A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II. — John Locke — John Shaqi
A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II.
John Locke · en
_Bern._ All is now peaceable and well again.
They had much other discourse touching the right of the Crown of Sweden
to the Duchy of Bremen; and after many compliments, the Ambassador took
his leave.
[SN: Whitelocke visits the fortifications of Hamburg.]
About four o'clock in the afternoon the senator Holtz and an ancient
gentleman, one of the captains of the town forces, came and accompanied
Whitelocke, to show him the town and the fortifications of it, and said
that the Lords had commanded them to do him this service. Whitelocke went
out with them in his usual equipage, his gentlemen walking before the
coach, his pages and lacqueys by it, all bareheaded, and with their
swords. They viewed most parts of the city, the streets, buildings,
public-houses, churches, the arsenal, the fortifications, the ships, the
waters, rivers, and what was remarkable throughout the town. Great
multitudes of people, especially at their Exchange, came forth to see
them as they passed by, and all were very civil to them. To the works a
great many of people also followed them, and continued there with them.
They brought him first to see their arsenal, which is a large house; in
the lower rooms thereof lay about two hundred pieces of ordnance mounted
on good carriages, fitted and useful. They were not founded in this
place, but brought from other parts; two of them were double cannon, each
carrying a bullet of forty-eight pounds weight; most of the others were
demi-cannon and culverin. There were besides these many smaller pieces
and divers mortar-pieces, some of which were near as large in the
diameter as that at Stockholm. In another place were many shells of
grenades and heaps of cannon-bullets. The pavement of the room was all
lead, two feet deep, in a readiness to make musket bullets if there
should be occasion. In the rooms above were arms for horse and foot,
completely fixed and kept; the greatest part of them were muskets.
Between every division of the arms were representations in painting of
soldiers doing their postures, and of some on horseback. Here were many
cuirasses and a great quantity of corselets, swords, bandoliers, pistols,
and bullets. Here likewise hung certain old targets, for monuments rather
than use, and many engines of war; as, a screw to force open a gate, an
instrument like a jack, with wheels to carry match for certain hours'
space, and just at the set time to give fire to a mine, petard, or the
like. There were, in all, arms for about fifteen hundred horse and
fifteen thousand foot. They keep a garrison constantly in pay of twelve
hundred soldiers, and they have forty companies of their citizens, two
hundred in each company, proper men; whose interest of wives, children,
estate, and all, make them the best magazine and defence (under God) for
those comforts which are most dear to them.