"Monseigneur,
"Je rends grâces à sa Majesté le Roi de Danemarck, du respect qu'il
lui à plu témoigner à sa Sérénissime Altesse mon maître, et de
l'honneur qu'il lui à plu faire à moi son serviteur, de quoi je ne
manquerai pas d'informer son Altesse. Je suis aussi beaucoup obligé
à votre Excellence pour l'honneur de votre visite, qu'il vous plaît
me donner en ce lieu, et principalement en un temps si fâcheux.
J'eusse aussi grande envie de baiser les mains de sa Majesté et de
voir sa cour, n'eût été que son Altesse a envoyé des navires exprès
pour m'emporter d'ici en Angleterre, et que j'ai ouï dire que le Roi
a remué sa cour de Copenhague ailleurs, à cause de la peste. Je suis
très-joyeux d'entendre de la santé de sa Majesté, auquel je
souhaite toute sorte de bonheur."
[SN: Visit from the Dutch Agent.]
After many compliments, Whitelocke gave, him precedence into his cabin;
and after some discourse there, a servant of the Agent of Holland was
brought in to Whitelocke, who said his master desired Whitelocke to
appoint a time when the Agent might come on board him to salute
Whitelocke and to kiss his hand. He answered that, at any hour when his
master pleased to do Whitelocke that honour, he should be welcome, and
that some noble persons being now with him, who, he hoped, would do him
the favour to take part of a sea-dinner with him, that if it would please
the Agent to do him the same favour, and to keep these honourable persons
company, it would be the greater obligation unto Whitelocke. The Grave,
hearing this, began to excuse himself, that he could not stay dinner with
Whitelocke, but, upon entreaty, he was prevailed with to stay.
About noon the Dutch Agent came in one of Whitelocke's boats on board his
ship, whom he received at the ship's side, and saluted with seven guns at
his entry. The Agent spake to Whitelocke to this purpose:--"That, passing
by Glückstadt towards Hamburg, he was informed of Whitelocke's being in
this place, and thereupon held it his duty, and agreeable to the will of
his Lords, not to proceed in his journey without first giving a visit to
Whitelocke to testify the respect of his superiors to the Protector and
Commonwealth of England, as also to Whitelocke in particular." Whitelocke
returned thanks to the Agent for the respect which he testified to the
Protector, and for the honour done to Whitelocke, and that it would be
acceptable so the Protector to hear of this respect from my Lords the
States to him, whereof he should not fail to inform his Highness when he
should have the opportunity to be near him.
[SN: Entertainment of Count Ranzau.]
The Grave went first into Whitelocke's cabin, after him the Agent, and
then Whitelocke, who gave these guests a plentiful dinner on ship-board.
The Grave desired that Whitelocke's sons might be called in to dine with
them, which was done, and Whitelocke asked the Grave if he would have any
of his company to dine with him. He desired one of the gentlemen, who was
admitted accordingly.
They were served with the States' plate, which Whitelocke had caused to
be taken forth on this occasion; and the strangers would often take up
the plates and dishes to look on them, wondering to see so many great and
massy pieces of silver plate as there were. They drank no healths, the
Grave telling Whitelocke he had heard it was against his judgement, and
therefore he did forbear to begin any healths, for which civility
Whitelocke thanked him; and they had no want of good wine and meat, and
such as scarce had been seen before on ship-board. They discoursed of the
affairs in Sweden, and of the happy peace between England and Denmark,
and the like. Monsieur De la Marche gave thanks in French, because they
all understood it.
After dinner Whitelocke took out his tobacco-box, which the Grave looked
upon, being gold, and his arms, the three falcons, engraven on it;
whereupon he asked Whitelocke if he loved hawks, who said he was a
falconer by inheritance, as his coat of arms testified. The Grave said
that he would send him some hawks the next winter out of his master's
dominions of Iceland, where the best in the world were bred, which he
nobly performed afterwards.
The Grave earnestly invited Whitelocke to go on shore with him to his
house, which was within two leagues of Glückstadt, where he should meet
Monsieur Schestedt and his lady, and the next day he would bring
Whitelocke to the King, who much desired to see him; and the Grave
offered to bring Whitelocke back again in his coach to Glückstadt.
Whitelocke desired to be excused by reason of his voyage, and an order of
his country that those who had the command of any of the State's ships
were not to lie out of them until they brought them home again; otherwise
Whitelocke said he had a great desire to kiss his Majesty's hand and to
wait upon his Excellence and the noble company at his house; and he
desired that his humble thanks and excuse might be made to the King. The
Grave replied that Whitelocke, being an Extraordinary Ambassador, was not
within the order concerning commanders of the State's ships, but he might
be absent and leave the charge of the ships to the inferior officers.
Whitelocke said that as Ambassador he had the honour to command those
ships, and so was within the order, and was commanded by his Highness to
return forthwith to England; that if, in his absence, the wind and
weather should come fair, or any harm should come to any of the ships, he
should be answerable for neglecting of his trust. Whitelocke also was
unwilling, though he must not express the same, to put himself under the
trouble and temptations which he might meet with in such a journey, and
to neglect the least opportunity of proceeding in his voyage homewards.
The Grave, seeing Whitelocke not to be persuaded, hasted away; and after
compliments and ceremonies passed with great civility, he and the Agent
and their company went into one of Whitelocke's ship-boats, with a crew
of his men and his Lieutenant to attend them. At their going off, by
Whitelocke's order only one gun was fired, and a good while after the
'President' fired all her guns round, the 'Elizabeth,' according to
custom, did the like; so that there was a continual firing of great guns
during the whole time of their passage from the ship unto the
shore--almost a hundred guns, and the fort answered them with all the
guns they had.
At the Lieutenant's return he told Whitelocke that the Grave, when he
heard but one gun fired for a good while together, began to be highly
offended, saying that his master, the King, was slighted and himself
dishonoured, to be sent away with one gun only fired, and he wondered the
Ambassador carried it in such a manner; but afterwards, when the rest of
the guns went off, the Grave said he would tell the King how highly the
English Ambassador had honoured his Majesty and his servant by the most
magnificent entertainment that ever was made on ship-board, and by the
number of guns at his going away, and that this was the greatest honour
he ever received, with much to the like purpose; and he gave to the
Lieutenant for his pains two pieces of plate of silver gilt, and ten
rix-dollars to the boat's company, and twenty rix-dollars more to the
ship's company.
_June 23, 1654._
This was the seventh day that Whitelocke had lain on the Elbe, which was
tedious to him; and now, fresh provisions failing, he sent Captain Crispe
to Glückstadt to buy more, whose diligence and discretion carried him
through his employments to the contentment of his master. He brought good
provisions at cheap rates.
[SN: Whitelocke agrees to convoy four English cloth ships.]
The four captains of the English cloth-ships came on board Whitelocke to
visit him; they were sober, experienced sea commanders; their ships lay
at anchor close to Whitelocke. After dinner they told Whitelocke that if
their ships had been three leagues lower down the river, they could not
have anchored in this bad weather without extreme danger, the sea being
there much higher, and the tide so strong that their cables would not
have held their ships; and that if they had been at sea in this weather,
they had been in imminent peril of shipwreck, and could not have returned
into the river, nor have put into the Weser nor any other harbour.
Whitelocke said that they and he were the more bound to God, who had so
ordered their affairs as to keep them, during all the storms wherein they
had been, in a safe and good harbour; he wished them, in this and all
their voyages, to place their confidence in God, who would be the same
God to them as now, and in all their affairs of this life.
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._
[SN: The convoy sails to Rose Beacon.]
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 Glückstadt 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 Glückstadt; 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.
[SN: The cloth ships return to Glückstadt.]
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
Glückstadt 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.
[SN: A present from Count Ranzau.]
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
Glückstadt, 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 Majesté la Reine de Suède._
"Monseigneur,
"Nous croyons être obligés de faire connaître à votre Excellence que
Monseigneur le Comte de Ranzau, notre maître, nous avait donné
commission de venir très-humblement baiser les mains de votre
Excellence, et lui faire présenter quelques cerfs, sangliers,
lièvres, perdrix, et quantité de carpes; la supplier de s'en
rafraîchir un peu, pendant que l'opiniâtreté d'un vent contraire lui
empêcherait une meilleure commodité, et d'assurer votre Excellence,
de la part de Monseigneur le Comte, qu'il souhaite avec passion de
pouvoir témoigner à votre Excellence combien il désire les occasions
pour lui rendre très-humbles services, et contracter avec elle une
amitié plus étroite; et comme son Excellence s'en allait trouver le
Roi, son maître, qu'il ne laisserait point de dire à sa Majesté les
civilités que votre Excellence lui avait faites, et que sa Majesté
épouserait sans doute ses intérêts, pour l'assister de s'acquitter
de son devoir avec plus de vigueur, lorsque la fortune lui en
fournirait quelque ample matière.
"Mais, Monseigneur, nous avons été si malheureux d'arriver à
Glückstadt cinq ou six heures après que votre Excellence avait fait
voile et était descendu vers la mer; toutefois avons-nous pris
vitement un vaisseau pour suivre, et n'étions guères loin du hâvre
où l'on disait que votre Excellence était contrainte d'attendre un
vent encore plus favorable, quand notre vaisseau, n'étant point
chargé, fut tellement battu par une grande tempête, que nous étions
obligés de nous en retourner sans pouvoir executer les ordres de
Monseigneur le Comte, notre maître, dont nous avons un déplaisir
incroyable. Votre Excellence a une bonté et générosité
très-parfaite; c'est pourquoi nous la supplions très-humblement,
d'imputer plutôt à notre malheur qu'à la volonté de Monseigneur le
Comte, le mauvais succès de cette notre entreprise; aussi bien la
lettre ici enfermée de son Excellence Monseigneur le Comte donnera
plus de croyance à nos paroles.
"Nous demandons très-humblement pardon à votre Excellence de la
longueur de celle-ci, et espérons quelque rencontre plus heureuse
pour lui témoigner de meilleure grâce que nous sommes passionément,
"Monseigneur, de votre Excellence
"Très-humbles et très-obéissans serviteurs,
"FRANÇOIS LOUIS VAN DE WIELE.
"BALTH. BORNE."