erg, and went from
thence to the castle to visit Grave Tott, who told him that the Queen had
altered her purpose of sending him into England, and would do him the
honour to retain him with her, but that yet he hoped in a short time to
see England. Whitelocke said he should be glad to meet him, and to do him
service there. They discoursed of the Queen's residence in Pomerland, or
some other place near this country, and of the discommodities and
inconveniences which would arise thereby. Whitelocke told him that if the
Queen had leisure, that he should be glad to wait on her; and Tott went
presently to know her pleasure, and promised to bring word to Whitelocke
if he might see the Queen, and did it at the Lady Jane Ruthven's lodging,
whither Whitelocke was gone to take his leave of that lady; whence he
brought Whitelocke to the traverse of the wardrobe, where her Majesty
came to him and conducted him into her bedchamber, where they thus
discoursed:--

_Whitelocke._ I humbly thank your Majesty for admitting me to be present
at the meeting of the Ricksdag.

_Queen._ How did you like the manner and proceedings of it when you were
there?

_Wh._ It was with the greatest gravity and solemnity that I ever saw in
any public assembly, and well becoming persons of their quality and
interest.

_Qu._ There be among them very considerable persons, and wise men.

_Wh._ Such an assembly requires such men, and their carriage showed them
to be such; but, Madam, I expected that your Chancellor, after he spake
with your Majesty, should, according to the course in our Parliaments,
have declared, by your direction, the causes of the Council's being
summoned.

_Qu._ It belongs to the office of the Chancellor with us to do it; and
when I called him to me, it was to desire him to do it.

_Wh._ How then came it to pass that he did it not, when his place and
your Majesty required it?

_Qu._ He desired to be excused, and gave me this reason, that he had
taken an oath to my father to use his utmost endeavour to keep the crown
on my head, and that the cause of my calling this Diet was to have their
consents for me to quit the Crown; that if he should make this
proposition to them, it would be contrary to the oath which he had taken
to my father, and therefore he could not do it.

_Wh._ Did not your Majesty expect this answer?

_Qu._ Not at all, but was wholly surprised by it; and when the Ricksdag
were met, my Chancellor thus excusing him