“Sir,

“I esteem it an honour to receive this respect from the Lords of Luebeck, your masters, for which ere long I hope to have the opportunity to give them thanks; and in the meantime give me leave to acknowledge your civility.”

This person they call the Marshal of the town, whom the Lords sent to meet Whitelocke, to answer his civility of sending to them, which they took kindly.  Then a young gentleman, well mounted and habited, met Whitelocke on the way with a packet of three weeks’ letters from England, which he said Mr. Missenden, his father, received from Mr. Bradshaw, the Protector’s Resident at Hamburg, with order to send them to Whitelocke to Luebeck.

Whitelocke went into the coach of the Lords of Luebeck; with him were the Marshal, and Colonel Potley to interpret for him.  The country through which they passed was pleasant and fruitful, stored with groves, and fields of corn not enclosed, but much like the champaign counties of England, only more woody, and seemed the pleasanter to those who were lately come out of Sweden and from the Baltic Sea.  Part of the country was the Duchy of Mecklenburg, and part of it Holstein.

When they drew near the city Whitelocke ordered that his staffiers and lacqueys, in their liveries, should walk by his coach bare, and his pages after them; then his gentlemen and others in the other coaches and waggons, in which equipage they entered the city.  At the first fort they saluted Whitelocke with three pieces of ordnance, and at the gates of the city were good guards, with their muskets.  The streets were filled with people, and many in the windows—­not so many men as women; and those of the best rank and habit were with their bodies and smock sleeves, like the maids in England in hot weather.  Here the best women, whose age will bear it, are thus habited, and with it sometimes rich clothes and jewels.  When they were come into the city, the Marshal took his leave of Whitelocke, saying that he must go to the Lord, to advertise him of Whitelocke’s arrival.

Whitelocke passed through a great part of the town before he came to the inn appointed for his reception, which was fairer without than within doors, the rooms for eating and lodging neither handsome nor well finished.  About half an hour after he was come to the inn, the Lords of the town sent one of their officers to him, to know what time he would be pleased to appoint for them to come and salute him.  Whitelocke answered, that whensoever they thought fit to do him the honour to visit him they should be welcome, and left to them the time which should be most convenient for their own occasions.

Being settled and at a little quiet, he read his letters from England.  Thurloe acquaints him that the issue of his negotiation, and the prudent conduct of it, had very good acceptance in England, whither his return was much wished and prayed for.  Then he informs him of all the news both foreign and domestic, and the readiness of the Protector to send ships for him to Hamburg.  From Mr. Cokaine he had several letters about his bills of exchange, and other particular affairs.  He had also letters from Mr. Taylor, from Resident Bradshaw, from his wife, and from several loving friends in England.