Qu. I receive it from you with much thankfulness, and shall gladly make use of it as the best of books.

Wh. Your Majesty, by often reading it, and comparing it with other Bibles, will not only thereby gain advantage as to the language, but the highest comfort to your soul.

Qu. I have used to read much in the Bible, and take great contentment in it.

Wh. Your Majesty will find more contentment and comfort in the study of this book than of all other books whatsoever, and therefore I do humbly recommend the often reading of it to your Majesty.

Qu. I doubt you have an ill opinion of me that you so earnestly persuade me to this, as if you thought me too backward in it.

Wh. I only give my humble advice to your Majesty, out of my own experience, of the great comfort, wisdom, and true pleasure which is to be met with in this book, and nowhere else, and that all things out of it are of no value.

Qu. I am full of the same opinion; but there are too many who have not so venerable an opinion of it as they ought to have.

Wh. There are indeed, Madam, too many who mock at this book, and at God himself, whose book it is; but these poor worms will one day know that God will not be mocked, and that they and their reproaches will sadly perish together; and I am glad to hear your Majesty’s distaste of such wicked ones.

Qu. Surely every good Christian ought to distaste such men and such opinions.

They had much more discourse upon the same subject, wherein Whitelocke spake the more, because he found the Queen more inclined to it now than he had perceived her to be at other times.

Being come from the Queen, he spake with Grave Eric in another room, whose opinion was that it would be fit to sign the articles on the morrow, and said that his father would be returned time enough to do it.  Whitelocke doubted that, by reason of his weariness after his journey, it might not be then convenient.  Eric replied, that there would be nothing to be done that would occasion trouble, the signing and putting the seals to the articles already prepared and agreed on was all that was to be done.  Whitelocke demanded if the power given by the Queen to her Commissioners were sealed.  Eric said it was not, but that Canterstein would be in town this evening, and would see all done.

April 26, 1654.

[SN:  Whitelocke complains of further delays.]

Grave Eric came to Whitelocke’s house, and this discourse passed between them:—­

Whitelocke. It seems to me somewhat strange that after all things agreed between her Majesty’s Commissioners and me, I should yet attend three weeks to obtain one half-hour for the signing of the articles.

Grave Eric. The Queen’s going out of town hath occasioned it, and the great business touching her resignation, which hath so taken up all men’s thoughts and counsels, that there hath been hardly room left for any other matter; and when the Queen goes away, those of the Council also take the liberty to go into the country; and upon such extraordinary changes as these are, it is no strange thing for public ministers to be retarded; and the same thing hath been practised upon your changes in England.