June 12, 1654.
The Resident sent to the Governor to inform him that Whitelocke had a desire to see the fortifications of the town. He answered that he would send one of his lieutenants to wait on Whitelocke for that purpose; but Whitelocke and the Resident took this for no great compliment that himself came not to Whitelocke. Much company did Whitelocke the honour to dine with him; Interview with the Swedish Envoy to the Emperor. and after dinner Monsieur Bernelow, who was Ambassador from the Queen of Sweden to the Emperor, and was now upon his return home, came to visit Whitelocke, and they had this discourse in Latin.
Bernelow. I desire your Excellence to excuse me that I cannot express myself in French or Italian, but, with your leave, I desire to speak to you in Latin.
Whitelocke. Your Excellence is welcome to me; and if you choose to express yourself in Latin, you have your liberty, and I shall understand something of it.
Bern. When I heard of your Excellence’s arrival in this city, though I purposed to have gone from hence, yet I deferred my journey, to the end I might see you, because I have heard in the Emperor’s Court, as well by letters from her Most Serene Majesty of Sweden as from the Chancellor and other senators of that kingdom, what great satisfaction they had in the English Ambassador, etc. Now the league of friendship being concluded between the two nations, I hold myself obliged to make this salutation to your Excellence.
Wh. I have very many thanks to return to your Excellence for the honour you have done me by this visit, and for these expressions of affection and respect to the Protector, my master. I do acknowledge myself much engaged to the Ricks-Chancellor and senators of Sweden, and in the first place to her Majesty the Queen, for their favourable respect towards me whilst I was in my negotiation with them, whom I found full of honour, wisdom, and justice, in their transactions with me.
Bern. I have been for some time in the service of the Queen, my mistress, in Germany.
Wh. You met some of my countrymen in the Court of the Emperor, particularly a noble lord, whom I have the honour to know.
Bern. I met there the Earl of Rochester, who was at the Diet at Ratisbon.
Wh. What proposals did he make there?
Bern. He made a kind of precarious proposal in the name of the King, his master.
Wh. Did he obtain what he desired?
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 Lüneburg 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 Lüneburg, 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.
Whitelocke visits the fortifications of Hamburg. 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 Lübeck. 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 Lübeck 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.