[after 2 June]
Titlepage: A / RELATION / IN FORM of JOURNAL, / OF THE / VOIAGE And RESIDENCE / Which / The most EXCELLENT and most MIGHTY PRINCE / CHARLS THE II / KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, &c. / Hath made in Holland, from the 25 of May, / to the 2 of June, 1660. / Rendered into English out of the Original French, / By / Sir WILLIAM LOWER, Knight. / [garter arms] / HAGUE, / Printed by ADRIAN VLACK, / Anno M. DC. LX. / With Priviledge of the Estates of Holland and West-Freesland. /
On Lower see DND, Woods Ath Oxon [under Tho. Salesbury] and 3:544, and William Bryan Gates's published doctoral thesis, The Dramatic Works and Translations of Sir William Lower, with a Reprint of "The Enchanted Lovers" (Philadelphia, [University of Pennsylvania], 1932) [L 11856.bbb.4]. Gates gives us the following:
Lower was from old Cornish family, born c. 1600 at Tremere, St Tudy; Woods reports him to have travelled in France, fought for the Royalists: first play was The Phoenix in her Flames (1639). By June 1644, L rank of Lt col and made lt-governor of Wallingford where he kidnapped the mayor in order to pressure the town to pay king's levy -- didn't work, but L was knighted 27 March 1645; prisoned by Parl from jan 1646 for a year; went to Holland sometime before or by 1655 having been left some estates there; (cf Masson's Life of Milton, CPSD); he died in 1662 leaving a considerable estate. The will includes "To my Blackamore Boy John forty shillings and alsoe the silver coller and cuffes which I have ordered and directed to bee given him." (cited Gates p. 19).
Gates ignores the Relation beyond commenting that "the engravings are as excellent and interesting as the acrostics of Lower are bad" (Gates p. 23).
On Charles touching for the King's Evil: "It is certain, that the King hath very often touched the sick, as well at Breda, where he touched two hundred and sixty, from Saturday the 17. of April, to Sunday the 23. of May, as at Bruges and Bruxels, during the residence he made there; and the English assure, that not only it was not without success, since it was the experience that drew thither every day, a great number of those diseased, even from the most remote Provinces of Germany..." (p. 78) See discussion starts p. 74
This prose volume ends with a series of verses by Lower, some of them comments upon the large illustrations: "The Deputies of the Estates of Holland complement the King at Delf" (p. 109), "A Poetical Description of the Batavian Court" (pp. 110-111), "The Great Feast The Estates of Holland made to the King, and to the Royal family" (pp. 111-112), "His Majesty taking his leave in the Assembly of the Estates Generall" (p. 112), "His Majesty Taking his leave in the Assembly of the Estates of Holland" (p. 113), "On His Majesties Departure from the Hage [sic] to his Fleet before Scheveling" (p. 114), the acrostick here (p. 115), "An Acrostick Poem. On the most Illustrious and most Heroick Prince James Duke of York" (p. 116), "An Acrostick Poem In Honour of his Excellence the Lord General Monck, Duke of Albermarl, &c" (p. 116).
In "The Printer to the Reader," Vlack apologises for the volume being "tardive," but the engravers of the plates took too long (no sig). The plates are signed variously "N. Venne In. David Philippe Fc.", and "J. Tuliet in. Pierre Philippe sculpsit." "J.Tuliet in. T. Matham sc."