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of the Conftat, or the Inrolment thereof, shall be in all, and every of our Courts, and elsewhere in our Dominions, difcharged and accquitted, in that behalf against Us, our Heirs, and Succeffors, and free from all Impeachment, and other Moleftations for the fame. In witnefs whereof, We have caufed thefe our Letters to be made Patents. Witnefs our Self at Westminster the Third Day of Auguft, in the Twelfth Year of our Reign.

By the KING.

BARKER.

To the High and Mighty Monarch CHARLES the Second; and to the moft Serene Majefty of the most Royal CATHERINA, His most Gracious Queen, and Confort: The Humbleft of His most proftrately devoted Vaffals, Sir John Bowring Knight, in all fubmif. five Humility, prefents this Manufcript of many moft occult confiderable Concerns, and Secret Tranfactions, relating to Your Glorious Father, England's Royal Proto-Martyr.

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EING prefented to the King's Majefty at Oxford, your Majefty's Royal Father, in the time of the late War, by the Hands of the Right Honourable the Lord High Chamberlain Lindley that now is, my Lord Keeper Lane, my Lord Chief Juftice Heath, and other Judges, by directions of my Lord Keeper Littleton before he died, in his Privy Chamber at Chrift Church, in refpect I was bred a practicable Clerk at Com

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mon Law in the Inns of Court, by the ableft Clerks then living, and fo recommended by the Judges to His Majefty. The King immediately fent for Mr. Secretary Nicholas, and there gave Mr. Secretary directions for a Civil Employment for me, and a Warrant for me to be fworn one of the Clerks of the Council extraordinary, in the place of Mr. Whittacres, a Parliament Man then at London, in refpect there was no other Employment at prefent, nor Place void, as Mr. Secretary told His Majefty. But when any other happened, he would remember His Majefty of me; and the King commanded him to do fo.

Afterwards I was fent for by the King out of Oxford, and conveyed by my Lord of Bristol in his Coach to Hamborough, where were given me in charge, Papers, and other Things, in my Lord of Lindley's Coach, until all was unhappily dif pers'd by Nafeby Fight; yet this Coach and Papers came all fafely off to the King's Garifon at Leicefter, until all were unhappily difpers'd. But these were not the Papers that were afterwards put in Print.

Upon this knowledge of me, His Majefty gave fpecial Confidence and Truft to me. His Majefty being afterwards by the Army at Holdenby, and thence brought to Hampton Court. Upon his coming to Sion Houfe, to Vifit, and Dine with the Duke of York, the Duke of Gloucefter, and the Lady Elizabeth, and to meet with the Prince Ele&our, where I was waiting in the Gallery to kifs His Majesty's Hands in fome Bufinefs. The Prince Elecour obferving His Majefty to speakfomewhat privately and kindly to me, told the King, That he knew me, and that I was an Acquaintance of Mr. Lifles of the Ifle of Wight, who

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was Chair man of his Revenue, which the Parlia ment allowed him. The King immediately fends the Electour into the next Room, and takes me afide into the Gallery; and His Majefty was pleased to ask me, how I came acquainted with Mr. Lifle of the Isle of Wight? I told His Majefty, he had known me of a Child, and came often to Sir Guy Palmes at my Father's House, but Sir Guy Palmes hated him for his Violence against His Majefty I know, fays the King, Sir Guy Palmes is an honeft Man, and your Father both.

The King gave me fpecial charge to keep my Friendship with Mr. Life; for, fays His Majefty, I fhall in a fhort time, for ought I know, be in that Man's Power; meaning, [as I understood after,] His Majefties Refolution was fuddenly to retire from Hampton Court to the Isle of Wight; and therefore I charge you by all the Duty and Respect you have for Me, and upon your Allegiance, that whatfoever you do, you keep your Interest and Friendship with Mr. Lifle; it concerns Me very much, fays His Majefty, and you may perchance do me greater Service, and be better able to perform it than any other Friend whatfoever. Be fecret, and I fhall fometimes fend to you. I promised His Majefty, I would do fo, fince His Majefty had commanded me; though my Father was utterly against my Acquaintance with him; and I would ferve His Majefty faithfully in all His Commands, with my Life, and be fecret in it.

So that from that time His Majefty came first to the Isle of Wight, His Majefty employed me to manage and tranfact His private and particular Affairs, relying upon me in all things principally, of Care and Hazard to Himself, and which was

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hot in the power at that time of any other Perfon living to do his Majefty any good, except they had a fecret Intereft with Lifle; and this the King understood very well, because his Majefty knew, that Hammond received his Orders from Lifle in all things, by reafon Hammond was otherwife a Stranger to the Illand.

By this means, I came to the early knowledge of every Delign that concerned his Majefty, either by the Parliament, or the Army; and I gave the King a fecret and timely Account of all Tranfactions and Paffages, before they came to the Birth, by feveral Messengers, but chiefly by Dr. Cade, be caufe I could belt truft my felf with him, who conftantly adventured his Life in carrying the King Intelligence of Affairs from me to his Majesty's own Ears; and his Majefty principally made choice of Dr. Cade to truft with his Meffages and Directions back again to me, what his Majefty would have me do in his Bufinefs.

I fent the King word by Doctor Cade about the of That I understood the Parlia ment, both Lords and Commons, were about to prepare fome Bills for their Security, as they called them, to pafs the Royal Affent, which they would fend down fuddenly to the Isle of Wight by Commiffioners of both Houfes, leaving out the Concurrence of the Scotch Commiffioners, a Trick they never ufed fince the War before in any Addrefs, and then they would further Treat with his Majefty about a Settlement and Peace.

His Majefty defired me by Dr. Cade, to fend his Majefty word, what my Opinion was con cerning thofe Bills that were about to be fent, and what I would advife his Majefty to do upon them, and that I would keep my Intereft with

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Mr. Lifle, and if I could poffibly, come down fecretly to the Commiffioners.

Hereupon I fent his Majefty word by Dr. Cade, that my Opinion was, That when both Houses addreffed themselves to his Majesty, the King might declare, That he had no juft reafon to Sign four Bills to the Parliament for their Security, as they pretended; his Majefty being rather the moft Suffering Party in a kind of Restraint in the Ile of Wight, unless they would admit four more on his Part, for his Majefties Security at the fame time; and there is no doubt but they will do it.

In lieu of the Bill for the Militia for Twenty Years, to be placed in what Hands the Parliament fhould think fit, which is intitled, An Ad for the Raifing, Settling, and Maintaining Forces by Sea and by Land, in the Kingdoms of England, Ireland, and Dominion of Wales, and the Isles of Guernsey and Jerfey, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed. I advised his Majefty for his Security, to demand a Bill for the Revenue to be reftored to the Crown again, and to be placed in his Majesty's Hands again, and to revive the Act of Reaffumption. This Bill for restoring the Revenue, I concluded will ballance the Bill for the Militia, if it pafs but for Ten Years only, which the Parliament will accept of for Ten Years, and his Majesty by no means to confent to the Bill for any longer time than Ten Years.

The Reafons for His Majesty's paffing that Bill for Ten Years, were thefe:

Firft, It was no great matter for the King to give the Lords and Commons the Militia for Ten Years, he being in restraint, which the Lords

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