That he had no permission to leave the country, or letter of safe-conduct; and had he not chanced upon this Ramsay, leave to depart out of Sweden would have been refused him; that in the course of four years, with the exception of three months, he had received no pay; that his captain was now in Sweden in the neighbourhood of Boosund; that he himself had only stayed three weeks in Sweden, but had left his captain at Nyköping; and that although he had asked for a letter of safe-conduct, he had received nothing in answer to his entreaties but the words, "Begone, begone with you;" that he had not dared to ask Duke Gustavus for this letter; that his captain had promised his further services to the Swedes; that six captains besides, Scotchmen by birth, were still in the service of the country; that the Sieur de la Barre was in command of about five hundred Swedish cavalry; that they were defending the frontier; that no foreign soldiers were still left in any other place.
That six troops of cavalry, six hundred in all, were expected from Livonia next spring; that he had heard it said that there is not even one company of German soldiers in Sweden left entire. About the enrolment of soldiers abroad he knows nothing, though something may possibly be heard on the subject, after the session of the council is over.
That Gustavus was putting off and nourishing (the hopes of) his creditors, who were demanding their arrears of payment, with the specious words, "Be sure you shall be paid, be sure you shall be paid."
That he had no letter, except one from a merchant, a letter of credit for one hundred and fifty thalers to a citizen of Lubeck, named Hermann Schefler; that the said letter was to be sent to Rostock.
That he knew nothing about Stuart's letter of safe-conduct; that Stuart had received nothing except his food; that he was going to spend the winter there; that Stuart was not an ambassador; that the country people indeed called him so; that he had seen Stuart for the first time in Sweden.
That the Swedes were thoroughly panic-stricken; they were deserted by their soldiers; after the session was over envoys would be sent here (to treat for peace); that King Charles was execrated by the people; the ships at Stockholm were manned with peasants, not sailors; they had to live on bread and fish-brine, called by the natives "Strömling;" that in Russia, too, the soldiers were dying by famine.
That the Swedes would not succeed in getting foreign soldiers, as the best were already engaged in these parts (Denmark).
That the other lieutenant, who was now at Copenhagen, had served in Sweden during the past summer, and previously in Livonia; that the account he would give would not differ from the present.
That we did put all these questions as set down above, and that we did hear with our own ears the answers given to those questions, we bear witness with the signature of our own hands and seals.
Done at Fredericksborg on the 19th day of December 1611.