556. (CHARLES II) (1630 - 1685) King of Great Britain and Ireland, routed by Cromwell at Worcester but restored after promising Parliamentary rule. Manuscript journal, 383pp. plus index, 10" x 16", front and verso. House of Commons, February 4, 1672 to November 10, 1674, London. Covers missing. Leather spine with raised bands and ornate gilt designs and gilt lettering: "Commons/Journals/From Feb:/4 1672-3 to/Apr: 13. 1675", "Vol:/XVI". In 1582, the Gregorian calendar was promulgated from Rome by Pope Gregory XIII beginning the new year on January 1st. The English, suspicious of Rome during this period, retained the Julian calendar which began on March 25th, so in these "Common Journals", the entry after March 24, 1672, is dated March 25, 1673. For consistency and less confusion, the Gregorian year in use today is used throughout this description. The entry for February 5, 1672 includes an important message from King Charles II to the House of Commons (pages 6-8). In part: "...I would have called you together sooner but that I am willing to ease you and the Country till there were an absolute necessity since you were last here; I have been forced to a most Important necessary, and expensive War, and I make no doubt but you will give me Suitable and Effectual assistance to go through with it. I refer you to my Declaration for the Causes and indeed the Necessity of this War, and shall now only tell you, that I might have digested the Indignities to my own person rather than have brought it to this Extremity, if the Interest as well as the Honour of the whole Kingdom had not been at Stake, and if I had omitted this Conjuncture perhaps I had not again ever mett with the like advantage...Some few Days before I declared the War, I put forth my Declaration for Indulgence to Dissenters [Protestants who refused to conform to the established Christian church], and have hitherto found a good effect of it, by securing peace at home, when I had War abroad...I will deal plainly with you, I am resolved to stick to my Declaration. There is one Jealousy more that is maliciously spread abroad, & yet so weak and frivolous, that I once thought it not of moment enough to mention but it may have gotten some ground with some well minded people, & that is, that the Forces I have raised in this Warr, were designed to Countrol Law and property. I wish I had had more Forces the last Summer the want of them then convinces me I must raise more against this next Spring, and I do not doubt but you will consider the charge of them in your Supplies. I will conclude, with this assurance to you, that I will preserve the true Reformed Protestant Religion, and the Church, as it is now Established in this Kingdom; and that no man's property or Liberty shall ever be invaded!". The House of Commons responded to the King's message on February 19th (page 49) but their address is not in the text. In 1670, Charles had signed the Secret Treaty of Dover, promising Louis XIV of France that he would declare himself a Catholic, reestablish Catholicism in England, and support the French King's projected war against the Dutch; in return Louis was to finance Charles and in the event of resistance to supply him with troops. Only two of his five advisers, Clifford and Arlington, both secretly Catholic, knew details of the treaty. Coincidently, the initials of Charles' five advisers, the others being Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale, spelled the word "cabal" meaning "association of intriguers" which is now applied to any faction that works in secret for private or political ends. War with the Netherlands began in 1672, and at the same time Charles issued the Declaration of Indulgence, suspending all penal laws against Catholics and Dissenters. In this message, a sort of "state of the union address" delivered at the opening session of Parliament, King Charles II refers to the war and his Declaration of Indulgence. In 1673, Parliament forced Charles to withdraw the Indulgence and accept a Test Act (see below) excluding all Catholics from office, and in 1674 to end the Dutch war. The Test Act broke up the Cabal, while Ashley, who had learned the truth about the treaty, assumed the leadership of the opposition. The February 24, 1672 entry includes a message from the King in response to the House of Commons February 19th reply to his address (page 58). It begins "His Majesty hath received an address from you and he hath seriously Considered of it and returneth you this answere: That he is very much troubled, that that Declaration which he put out for ends so necessary to the quiet of His Kingdom and especially in that conjuncture should have proved the cause of disquiet in his house of Commons, and give occasion to the questioning of his Power in Ecclesiasticks, which He finds not done in the Reigns of any of His Ancestors...". On February 26th, the House of Commons replies to the King, in part "we find, that the said answer is not sufficient to clear the Apprehensions that may justly remain in the minds of your people by your Majesty's having claimed a power to suspend penal Statutes in matters Eccl[esiast]ical, which your Majesty does still seem to assert in the said answer to be intrusted in the Crown, and never questioned in the Reigns of any Your ancestors wherein we humbly conceive, Your Majesty hath been very much misinformed since no such power was ever claimed or exercised by any of Your Majesty's Predecessors..." (pps. 64-65). On October 30, 1673, the House of Commons "Resolved That a Committee be appointed preparing a Bill for a General Test to distinguish between Protestants and Papists and those that shall refuse to take it be uncapable to enjoy any Office Military or Civill or to sitt in either house of Parliament or to come within Five Miles of the Court" (p. 211). This became known as the Test Act. Ten days earlier, the House of Commons let the King know that "it is the humble desire of this House, that the intended Marriage of his Royal Highness with the Duchess of Modena be not consummated, and that he may not be Married to any Person but of the Protestant Religion" (p. 200). On November 21, 1673, the King's brother, the Duke of York, married Mary of Modena, a 15-year-old Catholic Italian princess. He later refused to take the oaths required under the "Test Act", instead choosing to relinquish the post of Lord High Admiral. His conversion to Catholicism was then made public. In 1685, upon the death of Charles II, the Duke of York acceded to the throne as King James II. Charles II converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. On January 7, 1674, the Speaker of the House read an address from Charles II (pp. 228-229) ending "I cannot conclude without showing you the entire Confidence I have in you, I know you have heard much of my Alliance with France and I believe, it hath been very strangely misrepresented to you as if there were certain Secret Articles of dangerous Consequence, but I will make no difficulty of letting the Treaties, and all the articles of them without any the least reserve to be seen by a Small Committee of both Houses who may report to you the true Scope of them, and I assure you there is no other Treaty with France either before or since not already printed, which will not be made known, and having thus freely trusted you I do not doubt but you will have a Care of my Honour, and the Good of the Kingdom". He has lied to Parliament. He refers, of course, to the still secret Treaty of Dover signed by him and Louis XIV, mentioned above. Numerous interesting entries include "A Bill to prevent stealing and transporting children" (p. 27) "A Bill be brought in for General Naturalization of all Forreigners of the Reformed Protestant Religion" (p. 27), "A Bill being tendered touching blowing up or demolishing houses to prevent the increase of Fire" (p. 50), "A Bill to prevent the Growth of Popery" [Roman Catholic Church] (p. 99), "A Bill for the better Observation of the Lords Day" (p. 137), "the Danger that the Kingdom of Ireland is in by Popish Recusants" (p.137), "the Bill do pass and that the Title be an Act to continue a former Act concerning Coynage" (p. 156), questioning of the Duke of Buckingham followed by an address "to remove the Duke of Buckingham from all his Employments" (pps. 257-258), "Articles of Treasonable and other Crimes of High Misdemeanor against the Earl of Arlington, principal Secretary of State That the said Earl hath been a Constant and most vehement Promoter of Popery and Popish Counsels" calling for his impeachment (pps. 261-266). On January 30, 1674, "The House being mett in order to go to St. Margaretts Church for the Solemnization of the Marterdom of King Charles the First went accordingly in a Body" (p.303). The King's father, Charles I, was beheaded 25 years earlier, on January 30, 1649. All afternoon sessions are headed "Post Meridiem". Many of the above topics are mentioned on other pages as well. The book concludes with an entry on February 24, 1674: "Mr. Speaker with the House went up to the House of Lords to attend his Majesty where his Majesty was pleased to prorogue both Houses of Parliament to the Tenth Day of November next" (p. 382) and one on November 10, 1674: "The House being by his Majesty prorogued to this day and his Majesty having by his Proclamation signifyed his Pleasure to prorogue the Parliament until the 13th Day of Aprill next" (p. 383). The concluding 11 pages comprise a tabbed index to the House of Commons Journal. The blank lower right corners of pages 381 through the index are tattered. The last index leaf and the blank back cover have separated from the volume. A marvelous record of events relating to the reign of King Charles II who had no legitimate children. In 1854, Adelaide Seymour, the great-great-great granddaughter of one of Charles II's recognized illegitimate sons, Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, married Frederick Spencer, 4th $12,000 - 15,000