_June 1, 1654._
[SN: Whitelocke embarks in the Amarantha, and sails.]
Having been part of yesterday and all the last night upon the water, this
morning, about seven o'clock, Whitelocke and all his company came to the
Dollars, and, without setting foot on shore, they went on board the ship
'Amarantha,' lying there to expect them. And although this was not usual,
but passengers generally stay some time at this place till their ships be
ready, and to make provisions for their voyage, and spend some money at
the cabaret here; yet Whitelocke seeing the wind fair, and having all his
company together in the boats, was unwilling to let them be scattered by
going on shore, which might be troublesome and retard his voyage by
getting them all together again. For these reasons he commanded all his
people to go forthwith aboard the ship, as he himself did, at which
Vice-Admiral Clerke wondered, and said he had not seen the same done
before.
This ship, the 'Amarantha,' had never yet been at sea, and therefore the
more dangerous to adventure in her first voyage; but she was well built,
a fair ship, of a good burden, and had mounted in her forty pieces of
brass cannon, two of them demy cannon, and she was well manned and of
good force and strength for war; she was a good sailer, and would turn
and tack about well; she held a hundred persons of Whitelocke's followers
and most of his baggage, besides her own mariners, about two hundred. The
cabins wherein Whitelocke was were of a handsome make; the breadth of the
ship was the length of his bed-cabin, and it was six or seven paces
broad, and high enough for the tallest man; it was hung with red cloth,
the furniture of the bed was rich cloth of gold and silver; on the table
was a rich carpet, and all over it a canopy with broad fringes of silk
and gold and silver. Within the bed-cabin was another room for him to
retire into, with a table and benches covered with red cloth. All the
gentlemen had accommodations as the ship could afford.
Being all settled in the ship, they were fain to stay for the ship-boat
which the captain had sent for water; and as soon as it was returned,
about ten o'clock in the morning, they weighed anchor and put the ship
under sail, recommending themselves to the mercy and protection of Him
who rules upon the waters as well as on dry land, and of whose goodness
they had so great experience. They sailed by the place called the Scares,
that is, the isles of rocks, which are there in the water and on both
sides of the shore, of a strange cragginess, largeness, and number; those
in the sea are full of danger, and often afford but a very strait passage
for the ships to go between them, and no other course is to avoid them.
From hence the sea begins to widen herself towards the furthest point of
land, which they call the Lands-Ort, answerable to our English point of
land called the Land's End in Cornwall. The Lands-Ort is eight Swedish
leagues from the Dollars, and hither they reached by the evening, the
wind being east and south-east all this day.
_June 2, 1654._
[SN: The voyage.]
About eleven o'clock the last night the wind came about more to the
south, yet Whitelocke advanced in his course and gained some way, but not
much, the wind being almost against him; and so it continued in this
morning, when there appeared a chain of rocks advancing themselves more
than a Swedish mile into the sea, and not far from the isle of Oeland, to
which rocks it is not good to approach too near. They could not maintain
their course but to very small advantage, and by veering up and down to
gain a little of the wind, and in this manner they spent this whole day:
the wind continuing at south-south-east, they did not advance much all
this day, only kept what they had gained before, and held plying up and
down in that dangerous sea; their support was that this was the good
pleasure of their God, whose will the wind and waters do obey.
Though the weather was not foul, yet it was thick with fog which arose at
the foot of the horizon, and the mariners said this weather was ordinary
in these seas, but very dangerous. In the evening some of the company
made them pastime to divert the tediousness of the way and weather.
_June 3, 1654._
[SN: The island of Gothland.]
About midnight the wind came about somewhat fairer than before, and
Whitelocke gained a little in his course. At sunrising he discovered the
isle of Gothland, eight leagues distant to the east from the isle of
Oeland; afterwards the wind returned to the same quarter wherein it was
yesterday.
The isle of Oeland is near the continent, extending itself in length by
the shore eighteen Swedish miles, but hath not in breadth in any place
above two Swedish miles. This is the place where the Prince of Sweden,
now King, used to make his residence, in a fair castle built of stone of
this island, not inferior to marble,--these stones are in great request
for pavements, pillars, and other uses and ornaments in building. The
pillars of the King's Chapel at Stockholm, great and high, well polished
and of divers colours, were brought from this island, and they have many
of these stones in the buildings of the great lords. This island is a
place of the most field-pleasure of any in this country, being open and
stored with red and fallow deer, with hares and conies, and with
partridges, which are scarce in other parts; but here the game is
preserved for the Prince's pleasure.
The isle of Gothland is about fourteen Swedish miles in length, and five
in breadth. It anciently belonged to the Swedes till the Danes took it
from them, and kept the possession of it till the late wars between those
two crowns, when the Swedes recovered it from the Dane; and by the peace
after that war the treaty left it to the Swede, and allowed for it the
isle of Bornholm to the Dane, being nearer his dominions. They report
that heretofore Gothland (belonging to the Goths, from whom it hath the
name) was famous for the traffic of all these quarters, and had in it a
large town called Wisby, where formerly certain laws were instituted
touching the sea, which are observed to this day. But Lübeck, and other
towns on that side, having got the trade from hence, and the sea by
inundations having much diminished this isle, both it and the town are
become but of small consideration.
The wind was little and very variable, and this day was a calm, so that
they could advance very little in their voyage. In the evening the wind
grew fresh, and increased till three o'clock the next morning, so that
they made good way in their course; but these deep seas began to rise,
and the ship to roll and toss so much, that some of Whitelocke's people,
sensible of it and of the increasing of the wind and waves, and of the
mariners' labour and disorder, began to be afraid and sick. But
Whitelocke cherished and comforted them the best he could, and gave order
for attendance upon them, and that they should want nothing which the
ship could afford; the which was the more in his power, the command of it
being wholly left to him by the Queen; and by his kindness, and ceasing
of the storm, they began to recover their courage, the wind changed, and
it grew more calm after the ruffling.
_June 4, 1654._
[SN: The voyage.--Bornholm.]
_The Lord's Day._--Still Whitelocke was toiling on the Baltic Sea. After
three o'clock in the morning he advanced a good way in his course; but
about ten o'clock they discovered land, which was the isle of Bornholm,
distant from the point of south of Oeland eighteen German leagues. It
seemeth a plain and flat ground, about eight Swedish miles in length, and
about five in breadth; this isle is fruitful and well peopled, abounding
in pastures, so that it yields a good revenue in butter. Many witches are
affirmed to be in this isle, and no place in this sea hath more
shipwrecks than upon Bornholm. Some give the reason thereof from the
strait pass between this isle and the continent; yet is the coast clean
and without rocks, and hath good roads; others attribute the cause of
these shipwrecks to the great and dangerous sands about this and the
other isles of this sea, which (especially about this isle of Bornholm)
do lie out far and shallow in the sea, on which many ships have been
struck and lost; and here Whitelocke's ship was in some peril, but it
pleased God still to preserve him. He floated in sight of this island
almost all this day, the wind veering into most points of the compass,
and he was turned back from his course and lost more than he gained of
his way.
About nine o'clock in the morning the ship's company, having a minister
on board with them, were at their exercises of devotion, which they have
every morning, beginning with singing a psalm, as we do; then the
minister prays, but not long, and the conclusion is to sing about two
verses of another psalm, and so they part; except on the Lord's Day, as
this was, their chaplain preached a short sermon in the morning in
Swedish, but none in the afternoon. Whitelocke for his own company had
the usual exercises of praying and preaching by his chaplain Mr. De la
Marche, Mr. Ingelo being sick.
Towards the evening the wind began to be fresh again; they kept their
course near Bornholm, and might discern the castle. After Whitelocke was
gone to rest, Vice-Admiral Clerke, who was on board with him, followed a
ship to inquire if she heard any news of a Swedish ship laden with salt
from Portugal; at which some of Whitelocke's company taking offence, the
Vice-Admiral desisted; but by this deviation, the 'Amarantha' (which is
not fleet of sail) lost three leagues, which she was cast back in her
course, and was brought in great danger by sailing too near the shore;
but the Lord guided them.
_June 5, 1654._
[SN: Meet an English ship.]
In the morning Whitelocke was out of sight of Bornholm, and pursued his
course, the wind blowing a little in a good quarter. About nine o'clock
they descried some ships, of which one seemed to be a great one; and
coming nearer, they perceived an English ship to be with them. The
'Amarantha' fired a gun to warn them to strike sail, she carrying the
flag in her maintop, and being a man-of-war of Sweden. The English
captain did not obey, and Clerke commanded to shoot again at him; but
Whitelocke ordered Clerke first to send his boat with some of
Whitelocke's servants, to advertise the English captain that Whitelocke
was in the Swedish ship. They coming on board found the captain in
choler, preparing to fight with the Swede, denying their sovereignty on
these seas; but being informed by his countrymen that the English
Ambassador was on board the Swedish ship, he presently, and Mr. Fisher, a
merchant, with him, came to Whitelocke, rejoicing to see him, and said
that if he had not been there the Swedish Vice-Admiral should have had
hot work; but now he struck sail to the Ambassador, whom he acquainted
that all was well in England; that he had brought in his ship the
commissioners to agree the differences between our Commonwealth and
Denmark, who were now at Copenhagen; and that when they passed the Sound,
the King of Denmark's officers were very friendly to them. He told
Whitelocke also that two English frigates, sent by the Protector for
Whitelocke's transportation, were arrived at Hamburg, and waited for
Whitelocke there; after giving him some wine, and discourse, Whitelocke
dismissed this Captain Morgan to proceed in his voyage to Danzic, whither
he was bound. At his parting all were friends, and Clerke gave him two
guns, after the Swedish custom, but Morgan answered him with seven pieces
of ordnance; then Clerke gave him two more guns, to which Morgan gave two
also, and a third a little while after.
The 'Amarantha' having loitered by reason of the calm, which continued
till the evening, they were most part of this day within sight of the
isle of Rügen, near the coast of Pomerland, and part of that Duchy which
fell in partage to one of the duke's sons, who there kept his court in a
fair castle, whereof somewhat yet remains. The island appears high to
those that sail by it, and hath in length about eight German miles, and
about five in breadth; the King Gustavus took it, and it hath since
continued in the possession of the Swedes, and was confirmed to them by
the late treaty of Munster; the coast is full of white sands, and
dangerous to those who are not well acquainted with the passages, which
hereabout are strait, and a bank of sand comes far out into the sea, on
which Whitelocke was in great peril, within four-fathom water in the
night; but they were glad to veer back again and tack about to escape the
danger.
The wind blew fresh from the north-east, by which he continued his course
till about midnight; when there came a hideous storm of wind, thunder,
rain, and lightning, which caused them to furl their sails, and lasted
about three hours; but the waves continued very high above twelve hours
together afterwards, it being the nature of this sea when it is once
stirred, that by reason of the great depth it will not be still again for
many hours after. Some of Whitelocke's company were much affrighted with
this tempest, and not without cause; but it pleased God to cease the
storm, and give fair weather, and thereby more cause to remember the
experiences they have had of His divine goodness throughout their whole
voyage.
_June 6, 1654._
[SN: The coast of Pomerania.]
In the morning; the wind continued fair, and they made good way till
towards eight o'clock, when it grew calm till about seven o'clock in the
evening. All this day they were upon the coast of Pomerland. One of the
mariners, from the top-gallant, espying land and a town, informed them
that it was Wismar; but coming nearer to the shore, they found it to be
Rostock, eight leagues further from Lübeck than Wismar is. Both these
towns are subject to the Crown of Sweden, port towns, and of good trade;
Rostock more famous to the High Dutch for their exceeding strong and
thick beer.
In the evening the wind blew fair north-west, but the sky grew thick, and
the night coming on, they, for fear of falling upon the coast, tacked off
again to sea, and out of their course. About eleven o'clock at night the
storm began much more violent than the night before, continuing about six
hours, to the imminent danger of the ship to be overset and foundered in
the sea, but still God preserved them. About midnight was a horrible
noise, the thunder fierce and strangely loud, the sky all in flames with
the wonderful lightnings; and though it be frequent to meet with great
tempests of thunder and lightnings upon this sea, and much more dreadful
than those in England, yet now the officers and mariners of the ship
affirmed that they never saw the like to this tempest, and that they were
almost blind with the shining and flashes of this lightning. They saw
also on the land houses burning, set on fire by the lightning, any flame
whereof fastening upon the combustible matter of the ship the same had
instantly been fired and all within her inevitably had perished. But
still God was their defence and deliverer. The tempest was so outrageous
that they were forced to take down their sails and let fall their
anchors. Here they found the difference between Sweden and this country:
there, at midnight, one might plainly read without a candle; here, though
nearer the summer solstice and the days at longest, they found at least
four hours of dark night, as seeming near the winter.
_June 7, 1654._
[SN: Arrive at Lübeck.]
The tempest began to cease about five o'clock in the morning, and it grew
fair weather, the wind coming good for them to continue and finish their
voyage. Thus God preserved them from the danger of the last night as of
many times before, the which Whitelocke held himself obliged more
largely to describe as so many monuments, to him and his company, of the
goodness of God towards them, and to preserve the memory thereof as
arguments to him and his, wholly to depend upon that God of whom they
have had so much experience.
The wind continued fair, and they sailed all along in the sight of land,
drawing nearer and nearer to it, which was pleasant to those who had been
in such storms, and were not a little longing to be at their native home.
They came about ten o'clock in the morning to the road at Lübeck, and no
sooner was the ship settled there but the wind ceased and blew not at
all, but it became a great calm; wherein also the providence and goodness
of God was seen, that had they not come to an anchor at this very moment,
they must have been still roaming on the sea till the wind had come about
again for them, and perhaps might have been kept out at sea many days
longer. They were all filled with joy, having passed one half of their
voyage, and seeing the place of their first descent on land. The
'Amarantha,' having let fall her anchors, fired two guns, and a ship of
the Duke of Courland's, in the road, answered them with three. This road
is a gulf between two arms of land, at the first entrance from one
another about a league; but it becomes more narrow as one approacheth
nearer to the mouth of the river, which is called Trave, and divides the
two Duchies of Mecklenburg and Holstein. This is the road or haven
belonging to the town of Lübeck, and is of good defence and safety to
secure the riding of ships, and of conveniency for the trade of that town
into the Baltic Sea.
After this perilous voyage of eight days' sailing on the angry Baltic
Seas,--escaping the dismal, infinite, vast, craggy rocks, seen and
unseen, and the covered sands and dangerous coasts, in the highest
storms,--it pleased Him who giveth bounds to the deep waters and stilleth
the waves thereof, to conduct Whitelocke and all his people in safety to
this haven. They were not negligent to prepare for their going on shore,
in order whereunto Whitelocke sent Colonel Potley and some of his
servants to land, to provide horses for his coach, and waggons for his
train and baggage; purposing to go that night to Lübeck, being but two
German leagues from Tremon, and the days now at longest.
Potley, according to order, gave notice to the Governor of Tremon of
Whitelocke's coming on shore in the territories of his masters, the Lords
of Lübeck, and provided boats, horses, waggons, and all things necessary,
with diligence and dexterity. Whilst this was doing, Whitelocke calls his
company together into his cabin, where they gave thanks to God for their
safe arrival in this place, and humbly prayed for the continuance of his
blessing and presence with them, the rest of their journey yet to come.
After dinner, Whitelocke sent for Vice-Admiral Clerke and Captain
Sinclair into his cabin, where he gave them thanks for the care and pains
they had taken for him and his company, and for their particular respects
to himself and observance of his desires; whereof he said he would by
letters acquaint his Majesty of Sweden, and report to the Protector their
respects to him. He desired them to accept a small testimony of his
thankfulness for their civilities. He gave the Vice-Admiral sixty
dollars, to distribute to the mariners, and sixty dollars more to the
officers of the ship,--that is, the master and his mate, the boatswain,
the constable (so they call the master gunner), the gunner's mate, and
the rest. To Captain Sinclair he gave eighty ducats, and to the
Vice-Admiral one hundred ducats, which were the best compliments, and
thankfully accepted by them; and Whitelocke was the more liberal in these
rewards, being to strangers, and for the honour of his nation.
The boats being gone, with the coaches, baggage, and most of the people,
and the rest not unwilling to be on shore, Whitelocke, with most of his
gentlemen, went in one of the ship-boats; the Vice-Admiral bare him
company, and did him the honour to steer the boat himself; the rest of
the company went in the other ship-boat. After Whitelocke was gone off
the length of two or three boats, and whilst the other boat lay by the
side of the ship, they fired forty pieces of ordnance, which, being so
very near, did, with the wind, or fear of the cannon, strike down some
that were in the boat, who were more than frighted, insomuch that one of
them, after he came to Lübeck, continued very ill with swooning fits; but
by the care of Doctor Whistler and good cordials, through the blessing of
God, he recovered, and was well again.
They went about half a league by water from the ship to the mouth of the
river, where there is a little fort with some great guns mounted, and
without that are small towers for lights to direct the seamen, and a
village called Tremon, where they landed, all belonging to the city of
Lübeck. _Mon_, in High Dutch, signifies a mouth, and _Tre_ is the name of
the river; so Tremon is the mouth of the river Tre. At their landing
stood, ready to receive them, a tall old man, with a long, white,
venerable beard; he wore a broad belt, with a long basket-hilted sword;
he was a Colonel, and Governor of that fort. He spake to Whitelocke in
High Dutch, which Potley interpreted to this effect:--
"My Lord Ambassador,
"In the name of my masters, the Lords of Lübeck, I bid your
Excellence welcome on shore and to this place."