ABSTRACT
During the summer of 1618 the Bishop of Bremen 1 came to Denmark to visit the King, with the intention of choosing as his successor to the bishopric the King’s son, Frederik 2 , the youngest of the three, the others being Duke Christian and Duke Ulrik. This Bishop had reached his eightieth year and had eighty men with him. Some days before the Bishop came to Copenhagen the King’s brother, Duke Ulrik 3 , came to visit the King in order to welcome the Bishop together with the King, the young lords his sons, the Council and all the nobility of Denmark. This Duke Ulrik was Bishop of Pomerania, and had his seat at Bützow, sixteen miles from Rostock. And when the day arrived that the Bishop should reach Copenhagen on his visit to the King, that morning the King made ready to ride out in magnificent array, with his brother and the three young gentlemen. Their dapple-grey horses were choicely caparisoned with splendid saddles, set with gold and precious stones and pearls, worth several thousand florins. They had cloths which reached from their hind quarters and down to their hocks, handsomely fashioned and set with jewels and precious pearls. The bridles were all inlaid and set with gold beads and jewels, also of great value. Each horse bore between his ears a silver feather or crest-plume, gilded as to the upper half and screwed down to the harness, so that it stood erect.
