Wh. They know nothing of my negotiation.

Sch. That makes them the more jealous; the slowness of one person is the cause that hitherto you have received no satisfaction, and I doubt not but ere long you will have answers to your contentment.

Whilst Whitelocke was with him the Queen sent one of her gentlemen thither to him, to desire him to put off his visit of her Majesty till the next day, by reason she had then extraordinary business; and the messenger being gone, Schuett said,—­

Schuett. The Queen is busy in despatching three senators to the Prince, Grave Eric Oxenstiern, Monsieur Fleming, and Monsieur Vanderlin, who are deputed for the business of the Queen’s resignation; and I, in a few days, shall be sent to the Prince.

Whitelocke. I pray do me the favour to present my service to his Royal Highness, whom I am very desirous to salute as soon as I can gain an opportunity; and do hope that his resort to this place will be before I shall be necessitated to return, that I may give myself the honour to kiss his hand.

[SN:  Whitelocke visits the Chief Justice of Sweden.]

Whitelocke visited the Ricks-Droitset Grave Brahe, who is of the noble family of Tycho Brahe.  He was President of the College of Justice, and the First Minister of State of the kingdom:  the name of his office is as much as Viceroy, and his jurisdiction is a sovereign court for the administration of justice, and he hath power both civil and military.  The office is in effect the same with that ancient officer with us called the Chief Justice of England.  The habit of this Chief Justice of Sweden was a coat, and a furred cap of black, a sword and belt, and no cloak; two soldiers sentry at his chamber-door, which Whitelocke had not observed elsewhere but at the Court.  They had much discourse of Whitelocke’s business, wherein he testified affections to the Commonwealth of England, though Whitelocke had been informed that he was not their friend; but he the rather chose to visit him first, and found him very civil:  he spake Latin very readily, and no French, although Whitelocke was told he could speak it well.

He inquired much of the Commonwealth and affairs of England, and government of it, and seemed well pleased by Whitelocke’s relation of it.  He informed Whitelocke of the Swedish Government, and particularly of his own office.  He discoursed much of the Prince of Sweden, which Whitelocke judged the fitter for him to approve, because Prince Adolphus’s lady was this Grave’s daughter.  He told Whitelocke that he had been Governor of Finland ten years together, which province he affirmed to be greater than France, and that the Queen’s dominions were larger than France, Spain, Italy, all together.  Whitelocke asked him if those countries were well peopled, and flourished with corn and good towns.  He answered that Finland was well peopled, and had store of corn, and good towns; but that it was not so with Lapland and other countries further off.  But he said that no part of Sweden had such towns as were in England, where he had been when he was a young man, which country he much praised; and Whitelocke had no cause to gainsay it.