RESTITUTION TO THE Royal Author OR A VINDICATION OF King CHARLS the Martyr's most Excellent BOOK; Intituled ἘΙΚΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ From the False, Scandalous, and Malicious Reflections lately Published against it.

LICENSED,

May 10, 1691:
Z. Isham.
C R

LONDON; Printed for Samuel Keble, at the Great Turks-Head in Fleet-street, over against Fetter-Lane-end. 1691.

RESTITUTION TO THE ROYAL AUTHOR: OR A Vindication of King Charles the Martyr's most Ex­cellent Book Intituled, [...] from the False, Scandalous, and Malicious Reflections lately Publish­ed against it.

MR. Milton's [...] being lately reprinted, the Editor has thought sit, out of what design he best knows, to prefix the following Advertisement to his Book,

ADVERTISEMENT.

Whereas a Book, called Eikon Basilike, or King Charles the First's Meditations, is most commonly reported and believed by many, especially the Clergy, to be compos­ed by King Charles the First; the following Insertion of the Noble Lord Anglesey, under his own hand, was found by Edward Millington, prefixt to one of the Books, reputed to be King Charles the First's.

Which Memorandum, if the Declaration of two Kings may be believed, is suffi­cient to satisfie the World, how much that King was imposed upon by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter,

MEMORANDUM.

King Charles the Second and the Duke of York, did (both in the last Session of Parliament, 1675. when I shewed them in the Lords House, the Written Copy of this Book, wherein are some Corrections and Alterations, written with the Late King Charles the First's own Hand,) assure me that this was none of the said Kings compiling, but made by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter, which I here insert for the undeceiving of others in this Point, by attesting so much under my Hand.

Anglesey.

Now to prevent the ill Impressions, which may possibly be occasion'd by the abovementioned Memorandum, and to restore this Incomparable Book to the just Priviledge of its Royal Author, I shall very briefly do these two things.

[Page 4] I. Shew some Marks of Suspicion upon the Advertisement.

II. Supposing it had all the pretended advantages, I shall produce such proof against it, which, the Circumstances of the Evidence considered, must be allowed an over Ballance to his Lordships Attestation.

I There are some things in the Advertisement which render the Credit of it very questionable. For 1. It calls the Duke his then Royal Highness, the Duke of York. which was no Court Language in 1675; there being neither Reason nor Custom for such a length of Distinction at that time. Now its somewhat unlikely, that a Person of Honor and a Courtier, especially one of my late Lord Anglesey's Sense, should be guilty of such an Impropriety. 2. We are inform'd by the Advertisement, that in the Written Coppy of the [...] There are some Corrections and Alterations written with the late King Charles the first his own Hand; which is no contemptible Argument, if we had no other, that the King was the Author; otherwise we shall be at a loss for the reason of his Majesty's Correcting the Manuscript, and suffering it to pass under the Title of his own Composure. 3. The making Bishop Gauden the Author of this Book is another disadvantage to the credit of the Memorandum, for the Stile, the Air, and Thought of [...], is as different from the management of Bishop Gauden's writings, as 'tis possible to imagine; But out of respect to the Bishop's Memory, I shall forbear to insist upon the Comparison. 'Its likely therefore King Charles the Second and the then Duke, might tell the late Earl of Anglesey (which his Lordship might possibly forget) that the Manuscript was not King Charles the First his Hand; but a Transcript of Dr. Gauden's writing, which as it agrees with matter of Fact; so it gives a fair ac­count of the Alterations in the Copy, which the Memorandum grants were made by the King.

II. Supposing this Memorandum had all the pretended Advantages; I shall now produce such proof against it, which the Circumstances of the Evidence con­sidered, must be allowed an over ballance to his Lordships Attestation.

1. We have the Letters Patents of King Charles the Second, dated Novem­ber the 29th. 1660. In which Richard Royston of London, Bookseller, has the sole priviledge given him of Printing all the Works of King Charles the First, amongst which the [...] is mentioned, with a particular Character and Commendation.

2. The same Priviledge for Reprinting the Works of King Charles the First, is granted to the abovemention'd Richard Royston by his Pt. Majesty King James the Second, as appears by his Majesties Letters dated February 22. 1685/6. Which grant refers expresly to the first Edition Publish'd by Richard Royston, in the year 1662, and in which his Majesty declares that all the Works of his Royal Father were Collected and Published. Which former Impression, as I have already observ'd, makes particular men­tion of [...]. Now I leave it to any unprejudiced Person to judge whether 'tis in the least probable, that either of their Majesties should tell the late Earl of Anglesey, that this excellent Book was written by Dr. Gauden, since they have both own'd it to be their Royal Father's in so publick a manner, so that to use the expression of the Advertisement, if the Declaration of two Kings, made with all the Circumstances of Advantage, may be believ'd before a blind Manuscript, written by a doubtful Hand, and grounded upon a private Relation, then we have sufficient evidence to satisfie the World how much this Advertiser has Endeavour'd to impose upon it. To these Royal Te­stimonies, [Page 5] I shall subjoyn that of Sir. Will. Dugdale, who having mention'd the restless Endeavours of the Rebels to lessen his Majesties Reputation, as by other methods of Calumnies and Detraction, so particularly with respect to this Book, assigning it to some other, tho' uncertain, Author. Having re­marked this ill usage he delivers his opinion in these words.

‘But to manifest that these were no borrowed Wares,Sir. William Dugdale's short View of the late troubles in England, pr. 1681. p. 380. but by the good and gracious assistance of Almighty God were totally of his own composure in the midst of his most sad afflictions, besides the unlikely-hood that any such expressions could flow from an heart not oppressed and griev'd with such a weight of sorrow as his was; I shall make it evident from the Testimony of very credible Persons yet Living, that he had begun the penning of them long before he went from Oxford to the Scots: For the Manuscript it self writ­ten with his own hand being found in his Cabinet, which was taken at Nauesby Fight, was restor'd to him after he was brought to Hampton Court, by the Hand of Major Huntington, thro the favour of General Fairfax, of whom he obtain'd it. And that whilst he was in the Isle of Wight, it was there seen frequently by Mr. Thomas Herbert, who then waited on his Maje­sty in his Bed-chamber; as also by Mr. William Levet, (a Page of the back-Stairs) the Title then perfix'd to it being Suspiria Regalia, who not only read several parts thereof but saw the Ring divers times writing farther on it. Add hereunto the Testimony of Mr. Richard Royston a Bookseller, at the An­gel in Ivy-Lane; who having in those Rebellious times, adventur'd to Print divers of his Majesty's Declarations, Speeches, and Messages; about the be­ginning of Oct. 1648, (the King being then in the Isle of Wight) was sent to by his Majesty to prepare all things ready for the printing some papers which he purposed shortly after to convey to him. Which was this very Copy brought to him on the Twenty Third of December next following, by one Mr. Edward Symmons, a Reverend Divine, who Receiv'd it from Dr. Bryan Duppa. then Bishop of Salisbury, and afterwards of Winchester. In the Print­ing whereof Mr. Royston made such speed, that it was finish'd before that dismal Thirtieth of January, that his Majesties Life was so taken away, as before is observ'd.’

To make the proof more incontestible, if possible, I shall in the last place insert a Letter, transcribed from the Original, written by Mr. Levet now Living; the Gentleman mentioned by Sir William Dugdale in the place a­bove cited.

The Superscription of the said Letter runs thus,

For Seymer Bourman, Esq near the Arch in Lincolns-Inn Fields.

[Page 6]
Dear Brother,

YOurs of the 21th. of this instant April I received, and one Letter before that to the same effect, Viz. To give a true Account of my knowledg of that unparallel'd Book, which his Sacred Majesty, of ever blessed memory, King Charls the First (murdered by his own Rebellious Subjects before his own Pallace at White-hall, with all the violent and maliti­ous circumstances that wicked Men could invent) which Book, of my certain knowledge, I can depose, was truly His own, hav­ing observed His Majesty oftentimes writing His Royal Re­sentments of the bold and insolent behaviour of His Souldi­ers (His Rebellious Subjects) when they had Him in their cu­stody. I waited on His Majesty as Page of the Bed-chamber in ordinary during all the time of His Solitudes, (except when I was forced from Him) and especially being nominated by His Majesty to be one of His Servants, amongst others, that should attend Him during the Treaty at Newport in the Isle of Wight, had the happiness to read the same oftentimes in Manuscript under His Majesties own Hand, being plea­sed to leave it in the Window in His own Bed-chamber, where I was alwayes obliged to attend His Majesties com­ing thither. But the Treaty being ended in few dayes af­ter, the Souldiers with One to conduct them, by name Mr. Anthony Mildmay then Cup-bearer, came to the Bed-chamber, about ii. of the clock in the Night, and knocked at the door, and one Mr. Herbert, Mr. Kirk, and my self having some hint of their intentions, were watching in an inward Room, and hearing the noise, went into His Majesties Bed-chamber, and asked, who they were that durst disturb His Majesty at that unseasonable time of the Night, who answered, they were sent to tell the King, He must rise and go with them. We ac­quainting His Majesty with their design, He was pleased to command us to tell them, He would go with them, but it was not His usual hour to rise so soon, we again acquainted the Souldiers with His Majesties answer. They instead of complying with his Majesty, bid us tell Him, if He did not rise presently they must force Him to it: His Majesty onely [Page 7] said, if I must, give me my Cloaths, and so He immediately arose. (Here you may observe a mirrour of Patience in a di­stressed Prince) During the time of His Majesties making him­self ready, he concern'd himself only how to secure this Book of his, and a small Cabinet, wherein he secured his Letters to his Queen, who was then beyond the Sea, and his Majesty having procured a Pass for me from the Governour that I should wait on him there; He gave me in charge this said Book and small Cabinet, which I faithfully presented to his Maje­sties own hands that Night in Hurst-Castle. But the Gover­nour, by what information is too tedious to insert here at this time, and therefore I omit it, did on the Saturday banish me out of the Castle.

I should have sent you a Relation which I had from Roy­ston, the Kings Printer, for the Printing the said Book by his Majesties especial Command, brought to him by a Divine, but not to be* printed till after the Kings death, which he observed accordingly, for which Cromwel sent for him to White-hall, not onely promising Rewards, but also threatning Punishment, if he would not deny, that he print­ed it by his Majesties Order, which he refusing to do did im­prison him for about a fortnight, but seeing he could not work upon him, released him; which is all at present from

From Savernack Park near Marlborough, Apr. 29. 1691.
Your Affectionate Brother To serve you WILLIAM LEVETT.
*
By Printed, is to be understood, Published.
↵

These Authorities, together with Remarks upon the Memorandum are, I conceive, sufficient to clear the Point in hand, and to give the Reader full satisfaction. I shall just add a word concerning the Prayer, which Milton pretends the King took from Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, and so conclude.

I. We may take notice that the Prayer it self is Grave, Pious, and unex­ceptionable.

II. This Prayer, as it is observ'd by the excellent Author of [...], p. 82, Was neither made by an Heathen Woman, nor to an Heathen God (as the [Page 8] Objection supposes) but composed, as is believed by the Author a Christian, with out Reference to any Heathen Deity.

III. This Prayer was not printed with [...] in two or three of the First Impressions of that Book, which is an Argument it was not used by the King; but afterward inserted by the Printers for their private advan­tage. This Inference, besides the reasonableness of it, is the Opinion of the Learned Person aboyementioned.

FINIS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

  • PReparation to a Holy Life, or Devotions for Families or Private Persons, with Directions suited to most particular Cases, &c. by the Author of the Weeks Preparation to the Sacrament, &c.
  • A Collection of Private Forms of Prayer out of the Common Prayer Book, for Morning, Noon and Night, and other special Occasions, being in a diffe­rent method from any former, by the Author of the Weeks Preparation to the Sacrament, &c. Together with the Holy Feasts and Fasts as they are observed in the Church of England, explained, and the Reasons why they are yearly Celebrated.
  • A Table to all the Epistles and Gospels in the Book of Common-Prayer, so that you may find any Texts of Scripture, being contained in them.
  • Rules of more Devout Behaviour in the time of Divine Service in the Church of England.
  • An Explication of the Terms, Order, and Usefulness of the Liturgy of the Church of England, by way of Question and Answer, recommended to be learned after the Church Catechism.

All Five Printed for Sam. Keble, and are to be Sold at the Great Turks-Head in Fleetstreet over against Fetter-Lane end. 1691.

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