Preface
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Philip Julius, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, born in the year 1584, was the only son
of Ernst Ludwig, of Pomerania, and Sophia Hedwig, of Brunswick. For the purpose
of finishing his education before taking up the government of his country, he
was sent on a grand tour through the principal States of Europe, sixteen
gentlemen and servants forming his suite.
The young Duke, on the first of February, 1602, set out for Leipzig University,
where he spent some weeks in attending the lectures of the most eminent
professors, and was, in conformity with an old custom, honoured by having
conferred upon him the title of Rector of the University. Six months later, in
July, the travellers passed Strassburg, reaching Paris towards the end of
August. Their stay here was not of long duration, it being the plan of his
governors to let the Duke see 2![]()
England first and study France on his
return from that island. Already on September 3 we find the company in Boulogne,
waiting for a ship that was to carry them over to England. In Boulogne most of
the servants were ordered to remain with the horses, and even some of the
gentlemen-in-waiting seem not to have crossed the Channel with their young
lord.
The highest in command of the suite was Bernhard Buggenhagen, first and principal
governor to the Duke, who had the management as well as the responsibility of
everything concerning the journey. In the second place may be mentioned
Erasmus Küssow, chamberlain, and Joachim Volrad Tribsees, cup-bearer, as well as
Christoffer Trampe, the paymaster. All these were of noble birth and belonged to
the best families of Pomerania, whilst Frederic Gerschow--a learned scholar, and
up to this time the tutor of the young Duke--may have performed the duties of
private secretary, and, when the knowledge of the others proved to be
insufficient, acted as interpreter.
Frederic Gerschow is the author of the Diary, kept by him from the first day of
the journey down to their return home. The Duke ordered him to put down
carefully, day by day, everything they saw or heard in the places they visited,
and Gerschow made his notes with the intention of bringing them into better
order at his leisure. Unfortunately, however, and before setting to work he gave
away part of the manuscript, and another part was spoiled by rain; consequently
he was obliged to have recourse to his memory, and dictated what he knew to an
amanuensis, which caused much delay. The manuscript was not completed till 1605,
when Gerschow was professor of law at the university in Greifswald, where he
died in the year 1635. No doubt it was owing to him, that the young Duke was
enabled to meet and enter into conversation with the best-known statesmen and
scholars of the time.
The original manuscript of Frederic Gerschow's Diary belonged to the library of
St. Mary's church in Stargard, Pomerania, but appears to be entirely lost. The
only copy existing (or at least known to exist) was found by me some 3![]()
years ago
in the library of Count von der Osten of Plathe in Pomerania, whose grandfather,
gentleman-in-waiting to the King of Prussia, founded about the middle of the
last century the Plathe library, which still exists, though somewhat neglected.
He brought together a great many books and manuscripts, chiefly historical,
procuring copies when the originals were not to be obtained. In a short note on
the fly-leaf of his copy of the Diary, dated Plathe, 1757, Herr von der Osten
gives an account of the original, which, no doubt, formerly had its place in the
ducal library. Herr von der Osten's father-in-law had it copied for himself in
the year 1733, and described the original as a parchment bound volume with gilt
edges, the handwriting being apparently in the style of the sixteenth century.
The Plathe manuscript is a copy of this former copy above mentioned, and was
carefully revised by Herr von der Osten, whose handwriting is found on many of
its pages.
The Diary has never yet been published, but in the year 1751 Herr David Richter,
rector of the Latin School in Giistrow, Mecklenburg, gave an extract of it. It
will, for this reason, interest the English public to receive on the following
pages a translation, as literal as possible, of that part of the Diary which
contains the young Duke's sojourn in England from September 10 until October 3,
1602.
Being sent to England for the sake of instruction and with the view of forming
his character, it is evident that no political purpose whatever was connected
with the journey; but it may be interesting to have a description of London and
other eminent places, as a foreign traveller of high birth saw them about three
hundred years ago. Here, however, the translation meets with a difficulty which
was not always to be overcome. The Diary gives the names of men and places
phonetically, as the German ear caught the sound -e.g. Zipseut for Cheapside,
Sommersitz for Somerset. Where it was possible to find out the place the modern
name has been added, but very often this was impossible, even with the help of a
map.
[Diary Excerpt]
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18th.—On the 18th, 2435his princely Grace having heard of a museum arranged by a gentleman,
2533Master Kopf, we drove 27![]()
there and found a
great many wonderful objects, as various CopeJulius00010arms and weapons
used in 136India orientali.
CopeJulius00030Some crowns worn by the Queen in America, CopeJulius00040a number of
shields and CopeJulius00050swords. CopeJulius00060A dagger entirely made of steel had CopeJulius00070a scabbard made wholly
of black lac or 129Spanish wax.
Further, CopeJulius00080two teeth of the sea-horse, CopeJulius00090the horn of a rhinoceros, was not long but
bent upwards, CopeJulius00100also the tail with very coarse hair.
CopeJulius00110Many strange worms, CopeJulius00120birds, and CopeJulius00130fishes, CopeJulius00140a salamander scolopendra, CopeJulius00150a little 463Indian bird phosphorescent by night; CopeJulius00160the celebrated
little fish, Remoram, had scales almost square like a stone perch, a head like
an eel-pout; also CopeJulius00170a cauda Delphini, and CopeJulius00180a mummy.
We further saw many 463Indian CopeJulius00190manuscripts and CopeJulius00200books, CopeJulius00210a
passport given by the 2534King
of 519Peru to the English, neatly written on wood, CopeJulius00220various
strange cucumber plants.
CopeJulius00230The musical instrument celebrated in ancient times, and called cymbalum, was
round like a globe of brass or steel; when touched it gave forth a sound like a
triangle, but it is not now known how it was used in early times.
This gentleman also spends a good deal on CopeJulius00240artistic paintings; some of them had
cost not less than fifty or eighty crowns. Thence we went to The Children's
Comoediam, the argument treated of a castam viduam, and was the story of a royal
widow of England.
The origin of this Children's Comoediam is this: 227the Queen keeps a number of young boys who have to apply themselves
zealously to the art of singing and to learn all the various musical
instruments, and to pursue their studies at the same time. These boys have
special praeceptores in all the different arts, especially very good
musicos.
And in order that they may acquire courteous manners, they are required to act a
play once a week, for which purpose 227the
Queen has erected for them a special theatrum 28![]()
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with an
abundance of costly garments. Those who wish to see one of their performances
must give as much as eight shillings of our [Stralsund] money, but there are
always a good many people present, many respectable women as well, because
useful argumenta, and many good doctrines, as we were told, are brought forward
there. They do all their plays by [artificial] light, which produces a great
effect. For a whole hour before [the beginning of the play] a delightful
performance of musicam instrumentalem is given on organs, lutes, pandores,
mandolines, violins, and flutes; and a boy's singing cum voce tremula in a
double-bass so tunefully, that we have not heard the like of it on the whole
journey, except perhaps the nuns in Milan did it better.