Whitelocke's people, so that most of them were forced to make shift with straw and cushions instead of saddles; and many of the bits and stirrups were such as they had been acquainted with in their journey from Gothenburg hither; and thus they rode the two first stages. Whitelocke took coach between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, Sir George Fleetwood, Potley, Ingelo, and Andrews, in his coach with him; the rest on horseback; they came about noon to the place where fresh horses staid for them, and did not tarry long there, wanting good entertainment, but, taking fresh horses both for coach and saddle, they proceeded in their journey. The country through which they passed was better than that near the sea, less rocky and more fruitful, not so replenished with seats of the nobility further off, as nearer to Stockholm. By the way they met General Axy Lyllye, a Senator of Sweden, newly returned out of Germany, and another Senator with him; they alighted out of their coach when Whitelocke came near them, who, seeing that, did alight also. The General had lost one of his legs in the German wars, and now carried one of wood; he and his companion were very civil in their salutation and discourse with Whitelocke, and after compliments, and inquiry by Whitelocke of the German news, they took leave and parted. Whitelocke and his company arrived between five and six o'clock in the evening at Stockholm, the journey being seven Swedish leagues, about forty English miles. As he came in the suburbs, he saw a sad sight of many houses lately burnt down, and some pulled down to prevent the further raging of the fire, Stockholm. which had consumed many scores of houses in that place; and it brought to Whitelocke's remembrance, that one evening at Upsal, in his chamber window, he saw a great fire in a dorf about half a league from the town, which he observed, almost in a moment, to flash from one end of the dorf to the other, consuming all in its way,-and thus it was said to have been in these suburbs. The reason thereof is the combustible matter whereof their houses are built, being of fir timber and boards, which, especially being old, do suddenly take fire, and violently burn, hard to be quenched, few houses escaping, especially in the dorfs, where one is on fire; which causeth more than ordinary care in the inhabitants of all places to prevent that fearful danger. Berkman conducted Whitelocke to a lodging in the suburbs, over-against the castle, which was used for an inn. This being post-night, Whitelocke made up his despatches for England, which he had prepared at Upsal, where he wrote his letters, but dated them from Stockholm, that his friends in England might thereby perceive that he was in his journey home. wards, which he knew would be no small contentment to them. May 21, 1654. Being the Lord's Day, divers Scotch merchants, inhabitants of this city, and some English, came to Whitelocke's lodging to hear the sermon in the morning, and many of them did him the honour to dine with him; he had conference with them, and good advice from them, about his voyage to England and other matters. Lagerfeldt came also to salute White locke, and to know what service he had for him, before his going from hence this evening. Whitelocke desired him to speak to the master of the customs, touching the shipping of his copper and other goods, custom free; and Whitelocke prayed Lagerfeldt also to speak to Vice-Admiral Wrangel, that the ship appointed for his transportation (which was now in the road in view of Whitelocke's lodging) might, with as much speed as could be, fall down to the Dollars ; which he promised to do. Wrangel sent to invite Whitelocke to go this afternoon to see the ships, but Whitelocke excused it by reason of the day, and sent word that tomorrow, if he pleased, he would wait upon him; and desired his advice touching his voyage. In the evening Lagerfeldt came again to Whitelocke, to give him an account what he had done by his appointment, and told Whitelocke that he should have all contentment. With Lagerfeldt came Monsieur de Geeres to visit Whitelocke, who gave him thanks for a vessel of claret wine which De Geeres had sent to Whitelocke, who said he hoped he should not stay long enough to drink it out in this place. At Upsal Whitelocke was carried to see the Queen's garden, which scarce deserved that name, being only a piece of ground of about four or five acres, paled in according to the manner of their paling, and had in it a few hedges which, in the latter end of May, upon the thaw, began to appear a little green; but for flowers or fruit-trees there were none, except a few ordinary tulips. This put Whitelocke in mind to inquire if the Queen had a better garden here at Stockholm, where her residence usually was. VOL. II. The Swedes U The Stockholm. excused the meanness of the garden at Upsal because garden at the Court was seldom there, but here they commended the garden, and offered Whitelocke the favour to see it. He went about seven o'clock this evening to view it, and to walk in the Queen's garden here. It was near unto his lodging, but at a distance from the castle; it is about six or seven acres of ground, encompassed with a pale, on which they bestow timber enough in the posts and rails, and the pales are not set upright one by another, but crosswise one upon another, between two great posts, with rivets for the pales to be put into, and so to fall down one upon the other; and the pales are two inches thick or more, made of fir timber, and the posts and rails of oak. This garden was distinguished into walks not well kept nor gravelled, but most of them green; few flowers were to be seen there, though more than at Upsal, and most of these were tulips not extraordinary. The sides of the walks were set with elm-trees and the like, but no fruit-trees were there, nor are they common in this cold country, only, as they informed Whitelocke, in some places they have a few trees of plums, and small cherries, and of apples; but he saw none in regard of the season, nor do many persons in these parts delight in gardens or in planting fruits or flowers, this climate not encouraging thereunto; yet here were great boxes of wood with orange-trees, citron-trees, and myrtle-trees, very young, planted in them; how they thrived was not much visible. At Whitelocke's lodging some of his people made the greater fires to air the rooms, because the plague had been lately in this city, and in that house the chimneys, it seems, being foul, and full of soot, were the sooner set on fire; and when Whitelocke came from walking in the garden he found his lodging on fire. It was a stack of chimneys which took fire; a multitude of people were ready about the house to help to quench the fire, and the officers of the city were there to order the people. Whitelocke was surprised with this unexpected accident and danger, amongst such houses; but after an hour's flame, the soot being spent and burnt, the fire went out of itself; and it was a mercy that the wind set to carry the flame towards a house which was tiled, whereas, if it had set the other way, it had carried the flame upon houses all built and covered with wood, to the extreme danger of Whitelocke's lodging and the whole city. May 22, 1654. bour of and Swe In the morning Berkman conducted Whitelocke to The harthe haven, where lay many boats and vessels great and Stockholm small, and much iron upon the quay, which is conve- dish fleet. nient, but not much stored. They passed by many fair houses belonging to the great Lords. In the afternoon Wrangel came to Whitelocke, and conducted him to see the Queen's ships, which lie round about an island called by them the Holm, into which island none are permitted to enter without special license. This is a good harbour for the ships there to anchor safely. There lay about fifty ships of war, some of them carrying eighty pieces of cannon, some sixty, some fifty, some forty, some thirty, and all of them well fitted and useful, strongly built, but not so nimble and serviceable for fight as our English frigates. Wrangel was now in his element, and discoursed much |