As soon as it was known at London that the King was gone, the 'prentices
and the rabble, who had been a little quieted when they saw a treaty
on foot between the King and the Prince, now broke out again upon all
suspected houses, where they believed there were either priests or
papists. They made great havoc of many places, not sparing the houses of
ambassadors. But none was killed, no houses burned, nor were any robberies
committed. Never was so much fury seen under so much management. Jeffreys
finding the King was gone, saw what reason he had to look to himself, and,
apprehending that he was now exposed to the rage of the people whom he had
provoked with so particular a brutality, he had disguised himself to
make his escape. But he fell into the hands of some who knew him. He was
insulted by them with as much scorn and rudeness as they could invent. And,
after many hours tossing him about, he was carried to the lord mayor, whom
they charged to commit him to the Tower, which Lord Lucas had then seized,
and in it had declared for the Prince. The lord mayor was so struck with
the terror of this rude populace, and with the disgrace of a man who had
made all people tremble before him, that he fell into fits upon it, of
which he died soon after.
Upon the news of the King's desertion, it was proposed that the Prince
should go on with all possible haste to London. But that was not advisable.
For the King's army lay so scattered through the road all the way to London
that it was not fit for him to advance faster than his troops marched
before him; otherwise, any resolute officer might have seized or killed
him. Though, if it had not been for that danger a great deal of mischief
that followed would have been prevented by his speedy advance; for now
began that turn to which all the difficulties that did afterward disorder
our affairs may be justly imputed. Two gentlemen of Kent came to Windsor
the morning after the Prince came thither. They were addressed to me; and
they told me of the accident at Feversham, and desired to know the Prince's
pleasure upon it. I was affected with this dismal reverse of the fortune
of a great prince more than I think fit to express. I went immediately to
Benthink and wakened him, and got him to go to the Prince and let him
know what had happened, that some order might be presently given for the
security of the King's person, and for taking him out of the hands of a
rude multitude who said they would obey no orders but such as came from the
Prince.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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