asperse Whitelocke and his business, and to give some obstruction to it;
but Whitelocke took little notice of such things, only he thanked
Monsieur Ravius for his defence of Whitelocke and of the truth.

It was also related to Whitelocke that the inauguration of his Royal
Highness could not probably be performed till the feast of St. John the
Baptist, and that then nothing could be concluded in his business till
the feast (as they expressed it) of the Holy Archangel St. Michael next
following, because it was fit to be remitted to the Prince for his final
agreement thereunto; and so the treaty must necessarily receive a
deferring till that time, which, they said, would be best for
Whitelocke's affairs. Whitelocke told them that it would be somewhat
difficult to persuade him that such a delay of his business would be
best; he was sufficiently convinced of the contrary, and that such an
obstruction would render his treaty wholly fruitless both to England and
Sweden, and that he hoped to be himself in England long before the time
which they prefixed for the beginning of his treaty with the new King;
and that he daily expected the commands of the Protector touching his
return home, which he should readily and willingly obey, whether his
treaty here should be concluded or not. He spake the more to this effect,
and the oftener, that the same might come to the ear of the Chancellor
and other senators.


_March 20, 1653._

[SN: Peace signed between England and the United Provinces.]

Whitelocke visited Piementelle, who communicated to him the news of the
Duke of Lorraine, and that the United Provinces of the Netherlands had