From Grave Eric, Whitelocke went to visit the Senator Schütt, and Lynde, who lodged in one house, and met him at the door; and this day he made seven visits, besides his attendance upon the Queen, hastening to get over these matters of compliment and ceremony, that he might be upon his journey to Stockholm.
May 16, 1654.
Whitelocke entertains a party of ladies. Whitelocke visited General Douglas, who had been to visit him before, and now showed great respect unto him, and gave him many thanks for the English horse which Whitelocke had bestowed on him. After this, Whitelocke visited the Ricks-Admiral and the Senators Rosenhau and Bundt.
In the afternoon he visited Woolfeldt, who brought Whitelocke into the room where his lady and other ladies of great quality were with her. Whitelocke imagined some design to be herein, because it was a thing so unusual to bring gentlemen and strangers into the company of their ladies; and it fell out to be so, for Whitelocke, discoursing with the Lady Woolfeldt, who spake perfect French, she complained that she knew not where to have a place to see the entry of the Prince into Upsal. Whitelocke knowing his house to be conveniently situate for that purpose, and understanding the lady’s complaint, he, to free her from the danger of not seeing that solemnity, offered to her and to the rest of the ladies in her company, to command his house, which if they pleased to honour with their presence to see the entry of the Prince, he should take it as a great favour from their Excellencies; and the ladies readily accepted of his offer.
They presently came to Whitelocke’s house. With the Lady Woolfeldt was the Countess John Oxenstiern, the Countess Eric Oxenstiern, the Countess Tott, the Baroness Gildenstiern, and seven or eight other ladies of great quality. Before the Prince came into the town, Whitelocke caused a collation to be set on the table for the ladies, all after the English fashion, creams, tarts, butter, cheese, neats’ tongues, potted venison, apples, pears, sweetmeats, and excellent wine. They ate heartily, and seemed to be much pleased with it and with the Ambassador’s discourse, who strove to be cheerful with the ladies, and found it not unacceptable to them.
The entry of the Prince. The Prince’s entry and reception into Upsal this evening was thus:—The day before, by the Queen’s command, notice was given to all the senators, the nobility, gentry, and persons of quality about the Court and in town, to come in their best equipage on horseback, at one o’clock this afternoon to the castle, to attend the Queen on her going out to meet the Prince. They accordingly resorted to the Court, a very great number, and attended the Queen forth in this order, all passing and returning by Whitelocke’s window. First, Major-General Wrangel marched in the head of four troops of horse of Upland, proper men and well armed, their horses not tall but strong; every horseman carried ready in his hand one of his pistols, and his sword by his side, and most of them were well habited. Then marched Colonel Bengt Horne in the head of the gentlemen and servants of the senators and other volunteers, marching three and three abreast. After these rode about six of the Queen’s kettle-drums and twelve trumpets. Then came Mr. Eric Flemming, Governor of Copperberg, Marshal of the Nobility, followed by the heads of the families of the nobles in the same order as they are matriculated in the Ricksdag. They were generally very rich in clothes and well horsed, lords and gentlemen of principal note and consideration in their country, and members of the Ricksdag; they also rode three and three abreast. After them rode Mr. Gabriel Gabrielson, Marshal of the Court, and was followed by all the senators then in town, being about thirty, riding two and two abreast, grave in their habits for the most part, and well horsed. Then came the Ricks-Stallmaster and the Hof-Stallmaster—that is, the Master of the Horse of the Kingdom, and the Master of the Horse of the Court—riding bareheaded. After them came the Queen, gallantly mounted, habited in her usual fashion in grey stuff, her hat on her head, her pistols at her saddle-bow, and twenty-four of the Gardes-du-Corps about her person. After the Queen followed the Great Chamberlain, Grave Jacob de la Gardie, and Grave Tott, Captain of the Guards, both bareheaded. After them the Grave Donae, Gustavus Oxenstiern, and Gustavus Jean Banier, riding bareheaded. Then rode all the gentlemen of the Queen’s chamber, then the pages of her chamber. After them, in the last place, marched Colonel Line, in the head of four companies of the Guards, well armed, and indifferently well habited.
In this order they marched about half a league out of town, to the place appointed to meet the Prince, who was there attending. When they came thither, Major-General Wrangel marched to the left, leaving sufficient room that the Guards might pass to the right hand, the volunteers and Queen’s servants likewise turned to the left hand, and the Marshal of the Nobility to the right, with the Hof-Marshals; and all this train kept excellent order and discipline, as did the Prince’s train, which was also very great.
The Prince was alighted from his horse before the Queen came very near to him. When the Queen alighted, all the senators likewise alighted from their horses, but the nobility did not alight from horseback. After his Royal Highness had kissed the Queen’s hand, she discoursed a little with him, he being bareheaded all the time, and showing great respect to her as to his Queen. Then the Queen mounted again on horseback, the Prince waiting on her. The troops marched back to the town in the same order as they came forth, with great addition to their numbers. The Prince’s gentlemen and servants, who were a great number, fell into the troop where those of the Queen were, betwixt her gentlemen and the senators’ gentlemen,—his pages after the Queen’s. Himself rode after the Queen, and sometimes she would call him (as she did in the street) to speak with him, and then he rode even with her, but all the way bareheaded whilst he rode by the Queen and she talked with him.
The Prince was in a plain grey cloth suit of a light colour, mounted upon a very brave grey horse, with pistols at his saddle and his sword by his side. The Queen’s lacqueys were in rich yellow liveries; the Prince’s lacqueys in blue liveries, near twenty, walking by them. There were many led horses of the Queen’s and of the Prince’s, and seven or eight sumpter-horses of the Prince’s; the sumpter-clothes all of blue velvet, with the Prince’s arms embroidered on them, and rich silver fringe about them; the grooms and sumpter-men in the same livery, about twenty of them.
In this equipage they marched through the streets of Upsal, multitudes of people being spectators of their entry in the ways and windows. When they came to the Castle court, the nobility and volunteers alighted, and walked two and two before the Queen up into the great hall and to the antechamber; and the Queen being come into her withdrawing-room, after some little discourse there with the Prince and compliments passed, he went to the lodgings prepared for him, with not a few waiting on him who was the rising sun.