A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654 Part 12

The master of the ceremonies came to Whitelocke from the Queen, to desire his company this evening at a masque; and they had this discourse:--

_Whitelocke._ Present my thanks to her Majesty, and tell her I will wait upon her.

[SN: Precedence claimed by Denmark.]

_Mast. Cer._ What would your Excellence expect in matter of precedence, as in case you should meet with any other amba.s.sador at the masque?

_Wh._ I shall expect that which belongs to me as Amba.s.sador from the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and I know no other amba.s.sador now in this Court besides myself, except the Amba.s.sador of the King of Denmark, who, I suppose, hath no thoughts of precedence before the English Amba.s.sador, who is resolved not to give it him if he should expect it.

_Mast. Cer._ Perhaps it may be insisted on, that he of Denmark is an amba.s.sador of an anointed king, and you are only amba.s.sador to the Protector--a new name, and not _sacre_.

_Wh._ Whosoever shall insist on that distinction will be mistaken, and I understand no difference of power between king and protector, or anointed or not anointed; and amba.s.sadors are the same public ministers to a protector or commonwealth as to a prince or sultan.

_Mast. Cer._ There hath always been a difference observed between the public ministers of kings and of commonwealths, or princes of inferior t.i.tles.

_Wh._ The t.i.tle of Protector, as to a sovereign t.i.tle, hath not yet been determined in the world as to superiority or inferiority to other t.i.tles; but I am sure that the nation of England hath ever been determined superior to that of Denmark. I represent the nations of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Protector, who is chief of them; and the honour of these nations ought to be in the same consideration now as it hath been formerly, and I must not suffer any diminution of that honour by my person to please any whatsoever.

_Mast. Cer._ I shall propose an expedient to you, that you may take your places as you come: he who comes first, the first place, and he who comes last, the lower place.

_Wh._ I shall hardly take a place below the Danish Amba.s.sador, though I come into the room after him.

_Mast. Cer._ But when you come into the room and find the Danish Amba.s.sador set, you cannot help it, though he have the upper place.

_Wh._ I shall endeavour to help it, rather than sit below the Danish Amba.s.sador.

_Mast. Cer._ I presume you will not use force in the Queen's presence.

_Wh._ Master, it is impossible for me, if it were in the presence of all the queens and kings in Christendom, to forbear to use any means to hinder the dishonour of my nation in my person.

_Mast. Cer._ I believe the Danish Amba.s.sador would not be so high as you are.

_Wh._ There is no reason why he should: he knows his nation never pretended to have the precedence of England, and you, being master of the ceremonies, cannot be ignorant of it.

_Mast. Cer._ I confess that your nation always had the precedence of Denmark when you were under a king.

_Wh._ I should never give it from them though they were under a constable.

_Mast. Cer._ If you insist upon it, the Danish Amba.s.sador must be uninvited again, for I perceive that you two must not meet.

_Wh._ I suppose the gentleman would not expect precedence of me.

_Mast. Cer._ I can a.s.sure you he doth.

_Wh._ I can a.s.sure you he shall never have it, if I can help it. But I pray, Master, tell me whether her Majesty takes notice of this question of precedence, or did she wish to confer with me about it?

_Mast. Cer._ The Queen commanded me to speak with you about it, hoping that the question might be so composed that she might have the company of you both at her entertainment.

_Wh._ I shall stay at home rather than interrupt her Majesty's pleasures, which I should do by meeting the Danish Amba.s.sador, to whom I shall not give precedence, unless he be stronger than I.

_Mast. Cer._ The Queen makes this masque chiefly for your Excellence's entertainment, therefore you must not be absent, but rather the Danish Amba.s.sador must be uninvited; and I shall presently go about it.

[SN: Order on the Swedish s.h.i.+ps.]

Whitelocke returned a visit to Grave Eric, and showed him the Order of the Council touching the Swedish s.h.i.+ps, much in favour of them, and which seemed very pleasing to the Grave; but he also showed to Whitelocke several letters which he had received from masters of Swedish s.h.i.+ps, of new complaints of taking of their s.h.i.+ps; and he desired that the Order showed him by Whitelocke might be extended to those whose s.h.i.+ps had been since taken; which Whitelocke promised to endeavour, and said that he should be in a better capacity to serve him, and to procure discharges for their s.h.i.+ps and goods, when he should be himself in England; and therefore desired that, by his despatch, they would hasten him thither, which the Grave promised to do. At his going away, Grave Eric invited Whitelocke to dine with him on Monday next, and to come as a particular friend and brother, and not by a formal invitation as an amba.s.sador.

Whitelocke liked the freedom, and promised to wait on him; and was the more willing to come, that he might see the fas.h.i.+on of their entertainments, this being the first invitation that was made to him by any person in this country.

General Grave Wirtenberg visited Whitelocke. He is a Finlander by birth, of an ancient family, who had applied himself wholly to the military profession, wherein he became so eminent, and had done so great service for this Crown, that he was had in great esteem, especially with the soldiery. He was a Ricks-Senator, and one of the College of War, and at present had the charge of General of the Ordnance, which is of higher account here than in England, being next in command to the Generalissimo, and over the soldiery which belong not to the train, and is often employed as a general. This gentleman seemed worthy of his honour; he was of a low stature, somewhat corpulent, of a good mien, and plain behaviour, more in the military than courtly way. His discourse declared his reason and judgement to be very good, and his mention of anything relating to himself was full of modesty. He took great notice of the English navy and soldiery, and of the people's inclinations and violent desires of liberty. He spake only Swedish and High Dutch, which caused Whitelocke to make use of an interpreter, his kinsman Andrew Potley.

[SN: The masque.]

In the evening, according to the invitation from the Queen, Whitelocke went to Court to the masque, where he did not find the Danish Amba.s.sador. But some of the Court took notice of the discourse which had been between the master of the ceremonies and Whitelocke touching precedence, and they all approved Whitelocke's resolution, and told him that the Queen highly commended him for it, and said that he was a stout and faithful servant to the Protector and to his nation, and that she should love him the better for it; nor was the contest the less pleasing because with the Dane in Sweden.

From eight o'clock at night till two the next morning they were at the masque, which was in the usual room fitted for the solemnity, in which the Queen herself was an actor. The floor where they danced was covered with tapestry and hung about with red velvet, but most adorned by the presence of a great number of ladies richly dressed and beautified both by nature and habit, attending on their mistress; and there were also many senators, officers, courtiers, and n.o.bility,--a very great presence of spectators. The music was excellent, especially the violins, which were many, and rare musicians and fittest for that purpose. The Queen herself danced very well at two entries: in the first she represented a Moorish lady, in the second a citizen's wife; in both the properties were exactly fitted, and in all the rest of the actors and dancers.

There were no speeches nor songs; men acting men's parts, and women the women's, with variety of representations and dances. The whole design was to show the vanity and folly of all professions and worldly things, lively represented by the exact properties and mute actions, genteelly, without the least offence or scandal.

It held two hours; and after the dances the Queen caused her chair to be brought near to Whitelocke, where she sat down and discoursed with him of the masque. He (according to his judgement) commended it and the inoffensiveness of it, and rare properties fitted to every representation, with the excellent performance of their parts by all, especially by the Moorish lady and citizen's wife; at which the Queen smiled, and said she was glad he liked it. He replied, that any of his countrymen might have been present at it without any offence, and he thanked her Majesty for the honour she gave him to be present at it. The Queen said she perceived that Whitelocke understood what belonged to masques and the most curious part of them, the properties,--with much like discourse; after which she retired to her chamber, and Whitelocke to his lodging.

_April 9, 1654._

Monsieur Bloome came to dine with Whitelocke, and to put him in mind of Grave Eric's request{5} to him to dine with him the next day. He also sent to invite Whitelocke's two sons and Colonel Potley.

[SN: The Spanish Envoy departs with rich presents.]

In the afternoon Piementelle came to take his leave of Whitelocke, and said he intended to begin his journey the next morning. Whitelocke offered himself or his coaches and servants, to attend him out of town; but he said it was not the custom when a public minister departed from a place to use any ceremony, but to leave him to the liberty of ordering and taking his journey, but thanked Whitelocke for his favour.

Though it were the Lord's Day, yet Piementelle fell into discourse of the last night's masque, which he could not be present at publicly as formerly, because he had taken his leave of the Queen and Senators, yet, being desirous to see it, was admitted into the tiring-room; and he told Whitelocke that after the Queen had acted the Moorish lady and retired into that room to put off her disguise, Piementelle being there, she gave him her visor; in the mouth whereof was a diamond ring of great price, which s.h.i.+ned and glistered gloriously by the torch and candle light as the Queen danced; this she bade Piementelle to keep till she called for it. Piementelle told her he wondered she would trust a jewel of that value in the hands of a soldier; she said she would bear the adventure of it. And when the masque was ended, Piementelle offered the ring again to the Queen, who told him that he had not kept it according to her commands, which were till she called for it, which she had not yet done, nor intended as long as she lived, but that he should keep it as a memorial of her favour. The Spaniard had cause to rest satisfied with the Queen's answer and her real and bountiful compliment, the ring being worth ten thousand crowns, which he brought away with him, besides many other jewels and presents from the Queen of great value, not publicly known. He took leave of Whitelocke and of his sons, Colonel Potley, and the gentlemen, with great civility.

_April 10, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke dines with Grave Eric Oxenstiern.]

Between eleven and twelve o'clock, the usual dining-time here, Whitelocke, with his sons and Potley, attended only by two gentlemen, one page, and two lacqueys, went to Grave Eric's lodging to dinner. His rooms were not stately nor richly furnished, but such as could be had in that place. The outer room for servants was like a little hall; within that was a larger room, narrow and long, where they dined; within that was a smaller room hung with tapestry, used for a withdrawing-room: all below stairs, which is not usual in these parts.

Grave Eric met Whitelocke at the door of the lodging; in the dining-room was his father the Chancellor, and divers friends with him. The father and son went in with Whitelocke to the withdrawing-room, where, after a quarter of an hour's discourse, they were called to dinner, the meat being on the table; then a huge ma.s.sy basin and ewer of silver gilt was brought for them to wash--some of the good booties met with in Germany.

After was.h.i.+ng, one of the pages (after their manner) said grace in Swedish.

The table was long and narrow; in the middle of it, on the further side, under a canopy of velvet, were set two great chairs: Whitelocke sat in the right-hand chair, and Woolfeldt in the other, on his left-hand. On the other side of the table, over against these, were set two other like great chairs; in the right-hand chair sat the Ricks-Droitset, and in the left-hand chair the Chancellor. By Whitelocke sat Grave Gabriel Oxenstiern and Senator Vanderlin in lesser chairs, and by Woolfeldt sat Whitelocke's sons and Potley. On the other side, in lesser chairs, by the Droitset, sat the Senators Beilke and Bundt the younger; by the Chancellor sat Senator Bundt the elder and Baron Douglas; at the upper end of the table sat Grave Eric, and at the lower end stood the carver.

The dishes were all silver, not great, but many, set one upon another, and filled with the best meat and most variety that the country did afford; and indeed the entertainment was very n.o.ble--they had four several courses of their best meat, and fish and fowl, dressed after the French mode.

They had excellent Rhenish wine, and indifferent good sack and claret; their beer very thick and strong, after the manner of the country. When the four courses were done, they took off the meat and tablecloth, and under it was another clean cloth; then they brought clean napkins and plates to every one, and set a full banquet on the table, and, as part thereof, tobacco and pipes, which they set before Whitelocke as a special respect to him, and he and two or three more of the company took of it as they sat at table; and they so civilly complied with Whitelocke as not to observe their own customs, but abstaining from healths or any excess.

They all sat bare at the table, according to their usage, chiefly (though no occasion were for it at this time) to avoid the trouble of often putting off and on their hats and caps in healths. They were full of good discourse, more cheerful than serious. Most at the table spake or understood somewhat of English, for which reason they were chosen to accompany Whitelocke here, as a compliment to his nation; they discoursed also in several other languages, as Swedish, High Dutch, French, and Latin.

After dinner, which was very long, they sat yet longer at the table, Whitelocke expecting when they would rise; till Douglas informed him, that he being the guest, and an amba.s.sador, they used it as a respect to him, that none of the company would offer to rise till he first arose from the table. As soon as this was known to Whitelocke, he presently rose and the rest with him, and the Chancellor and he retired into the withdrawing-room; where, after compliments and thanks for his n.o.ble treatment (which it was said the father made, though put out in the son's name, and was full of respect and magnificence), Whitelocke thought fit to show to the Chancellor his powers to treat, and they had conference to this effect.

[SN: Whitelocke exchanges his full powers.]