Part 54

Bern. He did not much prevail in it, only he obtained a verbal promise of some money, but had no performance.

Wh. What occasion hath drawn your General Koningsmark with his forces at this time before Bremen?

Bern. It was thus by mistake occasioned. The Earl of Lueneburg had covenanted with the Spanish Ambassador to levy some soldiers for the service of the King of Spain, which levies he began without acquainting the Governor of that Circle with it, who taking this occasion, and bearing ill-will to the Earl, drew out some forces to oppose those levies. Koningsmark understanding this, and jealous that the Governor of the Circle designed to fall upon the fort of the Queen of Sweden in those parts, he drew out some forces to oppose the Governor. Those of Bremen, being informed that Koningsmark drew out his forces against them, sent some troops, who forced the Queen's subjects to a contribution and built a fort upon the Queen's land, which coming to the knowledge of Koningsmark, and that the Governor of the Circle of Westphalia intended only to suppress the levies of the Duke of Lueneburg, and not to oppose the Queen of Sweden, Koningsmark thereupon marched with his forces to the new fort built by those of Bremen, took it in and finished it, and left there a garrison for the Queen, not disturbing the trade of that city.

Wh. Here were mistakes one upon another, which might have engaged that city and the neighbours, as well as the Crown of Sweden, in a troublesome war.

Bern. All is now peaceable and well again.

They had much other discourse touching the right of the Crown of Sweden to the Duchy of Bremen; and after many compliments, the Ambassador took his leave.

About four o'clock in the afternoon the senator Holtz and an ancient gentleman, one of the captains of the town forces, came and accompanied Whitelocke, to show him the town and the fortifications of it, and said that the Lords had commanded them to do him this service. Whitelocke went out with them in his usual equipage, his gentlemen walking before the coach, his pages and lacqueys by it, all bareheaded, and with their swords. They viewed most parts of the city, the streets, buildings, public-houses, churches, the arsenal, the fortifications, the ships, the waters, rivers, and what was remarkable throughout the town. Great multitudes of people, especially at their Exchange, came forth to see them as they passed by, and all were very civil to them. To the works a great many of people also followed them, and continued there with them.

They brought him first to see their arsenal, which is a large house; in the lower rooms thereof lay about two hundred pieces of ordnance mounted on good carriages, fitted and useful. They were not founded in this place, but brought from other parts; two of them were double cannon, each carrying a bullet of forty-eight pounds weight; most of the others were demi-cannon and culverin. There were besides these many smaller pieces and divers mortar-pieces, some of which were near as large in the diameter as that at Stockholm. In another place were many shells of grenades and heaps of cannon-bullets. The pavement of the room was all lead, two feet deep, in a readiness to make musket bullets if there should be occasion. In the rooms above were arms for horse and foot, completely fixed and kept; the greatest part of them were muskets. Between every division of the arms were representations in painting of soldiers doing their postures, and of some on horseback. Here were many cuirasses and a great quantity of corselets, swords, bandoliers, pistols, and bullets. Here likewise hung certain old targets, for monuments rather than use, and many engines of war; as, a screw to force open a gate, an instrument like a jack, with wheels to carry match for certain hours' space, and just at the set time to give fire to a mine, petard, or the like. There were, in all, arms for about fifteen hundred horse and fifteen thousand foot. They keep a garrison constantly in pay of twelve hundred soldiers, and they have forty companies of their citizens, two hundred in each company, proper men; whose interest of wives, children, estate, and all, make them the best magazine and defence (under God) for those comforts which are most dear to them.

Some pains were taken by Whitelocke to view their fortifications, which are large, of about two German (ten English) miles in compass; they are very regular and well kept. Within the grafts are hedges of thorn, kept low and cut, held by them of better use than palisades. The bulwarks are of an extraordinary greatness; upon every third bulwark is a house for the guards, and they are there placed. There is also a building of brick, a great way within the ground upon the bulwark, and separate by itself, where they keep all their gunpowder; so that if by any mischance or wicked design it should blow up, yet it could do no hurt to the town, being so separated from it. On every bulwark there is space enough to draw up and muster a thousand men; beyond the grafts are divers half-moons, very regularly made. The grafts are broad and deep, filled with the Elbe on the one side, and with another smaller river on the other side.

The works are stronger, larger, and more regular than those at Luebeck. Above the works is a piece of ground of above five hundred yards of low ground, gained by industry from the Elbe; here they have mills to keep out or let in more or less water, as they find useful for the town and works. The lines of one side of the works are higher than on the other side, and the works better and stronger made. Here are also mounds of earth raised very high to command without; there wanted no pains nor expense to put together so great a mass of earth as is in these fortifications. Upon every bulwark is mounted one demi-cannon, besides other great guns; in other places are smaller pieces. Round about the works are great store of ordnance, well fitted, mounted, and kept; and the platforms are strong and well planked.

Having made a large tour through the greatest part of the city, Whitelocke found it to be pleasantly situated in a plain low country, fertile and delightful, also healthful and advantageous for trade; and notwithstanding the great quantity of waters on every side of it, yet the inhabitants do not complain of agues or other sicknesses to be more rife among them than in other parts.

Upon one side is a small river, the which comes a great way down the country to this town, where it loseth itself in the Elbe, having first supplied the city with wood and other provisions brought down hither by boats, for which this river, though narrow, is deep enough and navigable. On the other side of the town is the stately river of Elbe, one of the chief of these parts of Germany, which also by boats brings down out of the country great store of all sorts of provisions and merchantable commodities; and which is much more advantage to them, affords a passage for merchants hither, and from hence to vent their merchandises to all parts of the world. It is the best neighbour they have, and the branches and arms of it run through most of their streets by their doors, to the great advantage of their commerce; and although sometimes, upon an extraordinary rising of the Elbe to a great flood, these branches of it cover the lower rooms of the houses near them, to the damage of some owners, yet it makes amends by the constant benefit which it brings with it. The buildings here are all of brick, only some few of brick and timber put together, and are generally fashioned and used as is before described touching the Luebeck houses.

The district or territory belonging to the town is in some places two, in others three, in some more, German miles distant from the city, in which precinct they have the jurisdiction and revenue; and near the town are many pleasant little houses and seats, with gardens and accommodations, belonging to the citizens, to refresh themselves and their wives and children in the summer-time, to take the fresh country air, and to have a diversion for their health and pleasure. It may be said of this town, that God hath withheld nothing from them for their good. They have plenty of provisions, health, profit, and pleasure, to their full contentment, in a peaceable and just government, with freedom, strength in their magazines, fortifications, and bodies of men for their defence and protection, conveniences for their habitation and commerce, and, which is above all, a liberty to know the will of and to worship God, for the health of their own souls.

June 13, 1654.

This morning Whitelocke returned a visit to the Swedes' Ambassador, Bernelow, at his lodging, where he learnt of him the manner of the sitting of the General Diet of Germany, at which he was present:--That they have three colleges or chambers: the first is the College of the Electors, where they only assemble; the second is the College of the Princes, where the Archbishops, Bishops, Dukes, Graves, and Barons meet, to the number of about one hundred and forty; the third is the College of the Free Cities, where their Deputies, about two hundred, do meet. When they consult, the Chancellor of the Empire, the Archbishop of Mentz, sends the proposal in writing to each college severally. When they are respectively agreed, then all the colleges meet together in the great hall, at the upper end whereof is a chair of state for the Emperor. On the right-hand of the chair the Electors sit, on the left-hand the principal officers of the Emperor's court; on the right side of the hall, upon seats, are the Ecclesiastic Princes, Bishops, and Abbots; on the left-hand are the Temporal Princes, upon their seats; and on the seats below, one before another, are the Deputies of the towns.

The Archbishop of Mentz, as Marshal of the College of the Electors, begins and reads the proposal, and the resolution thereupon in writing of that college; after him, the Marshal of the College of the Princes doth the like; and lastly, the Marshal of the College of the Free Towns, who is always the chief magistrate of the place where the Diet sits. If the resolution of the three colleges agrees, or of the College of the Electors and one other of the colleges, the business is determined accordingly; if the colleges do not thus agree, then they meet all together and debate the matter; whereupon, if they come not to an accord, the business is remitted to another day, or the suffrage of the Emperor decides it.

Whitelocke asked him, whether the advice of the Diet, being the supreme public council, were binding to the Emperor. He said, that the Emperor seldom did anything contrary to that advice, but held himself bound in prudence, if not in duty, to conform thereunto. Whitelocke asked him what opinion they had in the Emperor's court of the present King of Sweden. He answered, as was expected, and most true, that they have a great opinion of the King, especially for military affairs. Upon Whitelocke's invitation, he did him the honour to dine with him, and they had much and good discourse together.

In the afternoon Whitelocke received a visit from Monsieur Hannibal Schestedt, whose wife was sister to Woolfeldt's lady, one of the daughters of the late King of Denmark by his second wife,--as they term it, his left-handed wife; this relation, and his own good parts, brought him in high esteem with the King, his brother-in-law, till by jealousies (particularly, as was said, in some matters of mistresses), distaste and disfavour was against him, and he was put out of his office of Viceroy of Norway, and other advantages; upon which he retired himself into these parts, and lived upon a pension of six thousand dollars yearly, allowed by the King unto his lady. Whitelocke found him a gentleman of excellent behaviour and abilities, which he had improved by his travels in most countries of Europe, and had gained perfectly the French, Italian, Dutch, English, and Latin tongues. His discourse was full of ingenuity and cheerfulness, and very free touching his own country and King, on whom he would somewhat reflect; and he spoke much of the Queen of Sweden's resignation, which he much condemned, and as much extolled the assuming of the Government by the Protector of England, and said he had a design shortly to see England, and desired Whitelocke, that when he came into England he would move to the Protector to give him leave to come into England to serve the Protector, which he would willingly do, being forbid his own country; but he prayed Whitelocke, that none might know of this his purpose but the Protector only. He told Whitelocke, that Williamson, the King of Denmark's Ambassador now in England, had been his servant, etc.

When Monsieur Schestedt was gone, Whitelocke wrote to Secretary Thurloe, and to his other friends in England, to give them an account of his being come thus far in his voyage homewards, and of the two frigates being arrived in the Elbe, that as soon as the wind would serve he would hasten for England.

The Resident invited Whitelocke and several Senators to a collation this evening, whither came the four Burgomasters, and five other Senators; a thing unusual for so many of them to meet a foreign public minister, the custom being in such case to depute two or three of their body, and no more; but they were willing to do more than ordinary honour to Whitelocke. And of these nine Senators every one spoke French or Latin, and some both, a thing rare enough for aldermen of a town; but the reason of it was given, because here, for the most part, they choose into those places doctors and licentiates of the laws, which employments they willingly accept, being for life, attended with great authority, and a salary of a thousand crowns yearly, besides other profits. They had a banquet and store of wine; and the Senators discoursed much with Whitelocke touching England, and the successes of the Parliament party, and the many thanksgivings for them; of which they had heard with admiration, and commended the return of thanks to God.

Upon this occasion, Whitelocke gave them an account of many particulars, and of God's goodness to them, and exhorted these gentlemen, in all their affairs, to put their trust in God, to be thankful for his mercies, and not to do anything contrary to his will. They asked how the Parliament could get money enough to pay their forces. Whitelocke told them that the people afforded money sufficient to defray the public charges both by sea and land; and that no soldiers were paid and disciplined, nor officers better rewarded, than those who have served the Parliament.

Whitelocke asked them concerning the religion professed among them, and of their government and trade, wherein they gave him good information; and he told them he hoped that the agreement made by this city with the merchants, his countrymen, would be carefully observed, and the privileges accorded to them be continued, which would be acceptable to the Protector. They answered, that they had been very careful, and should be so still, that on their part the agreement should be exactly observed. They desired Whitelocke to speak to the Protector in favour of a ship belonging to this town, in which were some moneys belonging to Hollanders, and taken by the English two years since. Whitelocke promised to move the Protector in it, and assured them that his Highness would cause right to be done to them.

At this collation Whitelocke ate very little, and drank only one glass of Spanish wine, and one glass of small beer, which was given him by a stranger, whom he never saw before nor after, and the beer seemed at that instant to be of a very bad taste and colour; nor would he inquire what it was, his own servants being taken forth by the Resident's people in courtesy to entertain them. After he came to his lodging he was taken very ill, and grew worse and worse, extreme sick, with pains like the strokes of daggers, which put him in mind of a former passage; and his torment was so great that it was scarcely to be endured, the most violent that he ever felt.

He was not well after his journey from Luebeck to Hamburg, having been extremely jolted in the coach in that way full of holes and sloughs, made by their great carriages in time of the war, and not yet amended: his weariness when he came to Hamburg reprieved his pain, which highly increased this evening; and the last of his ill beer still remained with him.

June 14, 1654.

The fierce torment continued on Whitelocke above thirteen hours together without intermission. About four o'clock this morning his secretary Earle was called to him, who waited on him with care and sadness to see his torment; nature helped, by vomits and otherwise, to give some ease, but the sharpness of his pain continued. About five o'clock this morning Dr. Whistler was called to him, who gave him several sorts of physic, and amongst the rest a drink with a powder and a great quantity of oil of sweet almonds, suspecting, by the manner of his sickness and some of the symptoms, that he might have had poison given him, which was the jealousy of most about him; and whether it were so or not the Lord only knows, who nevertheless in his goodness preserved Whitelocke, and blessed the means for his recovery. The drink working contrary to what was intended, and turning to a vomit, the doctor, perceiving the operation of nature to be that way, followed by giving of vomits, which within two hours gave some ease and brought him to a little slumber, and in a few hours after to recovery. Thus it pleased God to exercise him, and to cast him down for a little time; and when he had no expectation but of present death in a strange land, God was pleased suddenly, and above imagination, to restore and recover him; the which, and all other the mercies of God, he prays may, by him and his, be thankfully remembered.

A doctor of physic, a Jew in this town, hearing of Whitelocke's being sick, came to his lodging, and meeting with Dr. Whistler, told him in Latin, that, understanding the English Ambassador to be dangerously sick, and to have no physician about him but a young inexperienced man, therefore this Jew came to offer his service. Dr. Whistler, smiling, told Whitelocke of this rencounter, who presently sent his thanks and discharge to the Jewish doctor. Several Senators came and sent to inquire of Whitelocke's health, and to know if he wanted anything in their power to supply him for his recovery, and offered the physicians of the town to wait upon him. He returned thanks, but kept himself to the advice and care of his own doctor, whose endeavours it pleased God to bless, so that in two days Whitelocke was abroad again.

The English Company had invited divers to bear Whitelocke company at dinner this day, where they had a very great feast, and present at it the four Burgomasters and ten Senators. So many of that number had scarce been seen at any former entertainment; which though purposely made to do Whitelocke honour, yet his sickness had brought him to an incapacity of bearing them company; but whilst they were at the table, Whitelocke sent his secretary to the Resident, praying him to make his apology to the Lords, that extremity of sickness the night before had prevented him of the honour of accompanying them at this meeting; that being now somewhat recovered, he sent now to present his hearty thanks to their lordships for this great favour they had done him, wished them all health, and entreated them to be cheerful. The Lords returned thanks to Whitelocke for his civility, and about an hour after the Resident came to Whitelocke from the Lords to see how he did, to thank him for his compliment, and to know if, without inconvenience, they might be admitted to come to his chamber to see him. Whitelocke said he should be glad to see them, but privately told the Resident that he hoped they would not stay long with him by reason of his indisposition.