A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654 Part 14

_Wh._ Your reasons were the true ones: was her Majesty convinced by them?

_Woolf._ She seemed to make more doubt of it than at first, but told me that you were not much against it, and desired to confer with me about it while she was out of town, and she wished me to prepare something against her return.

_Wh._ As I told her Majesty, I can consent to nothing in this point, having no instructions in any matter of this nature, as you will easily believe; but if her Majesty shall think fit to have anything drawn up by way of a secret article, all that I can do will be to present it to the Protector at my return home, and I know he will be as ready as any person to show respect to the Queen; but what he will do as to a consent in this particular I cannot tell, but am doubtful lest it may be apprehended as a weakening of the treaty and alliance.

_Woolf._ That is a great and true objection against it; and, in my opinion, it would be better for the Queen to write a letter to the Protector in general compliment, and in it to desire him to be a friend to her, and to give her his a.s.sistance upon any occasion that may fall out concerning her; and this letter may be sent by you, and delivered by your hand to the Protector, when you may acquaint him with anything further or more particularly relating to her Majesty.

_Wh._ I think this will be much the better way; and if such a letter be sent by me, I hope I shall be able to procure such an answer, or, upon any occasion, such a return as will be to the contentment of her Majesty.

But in case the Queen should sign such an article, and then the Protector should not approve it, it would distaste the Queen and her friends, and she would be censured to have done too low an act in it.

_Woolf._ I had yesterday a long discourse with the Chancellor about your affairs of England, and particularly of your fleet now at sea--what should be the design of having so strong a fleet at sea, the sea-war between you and your enemies being reported at an end, and peace concluded; and whether your design might be for France or Spain or Portugal.

_Wh._ Or for the defence of England.

_Woolf._ He was much amused about it.

_Wh._ I hope that was not lessened by you.

_Woolf._ No indeed; I endeavoured to amuse him more, and told him, that for France, England did not care to have it; it would be but a charge and no benefit to them, and embroil them in a long chargeable war.

_Wh._ England hath had experience thereof formerly when they were masters of France, and many of us think our own country as good as France.

_Woolf._ I am of that opinion; and I told him there was as little probability for any design against Spain because of its distance, and little advantage to England by a war with them.

_Wh._ I hope you commended a kingdom called Denmark?

_Woolf._ I first told him that for Portugal or the Indies the like objections were against any design for them; but as for Denmark, I told him that England had just cause to make war upon that king, and that it would be no hard business to gain upon him; and the advantage of traffic made me think that to be the most probable design of any other to be intended by this great fleet of England, wherein it is most likely for you to gain advantage to your Commonwealth and to give offence to none, having a just cause of quarrel against him.

_Wh._ Your brother the King of Denmark hath given cause indeed to be visited.

_Woolf._ I shall inform you of one thing, of which you may now make advantage. Your King James made a treaty with the last King of Denmark concerning the Isles of the Orcades, which were claimed by the Dane as part of their territories; and after the death of King James and our last King, that then, upon payment of 13,000 by the Dane, he should have the Orcades again. Now both these kings being dead, according to that treaty it is in the liberty of the King of Denmark to redeem those islands; and it would be good for you, in the treaty with that Crown, who would be included in your treaty with the Hollanders, to have a clause for the present King of Denmark to quit his pretences to the Orcades upon the treaty with King James.

_Wh._ This is a very material thing, and I shall not fail to do somewhat in it, if I can return to England time enough; and I thank you for putting me in mind of it.

[SN: Discussion on the Guinea settlements.]

Grave Eric came to Whitelocke, who had much discourse with him touching Guinea, and the injuries done by the Swedes to the English there.

_Grave Eric._ One of the princ.i.p.al persons of the Swedish plantation there is now in this country, and complains of injuries done by the English to the Swedes there. I think it may be fit to hear both the complaints of the one and of the other part, and thereupon to come to some agreement upon the whole matter.

_Whitelocke._ I have here many examinations taken upon oath concerning this matter.

_Gr. Eric._ Those complaints ought to be determined by the King of that country, who sold the lands to the planters, and can resolve all differences about that matter.

_Wh._ I believe that the complaints of this nature are properly to be made to the Queen, whose subjects are concerned in them, and they are always under her rule.

_Gr. Eric._ The Queen will make no difficulty to do justice in this case, and I hope that the Protector will do the like.

_Wh._ You need not at all to doubt it.

_Gr. Eric._ This messenger, now come to me, hath brought me letters from the Queen, in which there is mention of this business.

_Wh._ Why may not an article touching Guinea be inserted with the rest?

_Gr. Eric._ That will not be convenient, because the articles are entirely concluded and engrossed on our part; and this of Guinea is but a particular business, which till now came not under consideration, nor hath been examined, and it will be better to have an article by itself upon this subject.

_Wh._ I am satisfied with your reason, and think this way will be no disadvantage to the merchants of either nation. I desire an addition to the article touching pa.s.sports, that none shall do anything contrary to the letters of pa.s.sport.

_Gr. Eric._ I cannot consent to that, for it will render the whole article fruitless in both parts; and there is another article, that in case any shall act anything in prejudice of the treaty, he shall be punished.

In consideration of this article, and in regard that the agreement touching the form of pa.s.sports was remitted to something to be done therein afterwards, and he found Eric stiff against any alteration, Whitelocke did not think it material to insist further upon it. As to that which Whitelocke desired to the last article of ratification, that the words "vel successoribus suis" might be omitted, Eric said he would consent thereunto if he found it material, and desired the business might be finished; and he desired Whitelocke to excuse a little small delay at present by his absence for a few days, he being necessitated to go out of town tomorrow, but at his return all should be concluded; and as soon as the Queen came back, the whole business should be finished, which had been done before, but by reason of the Queen's unexpected journey.

_April 13, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke confers with the Chancellor, and invites him to dinner.]

In the morning the Chancellor came to Whitelocke and staid with him near three hours. They had much debate touching Guinea, to the like effect as before with his son; they had also debate about the amendments which Whitelocke had desired might be inserted in the articles, chiefly that touching pa.s.sports, to which the Chancellor would by no means agree. He likewise said to Whitelocke:--

_Chancellor._ The Queen caused the articles to be copied out, to the end (as I believe) to communicate them to the Prince, which will be for the greater validity of the treaty and alliance.

_Whitelocke._ I am glad her Majesty is pleased to take the advice of the Prince in this business, and am willing to promise myself that nothing is contained in the articles which he will not approve.

_Chan._ I believe the same.

_Wh._ This might be the occasion that my business was not finished before her Majesty's going out of town.

_Chan._ I myself am also going into the country, and come now to take my leave of you.

_Wh._ I hope you will return before her Majesty.

_Chan._ I purpose to stay abroad but four or five days; and I find that frequent exercise and change of air tendeth very much to the improving of my health.

_Wh._ I do heartily wish your health, and hope that the Queen and you will shortly be in town again, and that then my business will be finished.

_Chan._ There is no doubt but that your business will be despatched within a very few days after the Queen's return.

They had much other discourse touching the affairs of England, in which the Chancellor testified much respect to England and to the Protector.

Whitelocke invited the Chancellor to dinner to his house, but he excused himself, alleging that his age and infirmities would not permit him to take a meal out of his own house, or at the houses of some of his children, where he might enjoy the same liberty as at his own house.

Whitelocke told him that he should have the same liberty at his house, who was one of his sons, as he could take at the houses of any other of his children; but the Chancellor earnestly desired to be excused, and Whitelocke thought not fit further to importune him, but desired him to hasten his return hither, which he promised to do.

Whitelocke received his letters from England, and in that from Thurloe he writes:--

[SN: Letters from Thurloe.]

"There hath been consideration taken of your return home, but the issue of the treaty with the Dutch not being yet known, his Highness's resolutions as to your return are deferred until the next; the difficulty of that business lies in the article relating to the Danes, etc. All things else remain as they did by my last, so that your Excellence will be saved this week the labour of reading my long letter. This day we have a fast for the great drought.