D. 1660. May 25.]
[Sidenote c: A.D. 1660. May 29.]
of horse, and two troops of noblemen and gentlemen. At Whitehall Charles
dismissed the lord mayor, and received in succession the two houses, whose
speakers addressed him in strains of the most impassioned loyalty, and
were answered by him with protestations of attachment to the interests and
liberties of his subjects. It was late in the evening before the ceremonies
of this important day were concluded; when Charles observed to some of his
confidants "It must sorely have been my fault that I did not come before;
for I have met with no one to-day who did not protest that he always wished
for my restoration."[1]
That the re-establishment of royalty was a blessing to the country will
hardly be denied. It presented the best, perhaps the only, means of
restoring public tranquillity amidst the confusion and distrust, the
animosities and hatreds, the parties and interests, which had been
generated by the events of the civil war, and by a rapid succession of
opposite and ephemeral governments. To Monk belongs the merit of having, by
his foresight and caution, effected this desirable object without bloodshed
or violence; but to his dispraise it must also be recorded, that he
effected it without any previous stipulation on the part of the exiled
monarch.
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