The shouting and joy expressed by all is past imagining

Låt oss idag celebrera 350-årsdagen av att Karl II landstiger i Dover 1660 och därmed återvänder till England från sin landsflykt. Sedan opinionen, och generalen Monck inte att förglömma, bestämt sig för att avsluta det semirepublikanska experimentet och återkalla kungen på andra sidan havet sändes en liten flottilj till exilkungen i Nederländerna. Huvudfartyget hette egentligen Naseby efter en av järnsidornas segrar i inbördeskriget mot rojalisterna men döptes raskt om till Royal Charles och pryddes med vimplar och standar i kungens färger och monogram. Efter två dagar till sjöss nådde flottiljen Dover morgonen 25 maj 1660. De hälsades med kanonsaluter och hurrarop. General Monck föll på knä inför sin hemförde kung som raskt sade åt honom att resa på sig. Lantjunkaren Sir Edward Dering skrev i sin dagbok att han trodde att “there never was in any nation so much joy both inwardly felt and outwardly expresst, as was in this Kingdom from the day of His Majestie landing at Dover”.

Amiralitetstjänstemannen Samuel Pepys som genom sin utförliga dagbok är vår korrespondent i 1660-talets England var och där. Han skrev:

“About noon (though the brigantine that Beale made was there ready to carry him) yet he would go in my Lord’s barge with the two Dukes. Our Captain steered, and my Lord went along bare with him. I went, and Mr. Mansell, and one of the King’s footmen, with a dog that the King loved, and so got on shore when the King did, who was received by General Monk with all imaginable love and respect at his entrance upon the land of Dover. Infinite the crowd of people and the horsemen, citizens, and noblemen of all sorts. The Mayor of the town came and gave him his white staff, the badge of his place, which the King did give him again. The Mayor also presented him from the town with a very rich Bible, which he took and said it was the thing that he loved above all things in the world. A canopy was provided for him to stand under, which he did, and talked awhile with General Monk and others, and so into a stately coach there set for him, and so away through the town towards Canterbury, without making any stay at Dover. The shouting and joy expressed by all is past imagining”