gone minutely into the young king's hair-breadth adventures;
but the story is so closely connected with the present subject
that we must record something of his sojourn at these four old
houses, as from an historical point of view they are of exceptional
interest, if one but considers how the order of things would have
been changed had either of these hiding-places been discovered
at the time "his Sacred Majesty" occupied them. It is vain to
speculate upon the probabilities; still, there is no ignoring
the fact that had Charles been captured he would have shared
the fate of his father.

[Footnote 1: See _The Flight of the King_.]

[Illustration: HIDING-PLACE BENEATH "THE CHAPEL," BOSCOBEL, SALOP]

[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO HIDING-PLACE IN "THE GARRET" OR "CHAPEL,"
BOSCOBEL]

[Illustration: HIDING-PLACE IN "THE SQUIRE'S BEDROOM," BOSCOBEL]

[Illustration: SECRET PANEL, TRENT HOUSE, SOMERSETSHIRE]

[Illustration: BOSCOBEL, SALOP]

[Illustration: HIDING-PLACE, TRENT HOUSE]

[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO HIDING-PLACE, TRENT HOUSE]

[Illustration: TRENT HOUSE IN 1864]