Chapter 16

_Mast. Cer._ The Prince received Chanut at the door of the chamber where he had his audience; and when the Ambassador went away, the Prince brought him to the same place and no further; and I believe he will give the same respect to your Excellence, and as much to you as to any public minister.

_Wh._ I can desire no more.

_May 10, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke attends a wedding at Court.]

Lagerfeldt came to Whitelocke and acquainted him that there was a special article to be agreed upon touching the business of Guinea, which the Queen and the Chancellor were willing might proceed for the despatch of Whitelocke, and that Grave Eric would have come to him about it, but that he was ill and had taken physic. He told Whitelocke that the Queen said he might have his last audience that day if he pleased; but if he would be present at the solemnity of the nuptials which were this evening to be celebrated at Court between the Baron Horne and the Lady Sparre, and if he desired to see the assembling of the Ricksdag tomorrow, then it would be requisite to defer his audience till Friday, because when he had taken his leave of the Queen it would not be proper for him afterwards to appear in public. Whitelocke said he had rather be dismissed than to be present at any solemnities; that her Majesty had taken him captive by her noble presents, so that it was not fit for him to come abroad in public. He asked Lagerfeldt if the Prince would be here on Friday next; if so, then it would not be convenient to have his audience put off to that day. Lagerfeldt said he doubted that the Prince would not be here so soon.

An officer on horseback, accompanied with several other horsemen, with four kettle-drums and eight or ten trumpets beating and sounding before them, made proclamation in several parts of the town that all persons who were summoned to appear at the Ricksdag should give their attendance at the place appointed in the Queen's castle of Upsal tomorrow by eight o'clock in the morning, upon pain of half-a-dollar mulcted for every default.

The master of the ceremonies came to Whitelocke from the Queen, and acquainted him to the same effect as Lagerfeldt had done, touching his last audience. The master also, by the Queen's command, invited Whitelocke to the wedding at Court this night; and if he pleased to see the manner of the assembling of the Ricksdag, that he had order to take the care of it, and that it would be no hindrance to his going away, because the Prince did not come hither till Tuesday next. Whitelocke said he was sorry that the Prince would come no sooner to this place, but since it was the pleasure of the Queen that he should wait upon her this evening, he would obey her commands; and as to the time of his audience, he submitted to her pleasure.

The Ricks-Admiral sent again to Whitelocke, to know if he would have any more ships provided for his transportation. Whitelocke returned his thanks, and that he intended not to take any of his horses with him, and therefore should not need any more ships than were already ordered.

Studely, one of Whitelocke's servants, returned to him from Stockholm with an account that the ship appointed for his transportation was not yet ready, which retarded his voyage to his trouble.

Between ten and eleven o'clock at night the master of the ceremonies came to Whitelocke's house, with one of the Queen's coaches, to bring him to the wedding at Court. He desired Whitelocke's two sons to go into that coach, who excused themselves that they had not been in that coach formerly. The master said that when one went to an audience there were certain formalities to be observed, but going to a wedding was another thing; that now the Queen had sent her coach for Whitelocke as her guest, and it was proper for his sons to go with him. Whitelocke wished them to observe the direction of the master, who governed in these things.

They went to the bridegroom's house, where were many of his friends; his uncle the Ricks-Admiral, Marshal Wrangel, and other senators and noblemen. As soon as Whitelocke alighted out of the coach, the bridegroom's brother was there to receive him and bid him welcome; near the door the bridegroom met him, and gave him thanks for the favour in honouring his wedding with his presence. Whitelocke said he was very ready to testify his respects to the nobility of this country, and particularly to himself, and took it for an honour to be invited into such company.

Whitelocke was instructed by the master of the ceremonies, that by the custom of this country the bridegroom takes place of the King, and the bride of the Queen, during the solemnities of the wedding; accordingly Whitelocke gave the right hand to the bridegroom.

After a little discourse they took their coaches;--first the gentlemen, then the Lords, then the Senators, then the Ricks-Admiral and Senator Bundt, who, being next of kin, was to give the bride in marriage; after Bundt went Whitelocke, and after him the bridegroom, who had precedence in the Queen's coach, which went last, and Whitelocke next before it, and the other coaches in their order; the bridegroom's coach last of all, as the best place. The like order they observed in their going in the castle. At the head of the stairs the master of the ceremonies met them, and brought them to the presence-chamber, where the Queen was with the bride and a great company of gallant ladies. The bridegroom kissed her Majesty's hand, and then the bride's hand; the rest of the company did the like. Between the Queen and Whitelocke passed a little discourse.

_Whitelocke._ Madam, I give you humble thanks for your invitation of me to these solemnities.

_Queen._ It is an honour to us that such an Ambassador will be present at our ceremonies.

_Wh._ I likewise return my most humble thanks to your Majesty for your many favours, and the noble presents you have been pleased to bestow on me and on my company.

_Qu._ Sir, you mock me; I am troubled I could not do according to that respect which I bear you. This is only a custom of our country to persons of your condition, and I hope you will take it in good part.

_Wh._ It is more suitable to your Majesty's bounty than to anything I can call desert in me, who have a most grateful sense and acceptance of your Majesty's favours.

[SN: Ceremony of the marriage.]

The bride and bridegroom were both clothed in white tabby, his suit laced with a very broad gold and silver lace. The bride had on her head a coronet set full of diamonds, with a diamond collar about her neck and shoulders, a diamond girdle of the same fashion, and a rich diamond jewel at her breast, which were all of them of great value, and by some reported to be the Queen's jewels, lent by her to the bride for that time.

They went all to the great hall; first the noblemen, then the senators, then the bridegroom between Bundt and Whitelocke, then the bride between two Graves, then the Queen and her Guards. Then the Queen presently took her chair of state; at her right-hand at a little distance sat the bride against her; at the Queen's left-hand sat the bridegroom, next to him Whitelocke, and then Bundt. After they were all sat, Bundt rose up and went towards the Queen, and spake in Swedish with a loud voice to this effect, as it was interpreted to Whitelocke:--That Baron Horne, a gentleman there present, of an ancient and noble family, desired to have in marriage a lady who was servant to her Majesty, of the ancient and noble family of the Sparres; then he spake much of the pedigrees and in the praise of both the families; after that he addressed himself to the bride and bridegroom, giving them good counsel as to the condition which they were entering into, and their demeanour to one another. Then some friends led the bridegroom to a place in the midst of the hall purposely railed in, and then they fetched the bride thither also and placed her by the bridegroom; then a grave churchman, one of the Queen's chaplains, turning himself to the Queen, pronounced the words of marriage after a form in a book which he read, and being interpreted to Whitelocke, he found it the same in effect with the words of marriage in the English Liturgy. The ceremony of joining them in marriage being ended, two Graves with torches came to the bridegroom and bride and led them around; two other Lords with torches followed after them, many ladies two by two. The bride being brought to her seat by the bridegroom, he then took the Queen by the hand and they walked between the torches; then the bride came and took Whitelocke by the hand and they walked after the Queen. Whitelocke brought the bride again to her place, and being instructed that he was to take the Queen and march the round with her also, Whitelocke did it, and all this was a solemn walking to the sound of drums and trumpets. After which, every one returned to their places, and then they set to dancing of the brawls; and the Queen came to Whitelocke to take him out to dance with her, who excused himself.

[SN: Whitelocke dances with the Queen.]

_Whitelocke._ Madam, I am fearful that I shall dishonour your Majesty, as well as shame myself, by dancing with you.

_Queen._ I will try whether you can dance.

_Wh._ I assure your Majesty I cannot in any measure be worthy to have you by the hand.

_Qu._ I esteem you worthy, and therefore make choice of you to dance with me.

_Wh._ I shall not so much undervalue your Majesty's judgement as not to obey you herein, and I wish I could remember as much of this as when I was a young man.

After they had done dancing, and Whitelocke had waited upon the Queen to her chair of state, she said to him--

_Qu._ _Par Dieu!_ these Hollanders are lying fellows.

_Wh._ I wonder how the Hollanders should come into your mind upon such an occasion as this is, who are not usually thought upon in such solemnities, nor much acquainted with them.

_Qu._ I will tell you all. The Hollanders reported to me a great while since that all the _noblesse_ of England were of the King's party, and none but mechanics of the Parliament party, and not a gentleman among them; now I thought to try you, and to shame you if you could not dance; but I see that you are a gentleman and have been bred a gentleman, and that makes me say the Hollanders are lying fellows, to report that there was not a gentleman of the Parliament's party, when I see by you chiefly, and by many of your company, that you are gentlemen.

_Wh._ Truly, Madam, in this they told a great untruth to your Majesty, as I believe they have done in several other particulars. I do confess that the greatest part of our nobility and gentry were of the King's party, but many of them likewise were of the Parliament's party; and I, who am sent to wait upon your Majesty, can, without vanity, derive to myself an ancient pedigree of a gentleman. They would not have given the honour to any but a gentleman to kiss your Majesty's hand, and you are pleased to do your servant right, and his company, by acknowledging that our superiors have commanded gentlemen to wait on you.

_Qu._ I assure you that I esteem it the greater honour done to me, and you are the more welcome to me because you are a gentleman; and had I not known and found you to be so, your business would not have been so well despatched as it is. I see you have all the qualities of a gentleman, and I believe that you were excellent in your music and dancing in your younger days.

_Wh._ I was bred up in the qualities of a gentleman, and in my youth was accounted not inferior to others in the practice of them; but it is so long since I used this of dancing, especially after we learned to march, that had it not been to obey your Majesty, I should hardly have been drawn to discover my deficiencies.

_Qu._ You have discovered nothing but what tends to your honour and to my contentment; and I take it as a favour that you were willing to lay aside your gravity and play the courtier upon my request, which I see you can do so well when you please.

After the dancing ended, there was brought into the hall a sumptuous banquet, the Hof-Marshal with his silver staff ushering it, and after that distributed. The Queen and all the company went back in the same order to the presence-chamber, and there the Queen bid the bride and bridegroom good-night, and so all went to their lodgings, divers of the nobles waiting on the bride to her chamber.

The Queen told Whitelocke that she believed the Prince would be here on Tuesday next, and that Whitelocke should have his audience on Friday next. Whitelocke took his coach, after it had waited nine hours at the castle.

_May 11, 1654._

[SN: The abdication of Queen Christina.]

Early in the morning the master of the ceremonies came to accompany Whitelocke to the castle, to see the manner of the assembly of the Ricksdag, and brought him and his company to the castle to an upper room or gallery, where he sat privately, not taken notice of by any, yet had the full view of the great hall where the Ricksdag met, and heard what was said. The Danish Ambassador did forbear to come thither, as was supposed, because of Whitelocke being there. The French Resident sat by Whitelocke, and conversed with him.

The great hall, two stories high, was prepared for the Assembly. An outer chamber was hung with cloth of Arras; in the antechamber to that were guards of the Queen's partisans; in the court was a company of musketeers. The great hall was hung with those hangings which were before in Whitelocke's lodgings, with some others added, and was very handsome. On each side of the hall, from the walls towards the middle of the room, forms were placed, covered with red cloth, for seats for the Members, and were all alike without distinction, and reached upwards. Three parts of the length of the hall, in the midst between the seats, was a space or lane broad enough for three to walk abreast together. At the upper end of the hall, on a foot-pace three steps high, covered with foot-carpets, stood the chair of state, all of massy silver, a rich cushion in it, and a canopy of crimson velvet richly embroidered over it. On the left side of the chair of state were placed five ordinary chairs of crimson velvet, without arms, for the five Ricks-officers; and on the same side below them, and on the other side from the foot-pace down to the forms, in a semicircular form, were stools of crimson velvet for the Ricks-Senators.

About nine o'clock there entered at the lower end of the great hall a plain, lusty man in his boor's habit, with a staff in his hand, followed by about eighty boors, Members of this Council, who had chosen the first man for their Marshal, or Speaker. These marched up in the open place between the forms to the midst of them, and then the Marshal and his company sat down on the forms on the right of the State, from the midst downwards to the lower end of the hall, and put on their hats. A little while after them entered at the same door a man in a civil habit of a citizen, with a staff in his hand, followed by about a hundred and twenty citizens, deputies of the cities and boroughs, who had chosen him to be their Marshal. They all took their places upon the forms over-against the boors in the lower end of the hall, and were covered. Not long after, at the same door, entered a proper gentleman richly habited, a staff in his hand, who was Marshal of the Nobility, followed by near two hundred lords and gentlemen, Members of the Ricksdag, chief of their respective families, many of them rich in clothes, of civil deportment. They took their seats uppermost on the right of the State, and whilst they walked up to their forms the citizens and boors stood up uncovered; and when the nobility sat and put on their hats, the citizens and boors did so likewise. A little after, at the same door, entered the Archbishop of Upsal with a staff in his hand, who by his place is Marshal of the Clergy. He was followed by five or six other bishops and all the superintendents, and about sixty Ministers, Deputies, or Proctors of the Clergy. While they walked up to their places all the rest of the Members stood up uncovered; and when they sat down on the uppermost forms on the left side of the State, and put on their hats and caps, the rest of the Members did the like; these were grave men, in their long cassocks and canonical habit, and most with long beards.

All the Members being thus sat, about a quarter of an hour after entered the Captain, followed by divers of the Queen's Guard, with partisans. After them came many gentlemen of the Queen's servants, uncovered, with swords by their sides and well clad, two and two together. After them came the Ricks-Senators in their order, the puisne first. After them the Ricks-officers, all bare. After them came the Queen, and kept off her hat in the hall, some of the officers of the Court and pages after her. In this order they went up in the open place in the midst of the forms, all the Members standing up uncovered. The Queen's company made a lane for her to pass through, and she went up to her chair and sat down in it; and all the company, except the members of the Council, went out of the hall, and all the doors were shut; the Members sat in their places uncovered.

After the Queen had sat a little, she rose, and beckoned to the Chancellor to come to her, who came with great ceremony and respect; and after a little speaking together he returned to his place, and the Queen sat down again a little time; then rising up with mettle, she came forward to the utmost part of the foot-pace, and with a good grace and confidence spake to the Assembly, as it was interpreted to Whitelocke, to this effect:--

[SN: The Queen's speech.]

"The occasion, my friends, wherefore you are called together to this Diet will in some sort appear strange to you; for being so unusual, and as it were unheard of, it cannot be understood without great astonishment. But, Gentlemen, when you shall a little reflect upon what hath passed some years since, you will then perceive that it is no new thing, but long since premeditated, and by me wished and intended.

"It is sufficiently known to you what hath formerly passed as to the succession of my most dear cousin to this kingdom; and I esteem myself very happy that all things at present are in such a posture that thereupon I may bring my purpose to effect, which is, to offer and to give into the hands of my most dear cousin our most dear country and the royal seat, with the crown, the sceptre, and the government. I need not repeat this subject to you; it sufficeth that all may be done for the good of the country and the prosperity and security of my most dear cousin, to whom you have formerly given this right, and have found him capable to govern you and this kingdom, which he deserves by his great spirits and rare qualities, joined with his heroic actions, witnessed by divers encounters.

"And since there is nothing wanting but time to put in execution the succession of my most dear cousin to the government of this kingdom, which depends only upon myself,--and of my purpose nothing remains but to make you parties, which is the only occasion of my calling you together, and which I shall more at large declare unto you by my proposal,--I doubt not but you will consent thereunto, whereby you will testify at this time, as you have done at all times before, your faithfulness and obedience to me.

"Also I give you thanks that, with so much duty, you are come to this Diet, and that with so much affection and loyalty you have demeaned yourselves towards me and our most dear country during my government, so that I have received much content by your deportment; and if in these ten years of my administration I have merited anything from you, it shall be this only which I desire of you, that you will consent to my resolution, since you may assure yourselves that none can dissuade me from my purpose.

"You may be pleased also to take in good part what hath passed during the time of my government, and to be assured that herein also, as well as in all other things, my intention hath been always to serve our most dear country. There remains nothing but my wishes that all may work to the glory of God, to the advancement of the Christian Church, and to the good and prosperity of our most dear country and of all her inhabitants."

[SN: The Archbishop's speech.]

After the Queen had spoken she sat down again, and after a little pause the Archbishop of Upsal went out of his place into the open passage, and making his obeisance to the Queen, he, as Marshal of the Clergy and in their name, made an oration to her Majesty, which was somewhat long; but the effect thereof was interpreted to Whitelocke to be an acknowledgment of the happy reign of her Majesty, whereby her subjects had enjoyed all good, peace, and justice and liberty, and whatsoever were the products of a blessed government. He then recited the great affections of this people to the King her father, and to her Majesty his only child; their duty and obedience to her in all her commands; that no prince could be more happy than her Majesty was in the affections and duty of her subjects, nor could any people be more contented in the rule of their sovereign than her people were; he therefore used all arguments and humble entreaties to her Majesty to desist from her intention of resigning the government, and to continue to sway the sceptre of this kingdom, wherein he did not doubt but that the blessing of God would be with her as it had been, and that it would be to His honour and to the good of this kingdom if her Majesty would hearken to the humble desires of the clergy in this particular. Then he acknowledged the virtues and admirable abilities of the Prince, whose succession would come in due time; that, her Majesty reigning at present with so much satisfaction both to this Church and State, he humbly desired, in the name of the clergy, that she would be pleased, though to her own trouble, yet for her subjects' good, to continue still to be Queen over them. After he had ended his speech, making three congees, he went up to the Queen and kissed her hand, and with three more congees returned to his place.

Then the Marshal of the Nobility, going forth into the open place between the forms, made his oration in the name of the nobility, much to the same purpose as the Archbishop had done, and, after his oration ended, with the like ceremony kissed her Majesty's hand, and returned to his place. Then the like was done by the Marshal of the Burgesses, and all to the same effect.

[SN: The Boor's speech.]

In the last place stepped forth the Marshal of the Boors, a plain country fellow, in his clouted shoon, and all other habits answerable, as all the rest of his company were accoutred. This boor, without any congees or ceremony at all, spake to her Majesty, and was interpreted to Whitelocke to be after this phrase:--

"O Lord God, Madam, what do you mean to do? It troubles us to hear you speak of forsaking those that love you so well as we do. Can you be better than you are? You are Queen of all these countries, and if you leave this large kingdom, where will you get such another? If you should do it (as I hope you won't for all this), both you and we shall have cause, when it is too late, to be sorry for it. Therefore my fellows and I pray you to think better on't, and to keep your crown on your head, then you will keep your own honour and our peace; but if you lay it down, in my conscience you will endanger all. Continue in your gears, good Madam, and be the fore-horse as long as you live, and we will help you the best we can to bear your burden.