reat wealth of the Oxenstiern family.]
Monsieur Bloome this Lord's Day dined with Whitelocke, and told him that
the Chancellor had left him in town to keep Whitelocke company in the
absence of the Chancellor, and to assure him that the Chancellor would
return again in a very few days. Whitelocke made much of him, and had
good informations from him. He said that Grave John Oxenstiern, the
Chancellor's eldest son, had at that time, whilst his father was alive,
above L20,000 sterling of yearly revenue, which he had from his father
and by his wife, an inheritrix; and that Grave Eric, the second son, had
in his father's lifetime near L10,000 sterling of yearly revenue, besides
what both of them might expect from their father: and therefore both
father and sons might, as they did, live in great state and with
attendance of much port and ceremony.
Grave Leonhough bestowed a visit on Whitelocke. He is a senator and one
of the College of War, a person of great esteem and good parts; his
conversation was full of civility; his discourse (in French) was
rational, and for the most part upon matter of war, history, and the
mathematics. In his company was an officer, his brother-in-law, who had
served the King of Portugal in his late wars, and was a civil person, and
seemed a gallant man. This Grave had been long bred up in the wars, and
was now a Major-General; and his discourse showed him to be knowing and
modest. He demanded of Whitelocke many questions touching the affairs of
England, and particularly of the late civil dissensions there, and had a
full account thereof from Whitelocke, by which he seemed to receive much
satisfaction, and acknowledged that he had not heard the truth before,
and that this relation justified the proceedings of the Parliament. He
spake nothing to Whitelocke touching his business of the treaty, nor did
Whitelocke mention it to this Grave, whom he never saw before, and
because it was a day for other duties.
_April 17, 1654._
[SN: A serenade to Whitelocke.]
Upsal being very empty, by the absence of the Queen and all the great
Lords, who were retired to their country-houses, but most of them to
Stockholm, it was given out that her Majesty would not return to this
place, but remain at Stockholm, and that the General Assembly should be
held there; which was not believed by Whitelocke, because the Queen had
assured him that she would return to Upsal within eight or ten days, and
she never brake he
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