Whitelocke had also in this packet letters from his old friends Mr. Hall, Mr. Eltonhead, the Lord Commissioner Lisle, his brothers Wilson and Carleton, Mr. Peters, Sir Joseph Holland, and divers others; also letters from Hamburg, from Mr. Bradshaw, the Protector’s Resident there, with some intercepted letters from the King’s party, as Sir Edward Hyde and several others.
His audience of leave-taking. This day being appointed for Whitelocke’s last audience, he was habited in a plain suit of very fine English cloth of musk-colour, the buttons of gold, enamelled, and in each button a ruby, and rich points and ribbons of gold; his gentlemen were in their richest clothes; his pages and lacqueys, above twenty, in their liveries. In the afternoon two of the Ricks-Senators, with the master of the ceremonies, came with two of the Queen’s coaches to Whitelocke’s house, to bring him to his audience. He received them with the usual ceremony, and after they had sat a little while in his bedchamber, one of the Senators said that by the Queen’s command they were come to him to accompany him to his audience which he had desired this day, and that her Majesty was ready to receive him. Whitelocke answered, that he was always desirous to wait upon her Majesty, and not the less now because it was in order to return to his own country. They made no long compliments, but went down and took their coaches.
The noblemen’s coaches sent thither to accompany him went first, then followed his two coaches, and last the Queen’s coaches. In the last of them sat the two Senators in the fore-end, Whitelocke in the back-end, and the master in the boot; the gentlemen in the several coaches, the pages and lacqueys walking and riding behind the coaches. At the bridge of the castle was a guard of musketeers more than formerly, of about two companies, with their officers; they made a lane from the bridge to the end of the Court. As soon as Whitelocke was alighted out of the coach, the Ricks-Hofmeister with his silver staff met him at the stairs’ foot, very many of the Queen’s servants and courtiers with him very gallant. Whitelocke’s gentlemen went first, two and two up the stairs; after them the Queen’s servants, then the master of the ceremonies, then the Hof-Marshal, then the two Senators and Whitelocke between them, followed by his sons, his chaplains, physician, secretaries, and steward, and after them his pages and lacqueys. In this order they mounted the stairs, and through the great chamber to the guard-chamber, where the Queen’s partisans stood in their rich coats, with the arms of Sweden embroidered with gold, their swords by their sides, and rich halberds gilded in their hands; they stood in a fixed posture, more like images than men. When they came to the audience-chamber, there was scarce room for any of Whitelocke’s gentlemen to come in; but by the civility of the Queen’s servants room was made for them, and they made a lane from the door of the chamber to the upper end near the Queen, who was upon a foot-pace covered with carpets, and a rich canopy over her head. Her habit was black silk stuff for her coats, and over them a black velvet jippo, such as men use to wear; she had upon her breast the jewel of the Order of the Knights of Amaranta; her hair hung loose as it used to do, and her hat was after the fashion of men. A great number of senators and of civil and military officers and courtiers,—many more than ordinarily did appear at any audience,—stood all bare about her, and a few ladies were behind her. She stood upon the carpets before the state with her hat on; and when Whitelocke came first into the room, and pulled off his hat, the Queen presently pulled off her hat; and when Whitelocke made his honours, she answered him, though at that distance, with a short curtsey. After his three obeisances, being come up to the Queen, he kissed her hand; then the Queen put on her hat, and [Whitelocke] put on his hat, and after a little pause, with high silence and solemnity in all the company, Whitelocke took off his hat, and the Queen took off her hat likewise, and all the time of his speaking both of them were uncovered. Whitelocke, having made his ceremonies, spake to the Queen thus:—
Whitelocke’s farewell speech. “Madam,
“I confess that the time of my absence from my relations and concernments in my own country would have seemed very tedious, had I not been in the public service and honoured with admittance into your Majesty’s presence, whose favours, answerable to your greatness though above my merit, have been enlarged towards me during the whole time of my residence under the just and safe protection of your Majesty; the which,—with the civilities of those most excellent persons with whom I treated, and of those who have been pleased to honour me with their acquaintance in your Court,—I shall not fail to acknowledge with all respect.
“But, Madam, to your Majesty I shall not presume to return any other acknowledgment than by the thanks of my Lord the Protector, who is able to judge of the affection shown to him, and to the Commonwealth whereof he is the head, by the honour done unto their servant.
“Madam, it is your great judgement in the public interest, and your desire to advance the good of your own State and that of your neighbours, and the particular respect that you bear to my master, whereby the business trusted to my care by his Highness is brought to such an issue as I hope will be a solid foundation of great and mutual prosperity to both these nations.
“I have nothing to add on my part, but to entreat that my failings and errors, not wilfully committed, may be excused; to take my leave of your Majesty, and to assure you that there is no person who honours you more than I do, and who shall be more ready to lay hold on any opportunity whereby I may endeavour, to the utmost of my power, to contribute to the happiness and prosperity of your royal Majesty and of your people.”
As it was done at Whitelocke’s first audience, so he now ordered it, that Monsieur De la Marche, one of his chaplains, did, at the end of every sentence, as Whitelocke spake, interpret the same to the Queen in French. During all the time of his speaking to the Queen she looked him wistly in the face and came up very near unto him, as she had done at his first audience,—perhaps to have daunted him, as she had done others, but he was not daunted; and when he had made an end of speaking, after a little pause the Queen answered him in the Swedish language, which was then interpreted in Latin to Whitelocke, to this effect:—
The Queen’s reply. “My Lord Ambassador,