“I found very useful for your Highness’s service there Mr. Lagerfeldt, Secretary Canterstein, Mr. Ravius, and others; and I had good assistance from my countrymen, General-Major Fleetwood, a true friend to England, my Lord Douglas, Colonel Hamilton, and others.
“And having now given your Highness some account of persons, I come to the matter of my negotiation, which I laid the best I could.
“By advice I made my applications to the Queen herself, and, as much as I could, put the business upon her personal determination, which she liked, and it proved advantageous. I presented to her at once all my articles, except three reserved. The articles proposed a league offensive and defensive; whereupon she objected the unsettledness of our Commonwealth, the present peace of her kingdoms, and our being involved in a war. To which I answered, that her kingdoms could not long continue in peace, and would have as much need of our assistance as we of theirs; and our war and successes against Holland were arguments that our friendship merited acceptance; that I hoped our Commonwealth was settled, and that leagues were between nations, not governments.
“This debate was very large with her Majesty, who seemed satisfied with my answers, and appointed her Chancellor to treat with me; who much more insisted upon the unsettledness of our Commonwealth and upon the same objections which the Queen had made, and received from me the same answers; which proved the more satisfactory after the news of your Highness’s accession to the Government, which made this treaty proceed more freely.
“I had often and long disputes with the Chancellor upon the article touching English rebels being harboured in Sweden; most of all, touching contraband goods, and about reparation of the losses of the Swedes by prizes taken from them in our Dutch war by us, besides many other objections, whereof I have given a former account by letters. The Chancellor being sick, his son Grave Eric was commissioned to treat with me in his father’s stead, and was much more averse to my business, and more earnest upon the objections, than the old man, whom, being recovered, I found more moderate, yet we could not agree one way or other. And when I pressed for a conclusion, both the Queen and her Chancellor did ingenuously acknowledge, that they desired first to see whether the peace would be made between us and Holland, before they came to a determination upon my treaty; wherein I could not but apprehend reason: and when the news came that the peace between your Highness and the Dutch was concluded, I urged a conclusion of my treaty; and what the Chancellor and I differed in, the Queen was pleased to reconcile, and so we came to the full agreement contained in this instrument, signed and sealed by the Queen’s Commissioners, which I humbly present to your Highness and this Honourable Board; and which I hope, through the goodness of God, may be of advantage to this Commonwealth, and to the Protestant interest.”
Here Whitelocke, making a little pause, delivered into the Protector’s hand the instrument of his treaty, fairly written in Latin, in a book of vellum, with the hands and seals to it of the Ricks-Chancellor and his son Grave Eric, which being done, Whitelocke went on in his speech.
“I cannot but acknowledge the great goodness of God to me in this employment, in my preservation from attempts against my person, raising me up such eminent friends, giving me so much favour in the eyes of strangers, inclining the Queen’s heart to an extraordinary affection and favour towards me, and giving this good success to my business, notwithstanding the designs and labours of many enemies to the contrary. The treaty with me being thus finished, the business came on of the Queen’s resignation of the Crown, wherein she was pleased to express a great confidence in a stranger, by imparting it to me many weeks before, whereof I took the boldness to certify your Highness.
“The Prince who was to succeed the Queen was sent for to Upsal, and their Ricksdag, or Parliament, was to meet there in the beginning of May. Your Highness will not expect many arguments of your servant’s longing desires of returning, when he had advice that your frigates sent for him were in the Elbe; yet, judging it might conduce to your service to salute the Prince, I staid till his entry (which was in great state) into Upsal, where I saluted him from your Highness, and acquainted him with my negotiation, which he well approved; and, to testify his great respect to your Highness and this Commonwealth, he came in person to visit me at my house, and used me with so much extraordinary favour and ceremony, that never the like had been done before to any ambassador. We had several conferences at large, much discourse of your Highness and of this Commonwealth, with the particulars whereof I shall acquaint you at your better leisure.
“The time of the Queen’s resignation being near, I thought it not convenient for me to be then upon the place, but removed to Stockholm; where I was when the resignation and new coronation were solemnized at Upsal. The magistrates of Stockholm expressed good respect to your Highness and this Commonwealth. From hence I embarked the 1st of June, in a good ship of the Queen’s, to cross the Baltic Sea. She sent one of her Vice-Admirals, Clerke, to attend me; and, after a dangerous voyage and bad weather, the Lord gave us a safe arrival at Lübeck, on the 7th of June. The magistrates, by their Syndic, here bid me welcome and expressed some respect, and made some requests by me to your Highness.
“From Lübeck I travelled over Holstein and Lüneburg, and came the 10th of June to Hamburg; where I was also very civilly saluted by some of the magistrates and Syndic; and most of the Lords came afterwards to me, and testified extraordinary respect and service to your Highness and this Commonwealth. My countrymen, the company of Merchant Adventurers there, showed very much kindness to me, and I endeavoured to do them service to the Lords of the town, making use of your Highness’s name therein.