, and almost ruined nations. By G. S., a Lover
of Loyalty. Humbly Dedicated and Presented to his most Excellent
Majesty Charles the Second, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland,
true Hereditary King. London, Printed by E.C. for H. Seile, over
against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street, and for W. Palmer at
the Palm-Tree over against Fetter-lane end in Fleet Street._ 1660."
It is a duodecimo volume, the dedication to Charles occupying
twenty-one pages, and the main body of the text 177 pages, with a
peroration in thirty-nine additional pages addressed to Monk and his
Officers and to the two Houses of Parliament about to meet, and then
three pages more of concluding address to his Majesty. Though the
author does not give his name, he hints in the course of the volume
that he may "be inquired after and perhaps soon found out." He says
also that his profession "much differs from politics." Hence it may
be doubted whether the conjecture is right which assigns the book to
a George Searle, who had been an original member of the Long
Parliament for Taunton, and had been one of the Secluded. One might
venture rather on the query whether the author may not have been Dr.
Gilbert Sheldon, soon to be Bishop of London and Archbishop of
Canterbury, but for the present waiting with anxiety for the
certainty of Charles's recall, and doing all he could, with other
divines, to hasten it.[1]

[Footnote 1: The Thomason copy gives "May," without any day, as the
date of publication; but I find the book entered in the Stationers'
Registers as early as March 31, 1660. The writing had been then
begun, and the printing of the book had been going on through April.
There is internal evidence that the new Parliament had not met, or
at least that the Restoration was not positively resolved on, when
the book was finished. Both in the dedication and in the peroration,
the parts last written, the event is spoken of as only in near
prospect.--Sheldon, though a man of public distinction in his time,
has left hardly any writings by which his style could be
ascertained. I think the guess worth risking that the present
performance may have been his, if only because the offer of the guess
may lead to its confutation. George Searle is the man proposed by the
bibliographers (see Bohn's _Lowndes_, Art. Milton, and note p.
108 of Todd's Life of Milton, edit. 1852); but I know not on what
authority except that his initials are "G.S." and that he was "a
wr