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ceived with joy, and he is invited to return to his kingdoms.

Montague and the fleet declare for the king, early in May, and sail to Holland to take him on board.

Charles II. is proclaimed by order

Montague himself fired the first gun, and cried "God save the king !"

Notices of this are to be found in many parish registers, and one entry at least shews that the incumbent returned to the use of the Liturgy without delay. In the register of Whitworth, Durham, we read, "Charles II. proclaimed at London, May 8th, and at Durham, 12th May, 1660, on which day, I, Stephen Hogg, began to use again the Book of Common Prayer."

of the parliament, May 8. Commissioners are sent to Holland to wait on him. He lands at Dover, May 25, where he is received by Monk, and enters London in triumph, on his birthday, Tuesday, May 29.

They were six lords and twelve commoners: fourteen citizens and ten presbyterian ministers accompanied them. The peers were, the earls of Middlesex, Oxford, and Warwick; Viscount Hereford; and Lords Berkeley and Brooke. The commoners were, the Lords Bruce, Castleton, Fairfax, Falkland, Herbert, and Mandeville: Sir George Booth, Sir A. A. Cooper, Sir Henry Cholmeley, and Sir Horatio Townsend; John Holland and Denzil Holles.

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CHARLES, the eldest surviving son of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria of France, was born at St. James's, May 29, 1630. In his ninth year he was created Prince of Wales; and when the civil war broke out, he accompanied his father at the battle of Edgehill. In 1644 he was the nominal head of the royal forces in the west of England, but on the decline of the cause he was obliged to retire to Scilly, to Jersey, and eventually to France. When matters appeared to be drawing to extremity with the king, several of the ships of the Parliament went over to the prince, who made some attempts to blockade the Thames, and even landed near Deal, but was soon obliged to withdraw to Holland, whence, in the hope of inducing them to spare his father's life, he dispatched to the intending regicides a sheet of

paper, signed and sealed, but otherwise blank, for them to insert their own conditions. No public notice was taken of this noble offer, though it is believed to have been debated, and the young prince became de jure king Jan. 30, 1649, but he could not obtain possession of his kingdoms till after the lapse of almost twelve years.

The Scots, though unquestionably accountable for much of the present state of affairs, were not satisfied with the proceedings of the new government in England, and, after fierce debates among themselves, they invited the king to repair to them; he at length did so, and was crowned at Scone, Jan. 1, 1651. Charles exhibited courage and conduct in opposing Cromwell's troops before Edinburgh, but his cause was hopeless from the first, owing to the discords

among his supporters". He suddenly | rious plots, by which his throne was marched into England, and gained shaken, though not overturned. At last possession of Worcester, but there the violence of his opponents seemed received so complete a defeat (Sept. | to threaten a renewal of the civil war, 3), that he had great difficulty in when the nation generally abandoned escaping to the continent, and his their self-elected leaders, some of cause seemed utterly ruined. He led whom were condemned as traitors, a wandering life for the following nine while others were obliged to flee years in France, Germany, and the abroad, and the king was beginning Low Countries, sometimes relieved and to reign without opposition, when he sometimes repelled, according as the died somewhat suddenly, Feb. 6, 1685. various sovereigns, or their ministers, He was buried in Henry VII.'s chapel threw off or yielded to their dread at Westminster, Feb. 14. of Cromwell. He was accompanied by a few faithful adherents, but his little court was also beset by intrigueing, turbulent men, and spies, who betrayed his counsels, and caused the numerous attempted risings of his friends, both in England and in Scotland, to end only in their own destruction. At length, on the death of Cromwell, the council of officers, headed by Lambert and Fleetwood, seized on the government; they were withstood by General Monk, who marched on them from Scotland, where he had long commanded, and by his able, though interested management, the young king was invited to return to his dominions. He at once complied, and entered London in triumph on his birthday, May 29, 1660.

From this time Charles reigned for twenty-five years, but neither with peace at home nor with glory abroad. Warned by the fate of his father, he abstained from open contest with his parliaments, preferring to corrupt their leading men; and, to gain money for his profligate expenses, he became the pensioner of Louis XIV. of France, and aided him in his wanton attacks on Hoiland. Though he often professed himself more indebted for his restoration to the nonconformists than was really the case, he readily sanctioned severe laws against them, which in Scotland led to actual rebellion, and in England gave occasion to va

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The reign of Charles II. is a very important era. Beside those remarkable events, the great Plague and the Fire of London, it was marked by many legislative enactments of the gravest kind. By the Act of Uniformity and some auxiliary statutes the Church was re-established, and was guarded, so far as human means can achieve such objects, from insincere ministers and unauthorized assemblies; disabilities were imposed on nonconformists, both Protestant and Romish, which have since been modified or removed; the onerous features of the feudal system were abolished; commerce was sought to be advanced by special laws, particularly relating to shipping; and the freedom of the subject was secured by the Habeas Corpus Act, which gives practical effect to a provision of Magna Carta (against illegal imprisonment ) that had been allowed almost to become inoperative.

Charles married in 1662 the infanta Katharine of Portugal, daughter of John IV.", by whom he had no family. She lived in England until the year 1692, and then, returning to Portugal, governed that country during the illness of her brother Pedro II.; she died in 1705.

The king, both before and after his marriage, led a profligate life, and he had a numerous illegitimate issue, of whom only one acted any conspicuous

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part in public affairs; this was James, | them, was himself a member of their duke of Monmouth, beheaded in 1685. communion, and actively engaged in A daughter, Mary, was the mother of schemes to subvert the constitution James Radcliff, earl of Derwentwater, both in Church and State. executed in 1716.

Charles employed the same arms, supporters, motto, and badges as his father had done.

Arms of Charles II.

This king, while in adversity, generally conducted himself well, and displayed some valuable qualities, but these seem to have vanished when he ascended the throne'; and though he sometimes exhibited a kind of easy good-nature, he far more frequently proved himself destitute of honour or gratitude. He had talents for business, but he professed to believe that his father had interfered too much in the details of government, and he therefore left everything of the kind to his ministers; but where his own vicious indulgences were concerned, he stooped to the greatest humiliations, and practised the most scandalous dishonesty to procure means for riot and extravagance. He allowed men to be sacrificed whom he professed to believe innocent, merely to avoid the risk of protecting them; and whilst he affected to join in the fears of his subjects as to the designs of the Romanists, and agreed to severe laws to restrain

Evelyn, who knew King Charles well, writes thus feelingly on the occasion: "I think of it with sorrow and pity, when I consider of how good and debonnaire a nature that unhappy prince was, what opportunities he had to have made himself the most renowned king that ever swayed the British sceptre, had he been firm to that Church for which his martyred and blessed father suffered; and had he been grateful to Almighty God, who so miraculously restored him, with so excellent a religion; had he endeavoured to own and propagate it as he should have done, not only for the good of his kingdom, but of all the reformed Churches in Christendom, now weakened and near ruined through our remissness, and suffering them to be supplanted, persecuted and destroyed, as in France, which we took no notice of."

His Secret Service accounts remain, and the sums that appear therein, as "the king's free gift

A.D. 1649.

Charles II. succeeds de jure on the death of his father, Jan. 30. He does not obtain possession of the throne until

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A.D. 1660.

When, invited by the parliament (May 8), he returns, and makes his public entry into London, May 29.

The Long Parliament declared to be fully dissolved and determined, [12 Car. II. c. 1].

The regicides are summoned to surrender within fourteen days, in order to their trial, June 6.

The Breda declaration made public by proclamation, June 15.

Tunnage and poundage granted to the king from June 24, 1660, for the term of his life, [c. 4].

Sir Harry Vane committed to the Tower, July 7.

The king makes a speech to the peers, urging the speedy passing of the bill of indemnity, with no exception but of the regicides, July 27.

An act of "free and general pardon, indemnity, and oblivion k❞ passed, [c. 11]. All treasons and other state offences committed between Jan. 1, 1637, and June 24, 1660, are pardoned, except where the offenders are mentioned by name, or have embezzled the king's goods, or are Romish priests, or have been concerned in plotting, contriving, or designing the Irish rebellion of 1641.

A poll-tax levied for disbanding and paying off the army and navy, [cc. 9',

They

and royal bounty," are very considerable. are bestowed on such sufferers for loyalty as were fortunate enough to get their petitions into his own hand, instead of intrusting them to his secretaries.

h His secret treaties with France, his pretences of going to war merely to obtain grants from his parliament, and his seizure of the bankers' money in the exchequer are ample proofs of this.

His regnal years are dated from this day. Hence the first statute passed by the parliament that recalled him is known as 12 Car. II. c. 1.

* Words reviving the memory of the late differences were forbidden under penalties, on gentlemen, of £10, and on persons of lower degree, of 40s. for each offence.

The payment ranged from £100 for dukes, down to 6d. for each person above sixteen not living on alms.

10, 20]; the mode of the disbandment regulated, [cc. 15, 27].

The parliament petitions that the lives of Vane and `Lambert may be spared, Aug. 30.

An act passed for a perpetual anniversary thanksgiving on May 29, the day of the king's restoration ", [c. 14].

The survivors of the ejected clergy restored to their benefices, [c. 17].

Twenty-nine of the king's judges are tried and condemned, Oct. 9-13. The lives of nineteen, who had surrendered in obedience to a proclamation, are spared; the remaining ten are executed, Oct. 13-19.

The king issues a declaration (Oct. 25), intended to reconcile the Presbyterian and Independent ministers to episcopacy, and promising an examAn act passed for the encourage-ination of their objections to the Liment of navigation P, [c. 18].

A tax on beer and other liquors granted to the king for life, [c. 23].

The Court of Wards and Liveries taken away, feudal tenures and purveyance abolished, and a revenue settled on the king instead, [c. 24].

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turgy.

He also issues a declaration for the settlement of Ireland, Nov. 30. It promises that the innocent shall be reinstated in their lands, and that no actual possessor shall be removed without compensation.

The English hierarchy is again completed. Juxon, bishop of London, and Frewen, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, are translated to the primacies, six other bishops are restored to their sees, and the remaining dioceses are supplied by new consecrations.

The convention parliament is dissolved, Dec. 29.

NOTE.

THE REGICIDES.

THE government of the Restoration can- | Parliament, in which sat many quite as not be justly accused of acting vindictively guilty as themselves, that thirsted for the towards these men; it was the Convention blood of the living, and dug up the bodies

The order in which the regiments were to be | disbanded was determined by lot, but the garrisons in Hull, Berwick, and Carlisle, and the guards of the royal dukes and the lord-general were to be the last. The disbanded soldiers were allowed to exercise trades, as if they had been apprenticed thereto, [c. 16]. The garrisons to be maintained were twenty-six in number, which came into pay Oct. 1, 1660.

This act was repealed in 1859.

The intruders were to leave by Christmas, 1660, but to receive half the income up to Michaelmas, 1661; and, if not "scandalous, ignorant, or insufficient," the rightful incumbents might allow them to remain. Where the ejected ministers were dead, the present holders were allowed to retain the benefices, though very many of them had not been episcopally ordained, unless they had petitioned to bring King Charles to trial, or had preached against infant baptism; all such were expelled.

P This re-enacts the chief provisions of the Commonwealth act of 1651, and its principle continued in force until the repeal of the navigation laws in 1850.

Colonel Hutchinson, though one who had signed the warrant for the king's death, was omitted from this act. He had, as a leading man under the Commonwealth, done many kindnesses to the royalists (as Sir John Owen, see A.D. 1649; Lord Wilmot, Lord Newark, Sir George Booth, and others), which were gratefully remembered by some, and he was only disqualified from holding office by the Act of

Oblivion; but Clarendon (according to Mrs. Hutchinson's questionable account), indignant that he would not become a witness against his former associates, eventually procured his ruin.

Those celebrated before justices of the peace, according to the act of 1653, (see p. 450) were thus rendered effectual in law.

An admirable sermon was preached from Titus i. 5, at one of these consecrations (Dec. 2), by Sancroft, then chaplain to Bishop Cosin, and eventually metropolitan. Morley, Sanderson, Cosin, and Walton were among the new bishops, but there was associated with them one man of doubtful character. This was John Gauden, the reputed author of Ikon Basilike. He was born at Mayfield in 1605, was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and became chaplain to the earl of Warwick. He preached before the parliament, to their satisfaction, and was rewarded with the deanery of Bocking; he also sat in the Assembly of Divines. He, however, ventured to remonstrate against the proposed murder of the king, and afterwards published his celebrated book; and at the Restoration these matters were deemed to excuse his former

subserviency to the parliament. He was first made master of the Temple, then bishop of Exeter, and in 1662 succeeded Morley at Worcester, but died very shortly after, (Sept. 20, 1662), little regretted. He had grievously impoverished his first see by improvident leases, and was popularly said to have died of vexation at being refused Winchester, avarice being the leading feature of his character.

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