Englands triumph a more exact history of His Majesties escape after the battle of Worcester : with a chronologicall discourse of his straits and dangerous adventures into France, his removes from place to place till his return into England with the most remarkable memorials since : to this present September, 1660.

THE PREFACE BY WAY OF ARGUMENT.

NEver did any age (in this Nation most especially of all the rest of the Chri∣stian world,) afford more matter for a full and copious History then these 12. last years have done, wherein after a Mysterious war waged for and against the King, (if we look at what was pretended and what was acted,) the after game was playd by a party not the same with those who at first undertook the busi∣nesse; for the servants taking it out of the hands of those that hir'd them and set them on work, and drawing it on to a far higher pitch of violence then was at first intended; brought their King (a most Noble and Pious Prince) to an untimely death, and

utterly rejecting and proscribing all the Royall race, subverted the ancient government of the Nation, and chang'd it into a kind of a Free-State, as they call'd it▪ or Common-wealth, during which the most re∣markable affair that happened was a war with the Dutch, and that carried on with no bad success; but not many years did this form of government hold; for Oliver Cromwell Generall of this new States army, having subdued the Scotch Nation, and by too unequall strength of arms forced the then heir apparent to the Crown, His Now gracious Majesty, (who came with arms, after all fair means used in vain, to assert his just claim,) to quit the Kingdome, violently usurped the supream authority into his own hands, which having kept with much adoe by a high hand for his own life time, he also us'd such means at his death, that he procured to have the chief Ma∣gistracy of the three Nations transferr'd to his Eldest Son Richard, which he held for a little while, till the Souldiery wanting other action to divert them, or an Oliver to keep them under, took an occasion to mutinie, and making use of Protector Richards au∣thority to dissolve the Parliament he had called, lay'd him aside and invited in again the remnant of the long Parliament, which Oliver Cromwell had some years since dissolved to make way for his own advancement to the Supreame Authority. The Com∣mon wealth interest thus restor'd, there seem'd now no other hopes, but a Free-State must seize us with∣out

any redresse; yet neither had this convention sate many months ere Lambert, spirited with his success against Sir George Booth, (who rose in Cheshire for a Free-Parliament,) and thinking to have tra∣ced Olivers steps, he took the same course with the Members at Westminster as he had done before, that is, he turn'd them out of doors; and while he March'd into the North against Generall Monck, who had declar'd against these proceedings, he left affaires to be manag'd by the Council of Officers at Wallingford-house, these sitting upon a Modell of Government, at length there was fram'd a thing called a Committee of Safety, which taking upon it the government of the Nation, brought in a great disorder and confusion upon the face of affairs, till by a strange turn of fortune, all the Army on a sud∣dain deserting Lambert and his party, being in∣veigled thereunto by the policy of some of the late dissolved Members, way is made hereby to the admi∣ration of all men, for the re-entry of our little Par∣liament, which growing still more and more odious to the people, came at length to be generally stiled in derision The Rump. Immediately after which Generall Monck hastens out of Scotland with his Army toward London, to make room for whose en∣trance the old Army is order'd to march out, and dis∣pers'd into severall quarters, the City manifesting discontent, and disowning the present authority, Monck is commanded to pull down the City gates,

which he unwillingly performs; but at the same time his commission being out, and commissioners appointed for the government of the Army, and Monck nominated the last, he closeth with the City, and after a while causeth the old Members who had been secluded by the Army in 1648. to be re-admit∣ted to their seats in Parliament, yet limits them to sit onely for a short time, and to make preparations for the calling of a Free-Parliament; no sooner is this Parliament assembled, but they receive a De∣claration from His present Majesty King Charles the second, which unanimously they own, publickly Proclaime Him King, and invite Him to a speedy return and exercise of His Royal trust. The King immediately comes over, is receiv'd with incredible joy, and brought in great glory and triumph to His Palace at Whitehall, and long may He there raign with peace and tranquility to the Nation: and thus you have a brief analysis of all the grand and re∣markable revolutions of this Nation in this strange and capricious age, which are more at large though with brevity enough deliver'd in this present Histo∣ry: and although there are already made publick se∣verall relations of the same nature, yet neverthe∣lesse we could not reasonably be discouraged from committing this History to the Press, in regard we have a just confidence to promise a more exact and punctuall account in all the most remarkable pas∣sages then is to be found in any of the rest, as name∣ly

for the manner of His Majesties escape from Worcester, his transactions during his abode in severall parts beyond the seas, his joyfull reception into England, and his magnificent entry into his famous City of London, with all the materiall passages that have happened since His Majesties restoration to his government. And furthermore our chiefest aime in this History is to lay a foundation for the continuing from time to time the relation of all materiall passages that shall happen in this Kingdome for the future; which of how generall a concernment it is, cannot but be apparent to those who diligently inquire into the advancement of the pub∣lick good.