The Hartlib Papers

Title:Copy Extracts, ? To Hartlib?:
Dating:July 1661.
Ref:British Library Add. MSS 4159 ff.36A-37B
Notes:Included in Volume V of the Thurloe Papers (Add. 4159).

[36A]

          Amsterdam the 1. of Iuly. 1661.
A very confiding hand writes from Stockholm as followeth - I am not yet so familiarly & thoroughly acquainted with a Gentleman of Parts, that lives at the Swedish Court. Hee hath made, as I am told privatly these following three Propositions. 1. How the state may come out of debt in a good & Christian Manner without molesting of any body. 2. How they may gather a notable Revenue to serve all Publique occasions. 3. How the Estates of severall rankes of privat men may bee notably encreased & improoved. You in England would call such overtures by the odius name of Projects, but the Swedish state is of another perswasion. For they have very civilly & gratefully taken all those generall overtures, & have made them the matter of their debate & consultations, which are kept very Secret. I shall bee curious enough to dive into the fore-said Particulars; & if I can penetrate into them, you shall bee sure to have them confided into your breast. The Counsell of state is endeavouring how to entrust the Lord Rix-Admirall, Count Charl Gustave Wrangel with the Gouvernment of Finland & Livonia, complena potestate agendi in stead of the Government of Pomerania, that wee may the more vigorously oppose the Muscovian Designes. For hee is very formidable to that Nation, in case they should not agree. And wee make account, that out of Finland alone wee can yet draw a matter of 20000 men, besides the Qvarters of Bremen, Werden, & Pomerania, which are yet full of Souldiers. The Lord bee pleased only to divert his threatned judgments of Dearth or Famin, which is occasioned by the stopping of the great River (a kind of sea) called Meller, both about this City, & in the Countrey in severall Provinces. For wee shall make bold to fetch the Corne out of the Enemies Countrey, before the Truce bee exspired. Last weeke the Brandenburg Envoye Extraordinary arrived at Court. On Friday next, hee had his Publique Audience, which consisted of condoling for his late Majesty of glorious memory, congratulating the present Succession, & in offering & renewing of the old Friendship & Alliance. The Proposition was made in High-Dutch & the Answer given in the Swedish language. Hee makes vs believe, that after his returne an Extraordinary Ambassador is to follow, which therefore his Majesty doth expect. Wee can easily guesse at some collaterall Affaires, which are like to bee negotiated. And wee have allready some præinformations about them. If wee can forgive & forget former affronts & injuries, who doubts but there may yet a truly neighbourly Friendship & Confidence bee laid & established betweene these two Potentates, both for their privat mutuall good, & publick advantage & Interest? for which all honest men ought to pray, & to endeavour as much as in them lyes. But what are you doing in England? Is all the great intended Reformation or Reduction to the true Christian simplicity & Purity in Life & Doctrine vanished, & come to nothing? I wonder you speake noe more of it. Thus far a Letter from Stockholme dated the 24. of May. [catchword: From]
[36B]

From Dantzigk they write the 15. of Iune as followeth - Wee heare of noe extraordinary matters of the Parliament of Poland as yet, for all the great expectations there have beene all this while. Most of the time hath beene spent in consultations about the Armies, how to give them Satisfaction. But hitherto they have agreed vpon noe regular meanes to give them satisfaction. Concerning the Affaires of the Tartarians & Cossacks, wee cannot penetrate into their juglings. But thus much is certain, that a Tartarian Expresse is arrived with a Letter from Lord Smelling, who resides at the Court of the great Cham, who relates great matters of the Polonian Affaires. For hee tells vs, that the said Cham hath dispatcht an Ambassador to the Char of Muscovia with these offers, that hee will be contented with him, & cease to prosecute any hostilities or Wars, if hee will enter into the Alliance that is a forming & concluding with Poland & the said Cham to conclude an everalsting Peace vpon the following Termes & Conditions. 1. To restore all what hath beene taken from the Crown of Poland. 2. To pay wholly the Polonian Soldatesca. 3. To restore plenarily <to> the said Cham all those Country's, which so many yeares agoe have beene taken from him. 4. To give satisfaction to the said Tartarian Cham for all the Services hee hath done to Poland. That a Letter with such contents is come & hath beene read, is most certain. But whither it hath beene thus contribed on purpose, can not yet bee discovered, but must bee left to longer time. In the meane while rumours are continued, that solemne Tartarian & Muscovian Ambassadors are on the way, yea they will make vs believe, that another likewise is a coming sent by the Cossacks, for which considerations the Parliament is for certain to bee prolonged. The 6. of Iune began the Conference betweene the Polonian side & here appeared the two Great Lord Chancelours of Poland & Lithvania with the Marshall of the Crowne. There is also a Committie appointed about the Differences concerning the City of Elbing & other demaunds made by his Electorall Highness how at this time the best satisfaction may bee given as far as may bee. In all appearance the Elector will bee forced or oblieged to quit his pretences vpon Elbing, & seeing monies can not bee had, to accept such satisfaction as the Parliament for the present is able to give. But the states of Prussia will by noe meanes allow of the Souveraignty setled vpon the Elector. For the said states of Prussia have delivered their humble supplication both to the king & Parliament against it, which was signed by some hundreds of the Prussian Gentry. In the Councell of the Nuntij Terrestres it's voted & agreed, that according to their former Constitution made in the yeares 1645 & 44 against the importation of costly Gold Silver, & Sattin Commodities, that none of them should bee sold in the Kingdome, but the Merchants shall be fined, & all their said wares or Goods confiscated. They are also uriging of the Oath which all Merchants shall be bound to take, not to take above 7. per Cento vpon other Commodities whatsoever, deducting wages and entertainments of Servants. Where vpon the severall Citationes have been published per Instigatorem Regni, the matter of Parti- [catchword: culars]
[37A]

culars having beene taken ex Arresto in Causarum Registro as they use to speake. This is like to occasion many false oaths & perjuries which will bring new Iudgments vpon the kingdome. Besides it will occasion many other things of a very bad consequence. Prince Boguslaus Radzivill is presently to depart to meet with them. Hee goes in the quality of a Nuncius Terrestris. In the fore-said Councel Chamber they will not treate at all of any Successor as yet to bee chosen. Yet though they bee so crosse & averse concerning this point, that for all this they will bee oblieged to concur. Most are said to encline towards the choosing of the Duke of Newburg. There is a great rumour spread at Warsovia, as if Generall Königsmarck were fallen into the Marck, which for our part wee cannot yet believe. From Cleve wee have not much at this time; only that by all circumstances it begins more & more to appeare, that the Turke will hardly prosecute his Wars against the House of Austria this yeare. For his great Armature seemes to bee diverted some other way, & by all the Messages hee sends hee gives continuall assurance, that hee is resolved to keepe the Peace. Wee expect to heare the Confirmation of Kemenj Ianush, that hee is agreed with the Turkish Emperor. It is still believed, that Barozay hath beene taken Prisoner by him. The last Letters from Prussia bring strange new's with them, as if the Polonians were agreed with the Swedes & joyned with them to attempt something vpon Prussia, which wee cannot yet believe. But wee hope better things of them, for as much as they have not the least occasion given them <H?: by> both Swedes & Poles to engage against Prussia vpon any termes. It's true the states of Prussia are noted malignants & great opposers to the new Interest of the Elector of Brandenberg. But yet they are wise & sutle men, that will not easily revolt from the said Elector his Highnes having still on foot so potent & considerable an Army, as I have written formerly. At Cleve the great Guests beeing gone from thence the Court is pretty quiet & empty. About 2. dayes agoe the Electors Lady with the Princesse her Mother went from thence to the Medicinall Waters at Turnhout. But shee is resolved likewise to goe to Aaken so famous for their Warm Baths. For shee intends to use also those waters inwardly, for beeing taken that way, severall Cures have beene performed. For it is but of late that People have begun to drinke those waters, finding far better effects & operations from them, then of the other sower wells at Spa. Yea they doe so highly commend the taking of them inwardly, as if they did cure all manner of inward diseases. Holland hath in a manner fully concluded with Portugall, but Zealand stands out the more. At Vtrecht the Prince of Orenge was very magnificently fetcht in & entertained, the Common People expressing such incredible affections towards the said Prince as hath given noe small distaste to the other ruling Great Ones. Hee is now at Leyden, where hee is like to stay till the [catchword: Vacation]
[37B]

Vacation. As for our New's, the Indian Fleet, & the Fleet of the straits are come home very richly laden. The Cargo of the said ships consists of abundance of Silke, Indigo, & spices with above 1300 pieces of Diamant stones, & 64. stones of Bezoar. De Ruyter is going forth to conduct the Spanish Fleet, & then hee will goe into the Mediterranean Sea, to suppresse the Pyrats. The Treaty betweene these states & Portugall for Peace, is said to bee concluded. But Zealand makes a high Protestation against it, as beeing greatly to their prejudice. They live by the Sea, & except they have an Enemy, vpon whom they may pray, they can scarce live. For Holland draws all the Trade from them. Wee long to heare what Acts are like to passe by your Parliament & whether there will bee any Liberty of Conscience granted to any then to the Episcopals. Mr. Dury is engaged to deale with the Professours of Leyden & others. And the next weeke the Synods will meet at South-Holland at Gorcam, where hee is induced to bee; & when hee shall have done with that synod, & with the next, which is to bee at Edam in North-Holland hee will bee like to see what successe hee may have in these Parts. The Instigation of others will not suffer him to lay downe the Worke. For hee must not refuse a Call to act, seeing hee hath promised to the Lord not to neglect the opportunities of Acting, so long as hee hath any abilitie so to doe. If Meanes to act faile him, hee shall acquiesce, & from an Active course turne to a writing Employment. Having written thus far, wee receave certain Information, that the Peace betwixt Sweden & Muscovia is certainly concluded, vpon very advantagious condition for the Swedes./.
[right margin, another hand:] 1. Iuly. 1661./