[SN:  Treacherous reports to England.]

Whitelocke received his packet of two weeks from England.  In a letter from his wife he was advertised that the Protector had spoken of his voyage to Sweden as if Whitelocke had not merited much by it, though he so earnestly persuaded it; and his wife wrote that she believed one of Whitelocke’s family was false to him; and upon inquiry she suspected it to be ——­, who gave intelligence to the Protector of all Whitelocke’s words and actions in Sweden, to his prejudice, and very unbeseeming one of his family.  This Whitelocke, comparing with some passages told him by his secretary of the same person, found there was cause enough to suspect him; yet to have one such among a hundred he thought no strange thing, nor for the Protector to alter his phrase when his turn was served.  And though this gave ground enough of discontent to Whitelocke, yet he thought not fit to discover it, nor what other friends had written to him, doubting whether he should be honourably dealt with at his return home; but he was more troubled to hear of his wife’s sickness, for whose health and his family’s he made his supplication to the great Physician; and that he might be as well pleased with a private retirement, if God saw it good for him, at his return home, as the Queen seemed to be with her design of abdication from the heights and glories of a crown.

Part of the letters to Whitelocke were in cipher, being directions to him touching the Sound.  He had full intelligence of all passages of the Dutch treaty, and a copy of the articles, from Thurloe; also the news of Scotland, Ireland, France, and the letters from the Dutch Resident here to his superiors in Holland, copies whereof Thurloe by money had procured.  He wrote also of the Protector’s being feasted by the City, and a full and large relation of all passages of moment.  The Protector himself wrote also his letters to Whitelocke under his own hand, which were thus:—­

[SN:  Letter from the Protector.]

    “For the Lord Ambassador Whitelocke.

    “My Lord,

“I have a good while since received your letters sent by the ship that transported you to Gothenburg, and three other despatches since.  By that of the 30th of December, and that of the 4th instant, I have received a particular account of what passed at your first audience, and what other proceedings have been upon your negotiation; which, so far as they have been communicated to me, I do well approve of, as having been managed by you with care and prudence.

“You will understand by Mr. Secretary Thurloe in what condition the treaty with the United Provinces is, in case it shall please God that a peace be made with them, which a little time will show; yet I see no reason to be diverted thereby from the former intentions of entering into an alliance with Sweden, nor that there will be anything in the league intended with the Low Countries repugnant