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A34622 The travellours guide and historians faithful companion giving an account of the most remarkable things and matters relating to the religion, government, custom, manners, laws, pollicies, companies, trade, &c. in all the principal kingdoms, being the 16 years travels of William Carr, Gentleman ... Carr, William, 17th cent.; E. T. 1695 (1695) Wing C637; ESTC R20467 67,698 243

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of their Citty and other Cittyes too for they had neither fortifications nor Souldiers to man their walls Thus the whole Country and Cittyes of Rhineland were like to fall under the Crneltyes and Tyranny of the French but God a second tyme sent these people reliefe from Heaven first by giveing such undanted Courage to that great States man Pensionarie Fagel that he forced Koningsmark to Rally his Troopes together and to make a Stand neare Leyden offering himselfe to dye at the head of them if there were occasion but God reserved him for a furder good to the Commonwealth by sending such a sudden Thaw as was never seen before for in less then ten howers the Ice so sunk and such Floods of snow came downe from the high lands that the French were fain to make a very disorderly retreat Marching up to the middel for hast because on the Banks there could not march above four men a brest so they were constrained to leave behind them the greatest part of the Plunder they had robed from the Innocent Country people and the nimble Duch men on their Scatses so long as the Ice would beare them did shoot downe the French like Ducks diving under water so that it cost Luxenburgs Armie deare tho they had the pleasure to burne the poore people of which the French afterward wickedly made their boast The third was as wonderfull as the two others and although I doe not believe miracles as doe the Papists yet I say nothing I ever observed looked more like a Miracle then this to wit when the English and French Fleet lay before Scheveling with a designe to land and the French ready on their March to joyne with the English and other French as soon as they should land at the same tyme the Bisshop of Munster lyeing before Groeningen and the French before Gorcom so that now all things looked with a dreadfull face for the States yet at this very tyme God sent a 3 d reliefe by sending such Mists and wonderfull sorts of Tydes as so separated the two Fleets that the English were forced to quit Scheveling shore and were driven on the side of the Texel Roade from whence they were constrained by the season of the yeare to retire home and such were the sudden great showers of raine that the Bisshop of Munster was forced in disorder to raise his siege at Groeningen and the French to quit Gorcom I could ad many more observations of the Providences of God to these people as the preserveing the Prince of Orange from the many treacherous designes contrived against him from his Cradel but Moses must be preserved to goe in and out before his people certainely never young Prince Indured so many fatigues as did his Highnes in his tender yeares of which I was an eye witnes and had his Highnes had the yeares and Experience and such a good disciplinde Armie as now he hath in the yeare 1671 when the French Entered the Country his Highnes had given them as good a welcome as he did at Bergen I will say no more of this subject only this that the peace at Nimwegen was also a very wonderful thing for that not above 8 dayes before the peace was signed most of the Plenipotentiaries did believe the war would have continued another yeare first because the King of Denmark and Duke of Brandenburg prospered Exceedingly against Sweedland and totally refused the propositions of France and secondly because the French King writ such Bitter letters against the States Generall yet 8 dayes after drest a letter unto the States in which he calles them his good friends and old Allyes offering them not only Mastricht but every foot of ground they could lay claime to in the world also giveing them new Termes and Conditions as to their priviledges in France by way of Trade Neither can I forget how speedilie and as strangly the mighty French King did quit his Conquered Townes after the Valiant Prince of Orange took Naerden which was the first step to the Frenchs ruine in the States Dominions I come now according to promess in the beginning of this book to give the reader some Remarkes I made in other Countries where I have been during my sixteen years travels To give a full account of all that might be observed in so many Countries is not a taske for one man nor a subject for so small a book I shall onely therefore briefely take notice of some remarkable matters which may in some measure satisfie the curiositie of my Country men who have not been in the said places and convince if possible all of them that no Countrey that ever I was in afords so great conveniencies for the generalitie of people to live in as the Kingdome of England doth Though I have twice made the grand tour of Germany Hungary Italy and France and after my return back to England travelled a third time through Holland as for as Strasbourg and so back by Francfort to Denmark and Sweden yet the reader is not to expect I should follow a Geographicall method and order in speaking of the places I have been in that is to be lookt for in the map and not in travels but onely that I mention places as I found them on my rode according as busines or curiositie led mee to travel The first considerable place I then met with after I was out of the dominions of the States General was Cleave the capital citie of the Province so called a fair and lovely citie standing upon the Rhine and the rivers Wall and Leck This Province much resembles England in rich soyl and pleasantness of its rivers The inhabitants of the Countrey would have mee beleeve that they were originally descended of those Saxons who made a descent in to England and conquered it and to convince the truth of this they shew'd mee a cloyster standing on a hill called Eltham from which they say our Eltham in Kent had its name I was made to observe also two places standing upon the Rhine neare Emmerick called Doadford and Gronewich which according to them gave the names to Deaford and Greenwich in England but many such analogies and similitudes of names are to be found in other places of Germany but especially in uper Saxony and Denmark The greatest part of this Province of Cleave and part of the duchy's of Julieres and Berg and of the Provinces of Marke and Ravensbourg belongs to the Elector of Brandenbourg the rest belonging to the Duke of Newbourg now Elector Palatine and the Elector of Cologne The inhabitants are partly Roman Catholicks partly Lutherans and partly Calvinists who all live promiscuously and peaceably together both in city and Countrey The citie of Cleave is the out most limit of the territories of the Elector of Brandenbourg on this side of Germany from whence his Electorall Highness can travel two hundred dutch miles out right in his own Dominions and never sleep out of his own Countrey
in the Company have the like houses and Magazins as the Chambers of Zealand Delph Rotterdam Horne and Enkusen And now I have named the six Chambers of which the Company is composed I shall say some thing of their constitution which is from an Octroy or Act of the States General by which they have soveraign power over their servants in the Indies yea their Authoritie reacheth their servants in al Territoryes of the States General Donions It is Death for any of the States subjects to be Interlopers against this Company nor may any of what nation soever that lives in any of the Companyes Territories as Burgers or servants returne into Europe without leave from the Company only those called Freemen may depart without askeing leave to remove The Grand Councel of this Company is the Assembly of the Seventeen which are Elected out of the several Chambers before named that is eight from Amsterdam and four from Zealand Delph Rotterdam Horne and Enkusen send one a peece which makes sixteen and the five lesser Chambers by turns chose the seventeenth In the Chamber of Amsterdam there are 20 Bewinthebbers in ordinary who are for life and have 1000 Ducatones a yeare and spices at Christmas and their travelling charges when they goe upon the Companyes service The next Chamber is Zealand which hath twelve Bewinthebbers who have about 250 L. a yeare and travelling Charges and Spices at Christmas The next is Delph which hath seven Bewinthebbers who have only 120 L. a yeare and Travelling Charges and Spices at Christmas The other Chambers of Rotterdam Horne and Enkhusen have seven Bewinthebbers a peece and the like sallarie with travelling Charges and Spices at Christmas as the Chamber of Delph hath These Bewinthebbers are Elected or chosen out of those Adventerers called the high Participanten of the Company They generally chose such as are rich and men of parts and wisdome most of them being of the Magistratie of the Country No man is capable of being Elected a Bewinthebber who hath not a 1000 L. stock in the Company In a word this grand Councel of the Seventeen make lawes for the governing the Company both in India and Europe It is they that appoint the dayes of Sale and what number of Ships each Chamber must send to the Indies and likewise order the building of Ships and all other grand concernes This Company is worthily Esteemed'a wise Politique deserving Company spareing no cost to get good Intelligence of affaires sending Messengers and Expresses over land to the East-Indies They have their Spies and Correspondents in all the considerable Trading parts of the world They have been so industrious as to gaine the Spice Trade not only from the Venetians Spaniards Portugueses French Danes and other Europian nations but have also Ingrossed all the Spices so that as I tould you before they sell spices to the Indians themselves but this I must say for them that they are a Generous Company and gratefully paying respectts where it is due as lately they have Complemented his Royall highness the Prince of Orange with an Annuall summe out of the profits of their Company to make him their friend and Protector Neyther are they backward in bestowing presents upon strangers that have obliged them as I could instance in some of our own Nation They are also very charitable to the Poore giveing them the 1000th Gilder of all the goods they sell And to all the reformed Ministers in Amsterdam they send Spices at Christmas to pray every Sonday for the welfare and prosperitye of the Companie is a Buekler and defence for the Commonwealth upon all urgent occasions and truly our English East-India Company might be the same to our King if the Differences between the two Companyes were composed Especially now they have such a great King to protect them and that the Interlopers are distroyed And now it is hightyme I should tell you the methodes a stranger must take if he hath occasion to Keep house in Amsterdam If a man will hyer an house he must take a lease upon seald paper for which you must pay a Tax to the States and pay the Broaker that makes the bargen but before you can buy a house you must be in a capacitie to be made a Burger To this purpose it is usuall to take with you to the Stathouse your Broaker or any two Securityes and there before the Burgemasters take the oath of Burgerschap which is to be faithfull to the City to the Magistrates and Goverment c. but if you buy either Land or Houses and lodge privately you will find your case much worse Then you must pay a Legion of Taxes to the mils that draine your Lands and for maintaining the Banks and Sluces and if the States have occasion to build a Fortification on your Lands or to drownd them in the tyme of warre you must be contented with the States Termes and if your house or houses stand Empty without Tenents yet you must pay the States Taxes on that house or houses Thus much for the method how you are to be advanced to be a Burger of Amsterdam and to give you a tast what you are to pay for houses or Land if you settel there and if you have either purchased or hyred an house then comes an Officer from the Stathouse with a printed seald paper who tels you you must pay as followeth first a pole tax for every male and female servant in the house above 8 yares old six Gilders a yeare For a Coach if you keepe one 75 Gilders a yeare For a Coach without wheeles 50 Gilders a yeare For sope as the Number of the familie is The like for salt For wyne as your Qualitie is To the Rattel watch as your house is in Greatnes To the Lanthornes as the largenes of the house is For Butter every 20 pound seven stivers For Beens halse as much as you pay for the beens For Turff every Tun five stivers For every 20 Gilders in wood six Gilders For Flesh the Tax often changeth There is also a Tax on the Bread Then there is a Tax called the 200ste penny and a Tax called the 8th then there are many Taxes in Trade as that no man can weigh or measure out his owne Goods if sould in grosse but the States Officers must doe it Then the States have a Tax called the Verpounding on all Lands and Houses in their Dominious Then they have a Tax on sealdpaper and a Tax for Registering Lands or houses likewise a Tax on Cowes Horses Calues and all sort of Fruit. There are many other Taxes I could name as a stiver for every man that goes out or into any City after the houer of shutting the Ports also you pay for going over som Bridges and passing thro Gates called Tolhek a stiver for every persons but Coaches Wagons or Horses pay more These I have already named you will say are to many yet I may not forget to tell you that Milke
pursued him got into his chamber and devoured him alive so that the Justice of the Almighty made him a prey to vermine who had inhumanely reckoned his fellow Christians to be such The tower which I saw to this day is called the Rats-tower and the story is upon record in the city of Mayence On my Journey from thence I came to the litle village of Hockom not far distant famous for our Hockomore wine of which though the place does not produce above 150 fouders a year yet the Ingenions Hollanders of Dort make some thousand fouders of it goe of in England and the Indies From Hockom I proceeded to Francfort a pleasant city upon the river of Maine called formerley Teutoburgum and Helenopolis and since Francfort becaus here the Franconians who came out of the Province of Franconia foarded over wfien they went upon their expedition into Gallia which they conquered and named it France and I thought it might very well deserve the name of Petty-London because of its Priviledges and the humour of the citizens It is a Hansiatick and Imperiall town and Common-wealth the Magistrats being Lutherans which is the publick established Religion though the Cathedrall church belongs to the Roman Catholicks who also have severall monasteries there The citie is populous and frequented by all sorts of Merchants from most parts of Europe part of Asia also becaus of the two great faires that are yearely kept there Many Jews live in this city and the richest Merchants are Calvinists who are not suffered to have a Church in the town but half an houres journey out of it at a place called Bucknam where I have told seventy four Coaches at a time all belonging to Merchants of the city It was in ancient times much enriched by Charle le maigne and hath been since by the constitution of the Golden bull amongst other honours Priviledges its appointed to be the place of the Emperours Election where many of the ornaments belonging to that August ceremonie are to be seen It is strongly fortified having a stately stone bridge over the Maine that joynes it to Saxe-housen the quarter of the great master of the Toutonick order The government is easy to the people they not being taxed as other cities are and had it not been for the Alarmes the French gave them during the last war they had not been much troubled but being forced to keep three or four thousand men in constant pay to defend their fortifications the Magistrats were constrained to raise money by a tax Besides that of the Emperour they are under the protection of some neighbouring Princes as of the Landgrave of Hessen Cassells Landgrave of Armestadt the Count of Solmes and the count of Hanau who are either Lutherans or Calvinists amongst whom the Late Elector Palatine was also one but whether the present who is Roman Catholick be so or not I cannot tel This city takes great care of their poor and in their charitie to poor travellers exceed Holland I have seen a list of seaven thousand whom they relieved in one year Their great hospitall is a large court or palace where the English Merchants formerly lived in the time of Queen mary's persecution of the Protestants who when they were recalled by Queen Elisabeth were so generous as to give the whole court with all their Packhouses and lands to the poor of the city It was my fortune to be there in that cold Winter in the year 1683. and saw a ceremonie performed by the Wine coopers of the citie who are obliged by law that when ever the Maine lyes fast frozen over for eight days together to make a great Fouder fat Hoops and Staves and set it up compleat upon the Ice It was very good diversion to see so many hands at worke and to observe the jollity and mirth of the many thousands of spectators who wanted not plenty of Rhenish wine to carouse in I had the curiositie afterward to goe to the court of the Landgrave of Armestadt a Lutheran Prince who lives in part of the richest soyle in Germany His Highness is a very courteous and obligeing Prince to Strangers and his subjects are in a pretty good condition again though they have been great sufferers by the last war between the Landgrave of Hessen and this familie From thence I went to Heidleberg a city I had been formerly in in the life time of that wise tho unfortunate Prince Elector elder brother to Prince Rupert Here I had the Honour to pay my dutifull respects to the Elector the son of that great Prince whose commissary I had the honour to be for two years together in Amsterdam This Prince since my being there is lately dead and left behind him the reputation of having been a Zealous thorough paced Calvinist and so constant a frequenter of the church that some Sundays he went thrice a day to Sermon but never failed if in health to be once a day at least at the garrison-church where he took particular notice of such officers as were absent He was married to a most virtuous lady the Royall sister of the King of Denmark and his brother Prince George During his life time the university of Heidleberg flourished exceedingly so that the number of students was so great that Chambers and lodgings in the citie were scarce and Spanhemius was about quitting Leyden to return to his professors place in Heidleberg but how matters stand since his death I am as yet ignorant This Countrey is called the paradise of Germany for its fruitfulness in wine corn and all sorts of fruit I my self have seen growing in one plain at the same time vines corn chestnuts almonds dates figs cherries besides severall other sorts of fruit And as the Countrey is fertile in yeelding the fruits of the Earth so the people are carefull in providing store room for them This I take notice of because of the prodigious Rhenish wine fats which are to be seen there amongst which there are seaven the least whereof holds the quantitie of 250 barells of Beere as I calculated but the large and most celebrated fat is that which goes by the name of the great Tun of Heidleberg and holds 204 fouders of wine and cost 705 L. Sterling in buildiug for which one may have a very good house built This fat I have seen twice and the first time was when the Elector treated the French Ambassadours that came to conclude the match betwixt his daughter and Monsieur the French Kings brother who married her after the death of our Kings sister his first wife at which treat there happened an adventure that I shall here please the Reader with In a gallery that is over this fat the Elector caused a table to be placed in the midle exactly above the bunghole of this Monstrous vessell and to be covered with a costly banquet of all sorts of sweet meats The day before all the wine being emptied out of this Tun into
againe united in love and affection as they are bound to be in duty and Intrest and would they be as willing to contribute to their own hapines as heaven hath been kind and liberal in bestowing the meanes of it with a good and gratious Prince solicitous for preserveing the same to them could wee be so blest as wee have great reason to Expect wee may under the Auspicious reigne of him whose royall Virtues are dreaded by none either at home or a broad but such as are the disturbers of publick and lawfull Authoritie Having made this digression I return to Berlin It is a city lately enlarged with fair streets and palaces The Magistrates of the place are Lutherans which is the publick established Religion in all the Electors dominions though he himself and his Children be Calvinists He is lookt upon to be so true to that persuasion that he is reckoned the Protector of the Calvinists and indeed he sollicited the Emperour very hard for a toleration of the Protestants in Hungary His chaplains as most of the Lutheran ministers also endeavour to imitate the English in their way of preaching and his highness is so much taken with English divinity that he entertains divines for translating English books into the German tongue as the whole duty of man and severall others He has a large and Srately palace at Berlin and therein a copious library enriched with many manuscripts medalls and rarities of Antiquity He may compare with most Princes for handsome guards being all of them proper well bodied men and most part Officers who ride in his guards of horse As he is know'n in the world to be a valiant and warlick Prince so he maintains in pay an Army of 36000 men besides five or six thousand horsmen who in time of war are modelled into troopes with which body during the late war with Sweden his highness in Person beat the Swedes out of his Countrey Hee keeps his forces in strickt Discipline obliging all the Officers if Protestants on Sundays and holy days to march their severall Companies in order to Church but if a superiour Officer be of a contrary persuasion then the next in commission supplies his place This custome is Religiously observed by all his highnesses garrisons whilest he himself with his Children being five sons two Daughters and two Daughters in law goe constantly to the Calvinist Church adjoyning to the Court. Amongst other acts of publick pietie and charitie this Prince hath established and endowed some Religious houses or Nunneries for Protestant young ladies where they may live virtuously and spend their time in devotion as long as they please or otherwise marry if they think fit but then they lose the benefit of the Monastery There is one of these at Herford in Westphalia where I was and had the honour to wait upon the Lady Abbess the Princess Elisabeth eldest sister of the Elector Palatine and Prince Rupert who is since dead Nothwithstanding the late wars with Sweden and that by the prevalency of France in that hasty treaty of peace concluded at Nimwegen his Electorall Highness was obliged to give back what he had Justly taken from that crown yet his subjects flourish in wealth and trade his highness having encouraged manufactures of all sorts by inviting Artizans into his dominions and estalished a Company of tradeing Merchants to the West-Indies which will much advance navigation amongst his subjects And in all humane probabilitie they are like to continue in a happy condition seing by the alliances his highness hath made with the Protestant Princes of the Empire and especially the house of Lunenbourg they are in no danger of being disturbed by their neighbours I told you before that the Prince of Brandenbourg was married to the Daughter of the duke of Hanover so that so long as that alliance holds the families of Brandenbourg and Lunenbourg will be in a condition to cast the ballance of the Empire they both together being able to bring into the field 80000 as good men as any are in Europe When I parted from Berlin I made a turn back to Lunenbourg in my way to Swedland where I found severall of my Countrey men Officers in the garison who shew'd mee what was most remarkeable in the city as the Saltworks which bring in considerable summes of money to the duke of Lunenbourg the Stathouse and Churches in one of which I saw a communion table of pure ducat gold From thence I went into the Province of of Holstein and at a small sea port called Termond of which I spake before I embarked for Sweden He that hath read in the histories of this last age the great exploits of Gustavus Adolphus and his Swedes perhaps may have a fancy that it must be an excellent Countrey which hath bredsuch warriours but if he approach it he will soon find himself undeceived Entering into Sweedland at a place called Landsort wee sailed forwards amongst high rocks having no other prospect from Land but mountains till wee came to Dollers which is about four Swedish that is twenty four English miles from Stockholm the capitall citie of the Kingdome upon my comeing a shore I confess I was a litle surprised to see the poverty of the people and the litle wooden houses they lived in not unlike Soldiers huts in a leaguer but much more when I discovered litle else in the Countrey but mountanous rocks and standing lakes of water The Reader will excuse mee I hope if I remarke not all that I may have taken notice of in this Countrey seing by what I have already written he may perceive that my designe is rather to observe the manner of the inhabitants living then to give a full description of every thing that may be seen in the Countrey they live in However I shall say somewhat of that too having premised once for all that the ordinary people are wretchedly poor yet not so much occasioned by the Publick taxes as the barrenness of their Countrey and the oppression of the nobles their Landlords and immediate superiours who till the present King put a stop to their violences tyrannically domineered over the lives and fortunes of the poor peasants From Dollers I took waggon to Stockholm changing horses three times by the way by reason of the badness of the rode on all hands environed with rocks that hardly open so much as here and there to leave a shred of plain ground At two miles distance upon that rode the citie of Stockholme looks great becaus of the Kings palace the houses of Noblemen and some Churches which are seated upon rocks and indeed the whole citie and suburbs stand upon rocks unless it be some few houses built upon ground gained from the rivers that run throw the town Stockholme has its name from a stock or logg of wood which three brothers threw into the water five miles above the city making a vow that where ever that stock should stop they would build a
is commonly high drinking the Pape or Parson is master of the Ceremonies And here give mee leave to tell a short story of one of them A Pape comeing to Christen a Child in a Church and finding a Scottish man to be Godfather was so transported either with Zeal or his cups that when he came to exorcise the Child which is a rite used in their Office of Administring that Sacrament He neglected the forme prescribed by the liturgie and in an extemporary prayer begg'd that the devill might depart out of the Child and enter into that Scottish Heretick for so they call the Presbyterians of that nation The prayer of the Pape so incensed the Scot that he vowed revenge and watched the Pape with a good cudgell next day as he crossed the Church yard where he beat him and left him all in blood lying on the ground and crying out murder For this fact the Scot was had before the Justice who asking him how he durst be so bold as to lay his profane hands upon the man of God He who knew very well what use to make of the devill he had got foaming at the mouth and cunningly acting the demoniack made answer that the Pape might thank himself for what he had met with for since he had conjured the devill into him he spared no body neither wife nor Children nor would he spare the Justice himself and with that sell a mangling and tearing the Magistrat that he was fain to betake himself to his heeles crying out O! the devill save mee and so the Scot marched home no man daring to lay hold on him for fear of being torn to peeces by the devill But the Justice recollecting himself sent for the Pape told him that the Scot was a cunning rogue and bid him goe home get a plaister for his head and be silent least if the matter came to the Bishops ears he might be censured for goeing against the rubrick of the liturgie The famous Universitie where their Clergy are bred is Vpsall eight Swedish miles from Stockholme There are commonly 150 or 200 Students there but no endowed colledges as in other Counrries The library is so meane and contemptible that the libraries of many Grammar Schools and of privat men in England or Holland are far better stored with books then it is Upon viewing of it and that of the Kings Palace I called to mind the saying of a French man upon the like occasion That Swedland came behind France and England in the knowledge of men and things at least 800 yeares yet some Swedes have been so conceited of the antiquity of their Countrey as to bragg that Paradice was seated in Sweden that the Countrey was turned into such heaps of rocks for the rebellion of our first parents and that Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel in a Countrey three Swedish miles distant from Vpsall A French man standing by and hearing this Romantick story as I was told fitted him with the like telling him that when the world was made in six days at the end of the creation all the Rubbish that remained was throw'n together into a corner which made up Sweden and Norway And indeed the French seeme to have no great likeing to the Countrey what ever kindness they may have for the people for a French Ambassadour as an author of that Countrey relates being by order of Queen Christina treated in a Countrey house 4 Swedish miles from Stockholme and upon the rode goeing and comeing with all the varieties and pleasures that the Countrey could affoard on purpose to make him have a good opinion of the same made answere to the Queen who asked him upon his return what he thought of Sweden that were he master of the whole Countrey he would presently sell it buy a farme in France or England which under favour I think was a litle tart and sawcy Having stayed a considerable time in Swedland and most part at Stockholme I set out from thence to goe to Elsenbourg by land and went a litle out of my way to see a small city called Eubrone famous for a coat of Arms which it got in this manner A certain Masculine Queen of Denmark who had conquered a great part of Sweden comeing to this city asked the Magistrates what was the Arms of their city who having told her that they had none she plucked up her coats and squatting upon the Snow bid them take the marke she left there for their Arms It 's pity she did not give them a suitable motto to it also What that figure is called in blazonerie I know not but to this day the city uses it in their Armes and for marking their commodities This Queen came purposely into Sweden to pay a visit to a brave woman that opposed a King of Swedland who in a time of famine would have put to death all the men and women in his Countrey above sixty years of age The Countrey all the way I travelled in Swedland is much of the same qualitie of the land about Stockholme untill I came neare the Province of Schonen which is called the store house and Kitchin of Sweden where the Countrey is far better It was formerly very dangerous to travell in this Province of Schonen becaus of the Snaphances who were a kind of bloody robbers now utterly destroyed by the King so that it is safe enough travelling there Entering into Schonen I saw twenty nine of these rogues upon wheeles and elsewhere in the Countrey ten and twenty at severall places The King used great severitie in destroying of them some he caused to be broken upon the wheele others spceted in at the fundament and out at the shoulders many had the flesh pinched off of there breasts and so were fastened to stakes till they died and others again had their noses and both hands cut off and being seared with a hot Iron were let goe to acquaint their camerades how they had been served The King is very severe against Highway-men and duellers In above a hundred miles travelling wee found not a house where there was either French wine or brandie which made mee tell a Swede of our Company who was travelling to Denmark that I would undertake to shew any man 500 houses wherein a traveller might have wine and other good accommodation in the space of an hundred miles upon any rode from London There are severall small towns and fertile land in this Countrey of Schonen lying upon the Sound at the narrowest part whereof lies Elsenbourg burnt down by the Danes in the last war Here I crost over to Elsenore the passage being but a league broad The King of Denmark has a cas●le at Elsenore which commands the narrow passage of the Sound where all Ships that enter into or come out of the Baltick sea must pay toll Having visited this cas●le and stai'd about a fortnight with the English Consul and S● John Paul late resident at the Court of