A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II.
John Locke · en
The Senators and Syndic came again to compliment Whitelocke for the
Lords, and to wish him a good journey; and, after ceremonies passed,
about four o'clock in the afternoon, Whitelocke took his coach for
Hamburg; he had another coach and four waggons for his people. As he
passed through the streets, multitudes of all sorts stood to see him go
by, respectively saluting him. At the gates were guards of soldiers, and
having passed the last port, they saluted him with three pieces of
ordnance, according to their custom, but with no volleys of small-shot;
and so he took his leave of Luebeck. Being come into the road, and his
pages and lacqueys in the waggons, he made what haste he could in his
journey with hired horses, and so much company.
The country was pleasant and fruitful, groves of wood, fields of corn,
pastures, brooks, and meadows adorning it: it is an open champaign; few
hedges, but some little ones made with dry wood, like our hurdles, for
fencing their gardens and dividing their corn-grounds. The way was
exceeding bad, especially for this time of the year, full of deep holes
and sloughs in some places and of great stones in others. This Duchy of
Holstein seems to take its name from _holt_, which, with them and in
Sweden and with us, signifies wood, and _stein_, which is a stone; and
this country is very full of wood and stone; yet is it fruitful, and,
like England, delightful to the view, but it is not so full of towns,
there not being one in the way between Luebeck and this night's quarter,
which is five German, twenty English, miles. But a few small houses lie
scattered by the way; and about four miles from Kettell, this night's
lodging was a fair brick house by the side of a large pond, which is the
house belonging to Luebeck, where they offered Whitelocke to be
entertained, and he found cause afterwards to repent his not accepting
their courtesy.