ing advanc'd near Exeter, it was dispos’d of, the 1688.
Horse about Tiverton, Culhampton, Honyton, and
Places adjacent, and part of the Foot encamp'd on
Clift-Heath; and now His Highness's Care is both
to refresh, and to reinforce his Army; the Drums
beat for Volunteers, and not only every Regiment
of English and Scotch that came with the Prince,
and which wanted Men, are compleated; but the
new Regiments of Sir John Goyes, and Sir Robert
Peyton fill up apace; Horses for remounting the
Cavalry, and for the Train of Artillery are bought
up; and, in thort, every thing is provided to
march towards Salisbury.

However, His Highness, who was made to be
lieve that upon his first Landing all the Gentle
men of the West would join him, finding that
in Nine Days fcarce any Person of Note had come
in to him ; That the Mayor and Aldermen of the
City came to visit him, rather out of Fear than
Affection, being busied 'in dubious Consultations
among themselves; And that he wanted Money to
pay his Men, began to doubt the Success of his
Expedition, and in a Council of War held at
Exeter it was propos'd to re-imbark for Holland,
But by this time the Gentlemen of Somersetshire
and Dorsetshire advanc'd in great Numbers, and
waited on his Highness, upon which Occasion
he spoke to them after the following manner:

Tho we knowo not all your Persons, yet we have a The Prince Catalogue of your Names, and remember the Chari- of Orange's chers of your Worth and Interest in your Country,

Speech to
You fee we are come according to your Invitation and the Somer-
our Promise. Our Duty to God obliges us to protect the

Dorser-
Protestant Religion, and our Love to Mankind your shire Gen-,
Liberties and Properties. We expected,
dwelt so near the Place of our Landing would have Nov. is.
joind us sooner ; not that it is now too late, nor that
we want your Military Asistance so much as your
Countenance and Presence, to justifie our declard Pre-
tensions, in order to accomplish our good and gracious
Design. Thul pe bave brought both a goud Fleet,

and

1688. and a good Army, to render these Kingdoms happy,

by rescuing all Protestants from Popery, Slavery, and Arbitrary Power, by restoring them to their Rights and Properties establish'd by Law, and by promoting of Peace and Trade, which is the Soul of Government, and the very Life-Blood of a Nation; yet we relye more on the Goodness of God, and the Fu? stice of our Cause, than on any humane force or Poner whatever. Yet since God is pleas'd we shall make use of humane Means, and not expect Miracles for over Preservation and Happiness, let us not neglect mi. king use of this gracious Opportunity, but with Pru. dence and Courage put in Execution our fo honourable Purposes. Therefore, Gentlemen, Friends, and Fellow-Protestants, we bid you and all your Followers mot beartily welcome to our Court and Camp. Let the whole "Vorld now judge if our Pretensions are not Juft, Generous, Sincere, and above Price, since we might have even a Bridge of Gold to return back; But it is our Principle and Resolution, rather to die in a good Cause, than live in a bad one, well knowing that Virtue and true Honour is its own Reboard, and the Hatpiness of Mankind our great and only Design.

The Gentlemen of the Counties of DorfitShire and Somersethire having broke the Ice, they were foon follow'd by several other Perions of greater Note. The Lord Colchefter, (a Proteitant, , Son to the Eail of Rivers, a Roman Catholick) Lieutenant of the Lord Dover's Troop of Life. Guards waited upon His Highness, accompanied by Mr. (now the Lord) Wharton, Colonel Godfrey, James Howe, Esq; Four Life-Guards of his Troop, and about Threescore Men more on Horseback. The Lord Cornbury, Colonel of Dragoons, being come to Salisbury, and pretending an Order from His Majesty to go and beat up one of the Enemies advanc'd Posts, carried off with him his own Regiment, and thofe of Horse of Berwick, St. Albans, and Fenwick, and, with the major part of them, went over to

the

the Prince ar Exeter; as did also the Lord A. 1688. bingdon, Mr. Rusel, Captain Claryis; and many others.' About the same time His Highness was inform'd from Cheshire, That the Lord Delamere * having receiv'd certain Intelligence of his * Nov. 166 Landing in the West, and seeing the Irish throng over in Arms, under Pretence of allifting the King, but in Reality to enslave the Nation, had thereupon alleinbled Fifty Horsemen, and at the Head of them march'd to Manchester; And that the next Day he went to Bodon-Downs, his Forces being then 150 strong, declaring his Design was to join the Prince, and inviting all his Tenants to follow him in this Honoura, ble Enterprize.

The Lord Lovelace was also marching towards Exeter, with Design to bring to His Highness a Reinforcement of 60 or 70 Horsemen; but going thro' the Town of Cirencester, he was by the Duke of Beaufort's Orders made Prisoner by the Militia of that Country, with Thirteen of his Followers, after an obstinate Skirmish, in which Ten or Twelve Men were killd on both sides.

The Joy the Court conceiv'd at the taking cf the Lord Lovelace, was foon deftroy'd by the melancholy News of my Lord Cornbury's Defection, which was like to break all their Meafures ; for upon the first hearing of it, both the Artillery, the rest of the Troops, and the King's Equipage, that were moving towards Salisbury,

had Orders to stop their March it being now uncertain whether His Majesty would go to the Army or not.

However, after several Consultations, which the Earl of Feversham held with the general Officers, and at which Count de Roye aslifted, it was though necessary, that the King should hásten his Depar

ture, to keep, firm to their Duty by his Pre| fence those who began to stagger.

On the other Hand, most of the Protestant Lords, both Spiritual and Temporal, who were then in London, to wit, the Archbishops of Canterbil

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1688. ry and York, the Bishops of St. Afaph, Ely, Rochester,

Peterborough and Oxford; the Dukes of Grafton The Lords and Ormond; the Earls of Clare, Clarendon, Burpetition for lington, Anglesey and Rochester; Viscount Nepoport, a Parlic and the Lords Paget, Chandois and Ossulston, drew ment. up a Petition, wherein they told the King,

That in a deep Sense of the Miseries of a War nom
breaking out in the Bowels of this Kingdom, and of
the Danger to which His Majesties Sacred Person
was thereby like to be expos’d, and also of the Dia
stractions of bis People, by riajon of their present !
Grievances, they did think themselves bound in
Conscience, and out of the Duty they op'd to God,
their Holy Religion, to His Majesty, and their Coun-
try, mo't humbly, to offer to His Majesty, That in
their Opinions, the only visible way to preserve His
Majesty and this Kingdom, would be the Calling
of á Parliament Rigular and Free in all its Cira
cumstances ; That therefore they did noft earnestly
beseech His Majesty that he would be pleas'd with
ail Speid to call such a Parliament, wherein they
should be most ready to prorrote sich Counsels and
Refolustions of Peace and Settlement iic Church and
State, as might conduce to His Majestics Honour and
Safety, and to the Quieting, the Minds of his people ;
And likewise they did not humbly beseech His Ma?
jesty, in the mean tine, to nije srech Means for the
preventing the Effufion of Christian Bloed, as to His
Majesty should . m 112017 meet and proper. The
Duke of Norfolk, the Marquis of Halifax, the Earls
of Oxford and 'N tiingiam, and the Lord Car-
bury, who were at the drawing up of this Pe.
tition, refus'd to set their Hands to it, because
they would have inserted in it, That the Peers
who had join'd the Prince might sit in that free
Parliament, for which they petition'd His Majesty',

which Clause was rented by the rest. Howe* Nov. 17. Ver, the Petition being presented * to the King by

the Two Archbishops, and the Bishops of Ely and Rochester, His Majesty, who was advis’d by the Popish Lords about him, to rely on his Army rather than truft himself with a Parliament, an

[werd

swer'd those Reverend Prelatés : That what they 1688. - askd of him he most passionately desir'd : And hem

promis'd them upon the Faith of a King, That he The King's would have a Parliament, and such an one as they Answer. ask'd for, asoon as ever the Prince of Orange bad

quitted this Realnı : For how was it possible a ParTo liament should be free in all its Circum/tances, as

they petition'd for, whilst an Enemy was in the Kingdi dom, and could make a Return of near an Hundred

Voices? By this unsatisfactory, tho'plautible, An-
swer, the King incirely ruin'd his Interelt'; for
the least discerning Persons could not but per-
ceive, that the Prince of Orange's Army was the
only humane Security the Nation had for the
calling of a free Parliament, and that if King

fames should force His Highness to leave the j Kingdom, all their Laws and Liberties must be

come precarious, and lye at the Mercy of the
Conqueror.

The King being, pressd by the Earl of Fever- The King jam to make all the halte he could to his Army, goes to the began his Journey the same Day the Bishops waited Army. on him with the foremention'd Petition ; but before he left IV bitchal, His Majefty, who was apprehensive that the Example of the Lords Colchester and Cornbury would prove contagious, asfembled the Officers that were fill in London, amongst whom were the Duke of Grafton, the Lord Churchill, Colonel Irelawny, and Colonel Kirk, and spoke to them in this manner: According to the Lords Petition I have engag'd my Royal Word to call a free Parliament asoon as ever the Prince of Orange has quitted the Kingdom ; and am refolu'd in de all that'lyes in my power to quit the Minds of my Pes. ple, by securing their Religion, laws and Liberties; if you defire any thing more, I am ready to grant it, But (added he) if after all this any of won is not Satisfied, let him declare himself: I am willing to grant Passes to all such as have a mind 10 gewer to the Prince of Orange, and spare 'em the Sbar.com deserting their lawful Sovereign. At the fame tinio the Lord-Mayor of London having waited on King to wish him a good Journey, His Majesty mea

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