A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654 Part 39

Whitelocke answered in French to the gentleman, who spake Dutch, and was interpreted in French, that he was glad his Excellence was not in danger of the violent storms in coming on board to him this morning, but he should esteem it great honour to see the Governor in his s.h.i.+p, and that not only the boats and mariners, but all in the s.h.i.+p was at the service of his Excellence. The gentleman desired that one of the s.h.i.+p-boats and the s.h.i.+p-mariners might carry him back to land, and so bring the Governor from thence to Whitelocke, who commanded the same to be done. And about an hour after came the Grave Ranzau, a proper, comely person, habited as a soldier, about forty years of age; with him was another lord, governor of another province, and three or four gentlemen, and other followers.

Whitelocke received them at the s.h.i.+p's side, and at his entry gave him nine guns. The Grave seemed doubtful to whom to make his application, Whitelocke being in a plain sea-gown of English grey baize; but (as the Governor said afterwards) he knew him to be the Amba.s.sador by seeing him with his hat on, and so many brave fellows about him bareheaded. After salutations, the Governor spake to Whitelocke to this effect:--

"Monseigneur,

"Le Roi de Danemarck, mon maitre, m'a commande de venir trouver votre Excellence, et de la saluer de sa part, et la faire la bienvenue en ses havres, et lui faire savoir que s'il y a quelque chose dans ce pays-la dont le gouvernement m'est confie par sa Majeste, qu'il est a son commandement. Sa Majeste aussi a un extreme desir de voir votre Excellence, et de vous entretenir en sa cour, desirant d'embra.s.ser toutes les occasions par lesquelles il pourrait temoigner le respect qu'il porte a son Altesse Monseigneur le Protecteur."

Whitelocke answered in French to this purpose:--

"Monseigneur,

"Je rends graces a sa Majeste le Roi de Danemarck, du respect qu'il lui a plu temoigner a sa Serenissime Altesse mon maitre, et de l'honneur qu'il lui a plu faire a moi son serviteur, de quoi je ne manquerai pas d'informer son Altesse. Je suis aussi beaucoup oblige a votre Excellence pour l'honneur de votre visite, qu'il vous plait me donner en ce lieu, et princ.i.p.alement en un temps si facheux.

J'eusse aussi grande envie de baiser les mains de sa Majeste et de voir sa cour, n'eut ete que son Altesse a envoye des navires expres pour m'emporter d'ici en Angleterre, et que j'ai ou dire que le Roi a remue sa cour de Copenhague ailleurs, a cause de la peste. Je suis tres-joyeux d'entendre de la sante de sa Majeste, auquel je souhaite toute sorte de bonheur."

[SN: Visit from the Dutch Agent.]

After many compliments, Whitelocke gave, him precedence into his cabin; and after some discourse there, a servant of the Agent of Holland was brought in to Whitelocke, who said his master desired Whitelocke to appoint a time when the Agent might come on board him to salute Whitelocke and to kiss his hand. He answered that, at any hour when his master pleased to do Whitelocke that honour, he should be welcome, and that some n.o.ble persons being now with him, who, he hoped, would do him the favour to take part of a sea-dinner with him, that if it would please the Agent to do him the same favour, and to keep these honourable persons company, it would be the greater obligation unto Whitelocke. The Grave, hearing this, began to excuse himself, that he could not stay dinner with Whitelocke, but, upon entreaty, he was prevailed with to stay.

About noon the Dutch Agent came in one of Whitelocke's boats on board his s.h.i.+p, whom he received at the s.h.i.+p's side, and saluted with seven guns at his entry. The Agent spake to Whitelocke to this purpose:--"That, pa.s.sing by Gluckstadt towards Hamburg, he was informed of Whitelocke's being in this place, and thereupon held it his duty, and agreeable to the will of his Lords, not to proceed in his journey without first giving a visit to Whitelocke to testify the respect of his superiors to the Protector and Commonwealth of England, as also to Whitelocke in particular." Whitelocke returned thanks to the Agent for the respect which he testified to the Protector, and for the honour done to Whitelocke, and that it would be acceptable so the Protector to hear of this respect from my Lords the States to him, whereof he should not fail to inform his Highness when he should have the opportunity to be near him.

[SN: Entertainment of Count Ranzau.]

The Grave went first into Whitelocke's cabin, after him the Agent, and then Whitelocke, who gave these guests a plentiful dinner on s.h.i.+p-board.

The Grave desired that Whitelocke's sons might be called in to dine with them, which was done, and Whitelocke asked the Grave if he would have any of his company to dine with him. He desired one of the gentlemen, who was admitted accordingly.

They were served with the States' plate, which Whitelocke had caused to be taken forth on this occasion; and the strangers would often take up the plates and dishes to look on them, wondering to see so many great and ma.s.sy pieces of silver plate as there were. They drank no healths, the Grave telling Whitelocke he had heard it was against his judgement, and therefore he did forbear to begin any healths, for which civility Whitelocke thanked him; and they had no want of good wine and meat, and such as scarce had been seen before on s.h.i.+p-board. They discoursed of the affairs in Sweden, and of the happy peace between England and Denmark, and the like. Monsieur De la Marche gave thanks in French, because they all understood it.

After dinner Whitelocke took out his tobacco-box, which the Grave looked upon, being gold, and his arms, the three falcons, engraven on it; whereupon he asked Whitelocke if he loved hawks, who said he was a falconer by inheritance, as his coat of arms testified. The Grave said that he would send him some hawks the next winter out of his master's dominions of Iceland, where the best in the world were bred, which he n.o.bly performed afterwards.

The Grave earnestly invited Whitelocke to go on sh.o.r.e with him to his house, which was within two leagues of Gluckstadt, where he should meet Monsieur Schestedt and his lady, and the next day he would bring Whitelocke to the King, who much desired to see him; and the Grave offered to bring Whitelocke back again in his coach to Gluckstadt.

Whitelocke desired to be excused by reason of his voyage, and an order of his country that those who had the command of any of the State's s.h.i.+ps were not to lie out of them until they brought them home again; otherwise Whitelocke said he had a great desire to kiss his Majesty's hand and to wait upon his Excellence and the n.o.ble company at his house; and he desired that his humble thanks and excuse might be made to the King. The Grave replied that Whitelocke, being an Extraordinary Amba.s.sador, was not within the order concerning commanders of the State's s.h.i.+ps, but he might be absent and leave the charge of the s.h.i.+ps to the inferior officers.

Whitelocke said that as Amba.s.sador he had the honour to command those s.h.i.+ps, and so was within the order, and was commanded by his Highness to return forthwith to England; that if, in his absence, the wind and weather should come fair, or any harm should come to any of the s.h.i.+ps, he should be answerable for neglecting of his trust. Whitelocke also was unwilling, though he must not express the same, to put himself under the trouble and temptations which he might meet with in such a journey, and to neglect the least opportunity of proceeding in his voyage homewards.

The Grave, seeing Whitelocke not to be persuaded, hasted away; and after compliments and ceremonies pa.s.sed with great civility, he and the Agent and their company went into one of Whitelocke's s.h.i.+p-boats, with a crew of his men and his Lieutenant to attend them. At their going off, by Whitelocke's order only one gun was fired, and a good while after the 'President' fired all her guns round, the 'Elizabeth,' according to custom, did the like; so that there was a continual firing of great guns during the whole time of their pa.s.sage from the s.h.i.+p unto the sh.o.r.e--almost a hundred guns, and the fort answered them with all the guns they had.

At the Lieutenant's return he told Whitelocke that the Grave, when he heard but one gun fired for a good while together, began to be highly offended, saying that his master, the King, was slighted and himself dishonoured, to be sent away with one gun only fired, and he wondered the Amba.s.sador carried it in such a manner; but afterwards, when the rest of the guns went off, the Grave said he would tell the King how highly the English Amba.s.sador had honoured his Majesty and his servant by the most magnificent entertainment that ever was made on s.h.i.+p-board, and by the number of guns at his going away, and that this was the greatest honour he ever received, with much to the like purpose; and he gave to the Lieutenant for his pains two pieces of plate of silver gilt, and ten rix-dollars to the boat's company, and twenty rix-dollars more to the s.h.i.+p's company.

_June 23, 1654._

This was the seventh day that Whitelocke had lain on the Elbe, which was tedious to him; and now, fresh provisions failing, he sent Captain Crispe to Gluckstadt to buy more, whose diligence and discretion carried him through his employments to the contentment of his master. He brought good provisions at cheap rates.

[SN: Whitelocke agrees to convoy four English cloth s.h.i.+ps.]

The four captains of the English cloth-s.h.i.+ps came on board Whitelocke to visit him; they were sober, experienced sea commanders; their s.h.i.+ps lay at anchor close to Whitelocke. After dinner they told Whitelocke that if their s.h.i.+ps had been three leagues lower down the river, they could not have anch.o.r.ed in this bad weather without extreme danger, the sea being there much higher, and the tide so strong that their cables would not have held their s.h.i.+ps; and that if they had been at sea in this weather, they had been in imminent peril of s.h.i.+pwreck, and could not have returned into the river, nor have put into the Weser nor any other harbour.

Whitelocke said that they and he were the more bound to G.o.d, who had so ordered their affairs as to keep them, during all the storms wherein they had been, in a safe and good harbour; he wished them, in this and all their voyages, to place their confidence in G.o.d, who would be the same G.o.d to them as now, and in all their affairs of this life.

The captains desired Whitelocke's leave to carry their streamers and colours, and to be received by him as part of his fleet in their voyage for England, and they would acknowledge him for their Admiral. Whitelocke told them he should be glad of their company in his voyage, and would willingly admit them as part of his small fleet, but he would expect their observance of his orders; and if there should be occasion, that they must join with him in fight against any enemies of the Commonwealth whom they should meet with, which they promised to do; and Whitelocke mentioned it to the captains, because he had received intelligence of a s.h.i.+p laden with arms coming out of the Weser for Scotland, with a strong convoy, with whom Whitelocke resolved to try his strength, if he could meet him.

In the afternoon two merchants of the cloth-s.h.i.+ps came to visit Whitelocke, and showed great respect to him; and they and the captains returned together to their s.h.i.+ps, the wind being allayed, and come about to the south, which gave Whitelocke hopes to proceed in his voyage.

_June 24, 1654._

[SN: The convoy sails to Rose Beacon.]

The wind being come to west-south-west, a little fallen, about three o'clock in the morning they began to weigh anchor. By Whitelocke's command, all the s.h.i.+ps were to observe this order in their sailing. Every morning each s.h.i.+p was to come up and fall by Whitelocke, and salute him, that he might inquire how they all did; then they were to fall astern again, Whitelocke to be in the van, and the 'Elizabeth' in the rear, and the other s.h.i.+ps in the middle between them; all to carry their colours; Whitelocke to carry his in the maintop, and all to take their orders from his s.h.i.+p.

Thus they did this morning; the cloth-s.h.i.+ps came all by Whitelocke, and saluted him the first with nine guns. Whitelocke answered her with as many. Then she gave three guns more, to thank him for his salutation.

Each of the other s.h.i.+ps gave seven guns at their pa.s.sing by; then the fort of Gluckstadt discharged all their ordnance to give Whitelocke the farewell, who then fired twenty-one guns, and the 'Elizabeth' nineteen; then the cloth-s.h.i.+ps fired three guns apiece, as thanks for their salutation; and so, with their sails spread, they committed themselves to the protection of the Almighty. Though these things may be looked upon by some as trivial and expensive, yet those who go to sea will find them useful and of consequence, both to keep up and cheer the spirits of the seamen, who will not be pleased without them, and to give an honour to one's country among strangers who are taken with them; and it is become a kind of sea language and ceremony, and teacheth them also the better to speak it in battle.

Some emulation happened between the captain of the 'President' and Minnes, because Whitelocke went not with him, but in the other's s.h.i.+p, which Whitelocke would have avoided, but that he apprehended the 'President' sent purposely for him.

Between seven and eight o'clock in the morning Whitelocke pa.s.sed by a village called Brown Bottle, belonging to the King of Denmark, upon the river in Holstein, four leagues from Gluckstadt; and four leagues from thence he pa.s.sed by a village on the other side of the Elbe, which they told him was called Oldenburg, and belonged to the Duke of Saxony. Two leagues below that, he came to anchor over against a village called Rose Beacon, a fair beacon standing by the water-side. It belongs to Hamburg; and by a late accident of a soldier's discharging his musket, it set a house on fire, and burnt half the town. Some of Whitelocke's people went on sh.o.r.e, and reported it to be a poor place, and no provisions to be had there.

The road here is well defended by a compa.s.s of land on the south and west, but to the north and east it lies open. The sea there is wide, but full of high sands. The river is so shallow in some places that there was scarce three fathom water where he pa.s.sed between Brown Bottle and Oldenburg, where his s.h.i.+p struck upon the sand, and made foul water, to the imminent danger of him and all his people, had not the Lord in mercy kept them. They were forced presently to tack back, and seek for deeper water. The pilot confessed this to happen because they lay too far to gain the wind, which brought them upon the shallow. Whitelocke came to Rose Beacon before noon, which is not very safe if the wind be high, as now it was; yet much safer than to be out in the open sea, whither the pilot durst not venture, the wind rising and being contrary to them.

_June 25, 1654._

_The Lord's Day._--Mr. Ingelo, Whitelocke's chaplain, preached in his s.h.i.+p in the morning. Mr. De la Marche, his other chaplain, was sick of a dysentery, which he fell into by drinking too much milk on sh.o.r.e. Mr.

Knowles, a confident young man, the s.h.i.+p's minister, preached in the afternoon.

[SN: The cloth s.h.i.+ps return to Gluckstadt.]

The wind blew very strong and contrary all the last night and this morning, which made it troublesome riding in this place; insomuch that the four cloth-s.h.i.+ps, doubting the continuance of this tempestuous weather, and fearing the danger that their cables would not hold, which failing would endanger all, and not being well furnished with provisions, they weighed anchor this morning flood, and sailed back again to Gluckstadt road; whereof they sent notice to Whitelocke, desiring his excuse for what their safety forced them to do. But Whitelocke thought it not requisite to follow their example, men of war having better cables than merchantmen; and being better able to endure the stress of weather, and he being better furnished with provisions, he resolved to try it out in this place.

[SN: A present from Count Ranzau.]

In the afternoon the wind was somewhat appeased and blew west-south-west.

A messenger came on board Whitelocke, and informed him that Grave Ranzau had sent a n.o.ble present--a boat full of fresh provisions--to Whitelocke; but by reason of the violent storms, and Whitelocke being gone from Gluckstadt, the boat could not come at him, but was forced to return back, and so Whitelocke lost his present. The letters mentioning this were delivered to Whitelocke by this messenger, and were these:--

"_A son Excellence Monsieur Whitelocke, Amba.s.sadeur Extraordinaire d'Angleterre vers sa Majeste la Reine de Suede._

"Monseigneur,

"Nous croyons etre obliges de faire connaitre a votre Excellence que Monseigneur le Comte de Ranzau, notre maitre, nous avait donne commission de venir tres-humblement baiser les mains de votre Excellence, et lui faire presenter quelques cerfs, sangliers, lievres, perdrix, et quant.i.te de carpes; la supplier de s'en rafraichir un peu, pendant que l'opiniatrete d'un vent contraire lui empecherait une meilleure commodite, et d'a.s.surer votre Excellence, de la part de Monseigneur le Comte, qu'il souhaite avec pa.s.sion de pouvoir temoigner a votre Excellence combien il desire les occasions pour lui rendre tres-humbles services, et contracter avec elle une amitie plus etroite; et comme son Excellence s'en allait trouver le Roi, son maitre, qu'il ne laisserait point de dire a sa Majeste les civilites que votre Excellence lui avait faites, et que sa Majeste epouserait sans doute ses interets, pour l'a.s.sister de s'acquitter de son devoir avec plus de vigueur, lorsque la fortune lui en fournirait quelque ample matiere.

"Mais, Monseigneur, nous avons ete si malheureux d'arriver a Gluckstadt cinq ou six heures apres que votre Excellence avait fait voile et etait descendu vers la mer; toutefois avons-nous pris vitement un vaisseau pour suivre, et n'etions gueres loin du havre ou l'on disait que votre Excellence etait contrainte d'attendre un vent encore plus favorable, quand notre vaisseau, n'etant point charge, fut tellement battu par une grande tempete, que nous etions obliges de nous en retourner sans pouvoir executer les ordres de Monseigneur le Comte, notre maitre, dont nous avons un deplaisir incroyable. Votre Excellence a une bonte et generosite tres-parfaite; c'est pourquoi nous la supplions tres-humblement, d'imputer plutot a notre malheur qu'a la volonte de Monseigneur le Comte, le mauvais succes de cette notre entreprise; aussi bien la lettre ici enfermee de son Excellence Monseigneur le Comte donnera plus de croyance a nos paroles.

"Nous demandons tres-humblement pardon a votre Excellence de la longueur de celle-ci, et esperons quelque rencontre plus heureuse pour lui temoigner de meilleure grace que nous sommes pa.s.sionement,

"Monseigneur, de votre Excellence "Tres-humbles et tres-obeissans serviteurs, "FRANcOIS LOUIS VAN DE WIELE.

"BALTH. BORNE."

The enclosed letter from the Count, which they mentioned, was this:--

"_Ill.u.s.tri et n.o.bilissimo Domino Bulstrodo Whitelocke, Constabulario Castri de Windsor, et Domino Custodi Magni Sigilli Reipublicae Angliae, adque Serenissimam Reginam Sueciae Legato Extraordinario; amico meo plurimum honorando._