Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	great_a	king_n	26,882	5	4.1773	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27463	Memoirs of Sir John Berkley containing an account of his negotiation with Lieutenant General Cromwel, Commissary General Ireton, and other officers of the army, for restoring King Charles the First to the exercise of the government of England.	Berkeley, John, Sir, d. 1678.	1699 (1699)	Wing B1971; ESTC R4022	30,903	94

MEMOIRS OF Sir John Berkley Containing an ACCOUNT Of his NEGOTIATION WITH Lieutenant General CROMWEL Commissary General IRETON And other Officers of the Army For Restoring King CHARLES the First to the Exercise of the Government of England LONDON Printed by J. Darby in Bartholomew-Close for A. Baldwin in Warwicklane MDCXCIX MEMOIRS OF Sir JOHN BERKLEY IN the Year 1647 her Majesty and his Highness the Prince of Wales were pleased to send me into Holland to condole the Death of the Prince of Orange and having performed that Office I returned with Mr. John and Mr. William Ashburnham to France by the way of Calais where we met with the News of his Majesty's being seized by one Cornet Joyce in Holmby House from whence he was carried with a Guard of 400 Horse towards the Army the Cornet producing no Authority whereby to warrant this proceeding The next Post brought us Advertisement to Calais that his Majesty was well received by the Officers and Soldiers of the Army and that there were great hopes conceived that they would both concur to establish his Majesty in his just Rights From Calais we went to Rouen where we met a Confirmation of this Intelligence and heard withal that one Sir Edward Ford who was Brother-in-law to Commissary General Ireton was sent by her Majesty and his Highness the Prince of Wales into England to discover the Intentions of the Army and to promote an Agreement between his Majesty and them From Rouen we went to St. Germains where we were no sooner arrived but we heard that Mr. Denham who during his Imprisonment had contracted a great Familiarity with Mr. Peters a Preacher and a powerful person in the Army was dispatch'd with a Commission to the like effect with that of Sir Edward Ford. As I was going up to her Majesty I met accidentally with my Lord Culpepper who scarce had saluted me before he told me that I must prepare my self immediately for another Journey her Majesty being resolved to send me into England after Sir Edward Ford and Mr. Denham I answer'd that I had no Pass nor any Acquaintance with any one of the Army and that I doubted if the King's Party should come too thick upon them at first those of the Army would be jealous they should have too many Sharers in the Places and Preferments they might perhaps meditate to procure and preserve to themselves His Lordship replied That if I were afraid to go into England her Majesty and his Highness would serve themselves of some other person because they conceived it necessary to employ some to the Army that might be supposed to have greater Trust both with the Queen in France and with the King in England than either Sir Edward Ford or Mr. Denham had I return'd That if after a serious consideration it should be judged of use to dispatch me into England I would adventure tho I had not the honour to be very well known to his Majesty and therefore could not expect any great Trust from him To that part his Lordship replied That there was an Intention to send Mr. John Ashburnham after me but that he would not go without a Pass and therefore that I should have it added to my Instructions to procure him one Within few days after I had my Dispatch and went by the way of Dieppe where I met with Mr. William Leg of the Bed-chamber to his Majesty He embarked with me for England we arriv'd at Hastings and from thence went the next day towards London Two miles on this side Tunbridg I met with Sir Allen Apsley who had been my Lieutenant-Governor of Exeter and afterwards Governor of Barnstaple in the County of Devon He told me that he was going to me from Cromwel and some other Officers of the Army with Letters and a Cypher and Instructions which were to this effect That he should desire me to remember that in some Conferences with Colonel Lambert and other Officers of the Army upon the rendring of Exeter I had taken notice of the Army 's bitter inveighing against the King's person as if he had been the worst of men and their excessive extolling the Parliament both which being without any colour of ground I had concluded that those Discourses were not out of any perswasion of mind but affected to prepare men to receive the Alteration of Government they intended the Parliament should effect by the assistance of the Army which I had said was not only a most wicked but a very difficult if not an impossible Design for a few men not of the greatest Quality to introduce a Popular Government against the King and his Party against the Presbyterians against the Nobility and Gentry against the Laws establish'd both Ecclesiastical and Civil and against the whole Genius of the Nation that had been accustomed for so many Ages to a Monarchical Government Whereas on the other side if they would but consider that those of their Party had no particular obligations to the Crown as many of the Presbyterians had and therefore ought less to despair of his Majesty's Grace and Favour that the Presbyter began this War upon specious pretences of making the King a glorious King that under that pretext they had deceived many well-meaning men and had brought great things to pass but that now the Mask was taken off and they discovered to have sought their own Advantages and at the same time the Power almost wrested out of their hands to do themselves much good or others hurt and that by the Independent Party who could establish themselves no way under Heaven so justly and prudently as by making good what the Presbyterians had only pretended that is restoring King and People to their just and antient Rights which would so ingratiate them with both that they would voluntarily invest them with as much Trust and Power as Subjects are capable of Whereas if they grasped more it would be with the general hatred and their own destruction To this Discourse of mine they only gave a Hearing but no Consent as proceeding from an Interest much divided from theirs but since they have found by experience all or the most part to be so reasonable that they were resolved to put it in practice as I might perceive by what had already pass'd they desired for the present nothing of me but that I would present them humbly to the Queen and Prince and be Suitor to them in their Names not to condemn them absolutely but to suspend their Opinions of them and their Pretensions towards his Majesty and judg them rather by their future Behaviour of the innocence whereof they had already given some Testimonies to the World and would do more and more daily When I should have done this Office they desired I would come over into England and become an Eye-witness of their Proceedings I thought this Rencounter no ill Omen to my future Proceedings Sir Allen Apsley told me I should have to do with subtil men

opposite to the King in which Peters was instrumental He acknowledg'd as he had formerly done upon the like occasion that the Glories of the World had so dazled his eyes that he could not discern clearly the great Works the Lord was doing that he was resolved to humble himself and desire the Prayers of the Saints that God would be pleased to forgive him his Self-seeking These Arts together with comfortable Messages to the Prisoners that they should be of good cheer for no harm should befal them since it had pleased God to open his eyes perfected his Reconciliation and he was reinstated in the Fellowship of the Faithful I then ask'd this Gentleman whether I should not endeavour to deliver my Letters from the King to Cromwel and Ireton he replied by all means lest they should mistrust I had discovered them As soon as I came to my Lodging I dispatch'd my Cousin Harry Berkley to the Isle of Wight with two Letters the one containing a general Relation and doubtful Judgment of things in the Army which I intended should be shewn to the Governor the other was in Cypher wherein I gave a particular account of this Conference naming the Person and concluding with a most passionate Supplication to his Majesty to meditate nothing but his immediate Escape The next morning I sent Colonel Cook to Cromwel to let him know that I had Letters and Instructions to him from the King He sent me word by the same Messenger that he durst not see me it being very dangerous to us both and bid me be assured that he would serve his Majesty as long as he could do it without his own ruin but desired that I would not expect that he should perish for his sake As soon as I had this answer I took horse for London with this resolution not to acquaint any man with the intentions of the Army nor of his Majesty's intendded escape which I presumed would be within few days the Wind serving and the Queen having sent a ship to that purpose and pressed it earnestly by her letters The next day after my arrival at London I had a letter from my Lord Lanerick and Lord Lauderdale desiring a meeting with me as presuming I had a Commission to treat with them from his Majesty At our meeting they wondred to find the contrary In my discourse with them I happen'd to say The last words his Majesty said to me at parting were that whatever I should undertake to any person in his name his Majesty would make it good in the word of a King My Lord Lanerick thereupon replied that he would ask no more Commission for me believing it to be true both because I affirmed it and because he had received the like from his Majesty upon the like occasion Our first conference was interrupted through my Lord Lauderdale's vehement indignation against the Letter of Mr. Ashburnham to the Speaker wherein he had this passage That he would not expose his Honor to the discretion of either Scot or Adjutator This Letter was written by Mr. Ashburnham before I left the Island upon the occasion of Whalleys complaint to the House of Commons that Mr. Ashburnham had broken his Engagement with him at his first coming to Woburn wherein he undertook that the King should not leave the Army without his Knowledg and Consent Dr. Sheldon Dr. Hammond Mr. Leg and I objected hard against this Expression but Mr. Ashburnham lik'd it so well that we could not make him depart from it On the Friday after we had another meeting wherein we discoursed our selves well towards an Agreement and resolved on Monday following to conclude one way or other The next day being Saturday I had a Letter from Mr. Ashburnham requiring me in his Majesty's name to lay by all other business whatsoever and return instantly to his Majesty I sent therefore my Excuse to my Lords Lanerick and Lauderdale and went that night out of Town which they took very ill tho they had no reason for it for I would as willingly have excused my Journy as they as believing it was only to assist in his Majesty's Escape for I had more than once observ'd that tho Mr. Ashburnham were willing enough to appropriate Employments of Honor and Profit yet he was contented to communicate those of Danger with his Friends The next morning I was with his Majesty who received me more graciously than ordinary and told me that he had always a good opinion of my Honesty and Discretion but was never so much confirmed in it as by my dispatch from VVindsor for which his Majesty thank'd me After I had return'd my Acknowledgments for his Majesty's Favor I ask'd if his Majesty approved the Advice so well why did he not follow it Why was he still in the Island where he could not long promise himself the Liberty he now had since there were Forces design'd both by Sea and Land to secure his Person His Majesty replied that he would have a care of that time enough and that he was to conclude with the Scots before he left the Kingdom because from their desire to have him out of the Armies hands they would take reason whereas if he went before they would never treat with him but upon their own terms and in this opinion Mr. Ashburnham fully concurred with his Majesty Against this I argued the best I could and when I saw it was in vain I desired his Majesty would dispatch this Treaty for his condition would admit no delays His Majesty then order'd me to withdraw with Mr. Ashburnham Dr. Sheldon Dr. Hammond and Mr. Leg to see how far his Majesty had gone in a Treaty with the Scots This Treaty had bin managed in London by Dr. Gough who in the Queens name conjured his Majesty to make his speedy escape in all his Letters and in his own name beseech'd his Majesty not to insist upon nice terms in this present exigence of his affairs But Mr. Ashburnham refined much upon several expressions of the Articles that concerned the Covenant and Church of England of which he was a great Professor and made many replies and alterations and moved Messenger to be sent after Messenger about it and at last insisted that the King would send for the Scots Commissioners to come to him The next day I fell sick what with my late journying and what with my vexation at this slow way of proceeding The day following I went to his Majesty and as soon as I could be admitted spoke to him in these words Sir if you make no more hast than you do I doubt you will not be able to secure your Escape and therefore I humbly beseech your Majesty to make two Papers or Draughts the one containing the utmost extent of what your Majesty will give the Scots and sign it and at the same time send another containing the least you will receive of them and let the Scots sign and deliver that to Dr. Gough at the

we supposed best affected to us that they were of opinion the Army should be drawn to a Rendezvouz and their endeavours used to engage them once more to adhere to the Proposals As soon as the tumultuous part of the Army had notice of it they resolved before the day of the Rendezvouz to seize the King's Person I had been now about three weeks removed from the King and about a fortnight after me Mr. Ashburnham Mr. Leg still remained with his Majesty and waited in his Bed-chamber About eight or ten days before the time appointed for the drawing together of the Army Mr. Ashburnham invited me from London and Mr. Leg from Hampton Court to dine with him on a Sunday at Ditton being the other side of the Water They were both there long before me and I a good while before dinner But just as Dinner was ready to come in they took me aside in the room and told me that his Majesty was really afraid of his Life by the tumultuous part of the Army and was resolv'd to make his escape and that they had order from his Majesty to command me in his name to wait on his Majesty in his intended Escape I replied It was a great honor and accompanied with not a little danger but withal it was new to me and therefore nothing occur'd to my thoughts at present but two things the first was that I thought it absolutely necessary that Mr. Ashburnham who kept the King's mony should immediately employ his Servant Dutton who was well acquainted with the Coast to provide three or four Ships in several Ports to be ready in all events the second that I also might receive his Majesty's commands immediately from himself To the first they seemed to concur but nothing was ever done in it which to this day amazes me The other was effected and I went the Tuesday night after to Hampton Court privately being introduced a back way by Mr. Leg. The King told me he was afraid of his Life and that he would have me assist in person in his escape I asked which way his Majesty would go his Majesty replied that both Mr. Ashburnham who was present and I should know that by Will. Leg. The Monday before Mr. Ashburnham and I went to the Head-Quarters to desire Passes to return beyond the Seas and by the way back he told me that the Scots had much tampering with the King but could come to no Agreement that they would fain have his Majesty out of the Army and to that end had much augmented his just fears and therefore ask'd me what I thought of his Majesty's coming privately to London and appearing in the House of Lords I replied Very ill because the Army were absolutely masters both of the City and Parliament and would undoubtedly seize his Majesty and if there should be but two Swords drawn in the scuffle they would accuse his Majesty of beginning a new War and proceed with him accordingly He then ask'd me what I thought of the Isle of Wight I replied better than of London tho I knew nothing of it nor who was Governor He replied that he had had some communication with the Governor of late and conceived good hopes of him but had no assurance from him I then ask'd him Why his Majesty would not make his Retreat secure by quitting the Kingdom He replied not for two Reasons the first was the Rendevouz would be a week after and his Majesty was not willing to quit the Army before that were passed because if the Superior Officers prevailed they would be able to make good their publick Engagement if they were overtopped they must apply themselves to the King for their own security The second was that the Scots were in Treaty with the King and well nigh a Conclusion which they would never come to but out of their desires to separate the King and the Army that if the King went before they would hold him to impossible Conditions and therefore his Majesty was resolved to conclude with them first In which advice Mr. Ashburnham was most positive and told me often that the World would laugh at us if we quitted the Army before we had agreed with the Scots and let them replied I so his Majesty be secure On the Wednesday as I take it we had Orders to send spare Horses to Sutton in Hampshire a place where I never had been and the Thursday after his Majesty with Will. Leg came out at the closing of the evening and immediately went towards Oatlands and so through the Forest where his Majesty was our Guide but lost our way tho he were well acquainted with it the night being excessively dark and stormy When his Majesty fat first out he discoursed long with Mr. Ashburnham and at last called me to him and complained very much of the Scots Commissioners who were the first that presented his Dangers to him and offer'd him Expedients for his escape but when he came to make use of those they had offer'd they were fullest of Objections saying that his coming into London was desperate his hiding in England chimerical and his escape to Jersey prevented because my Ship was discovered which particular my Lord Lanerick affirmed The King thereupon ask'd me if I had ever a Ship ready I answered that I neither had not could have any having not one penny of mony that I had desir'd Mr. Ashburnham earnestly to make provision but knew not what he had done in it The King then ask'd me what I thought might be the reason they should say I had one and that discovered if I had none I replied It was hard for me to affirm what was their meaning in that particular or in general in their proceeding with his Majesty but I did conjecture they were very desirous to have his Majesty out of the Army which made them present his Dangers to him so frequently as they had done and in the next place they desired that his Majesty should put himself again into their hands but wanted confidence or believ'd it would be ineffectual to move it directly to his Majesty because they had given so ill an account when he was last with them and therefore they objected against their own Expedients of coming into London and obscuring himself in England And because they could find no other against his going to Jersey they pretended that I had a Ship discovered believing perhaps that I was totally separated from his Majesty and so should not have had any occasion to contradict it and by this means his Majesty being excluded all other means of escape should have been necessitated to make use of Scotland His Majesty laid his hand upon my shoulder and said I think thou art in the right and believed it afterward more confidently than I did I then ask'd his Majesty which way he would go His Majesty replied that he hoped to be at Sutton three hours before day and that while our Horses were making ready we