Chapter 11

He was also willing to persuade himself that the new instructions would extend only to the order of his return, and was so to be taken by Thurloe's letter, and to the close of his whole negotiation; wherein he had done nothing, and resolved not to do anything, but what he believed to be just and honest. He was also troubled lest the Queen should put off the treaty upon some distaste about the secret article, and yet pretend only the absence of her Chancellor; but Whitelocke left all to the providence of God, and His blessing upon honest and diligent means, wherein he resolved not willingly to be wanting. And whether to put it off or to proceed to the despatch of it seemed the more difficult, because of a letter from his wife, wherein she wrote that Thurloe said to her, that it was fit her husband should receive certain instructions what to do before his coming away, because, if he should do anything too suddenly, without good warrant, it might cost him his life. This indeed were a worthy and meet recompense for all the hardships, perils, and faithful services undergone and performed for those who were then in power; but his hope and expectation of reward was from above the highest of them.

_April 21, 1654._

[SN: Despatches to Thurloe.]

Whitelocke made his despatches for England, and part of his letters to Thurloe was this:--

"The Queen and Court being out of town, this is a solitary place. The Danish Ambassador and the Dutch Resident are still here. The Spanish, German, and Muscovite Envoys are gone away. My business remains in a readiness to be signed, which is appointed upon the Queen's return; and she is looked for every day. If they be not signed within these few days, it cannot be done by her at all, because she intends to resign the Government the beginning of May, and perhaps the Prince may be crowned in June; and two or three months after that will pass before new credentials can be sent from his Highness, and it may be two or three months in ceremony and despatch of the business, by which time another winter will be here.

"Upon which considerations I humbly conceive it much more for the service of my Lord to despatch my business here out of hand, and the rather because of the conclusion of the Dutch treaty, which I hope will prove very prosperous to our nation.

"My articles had been signed before the Queen's going away but that she was willing to communicate them to the Prince before her Commissioners signed them, which I likewise thought very fit to be done, in regard he is so near the succession; and I likewise intend to salute him from my Lord Protector before my going out of this country.

"I am now only in expectation of his Highness's further commands and instructions concerning my return, which I hope for by the next post.

"I give you most hearty thanks for the papers, which are not only a comfort but very useful to me here. I received formerly from you a copy of the Dutch articles, and if I did not return you thanks for them, I confess I forgot myself, and likewise if in one of my letters I did not acquaint you that the Queen had an intention (as she told me) of sending a congratulatory letter to my Lord the Protector; but how the direction of it was I know not, because I never saw it; but I take it as a particular favour to me, that his Highness was pleased to receive it, though it were not as it ought to have been, wherein he hath answered the respect of the Queen, who excepted against my credentials, but yet received them.

"I am exceeding glad of your good conclusion of the Dutch business, which, I am persuaded, will be of great advantage to our nation; and I look upon the issue of my business here being agreed before the issue of our treaty with the Dutch was known, to be both a particular respect to the Protector and Government, and less difficult than it would have been if transacted after our agreement with the Dutch.

"They are much amused in these parts at our gallant fleet, and so early at sea; and I permit them all their conjectures, neither have they gained much allay of them from me by their inquisitiveness.

"I had a compliment sent me the last night from the Dutch Resident, that he hoped ere long to have an opportunity to come and visit me; I answered, that I should not be wanting in that civility which became me.

"I was entreated by the citizens of Stockholm to receive this suit of theirs in the enclosed paper.

"B. W. "_April 21, 1654. Upsal._"

_April 22, 1654._

[SN: University Library at Upsal.]

The French Resident visited Whitelocke, and, seeing him ready to go take the air, offered him his company, which Whitelocke could not refuse. They went together to the Library of this University, where there are many good books, for the most part brought out of Germany; but it is not extraordinary, nor exceeding the public libraries in England and elsewhere. One of Whitelocke's gentlemen held it not exceeding his lord's private library at his own house in England, as he affirmed to some of the scholars here, who were not pleased therewith, nor would easily believe that the English Ambassador's library in his private house was to be compared to that of their University.

The keeper of this library is one Doctor Lovenius, there present, a learned and civil person, who hath published several books in print, touching the laws and government and antiquities of his country, in good Latin; and both himself and his works are worthy of esteem. He was attending upon Whitelocke all the time of his being in the library and in the public places of the University, and informed him of such things as he inquired touching the same; and, to gratify their civility, Whitelocke sent them twenty of his own books which he had in his house, all of them English authors, as the Primate of Armagh's works, Sir Henry Spelman, Selden, and others; which was a present very acceptable, and kindly received by the University from him.

[SN: University of Upsal.]

They affirm this University to be very ancient; but there are no colleges or public houses for the maintenance of the scholars, or public revenue belonging to them; so that they do not live together in bodies or companies by themselves, but every one severally as he can agree or find for his convenience. But here are divers public rooms or schools where the professors and scholars use to meet and perform their exercises openly; and the rooms of their library are three, about twenty foot square apiece.

There are all sorts of professors for the arts and sciences, who are promised good salaries, but they complain that they are not well paid; and though some of them be very learned, yet they take not much pains; it may be according to the proverb, "mal payé mal servi"--he that is ill paid doth but ill service. Some counted the number of scholars to be about three hundred, which is not more than may be found in one college in England. They make great preparation by printing their theses and publishing them, and inviting the grandees to their disputations, where the Queen in person is sometimes present, though the exercise is only the art of well disputing, except in some of their professors and eminent persons.

Their University is a kind of corporation, like others, their want of supplies not affording them so much perfection, and their defect of government giving them liberty and temptation to disorder, to which they are much addicted; but in their sermons, whilst the English were among them, they would propose them as a pattern of civility and pious conversation. Their government is by a Chancellor, who at present is the Ricks-Chancellor; and it hath constantly been in the hands of some eminent and great person.

[SN: Cathedral of Upsal.]

Whitelocke and the Resident visited the Cathedral Church, which is fair and large, built with brick, and covered with copper. They affirm it to be one of the most ancient churches of Europe, and that the Gospel was here early planted, but earlier in the church of old Upsal, which is of a quadrangular form, and formerly dedicated to their heathen gods. Their cathedral, they say, was the seat of an arch-flamen; and in the places of arch-flamens and flamens, upon their conversion to Christianity (as in England, so here), bishops and archbishops were instituted; and now their cathedral, as other churches, is full of images, crucifixes, and such other furniture as the Lutheran churches tolerate, and is little different therein from the Popish churches.

The Resident and Whitelocke took also a view of the castle and city of Upsal. The castle is near the town, seated upon the point of a hill; it is built of brick, plastered over, strong and beautiful. If it had been finished, the design was to have had it four-square; but two sides of it only are built. It had been very large and noble if it had been perfected. As it is, it contains many rooms, and sufficient for the Court; some of them are great and stately, but up two stories, after the fashion of that country. If it had been finished, it would have equalled any other, if not the castle of Stockholm itself.

[SN: Environs of Upsal.]

The prospect from the castle is very beautiful; the country round about it pleasant and fruitful, and distinguished into meadows, pastures, and arable fields, and the river Sale passing through them, which loseth itself about half a league from thence into a great lake. The river is navigable with boats of about twenty or thirty tons, many leagues together, going through the lake also; it is not muddy, nor unfurnished with the fish of those parts, and is about half as broad as the Thames at Henley. It runs at the foot of the hill on which the castle stands, and the town is built upon it; and it waters most part of the streets, to their great commodity. It is for this reason called Upsal, because Ubbo--who, they say, was the son of Gomer, the son of Japhet, the son of Noah--this Ubbo built this town upon the river Sale, and therefore called it, after his own name, Ubbo Sale, by contraction of speech now called Upsal. All agree it to be one of the most ancient of their cities, the metropolitan see of their archbishop, and in old time the residence of their kings, and where they were invested with the regal dignity. The country about it seemed one of the most pleasant and fruitful of these parts. The town itself is not much beautified with stately buildings, not above nine or ten houses being built with brick; the rest of them, after the fashion of their country, built with great bodies of fir-trees, and covered with turf; the fairest of their brick houses was that where the English Ambassador lodged.

This city hath not much trade, and therefore not much wealth. The government of it is according to the municipal law of the country, and as other cities are; their head officer is a Burgomaster, who hath for his assistants a council, in the nature of the common councils in our corporations in England, consisting of the principal burgesses and inhabitants of the city, who have power, with the Burgomaster, as to making of ordinances, and in the government.

In their journey to take the air the Resident and Whitelocke had much discourse touching the images in their church, and about the observation of their Sabbath; wherein the Resident was furnished with the usual arguments of the Papists, and was answered by Whitelocke, and was not so positive as most of his persuasion use to be. He discoursed also about the Dutch treaty in England, to get from Whitelocke what he could to report to the Danish Ambassador and Dutch Resident; for which he was fitted by Whitelocke's answers to him.

_April 23, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke punishes two of his retinue for neglect of the Lord's Day.]

This being the Lord's Day, many gentlemen of the English and Scots nation then in town came to Whitelocke's house to the morning sermon, and most of them staid the afternoon sermon also. And so many strangers being there attentive in the holy duties, it gave the greater cause of scandal and offence to Whitelocke that divers of his own family were absent, whereas, by his orders, they were all enjoined to a constant attendance, especially at those religious exercises; nevertheless some of them (particularly Mr. Castle and Andrew Potley) were therein more in fault than others, and, after many admonitions, would not reform, but made it their common practice almost every Lord's Day in the afternoon to be absent, and to go abroad and take the air. Whitelocke considering the reproach and scandal, and the ill example hereby to his family, and the doing of that by some of them against which he had spoken so much here to the people of this place, upon which it would be collected that either he had not the power over his own people to order them as he judged fit, or else that he and the rest of his company were dissemblers, and found fault with that in others which they either acted or tolerated in themselves;--Whitelocke finding two absent on this day, he gave order to his steward to see their trunks and goods carried out of his house, and themselves dismissed of further attendance on him, and removed from his family. Yet afterwards, upon the interceding of others for them, and their own submission, the punishment was suspended; and when they perceived that Whitelocke was in earnest, it caused a reformation, both in those two and in others, as to this duty and in other particulars.

[SN: The Queen returns to Upsal.]

About nine o'clock this evening the Queen came to town. She had in her train but one coach with six horses, and three horsemen; so little ceremony did she observe as to her own port, but would rather make this sudden and private return than break her word with Whitelocke, whom in a compliment she had promised to be here again within a few days; and she kept her word honourably and constantly. But Whitelocke was sorry that she continued her old custom, too frequent here, of travelling upon the Lord's Day.

_April 24, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke pays his court to the Queen.]

Whitelocke waited on the Queen to give her the welcome home, and found her lodgings changed, leaving the better rooms for the Prince. She excused her long stay out of town, and said she would now have no more delay in his business, but it should be forthwith despatched. Whitelocke told her that the Chancellor and his son were not yet come to town, but he humbly thanked her Majesty for the speed of her return. She assured him that her Chancellor and his son would be in town the next day, and that she should not have come to town so soon but for his business; that the day after her Chancellor's coming the articles might be signed. She likewise discoursed with him about the secret article, that in case those here should not perform justly with her, that then the Protector should not be bound by this treaty. Whitelocke told her that Woolfeldt and he had conference about it, and had fully considered it, and were both of opinion that it would be unfit for her Majesty to make such an article, and it might turn to her prejudice; but Whitelocke said, that if she pleased to write to the Protector, and to leave her letters with Whitelocke to procure an answer from his Highness to her Majesty, whereby his care for her good and assistance to her might appear, and the letter to be fit to be shown, it might be of more advantage to her than such a secret article, to which he was not empowered to assent, but it must be remitted to the Protector; and whether he would consent to it in that way or not, was doubtful; and when it should be known to those here, it would be distasteful. Upon this the Queen seemed fully satisfied as to the secret article to be laid aside and not more thought on.

Whitelocke advised her as formerly touching her liberty, and not long continuing here after her resignation; and she thanked him for his advice, and said, that in case those here should not deal justly with her, she hoped she should find the Protector a friend to her, and that she did put herself upon his nobleness and friendship. Whitelocke told her, that the Protector was a great lover and maintainer of justice and honour, and had a particular affection to her Majesty, which he believed she would find him ready to manifest upon this or any other occasion, and find him a true friend to her; wherewith (poor lady!) she seemed much comforted, having brought her affairs to so low an ebb as this was, and thus high was the Protector's reputation here. As to the general business of the treaty with Whitelocke, she said it would be fit to have the articles signed tomorrow, and that Whitelocke soon after should have his audience, and she would give order to have it done accordingly.

She asked Whitelocke if he would bear her company to take the air, which he did; and she riding a horse managed to the great saddle, who was troublesome, she came into her coach, and caused Whitelocke to sit in the same boot with her, that they might discourse the more privately. There were also in her coach the Senator Rosenhau, Grave Tott, and Steinberg.

[SN: Whitelocke presents his black horses to the Queen,]

The Queen freely told Whitelocke that if he would not sell his horses, as she understood he would not, that yet she should take it for a favour if he would let her have one of his sets of coach-horses, which would do her great service in her intended journey, they being fitter for travel than any she had. Whitelocke told her they were all at her Majesty's service; that he thought it not becoming him to sell them, but if she pleased to accept them, she should freely have them; that he thought his black horses fittest for her and best, and there were eight of them, and the other set he intended to present unto the Prince{6}; that, she said, would be very well, and she kindly thanked him and accepted of his compliment.

[SN: some distilled waters,]

Whitelocke also told the Queen that he had a small cabinet of glasses of spirits of waters, essences of excellent kinds, extracted; but he believed that her Majesty did not much esteem such things, and they were too inconsiderable to make a present of them to the Queen-mother, if she had any liking of them. The Queen said her mother was much pleased with such essences, and that she would send them to her from Whitelocke. He asked when he should bring them, and an English Bible which he promised to the Queen. She said, tomorrow if he pleased, and that at all times he should be welcome to her.

_April 25, 1654._

Grave Eric sent his secretary to Whitelocke to inform him of his being come to town purposely for the despatch of his business, and for the signing of the articles; and he desired to know what time this afternoon he might have the liberty to come and visit Whitelocke, after he had been with the Queen. Whitelocke told the secretary that he should be glad to see his lord after Whitelocke had likewise been at the Court; and there they met.

Whitelocke went in to the Queen and presented her with the cabinet of essences, which was of green velvet, lined with silver lace very richly; within it were about twenty glasses of spirits of the rarest kinds, each glass stopped with a silver head of English silver, to screw off and on, and a lock and key of the same; and opening the cabinet the Queen smelt of most of the glasses, but tasted none of them; she highly commended them and the cabinet, especially the English silver, whereof she had some discourse, and said she would send them to her mother, who would be very glad of them.

[SN: and an English Bible;]

Then according to his promise he presented her Majesty with an English Bible, of a very fair print and richly bound; and upon that they had this discourse:--

_Whitelocke._ If your Majesty would be pleased to spend some time in reading this Bible, and comparing it with those in other languages, it would be a great help to your understanding of the English, if your Majesty have any further thoughts thereof.

_Queen._ My desire still is to gain the English tongue, and I think this which you mention will be a good way to learn it. I ask your pardon that you staid so long before you came in to me; nobody told me of your being without, and I am ashamed of this incivility.

_Wh._ The incivility, Madam, is on my side, by interrupting your greater affairs; but I come not now as an ambassador, but as a particular servant to bring this Bible to your Majesty.

_Qu._ It is a noble present, and there was the less reason to make you stay for admittance with it.

[SN: and exhorts her Majesty to read it.]

_Wh._ This book was presented to me by an English doctor, with a letter mentioning the text that the Beræans were accounted the more noble because they received the word with gladness, as I hope your Majesty will.

_Qu._ I receive it from you with much thankfulness, and shall gladly make use of it as the best of books.

_Wh._ Your Majesty, by often reading it, and comparing it with other Bibles, will not only thereby gain advantage as to the language, but the highest comfort to your soul.

_Qu._ I have used to read much in the Bible, and take great contentment in it.

_Wh._ Your Majesty will find more contentment and comfort in the study of this book than of all other books whatsoever, and therefore I do humbly recommend the often reading of it to your Majesty.

_Qu._ I doubt you have an ill opinion of me that you so earnestly persuade me to this, as if you thought me too backward in it.

_Wh._ I only give my humble advice to your Majesty, out of my own experience, of the great comfort, wisdom, and true pleasure which is to be met with in this book, and nowhere else, and that all things out of it are of no value.

_Qu._ I am full of the same opinion; but there are too many who have not so venerable an opinion of it as they ought to have.

_Wh._ There are indeed, Madam, too many who mock at this book, and at God himself, whose book it is; but these poor worms will one day know that God will not be mocked, and that they and their reproaches will sadly perish together; and I am glad to hear your Majesty's distaste of such wicked ones.

_Qu._ Surely every good Christian ought to distaste such men and such opinions.

They had much more discourse upon the same subject, wherein Whitelocke spake the more, because he found the Queen more inclined to it now than he had perceived her to be at other times.

Being come from the Queen, he spake with Grave Eric in another room, whose opinion was that it would be fit to sign the articles on the morrow, and said that his father would be returned time enough to do it. Whitelocke doubted that, by reason of his weariness after his journey, it might not be then convenient. Eric replied, that there would be nothing to be done that would occasion trouble, the signing and putting the seals to the articles already prepared and agreed on was all that was to be done. Whitelocke demanded if the power given by the Queen to her Commissioners were sealed. Eric said it was not, but that Canterstein would be in town this evening, and would see all done.

_April 26, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke complains of further delays.]

Grave Eric came to Whitelocke's house, and this discourse passed between them:--

_Whitelocke._ It seems to me somewhat strange that after all things agreed between her Majesty's Commissioners and me, I should yet attend three weeks to obtain one half-hour for the signing of the articles.