Touching the publique minifters heere from the emperor, 1653. from Ruffia, and from Poland, he did not much trouble himfelfe.

Butt before all others he defigned, and obtained, an intimate acquaintance, and familiarity, with Piementelle, envoyee extraordinary from the king of Spayne, whom he understood, and found, to be a gentleman of excellent parts and ingenuity, and in very great favour with the queen heer; and his master, an early and good friend to the common-wealth of England, butt not to Holland.

He defigned also, and gained acquaintance and respect with Grave Tott, the queen's favourite, a gallant young gentleman, and full of civility to Whitelocke; and with the fenators, Bond, Vanderlin, Grave Erick Oxenstierne the chancellor's fon, the ricks droitfet, and chancellor, not yett come to town, and others; and he made great ufe and furtherance of his buifnes by their acquaintance and allistance.

.

He fett one to worke about the buying of brasse ordinance, according to his inftructions, butt could gett none ready made; and it would be too long to stay the making of them: wherof he gave an account to the councell,.

His audience being past, he fent to vifit the fpanish ambaffador, for fo they ftiled him in this court, and gave him the title of excellence, being governor of Newport, in Flanders; and Whitelocke would not doe leffe to him then others.

The spanish ambaffador likewife fent to Whitelocke, to know if he would be within this afternoon, to give him.

Dec. 24.

1653. leave to vifit him; which is the custom in forein parts, not to make a vifit to any one, without first sending to him to know if he fhould be att leifure. Whitelocke returned his defire of feeing the ambaffador.

Dec. 24.

Who being come, was mett by Whitelocke att his doore, and (as the ufe is) had the precedence given him : he used many high complements to the perfon of Whitelocke, of whom (he faid) he had often heard before, &c. and of the common-wealth of England, he protested a most high regard and veneration; and that his mafter, the king of Spayne, had more then ordinary affection and respect for them.

Whitelocke gave him thankes for his civility in fending to meet him, and inquiring of his health att his arrivall heer, and remembered the testimonies that the king of Spayn had given of his affections to the common-wealth of England, being the first prince who acknowledged the parlement; and said he had heard fo much of the worth and honor of this ambaffador, and of his acquaintance heer, that Whitelocke was ambitious to be known to him, and to be in his favor.

Piem. replyed, I have bin some time in this court, and injoyed much of the queen's favor; and if therby I may be ferviceable to your excellence, or to your buifnes, I fhall be glad of it.

Wh. I doe much rejoyce that her majeftye's favors are fo worthily placed, and hope that it may be of advantage

to me.

Piem. What course doe you intend to take for procuring 1653. your audiences..

Wh. The mafter of the ceremonies adviseth, that I muft goe by way of memoire to the fecretary of ftate.

Piem. With fubmiffion to him, to whose office it doth belong, I apprehend that way to be about, and not fo agreeable as to defire private audiences from the queen. herfelfe..

Wh. Did your excellence use that way?

Piem. I tooke that course in all my buifnes, and it fucceeded well, and was beft liked by the queen..

Wh. When doth your excellence fuppofe I may, with civility, defire a private audience?.

Piem. I am confident, that if your excellence defire to have a private audience to-morrow, though. Christmas day,. the queen will give it you..

Whitelocke was glad to heare the Spanyard of this opinion, butt refolved not to defire an audience on that feftivall day, which was fo folemnly observed heer; butt thought it might be helpfull to his proceedings to gett into an intimate friendship. with this gentleman, which he began att this time, when. they had very much and free difcourfe togither, both of the queen, and of her court and fervants :: and Whitelocke gayned much from him, and, afterwards improved his acquaintance and interest with this gentleman by civilities, and frequent converfation, to the great. advantage of his buifnes, by the extraordinary. favour of

Dec. 24,

1653. this ambassador with her majefty, and confequently with w her fervants.

Dec. 24.

25.

On this Lord's day, being Christmas day, Whitelocke had prayer and fermons in his house, butt most of his company went abroad to obferve the manner of the celebration of this day heer: and he learned, that their prayers, and divine fervice, were much after the manner of the english common prayer booke, in the leffons, epiftles, gospells, prayers, fecond fervice, refponfalls, and adminiftration of the facrament; and ncer the fame words as in our liturgy, for baptifme, marryages, churchings, and visiting the ficke, and buryalls.

That their minifters in countrey pariflies are not generally very learned, nor ftudious; butt many of them, having made or provided a book of fermons, fuitable to the severall holydayes, and for every Lord's day, they say or reade one of these fermons uppon the day for which it was made; and when the yeare begins agayne, they also begin agayne their booke of fermons, and before they come to the laft, the firft is forgot, and becomes as new the next yeare.

Butt in this university of Ubfale, and in divers other places, they have both bishops, fuperintendents, and ministers in the inferior clergye, who are men of great learning, and hard ftudents, and pious men; and fuch are had in great veneration by the people, and carry a great sway with their neighbors and parishioners: butt their means is not liberall, the archbishop's revenue of this place being reckoned butt 2000 ricks dollars yearly, which is about 500 l. a year of our money; the other bishops leffe; and few of their parifh minifters have above 40 or 50 l. a year, 6

their

their parishes, though very large, yett not being populous, 1653. nor much manured.

They have a good way of choosing their ministers in every parish; and they live lovingly with the people, fometimes to the giving of bad example, even to debauchery, att their feastings and times of jollity.

In the cathedrall church heer, they come too neer the fashion of the popish churches for crucifixes, images, coapes, furplices, and the like; and in the manner of their chaunting of fervice, and with ceremonies fetched from the ufages of that church, and not yett reformed; butt in the queen's chappell they had not thofe ceremonies, not so much as the furplice. They are much pleased with muficke in their churches, and that in the queen's chappell (which some of Whitelocke's people who were able to judge of it, heard this day) they commended to be excellent good; and they noted, that in the queen's chappell the musick played in the time of divine fervice and of administring the facrament.

Dec. 25.

By the master of the ceremonies Whitelocke procured a 26. private audience appointed by the queen to be this day, and was brought to the court with three or four of the queen's rich coaches, attended by many of her lacquays with torches: in the prefence chamber he was mett by Grave Tott, the queen's favourite, and captain of her guard, who brought him into a fayre withdrawing-roome, where the queen was alone; her habit of black velvet, of the fame fashion as att the audience.

They were there alone togither, and the doors were shutt ; Whitelocke began to fpeake to the queen in french, to this effect.

VOL. I.

I i

Wb.