wives of
the town, that, upon worshiping and praying to it, they shall become
fruitful. In the same church is a rare tablet of the passion of our
Saviour, admired by artists for the rare painting and lineaments of it.
Above the altar is a little image of our Lady, so contrived with wires
fastened to it, that one, being hid on the other side of it, may make it
turn forward and backward, to the admiration of the multitude of
spectators, who know, by the motion of the image, whether the offerings
which they make, and lay upon the altar, be acceptable or not; if one
gives a small offering, the image turns away from it in disdain of it;
if it be a fat offering, it turns towards it in token of acceptance; and
though they tell these stories themselves, yet still they retain these
images and trumperies among them. This church is of a good length and
breadth, but the height is not proportionable: it hath few monuments of
note, only some of their Bishops and Canons, among which one is indeed
remarkable, which they will needs have to be believed, where a Canon was
buried some hundreds of years since, yet now sometimes is heard to knock
in his grave, whereupon instantly some one or other of his surviving
brethren, the Canons, gives up the ghost, and comes to the dead Canon at
his call.

From hence Whitelocke went and viewed the other churches, all alike
furnished with images and crucifixes, and full of pews, fitted according
to the quality of the parishioners. The churches are built of brick, and
some of them covered with copper, which they brought from Sweden in older
times. They use a liturgy, not much differing from our old Book of Common
Prayer; their ministers are grave and formal; they commend them for pious
and learned and good preachers; but Whitelocke, not having the favour to
see one of them at his lodging, can give the less particular account of
them.

[SN: The trade of Luebeck.]

Whitelocke also learnt that the trade of this city is the most of any
town on this side the Baltic Sea, having a convenient port or road at
Tremon, belonging to this city, from whence they send into all parts of
that sea, and have the advantage for the commerce of copper, deal, hemp,
flax, pitch, tar, and all the commodities of those parts; and by this
port, they save the trouble and charge of going about through the Sound,
which southern merchants do.

Before the Swedes had much traffic, and built their own ships, and
employed their own m