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Ebook has 182 lines and 126829 words, and 4 pages

Editor: Charles Morton and Henry Reeve

. The original has many inconsistent spellings in all the languages used. A few corrections have been made for obvious typographical errors; they have been noted individually. Superscripts in the original are indicated by the ^ character. Side notes are enclosed in brackets and preceded with SN, thus . Footnotes are numbered with the page on which they start.}

JOURNAL OF THE SWEDISH EMBASSY IN THE YEARS 1653 AND 1654.

A JOURNAL OF THE SWEDISH EMBASSY IN THE YEARS 1653 AND 1654.

IMPARTIALLY WRITTEN BY THE AMBASSADOR BULSTRODE WHITELOCKE.

FIRST PUBLISHED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT BY DR. CHARLES MORTON, M.D., F.S.A., LIBRARIAN OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

"A wicked messenger falleth into mischief, but a faithful ambassador is health." PROVERBS xiii. 17.

LONDON: LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS. 1855.

PRINTED BY JOHN EDWARD TAYLOR, LITTLE QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.

JOURNAL OF THE SWEDISH EMBASSY IN THE YEARS 1653 AND 1654.

MARCH 1, 1653.

Now was the heat of Whitelocke's business, and many cross endeavours used to render all his labours fruitless, and to bring his treaty to no effect. But it pleased God, in whom his confidence was placed, to carry him through all his difficulties, and to give his blessing and success to this negotiation.

Whitelocke gave a visit to the Count de Montecuculi, to give him the welcome home from his journey with the Queen; who said he had commands to kiss the hand of the Prince of Sweden, and took the opportunity of accompanying her Majesty when she went to meet the Prince. He communicated nothing of the business to Whitelocke, nor did he think to inquire it of him.

After Whitelocke returned home, the Resident of France and Woolfeldt met at his house to visit him, and staid with him three hours. They had much discourse of France, and of the Duke of Lorraine, and of the policy of the Spaniard in entertaining that Duke in his service; by means whereof the country where the Duke's soldiers were quartered was better satisfied than with the Spanish forces, so that there was no tax levied for them, only they took free quarter, and sometimes a contribution upon the receiving of a new officer. And Woolfeldt said, that whereas all other Princes give wages to their officers and soldiers, the Duke gives no pay; but when he makes an officer, the officer pays money to the Duke for his commission; and that he knew a captain of horse who gave a thousand crowns for his commission, which the captain afterwards raised upon the country, and the Duke connived at it. He told how he was employed to treat with the Duke for the transportation of five thousand foot and three thousand horse into Ireland, to assist our King; which the Duke undertook on condition to have a hundred thousand crowns in ready money, and ships to transport his men from some haven in France, none of which could be effected.

After Woolfeldt went away, the French Resident asked Whitelocke whether France were comprised in the treaty with Holland. Whitelocke said he had no information thereof. The Resident replied, that his master would willingly entertain a good friendship and correspondence with England; and Whitelocke said, he believed England would be ready to do the like with France. The Resident said, he observed by their discourse that Whitelocke had been in France, and that the late King would have given him the command of a troop of horse in France; and he hoped that Whitelocke would retain a good opinion of that country, and be their friend. Whitelocke replied, that he was very civilly treated in France, and believed that he should have served the late King there, if, by a sudden accident or misfortune, he had not been prevented, and obliged to return for England sooner than he intended; and that he should be always ready to pay all respects and service to that Crown, as far as might consist with the interest of the Commonwealth whom he served.

Notwithstanding his great words against the Commonwealth and present treaty, yet Monsieur Sch?tt was pleased to afford a visit to Whitelocke, and they fell upon the following discourse:--

They had much other discourse; and probably Sch?tt was sent purposely to excuse the delay of the treaty, for which he used many arguments not necessary to be repeated; and he came also to test Whitelocke touching advice to be had with the Prince about this treaty, whereunto Whitelocke showed no averseness.

Part of the letters to Whitelocke were in cipher, being directions to him touching the Sound. He had full intelligence of all passages of the Dutch treaty, and a copy of the articles, from Thurloe; also the news of Scotland, Ireland, France, and the letters from the Dutch Resident here to his superiors in Holland, copies whereof Thurloe by money had procured. He wrote also of the Protector's being feasted by the City, and a full and large relation of all passages of moment. The Protector himself wrote also his letters to Whitelocke under his own hand, which were thus:--

"My Lord,

"You will understand by Mr. Secretary Thurloe in what condition the treaty with the United Provinces is, in case it shall please God that a peace be made with them, which a little time will show; yet I see no reason to be diverted thereby from the former intentions of entering into an alliance with Sweden, nor that there will be anything in the league intended with the Low Countries repugnant thereunto, especially in things wherein you are already instructed fully. And for the matter of your third and fourth private instructions, if the Queen hath any mind thereto, upon your transmitting particulars hither such consideration will be had thereof as the then constitution of affairs will lead unto. In the meantime you may assure the Queen of the constancy and reality of my intentions to settle a firm alliance with her. I commend you to the goodness of God.

Grave John Oxenstiern, eldest son of the Chancellor, came to visit Whitelocke; a Ricks-Senator, and had been Ricks-Schatz-master, or High Treasurer, a place next in honour to that of his father. He had been formerly ambassador from this Crown to England; but because he was sent by the Chancellor his father, and the other Directors of the affairs of Sweden in the Queen's minority, which King Charles and his Council took not to be from a sovereign prince; and because his business touching the Prince Elect's settlement, and the affairs of Germany relating to Sweden, did not please our King; therefore this gentleman was not treated here with that respect and solemnity as he challenged to be due to him as an ambassador; which bred a distaste in him and his father against the King and Council here, as neglecting the father and the good offices which he tendered to King Charles and this nation, by slighting the son and his quality.

The discourse between this Grave and Whitelocke was not long, though upon several matters; and he seemed to be sent to excuse the delay of the treaty with Whitelocke, for which he mentioned former reasons, as his father's want of health, multiplicity of business, the expected issue of the Dutch treaty, and the like; and the same excuses were again repeated by Lagerfeldt, who came to Whitelocke from the Chancellor for the same purpose.

Whitelocke had occasion to look into his new credentials and instructions from the Protector, which were thus.

"Most Serene and Potent Queen,

"God, who is the great Disposer of all things, having been pleased in His unsearchable wisdom to make a change in the Government of these nations since the time that the noble B. Whitelocke, Constable, etc. went from hence, qualified and commissioned as Ambassador Extraordinary from the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England unto your Majesty, to communicate with you in things tending to the mutual good and utility of both the nations, we have thought it necessary upon this occasion to assure your Majesty that the present change of affairs here hath made no alteration of the good intentions on this side towards your Majesty and your dominions; but that as we hold ourself obliged, in the exercise of that power which God and the people have entrusted us with, to endeavour by all just and honourable means to hold a good correspondence with our neighbours, so more particularly with the Crown of Sweden, between whom and these nations there hath always been a firm amity and strict alliance; and therefore we have given instructions to the said Lord Whitelocke, answerable to such good desires, earnestly requesting your Majesty to give unto him favourable audience as often as he shall desire it, and full belief in what he shall propound on the behalf of these dominions. And so we heartily commend your Majesty and your affairs to the Divine protection. Given at Whitehall this 23rd of December, Old Style, 1653.

"Your good friend, "OLIVER P."

The following instructions were under the hand and private seal of the Protector:--

"Whereas you were lately sent in the quality of Ambassador Extraordinary from the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England unto her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, for the renewing and contracting an alliance and confederation with that Queen and Crown, according to the commission and instructions you received from the said Parliament and the then Council of State; And whereas, since your departure hence, the then Parliament hath been dissolved, and the Government is settled and established in such a way that you will understand by letters from Mr. Thurloe, Secretary of the Council, who is directed to give unto you a full account hereof: Now lest the work you are upon should be interrupted or retarded by reason of the said change of affairs, and the question that may arise thereupon concerning the validity of your commission and instructions, I have thought fit, by advice of the Council, to write unto her Majesty new letters credential, a copy whereof you will receive herewith, which letters you are to present to the Queen. And you are also, by virtue of these presents, to let her Majesty know that the alteration of the Government here hath made no change in the good intentions on this side towards her Majesty and her dominions; but that she shall find the same readiness in me to maintain and increase all good intelligence and correspondence with that Queen and Crown as in any the former governors of these nations. And to that end you are hereby authorized to proceed in your present negotiation, and to endeavour to bring the treaty with her Majesty to a good conclusion according to the tenour and effect of the commission, powers, and instructions you have already received, and which I shall by any further act ratify and confirm according as the nature of the business shall require.

"Before your Lordship deliver these letters credential to the Queen, or make any addresses to her, you are to inform yourself fully of the reception you are like to have, and whether her intentions be to come to a treaty of amity with this State as the Government is now established, that no dishonour may befall us or these dominions in your addresses upon these letters and instructions. Given at Whitehall this 23rd of December, 1653.

"OLIVER P."

Whitelocke made many despatches this day to England.

Whitelocke then said it might be fit to make some progress in his treaty upon his articles, and particularly in those which concerned amity and commerce, and had no dependence on the issue of the treaty with Holland, and therefore might be had in consideration before the other were fully concluded, and the rest of the articles might be considered afterwards; which the Queen said should be done, and that she would send an ambassador to the Protector. She was very inquisitive concerning London and our Universities; by her discourse gave him to imagine she had thoughts of travelling into France, Spain, Italy, and into England; and asked Whitelocke if he thought the Protector would give way to her coming thither. Whitelocke answered, that the Protector would bid her Majesty very welcome thither.

He was alone with her near two hours, and at his taking leave she desired him to come to her again on Monday next, and that then she would read over with him his articles, both in Latin and English, which they would consider together; and such things as she could consent unto she would tell him, and what she could not consent unto he should then know from her, and they might mark it in the margin as they went along. Yet she said she would have him to proceed in his conference with her Chancellor as before, and that nobody should know of that conference between her and Whitelocke; but she would so order the business that what they consented unto should be effected afterwards, and that in two hours they might go over all the articles. Whitelocke told her Majesty he presumed that she would admit of a free debate upon any of them. She said, by all means, that was reasonable; and in case the peace between England and Holland did not take effect, that then the ambassador, whom she intended howsoever to send into England, might conclude upon such other articles as should be thought fit. Whitelocke asked her if she had any thoughts of being included in the Dutch treaty. She said, No, for she had not meddled with the war, and therefore desired not to be included in the peace with them.

From the Queen Whitelocke went and visited Piementelle, who showed him a letter he received from a great person in Flanders, mentioning that Beningen had written to his superiors that the English Ambassador and the Spanish Resident were often together, and had showed great respect to each other, which his Highness the Archduke liked very well, and gave Piementelle thanks for it; and though Monsieur Beningen did not like of their being so friendly, yet his superiors endeavoured all they could to have amity with England. When Whitelocke told him of the English fleet at sea, he said it was great pity the same was not employed. He then showed Whitelocke a letter from Beningen to his superiors, wherein he taxed Whitelocke with omitting the ceremony of meeting Prince Adolphus at his door. Whitelocke repeated to Piementelle the carriage of that business as before; and Piementelle said, that neither the Queen nor himself had ever heard the Prince express any dislike of Whitelocke's carriage; and that the Queen, seeing Beningen's letter, said there were many things in it concerning Whitelocke which upon her knowledge were not true. It was also said in the letter that the English Ambassador had many long audiences with her Majesty, and conferences with the Chancellor, but that he could not in the least learn what passed between them; with which Whitelocke had no cause to be displeased.

Whitelocke visited Senator Sch?tt, who spake in excuse of the delay of his business. Whitelocke said--

Whilst Whitelocke was with him the Queen sent one of her gentlemen thither to him, to desire him to put off his visit of her Majesty till the next day, by reason she had then extraordinary business; and the messenger being gone, Sch?tt said,--

Whitelocke visited the Ricks-Droitset Grave Brahe, who is of the noble family of Tycho Brahe. He was President of the College of Justice, and the First Minister of State of the kingdom: the name of his office is as much as Viceroy, and his jurisdiction is a sovereign court for the administration of justice, and he hath power both civil and military. The office is in effect the same with that ancient officer with us called the Chief Justice of England. The habit of this Chief Justice of Sweden was a coat, and a furred cap of black, a sword and belt, and no cloak; two soldiers sentry at his chamber-door, which Whitelocke had not observed elsewhere but at the Court. They had much discourse of Whitelocke's business, wherein he testified affections to the Commonwealth of England, though Whitelocke had been informed that he was not their friend; but he the rather chose to visit him first, and found him very civil: he spake Latin very readily, and no French, although Whitelocke was told he could speak it well.

He inquired much of the Commonwealth and affairs of England, and government of it, and seemed well pleased by Whitelocke's relation of it. He informed Whitelocke of the Swedish Government, and particularly of his own office. He discoursed much of the Prince of Sweden, which Whitelocke judged the fitter for him to approve, because Prince Adolphus's lady was this Grave's daughter. He told Whitelocke that he had been Governor of Finland ten years together, which province he affirmed to be greater than France, and that the Queen's dominions were larger than France, Spain, Italy, all together. Whitelocke asked him if those countries were well peopled, and flourished with corn and good towns. He answered that Finland was well peopled, and had store of corn, and good towns; but that it was not so with Lapland and other countries further off. But he said that no part of Sweden had such towns as were in England, where he had been when he was a young man, which country he much praised; and Whitelocke had no cause to gainsay it.

Piementelle sent to Whitelocke an atlas, in four great volumes, in acknowledgment of a vessel of Spanish wine which Whitelocke had before sent to him for a present.

The Governor of Upsal, Monsieur Bannier, presented to Whitelocke three Latin books:--1. The Story of Sweden; 2. Of the Laws of Sweden; 3. Of Sea Affairs; which were not ordinarily to be had.

The Queen sent one of her servants to invite Whitelocke to take the air with her in the fields; and being come to the castle, she excused her not being yet ready to confer with him upon his articles, as she had promised, but told him that she had ordered something to be written down on that subject to show to him. She took him into her coach, where was the "Belle Comtesse," the Countess Gabriel Oxenstiern, Prince Adolphus, Piementelle, Montecuculi, Tott, and Whitelocke. The Queen was very merry, and they were full of cheerful discourse. Being returned to the castle at night, she desired to hear Whitelocke's music, whom he sent for to the castle; and they played and sang in her presence, wherewith she seemed much pleased, and desired Whitelocke to thank them in her name. She said she never heard so good a concert of music, and of English songs; and desired Whitelocke, at his return to England, to procure her some to play on those instruments which would be most agreeable to her.

Lagerfeldt came to Whitelocke in the Court, and told him that the Chancellor intended to have had a meeting with him this day, but was hindered by falling sick of an ague; but in case his health would not permit him to meet, that then his son Eric Oxenstiern, by the Queen's appointment, would meet and confer with Whitelocke about the treaty in place of his father. But Whitelocke was not glad of this deputation, wishing much rather to confer with the old man upon this subject, who was good-natured, civil, and affectionate to Whitelocke, than with the son, Grave Eric, who was of a more rugged and self-conceited humour, and not so soon gained by reason and convinced by arguments as the good old man his father used to be.

Grave Eric Oxenstiern visited Whitelocke, and spake much to excuse the delay of his treaty; and said that his father was very sick of an ague, and he believed the Queen would depute some other to confer with him, in case his father's health would not permit him that liberty.

It was supposed by Whitelocke, that by the deferring of his business here, the Hollanders would be in the more suspense and doubt of the issue of it, and might thereby come on the more freely in their treaty with England; whereas, if the issue of his business here were known, it might perhaps seem less to them than it was now suspected to be. Upon this ground, though he spake of the delay, yet he did not so much press for a positive answer, but that he imagined the Dutch treaty might be brought to an issue; he intended to put on his business here, and the default hitherto rested on their part, as was acknowledged by their own excuses.

Whilst Eric was with Whitelocke, the Chief Justice came in. And after Grave Eric was gone the Chief Justice discoursed much concerning the Protector and his family, his extraction and pedigree, his former quality and condition, and his present state and manner of living: to which Whitelocke answered truly, and with honour to the Protector; and as to his present post, attendants, and ceremonies of his Court, he could not give so punctual an account, it being altered since his coming from England. He also inquired particularly concerning the Parliament, the forms of their summons, sitting, debating, voting, power, and authority; in all which Whitelocke was the better able to satisfy him, having been a Member of Parliament for almost thirty years together: and then the Chief Justice inquired further:--

The Chief Justice eagerly asserted these opinions not to be contrary to the Scripture, but alleged no proof, either from thence or out of human authors, to make good his assertion. After much argumentation hereupon, the Chief Justice offered to Whitelocke that he would move the Queen for a speedy despatch of his business; and said, he did not doubt but that satisfaction would be given him therein.

Whitelocke was the more desirous to get a conclusion of his business while Piementelle was here, because of his great favour with the Queen; which, with her respects to Montecuculi, both great Papists, caused Whitelocke to have the more doubt of her inclinations.

Prince Adolphus made a great entertainment for Montecuculi, Piementelle, and most of the grandees in town; but Whitelocke was omitted, his humour and principles as to their jollities and drinking of healths not being agreeable to theirs; and he held this neglect no affliction to him.

Whitelocke visited the Ricks-Admiral Oxenstiern, the Chancellor's brother, who received him with great civility; and they discoursed very much of Whitelocke's business to the effect as others did.

He also visited Grave John Oxenstiern, the Chancellor's eldest son, whose carriage was elated. Two of his pages were sons of Earls, and had the title of Earls; his servants were some of them set at his outer door to receive Whitelocke; himself vouchsafed to meet him at the inner door, and, with supercilious reservedness of state, descended to say to Whitelocke that he was welcome. They discoursed of England, where this Grave had been, as is before remembered, and the distaste he there received, which possibly might cause his greater neglect of Whitelocke, who took little notice of it. He took upon him to be fully instructed in the affairs of England, and of the laws and government there; wherein Whitelocke presumed to rectify some of his mistakes.

When he offered to move the Queen for despatch of Whitelocke's business, he answered, that he had done it himself already, and there would be no need to trouble any other. This occasioned some discourse about the treaty, to which, with great gravity, this General declared his judgement concerning contraband goods, that great care was to be taken therein, not to give any interruption to trade. Whitelocke said, that concerned England much more than Sweden. Then he took care that the English rebels and traitors might have favour in his country; but Whitelocke, knowing that he was neither employed nor versed in the business of his treaty, spent the fewer words in answer to his immaterial objections.

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