Running the gauntlet. The people stood in length in the market-place about a hundred yards, leaving an open space or lane between them of about five yards’ distance; then the offender, being naked to the waist, was brought to one end of the lane or open place. The people had rods or switches of birch given to as many as would take them; the offender was to run or go, as he pleased (and one of them walked but a Spanish pace), from one end of the lane of people to the other, twice or thrice forward and backward; and all the way as he went, the people who had the switches lashed the offender as he passed by them, harder or softer, as they favoured him. These are the most usual ways of executions which they have for criminal offences, and they do not execute men by hanging, which they say is only fit for dogs; but in cases of great robberies and murders sometimes they execute justice by breaking the offenders upon the wheel, and leave the quarters of the body upon it; some whereof were in the way as Whitelocke passed in his journey by the great wilderness.
Vestiges of the Scandinavian mythology. In the afternoon Senator Schütt came to Whitelocke and invited him to take the air to see the town of old Upsal, about a mile off; and being there, Schütt showed him three great mounts of earth, cast up by the hands of men, for monuments in memory of their ancient famous kings, whose seat had been here, and the place of their coronation. These mounts had been dedicated to three of their Pagan gods: the one to the god whom they call Teuo, who was Mars, and from him they have the name of the day of the week Teuosdag, which we call Tuesday, and the Germans Tuisconsdæg, and the Latins Dies Martis; the second mount was dedicated to their god Woden, so they called Mercury, and from thence their day of the week is named Wodensdag, which we also call Wednesday, the Germans Wodensdæg, and the Latins Dies Mercurii; the third mount was dedicated to their goddess Freya, so they called Venus, and from thence comes the name of their Friedsdag, which we call Friday, the Germans Frigdæg, and the Latins Dies Veneris.
There were also other relics of decayed mounts, which Whitelocke guessed to have been dedicated to their other gods, from whom they gave the names of the other days of the week: as, to Thor, whom they called Jupiter, and, from whence the day Thoresdag, which we call Thursday, the Germans say Thorsdæg, and the Latins Dies Jovis; another mount dedicated to their god Setorn, from whence they call Setornsdag, as we say Saturday, the Germans Sæternsdæg, and the Latins Dies Saturni; another mount dedicated to Sunnan, as they call the Sun, and from thence that day [Sunnandag], as we say Sunday, the Germans Sunnandæg, and the Latins Dies Solis; the last mount dedicated to Monan, that is the Moon, and from thence the name of their Monandag, which we call Monday, the Germans Monandæg, and the Latins Dies Lunæ.
The war between Muscovy and Poland. In discourse upon the way, Schütt informed Whitelocke of the matter of the embassy from the Great Duke of Muscovia to the Queen of Sweden, which was to acquaint her Majesty that the Great Duke had begun a war against the King of Poland, because in a letter of his to the Great Duke he had omitted one of his great titles,—a heinous offence, and held by the Great Duke a sufficient ground of war, and of his resolution to sacrifice the blood of his fellow-Christians to satisfy his wicked pride. Another ground of the war was because a certain Governor of a province in Poland, in a writing, had placed the name of the father of the Great Duke before the name of the present Great Duke; which was so great an indignity, that for the same the now Great Duke demanded of the King of Poland to have the head of that Governor sent to him, and that not being done, was another cause of the begun war. To this the Queen answered, that it did not appertain to her to give her opinion in a matter of this nature, whether she did approve or disapprove of what was done by the Great Duke, but she did presume that the King of Poland would therein give fitting satisfaction to the Great Duke; and that she did wish that there might be peace between these two Princes and all the Princes of Christendom. And with this answer the Envoys of the Great Duke returned as wise as they came.
Denmark threatens Hamburg. Schütt also communicated unto Whitelocke an intelligence that the King of Denmark had levied some forces which he designed against Hamburg,—pretending injuries done to him by that city in relation to his pretensions of dominion there, which probably might occasion a war between Denmark and that free city, which had strength and riches and people and wisdom to defend themselves; and Schütt advised Whitelocke that if this should be so, that then he should take his voyage some other way, and that it would be a great disturbance and danger to him to go by Hamburg and those quarters, which would be infested with soldiers, and that then it would be his best way to return by Gothenburg; but he did persuade Whitelocke by all means to salute the Prince of Sweden by the way of his return. Whitelocke said he thought it not probable that the King of Denmark would at this time engage in a war against Hamburg, and that his levying of soldiers might breed a jealousy in the Crown of Sweden; that the certainty thereof could not be long undiscovered, and accordingly he should govern his own resolutions; that it would be difficult for him to stay in his journey to salute the Prince, but he much desired and intended it before his departure.
April 2, 1654.
Although the Lord’s Day, yet the English and Scots who were in the town, and not of Whitelocke’s family, went abroad to take the air, and did not resort, as they used to do, to Whitelocke’s house to the exercises of divine worship, which were duly performed in his private family; and after those sacra peracta, Whitelocke retired himself to his private studies and meditations upon the word of truth. This day likewise the Queen went abroad to take the air, and passed through the town in her coach, attended by many gentlemen and others in her train, to the ill example of her people, and after the bad custom of this place.
April 3, 1654.
Whitelocke takes the air with the Queen. The Queen sent to Whitelocke to invite him to accompany her to take the air.
By the way Whitelocke visited Woolfeldt, who had much discourse with him about the English fleet then at sea. From him Whitelocke went to Court, and attended the Queen in her coach to take the air. They had not much discourse about his business, and he thought not fit to interrupt her Majesty’s pleasures with serious discourses, but sought to delight her with matters of diversion and mirth. When they were come back to the castle, the Queen said to Whitelocke:—