Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects Part 3

Now for epilogue and remarkable reflection.

Turning over our annals, I chanced upon a two-fold circ.u.mstance: I will not say, that none else hath observed the same; but I protest, ("Ita, me Deus amet, ut verum loquor") I do not know of any that have; and therefore must justly claim to be acquitted from the least suspicion of plagiarism, or plowing with others heifers.

The first is, of William the Conqueror. The second, of Edward III.

(I need not say any thing of the eminency of these two; every one knows what great things they did.) And making reflection upon the auspicious birth-day of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, I adventured upon the following composure. (I cannot be proud of my poetry; but I cannot but be glad of my Bon Heur, "d'avoir (en lisant) tombe si fortuement sur les evenements d'un si Bon Jour".)

Ad Ill.u.s.trissimum & Celsissimum Principem, Jacob.u.m Ducem Eboracensem, de Natali suo Auspicatissimo Octobris XIV. Anno 1633.

"--Deus Anna nefasto te posuit die?" Hor. lib. 2. ode 13.

Oct. "Decimo quarto Normannus Haraldum Dux superavit, & Hinc Regia sceptra tulit.

Tertius Edwardus, capto pernice Caleto, (Gallica quo Regna sunt resarata sibi) Ire domum tentans, diris turbinibus actus In pelago, Vitae magna pericla subit."

Oct. Decimo quarto, tamen appulit Oras Nativas. (His quam prosperus ille dies !) Natali laetare tuo, guam Maxime Princeps; Fausta velut sunt haec, Omnia semper habe."

October's fourteenth gave the Norman Duke That victory, whence he Englands sceptre took.*

Third Edward, after he had Calais won, (The mean whereby he France did over-run) Returning home, by raging tempests tost, (And near his life (so fortunes) to have lost)?

Arrived safe on sh.o.r.e the self-same date.

(This day to them afforded so fair fate.) Great Duke, rejoice in this your day of birth; And may such omens still encrease your mirth.

* Stow, in anno 1066.

? Stow, in anno 1347.

The Verses I presented in anno 1672, to a most honourable Peer of the land, and of great place near his Royal Highness.

Since which time, old Fabian's chronicle coming into my hands, from him I got knowledge, that that advantagious peace, mentioned by Stow, anno 1360, (concluded between the forementioned King Edward III. And the French King) was acted upon the fourteenth of October, with grand solemnity.

The two former circ.u.mstances must needs fall out providentially: whether this last of anno 1360, was designed by Edward III. or no, (as remembering his former good hap) may be some question: I am of opinion not. Where things are under a man's peculiar concern, he may fix a time; but here was the French King concerned equally with the English, and many other great personages interested. To have tied them up to his own auspicious conceit of the day, had been an unkind oppression, and would have brought the judgment of so wise a Prince into question; we may conclude then, it was meerly fortuitous.

And therefore to the former observation concerning this famous Edward, give me leave to add,

"Insuper hoc ipso die (sibi commoda) Grandis Rex c.u.m Galligenis, f?dera fecit idem",

An advantageous peace, on day self-same, This mighty Prince did with the Frenchmen frame.

A memorable peace (foretold by Nostradamus) much conducing to the saving of Christian blood, was made upon the fourteenth of October 1557, between Pope Paul IV. Henry II. of France, and Philip II. of Spain. Nostradamus says, these great Princes were "frappez du ciel", moved from Heaven to make this peace. See Garencier's Comment on Nostradamus, p. 76.

A lucky day this, not only to the Princes of England, but auspicious to the welfare of Europe. John Gibbon, 1678.

Thus far Mr. John Gibbon. The Latin verses of the twelve months quoted by him out of an old ma.n.u.script, I have seen in several ma.s.s-books; and they are printed in the calendar to the works of the Venerable Bede. 'Tis to be presumed, that they were grounded upon experience; but we have no instances left us of the memorables of those days. As for the third and tenth of September, I have here set down some extractions from a little book called The Historian's Guide: or, Britain's Remembrancer; which was carefully collected by a club. It begins at the year 1600, and is continued to 1690. There cannot be found in all the time aforesaid, the like instances.

"Tertia Septembris, & denus fere mala membris".

September 3,1641. The Parliament adjourned to the 20th of October next, and the Irish rebellion broke out, where were 20,000 persons barbarously murdered.

September 3, 1643. Biddeford, Appleford, and Barnstable surrendered to the King.

September 3, 1650. Dunbar fight.

September 3, 1651. Worcester fight.

September 3, 1651. Earl of Derby defeated at Preston.

September 3,1654. A third Parliament at Westminster.

September 3, 1658. Oliver, Protector died.

September 3, 1675. The town of Northampton near burnt down to the ground by accidental fire.

September 3, 1662. William Lenthal, Speaker of the House of Commons, died.

September 3, 4, 1665. Four Dutch men of war, two East-India s.h.i.+ps, and several merchant-men taken by the Earl of Sandwich, with the loss only of the Hector.

September 2, 1644. The Earl of Ess.e.x fled to Plymouth, and the army submitted to the King.

September 2, 1645. The Scots raised the siege from before Hereford.

September 2, 1653. The Londoners pet.i.tion the Parliament to continue tythes.

September 2, 1685. The Lady Lisle beheaded at Winchester, for harbouring Hicks, a rebel..

September 4, 1643. Exeter taken by Prince Maurice.

September 4, 1653. General Blake buried at Westminster.

September 5, 1652. The French fleet beaten by the English.

**Memorables on September the tenth.

September 10, 1643. The siege of Gloucester raised. I remember over that gate which leads to Nymphs-field was this following inscription in free-stone: the walls are now pulled down.

Always remember, The tenth of September, One thousand six hundred forty three, And give G.o.d the glory.

September 10, 1645. Bristol surrendered to the Parliament.

September 10, 1649. Drogheda taken, as appears by Cromwell's letter to the Speaker Lenthal.

September 10, 1660. Peace with Spain proclaimed.

September 10, 1670. Peace concluded between England and Spain in America, was this day ratified at Madrid.

19 September 10, 1673. This day his majesty commanded the Earl of Ossory to take the command of the fleet at the Buoy in the Nore, in the absence of Prince Rupert.

September 12, 1679. The King takes from the Duke of Monmouth his commission of General.

September 12, 1680. Mrs. Cellier tried at the Old Bailey, for publis.h.i.+ng a book called Malice Defeated, &c. and found guilty.

September 12, 1683. The siege of Vienna raised (after the besieged had lost 10,000 men, and the besiegers 70,000) by the King of Poland, and the Duke of Lorrain.

May 29, 1630. King Charles II. born.