Personal history of King Charles the Second, from his landing in Scotland, on June 23, 1650, till his escape out of England, October 15, 1651. With an outline of his life immediately before and after these dates

Front matter

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Preface

My reasons for obtruding this History on public attention, are, first — the instructive nature of the subject itself, as hinted in the annexed motto ; and, secondly — this portion of history comprehends, within the space of sixteen months, a series of very interesting events, which are not generally known or understood, because they have before been, as far as I know, separately investigated.

The Outhne of Charles's Life, both before and after his visit to Scotland, will be found to contain some curious extracts from the Memoirs of that lively, though volatile, writer, his own fair cousin Mademoiselle de Montpensier.

I have not scrupled to quote copiously from the documents of the period, as not only affording the best authority for the facts belonging to it, but as bringing those facts, together with the opinions of the age, more vi\Sdly before the reader. The only liberty I have taken with those documents is, that I have sometimes modernized the spelling — amended the punctuation, when the sense manifestly required it— or introduced a parenthesis, in order to render the writer''s meaning more obvious.

The Impression of this Work has been limited to Two Hundred and Fifty Copies,

St Andrews, January JOal.

Contents

Dedication, ... ....

Outline of Kixg Charles II.'s Life before going to Scotland, Introduction, . .

March, April, May, and beginning of June 1650, Scots Commissioners sent to Treat with Charles at Breda, Terras which they offered to him — Remarks, A Public Fast in Scotland, and why ?