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.

Piementelle sent to Whitelocke an atlas, in four great volumes, in
acknowledgment of a vessel of Spanish wine which Whitelocke had before
sent to him for a present.

_March 7, 1653._

The Governor of Upsal, Monsieur Bannier, presented to Whitelocke three
Latin books:--1. The Story of Sweden; 2. Of the Laws of Sweden; 3. Of Sea
Affairs; which were not ordinarily to be had.

[SN: Whitelocke takes the air with the Queen.]

The Queen sent one of her servants to invite Whitelocke to take the air
with her in the fields; and being come to the castle, she excused her not
being yet ready to confer with him upon his articles, as she had
promised, but told him that she had ordered something to be written down
on that subject to show to him. She took him into her coach, where was
the "Belle Comtesse," the Countess Gabriel Oxenstiern, Prince Ad