The earliest time at which racing took place at head-quarters was in the reign of James I., who is said to have "permanently established meetings, and first attended in person in the third year of his reign (1605)." During the reign of this monarch, racing made considerable progress, the reputation of Newmarket as a centre of sport being enhanced for a time by the arrival of some of the horses saved from the wreck of the Spanish Armada. During the reign of Charles I., racing fell off as a consequence of the Civil War, only to be revived with greater éclat in the following reign; from the moment that Charles II. ascended the throne, racing began again to flourish at Newmarket. The "Merry Monarch," being particularly fond of racing, and indeed of all kinds of pastime, passed much of his time at the chief seat of sport, having erected there a palace for himself and a fine stable for his stud. In a work on the horse, written by John Lawrence, it is stated that at one time there was to be seen on Warrenhill, what was termed the King's Chair, from which His Majesty viewed the horses at exercise; it was customary for persons who took an interest in the pursuits of the turf to visit that part of the heath at Newmarket once a year--on a certain day in springtime--to see the coursers gallop up to this seat, on which occasions both lads and horses were clad in new clothes. The King's partiality for Newmarket is often alluded to in the literature, or rather written records of the period. In Pepys' Diary, more than one entry refers to the "Merry Monarch's" fondness for the pastime of racing; as for instance, May 22nd, 1668: "The King and Duke of York and Court are at this day at Newmarket, at a great horse-race;" again on March 7th, 1669: "I hear that the King and the Duke of York set out for Newmarket by three in the morning, to see some foot and horse-races." Having recourse to the Diary of Pepys once more, we find him saying, in an entry dated March 8th: "To Whitehall, from whence the King, and the Duke of York, the Duke of Monmouth, and the Prince Rupert, at the King's gate in Holborne; and the King all dirty, but not hurt. How it came to pass I know not, but only it was dark, and the torches did not, they say, light the coach as they should do." Again, a few weeks after this mishap, on April 26th, Pepys tells us: "The King and Court went out of town to Newmarket this morning betimes for a week." These extracts not only illustrate the fact of the sport of horse-racing being in progress at Newmarket at the period indicated, but are also valuable as an illustration of the travelling facilities of the time and the risks endured by Royalty.