Coyet, Resident for Sweden, the Earls of Bedford and Devon, the Lords St. John, Ossory, Bruce, Ogilvie, and two or three other young lords, the Count of Holac (a German), the Lord George Fleetwood, and a great many knights and gentlemen, besides the Ambassador’s company.  It was a very great feast, of seven courses.  The Swedish Ambassador was very courteous to me; but the Dutch and others were reserved towards me, and I as much to them.”—­Milton’s Letter to the Swedish King in Cromwell’s name relates itself to this last incident.  The King had written specially to Cromwell announcing the happy news of the birth of his son and heir; and Cromwell replies in this fashion:—­“As it is universally understood that all concerns of friends, whether adverse or prosperous, ought to be of mutual and common interest among them, the performance by your Majesty of the most agreeable duty of friendship, by vouchsafing to impart to us your joy by express letters from yourself, cannot but be extremely gratifying to us, in regard that it is a sign of singular and truly kingly civility in you, indisposed as you are to live merely for yourself, so to be indisposed even to keep a joy to yourself, without feeling that your friends and allies participate in the same.  We duly rejoice, therefore, in the birth of a Prince, to be the son of so excellent a King, and the heir, we hope, of his father’s valour and glory; and we congratulate you on the same happy coincidence of domestic good fortune and success in the field with which of old that King of renowned fortitude, Philip of Macedon, was congratulated—­the birth of whose son Alexander and his conquest of the powerful nation of the Illyrians are said to have been simultaneous.  For we make no question but the wresting of the Kingdom of Poland by your arms from the Papal Empire, as it were a horn from the head of the Beast, and your Peace made with the Duke of Brandenburg, to the great satisfaction of all the pious, though with growls from your adversaries, will be of very great consequence for the peace and profit of the Church.  May God grant an end worthy of such signal beginnings; may He grant you a son like his father in virtue, piety, and achievements!  All which we truly expect and heartily pray of God Almighty, already so propitious to your affairs,”—­It is clear that Cromwell desired to be all the more polite to the Swedish monarch because of the long delay of the Treaty with Count Bundt.  That Treaty was going on slowly; and we shall hear more of Milton in connexion with it.[2]

[Footnote 1:  So dated in Printed Collection, Phillips, and Skinner Transcript.]

[Footnote 2:  Whitlocke, IV. 208-227; i.e. from July 1655 to Feb. 20, 1655-6.]