Part 58

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 ship 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-ships came to visit Whitelocke, and showed great respect to him; and they and the captains returned together to their ships, the wind being allayed, and come about to the south, which gave Whitelocke hopes to proceed in his voyage.

June 24, 1654.

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 ships were to observe this order in their sailing. Every morning each ship 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 ships 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 ship.

Thus they did this morning; the cloth-ships 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 ships gave seven guns at their passing by; then the fort of Glueckstadt discharged all their ordnance to give Whitelocke the farewell, who then fired twenty-one guns, and the 'Elizabeth' nineteen; then the cloth-ships 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 ship, 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 passed by a village called Brown Bottle, belonging to the King of Denmark, upon the river in Holstein, four leagues from Glueckstadt; and four leagues from thence he passed 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 shore, and reported it to be a poor place, and no provisions to be had there.

The road here is well defended by a compass 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 passed between Brown Bottle and Oldenburg, where his ship 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 ship 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 shore. Mr. Knowles, a confident young man, the ship's minister, preached in the afternoon.

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-ships, 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 Glueckstadt 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.

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 noble present--a boat full of fresh provisions--to Whitelocke; but by reason of the violent storms, and Whitelocke being gone from Glueckstadt, 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, Ambassadeur 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 quantite 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'assurer votre Excellence, de la part de Monseigneur le Comte, qu'il souhaite avec passion 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'assister 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 Glueckstadt 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 passionement,

"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:--

"Illustri et nobilissimo Domino Bulstrodo Whitelocke, Constabulario Castri de Windsor, et Domino Custodi Magni Sigilli Reipublicae Angliae, adque Serenissimam Reginam Sueciae Legato Extraordinario; amico meo plurimum honorando.

"Illustris et nobilissime Domine Legate, amice plurimum honorande,

"Quod Excellentia vestra me hesterno die tam magnifice et laute exceperit, id ut pro singulari agnosco beneficio; ita ingentes Excellentiae vestrae ago gratias, et nihil magis in votis habeo quam ut occasio mihi offeratur, qua benevolentiam hanc aliquando debite resarcire possim.

"Cum itaque videam ventum adhuc esse contrarium, adeo ut Excellentia vestra anchoram solvere versusque patriam vela vertere needum possit; partium mearum duxi aliquo modo gratum meum ostendere animum et praesentem ad Excellentiam vestram ablegare, simulque aliquid carnis, farinae, et piscium, prout festinatio temporis admittere potuit, offerre, Excellentiam vestram obnixe rogans ut oblatum aequi bonique consulere dignetur. Et quamvis ex animo Excellentiae vestrae ventum secundum, et ad iter omnia prospera exoptem, nihilo tamen minus, si forte fortuna in hisce locis vicinis diutius adhuc subsistere cogatur, ministris meis injungam, ut Excellentiae vestrae in absentia mea (quoniam in procinctu sum me crastino mane ad regiam Majestatem dominum meum clementissimum conferre) ulterius inservire, et quicquid occasio obtulerit subministrare debeant. De caetero nos Divinae commendo protectioni, et Excellentiae vestrae filios dilectissimos meo nomine salutare obnixe rogo.

"Dabam in arce mea Breitenburos, 23 Junii, anno 1654.

"Excellentiae vestrae "Observantissimus totusque addictus, "CHRISTIANUS, Comes in Ranzau."

Whitelocke did the rather insert these letters, to testify the abilities of the gentlemen servants to this Grave, as also the grateful affection of their master towards him, a stranger to them, upon one meal's entertainment and acquaintance.

About six o'clock at night Mr. Smith, son to Alderman Smith, of London, and two other young merchants of the English company at Hamburg, came on board to Whitelocke, and brought letters to him from the Resident Bradshaw, with those the Resident received by this week's post from London; wherein was little news, and no letters came to Whitelocke, because (as he supposed) his friends believed him to be upon the sea. Whitelocke wrote letters of thanks to the Resident, and enclosed in them letters of compliment to the Ricks-Chancellor, and to his son Grave Eric of Sweden, and to Sir George Fleetwood and others, his friends, and entreated the Resident to send them into Sweden.

June 26, 1654.