France Governor who was a Prisoner there but a few days before His Highness the Prince of Denmark with the Duke of Ormond came and joined the Prince of Orange at Sherborn-Castle upon Thursday Novemb. 29. about four of the Clock in the Afternoon The Report of which made the Hearts of all the Country People to rejoice as well as our Army and many Person of Quality flock'd to the Prince to join him From Winncanton the first Line of our Army advanced to Mere and the adjacent Towns and Villages the second Line marched to Winncanton and the third or last came to Sherborn Now the Prince of Orange with Prince George of Denmark the Duke of Ormond and very many Lords Knights and Gentlemen came from Sherborn-Castle unto Winncanton and quartered there This was the place where the first Skirmish pass'd between the two Armies the manner of which I shall impartially relate to the candid and ingenious Reader as I received an Account thereof from the Minister Mr. Bulgin and from Mr. VVebb a Cornet of Horse belonging to the late King James who was shot there between his Back-bones and Reins and lay desperately ill when we marched by A Lieutenant having his Post at this Town with about four and twenty Souldiers belonging to the Regiment of the Honourable Major General Mackay hearing that a party of Horse belonging to the late King James were posting thither he was so magnanimous as to resolve to fight them and in order thereto posted his Men as securely as he could in a small Inclosure at the East end of the Town on the left side there was a good Hedg between them and the Road which was to defend them against the Horse and through which they were to fire upon the Enemy but there was a little Gate at one Corner and a weak dead Hedg In this Field he posted most of his Men and on the other side the way just opposite to this place he posted about six Souldiers in a little Garden who had a thick old Hedg to cover them from the Horse and through which they were to fire the Officer himself with four or five Men keeping the Road The Enemies Horse being now advanced within Musquet-shot the Souldiers would have fired upon them but the Lieutenant whose name was Cambel not knowing what they might be whether Friends or Foes would not permit them and the more because a Regiment of Horse belonging to my Lord Cornbury was come in and joined our Forces and so advancing each towards other our Officer first gave them the World saying Stand stand For who are ye To which the Enemies Officer at the Head of the Party of Horse answered I am for King James Who art thou for To which our Officer replied I am for the Prince of Orange God damn me says the Enemies Officer I will Prince thee Whereupon our Officer said Fire and went bodly up to this Popish Officer and shot him in at his Mouth and through the Brains so he drop'd down dead our Souldiers firing upon them through the Hedges on each side maul'd them desperately and kill'd several of them They carried off their Dead presently being ten to one for the Enemies Party was about one hundred and fifty and our Party but five and twenty They rode to find out a Place to break in upon our Men so some Horse broke in at the upper end of the Croft some at the lower Corner and others got in at the little Gate which as is said was open'd by a Towns-man that stood near the Place so that our Men charged as fast as they could to fire upon them but were now surrounded with the Enemy our Souldiers were divers of them kill'd They defended themselves as well as 't was possible for such a handful against so many and one or two of them being shot in five or six places were offer'd Quarter by the Enemy for their great Courage but they would not accept of it from the Hands of Papists and therefore chose rather to die Now the little Company in the Garden fired divers times and the Officer with his Men kept their Ground awhile and then got into the Garden to their own Party The Towns-people were much alarm'd by this Action and came thronging into the Streets and kind Providence having so ordain'd it for the saving our Men else no doubt they would all have been cut off being so mightily overpowred that a certain Miller came riding in at the other end of the Town and hearing of this Skirmish presently reported that he had overtaken a strong Party of Horse belonging to the Prince of Orange and that he believed they were now entring the Town This was brought to the Enemies Ears very quickly and moreover he call'd to them and said Away for your Lives save your selves the Enemies are at hand Now these Souldiers of the late King James seeing the People of the Town so thick in the Streets running here and there judged that it might be so and hereupon they retreated with all speed galloping away in a confused manner however they left more behind them kill'd on their side than they had kill'd of our Men for 't was the Judgment of all here that this handful of Souldiers appertaining to his Highness the Prince of Orange kill'd more of their Enemies than they themselves were in number There were about fifteen tumbled in one Grave together and about eight or nine of our Men the rest being of the Enemies Party Our Officers did most of them visit this Mr. Web Cornet of Horse to hear the manner of this small Action From Mere the first Line of our Army advanced towards Sarum about six or seven miles the second Line advanced to Mere and the third to Wincanton All along the West we dispers'd the Declarations and where we hapned to quarter on Sunday we read it there in the Church as at Beminster Collingburn Kingston and feveral other places Near unto Beminster there lived a Gentleman whose Name I shall forbear but a very rigid Papist and one whom I cannot quite forget because of his unkindness and cursed Intention towards the Army Hearing that some Regiments would pass that way he resolved to give some their last Meat and Drink as his own Neighbours at Beminster informed us when we were there therefore he caused a Beef or two to be kill'd and poison'd the Flesh making it into Pyes and poison'd also a Hogshead or two of Beer and as much of Sider for the hungry Souldiers as he call'd them against they came that way Some of his Neighbours hearing of this cursed Design spread it purposely about the Country to prevent any of the Prince of Orange's Men from being destroyed insomuch that every Regiment was timely warn'd hereof But as in all great Armies there will be some Straglers so there was some in ours tho not many and these not hearing of this Bait accidentally passed that way and as they approached near the
An Exact DIARY OF THE Late Expedition OF His Illustrious Highness THE Prince of Orange Now KING of Great Britain From his Palace at the HAGVE To his Landing at TORBAY And from thence To his Arrival at WHITE-HALL Giving a particular ACCOUNT Of all that happened and every Day 's March. By a Minister Chaplain in the ARMY LONDON Printed for Richard Baldwin near the Black Bull in the Old-Baily M DC LXXXIX Licens'd April 23. 1689. JA. FRASER AN Exact Diary of the late Expedition OF HIS ILLUSTRIOUS HIGHNESS THE Prince of Orange INTO ENGLAND TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM Earl of Bedford WILLIAM Earl of Portland HENRY Viscount Sidney of Sheppy AND Sir JOHN MAYNARD One of the Lords Commissioners of the GREAT SEAL My LORDS WHen I seriously reflect upon the stupendious Providence of the Almighty in bringing to pass the late and unpresidented Undertaking of his Highness the Prince of Orange now King of Great Britain I cannot do less than Commemorate those Noble Persons that both favour'd and joyn'd in so good a Work among whom your Honours had a considerable share which made me prefume to lay this short Compendium of that Expedition at your Feet humbly craving your candid Acceptation and Patronage of it tho' not varnish'd with quaintness of Phrase or Elegancy of Wit and Rhetorick but in a lame and plain Stile Your Honours are not insensible how near we were to Ruine nor how his Sacred Majesty King WILLIAM hazarded all that was dear for our good which should oblige the most ungrateful to make some answerable returns of Gratitude and Loyalty Your Honours have fully convinced the World of your uprightness and steadiness in this Cause All that I can say cannot add to but will rather detract from your Honours innate Worth and Goodness I heartily wish this good Work so far already advanced may be fully compleated so that we may have no reason to fear a relapse And that the God of Heaven may preserve our gracious King and Queen and prosper their good Intentions with suitable success and convert all their Enemies or make them fall before them is the daily Prayers of May it please your Honours your Honours most Humble and most Obedient Servant JOHN WHITTLE AN Exact Diary of the late Expedition OF HIS ILLUSTRIOUS HIGHNESS THE Prince of Orange Now KING of Great Britain HIS Illustrious Highness the Prince of Orange who is of a truth another Joshua in his undaunted Spirit and Magnanimity for the Lord's Cause and prosperous Conduct of his People Israel Another good Josiah in doing that which is right in the sight of God destroying Idolatry while he was yet young Another David or man after God's own heart and a zealous Defender of that Faith which is truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolical receiving an account of the exceeding great Cruelty and Barbarity of Roman Catholicks in France towards all them that professed the true Reform'd Religion or the Protestant Faith in that Kingdom and that indeed without any regard to the Hoary head thô found in the way of Righteousness which is a Crown of Honour without any respect to Sex or poor innocent Babes which could not discern between their right and left hands and not only hearing of their unheard-of Cruelty but even beholding daily at the Court and about his own Sacred Person not a few who had sometime been the Objects of their Direfulness and undergone to their great sorrow their Barbarity among many others a pious aged Minister of the Gospel whom for adhering to the Truth and holding fast the profession of his Faith without wavering these Sons of Belial took and bound fast unto a large Spit and turn'd him as a Pig at a great Fire after a direful manner until he was near half roasted alive insomuch that his Eyes were almost ready to drop out of his Head his Bloud in the Veins much dried his Sinews not a little scorch'd and the poor man a meer Cripple at this very day as may be seen by the curious Inquisitors althô God who is faithful did not suffer him to be tempted above what he enabled him to bear and in his appointed time made a way for him to escape their cruel Hands so much embrued in the Bloud of the Saints and in the Bloud of the Martyrs of Jesus And besides this Minister many of both Sexes who had been tormented by their cruel Hands Men who had been bound fast with Cords while their own Wives were most immodestly used and entreated and then assassinated before their sorrowful eyes Women who had been violently held while the tender Bowels of their own dear Husbands were ript out even before their faces running down with tears and the sucking Infant cruelly murdered in the arms of its Mother that bear it to the breaking of many womens hearts Nay so exceeding great was the Cruelty and Barbarity of these Bloud-thirsty Papists towards the Protestants there that no Pen is able to delineate it or any Tongue express it and very few English hearts capable of conceiving it our Nation God be praised being unacquainted with such abominable Practices Now as was said the Prince of Orange hearing and beholding their cursed Facts was exceedingly concern'd for Jerusalem because he had a real love for her and therefore this good Josiah's heart did even melt within him and he harbour'd and succour'd very many of these poor and deplorable Protestants who were under so sore a Tryal How did he long to have these Sons of Satan vanquisht and the Walls of Jerusalem rebuilt and therefore did not count his own Life dear to him that he might cause the true Spouse of Christ to rest securely And verily we may hope that Babylon's fall draws near and that the Kings of the Earth who have committed Fornication with her shall partake of her Misery and see her Plagues come in one day Death and Mourning and Famine Without doubt those many thousands of Souls under the Altar which were slain for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held do cry continually with a loud voice saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth Nebuchadnezzar the Great may before seven times pass over him be driven to confess saying As I have done to the Saints so God hath requited me and the same measure that my cruel People measured to the Protestants in my Land is now meeted to my Popish Realm But for us of this Kingdom and Nation we may well rejoyce in God that made us in God that redeem'd us in God that sanctified us and all his Elect in God who hath so lately delivered us out of the hands of our implacable Enemies when we were as Sheep appointed to the slaughter We ought to extol him that rideth upon the Heavens by his Name Jah and rejoyce before him And well may our Nation be right joyful in our King and Queen by whom Jerusalem
very pathetical and very pressing unto a holy life and conversation putting all in remembrance of the great peril we were in so lately at Sea and of the holy Vows and Covenants which says he no doubt most of you did then make to God and therefore he desired that we would not forget our selves any more and told us all in express words That if we were not truly reform'd in our lives and conversations that we should not be thought worthy to be instruments of so glorious a Work notwithstanding the Lord as he had begun would bring it to pass not by us but some others who were more sincere in his Service and in the due observation of his Laws The Air was extreme tempestuous and the Weather very stormy At this very day when I go to my Devotion methinks I see that most pious and exemplary Pattern of his Highness the Prince of Orange before my face how very earnest he was with the Lord in his Prayers here upon his bended knees after a most devout manner causing publick Prayer to be made in the House where he lodged twice a day he was an Example and President unto all about him how duly they ought to remember their Creator The Weather continuing very stormy and tempestuous and little or no probability of a change or alteration the People of this place proceeding still to exact on us all some of our Lords whether Dutch or English it matters not were pleased to inform his Highness thereof who presently sent to the States about it Therefore a positive Order came forth in print what we must pay and no more so much a night for Lodging so much a pound for Cheese Butter Bief Mutton Veal Bacon c. so many Eggs for a Styver and so much to sit up by the Fire Eighteen Styvers for one Night having a fresh pair of Sheets and lodging there no more but if he continued Six Styvers a Night Four Styvers for to sit up by the Fire Ten Styvers a Pound of Butter c. Divers Lords came to visit his Highness after the Storm and her Royal Highness came in her Yacht unto the Brill where his Highness met her with many English Dutch and French Nobles Knights and Gentlemen and having dined together they parted each from the other the Prince returning in the Evening unto his Fleet at Hellevoot-sluys and her Royal Highness the Princess of Orance unto Honslaerdyke People came daily from all parts of Holland to visit their Friends and very many Dutch-women to visit their Husbands but most went to the Brill for Provision and Lodging the Brill is about some four or five English Miles from this place Being noised abroad that we were at Hellevoot-sluys and that all sorts of Provisions were so excessive dear the People came thronging with their Boats and all things within a while was at a very reasonable rate Here we heard that the Priests and Jesuits with the Papists at Antwerp in the Spanish Netherlands sung Te Deum in their Churches because the Hereticks were cast away with their great Conductor and made use of Moses Song when as we were daily rendring our hearty Praises and Thanksgivings unto the Lord our God for his stupendious deliverance of our whole Fleet out of such a storm and all the Churches in the Netherlands did the same His Highness the Prince of Orange was not in the least dismay'd in all the Storm when most mens hearts were as stones dead with fear his Countenance was observ'd not to alter as other mens did but like a true Paul or servant of Jesus Christ he encouraged all in the Ship where he was making them cheerful when their Spirits were dejected saying to some in the Ship these words or to this effect as I received information from one in the same Vessel For my own part I am not in the least doubtful but that we shall do very well I know God is a righteous God and trys the very hearts and reins and sees the very end and bottom of my thoughts He knows my integrity in this Vndertaking that 't is not to get my self a name or for my own sake but for the promotion of his Glory and his Churches good and therefore he will not give his enemies any cause to rejoyce in the destruction of the pure in heart Our Horses dying daily were thrown over-board and every person now begins to think of setting out again all the Ships are revictuall'd with a Month's Provision more besides the old Store which was left so that every Ship must needs have overmuch rather than too little And thô people may speak their pleasure concerning Holland how they feed on Hèrbs and Fish altogether I am sure there were sundry Barrels of good Beef and Pork with sufficient Cheese and Butter as could be eaten on board every Ship. Order was now given unto all the Schievelingers for to come to the Fleet at Hellevoot-sluys and accompany us to England for to set the Horses and Soldiers on shoar with all expedition which the small Ship-boats could not do And according as they receiv'd order so they came and sail'd about from one Ship to another While we were here riding at anchor for we tarried here about eleven days there was a certain Minister went unto the Brill to purchase some things he wanted to take along with him in the Ship for to eat and a Papist seeing him in a Shop and hearing him speak to the people about the Storm whether or no he was a Priest he could not say in a taunting impudent manner began thus Now Sir I suppose the Courage of you all is well cool'd and you are convinc'd that the Lord was much offended and angry with the Prince of Orange and his whole Fleet for this rash Vndertaking and therefore he made the Wind and the Seas to resist them and take his Churches part and it may be a warning unto every one of you that you do not fight against God. Unto which this Divine soon made answer saying Alas you are very much mistaken and far from the truth for by these external Providences and Dispensations of Almighty God no man can judge aright of his love or hatred because himself tells us plainly that God maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and unjust St. Paul's Shipwreck was no argument God was angry with him nor was that a sign that he was a murderer because the Viper hang'd on his hand altho' the censorious foolish Barbarians judged so in like manner This Storm coming when our Fleet was at Sea is no argument that God was offended with the Prince of Orange or this Navy for he is a consuming fire when he is provoked And hence we may certainly conclude that it was to prove us not to destroy us for 't is apparent to the World that we are not consum'd Therefore as the Barbarians chang'd their speech when they saw
where they might most perfectly see him and pulling a Bible out of his Pocket he opened it and held it so in his right Hand making many flourishes with it unto the People whose Eyes were fix'd on him and duly observ'd him thereby signifying to the People the flourishing of the Holy Gospel by God's Blessing upon the Prince of Orange's Endeavours and calling out as loud as he was able faid unto them on the top of the Rock For the Protestant Religion and maintaining of the Gospel in the Truth and Purity thereof are we all by the Goodness and Providence of God come hither after so many Storms and Tempests Moreover said he It is the Prince of Orange that 's come a zealous Defender of that Faith which is truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolical who is the Supream Governonr of this very great and formidable Fleet. Whereupon all the People shouted for Joy and Huzza's did now eccho into the Air many amongst them throwing up their Hats and all making Signs with their Hands So after the Minister had given them some Salutations and they returned him the same again he came down from off the upper Deck unto the vulgar one among his Acquaintance who spoke to him about the People on the brow or side of the Mountain 'T is methinks impossible for any Man to be so blinded as not to discern the Finger of God in this Expedition from the beginning to the end thereof for a very favourable Wind now fill'd our Sails and brought us unto the long-desired Haven to the Joy of our Hearts and comfort of England and that the Wind should turn about from East to West when we came to the very place where we were to tack about is not to be forgotten It is in effect as if the living and true God should say unto the Prince of Orange our Joshua As I was with Moses so will I be with thee I will not fail thee nor forsake thee There shall not any Man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy Life I have prov'd thee and thou art not faithless I have weighed thee in the Ballance and thou art not found wanting Behold now will I make the Heavens to rejoice and smile upon thee Now will I turn the Hearts of this great and strong Nation unto thee I will bless thee with my right and left-hand Blessings Enter therefore and possess this good Land and be thou Ruler among my People Israel The Prince of Orange being come into the middle of the Bay called Torbay attended with three or four Men of War only that is to say one or two failing before his Vessel and one on each side the Ship in which he was and all the Merchant Ships Pinks and Fly-boats coming round him as near as they durst for safety the rest of the Men of War being out in the Rear to secure all the little Pinks and Fly-boats and withal to prevent the English Fleet from disturbing us in our Landing Here we all rode at Anchor for a little while before we landed At the upper end of Torbay there is a fair House belonging to one Mr. Carey a very rigid Papist who entertained a Priest in his House This Priest going to recreate himself on the Leads on the top thereof it being a most delightsome day as he was walking there he happended to cast his Eyes towards the Sea and espying the Fleet at a distance withal being pur-blind in his Eyes as well as blinded by Satan in his Mind he presently concludes that 't was the French Navy because he saw divers white Flags come to land the Sons of Belial which should cut off the Children of God or as they call us the Hereticks And being transported with Joy he hastned to inform his own Disciples of the House and forthwith they sung Te Deum This was second grand Mistake the third time will fall to our Lot to sing Te Deum for our safe Landing as the Prince had it done at Exeter Cathedral in the Quire And because false Reports were spread abroad that the People of this House had shot several of the Prince of Orange's Souldiers and thereupon they had burnt down the House I must inform the candid Reader that there was nothing at all in it for our People did not give them one reviling word nor they us some lodged there while we were at Torbay The major part of the Fleet being come into the Bay Boats were ordered to carry the Prince on Shore with his Guards and passing towards the Land with sundry Lords the Admiral of Rotterdam gave divers Guns at his Landing the Boat was held length-ways until he was on Shore So after he had set his Feet on Land then came all the Lords and Guards some going before his Sacred Person and some coming after There are sundry little Houses which belong unto Fisher-men between the two Hills at Tor-Bay where we landed The People of these Houses came running out at their Doors to see this happy Sight So the Prince with Mareschal Schomberg and divers Lords Knights and Gentlemen marched up the Hill which all the Fleet could see over the Houses the Colours flying and flourishing before his Highness the Trumpets sounding the Hoitboys played the Drums beat and the Lords Knights Gentlemen and Guards shouted and sundry Huzza's did now eccho in the Fleet from off the Hill insomuch that our very Hearts below on the Water were even ravished for Joy thereof On this Hill you could see all the Fleet most perfectly and the Men of War sailing up and down the Seas to clear them of all Enemies the Ships in the Rear making all the fail and speed they could The Navy was like a little City the Masts appearing like so many Spires The People were like Bees swarming all over the Bay and now all the Schievelingers are set to work to carry the Men and Horses unto Shore with speed for as yet they had done nothing The Officers and Souldiers crowded the Boats extreamly many being ready to sink under the Weight happy was that Man which could get to Land soonest And such was the eagerness of both Officers and Souldiers that divers jeoparded their Lives for haste sundry Oars were broken in rowing because too many laid hands on them some jump'd up to their Knees in Water and one or two were over Head and Ears Extraordinary pains was now taken by all sorts of Men to get their necessary things to Shore every one minding his own Concern The Night was now as the Day for Labour and all this was done left the Enemy should come before we were all in a readiness to receive them The Country Harmony was ringing of Bells for our arrival The Officers and Souldiers were continually marching up the Hill after the manner of the Guards with their Colours flying and flourishing Hoitboyes playing Drums beating and all shouting and ecchoing forth Huzza's As soon as the Prince had viewed well the
not abide about the Forrest of Windsor because they kill'd the Deer Hence they march'd from Barkham and Arbersield unto Maidenhead December 16 which was the Lord's Day The first Line was now advanced to Newberry the second to Hungerford and the Rear Line to Collingburn Kingstone and the adjacent Villages who on Saturday Night December 8 received an Alarm tho it proved a false One sundry Tradesmen riding home from Hungerford Market late in the Evening were seen by some of our Scouts who presently apprehended them to be a Party of the Enemy's Horse being 't was both late and dark who thereupon speedily made report unto some of the Officers commanding in Chief insomuch that the Souldiers were knock'd up in their Quarters to come presently to their Arms The Country People were thereupon in a great fear not knowing what to do and this Alarm came from one Regiment to another for Colonel Fagell's Regiment sent to advertise the Regiment of Colonel Sidney That they might be ready to receive the Enemy Now they thought this Alarm the rather to be true because they had heard That the late King James's Souldiers were resolv'd to make an Attempt upon those Men with the Artillery and Magazine That if possible they might destroy our great Guns and Ammunition The Souldiers being thus hurried out of their Beds ran here and there to seek the Enemy Thus were they marching to and fro the whole Night in the Rain The Morrow Morning being the Lord's Day divers Officers went to search the Woods near to the place where those Tradesmen were first seen lest they should lie in Ambush till the Regiments were march'd away and then attack the Artillery and Magazine-Forces But none could be found or heard of thereabout only they were now inform'd of these Tradesmen and so they return'd to their Regiments The Commissioners by this time were come to Hungerford and these following Words in Writing were delivered unto the Prince of Orange Sir THE King commanded us to acquaint you That he observeth all the Differences and Causes of Complaint alledged by your Highness seem to be referred to a Free Parliament His Majesty as he hath already declared was resolv'd before this to call One but thought that in the present State of Affairs it was adviseable to defer it till things were more compos'd Yet seeing that his People still continued to desire it He hath put forth his Proclamation in order to it and hath issued forth his Writs for calling of it And to prevent any Cause of Interruption in it he will consent to every thing that can be reasonably required for the Security of all those that shall come to it His Majesty hath therefore sent us to attend Your Highness for the adjusting of all Matters that shall be agreed to necessary to the Freedom of Elections and the Security of Sitting and is ready immediately to enter into a Treaty in order to it His Majesty proposeth that in the mean time the respective Armies may be restrained within such Limits and at such a Distance from London as may prevent the Apprehensions that the Parliament may in any kind be disturbed being desirous that the Meeting of it may be no longer delay'd than it must be by the usual and necessary Forms Hungerford Decemb. 8. 1688. Signed Hallifax Nottingham Godolphin His Highness the Prince of Orange with the advice of his Lords and Gentlemen in answer to the same made these Proposals 1. That all Papists and such Persons as are not qualified by Law be disarmed disbanded and removed from all Employments Civil and Military 2. That all Proclamations which reflect upon Us or any that have come to Us or declared for Us be re-called and that if any Persons for having so assisted have been committed that they be forth with set at Liberty 3. That for the Security and Safety of the City of London the Custody and Government of the Tower be immediately put into the Hands of the said City 4. That if his Majesty shall think fit to be at London during the sitting of the Parliament that We may be there also with equal Number of our Guards Or if his Majesty shall please to be in any place from London at whatever distance he thinks fit that we may be at a place of the same distance And that the Respective Armies do remove from London Thirty Miles and that no more Foreign Forces be brought into the Kingdom 5. That for the Security of the City of London and their Trade Tilbury-Fort be put into the Hands of the said City 6. That to prevent the Landing of French or other Foreign Troops Portsmouth may be put into such Hands as by your Majesty and Us shall be agreed upon 7. That some sufficient part of the Publick Revenue be assigned Us for the Maintaining of our Forces until the Meeting of a Parliament Given at Littlecot Decemb. 9. 1688. W. H. Prince of Orange The late King James perceiving now that he was in an evil Case in relation to sundry Matters thought it high time to secure himself whereupon December 10 he wrote a Letter to the Earl of Feversham now at the Head of his Army signifying his Intention therein And on the Morrow Morning December 11 he withdrew himself in order to his departure out of the Kingdom and being on his Journey near Feversham in Kent was taken in a Disguise and sent back to London The Earl of Feversham having read the Contents of the late K. James his Letter sent another speedily for to advertise his Highness the Prince of Orange that his late Majesty was gone away And that for his own part He would make no Opposition against any and so prevent the Effusion of Blood. The news of the late King James being gone away flew like lightening from East to West and from North to South Our Army was now advanc'd far towards the City of London The first line being March'd from Newberry to Reading Tylehurstone and the adjacent places The second line advanc'd to Newberry and the third line to Hungerford The Prince rode to Henly attended with his Nobility and Gentry sundry Regiments of the first and second Line being marched thither and the Rear Line was come to Newberry Here we received the first positive News of the late King James being gone away As soon as it was certainly known about the City of London that the late King was withdrawn in order to his departure out of the Kingdom the Lords Spiritual and Temporal assembled at Guildhal Decemb. 11. and there agreed upon and signed a Declaration Entituled The Declaration of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in and about the Cities of London and Westminster assembled at Guildhal c. The substance of which being to shew that the late King James was gone away and to declare that they would assist his Highness with their uttermost Endeavours in the obtaining a Free Parliament with all speed and in preserving as much as in them