icles drawn in
form, with the amendments, to see if there were any mistake in them.
Whitelocke and the secretary perused them together, and agreed on all
except two or three points, in which was some small difference; and
Canterstein promised to hasten the engrossing of them.
Many strangers dining with Whitelocke made him the later in his visit to
the Queen, to take his leave of her Majesty before her intended journey
to see her mother. She promised Whitelocke that during her absence she
would leave order with the Chancellor and his son to conclude the treaty,
and at her return she would do what belonged to her for the speedy
despatch of Whitelocke, to his contentment. She promised also to give
order to her Chancellor about the business of Guinea, whereof they had
much discourse.
She was pleased to propound to Whitelocke a secret article to be between
her and the Protector, and not to be in the treaty between her
Commissioners and Whitelocke, nor to be known to any of them. She said,
that if it might be done, she should take it in very good part; but if
Whitelocke thought it not likely to be done, then she would think no more
of it. She said the substance of what she desired was that it might be
agreed, by a particular article between the Protector and her, that in
case those here should not perform what they promised to her upon her
resignation of the government, that then it should be in the power of the
Protector to break the treaty now made, and not to be bound by it.
Whitelocke was much troubled at this proposal, and upon a great
difficulty in it--that if he should deny it, the Queen might be distasted
and break off from his treaty; and to consent to it he had no commission,
nor held it reasonable; but he told the Queen that it was a matter of
great weight, deserving her Majesty's serious thoughts what to do in it.
He said he had no instructions upon any such article as this, nor could
agree to it; but if her Majesty pleased to have such an article drawn up,
and to sign it herself and send it to the Protector, he promised to use
his best interest to persuade his Highness to a consent thereunto, and to
sign it at Whitelocke's return to England, and so to return it to her
Majesty.
She said that Woolfeldt should confer with Whitelocke about the drawing
up of such an article, whom she would trust in it, but not any of the
Swedes, because it might concern them, and occasion prejudice to them.
Whitelocke agreed t
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