A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II. | Page 6

visited the Ricks-Droitset Grave Brahe, who is of the noble
family of Tycho Brahe. He was President of the College of Justice, and
the First Minister of State of the kingdom: the name of his office is as
much as Viceroy, and his jurisdiction is a sovereign court for the
administration of justice, and he hath power both civil and military.
The office is in effect the same with that ancient officer with us called
the Chief Justice of England. The habit of this Chief Justice of Sweden
was a coat, and a furred cap of black, a sword and belt, and no cloak;
two soldiers sentry at his chamber-door, which Whitelocke had not
observed elsewhere but at the Court. They had much discourse of
Whitelocke's business, wherein he testified affections to the
Commonwealth of England, though Whitelocke had been informed that
he was not their friend; but he the rather chose to visit him first, and
found him very civil: he spake Latin very readily, and no French,
although Whitelocke was told he could speak it well.
He inquired much of the Commonwealth and affairs of England, and
government of it, and seemed well pleased by Whitelocke's relation of
it. He informed Whitelocke of the Swedish Government, and
particularly of his own office. He discoursed much of the Prince of
Sweden, which Whitelocke judged the fitter for him to approve,
because Prince Adolphus's lady was this Grave's daughter. He told
Whitelocke that he had been Governor of Finland ten years together,
which province he affirmed to be greater than France, and that the
Queen's dominions were larger than France, Spain, Italy, all together.
Whitelocke asked him if those countries were well peopled, and
flourished with corn and good towns. He answered that Finland was
well peopled, and had store of corn, and good towns; but that it was not
so with Lapland and other countries further off. But he said that no part
of Sweden had such towns as were in England, where he had been

when he was a young man, which country he much praised; and
Whitelocke had no cause to gainsay it.
Piementelle sent to Whitelocke an atlas, in four great volumes, in
acknowledgment of a vessel of Spanish wine which Whitelocke had
before sent to him for a present.
_March 7, 1653._
The Governor of Upsal, Monsieur Bannier, presented to Whitelocke
three Latin books:--1. The Story of Sweden; 2. Of the Laws of Sweden;
3. Of Sea Affairs; which were not ordinarily to be had.
[SN: Whitelocke takes the air with the Queen.]
The Queen sent one of her servants to invite Whitelocke to take the air
with her in the fields; and being come to the castle, she excused her not
being yet ready to confer with him upon his articles, as she had
promised, but told him that she had ordered something to be written
down on that subject to show to him. She took him into her coach,
where was the "Belle Comtesse," the Countess Gabriel Oxenstiern,
Prince Adolphus, Piementelle, Montecuculi, Tott, and Whitelocke. The
Queen was very merry, and they were full of cheerful discourse. Being
returned to the castle at night, she desired to hear Whitelocke's music,
whom he sent for to the castle; and they played and sang in her
presence, wherewith she seemed much pleased, and desired Whitelocke
to thank them in her name. She said she never heard so good a concert
of music, and of English songs; and desired Whitelocke, at his return to
England, to procure her some to play on those instruments which would
be most agreeable to her.
[SN: The Chancellor falls ill.]
Lagerfeldt came to Whitelocke in the Court, and told him that the
Chancellor intended to have had a meeting with him this day, but was
hindered by falling sick of an ague; but in case his health would not
permit him to meet, that then his son Eric Oxenstiern, by the Queen's
appointment, would meet and confer with Whitelocke about the treaty

in place of his father. But Whitelocke was not glad of this deputation,
wishing much rather to confer with the old man upon this subject, who
was good-natured, civil, and affectionate to Whitelocke, than with the
son, Grave Eric, who was of a more rugged and self-conceited humour,
and not so soon gained by reason and convinced by arguments as the
good old man his father used to be.
_March 8, 1653._
[SN: The Chancellor's son resumes the negotiation.]
Grave Eric Oxenstiern visited Whitelocke, and spake much to excuse
the delay of his treaty; and said that his father was very sick of an ague,
and he believed the Queen would depute some other to confer with him,
in case his father's health would not permit him that liberty.
_Whitelocke._