illegal service are hanged up as criminals, without any colour of law, which by consequence are so many murders; and if the soldiery are connived at and encouraged in the most enormous crimes, that so they may be thereby prepared to commit great ones, and, from sin. gle rapes and murders, proceed to a rape upon all our liberties, and a destruction of the nation: if, I say, all these things are true in fact, then it is plain, that there is such a dissolution of the govern. ment made, that there is not any one part of it left sound and intire; and if all these things are done now, it is easy to imagine what may be expected, when arbitrary power that spares no man, and Popery that spares no heretick, are finally established; then we may look for nothing but gabels, tallies, impositions, benevolences, and all sorts of illegal taxes; as from the other we may expect burnings, massa. cres, and inquisitions. In what is doing in Scotland, we may gather what is to be expected in England; where, if the king has over and over again declared, that he is vested with an absolute power, which all are bound to obey without reserve; and has upon that annulled almost all the acts of parliament that passed in King James the First's minority, though they were ratified by himself when he came to be of age, and were confirmed by all the subsequent kings, not excepting the present: We must then conclude from thence, what is re solved here in England, and what will be put in execution, as soon as it is thought that the times can bear it. When likewise the whole settlement of Ireland is shaken, and the army that was raised, and is maintained by taxes, that were given for an army of English Protestants, to secure them from a new massacre by the Irish Papists, is all now filled with Irish Papists, as well as almost all the other employments; it is plain, that not only all the British Protestants, inhabiting that island, are in daily danger of being butchered a second time, but that the crown of England is in danger of losing that island, it being now put wholly into the hands and power of the native Irish; who, as they formerly offered themselves up sometime to the crown of Spain, sometimes to the Pope, and once to the Duke of Lorrain, so are they, perhaps, at this present treating with another court for the sale and surrender of the island, and for the massacre of the English in it.

If thus all the several branches of our constitution are dissolved, it might be at least expected, that one part should be left intire, and that is the regal dignity; and yet that is prostituted, when we see a young child put in the reversion of it, and pretended to be the Prince of Wales, concerning whose being born of the queen, there appear to be not only no certain proofs, but there are all the presumptions that can possibly be imagined to the contrary. No proofs were ever given, either to the Princess of Denmark, or to any other Protestant ladies, in whom we ought to repose any confidence, that the queen was ever with child; that whole matter being managed with so much mysteriousness, that there were violent and publick suspicions of it before the birth. But the whole contrivance of the birth, the sending away the Princess of Denmark, the sudden shortening of the reckoning, the Queen's sudden going to St. James's

her no less sudden delivery, the hurrying the child into another room without shewing it to those present, and without their hearing it cry; and the mysterious conduct of all since that time; no satisfaction being given to the Princess of Denmark upon her return from the Bath, nor to any other Protestant ladies, of the queen's having been really brought to bed; these are all such evident indications of a base imposture in this matter, that, as the nation has the justest reason in the world to doubt of it, so they have all possible reason to be at no quiet, till they see a legal and free parliament assembled, which may impartially, and without either fear or corruption, examine that whole matter.

If all these matters are true in fact, then I suppose no man will doubt that the whole foundations of this government, and all the most sacred parts of it, are overturned; and, as to the truth of all these suppositions, that is left to every Englishman's judgment and sense.

THE EXPEDITION

OF

HIS HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF ORANGE

FOR ENGLAND:

GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE MOST REMARKABLE PASSAGES THEREOF,

From the Day of his setting Sail from Holland, to the first Day of this Instant December, 1688. In a Letter to a Person of Quality.

[From a Quarto, containing eight Pages, printed in the year 1688.]

- SIR,

THE account you so earnestly desired of me, of the Prince's expe

dition and invasion of England, is a task no one should have commanded from me but yourself; the ancient friendship between us makes nothing appear difficult, in the way to serve you.

I shall not undertake to determine the legality of this great and bold attempt, nor reflect on the counsels that have brought this misery upon us, but shall content myself with giving you a brief account of the prince's expedition.

And, first, you are to take notice, that his highness set sail from Holland with fifty-one men of war, eighteen fire ships, and about three-hundred and thirty tenders, being ships hired of merchants, for the carriage of horse and foot, arms, ammunition, &c. The fleet stood out at sea to the northward, which met with horrid storms for

two days and two nights together; in which bad weather there were lost above five-hundred horse, and a vessel parted from the fleet, wherein were four hundred foot, supposed to be lost, but now known to be arrived at the Texel, tho' grievously shattered and torn by the storm; two of the prince's principal men of war were forced to new rig at Helvetsluce.

The prince, immediately on his return back, informed the States of the condition of the fleet (which was not so damnified as was represented by the vulgar and ignorant) who, thereupon, to lull a great man a-sleep, the States, or some one employed by them, ordered that the Haerlem and Amsterdam Courantier should make a dismal story of it, by representing to the world, that the prince returned with his fleet miserably shattered and torn, having lost nine men of war, and divers others of less concern; a thousand horse ruined; a calenture among the seamen ; the loss of Dr. Burnet, and the chief ministers under the prince; the ill opinion the States had of the expedition; in short, that one hundred thousand pounds would not repair the damage sustained; and, almost next to an impossibility, that the prince should be in a condition to pursue his design, till the spring. And yet at the same time all hands were at work to repair the damaged ships, which were inconsiderable; so that in eight days time they were all re-fitted. The signal being given by the dis. charge of a gun, all the fleet immediately weighed anchor, and stood out at sea, steering their course northwards, all that night; next day upon tide of ebb, they made a stretch, and made a watch above a league, and then stood westward, and lay all night in the same posture, not making two leagues a watch.

In the middle of the night, an advice-boat brought us an account, that the English fleet, consisting of thirty-three sail, lay to the westward of ours. Upon which the prince fired a gun, which caused a great consternation in the whole fleet; we, having a brisk easterly wind, concluded ourselves to be all ruined; but the small advice boats, cruising for a more certain account of the English, brought us back word, that, instead of the English fleet, which the former advice had alarmed us with, it was Admiral Herbert with part of our fleet, which had been separated some hours from the body of our fleet: upon whose arrival great rejoicing was among us all, and a signal of joy was given for it by the prince.

In the morning, about eight, the prince gave a signal, that the admiral should come aboard him. Immediately after the whole fleet was got into the North Foreland, upon which the prince gave the usual sign of danger (according to the printed book) and ordered that the fleet should all come up in a body, some fifteen or sixteen deep, his highness leading the van in the ship the Brill (in English, Spectacles): his flag was English colours; the motto, impaled thereon, was, 'The Protestant Religion, and Liberties of England,' and underneath, instead of Dieu et Mon droit, was, and I will main

tain it'.

The council of war, from on board the prince, sent three small frigates into the mouth of the Thames, viz. the Porpus, Posti

• James II.

a

lion, and Mercury; who, on their return, brought us word, that the English fleet lay in the buoy of the Nore, consisting of thirtyfour sail, and three more which lay in the Downs. The wind continuing at E. N. E.

The prince immediately thereupon gave another signal of stretching the whole fleet in a line, from Dover to Calais, twenty-five deep; so that our fleet reached within a league of each place; the flanks and rear were guarded by our men of war. This sight would have ravished the most curious eyes of Europe. When our fleet was in its greatest splendor, the trumpets and drums playing various tunes to rejoice our hearts; this continued for above three hours.

Immediately after the prince gave us a sign to close, and sailed that night as far as Beach, and commanded us to follow the signal by lights he had hung out to us, viz. all the small sail should come up to him by morning.

By the morning-day we espied the Isle of Wight, and then the prince ordered the fleet to be drawn into the same posture, as before related; yet not stretching above half channel over, in this place. About five in the morning we made the Start, the wind chopping about to the westward; upon which we stood fair by Dartmouth, and so made for Torbay, where the prince again ordered the whole fleet into the same posture as at Dover and Calais.

Upon his arrival at Torbay, the people on land, in great numbers, welcomed his highness with loud acclamations of joy.

Immediately after the prince gave two signals, that the admirals. should come a-board him, which they did; and then ordered, that the whole fleet should come to an anchor, and immediately land; and further ordered, that the admirals should stand out at sea, as a guard, as well as the smaller men of war, to attend and guard their landing; and also ordered six men of war to run in to guard Torbay.

The prince then put out a red flag at the mizen-yard-arm, and provided to land in sixty boats, laid ready for that purpose: upon which the prince signified, that General Mackay with his six regiments of English and Scotch should first land; and also, that the little Porpus, with eighteen guns, should run a-ground, to secure their landing. But there was no opposition; for the people bid us heartily welcome to England, and gave us all manner of provisions for our refreshment.

The fifth of November (a day never to be blotted out of the Englishman's heart) the prince caused to be landed about two thousand. On the sixth we landed as many horse and foot as we could possibly, and so continued the seventh: the country bringing in all manner of provision, both for man and horse, and were paid their price honestly for it.

The prince the same day commanded Captain M to search the Lady Cary's House, at Tor-Abby, for arms and horses; and so all other houses which were Roman Catholicks. The lady, enter. taining them civilly, said her husband was gone to Plymouth: they

brought from thence some horses and a few arms, but gave no further disturbance to the lady or her house. Nor shall it be forgotten, what was faithfully acted at this lady's house, immediately on our arrival at Torbay: there were a priest and some others with him upon a watch tower, to discover what our fleet was, whether French or Dutch. At last they discovered the white flags on some of our men of war; the ignorant priest concluded absolutely we were the French fleet, which, with great impatience, they had so long expected; and, having laid up great provisions for their entertainment, the priest ordered all to the chapel to sing Te Deum, for the arrival of their supposed forces; but, being soon undeceived on our landing, we found the benefit of their provisions: and, instead of vostre serviture Monsieur, they were entertained with yeen Mynheer, can you Dutch spraken; upon which they all run away from the house, but the lady and a few old servants.

The whole army, to the best of my knowledge, consisted of eighteen thousand horse, three thousand dragoons, and one thou sand eight hundred foot, besides a thousand voluntier persons of quality, horse well equipped, and about five hundred horse for carriage.

November the eighth, the prince came from Chudleigh, towards Exeter, with the greatest part of his army attending him, and, about one of the clock, entered at the west-gate of the city, welcomed with loud acclamations of the people.

The manner of his publick entrance into Exeter was as follows. 1. The right honourable the Earl of M— with two hundred horse, the most part of which were English gentlemen richly mounted on Flanders steeds, managed and used to war, in head-pieces, back and breast, bright armour.

2. Two hundred blacks brought from the plantations of the Ne. therlands in America, having on embroidered caps lined with white fur, and plumes of white feathers, to attend the horse.

3. Two-hundred Finlanders or Laplanders in bear-skins taken from the wild beasts they had slain, the common habit of that cold climate, with black armour, and broad flaming swords.

4. Fifty gentlemen, and as many pages to attend and support the prince's banner, bearing this inscription, God and the Protestant religion.

5. Fifty led horses, all managed and brought up to the wars, with two grooms to each horse.

6. After these rode the prince on a milk-white palfrey, armed cap-a-pee, a plume of white feathers on his head, all in bright armour, and forty-two footmen running by him.

7. After his highness followed likewise on horseback two hundred gentlemen and pages.

8. Three-thousand Switzers with fuzees.

9. Five hundred voluntiers, each two led horses.

10. His captain and guards six-hundred, armed cap-a-pee. The rest of the army brought up the rear.