder and defeat them Wherefore before the Levies were well compleated Cromwel makes hard toward him thinking each minute tedious that past without some Action But the King prudently declined joyning Battel with him until he might if possible draw him who had a greedy desire of Fighting into some disadvantage which he was in a probability of doing soon after For Cromwel having commanded two Regiments to pass over into a narrrow Island hoping thereby to intercept his passage he sent against them five or six Regiments under the Command of Major General Brown who had certainly cut them all in pieces had not Cromwel hastened thither with a supply in the very last minute of opportunity whereby he rescued his own Forces and beat back Brown although not without a considerable loss on both sides And being flusht with those successful beginnings pursued his Advantage and transporting his Army over Fife marcht immediately unto St. Johnstons which he took almost upon the first Summons Whereupon the King who was not able to beat them back thought it high time to look about him And since Cromwel that successful Rebel had now gained all on the other side Fife took the Earl of Eglington Prisoner possest himself of St. Johnstons and grew every day more powerful he resolved with all imaginable speed to advance into England expecting that the Justice and Equity of his Cause together with the long Tyranny exercised over them by the Juncto would incite his English Subjects to return to their Allegiance and joyn with him against theirs as well as his Enemies And knowing by experience that the Scots always exprest their Valour better in other Countries than at home in their own whereupon Cromwel re-crosses Frith and sends Lambert with a select Party of Horse and Dragoons to fall upon the King's Reer himself following presently after with the Body of his Army The King entred England by the way of Carlisle the Royal Army marching through the Country with that Civility and exact Obedience to Military Discipline that as some affirm the Country was not damaged six-pence by them But whether it were that their former Villanies had left such a deep impression in the hearts of the People or that they were now dull'd and besotted with Slavery and with Issachar's Ass were content to couch under their Burdens or that they were over-awed by an Armed Power which is the most probable few or none came in to his Assistance save only the Lord Howard's Son of Escrick with one Troop of Horse notwithstanding his earnest Invitation The Juncto at Westminster hearing of the King's March were exceedingly terrified therewith and presently raised all the Countries against him and declared it High Treason for any to assist him either with Men or Money But the Earl of Darby who was always Loyal both to him and his Father not fearing their Bug-Bear Threatning brought him a supply of Two hundred and fifty Foot and Sixty Horse out of the Isle of Man He met with no opposition till he came at Warrington in Lancashire where some considerable Forces of the Parliament were ready to cut down that Bridge and dispute his Passage But the Scots falling on them before they were aware prevented the breaking down of the Bridge and by their Valour forced their way over the Planks and put the Adversary to such a confused Retreat that had it been pursued as himself would have had it but was opposed by Lesly it might have proved the Conquest of all England and that unhappy and miserable War might thereby have been ended much sooner than it was From thence he marched toward Worcester in such excellent Order and with so little Damage to the Country that it lookt more like a Progress with his Nobles than a March with an Army which was a great demonstration of the powerful Influence of his goodness and care which could so easily frame Rudeness it self to so smooth and even a temper and form an unruly Camp into a well managed and orderly Court In his way to Worcester he summoned Shrewsbury by a Letter directed to Collonel Mackworth
be the better able to entertain War when they had made provisions for it And he being sensible of their drift therein thought it not convenient for him to be altogether idle and therefore resolved so to order his Affairs as to be in as good a readiness as they whensoever the War should commence To which end he required the City to lend him One Hundred Thousand Pound referring them to the Lord Treasurer for Terms of Repayment which Request was receiv'd with such a dutiful compliance by the Common-Council that it was presently granted thereby acquitting themselves at once both in point of Loyalty and Prudence by serving the KINGS present Necessity and providing for their own future Safety This Money he imploy'd in fitting out two considerable Fleets and intending to employ Sir John Lawson who then blockt up Argier and some of the Ships under his Command therein he commanded his Return for England Captain Allen being ordered to succeed him there who brought these Pirates into such distress that shortly after they were forc'd to accept of Peace upon terms advantageous enough for England The Dutch Embassadour propounding such conditions as were not to be accepted he sent back Sir George Downing thither with full Instructions how to behave himself towards them who had upon his Arrival several Conferences with the States about Satisfaction for Damages received but could not prevail with them to return a positive Answer to any thing he propounded nor come to any terms of Agreement which they were the more willing to delay in regard they expected the speedy Arrival of a vast Treasure in several great Fleets of Merchants Ships But this being not unknown to him and he being a Prince that well enough understood how strong the Nerve of War Money was resolved to way-lay those vast Masses of Wealth as they past homeward through his own Channel especially being informed by secret Intelligence that they were resolved in contempt of his Power to send their Guiney Preparations by Sea and that Opdam should convey them through the Channel To which end and purpose that he might be before-hand with them in their preparations he endeavoured with all imaginable speed and diligence to make his Navy ready not sparing to oversee and order things with indefatigable paines and industry in his own Royal Person which was abundantly answered by the success For such was the Alacrity of his Subjects when they saw him continually Travelling from place to place to forward the work and see all things effectually and speedily performed encouraging them by his Presence that the City at the very first mention of it by the Earl of Manchester Chamberlain of His Household supplyed him with a second Loan of One Hundred Thousand Pounds By which means while the Dutch flattered themselves with suppositions of his want of Men and Money and his being broken with the Calamities of the Raging Pestilence which hapned about this time and was the severest that ever was known in England they were only forced to look on and with Envy behold his Vigorous preparations and see the Sea covered with such a Magnificent Navy as the Ocean had scarcely ever supported in any former Age. However having duely considered the dangers of the Northern passage they seemingly laid aside all thoughts of going about by Scotland and continued firm to their former Resolution of forcing their passage though the Channel In order whereunto having Re-victualled Opdams Fleet they commanded him to hasten to Sea with the first Wind and conduct the Guiney-Succors through the Channel having ordered some other Ships from the Vlie and Texel to Joyn with him and sent a Galliot before to give notice to their Director General in Guinea of their Proceedings therein Which Resolution taken and carryed on with so much Vigour most men Imagin'd to have been extorted from them by the exigency of their present condition for they had scattered many base contempts upon the King and Subjects of England Nor was the Issue of that Bravado other than what their Fears presented For about the middle of October Prince Rupert appeared at the Spitt-Head with sixteen Saile of Ships who was not long after joyned by the Duke then Lord High Admiral of England and the Earl of Sandwich so that it was a matter of the greatest difficulty and hazard for them to unlock the narrow Seas And great dispute there was amongst them whether Opdam who lay with his Fleet in the Gore should adventure out or no but the Wind continuing cross put an end to that dispute and furnisht them with a plausible excuse for their not appearing at Sea upon so great disadvantages as they would in all probability have met withall However Prince Rupert kept the Sea with the English Fleet to attend their Motion and was rewarded by all or most of their Bourdeaux Fleet falling into his hands which with other Prizes taken that Year by the English amounted to about One Hundred Thirty Five There having been as yet no Publick Declaration of War on either side the King still continued to Treat for Peace with His Arms in His Hand and ordered Sir George Downing to press in the heat of all that preparation and action for satisfaction of Damages And finding that they were not like to be brought to such terms as he expected and knowing that it would mightily advance his Credit and strike Terror into his Enemies to be alway before hand with them he caused an Embargo to be laid upon their Ships with so much Secrecy that His Embassadour there had notice of it at least eight dayes before the States that so he might give secret Intelligence to the English and hasten their departure by which means when their Embargo came it found only two small inconsiderable Vessels and an Oyster Boat to seize And the King acquainting the Parliament which met in November how unkindly he had been Treated by the Dutch and what preparations he had thereupon made for War and telling them he had out of his own Credit set forth a Navy which he was sure would not decline meeting with all the Power of the Dutch for the Finishing where of he had borrowed so liberally out of his own stores and of the City of London that to discharge the one and replenish the other would require little less then Eight Hundred Thousand Pounds They to demonstrate their Love and Affection to their Soveraign and how hearty they were in their Resolutions to support His Honour and their Countries Rights against Forreign Encroachments gave him more then thrice that Summ in an Act Entituled An Act for granting a Royal Aide of Twenty four Thousand Threescore and Seventeen Thousand and Five Hundred Pounds And finding that the Dutch did but trifle with him in hopes of gaining time he resolved to forbear them no longer and therefore in the February following denounc'd War against them by a Publick Declaration prohibiting all Manufactures coming from thence and granting Letters of