hoes and coat, he was hurried into a coach
and conveyed to the Strand by Salisbury House, where the two
alighted, and passing down Ivy Lane, reached the river, and after
James's disguise had been perfected, boat was taken to Lyon Quay
in Lower Thames Street, where a barge lay in readiness to carry
them down stream.

So far all went well, but on the way to Gravesend the master
of the vessel, doubtless with a view to increasing his reward,
raised some objections. The fugitive was now in female attire,
and the objection was that nothing had been said about a woman
coming aboard; but he was at length pacified, indeed ere long
guessed the truth, for the Prince's lack of female decorum, as
in the case of his grandson "the Bonnie Prince" nearly a century
afterwards, made him guess how matters really stood. Beyond Gravesend
the fugitives got aboard a Dutch vessel and were carried safely
to Middleburg.

We will now shift the scene to Whitehall in the year 1688, when,
after a brief reign of three years, betrayed and deserted on
all sides, the unhappy Stuart king was contemplating his second
flight out of England. The weather-cock that had been set up on
the banqueting hall to show when the wind "blew Protestant" had
duly recorded the dreaded approach of Dutch William, who now was
steadily advancing towards the capital. On Tuesday, December 10th,
soon after midnight, James left the Palace by way of Chiffinch's
secret stairs of notorious fame, and disguised as the servant
of Sir Edward Hales, with Ralph Sheldon--La Badie--a page, and
Dick Smith, a groom, attending him, crossed the river to Lambeth,
dropping the great seal in the water on the way, and took horse,
avoiding the main roads, towards Farnborough and thence to
Chislehurst. Leaving Maidstone to the south-west, a brief halt
was made at Pennenden Heath for refreshment. The old inn, "the
Woolpack," where the party stopped for their hurried repast,
remains, at least in name, for the building itself has of late
years been replaced by a modern structure. Crossing the Dover
road, the party now directed their course towards Milton Creek,
to the north-east of Sittingbourne, where a small fishing-craft
lay in readiness, which had been chartered by Sir Edward Hales,
whose seat at Tunstall[1] was close by.

[Footnote 1: The principal seat of the Hales, near Canterbury, is
now occupied as a Jesuit College. The old manor house of Tunstall,
Grove End Farm, presents both externally