[SN:  Letter from Selden.]

    “To his Excellence the Lord Whitelocke, Lord Ambassador to her Most
    Excellent Majesty of Sweden.

    “May it please your Excellence,

“There is nothing happens here that can be worthy of your knowledge but you meet with it doubtless long before I could send it,—­indeed, I think, long before I know it,—­so that I cannot present you with any English news:  my still keeping in from the open cold air makes me a mere winter stranger in my own country.  The best news I have heard since I had the honour to see you, and that which brought me with it an ample store of gladness, was the assurance of your Excellence’s safety, which a false rumour with great confidence had utterly destroyed here.  There is none living can with more hearty affection wish all happiness to you, and good success in your great employment there, and a safe and timely return, than doth most really,

“Your Excellence’s most obliged
“and most humble servant,
“J.  SELDEN.
“Whitefriars, February 10, 1653.”

The occasion of that passage in his letter of a false rumour was news brought into England that Whitelocke was stabbed and murdered in Sweden; and thus his death was with much confidence reported from several hands, and from divers intelligences out of several parts of Christendom.  Whitelocke’s friends were much startled at this news, and the more because of former intelligences of designs of that nature against him, whereof they wrote him word; and he was glad to read the news, and that, through the goodness of God, he was able to confute those reports.  They were kept from Whitelocke’s wife by the care of his friends, till one in gladness came to give her joy that the ill news of her husband was not true; which brought the whole matter to her knowledge, and herself to great perplexity upon the sudden apprehension and fright of it, though there was no truth in it.

Whitelocke, that he might not seem wholly to neglect the Queen’s favour, had sent a packet of his letters which had no secrets unto Monsieur Bonele, the Queen’s Commissary in England, who wrote back an account to Whitelocke of his care of them, and of the command he had received from the Queen so to do, and prayed Whitelocke to speak to the Queen on Bonele’s behalf.

March 17, 1653.

[SN:  Prince Adolphus visits Whitelocke.]

Prince Adolphus visited Whitelocke, and they discoursed much of England and of Whitelocke’s business; whom the Prince persuaded to stay in patience for an answer, and he doubted not but that he would receive satisfaction.  Whitelocke said that hitherto he had been very patient, and would continue so, and not importune anybody to speed his answer, being it concerned both nations; and he believed that Sweden would be as well disposed to entertain the amity of England as England had been in the offer of it.  But Whitelocke thought fit to inform the Prince and