Part 29

Whitelocke. There remains only your Majesty's sealing your letters of full power to your Commissioners who treated with me.

Qu. I sealed them this morning.

Wh. Then my humble suit is, that your Majesty would appoint a day for my audience to take my leave.

Qu. This is Saturday, but if you desire it you may have it on Friday next.

Wh. Would your Majesty's leisure permit to give me audience on Tuesday or Wednesday next, they being no holidays?

Qu. The Assembly is to sit on Tuesday, and at their first meeting I shall have a great deal of business with them, which will hinder me from any other affairs.

Wh. I humbly pray your Majesty to appoint it as soon as your own leisure will permit, for I shall have many businesses and ceremonies after it to perform, before my going away.

Qu. On Monday next I will appoint a day; and touching the secret article, about which I formerly discoursed with you, I have now altered my opinion, and am resolved to follow the advice that you and Mr. Woolfeldt have given me. I will write a letter under my own hand to the Protector to the effect you advised, and deliver it to you to be presented to him.

Wh. This will be much the better way.

Qu. I desire you to be careful of the letter; and before I seal it I will show it to you for your advice in it.

Wh. Madam, I shall have a special care of it, and to procure an answer of it from the Protector, I hope, to your Majesty's contentment, that you may make use of it if there shall be occasion; and I believe the Protector will be a firm friend to your Majesty.

Qu. I doubt it not, nor your respects to me.

Wh. I am engaged by your many favours to serve your Majesty with all faithfulness.

Qu. I had some clothes in a ship coming hither, and the ship is taken, and my clothes detained in England, so that I cannot get them to wear.

Wh. If your Majesty want clothes, I have a piece of English stuff at my house, which cost two shillings a yard; and, if that were not too dear for your Majesty's wearing, I would send it to you.

Qu. Two shillings a yard is dear enough for me: I pray send your stuff hither, and I shall willingly accept of it, and thank you for it.

Wh. Will your Majesty be pleased on Monday next to go into England?

Qu. Hardly so soon; yet perhaps I may one day see England. But what is your meaning in this?

Wh. Madam, Monday next is the first day of May, a great day in England; we call it May-day, when the gentlemen use to wait upon their mistresses abroad to bid the Spring welcome, and to have some collation or entertainment for them. Now your Majesty being my mistress, if you will do me the honour, that, after the custom of England, I may wait on you on May-day, and have a little treatment for you after the manner of England; this I call going into England, and shall take it as a very great favour from your Majesty.

Qu. If this be your meaning of going into England, I shall be very willing, as your mistress, to go with you on Monday next, and to see the English mode.

Lagerfeldt and the master of the ceremonies dining with Whitelocke, he inquired of them what was to be done by him as to presents to any of the Queen's servants or officers who had done him respect in his business, or being here, and what other things were requisite to be done by him, according to the usage of ambassadors in this Court before their going away, and when he might obtain his audience to take his leave. The master of the ceremonies gave him good and chargeable instructions; and Lagerfeldt agreed in most points with him, and, upon Whitelocke's entreaty, undertook to see that the letters of full power to the Queen's Commissioners, and the recredentials to Whitelocke, should be perfected and brought to him, and a day of audience appointed.

Lagerfeldt told Whitelocke that the Queen was willing to present him with some of this country's commodities, as copper, to carry with him into England, if it would be as acceptable to him as other presents of diamonds and the like; and he said he hoped there was no order of the Commonwealth of England to forbid the receiving of such presents by their public ministers. He said, that formerly he asked of Monsieur Chanut, the French Ambassador here, if he would accept a present of copper, and he willingly accepted it, and carried it with him, saying, that he rather desired copper than diamonds or jewels, because he could better sell the copper than jewels, and make money of it.

Whitelocke said, that whatsoever her Majesty pleased to bestow on him should be welcome to him, and that he liked the commodities of this country as well as those of the Indies, and that for Chanut's reason. He said that the Protector had not forbid him to receive any testimonies of the Queen's respect to him, as she used to do to all public ministers; that the order of the Commonwealth forbidding gifts or presents to public ministers was not now in force; that he thought her Majesty's bounty to him, and his justification of the acceptance of it, might be the more from such valuable presents as her Majesty had done him the honour to receive from him, and his intention to bestow all his horses upon her, and such as she would appoint, which, for the honour of the Commonwealth, he would not sell.

April 30, 1654.

Berkman and Monsieur Bloome dined with Whitelocke, and took occasion to magnify the respects of the Chancellor and his son, Grave Eric, to the Protector and to Whitelocke, who was not backward to join in those eulogies, and to acknowledge the respects. Berkman said that Canterstein was to bring some writings to Whitelocke, and that Lagerfeldt had spoken to the Queen to present Whitelocke with some copper; that she had given order for two hundred ship-pound of copper to be brought from the mines to Stockholm, to be put aboard Whitelocke's ship, ready to be carried away with him; that every ship-pound was here worth forty dollars, and was as much as three hundred English pounds, which he cast up in the whole to the value of about L2500 sterling. And Whitelocke was satisfied in his own conscience that he might honourably receive it, having given to the Queen as many presents already as were worth L1000, and engaged to her his horses, which were worth about L2000 more, besides the gifts and gratuities which he had liberally given, and intended to give, to the Queen's servants and officers; and that, in recompense of above L3000 given away, he might well receive a present of the value of L2500.

Grave Leonhough visited Whitelocke, and had much discourse with him, not so proper for this day.

FOOTNOTES:

The French, and English copies of the passport were these:--