Royalty Restored; Or, London Under Charles II

Original Transcriber's Note:
Footnotes have been inserted into this etext in square brackets close to the place where they were indicated by a suffix in the original text.
The pound sterling symbol has been written as 'L'.
Text in italics has been written in capital letters.
PG Editor's Note: Archaic spelling and grammar retained.
TO THOMAS HARDY, ESQ.
DEAR MR. HARDY, In common with all readers of the English language, I owe you a debt of gratitude, the which I rejoice to acknowledge, even in so poor a manner as by dedicating this work to you. Believe me, Faithfully yours always, J. FITZGERALD MOLLOY.
No social history of the court of Charles II. has heretofore been written. The Grammont Memoirs, devoid of date and detail, and addressed to those who read only for amusement, present but brief imperfect sketches of the wits and beauties who thronged the court of the merry monarch whilst the brilliant Frenchman sojourned in England. Pepys, during the first nine years of the Restoration, narrates such gossip as reached him regarding Whitehall and the practices that obtained there. Evelyn records some trifling actions of the king and his courtiers, with a view of pointing a moral, rather than from a desire of adorning a tale.
To supply this want in our literature, I have endeavoured to present a picture of the domestic life of a king, whose name recalls pages of the brightest romance and strangest gallantry in our chronicles. To this I have added a study of London during his reign, taken as far as possible from rare, and invariably from authentic sources. It will readily be seen this work, embracing such subjects, could alone have resulted from careful study and untiring consultation of diaries, records, memoirs, letters, pamphlets, tracts, and papers left by contemporaries familiar with the court and capital. The accomplishment of such a task necessitated an expenditure of time, and devotion to labour, such as in these fretful and impatient days is seldom bestowed on work.