A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654 Part 30

_Wh._ This may be a good way to preserve your quiet; but may it not be ill for the rights and liberty of the people? As to instance in particular, if it be requisite that a new law be made relating to the people's liberty, wherein the former laws may be defective, by this course it rests only in the power of the King and Senate whether this matter shall ever come to consideration or not; for, unless they will propound it, no consideration can be had of it; and though it may be necessary as to the people's rights, yet then probably it may be against the King's power, and in that case the King will never propose it to the Ricksdag, because it makes against his power and prerogative; and so the people are by this course debarred of the means of supplying any defect as to their rights and liberties, unless the King, to lessen his own power, will first propose it to them.

_Chan._ This were an inconvenience if the people's rights and liberties were not already settled; but, by our laws, the boundaries of the King's power and of the people's rights are sufficiently known and established, as the King can make no law nor alter or repeal any, nor impose any tax, nor compel men to go out of the kingdom without the a.s.sent of the Ricksdag; and in that Council, which is supreme in this kingdom, every man's vote and a.s.sent is included by the deputies of the Clergy, Boroughs, and Boors, which are respectively elected, and by the chiefs of the n.o.bility; so that all sorts of people have their share, either in person or by their deputies, in the Supreme Council of the kingdom, by whom only those great matters can be done; and this being certain and settled, any alteration in those points tends but to further uncertainty and mischief. And if debates might be had of additions to the King's power, or to the people's liberty, it would but occasion attempts of encroaching of one upon the other, and bring trouble and uncertainty to both; whereas they being already clearly defined and known, and that there is no means of altering either of them, both the King and people are content with what they have, and endeavour nothing of disquiet unto either.

_Wh._ But this further debars the people from having any new law at all made, except such only as the King shall think fit, for he only can propose them; and it is a necessary thing to supply defects in laws and to make new ones, according as times and circ.u.mstances varying shall minister occasion.

_Chan._ There is nothing more prejudicial to any government than mult.i.tude of laws, which is prevented by this course of ours; nor is there any necessity of new laws where both the public rights and private men's property are provided for by the laws in being, which in all nations is from the original of their civil settlement taken care of. And though time and variety of accidents may occasion some defects in old laws, yet it is better they should be borne with than an inundation of new laws to be let in, which causeth uncertainty, ignorance, different expositions, and repugnances in the laws, and are the parents of contention.

_Wh._ But I suppose your Ricksdag hath liberty to complain of maladministration and corruption in officers and judges, and to punish them and cause redress of grievances; else the people are remediless against those public crimes, without the grace and favour of the Prince to do it of himself, which every Prince in all times will not do.

_Chan._ The Ricksdag may complain to the King of any offence or misdemeanour committed by any great officer, and of any public grievance to the people; whereupon the King and Senate are very ready (as it behoves them in justice and prudence) to give a remedy, which they are the more induced to do, because otherwise the people's Deputies, who have the power of the purse, may be the more backward to supply the King's occasions with money or men; and this is a good tie upon the Court, to procure justice and redress of grievances.

_Wh._ Your laws are founded upon great reason and prudence, and in these and most other main parts and particulars of them, ours are the same in England; but a liberty of proposing anything in our Parliament belongs to every member of it.

_Chan._ That hath been a great occasion of all your troubles.

_Wh._ I expected to have heard my father, the Ricks-Chancellor, to have made an harangue in the Ricksdag, to have acquainted them, as it is with us, with the causes of their meeting.

_Chan._ I confess it belongs to my place to have done it; but, by reason of an oath I had taken to my king, to endeavour to keep the crown on his daughter's head, and this a.s.sembly was called that she might resign it; therefore I desired to be excused from making that proposal.

_Wh._ Indeed her Majesty spake herself with an excellent grace and spirit, which was a wonder to see it done by a young lady to so great and grave an a.s.sembly; and the matter of her speech, as it was interpreted to me, was pertinent and full of weight.

_Chan._ Indeed she spake very well and materially, and like a prince.

_Wh._ I am sorry my time calls me away from further enjoyment of my father's excellent conversation.

_Chan._ I shall be glad if my n.o.ble son would afford me more of his company, in which I take so much contentment.

_Wh._ My journey tomorrow hastens me away, and occasions your less trouble.

_Chan._ I pray a.s.sure the Protector of the respect and high value I have for him, and of my devoted mind to serve him in anything within my power in this kingdom.

_Wh._ You have been pleased largely to testify this in my transactions, and your n.o.ble favours and respects to your son.

_Chan._ You may be confident of my affection and love to you; and I desire you to be a friend to my countrymen in England, and to take upon you their patronage in all just causes.

_Wh._ I shall be ready upon all occasions to perform all good offices to your Excellence and to your family, and to all of this nation; and shall satisfy the Protector of your affections for him, and of your kindness to his servant.

_Chan._ I am now an old man, and whilst I continue alive I shall do all that lies in my power to serve the Protector and the Commonwealth of England, and shall embrace your Excellence with a special bond of friends.h.i.+p, and will leave it in charge to my sons, when I am dead, to do the same.

_Wh._ I shall also enjoin my children to continue that obligation of friends.h.i.+p which I have contracted with your Excellence and your family.

_Chan._ I shall but add this further, to pray to G.o.d that of His mercy He would vouchsafe to you a prosperous return to your own country, and that you may find there all your family and friends in a comfortable and happy condition.

[SN: Takes leave of Oxenstiern.]

Thus the Chancellor and Whitelocke took leave of one another with as much kindness and respect as could be expressed.[283]

Whitelocke being returned to his house, Grave John Oxenstiern came to visit him; and having heard that Whitelocke took it ill that he had put off a visit desired by Whitelocke to this high Grave, yet now he was pleased to descend to excuse it to Whitelocke, because his lodging was strait and inconvenient, not fit to receive a person of Whitelocke's quality, and his lady was at that time very much indisposed in health.

The Senator Benk Schutt came in the evening to visit Whitelocke, and discoursed freely with him touching the Queen's resignation and their new King, and did not testify much of respect to the Chancellor by informing Whitelocke that yesterday, at the castle, there was a great rub, as he called it, given by the Queen to the Chancellor before the Prince and the rest of the Senators; the occasion whereof was about the island of Elsey, which the Queen desired as part of her provision, to which the Chancellor said, that it was worthy the consideration; the Queen replied, "What! is my integrity then questioned?" The Chancellor answered, that he did not question her Majesty's integrity, but spake only for her security and better satisfaction in what she desired. The Queen said, "I understand Swedish well enough, and it was not becoming you to question my integrity at all." Schutt said, that at this pa.s.sage the rest of the senators were pleased, and that the Prince seemed in this, and all other occasions, to be of the Queen's mind, and to grant her more rather than less of what she desired, which was wisdom in him.

Senator Vanderlin visited Whitelocke, and, among other discourses, acquainted him the pa.s.sages of the proposal for the Queen to have married the Prince; that for this purpose the Prince was sent for out of Germany, and the Queen seemed inclinable to the match; yet, after the Prince was come, she used him with a strangeness which was occasioned by the whisperings of Grave Magnus de la Gardie to the Queen, that when the Prince was in Germany he was too familiar with some ladies; at which information, he said, the Queen was so enraged that the Prince should go to other women, that she thereupon resolved not to marry him, but was otherwise very courteous and full of respect to him. Whitelocke did not dispute the authenticness of this relation, but wondered at it from a senator, touching him who was to be a king, and to use so much freedom on such a subject to a stranger.

General Douglas, the Ricks-Admiral, and Senator Bielke, also visited Whitelocke this evening while Vanderlin was with him; they discoursed of the discontent which the Dutch Resident expressed before his going away, because more respect was shown to Whitelocke by the Queen and Prince, and by the Senators and great men here, than they had shown to the Dutch Resident, who said he was a public minister as well as the English Amba.s.sador. Whitelocke said it was true, as the Dutch Resident had remembered, that he was a public minister; and it might be supposed, that being so, he should understand the difference between a Resident and an Amba.s.sador Extraordinary; and also between the Commonwealth of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and that of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

The Swedish Lords replied, that if the Dutch Resident did not understand it, nor himself, that yet it was sufficiently known in this place, and that the Resident was but laughed at for his exceptions, as being without cause, and showing his want of experience in matters of this nature.

After the Ricks-Admiral and Bielke were gone, Vanderlin and Douglas staid with Whitelocke and used great freedom of discourse with him, expressing extraordinary respect to the Protector and Commonwealth of England, and very much affection and kindness to Whitelocke, in whom they expressed great confidence. They staid with him till past twelve o'clock at night, inconvenient in respect of his intended journey the next day; but their company was very pleasing, and they took leave with great civility and kindness from each to other of them.

_May 20, 1654._

[SN: Whitelocke commences his journey back to England.]

Whitelocke began his longed-for journey of return to England. He had taken his leave of the Queen, Prince, Senators, and all his friends in Upsal. His business, through the goodness of G.o.d, was successfully despatched; himself and all his people in good health, and exceeding joyful to be on their journey homewards. He left not a penny of debt to any in this country, nor any unrewarded who had done him service; for his hospitality, wherein no amba.s.sador in this Court ever exceeded him, for his conversation and dealing with all sorts of people, he had gained their love, and left no ill name behind him. The greatest part of his baggage, and most of his inferior servants, were on board a great hoy of the Queen's, to go by water to Stockholm; he and the rest of his people went by land, in order to which, upon his desire, the Hof-Stallmaster, by the Queen's command, had sent yesterday six coach-horses to be ready in the midway from Upsal to Stockholm, and this morning he sent six other horses with Whitelocke's blue coach to his lodging, to carry him the first half way of this day's journey, driven by the Queen's coachman.

Berkman had provided a sufficient number of saddle-horses, if they might be so called, he having forgot to cause saddles to be brought with them for Whitelocke's people, so that most of them were forced to make s.h.i.+ft with straw and cus.h.i.+ons instead of saddles; and many of the bits and stirrups were such as they had been acquainted with in their journey from Gothenburg hither; and thus they rode the two first stages.

Whitelocke took coach between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, Sir George Fleetwood, Potley, Ingelo, and Andrews, in his coach with him; the rest on horseback; they came about noon to the place where fresh horses staid for them, and did not tarry long there, wanting good entertainment, but, taking fresh horses both for coach and saddle, they proceeded in their journey. The country through which they pa.s.sed was better than that near the sea, less rocky and more fruitful, not so replenished with seats of the n.o.bility further off, as nearer to Stockholm. By the way they met General Axy Lyllye, a Senator of Sweden, newly returned out of Germany, and another Senator with him; they alighted out of their coach when Whitelocke came near them, who, seeing that, did alight also. The General had lost one of his legs in the German wars, and now carried one of wood; he and his companion were very civil in their salutation and discourse with Whitelocke, and after compliments, and inquiry by Whitelocke of the German news, they took leave and parted.

Whitelocke and his company arrived between five and six o'clock in the evening at Stockholm, the journey being seven Swedish leagues, about forty English miles. As he came in the suburbs, he saw a sad sight of many houses lately burnt down, and some pulled down to prevent the further raging of the fire, which had consumed many scores of houses in that place; and it brought to Whitelocke's remembrance, that one evening at Upsal, in his chamber window, he saw a great fire in a dorf about half a league from the town, which he observed, almost in a moment, to flash from one end of the dorf to the other, consuming all in its way,--and thus it was said to have been in these suburbs. The reason thereof is the combustible matter whereof their houses are built, being of fir timber and boards, which, especially being old, do suddenly take fire, and violently burn, hard to be quenched, few houses escaping, especially in the dorfs, where one is on fire; which causeth more than ordinary care in the inhabitants of all places to prevent that fearful danger.

Berkman conducted Whitelocke to a lodging in the suburbs, over-against the castle, which was used for an inn. This being post-night, Whitelocke made up his despatches for England, which he had prepared at Upsal, where he wrote his letters, but dated them from Stockholm, that his friends in England might thereby perceive that he was in his journey homewards, which he knew would be no small contentment to them.

_May 21, 1654._

[SN: Stockholm.]

Being the Lord's Day, divers Scotch merchants, inhabitants of this city, and some English, came to Whitelocke's lodging to hear the sermon in the morning, and many of them did him the honour to dine with him; he had conference with them, and good advice from them, about his voyage to England and other matters. Lagerfeldt came also to salute Whitelocke, and to know what service he had for him, before his going from hence this evening. Whitelocke desired him to speak to the master of the customs, touching the s.h.i.+pping of his copper and other goods, custom free; and Whitelocke prayed Lagerfeldt also to speak to Vice-Admiral Wrangel, that the s.h.i.+p appointed for his transportation (which was now in the road in view of Whitelocke's lodging) might, with as much speed as could be, fall down to the Dollars; which he promised to do.

Wrangel sent to invite Whitelocke to go this afternoon to see the s.h.i.+ps, but Whitelocke excused it by reason of the day, and sent word that tomorrow, if he pleased, he would wait upon him; and desired his advice touching his voyage. In the evening Lagerfeldt came again to Whitelocke, to give him an account what he had done by his appointment, and told Whitelocke that he should have all contentment. With Lagerfeldt came Monsieur de Geeres to visit Whitelocke, who gave him thanks for a vessel of claret wine which De Geeres had sent to Whitelocke, who said he hoped he should not stay long enough to drink it out in this place.

[SN: The Queen's garden at Stockholm.]

At Upsal Whitelocke was carried to see the Queen's garden, which scarce deserved that name, being only a piece of ground of about four or five acres, paled in according to the manner of their paling, and had in it a few hedges which, in the latter end of May, upon the thaw, began to appear a little green; but for flowers or fruit-trees there were none, except a few ordinary tulips. This put Whitelocke in mind to inquire if the Queen had a better garden here at Stockholm, where her residence usually was. The Swedes excused the meanness of the garden at Upsal because the Court was seldom there, but here they commended the garden, and offered Whitelocke the favour to see it. He went about seven o'clock this evening to view it, and to walk in the Queen's garden here. It was near unto his lodging, but at a distance from the castle; it is about six or seven acres of ground, encompa.s.sed with a pale, on which they bestow timber enough in the posts and rails, and the pales are not set upright one by another, but crosswise one upon another, between two great posts, with rivets for the pales to be put into, and so to fall down one upon the other; and the pales are two inches thick or more, made of fir timber, and the posts and rails of oak.

This garden was distinguished into walks not well kept nor gravelled, but most of them green; few flowers were to be seen there, though more than at Upsal, and most of these were tulips not extraordinary. The sides of the walks were set with elm-trees and the like, but no fruit-trees were there, nor are they common in this cold country, only, as they informed Whitelocke, in some places they have a few trees of plums, and small cherries, and of apples; but he saw none in regard of the season, nor do many persons in these parts delight in gardens or in planting fruits or flowers, this climate not encouraging thereunto; yet here were great boxes of wood with orange-trees, citron-trees, and myrtle-trees, very young, planted in them; how they thrived was not much visible.

At Whitelocke's lodging some of his people made the greater fires to air the rooms, because the plague had been lately in this city, and in that house the chimneys, it seems, being foul, and full of soot, were the sooner set on fire; and when Whitelocke came from walking in the garden he found his lodging on fire. It was a stack of chimneys which took fire; a mult.i.tude of people were ready about the house to help to quench the fire, and the officers of the city were there to order the people.

Whitelocke was surprised with this unexpected accident and danger, amongst such houses; but after an hour's flame, the soot being spent and burnt, the fire went out of itself; and it was a mercy that the wind set to carry the flame towards a house which was tiled, whereas, if it had set the other way, it had carried the flame upon houses all built and covered with wood, to the extreme danger of Whitelocke's lodging and the whole city.

_May 22, 1654._

[SN: The harbour of Stockholm and Swedish fleet.]

In the morning Berkman conducted Whitelocke to the haven, where lay many boats and vessels great and small, and much iron upon the quay, which is convenient, but not much stored. They pa.s.sed by many fair houses belonging to the great Lords.