Part 12

This gentleman Whitelocke apprehended to be often sent to him as a spy, to inquire of his intentions, and therefore he thought good to make use of him by telling such things to him as Whitelocke thought and wished might be again reported by Bloome unto the Chancellor. Therefore, among other discourses, Whitelocke told Bloome that France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, and other princes and states, had sent their public ministers to the Protector, desiring friendship with him; but his Highness having sent his Ambassador into this kingdom, they had testified so little respect to him, that in three or four months' time they had not vouchsafed to give him an answer to his proposals.

Mr. Symonds, an Englishman, excellent in his art of graving and taking off pictures in little, in wax, for which he had regard in this Court and promises of money, this person often frequented Whitelocke, his countryman, and his house, and after some time made a request to Whitelocke to speak to the Queen in his favour. Whitelocke, knowing that ambassadors' offices ought not to be cheap, told Symonds in a kind of drollery that surely he could not expect such a courtesy from him, since, being an Englishman, he had not acquainted the English Ambassador with any matter of consequence, nor done any service to his country, since Whitelocke's arrival here; that when he should deserve it, Whitelocke would be ready to do him service.

March 26, 1654.

The Lord's Day.--Divers English and Scots came to the public duties of the day in Whitelocke's house; and amongst other discourse Whitelocke learnt from them that Waters, one of his trumpets, going late in the evening to his lodging, was set upon by some drunkards with their swords, and wounded, whereof he continued very ill. Whitelocke examined and reproved some of his company for disorders committed by them on the Lord's Day and other days, which he told them he would not bear; and it was the worse in their commitment of those crimes, and the less reason for them to expect a connivance thereat, because Whitelocke had so often and so publicly inveighed against the profanation of that day in this place; but among a hundred some will be always found base, vicious, and wicked.

March 27, 1654.

This being Easter Monday, some of Whitelocke's people went to the castle to hear the Queen's music in her chapel, which they reported to Whitelocke to be very curious; and that in the afternoon was appointed an ancient solemnity of running at the ring. Some Italians of the Queen's music dined with Whitelocke, and afterwards sang to him and presented him with a book of their songs, which, according to expectation, was not unrewarded.

Whitelocke went not abroad this festival-time to visit anybody, nor did any grandees come to visit him; he had an imagination that they might be forbidden to do it, the rather because Piementelle and Woolfeldt, who were accustomed to come often to him, had of late refrained to do it, and had not answered Whitelocke's last visit in ten days. The Queen had also excused her not admitting Whitelocke to have audiences, by saying she was busy or sick, when, at the same time, Piementelle and others were admitted to her presence, and for two or three hours together discoursed with her. This was resented and spoken of by Whitelocke so as it might come to the Queen's ear.

March 28, 1654.

After the master of the ceremonies had dined with Whitelocke, and was in a good humour, he desired Whitelocke to withdraw from the rest of the strangers, and that he might speak privately with him; and going into the bedchamber, the master told him that he had heard from some that Whitelocke had expressed a discontent, and the master desired to know if any had given him offence, or if there were anything wherein the master might do him service. Whitelocke said he apprehended some occasion of discontent in that he had attended here near four months, and had not yet obtained any answer to his proposals. The master excused the delay in regard of the Queen's purpose of quitting the Government. Whitelocke said he believed that occasioned much trouble to her Majesty, and which gave him cause to doubt that his frequent visits of her Majesty might give her some inconvenience. He replied that Whitelocke's company was very agreeable to the Queen, though at present she was overcharged with business.

Whitelocke. I do acknowledge the favours I have received from her Majesty, and your civilities to me, for which I shall not be ungrateful.

Mast. Cer. Would it not be of advantage to your business to attend for the conclusion of it until the coronation of our new King, to be assented to by him; by which means the alliance will be more firm than to have it done by the Queen so near her quitting of the Government?

Wh. I shall hardly stay so long a time as till the beginning of the reign of your new King, nor have I any letters of credence or commission but to the Queen; and I believe that all acts done by her before her resignation will be held good, and particularly this touching the friendship with England, which, I suppose, will be also very agreeable to his Kingly Highness, and be inviolably observed by him.

Mast. Cer. I do not doubt but that the new King will observe the alliance which the Queen shall make with England, but perhaps it might better be made with the new King himself; and although you have no letters of credence to him, yet you may write into England and have them sent to you.

Wh. That will require more time than I have to stay in this place. I believe the new King will not be crowned yet these two or three months; and it will be two months from this time before I can receive new credentials from England, and two or three months after that before I can return home; by which account I shall be abroad yet eight months longer, which will be till the next winter; and that would be too long a time for me to be absent from my family and affairs in England.

Mast. Cer. I shall speak with the Queen in this business, and shortly return to you.

It was imagined by Whitelocke that the master of the ceremonies was purposely sent to him to sound him touching the deferring of the treaty; and the like errand Mr. Bloome came to him about; and Whitelocke fully declared to them his distaste of any thought thereof, and the more at large and positively because he knew what he said would be reported to the full to her Majesty and to the Chancellor.

March 29, 1654.

The master of the ceremonies came to Whitelocke from the Queen to excuse Whitelocke's not having had audiences when he desired them; which he said was because her Majesty had been so full of business, which had hindered her, and particularly because of the holidays; but he said, if Whitelocke pleased to have his audience tomorrow, the Queen would be glad to see him. Whitelocke desired the master to return his thanks to her Majesty for her favours, and to let her know that he should be ready to attend her at such time as she should appoint. The master said he would acquaint her Majesty herewith, and so went away in the midst of dinner.

The Lord Douglas, a Scotsman, came to visit Whitelocke. He is an ancient servant to this Crown; he was a page to King Gustavus Adolphus, and by him preferred to military command, wherein he quitted himself so well that he was promoted to be General of the Horse, and was now a Baron and Ricks-Stallmaster, or master of the horse, in Sweden. He excused himself that he had not oftener visited Whitelocke, being hindered by his sickness of an ague, which had held him thirty weeks, and had not yet left him. He said that the next day after his arrival here the Queen asked him if he had been to see the English Ambassador, and that Whitelocke was much obliged to the Queen for her good opinion of him: whereof Whitelocke said he had received many testimonies, and of her respects to the Protector and Commonwealth as well as to their servant. Douglas said, that besides her respect to the Protector, she had a particular respect for Whitelocke; with much discourse of that nature.

He then went to visit his old comrade Colonel Potley, who was ill and kept his chamber. He fell upon the discourse that it would be convenient for Whitelocke to stay here till the coronation of the new King, that the treaty might be concluded by him: to which the same answers were given by Whitelocke as he had before given to the master of the ceremonies.

Whilst the Lord Douglas was in Whitelocke's house, Grave Eric came to Whitelocke by command of the Queen, to excuse the delay of his business, and that some of his audiences had been remitted. He said, her Majesty had been informed by the master of the ceremonies that Whitelocke should say he had demanded audiences three times, and could not obtain one. Whitelocke answered, that there was a little mistake therein, though there was something near it, and said, it was not his desire to occasion trouble to her Majesty. Eric answered, that the Queen desired Whitelocke would excuse her by reason of the holidays, during which time they did not use in this country to treat of any business, and that the Queen had likewise many other hindrances; but that whensoever it should please Whitelocke to come to her Majesty, he would be very welcome. He said, he was going out of town to his father to conduct him hither, and that within a day or two he would visit Whitelocke, and that his business would have a speedy despatch. Whitelocke wished him a good journey, and that he and his father might have a safe and speedy return hither.

Piementelle sent to Whitelocke to move the Queen to grant her pardon to a Swede who had killed another, for which by the law he was to die; and Piementelle offered to second Whitelocke, if he would entreat the Queen for her pardon to the homicide. Whitelocke desired to be excused herein, alleging that he, being a public minister, it was not proper for him nor for Piementelle to interpose with her Majesty in a matter of this nature, and particularly touching her own subjects, and in a matter of blood; but this denial Piementelle seemed to take ill, and to be more strange to Whitelocke afterwards.

The holidays being past, Piementelle had his audience appointed this day to take his leave of the Queen. Whitelocke sent his son James and some others of his gentlemen to be present at it, who reported to Whitelocke that Piementelle spake to the Queen in Spanish, and that she answered him in Swedish, which was interpreted by Grave Tott; that Piementelle observed very much ceremony, and when he made his public harangue to the Queen he grew very pale and trembled, which was strange for a man of his parts, and who had been so frequent in his conversation with her Majesty. But some said it was a high compliment, acted by the Spaniard to the life, to please the Queen, who took delight to be thought, by her majesty and presence, to put a dread and daunting upon foreigners; which in a truth she was noted often to do when public ministers had their audiences in solemnity with her Majesty.

March 30, 1654.

One of the Queen's lacqueys came to Whitelocke's house in dinner-time, to desire him, from the Queen, to come to her at two o'clock. Whitelocke was a little sensible of the quality of the messenger, and therefore himself would not speak with him, but sent his answer by one of his servants, and accordingly waited on the Queen.

He was met at the guard-chamber by Grave Tott and divers of the Queen's servants, with more solemnity than ordinary, and presently brought to the Queen. After her excuse of his not having had audiences she fell into discourse of his business. Whitelocke presented to her a form of articles, according to his own observations upon those articles he had formerly given in, and upon those he received from Grave Eric. Thereupon the Queen said to him, "You will not consent to any one of my articles, but insist upon all your own." Whitelocke showed her wherein he had consented to divers of her articles, and for what reasons he could not agree to the rest. They had discourse upon the whole, to the same effect as hath been before remembered.

The Queen told Whitelocke, that if those articles should not be concluded, that nevertheless the amity between the two nations might be continued. Whitelocke answered, that it would be no great testimony of amity, nor proof of respect to the Protector and Commonwealth, to send back their servant after so long attendance, without effecting anything. The Queen said she would despatch his business within a few days, and, she hoped, to his contentment. Whitelocke told her it was in her Majesty's power to do it; that he could not stay until the change whereof people discoursed, and that he had her Majesty's promise for his despatch, which he knew she would not break.

Then the Queen fell into other discourses, and in particular of poetry; which occasion Whitelocke took to show her a copy of Latin verses made by an English gentleman, a friend of Whitelocke's, and sent over to him hither, and which he had now about him, and knew that such diversions were pleasing to the Queen.