THE RETURN OF CHARLES THE SECOND (1660)

And so it was that at the end of May
Charles made ready. The King was on his way.
On the 29th (the royal birthday)
He rode into London. The bells rang out.
Some 20,000 men, or thereabout,
Attended their sovereign. Fountains flowed
With wine, all the day long. Lining the road,
In their finest array, the people cheered,
As their long-awaited monarch appeared.

The famous diarist, John Evelyn, wrote
(His words are perfect, it’s best if I quote):
“I stood in the Strand” (an eye-witness, you see)
“And beheld it and blessed God” (then, touchingly)
“And all this without one drop of blood”. Rarely,
If ever, can a moment in history
Have been captured with such sensitivity.

So began what’s generally reckoned
The dissolute reign of Charles the Second.
The King’s considered a perfect disgrace –
By some. Not by me. Kindly watch this space.

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