1810.] 
that was escaped from the battle of Wor- 
cester, without naming any body, and as 
we were all together, viz. Robin Philltps, 
my l¢ Wilmot, the merchant, and the 
master of the vessel, and I; [ observed 
that the master of the vessel looked very 
hard on me, and as soon as we had sup- 
pes, called the merchant aside, and the 
mister told him that he had not dealc 
fair with him, for tho’ he had given him 
a very good price for the carrying over 
that gentleman, yet he had not been 
clear with him; for (says he), he is the 
king, as I very well know him to be so; 
upon which the merchant denying it, 
saying, that he was mistaken, the mas 
ter answered, I know him very well, for 
he took my ship, together with other 
fishing vessels at Brighthelmstone, in the 
year 1648; which was when I com- 
manded the king, my father’s fleet, and 
I very kindly let them go again: but 
(says he) be not troubled atit, for I think 
Ido God and my country good service 
in preserving the king, and by the grace 
of God I will venture my life and all for 
him, and set. him safe on shore if I can 
in France. Upon which ye merchant 
came and told me what had passed be- 
tween them, and therefore found myself 
under the necessity of trusting him, but 
I took no kind of notice of it presently 
to him, but thinking it convenient not to: 
let him go home lest he should be asking 
advice of his wife, or any one else, we 
keept him in the inn, and sat up all night 
drinking beer, and taking tobacco with 
him: and here I run another very great 
danger, as being confident I was known 
by the master of the inn. For as I was 
Standing after supper by the fire-side, 
leaning my hand upon a chair, and all 
the rest of the. family being gone into 
another room, the master of the house 
came in and fella talking with me, ‘and 
Just as he was looking about, and saw 
there was nobody in the room, he upona 
sudden kissed my hand that was upon 
the back of the chair, and said to me, 
God bless you, wheresoever you go, I 
doubt not before I die but to be a lord, 
and my wife a lady; so I laughed and 
went away into the next room, not de- 
siring then any further discourse with 
him, there being no remedy against my 
being known by him, and more discourse 
might have raised suspicion, on which 
consideration I thought it best to trust 
him in that matter, and he proved honest. 
About four o’clock in the morning, my- 
felf and the company before named, 
went towards Shoreham, taking the mas- 
Scarce Tracts, Ke. 
“145 
ter of the ship with us on- horseback, 
behind one of our company, and came to 
the -vessell side, which was not above 
sixty tons; but it being low water, and 
the vessei lying dry, I and my lord Wil- 
mot got up aladder into her, and went 
and lay down in the little eabbin till the 
tide came to fetch us off ; bue I was na 
sooner got into the ship and lay down 
upon the bed, but the master came into 
me, feli down upon his knees and kissed . 
my band, telling me, that he knew me 
very well, and that he would venture life 
and all that he had in the world, to set 
me safe down safe in France. So about 
seven o’ciock in the morning, it being 
high water, we went out of the port, but 
ye master being bound for Pool, laden 
witly sea-coal, because le w4 not have 
it seen from Shoreham that he did not go 
his intended voyage, but stood all the 
day with a very easy sail towards the 
Isle of Whight, only my lord Wilmot and 
myself of my company on board, and as 
we were sailing, the master came to me, 
and desired me to persuade his men to 
use their endeavour (with me) to. get 
him to set us on shore in France, the 
better to cover him from any suspicion 
thereof, upon which I sent to the men, 
(which were four and a boy, and told 
them truly that we were two merchants 
that had had some misfortunes, and 
were a little in debt ; that we had some 
money owing us at Rouen, in France, 
and. were afraid of being arrested ‘in 
England; that if they would perswaid 
the master (the wind being very fair) to 
give us a trip over to Dieppe, or one of 
the ports near Rouean, they wouid oblige 
us very much; and with that I gave e’m 
twenty shillings to drink, upon which 
they undertook to second me if I would 
propose it to their master. So I went 
to the master and told him our condi- 
tion>and that if he would give us a trip 
over to France, we would give him a 
consideration for it; upon which he couns 
-terfeited a difficulty, saying, it w* hin 
der his voiage, but his men, as they had 
promised, joined their perswaisions to 
our’s, and at last he yielded to set ug 
over. So about five o’clock in the after 
noon as we were in sight of the Isle of 
Wight, we stood directly for the coast of. 
France, the wind being then full north, 
and the next morning a little before day 
we saw the coast ; but the tide failing us, 
and the wind coming about to the south- 
west, we were forced to come to an an~ 
chor within two miles of the shore, till 
the tide of flood was done: we found 
ourselves 
