AFter Great Britaine (ouerwhel­med with doubts, hopes, feares and most carefull, louing and dutifull Iealousie) had dolou­rously drooped, and mourned in a robe of melancholy 8, mo­neths long, for the absence of our hopefull, vnparalleld, and illustrious Prince Charles, each minute of whose vn­expected, and vnthought of Iourney from hence, seeming a tedious torture to millions of louing and wel-wishing hearts, whose happy and wel-comes home doth like the radiant Sun expell all the dismall and moody cloudes of griefe and melancholy; to [Page]the vniuersall ioy of his Royall Father, and all his loyall Subiects, hauing passed so long and tedious a Iourney, so much change of ayre & varieties of diet, preserued (by the Almighties especiall prouidence) from all dangers and casualties that might any way impeach his Highnesse health, or preiudice his Princely person, in any of his affaires.

After his Highnesse stay from the 7. of March with his Catholike Maiestie at his Court at Madrid, with the great and magnificent Entertainments, Fea­stings, Maskings, Banquettings, Huntings, Hawkings, and diuers other royall, pleasant, laudable, costly, sumptuous, and manly disports, and exercises, where, with the King, the Queene, the faire, vertuous, and louely Lady Maria, (the highborne Infanta) his Highnesse hauing all the content and welcome which so potent a Monarch could any way expresse, or our gracious Prince expect: Then (to ease our common griefe, & to reuiue our half dead hopes, it pleased his Grace to take his leaue of Madrid, & passing by easie Iourneyes on his way, accompanied some part with the King, after whose departure from his Highnesse, hee was attended by certaine of the Graundes of Spaine, so that in thirteene or fourteene dayes space his Highnesse came in perfect health to the Port of Saint Anderas, in the Prouince of Biscay, where, when our English fleete had knowledge of his long look'd for and welcome comming, then did the hearts of euery man leape within him for ioy, their eyes ouerflowed with teares of louing and dutifull af­fection, [Page]their voyces shouted with acclamations. The great Ordnance thundered and filled the earth and skies with loud reioycings, the trumpets clangor pierced the welkin, the beaten drummes ratled tri­umphantly, all manner of Instruments sounded me­lodiously, and to better and sweeten all the rest, his Highnesse most graciously accepted their loues mu­tually and thankfully. But blustring Boreas, with his brother Eurus (the North and East windes) blew most stifly, and churlishly detained our ioy and hap­pinesse from vs here in Britaine. So that neuer any louing mother desired with more longing to see her hopefull sonne, whose long absence had fild her with griefe, then all the honest Inhabitants of this King­dome did hunger and thirst to see or heare from their most hopefull and beloued Prince. With what greedy desire did many thousands (as it were) nayle their eye-sights dayly vpon Fanes, Weather-cocks, the smoake of Chimneyes, and the Racking of the cloudes; and for fifteene long dayes and nights, the thwartouer and crosse North and Easterly winde blew vs nothing bnt lengthening of our sorrowes, and delaying of our comforts, vntill at last on Friday the third of October last it pleased the great Arch­master of windes and Seas, to turne the breath of Eo­lus the way we most heartily prayed for: So that his Highnes speedily taking aduantage of this most hap­py and prosperous Gale; Anchors were soone weigh­ed, Sailes suddenly displayed, and by the prouidence of the Almighty, and the diligent industry of the [Page 4]skilfull Nauigators and Mariners, his Hignesse most safely landed at Portsmouth in Hampshire on Sunday the 5 of October, betwixt the houres of three and foure in the afternoone, where hee tooke coach and came that night and lodged neere Gilford in Surrey, 25 miles from London, at the house of the Right Ho­norable the Lord Viscount Anuan's.

The happy newes of his Highnesse most welcome ariuall was brought to London on Monday being the sixt of October, and shortly after the same morning he came in person himselfe, taking Barge at Lambeth with the Duke of Buckingham, followed by the Arch­bishop of Canterbury, and diuers others; whence he past to Yorke-house, betwixt eight and nine of the clocke, where he hauing taken some repast, he tooke Coach againe to goe towards his royall Father, to reioyce his heart with his Princely presence.

The ioyfull newes of his happy returne, filled the whole Kingdome with excessiue ioy: first his most royall Father had a chiefe share in the comfort: se­condly, many of his good Seruants, who were al­most with griefe for his long absence like so many bodies without life: but now they are all relieued by his welcome presence, with the spirits of mirth and alacrity. But the City of London in expression of their louing duties, haue spared for no cost, either generall or particular.

The whole day being spent thus in mirth, triumphs, and thanksgiuing, wherein the people of all degrees, from the highest to the lowest, both rich and poore in London, Westminster, and the Suburbs, to their powers exprest their loues: that not so much but the foure Elements, Fire, Water, Ayre, and Earth, see­med to applaud the celebration of this happy and welcome day, for the Heauens most abundantly pou­red downe a shower of raine of nine houers continu­ance, which the dry and thirsty Earth dranke most greedily, or as I may say most louingly, to the health of so ioyfull and auspicious a solemnity. The Fire (or fires) in all places, streets, lanes, courts, and cor­ners, (despight the raine, or enuying that it should quench the flaming ardency of its transcendent loue) ascended vpwards in shew of thankfulnesse: and the vast, empty, and subtill Ayre was filled with the shouts and acclamations of people, with the reioy­cing noyses of Instruments, Ordnance, Muskets, Bels, Drums, & Trumpets. And further I heard it credibly reported, that there was one Bonefire made at the Guildhall in London which cost one hundred pounds (belike it was some Logwood which was prohibited or vnlawfull to be vsed by Dyers, and being forfeited was ordained to be burnt in triumph:) But (as good cause we had) the day was commanded to be kept ho­lyday, so that no shops were opened, no manner of worke was done from morning till night, but carying and re-carying wood to make Bonefires, ringing, fil­ling and emptying of pots, that all seemed as if the [Page]world was newly preserued from some second flood (as indeed our whole Kingdome was from a flood of griefe) to the safe and happy hauen of happinesse.

Moreouer, his Highnesse happy and ioyfull com­ming on that day, was a putting off of an execution which sixe men and two women condemned male­factors were to suffer at Tyburne, whereby hee was the most fortunate cause of their reprieues & sauing, and a larger time of repentance to amend their liues.

The very Vintners burnt their bushes in Fleetstreet and other places, and their wine was burnt (all ouer London and Westminster) into all colours of the Rainbow, whole pintes, quarts, pottles, and gallons, were made into Bonefires of Sacke and Claret, whi­lest good fellowes like louing Salamanders swallow­ed those liquid fires most sweetly and affectionately. But as concerning this fuell of Bacchus, a great many would not stay, or could not endure to see it burnt, and so deuoured those French and Spanish billets and faggots raw, which after being warmed with shou­ting, laughing, singing, and leaping, the heat burst out so hotly that it appeared in many a high coloured face, till in the end the fire was quenched in the em­bers and ashes of sleepe.

And to the entent all estates should be merry, there were diuers Noblemen, Gentlemen, and others, that gaue store of gold to the poore, some gaue vessels of wine in the streets.

Thus was the whole day spent, till the darke night came, and then began the second part of England [Page]ioy: for the nights loue did as it were scorne to be outstripped with the dayes affection and obedience. Amongst the rest, the Spanish Ambassadors, both at Exeter house in the Strand, and at Ely house in Hol­borne, did expresse their loues by their charges and reioycings.

Then began a most merry and ioyfull confusion of billets, faggots, bauins, and logs, baskets, buckets, and tubs were hotly and merrily consumed, buts, pipes, hogsheads, teirces, puncheons, barrles, kilderkins, fir­kins, runlets, and drifats most brauely blazed and suf­fered; some in Smithfield burnt their old Coaches, (and I wish they had all beene so well bestowed) wash­ing boules and beerles went to wrack, old graters and stooles were turn'd to ashes, mouse traps and tinder­boxes came to light, and he or she that had but foure tokens, or as much credit, committed their whole e­state to fire and faggot; insomuch that Chandlers shops and store-houses were most willingly emptied. But in Paules Churchyard was exceeding benighted triumphs, for on the crosse round about were placed, on the batlements & on the top of it as many burning Linkes as the Prince his Highnesse was yeares old: and in some good distance from the Crosse, were two mighty bonefires; besides there was a crosse of wood erected which extended into foure branches, and vp­on euery branch a pitch-barrell was fastned, and one in the middest on the top, which made a braue shew in the burning: then were there Cressit lights, and most excellent fireworkes, with squibs, crackers, rac­ketts, [Page]which most delightfully flew euery way. And it is certain to be proued, that betwixt Paules Church yard & London-bridge in the nearest way that could be gone, there were 108 Bonefires told, many of them hauing at least one load of wood in each, some more, some lesse: I speake not of other streets and lanes which are out of that way, besides the Strand, West­minster, and Holborn, with hundreds of places which I saw not.

All these and much more was done here in Lon­don, Westminster, and the adioyning places, nor is it to be doubted but that all Cities, Townes, and Villa­ges, will generally and particularly shew their louing obedience and affections.