Source:
Some Historic Women; or, Biographical Studies of Women Who Have Made History, pages 287 to 289, by William Henry Davenport Adams, 1890-1899; original at the University of Toronto - Robarts Library
Above: Kristina.
The biography:
Towards the last days of 1653, an English ambassador arrived at her court, Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke, who was sent by Cromwell to concert measures with Sweden for establishing the free navigation of the Sound in spite of the opposition of Denmark. Whitelocke was presented to her on the 22nd of December.
"On entering the room", he says, "he put off his hat, and then the Queen put off her cap, after the fashion of men, and came two or three steps forward upon the foot carpet. Her habit was of plain grey stuff, her petticoat reached to the ground; over that was a jacket such as men wear, of the same stuff, reaching to her knees; on her left side, tied with crimson ribbon, she wore the jewel of the order of Amaranta. A black scarf was about her neck, tied before with a black ribbon, as soldiers and mariners sometimes used to wear; her hair was braided and hung loose upon her head; she wore a black velvet cap lined with sables, and turned up after the fashion of the country, which she used to put off and on as men used to do their hats.
"Her countenance was sprightly, but somewhat pale; she had much of majesty in her demeanour, and though her person was of the smaller size, yet her mien and carriage were very noble."
Whitelocke became a great favourite with the Queen, who confided to him her resolution to abdicate. At first he thought she was jesting with him, but when convinced of her sincerity, related for her benefit a little apologue. An old English gentleman had been persuaded to surrender his estate to his son. The writings had all been drawn up, and witnesses attended to see them duly signed and delivered. Meanwhile the old squire was seated in the parlour smoking, when the son entered and requested him, for the sake of cleanliness, to remove to the kitchen. Without a word he obeyed, and presently the son returned with the information that the deeds were ready for his signature. Then the old man said he had changed his mind, and intended to keep his estate; for, said he[,] "I am determined to spit in the parlour as long as I live." Christina took the hint in good part, but ingeniously observed, that "in her case, to be quit of the crown would be to spit in the parlour."
Whitelocke describes a masque, at the performance of which he was present. The Queen was one of the players, bearing herself with much propriety. "Its whole design", he says, "was to show the vanity and folly of all professions and worldly things, lively represented by the exact properties and mute actions, genteelly, without the least offence or scandal.
"It held two hours, and after the dances the Queen caused her chair to be brought near to Whitelocke, when she sat down and discoursed with him of the masque. He (according to his judgment) commended it, and the inoffensiveness of it, and rare properties fitted to every representation, with the excellent performance of their parts by all, especially by the Moorish lady and the citizen's wife [the Queen's two characters], at which the Queen smiled, and said she was glad he liked it.
"He replied that any of his countrymen might have been present at it without any offence, and he thanked her majesty for the honour she had done him.
"When the Queen had acted the Moorish lady, she retired into a room to put off her disguise. Pimentelle [the Spanish ambassador] being there, she gave him her vizor, in the mouth whereof was a diamond ring, which shined and glistened gloriously by the torch and candle light as the Queen danced; this she bade Pimentelle [whose courteous and flattering ways made him a favourite] to keep till she called for it. Pimentelle told her he wondered she would trust a jewel of that value in the hands of a soldier: she said she would have the adventure of it. When the masque was ended Pimentelle offered the ring again to the Queen, who told him that he had not kept it according to her commands, which were, till she called for it, which she had not yet done, nor intended as long as she lived, but that he should keep it as a memorial of her favour."
Christina was always lavish of her gifts, as Whitelocke himself afterwards experienced; yet on this simple incident, her enemies, the French pamphleteers, founded a calumnious accusation. The Queen was frank, free, independent, and careless of the conventionalities, with too little womanly reserve and too great a fondness for affecting masculine speech and manners; but when this has been said the worst has been said, and though it may impugn her judgment[,] it does not impeach her chastity.
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