.*.»v'- •■; THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES L. V > L THE STORY OF THE L I F E O F GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, King of SWEDEN, Sirnamed, The GREAT. His Afnes in a peaceful Urn fhall reft ; His Name a great Example ftands to flrow. How fhrangely high Endeavours may be bleft. Where Piety and Valour jointly go. Dryden. VOLUME I. By the Reverend WALTER HARTE, M. A. Canon of Windsor. LONDON: Printed for the Author; and Sold by G. Hawkins, at the Middle Temple - Gate, in Fleet- Street. M.DCC.LIX. To the Right Honourable, PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, EARL OF CHESTERFIELD, Knight of the Moft Noble Order of the Garter, one of His Majefty's Moft Honourable Privy- Council, Sec, &c. 7 My Lord, IT muft be a peculiar happinefs to every au- thor, (and not the lefsfo, for being unfrequentj that choice and judgment (hould direct him to a Patron, as well as obligation and orratitude. It is moreover an addition to my good fortune, that thefe imperfect labours have been perufed, prote6^- ed, and encouraged by One, whofe fingle approba- tion is a fort of univerfal pafsport throughout all Europe. With 1 53 1 847 DEDICATION. With what pleafure could I indulge myfclf in painting a charadler alike amiable^ as well as illuf- trious F But, my Lord, the delicacy of your caft of mind deters me forcibly. It may fuffice there- fore to remark with brev ity, that I ha\ e raifed this little monument, as a teftimony of my private efteem and afFeclion \ and if the duration of // proves fhort and tranfitory, it is not from want of zeal and fpirit in the perfon who ere(£leth it : but from the inability of the artift, and the unfubftantiality of the materials he ufes. I know my bounds ; and (hall proceed no farther than to aflure your Lordship that I am, with thehigheft regard, Tgui' mofl Obliged^ and mojl Faithful Servant^ W. HARTE. [ V ] P R E F A C MOST perfons of moderate learning and abilities, after finifhing what is commonly called the tour of travelling into foreign countries, have been in- duced, either from felf-love, or the partial folicitations of their friends, to make a prefent to the public of fome per- formance, which took its rife from a clofer and more inti- mate acquaintance with diftant ftates and kingdoms than ufually fails to the fhare of fuch people as make a part of an inlular nation. As the perlbn who did me the honour to ac- cept of my poor and imperfedt fervices, exhorted me rather to be profufe than fparing in fuch expences as tended to the acquifition of knowledge, whether in hiftory, politics, an- tiquities, laws of government, manners of courts, &c. I had once thoughts of reducing the obfervations of my tra- vels into form ; but upon mature reflexion, it appeared to me, that the relative fituations of kingdoms and ftates were difquiiitions merely of a periodical nature ; and as to anti_ quities, buildings, paintings, and fo forth, they had been defcribed already, even to tedioufnefs. The inaccirracics b and vi PREFACE. and errors of other travellers foon taught me to fufpedL my own ; for many or moft of them depend principally (no^ thro' indolence and inattention, but on the contrary from want o\ time and proper opportunity) upon the relations of natives, which are always partial and iniincere ; or on fuch extrads as they are enabled to compile from books in vogue among the refpedive people thro' whole countries they pafs.. For thefe reafons I threw my materials afide ; and after fuch a franknefs and generolity of confefllon, it is natural to con- clude that I fhall procure my pardon from the public on eafy terms. Yet the dye was call:, that I fhould difturb the tranquillity of readers by fome means or other, and enter their clofets unfought-for with my literary prefent : That I do fo is certain ; but 'tis with refpecl and diffidence, and the little delineation I make them a tender of, carries this flight recommendation with it, that it is an original fketch, and not an imitation. Now as part of the commillion I was entrufted with in- duced me to renew my acquaintance with the modern hiftory of other nations, I applied myfelf a fecond time to an un- dertaking that had been fuggefted to me in the earlier parts of life, by my firft friend and protedor the late Earl of Peterborow, and which I then declined, merely thro' de- iiciency of materials, and from want ot that intercourfe with learned hiftorians of other nations, which it hath fmce been PREFACE. vii been my good fortune to acquire and cultivate. For thefe rcafons I have j^efumed the hiftory of Guftavus Adolphus more properly than undertaken it ; and fo much the rather, inaf- much as co-incidently with that period of narration, oppor- tunities are given me of throwing new lights into the politi- cal tranfadions of my ov/n country ; and that in the courfe of a reign partially underftood, but uncommonly impor- tant. At firft fight, without refledion, it may appear to fome, that I have engaged myfelf in an undertaking wliich feems to be foreign from the ftudies of my own profeflion, and that the life of a warrior, interfperfed with matters of civil hiftory, bear no connedion with the pen of an ecclefiaftic : but the life of that warrior, which time and accident have refer ved for me the honour of undertaking, happens by a rare and un- paralleled felicity to be the life of an hero, who, not con- tented to perform the greateft adions in the field and cabinet, fuperadded to his glory (in order to make the figure of it truly circular and perfect) the grand accomplifhing perfedi- on of an honeft, a moral, and a religious man ; in all whicJi' laft-mentioned lights he appears to me as great and amiable as in the two former. For thefe reafons, I had ever a flron j inclination to make this illuftrious and extraordinary perfonage better known to pofterity ; and if in the execution of fuch an undertaking I fhali happen to acquit myfelf without corn- fa 2 mendation, VUl PREFACE. mcndation, the fault mufl: lie at my own door ; for I writ; with pleafure, upon an earneft dcfire of becoming ufcful. Amongft other things, it lias been my fingular good for- tune to provide and amafs materials to fuch an abundance, that I found myfelf plung'd into an ocean of hiftory, as full and redundant as that of the poet, Omnia Poutus erant^ deerani quoque. littora Ponto ; fo that my principal difficulty lay in the grand fecret of feleSiio7i and reje8iio?i \ and what is equally extraordinary (but more to my difgrace if I fucceed ill) I have from a ftrange fatality in mankind, but one competitor, properly fpeaking as a * biographer, whofe work is only a fhort fuperjficial compilement fqueezed from the droppings of gazettes and courants in thofe days ; fo that if hiftorians could be ar- ranged into gradual claffes of perfedion (in the manner Des Piles has made an intelledual barometer, whereby to efti- mate the merit of painters) I fhould make no fcruple to place M. de Prade in the very loweft predicament of excel- lence X' Yet to give him his due, he aims at nothing, and is nothing. * Hifto're de Gudive Adolphe, dit Le Grand. A Par. I2°. 1695, pagg. 167. % PiofelFor Menlce, whofe ccUedlion in hiftory was well known to all Europ;, hath given us a pif'ure of this book to the life : Peu de choses. Catalcgus da Ptincipaux Hijfo- riens, p. 4 1 J. Pauper PREFACE. ix Pauper videri vtdt Ci?ina^ ^ eji pauper. And under this head there appears to mc an ulterior circumflance worthy to be recounted, namely, that the life of Guftavus could never have made its entrance into the M'orld at a period more interefling than the prefent, for the counter-part of the tricemital war, after a revolution of on& htmdred years ^ is now rekindled in the felf-fame countries ; The two proteftant heroes bear a great refemblance each to the other ; the motives are iimilar, and the provocation parallel. Yet what Induced me folely to write the life of Guftavus, was the charader he will be found to bear as a man of ho- nefty, magnanimity, morality, and religion : as to your merely belligerant heroes, I confign them to other hands. But after having long ftudied my inimitable example in the various fituations of piety and honour, and indulged a clofe examination into all that hath been publifhed partially or peevifhly concerning him by the feveral writers of the two religions, I find no breach of truft, no habitual immorality^ no infraction of religion, no negative inattention to public virtue or private devotion, which can ftridly and with pro- priety be laid to his charge. I can difcover but one habitual fault in the whole of his conduct; (and that too may be alle- viated. X PREFACE. viatcd, as it fcems to be a conftitutional frailty, interwoven with the warmth of liis nature) which is, that he was fubjedt on certain occafions to a momentary tranfport of paffion ; which, far from conceaHng, I have touched upon, not un- fparingly, in more places than one. But we never find him in the department of an encroaching or infolent king ; we never difcover him falfe or difhonourable in any one of the relative or focial duties : he preferred no man, but for merit and probity ; he broke his faith neither with potentate nor with fubjedl ; and as to military and ftate-favourites, they were a fort of regal trifles, which pafl'ed through his mind as tranfiently as they entered accidentally. He had no re- coiirfe to diflimulation ; becaufe as a brave man he defpifcd it, and as an able man he did not want it : for though it may i'eeni a paradox to the generality of readers, yet num- berlefs people are difhonefl merely for want of courage, cr want of parts. What hath been here flightly flcetched out is not intended to pafs upon the public by way of a charadler, but ferves onlv as a plain enumeration ot fome few individuating cir- cumftances, which induced me as an ecclefiaftic to write Guftavus's life preferably to that of moft other perfons. For were I to delineate him in the other various appearances of the warrior, the politician, and private man of virtue (all which I chufe hereafter to leave the reader to combine from the PREFACE. xi the feveral fads of hiftory) it were impofTible for me to con- fine niyfelf within the common bounds of a flight prepara- tory introdudion ; fince upon the whole he appears to me in every f]iape to be one of thofe great and fortunate human beings, whofe reputation is neither to be advanced by enco- miums, nor depreciated by obloquy, i^em vituperare 7ie inimici quidam -pojjunt^ niji ut fttmd laiident. My main Vi.z'w^ therefore, in compiHng this work, is an at- tempt to enforce the ideas and practice of virtue and reli- gion upon that large body of men called the 7?nUtary» The objed: and moral of my book being only this., "That the reli- gious and good man (all other circumftances being fuppofed equal) fla?ids the beji cha?ice to be bravejl too. And if in compofing the warlike parts of this work I have employed an unufual degree of exaclnefs, attention, and accuracy, 'tis merely from a fincere and earneft defire of conveying the doctrine of my moral more dextroufly into the human mind. Moderation, humanity, decorum, order, and above all the grand efficacy of a good example, are the falutary ingredients prefcribed to the warrior ; the defcription of war itfelf being only the vehicle artfully contrived in order to convey down lefs perceptibly the dofe of virtue, which men have perfua- ded themfelves to be more unpalatable than it really is, merely from the prevalence of cuftom and influences of pre- judice. But my hope is, that I fliall preferve the reader's attention xii PREFACE. attention awake through the' whole couiTc of my hiAory ; and that the mihtary youth of this kingdom may find tlic nf^ful intermingled with the amufmg ; Interea perpotct a7^anim Jlhfy7itht laticem^ ckceptaqiie ?2on capiatur : Sed tali potiui taSiu rccrcata valejcat. If, therefore, from the force of an example like that of Guftavus, I can difplay in new lights any {rt(h inducements (tending towards the promotion of virtue and religion) to that valuable part of tl>e human fpecies, the 6?'ave and magfta^ii- mouS'i I iliall think my labours repaid to me with an accu- mulatioa of interefl : and with all the fervour which the mind of man is capable of expreilmg towards the fupreme Being, I fincerely pray, that my intentions may be anfwered in this important particular ! On the king's piety I ground the wliole of my undertaking : other wife, Toiiwi hoc indiSium volv. The two grcatefl: heroes * irt the courfe of t\\Q prefent liifiory, were the moft moral and religious perfons in the two refpcclive armies. And though it may be objedled that jttany ivicked and Jiery men iiave been very brave^ (which point I no ways controvert) yet the former can never con- template * Guftavus and PEppenheinii PREFACE. xiii template death ferioiifly and compofedly ; and it may be doubted of the latter^ whether they poffefs that cool bravery, which prefer ves itfelf the fame without the help of the iraf- cible or vain-glorious appetites to goad it on : for, if courage be prompted by pafllon in any degree, and not by princi- ple, it muft be hurried and agitated more or lefs, which is a misfortune : the fire will be fierce, but not clear ; and the tranfport counterworks that prefence of mind which per- forms fuch wonders in the moments of danger, and with- es ' out which, bravery in war (with refped to fuperior com- manders) is little more than animal ferocity. All the great and magnificent that is performed in the field, is effeded by that intuitive glance of the judgment, which our neigh- bours denominate neither inelegantly nor improperly the coup d oeil^ though that idea falls far beneath the Greek ex- preflion KyxmM ; and I think 'tis plain to a demonflration, that the moft tranquil and compofed man (the reader will foon judge under which predicament fuch a perfon falls) ftands always the beft chance for fnatching thefe critical and momentary opportunities. Nothing is fo rapid as the flight of fortune ; and if fhe is not feized by the wing, the very inftant fhe glances by, the coy and capricious deity returns no more* It grieves me hkewife to fay, that fome military men, vainly and heedlefly fuppofe, that a contempt of religion, C and XIV PREFACE. and a virtuous life, argues a certain grcatncfs and intrepidity of foul. Little, alas ! in this refpe- flc was fought. His idea was, that every army fhould be con- fidered like a fortified town ; fupplied in fuch manner with af- llftances and reinforcements as to be enabled to adl offenfively or defenfively : That there fhould be fupports behind fupports, and paffages of communication and relief, to be fed regularly with as much exa6lnefs as the circulation of the blood is diftri- buted through the canals of the human body; his grand objed: beino;, that, though particular divifions might be thrown into diforder, yet that no confufion fliould prove imiverjal. It was he who had the firft notion of cloathing men well, and keep- ing them clean and warm : whereas Tilly's dodrine was, A j-a^- ged foldier and a bright mujquet^ following a falfe maxim of the ancients, Horridum inilitem ejfe decet. In military architedlure and the duties of an engineer he exceeded all his cotcmporaries, and defpifed the Low-Country method ot drawing up great inco- herent bodies of troops in fquare malTes, commonly called Ter- tias ; forafmuch as originally they made up a third of the main body or centre. He reduced the huge regiments, which conlift- ed formerly of two or three thoufand men, to twelve hundred, iind afterwards to one thoufand and eight, in order to diflribute more officers among the foldiery, and multiply the polls of pre- ferment for brave men. He allotted alfo four furgeons to every regiment ; but there is reafan to think that the Impcrialifls had none ; fmce Tillv himfelf, after the battle of Lciplic, was 3 ^ obliged in the fo'nner Part of the Seventeenth Century » g obliged to have his wounds dreffed by the towii-furgeon of Halle *. In the creative or i?ivefitive branches of war, we muft attribute to Guftavus the difcovery of the higade or colmnn^ the dodrine of firing in platoons., and the ufe ot leatherji portable artillery ; (fince difcontinued, for reafons to us unknown.) To him we owe likewife a new partizan (long loft in oblivion, but thought by many to be more efficacious and lefs incumbering than the bayonet) x\itfea-hom, \hz formation of dragoons, and the fubftitu- tion of pouches in the place ol ha?idileers. The infinite A'ariety of evolutions took its rife from him ; and to him we owe the de- monftration that a fl:)ort cannon will give the ball a larger range. It was he that firft divided his men into little diftincl pelotons^ and gave them officers accordingly. He confidered fpace as the parent of order, and always allowed fufficient ground-plot for redifying confufions. He was the firft who intermingled in- fantry in the intervals betwixt the horfe, which broke the for- midable impreffion of the ponderous Auftrian cuiraffiers, a fet of men then deemed irrefiftible : And, as brave regiments were often cut to pieces almoft to a man, (choice and difcrimination being likewife neceflary for carrying on more particular defigns) he devifed the expedient of draughting foldiers from feparate corps (who were then called commanded men) which firft gave rife to the formation of brigades and battalions. It was his original idea probably, that a body of infantry could refift an equal number of cavalry upon moft emergencies : And it was he firft thinned the immoderate depth of ranks, and confequent- ly brought more hands to engage in the hour of battle : — Yet one thing is very extraordinary : Though each of his generals was properly fpeaking a favourite pupil, nurtured by him ; and though his enemies were conftant eye-witnefles to every branch of his military condud ; yet the art of war declined from his death, * I have been informed the Auflrians had no regular fiirgeons in their regiments till about the year 171 8. Vol. I. B kU lo ^If'^y ^^^ ^^^ Military State^ &c. till the time that Monteciiculi and Turenne revived it in party conformably to the principles oi the great inventor. — Nor muft we negledl the extraordinary advantages he extracted from win- ter-campaigns ; vvliich may be confidcred partly as a new mi- litary practice : And it was from the fame principle, that he gave little or no countenance to councils of war ; for it was hia referved private ambition that every operation fhould pafs upon the foldiery for his own invention. Amidll the perfeBwe branches of his warlike profcfTion, may be mentioned his excellent methods ot cloathing and fubliiling armies, and the pim.i.; j . t C 2 There 20 -^^ ^'^ ^^^ Military State, &c. There were very few generals then in an army. — Tlie power and plaee of a Commander in chief all men comprehend at the firft found : Under him ferved one lieute?iant-gemral^ being properly fpeaking his vicegerent, who received orders from him in the day of battle, and in his abfence took the fupreme com- mand : (But this pofl: of employment feems to have been confi- dered as partly fuperfluous, about the time Guftavus entered the empire :) Next ranked the Velt-marcchal, whofe bufinefs it was to receive the plans of engagement from the generaliflimo, and feled: the ground. And here I muft make a little remark on my neighbours the French, who copying fervilely the German, or rather latinized German hiftorJans, fuppofe the Velt-marcchal (in the thirty years wars) and Commander in chief to be terms con- vertible : Whereas Velt-marechal (Canipi-Magijier, vel Mare- challus) denoted then no other commander than what I have de- fcribed. Next came the general of artillery^ the Jerjeant-niajor di hattaglia *, the general, of horfe^ the general of infantry, the commiffary-general, the quarter-mafer-general, and tlie muf- ter-mafler-general. Now, few points in the prefent hiftory have given me more vexation than this arrangement : For in ihoit the cuftoms of the two fervices were different, fmce it is certain that Pappenheim, after the king of Sweden's landing, aded in the character of lieutenant-general to Tilly ; and Hoik (not to difoblige the former ofhcer) was appointed deputy lieutenant- general under him. Nor do I recoiled: to find any equivalent in terms for th.t watch-mafler-general-f.^ who occurs fo frequently on the Imperial fide ; and of courfe thedifpofition here alluded to muft be confidered as Swedifh ; fince (having no other lights) I was obliged to derive my rank of precedency from the prefcri- bed forn> of fitting in one of Guftavus's grand councils of war. — Next came the eldefl colonels, with a referve of giving place to- • We are told that this officer had command over all the colonels ; was inveftcd with the power of raifing recruits ; and helped diCpofe and arrange the tioops in day of battle. Hiflona del Come Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato. Libr. II. p. 59. In Vcn. 410, 1643. t Wc have fmce remembered at) inftancc. Vol. I, Page 338. thofc in the former Part of the Seventeenth Century. 2.1 thofe of the guards : And in the Imperial eftabHihmcnt it mui-t be obferved, that the Croatians had always a general of their own chufing. Yet it doth not appear that this rank of honour took place in- difpenfably in the time ol: adlion : For every general (the two firft excepted) was confidered partly as a perfon mechanically adapted to the machinery of a battle : One was fuppofed to be the beft cannoneer, another to underftand beft the marfhalling of the infantry, a third the drawing up of the cavalry, and fo in other departments : But the fighting part was fometimes com- mitted to the beft hands ; and many colonels in the hour of en- gagement took the command of honour before feveral generals ; and this may be llightly remarked in the battles of Leipfic and Lutzen *. Not that fuch pra6lices were very frequent : Never- thelefs, an experienced colonel in thofe days was a very power- ful and refpettable perfonage. Nor did the command ot a fe- parate army neceffarily conftitute a general : Pechman had the fole management of feven thoufand men againft the Danifh and Weymarian forces ; Hoik conducted eight thoufand troops in the firft irruption he made into Mifnia ; Arnheim commanded a body of ten thoufand foldiers in the Polifli war ; and yet each at that time, though inverted with the fupreme authority, was only a colonel. Turcnne made Guftavus and Walftein his models in this refpedt : He could not bear to fee a general of horfe at the head of a body of infantry, merely becaufe he was the fenior commander ; and fo convertibly, when an officer of foot was transferred for the fame reafons to the condu(fting a wing of cavalry : And of courfe banifhed from his army all difputes concerning rank and priority of commiffion. If talents are not thus developed, at leaft now and then ; and their point of acti- vity well-direay- ment of a future ranfom. The colour of their military fcarf was arbitrary, and fo were the materials ; but nothing was fpared in the magnificence and richnefs of the embroidery. Their fwords were large and heavy, not extremely embellifhed ; their piflols of a length enormous ; the temper of metal in both incomparably perfedt. Their boots were large, thick, and wrin- kled, with high tops cut flant-wife, and prepared fo as to refiffc a common piftol-ball, except it came in a particular diredlion. But the oddnefs of their fpurs is fcarce to be accounted for ; It is thought they were made to jingle, in order to animate the hor- fes and keep them up to their duty without goring their flanks unmercifully. 3 2 r.[fay on the Military State^ kc. iinmcrcitiilly. Many generals armed tlicmfelvcs cap-a-pie : I'hcir brcalt-platcs, helmets, and the junftures of their armour were often inlaid with gold and iilver, richly diapered with the fame materials ; and fome few (but tliis muft be reftrained to the SwediOi f'ervice) wore only back and breaft plates, with an uppcr-fuit of perfumed leather, prepared and ftifTcned fo as to be a covering of refiftance. His majefty himfelf wore nothing of the defenfive nature, ex- cept an elf-fkin waiffcoat, which feems to me (notwithftanding the excufes alledged by him) to be matter of inclination and pure choice. That we may judge better of the habiliment of warriors in the former part of the preceding century, hiflory hath pre- fcrvcd us a curious portrait of the count de Tilly. He was a little man, and aiTeded fomething of the Spaniard in his drefs nnd manners, having received his firfl education at the court of the Infanta. Marechal Grammont found him at the head of his army on a march, mounted on a fmall white Croatian pad, in a green fattin doublet with flafhed fleeves, and trowfers of the fiime ftuff"; a little cocked hat, with a red oftrich plume in it, which reached down to his reins; and a belt round his waift of two inches breadth, to which hung his fighting fword, with a fmgle piflol only in one of his holflers. This general, when the Frenchman paid his compliments to him, faid, " Sir, ** perhaps you may find my accoutrements fomewhat cxtraor- ** dinary, and not wholly reconcileable to the mode of France ; ** neverthelcfs, 'tis my humour, and that's fufficient. I am *' perfuaded likewife, that my little hackney and folitary piflol furprize you as much as my habit ; but that you may not entertain an unfavourable opinion of the count de Tilly, to whom you have done the honour of paying a vifit of curiofity, " permit me to inform you, that I have gained feven decifive " battles, without being obliged to difcharge the piftol now under confideration ; nor hath the little pad in queffion ever " faUed a iJ. P. 19. Note, for baron De Auchy, read D'Aachy. P. 24. 1. 8. for Forftenfon, read Torjlcnfon. P. 30. Note, for Guerredi, read Guerre Ji. P 40. I. 18. after the word piqued, add him/elf. P. 48. Note, 1. I. To Geftorumin Europa fmgulariuni, prefix Piafeceii chronica Geftorum,hC. P. 60. Note, for viritos, read irritos. P. 60. for count de Sobre, read count HeSolre. P. 71 . 1. 8. for offenfible, read ojieiifible. Ibid. Note, I. 4. after Arvidum, dele comma. P. 79. 1. 8. for Maflbria, read Maffcnjia. P. 109. Note, 1. 7. for Munsfelt, read Mans/ell. P. Ii6. I. i6. for Wolllein, read Waiflein. P. n8. 1. 30. dele Camin. P. 123. 1. 24. for prefentment, read frefentiment. P. 126. 1. 19. dif- patching of an army, dele of. Ibid. 1. 21. for prefentment, read prefentiment. Ibid. 1. 27. read Graudrentz. P. 131. 1. 29. for Tumo, read Turno. P. 151. 1. lo. for renfion, read revijion. P. 155. Note, 1. 4. for He, read //. P. 166. Note, 1. 13. for indicare, read indicere. P. 168. 1. 18. for width, read nuedth. Ibid. 1. 28. for incomperti, read incotnpert^. P. 188. Note, for Van Scottem, read VanSo^tterti. P. 210. I. 13. for Wefer, xt3.i.0der. P. 236. 1. 4. ior Kirchjield, read Hirfchfeld. P. 260. 1. 26. for draw, KsA dre-zv. P. 293. 1. 2. for reftituende, read refiituendee. P. 322. 1. 25. prudent to make, xt^ii prudent not to make. P. 329. 1. 2. for Germam, read German. P. 342. 1. 9. for the expanfion, read that. Ibid. I. ig. for Sweden, xt3.d from. P. 344. 1. 28. For what motive, read /row v.-hnt, &c. P. 345. Note, 1. 12. for this laft, read his laji. P. 347. Note, for Carr, read Carve. P. 348. 1. 5. for power, read /oar. P. 374. for Coalto, read Colalto. P. 381. Note, for Alma, read ^/-aia. P. 385. 1. 13. for Zuthen, rtzdiZutphen. Ibid. Note, incer- tum eft, point it thus, incertum eft; — P. 386. 1. t. for leaders, read leader. P. 394. 1. 25. inftead of, it is reduced, read it is net reduced. P. 41 7. 1. 24. for carriage, read carnage. P. 430. Note, 1. 4. for Curville, lezd Cour'ville. P. 431. 1. 24. for corps, read dorps. P. 437. 1. 12. for Torcheim, read Forcheim. P. 441 . 1. i . for excepting, read e.xpecling. Page 1^5. 1, 2-. for eminently and defen-edlv., xtdAemlmntly and unrefervedfy. PRINCES CoTF.MPORARv uoUh GUSTAVUS ADOL- P II U S ; a7ul coficerned with Jm?:^ or againjl him. EMPERORS. Matthias Ferdinand II. •1612 — 1619 1615 — 1637 POPES. Paul V. Gregory XV. Urban VIII. - 1605 — 1621 ■1621 — 1623 1623 — 1644 KING of FRANCE. Louis XIII. 1610 — 1643 KINGS of SPAIN. Philip III. Philip IV. ■1598 — 1621 -1621 — 1665 KINGS of ENGLAND. ■ 1603 — 1625 James I. Charles I. 1625— 1648 KING of DENMARK. Christian IV. 1588 — 1648 KING of POLAND. SiCISMOND III. 1587 1632 ELECTORS of MENTZ> John ScHWEicKARD ? g g^g of Cronenbeig J G. Freperic of? jg^g_^g Grieftcnclau J -^ Anselm Casimir 7 g _^g Wambold of Umftadtj ^ ^' ELECTORS of TRYERS. Lothario of Metter- nich ^ Philip Christopher Van SO'TTERN ]• 1599—1623 |i623— 1652 ELECTOR of COLOGN. Ferdinand, Duke of ■> c ^ Bavaria J1612-.650 ELECTOR of BAVARIA. Maximilian 1623 — 1651 ELECTOR of SAXONY. John George — 1611 — 1659 ELECTORS of BRANDENBURG. John Sicismond- — 1572— 1619 George William 1619 — 1640 ELECTOR PALATIN. Frederic Y.- 1617 — 1632 Chofen King of Bohemia 1 6 1 9 PRINCES, &c. of Transylvania. Gabriel Bethlem 1603 — 1629 CATHARiNAof Brand- J , , enburg, who rcfigned J 9 '3' George Ragotzki — 1631 — 164S The Bookbinder is to place this fronting the beginning of the Hiftory, Vol. I. THE HISTORY O F The LIFE of Guflavus Adolphus. F a perfonal valour of the cleareft and moil diflingulfliing fort ; if a firmnefs of mind rendered more intuitive and operative by the approach of dangers, and difficulties j if a capacity in po- litics equal, to fay the leafl of it, to that of the greateft prime minifter whom Europe hath ever feen ; if an abhorrence of difTimulation and fubterfuge ; if a generous, open, and vmdiflembled fpirit of refent- ing national injuries ; if a pej'feclive and inventive genius in all the branches of military knowlege ; if generofity and humanity, modera- tion and courtefy, public and domeftic affeclion, and above all, a fm- cere and vital fenfe of religion and piety, are fufficient outlines to give force and charafter to the portrait of a true hero ; (allowances being ever to be made for the frailties and errors incidental to meer human nature;) it feems to be highly probable, tliat the reader will not be diflatisfied with Vol. I. B the THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE the delineation I propofe to make of the life and actions of the Great Guftavus * ; and if, more or lefs, in all, or various inftances, it is my misfortune to write beneath the trutii, and even below my own ideas, yet thence it can never follow with ftrift juftice that the original objccl is devoid of luflrcj but that it (hines on a body made up of broken and unequal furfaces, neither capable to receive the brightnefs itfclf, nor tranfmit it to others. The hero of my prefent hiftory, born December 9, 1594, was grand- fon of Guftavus Ericfon, (whofe family name was Vafa -f) the great de- liverer of Sweden. And here a \\riter more fuperftitious than myfelf, might be cnclined to think, that there was fomething in the name of Guftavus con-natural to the profperity of that kingdom, whenever he confiders the reigns and illuftrious aftions of thefe two renowned princes; {o that the northern wits are not to be looked upon as determined triflers by profefiion, when they anagrammatized the letters which form the word GusTAvus into the name of Augustus. It is well known to the generality of readers, that the grandfather of Guftavus Adolphus, had been deputed by Sweden as one of the fix hoftages of ftate to Chriftian II. king of Denmaik : a prince equally faithlcfs and defpotic ; who in contradi6lion to his own royal promife, removed them all into his own country, and confined them there as pri- foners of war. Thence, Guftavus Ericfon, having obtained permiffion to amufe himfelf with a morning's hunting, contrived means to efcape in difguife, and after various dangers, (making his firft retreat to Lubec) reached his native foil in the year 1520 : at which the tyrant Chriftian conceived fuch extraordinary offence, that contrary to his exprefs pro- mife of an univerfal amnefty, (fworn by him four days after his Swedifli coronation) he made the city of Stockholm an ocean of blood, fparing neither bifliops, nor nobles, (amongft which the father of Guftavus Ericfon was one) nor magiftracy, nor gentry : and denying them like- wife the common rights of religious fcpulture. Upon v/hich Ericfon, tranfported v/ith the warmth of a true patriot, collected fome few com- • Oxenftiern named him firft the Great opening of the diet of Heilbrun 1633. GusTAvus in the fpecch he made at the + Vafa fignifies a fheaf of corn. panics OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. panics of armed men during the winter fcafon, and making frefli and frefli efforts of vigour as his party increafed, arrived in the year 1523 to the honour of being defied king by the ftates of the country ; but with a modeily and magnanimity almoft pecuUar to himfelf, he refufed the form of coronation, and confented only to be called the governor of the kingdom. Vefted with this autliority, he convened the feveral orders of ftate, having chiefly in his eyes the great work of religious re- formation ; but untoward and unfurmountable obftacles prefenting themfelves, he religned his title, and left the nation in the flate he found itj neverthelefs, the orders of Sweden at length perfuadedhim to accept the kingfliip in good earneft, and in 1528 he palled through a corona- tion in form; being the firft protellant prince that the world had ever feen adorned with the regal diadem. This great deliverer of his country died in the year 1560, having reigned more than one half of his life ; and it was his rare felicity to govern with prudence and virtue, what he had conquered by induflry and magnanimity; he left behind him three fons*: Eric the eldeft, who fucceeded his father in 1560, and having reigned eight years died without iffue. John the fecond, who replaced his brother in 1568, and enjoyed the throne four and twenty years ; and Charles duke of Su- dermania, the father of the great Guftavus Adolphus. But here it mufl be remembered, that on the death of John, the fecond fon of Guif avus Ericfon, in the year 1592, Sigifmond, John's elder offspring -f-, who had been eleded king of Poland feven years be- fore, was admitted on certain conditions to afcend the throne of Sv/e- den, of which the principal were (being all confirmed by folemn oath) That no ftrangers Ihould be introduced into the kingdom ; and that the confeflion of Auglburg fhould be the fole model of religion; — but as this prince palpably violated more or lefs ail his engagements, and Ifrove to make Sweden a province to Poland, he was reje(5led and depofed by * We fliall fay more of this fucceffion when trogothia, who pei fevered fmcerely and fteadily we fettle the pretenfions between Guftavus A- in the lutheian religion. He died in 1618. dolphus and Sigifmond. Carlton's Le:i(rs, p. 265. f He had another fon, John duke of Of- B 2 the 4 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE the ftates In full afTembly, anno 1 599, and his fon Vladiflaiis, then an infant, appointed bona fide to fuccced him, with this ftrift provifo. That in fix months he fhould be removed to Stockholm, and there edu- cated in the religion of Luther. But the conditions mentioned being never realized, Charles duke of Sudermania, the father of Guftavus Adolphus, was confidcrcd by all the orders of ftate as the man marked out by providence for the prefen^er of their civil and chriftian liberties ; and of courfe they difqualified young Vladiflaiis, and ele6led him their king in the year 1601 : Guftavus being at this period but fix years old. We fliall mention but few particulars with relation to Charles IX. (for fo that prince was furnamed) excepting only fuch paflages as bear a reference more or lefs to our yoiithful hero : concerning whom, in 1609. the year 1609 (a circumftance if we miftake not unnoticed hitherto by the Englifli hiftorians) he difpatchcd two ambafl'adors to the court of London '■■ with inftruclions, amongft other matters of negotiation, to propofe a marriage between his fon Guftavus, who had then attained his fifteenth year, and the princefs Elizabeth ; who to her great mif- fortune, both in point of glory and happinefs, was unluckily pre-en- gaged to the eleftor Palatin ; a young heroine formed by nature to be a confort worthy of Guftavus Adolphus : for fhe was intrepid beyond her fex, and remained miftrefs of herfelf under all the prelTures of po- verty and exile. Yet providence fupplied her place with a fecond he- roine, inafmuch as Eleonora princefs of Brandenburg appeared equal to Elizabeth in greatnefs of foul, and attained likewife a much happier and more fortunate deftination. 161C. Guftavus from a child gave great marks of a military genius: and indeed he pofTcfled fo many fliining good qualities from the indulgence of nature, that his father was tempted to beftow the finifhing ftrokes on his education, in every polTible refpeft. So that befides the tour he made through Germany incognito (of v-hich we fliall fpeak in the pro- per place ) there is fome reafon to conclude lie travelled between the age of childhood and puberty -j-, but of this one can pronounce nothing * Loccenii Hiftor. Siiecan. 4*. 476. -^ Swedilh Intelligencer, part iv. 183. with OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 5 with any tolerable degree of certainty. Sure, however, and certain it is, 1610. that he talked Latin as a maternal tongue, with uncommon energy and precifion ; and was rendered mafter of mathematics and ta6lics in the very early parts of life. As to the French, Italian, and German lan- guages, it is well known he fpoke them fluently ; and with refpeft to Englifh (the only remaining language of reputation, wherein we can difcover him to be deficient) he had fo many officers of Great Bri- tain who bore commiflions under him, that he never could be puzzled for want of interpreters in any negotiations with that kingdom. As to his manner of living, he was taught to feed wholefomely, but not luxurioufly ; and enured to hardfhips from the firil: beginnings of his infancy. Heats and colds were rendered indifferent to him; and he learned the duties of a common mufqueteer, before he had flrength to carry a mufquet. And thus was Bucquoy, Tilly, Piccolomini, Merci, Montecuculi, and all the greateft generals formed in that century ; and perhaps Turenne was one of the lad who paffed through this fchool of gradual probation. In a wcid, it may be fairly faid of Guftavus Adolphus, and as properly here as in any other place, That he was the firft prince who taught the public, that there v/as a region buried in the depths of northern fnows and ice, named Sweden; and a race of men in the world called Swedes, who had fomething to fay to the grand continent of Europe : of which we fhall hereafter exhibit various proofs, not merely with reference to Poland and Mufcovy, but regions and kingdoms far more important ; fmce (without mentioning tlie terrour, admiration, and jealoufy excited by him in the courts of Madrid and Verfailles particularly) at, or near the death of that prince, and many years before the conclufion of the peace of Munfter, the Swedes pofiefied 132 flrong towns and fortrefies in the Germanic empire ; fo that it was pofiible to fleep in one of them every night from the lake of Conftance to the Baltic ocean. Yet they were obliged at lail: to facrifice all thefe great acquifitions for half Po- merania, Wifmai', the archbifnopric of Bremen and Verden, and fomc other trifles *. * Motifs pour la guerr.e d'Allcmagne, p. 176. Prince 6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 16 J r. Prince Guftavus in the feventeenth year of his age made a campaign againft the Danes being appointed by his father a colonel of cavalry. His firft expedition (and therein he had the command in chief) was to fecure Blcchingen, and ftorm the important town of Chriftianopel, which the young hero effecled fword in hand, having burft open a gate by the apphcation of a petard ; neverthelefs, in approaching the city with over-great impetuofity, for a letter of the governor's being in- tercepted, wherein requifition was made of a reinforcement of 500 ca- valry, he was obliged to ufe all poflible expedition in order to prevent difcovery, having cloathed the fame number of Swedifli foldiers in the Danifli uniform, and advancing under Danifh enfigns ; when lo ! all in an inftant it was his misfortune to fink into a morafs covered with ice, but not fufiiciently frozen, yet in that fituation he ftill combated againft his enemies, whilft his horfe lay beneath him almoft fufFocated, con- tending and ftruggling with mire and water ; at length one of the Baniers brought him off at the head of his company of cavahy, and re- ceived for this generous affiftance the order of fenator. Yet the perfon here mentioned was not the Banier who made fo great a figure after- wards in the thirty years wars ; that officer being junior to Gufta\ais. Towards the conclufion of the fame campaign, the young prince at the head of 2000 mufqueteers made a defcent fecretly at night into a little namelefs iiland, and cut to pieces a confidcrable body of Danilh troops who had there encamped themfelves. As to this war with Denmark, it is well known to all the world, that there had long fubfifted a fort of hereditary jealoufy and animofity between the Danes and the Swedes : for the latter began to grow for- midable in more refpeds than one, ever fince Guftavus Ericfon had changed not only the religion, but the warlike and commercial notions of Sweden. Upon which his Danifti majefty Chriftian IV, difpleafcd and mortified to contemplate the figure which his neighbours began to make in the fyftem of the North, and exafperated likewife to find his fub- jedls prohibited from trading with Riga, Courland and Pruflia, and their fhips fubjefted to the capture of ths Swedes, of courfe difpatched a herald OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 7 a herald to Stockholm, and declared peremptorily a freili war in all the 161 1. folemn ceremonies conformable to the pra6lices of that age. Charles IX, finding himfelf engaged againft the Poles and the Muf- covites, had certain prudential reafons for preferring a peace, and made various plaufible advances towards an accommodation, which was to be managed by the ftates of the refpeilive kingdoms, or by the inter- vention and mediation of neighbours and allies ; but Chriftian had a fecret inclination to embroil matters right or wrong, and of courfe opened the campaign by laying fiege to Calmar and Elfiburg. Charles enraged at fuch an inftance of irreconcilable obftinacy, and being in- commoded heartily with Danifh wars from time to time, conceived a whimfical thought, correfpondent with the humour of the age, of fend- ing a challenge to this troublefome and intcrmedling adverfary, pro- pofmg to decide the fate of the field in the compendious manner of fingle combat. Chriiiian treated the propofal as it feems to have juflly merited, and in a very polite m.anner told him, that fuch an enthufi- aftic fcheme favoured more of the knight-errant, than of the monarch : and that it was an inconfiderable objedl of glory for a middle aged man to extinguifh an old one, whom nature would take care to remove out > of the way very foon. For Charles was then extremely infirm, having had a rtroke of an hemiplegia about two years before ; which put an end to his life fome few weeks after he had lent this letter of defiance to his antagoriil:. At firlf fight the behaviour related of his Danifli majefi:y carries with it the appearance of greatnefs of mind, and perhaps the _ anfvver was truly heroical ; yet the Swedilh nation formed other con- clufions v/ith refpccl to Chriftian's magnanimity. Be that as it will, it is at this diftance impoffible to pi'onounce upon what grounds he de- clined the combat: whether from timidity or generofity of fpirit; or whether he confidered a decifion by duel as a temerarious and illicit action ; or as njatter of chivalry unbecoming the dignity of crowned heads. Yet thus much is certain and inconteftable, that the gallantry of the propofal touched and hurt him at the very moments he made it the fubjeft of ridicule and raillery ; for he attacked the Swedifh camp (where the king then lay) fome fev/ days afterwards, not without in- confiderable 8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 6 J r . confiderable difadvantage to the party aflailed. Upon the dcatli of Charles he ftill conceived more faiiguhie expedlations, for it was thought a long interregnum might pro\'e very prejudicial to the affairs of Sweden; and rather as the kingdom at that juncture was involved in a difagreeablc war, not only againft Denmark, but with Poland and Mufcovy like- wife. And here we may juft obferve in palling along, that it was the lot of Charles, Guftavus's father, to be more concerned with propofals of duels than had happened to any perfonage of his rank in that age. For about eleven years before an angry acrimonious letter had been fent to him by Zamolki firfV general to Sigifmond king of Poland (a fpirited old man, vi'ho was then high chancellor of the republic) to which Charles returned this Ihort billet, the Latin language being the vehicle through which he con- veyed his fentiments ; Non es jnihi par ; ft par ejfcs, non armis te,jedfujle de- pcxum & un&um darcm. To which Zamofki replied in a flyle more ex- traordinary, as it paired from a Polifli nobleman to a perfon of Charles's rank and elevation ; Audiebam te hominem cerebrofum &c. — Si nonfmt ■inPokn'uh perDclgratiamproditores', in aida 'oejlra qucerendi Junt. ^lic- qiiid in mc coniiuncliojum fcripferis aut dixcris, prorfus te mentiri dico, & dicam 6? fcribam. — - y^^w defmo. Neverthelefs Charles, no unworthy author of exigence to the great Guftavus, was brave in war, faithful in alliances, and fmcere to his friends j prompt to remunerate, inllantaneous in puniiliment ; for it was obferved of him, even to a proverbial cxpreflion, that the thunder- bolt always fuccceded the flafli of lightning. True it is, that his temper took fire upon fome occafions to an eminent degree, (and a part of this jnfirniity Guftavus received tranfmiflivcly from him) but the torrent foon fubfideil and grew calm, if nothing o])pofed it : and even in the tranf- ports of impetuofity there appeared ever an opening for new informa- tions, or fubmiftive acknowledgments. No king ever hated popery with more firmnefs, or upon better principles ; and as to his plain good fenfe, folidity and fagacity, let thofe prefages be a proof which he uniformly conceived from the young Guftavus ; for whenever the cliiefs of the miniftry and himfelf were puzzled upon any foreign or domeftic diffi- 2 cuhies, OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 9 Cnltles, it was his cuflom to call the child to him (who chofe always to 161 1. play in the father's apartment) and laying his hand tenderly on his head, Inhere gentlemen, faid he, this is the perfon who muji unravel the intricacy, or repel the danger ; ilk faciei *. Charles likewife gave Guftavus an example of cultivating the arts of peace and war with equal application ; for he took care to fee juftice fpeedily and impartially adminiftered ; he exhibited annual penfions to thirty fludents, and levied all taxes with caution and delicacy ; he ap- plied himfelf afliduoufly to agriculture, mines, and commerce : in which latter inftance he fliewed fo peculiar a fondnefs, that it was his invaria- ble cuftom to go aboard all foreign fhips on the fummer-evenings, and if the captain imported corn, fait, and fuch like ufeful merchandizes, " Friend, faid he, you fliall lade back with good exchangeable commo- *' dities of iron and copper ;" but if the mafter of the veflel brought matters of luxury and fuperfluity, he ufed to fay aloud to his attendants, ** Take care that this man be refreighted with Swedifli turnips -f-, and '* nothing elfe." This illuflrious prince arrived to the age of fixty-one. It was told him on his death- bed % that general De la Gardiz || had obtained great fuc- cefles in the Ruffian war, and fettled various preliminaries concerning the advancement of his younger fon Charles Philip to the ftation of Czar : to which he replied with an air of compofure, Hhat he refigned all 'worldly cares into better hands, § cafting an affe6lionate and earneft look upon our Guftavus. He married two wives, Anna Maria daughter of Louis elector Palatin, who bore him two fons and four daughters, who all died before they arrived to years of maturity, except the princefs Catha- rina, who efpoufed the count Palatin of the Rhine, and gave to the * Loccenii Hiftoria Saecana, 4°. pagg. 502, member not to have beheld in our Englifli gar- 503. From this book M. Bayle has chiefly taken dens. that iketch he hath given us of the former part J He died Oft. 30, 161 1. of the life of Guftavus, which he never finifhed : || Guftavus Adolphus always acknowledged to breaking off at the invafion of Germany. his dying day, that he learnt the art of war un- -j- The bulb of this northern pine-apple (for der this excellent preceptor. Scheferi Mcmora- the natives efteem it as a fort of delicacy) is bilia. Tomething of the fize and figure of a foop-plate, § Loccenii Hift, Succ. p. 501. tut thicker at bottom. It is a vegetable I re- VoL. I. C world 10 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE i6i I. world Charles Loviis, crowned afterwards king of Sweden under the title of Charles X. By his fecond wife Chriftina, daughter of Adolphus duke of Holrtcin and Slefwic, he had Guftavus Adolphus and Charles Philip lately mentioned, which latter prince was born in the year 1600, and died at Narva, January 25, 1622; as likewife Maria Elizabeth, who married • John duke of Oftrogothia ; and by an illicit amour Charles Carolfon count dc Gildenhcim, high admiral of the Swedifh fleet when his half brother entered Germany. Immediately on the death of Charles IX. all perfons made manifeft a pre-difpofition in favour of Guftavus ; and at the expiration of two months the queen dowager and John duke of Oftrogothia, who (with Oxenftiern and feveral fenators) were the young prince's guardians, con- vened an aflembly of the ftates at Nicoping, where the right of fuccef- fion was firft difcufled, and ways and means afterwards confidered where- by to propofe a peace or truce with the Danes, Polanders, and Mufcovites, or continue the war with fuccefs and vigour. Under the firft head fome few difficulties arofe of no great moment, and at length it was refolved unanimoufly to remain by the hereditary difpofition which had been agreed upon at Norcopen in 1594 : and with regard to an eventual vN-ar, which moft people forefaw and expefted, it was determined to fuppoit the young prince with reputation and fpirit, and infufe new adlivity into the cultivation of the mines, agriculture and commerce. Mean while it was thought expedient that duke John fhould refign all pretenfions to the throne of Sweden, being half brother to Sigifmond king of Poland, and firft coufm to Guftavus ; but more nearly related to the throne by laws of confanguinity, inafmuch as he was the fon of Guftavus's father's elder brother ; of courfe the kinfman generoufly added a part of Wefter- gothia to his former appennage of Oftrogothia. On the other hand the dowager queen Chriftina made a plenary rcfignation of her regency, partly as her fon had attained the age prefcribed by law *, and partly as they difcovered talents and capacity in him as made him in effefl a per- * It muft here be obferved that in Sweden eighteenth year, not concluded, but cojnmeo/- and Denmark the kings come to age in their ciD|^ fon. / • OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. n foil of mature years and difcretion *, And here it may be matter of i6ii* real aftonifliment, why a youth of parts and courage, ch-cumftaiiced like prince John, who had arrived to due and lawful age conformably to the regulations of the Swcdifli conflitution, himfelf a foldier and not dif- liked by the army, fliould freely and voluntarily without a figh or a mur- mui* refign a throne, to which his pretenfions were not only juftifiable, but flrictly legal ! It is true the fuccellion had been fettled (when John was a minor) upon Guftavus, but that was no argument to a prince of fpirit and magnanimity, inafmuch as the fame people had once fettled the like political entail upon him -f -, and with refpeft to age and experience according to the common courfe of things he had the ad- vantage over his coufin by five years, being at this very period twenty- two. Yet John, to the amazement of us at prefent, and all Europe in thofe days, neither advanced his claims, nor retired from court, nor formed cabals and factions there, or in the country where he had great property, but on the contrary bore a command under his kinfman, and ferved him in war and peace faithfully, cordially and vigoroufly to his dying moments ; and yet this prince was not devoid of ambi-* tion, as appears by the figure he chofe to make at the head of an army. Now whether it was, that Gullavus was fo adored by the people that nothing could give a man the chance of fetting afide the decrees of fenate, or whether John had the fame prepoflefilons with the Swedifli nation in his behalf, difcovering abilities in him which made him alone worthy to conduct the affairs of Sweden at that jun6lui'e, are matters we cannot prefume to difcufs diflinftly at this diflance from the faft itfelf. That he Ihould aft likewife in perpetual contravention of his brother Sigifmond's meafures (defcended indeed from another mother) appears to be a fort of condu£l that carries with it an air of particularity j neverthelefs it may be refolved into his fincere and vital zeal for the Lutheran reli- gion. Yet Sigifmond was ftiil more nearly related to him than Gufla- * IntrodufUon de PufFendorf. Tom. iv. of Suethland and Poland* Lond, fol. 1656, So, 81, p. III. ■f- Secretary Fowler's Hiftory of the troubles C 2 VUS, 12 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1611. vus, nor did he want for folicitations, promifes and temptations, as his Polifli brother bore a determined hatred to the young king of Sweden. In a word, John was either a prince of heroic gallantry, who preferred that fyflcm (to his own prejudice) which appeared bejl for his country j or elfe dreaded to dirj)ute a fiicccnion with one in whom he difcovered abihties of all kinds far fupeiior to his own. But fometimcs great events are d'u"e6led by private and fcarce-perceptible motives ; and per- haps the palTion he bore for Guftavus's fifter, whom he married the year cnfuing, made him naturally efteem the brother of his beloved objefl', whom a war concerning the fucceflion might have raviflred from his arms for ever. And it is probable from the great expediency of this union to the affairs of Guftavus, that the queen dowager talked in fo high a ftraiu of authority and firmnels to the Swedifti clergy when they made attempts to propofe difficulties concerning the marriage. In a word, this a6l of John's, confidered in whatever light we pleafe, carries with it a fine fpirit of heroical magnificence ; for the fame fena- tors that fettled the fucceffion upon Guff avus had fixed it upon him fome few years before. Yet he made a voluntary and chearful refignation of all pretenfions (except Guftavus died without male or female iffue) to his own immortal honour, and the perpetual advantage of Sweden. By all I can learn, he had no defcendants. Yet notwithftanding all thefe favourable prepofleffions and concefTions, Guftavus comported himfelf with great moderation, and affured the fenators in a public fpeech, that his youth and inexperience on the one hand, and the great emergency of affairs on the other hand, made him wifli to decline fuch a perillous pre-eminence ; nevcrthekfi^ continued he; if thejiates perfijl to make me a king, I 'will endeaxoiir to acquit m\felf ivith honour., magnanimity^ and fidelity. And then before he was inaugurated, he delivered ta the orders of ftate what the Swedes call a paper of affevera- tion, whereby he declared to prejerve the reformed religion till the laji mo- ments of his life ; to maintain the rights of fenator and fubje£t ; and refpcSl bis mother and relations with all that tendernefs which confanguinity is ftp'- pofedto diSlate. — Engaging and fiipulating at the fame time, to make no in- fraSlion OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 13 fraStion on the laws of his anceftors, nor offer nezv propofa/s in refpeSi to 1 6 1 1 . ivar^ truces, treaties or general taxes, except ".vith the full and free confcnt of the fates afhnbled. — T^hat he would preferve the received and efablij]:ed formulary of church-ordination; protect and encourage the univerftyofUpfal, and the fate of learning in general, (of which he gave ftrong proofs that very- year ;) that he ivould reform all comfnon abufes in the courts of judicature ; and not only declare the 7iames of fate informers, if properly requefed, but punij]} them (lahencver in the courfe of trial they appeared guilty) correfpon- dently to the requiftion of the perfons aggrieved and injured. Thefe great conceflions conveyed in effe6l much more power to the Swedifh nation than it could prefume to afk ; but a prince Uke Guftavus, who determined always to acl honeftly and magnificently, preferred ra- ther to depend on the generofity and gratitude of the people, than on his own authority and political artifice : in confequence of this declaration, figned at Nicoping December 31, 161 1, he received the facred commu- nion, and pafled through the inaugurating ceremony. At the opening of the year 16 12 the new-defignated king fummoned 16 12, a public convention of the ftates, where the methods of adminiflring the government at that junflurc were firfl confidered, as likewife ways and means whereby to eftablirti a peremptory truce or denounce an explicit war againft Poland ; a refumption being next made of all crown grants, which was confirmed afterwards by regal fanClion. He then publiflied a memorial (this was towards the conclufion of the year) fetting forth the uncertain retvirns of tythes * and feudal lands : and that an account of the annual income arifing from them fhould be delivered eveiy twelve months into the royal exchequer j and laftly, that all grants which his majefty propofed not to refume, fiiould receive from his hand a new confii"raation before the conclufion of half a year. It is certain that the fituation of Guftavus was truly critical. Is it not amazing that a youth who had but then turned the feventeentli year of his age, fhould be able to confront on the one hand an inde- fatigable pretender to his throne and dominions, like the king of Poland, * The tythes in Sweden make a confiderable part of the crown-revenue, and ,^. THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1612. and two profcflld avowed opponents, the Dane and thcMufcovlte ; and have ftrcngth likewifc on the other hand to compofe tlie interior of a kingdom but juft rendered hereditary, and where eveiy perfon of a cer- tain birth and rank had equal claim (at leaft according to the rcpre- fcntations of human partiality) and funilar prctenfions with himfclf ? But the character of Guftavus was an unfliaken firmnefs *, and by his Ipirit he kept all liis nobles in profound fubjcdion, though at firfl:, till they knew him better, they fecretly repined to fee a grandfon of a fub- jecl raifed to a throne, and that throne appropriated to the family of Vafa. Having thus made mankind acquainted with his fleadinefs, he gave the world a new opening into his character as a prince of uncom- mon judgment and fagacity by one of the firfl fleps he took after his in- auguration ; for he filled all the public pofts civil and military with per- fons of the mod diftinguidied merit in their refpedlive departments, and placed Oxenfliern at the head of domeflic and foreign affairs ; one of the ableft flatefmen perhaps that ever appeared in the political world. This was one of thofe mafterly flrokes that determine the character of a man's hfe : and yet the idea was conceived by Guftavus about the eighteenth year of his age ; fo that Oxenfliern being then but twenty- eight or twenty-nine -j-, the difproportion appears not fo very extraor- dinary betwixt the fovereign and the miniflcr. Oxenfliern was a flatefman whom poflerity confiders in the character of a man that hath never been rivalled ! and yet it is more than proba- ble that Guflavus was at leafl his equal in political fcience. Not that hereby I would manifefl any inclination to depreciate the merit of the great and illuflrious rix-chancellor, whom I regard as highly as man can do on this fide of that partiality which borders upon implicit veneration. He had fame enough from his own fund, to fland in need of borrow- ing from no other man's. Neverthelefs it is my duty to do all pofll- ble juflice to Guflavus, fince this fingle circumflance will deliver hira down to poflerity adorned with a double portion of ability and glory. * Memoirs communicated. graven from life, he was but fifty-three years f By Mierfelt's ejecellent print of him en- eld in 1636. But OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. i^ But thefe things as they may, the king had ftill great demands for the 1612. afliftance of Oxenftiern : and in truth, he had fo much bufinefs upon his hands, whether as a warrior or as a flatefman, that it was neceflary to admit a partner in the fatigues and honour both of government and war. And thus a king, of a caft pecuUar to himfelf, fupported by fuch a fellow-labourer in a life alike military and civil, produced fuch a rapid and uninterrupted feries of great events, as neither antient nor modern hiftory can parallel, if all difficulties and obftru6lions come to be confi- dered attentively and effectually, and not partially and fuperficially. And laftly it muft be obferved, that the perfon affumed into participation of employments with Guftavus was not only a politician of the firft clafs, but no inconfiderable general befides. Nor muft the reader blame me ' for beftowing my encomiums fo profufely on Oxenftiern, when at the fame time we affure him that Urban VIII, one of the moft clear-fighted and fenfible perfonages then in Europe, always confidered the chancellor as a being of fome fuperior order. Soon after the interval between the death of Charles IX. and the ac- ceflion of Guftavus, the pacificator general of Europe difpatched Sir James Spence on an embaffy into Sweden ; exhorting the young prince to make manifeft the fame inclinations towards peace which his father had always difcovered *. Guftavus received the interpofition of his Britannic ma- jefty with an air of franknefs and chearfulnefs, as likewife the kind in- terference of the ftates general : for by the way England and Holland wiftied much to fee the navigation of the Baltic free and undifturbed. Of courfe a congrefs was appointed, where much difquifition paffed be- tween the chancellors of Sweden and Denmark, who fuftained the two principal chara6lers in the debate. But though it might be matter of conference in a German hiftorian to recite religioufly every circuraftance in the whole tranfaclion, (of v>'hich the objections and folutions, the tergiverfations and over-reachings, the fufpicions of a king's good faith pafled in days of minority, the punctilious ceremonies and chicaneries were alike endlefs and infignificant :) yet it- may fuffice for us to leave * The letter, dated Whitehall, May 5, 161 2, is to be feen in Loccenius, . p. 516. tliefe i6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1612. thcfe mihifters during a fcafon in their political ftatc of warfare, till the deputies of England in particular had time to adminifler their gentler anodynes. For the king their mafter had always a firm per- fuafion, grounded on the fuppofed innate powers of his learning and argumentation, (in this inftance no ways to be deemed unfuccefs- ful) that the rage and refentment of two contending nations were as eafily compofed, (and that by a very flight inteqiofuion) as the alter- cations and combats of bees ; Hi motia atiiworum, atque hcec ccrtamina tantA Puhcvis exigui ja£lu comprejfa quiefcu7it. Neverthelefs, we fancy his Britannic majefty hung a little upon the above-mentioned ceremonial difficulties, for a fenfiblc foreigner alTures - us *, that he was very pun6tilious in matters of form and precedency, refufing to ftand godfather to madame Elizabeth of France, in con- )un£lion with the infanta Clara Eugenia, daughter and fifter to a king of Spain, and fovereign of the Low Countries. And yet Anne, mo- ther of Louis XIV, condefcended to appear at the font with cardinal Richelieu, who was her fubjeft. Guftavus, which was very extraordinary, if one confiders the youth- ful fire and impetuofity of a temper like his, exhibited flrong indica- tions of acquiefcing chearfuUy under all fafe and honourable propofals ; but as the king of Denmark feemed to difcover an unbecoming eager- nefs for crurtiing or over-reaching a young unexperienced monarch, he foon gave that artful prince to underftand, that he feared him no more in a field of battle, than at a table of conference. Yet here from the very firft beginning of war, he convinced the public, that great as his natural courage and vivacity were (and fure a larger fhare never be- came the portion of a human being) yet that his reafon and good fenfe ftill maintained the afcendancy over them ; and therefore though it was natural for all byflandcrs, that a young prince full of enthufiallical gal- lantry, defpifing the objeftions of friends, and tlic obllru6lions of enc- ; Memoires Hift. & Poet. d'Araelot de la Houffaye, torn. i. 378. mies, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 17 BlieSj would have began the campaign againft Denmark by undertak- 1612. ing the fiege of Calmar, (an important place furrendered bafely the year preceding) but on the contrary, revolving the enterprize com- pofedly in his mind, and more particularly the ftrength of the new for- tifications, his correct judgment foon got the better of his vivacity; for- afmuch as he prefigured to himfelf the hazard and difappointment that might attend an undertaking of fo defperate a complexion j and for thefe reafons carried the feat of war into Schonen, (to which Chriflian had retired) and commanded his coufin John, who had raifed an army in his own duchy, and wanted to co-operate againft the Danes, to make a diverfion in Oftrogothia and fuccour Elffburg. He then invaded the Danifh territories a fecond time, though the fenate requelled him not to hazard his perfon too far, and made reprifals with great advantage, notwithftanding his enemy had received a reinforcement of fome Ger- xnan troops under the command of George duke of Lunenberg * ; but whether thefe forces were difpatched by the emperor's connivance or not, (that being a point of great confequcnce in the hiftory of Guftavus . with reference to his future invafion of the German empire) is more than I can take upon me to determine in a fatisfa(5lory manner. Be thefe things as they will, Guftavus laid fiege to Elfenberg, wifely fore- feeing, that in rendering himfelf mafter of this paflTage and harbour, he ihould prevent the arrival of frefti fuccours from Denmark, and im- pede the retreat of fuch Danes and Germans as had entered into Sweden, having placed garrifons to obftrudl them in their march, in all the for- tified towns that lay between them and their native country. During this expedition the Danes gave a part of the king's troops a very dif- * Hifloires generales des guerres & mouve- Lutter i526, and joined the Imperial army with inents arrivez en divers eftats du monde fous le his own regiment. He had for a time in the regne de Louis XIII. dcpuis Ian 1610 jufqu'a next year the chief command of Walftein's troops I'an 1637, ^^ '■■°'5 tomes 8". Loccenii Hill, before Stralfund, but on fome difgufl joined Suec. p. 507. This prince was afterwards ge- Guflavus, who replaced him in his old employ- ueral of the proteftant t, oops in Lower Saxony, ment. He gained a fignal vitlory over Merode and elecled proteAor of the circle: but being and Gronsfelt at the battle of Oldendorp, 1635; difplaced by the artful infinuations of the king but deferred the Sw.edilb fervice in 1637, and of Denmark, fubmitted to the emperor on the died in 1641. defeat of his Dinidi raajefty at the battle of '\''oL, I. D agreeable i8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1612. agreeable camifado -f- : and a report was fpread, (which took its rife from the enemy) that Guftavus was killed, which tlirew his mother into agonies of affliftion -, but an exprcfs from her careful and affec- tionate child foon reflored her to her former tranquillity. He then marched the rcfidue of his army into Norway, and made a furious ir- ruption in thofe parts. But to relate every fingle event of this cam- paign againft the Danes would only prove minute and tedious. It may luffice to obferve, that the king had three little armies on foot ; the firft led by himfelf, the fecoiid in Holland conduced by his coufin John, and the third on the confines, under the command of general Crufe. Duke John received a flight i^epulfe in a rencounter with Chrillian king of Denniai-k, and the duke of Lunenberg and Crufe took Nylofia (where 300 of the garrifon enrolled themfclves under the Swedifh enfigns) but Vv-anted ftrength to reduce Marftrand. Mean while Guftavus col- ledled together feveral regiments of infantry in the Low Countries, with a fmall body of mariners j and gave public comraifTions to various Dutch privateers to interrupt the naval commerce of Denmark +. Neverthelefs our young monarch laboured under fome chfficukies highly difagreeable : for though his enemy on the other hand, Siglf- mond king of Poland, [whom of all his adverfaries, he alone difliked perfonally, and that for reafons which may eafily be conjectured*] had employed himfelf this year in oppofing tlie Mufcovites, yet he con- trived to create fome incidental bufinefs for Guftavus in the province of Livonia, where he was obliged to maintain a confiderable body of ve- teran troops, having a diftri(5l to defend of 180 miles long, and 90 broad, furnamed by the Swedes Carelia, as it had been conquered by Charles their late king. So that Guftavus having half finiflied his ir- ruption into Norway, found himfelf obliged to make a perfonal ap- pearance in Carelia. At that inftant Chriftian rcimbarked his tioops, and invaded Wcftergothia a fecond time, where he rendered himfelf mafter of Elfenberg and Goltzberg -, and having penetrated above fixty •f J mi/ifary furfri/e in the night, from cami/a, the idea otherwife without a. periphrafij. Ital. ». fhirt. I have ventured to revive this % Int oduft. de Puffendorf, torn, i v. 81. antient word, fciafn.ach as we canuot cxprefs • Schtfferi Memoiab. Snec. Gcntis, 42. 2 miles OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 19 miles Into the country, commenced at length the fiege of Jencop, which 1612, gave him an entrance into the heart of Sweden. This new and unex- pe6led invafion threw Guflavus into great perplexity ; he had two games to play, both (not in themfeives, but as circumfiances tlien flood) equally interefting. At length not caring to facrifice his army by a long and precipitate march, (the moil troublefome difficulty that can befal a general who is to defend an invaded maritime territory) he or- dered the governor of Jencop to ruin the town and adjacent diftridl, and retire with his garrifon into tlie caftle. This grand ftroke of fu- perior judgment foon cairied its advantages with it : yet in fpite of all thefe arts of management and precaution, our young hero, though he confidered Sigifmond as an imperfeft warrior to a certain degree, foon found Chriftian -f- to be a foldier of thofe more exalted parts which a long experience beftoweth ; and that he had acquired a corre6t judgment by a feries of misfortunes and ill fuccefs : for Chriftian not only intrenched himfelf judicioufly, and declined fighting, but took his meafures upon fuch principles, that he created obftru6tions and delays, and made them arife from the very nature of his own plan. Thus by perpetual checks he blunted tlie impetuofity of our young aflailant, mortified his hopes, and wearied out his patience j fo that Guftavus finding he could not aft in the way he chofe, nor fhine in that fort of military charadler he war ambitious of appearing in, equally great in every thing, great in repulfes and difappointments, as well as in profperity and vi6lories, dropped his fcheme, and made a peace, (by the mediation of England principally) to the aftonifiiment of all Europe. Indeed it cannot but I'urprize pofterity too, that a prince in the eighteenth year of his age, f ChiiftianlV, king of Denmark, fucceeded horfes killed under liim at the battle of Liitter. his father in 1588, being then about twelve There is a good pifture of him at Hampton- years old. He died turned of feventy-one. Court, painted by Vanfomer. having reigned in effeft near threcfcore years. Nor ma/ it be amifs to tranfcribe what a though not crowned till 1595. He told d'A- Spanifn author faith concerning him. Rey qiit vaux the French amballador, that he was not en fettenta amtos de edad fatiga lo que otros a only at that time the eldeft king in Chril^endom, n/eynte, y nxe efies ultimas folre tantas prcwuas de but that he had feen three changes of fovereigns fu nialor, en dtfgracia /ubo dicha de accredltarle in almoil all the kingdoms and principalities of con un ojo ferdido de un caunona'x.o, paleardo at Kiirope. The fame remark might have been fus naves. Epitome of CsUr's Commehtaries made afterwards by Louis XIV. He had three by the Baroa de Auchy. D 2 more 20 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1612. more pcrfonally brave perhaps than any foklier that ferved under him, (not to mention the rage and defpair that difappointment produces in young impetuous minds) that fuch a prince, I fay, in fuch circum- ftances ftiould make a free facrifice of what he then thought his only fame, and liften with the cooleft attention to the ftrict dodtrine of good icn{e and right reafon. Other warriors are fo fortunately circumftanced as to enter upon the theatre of ai5tion, furrounded and adorned with a blaze of glory ; nor does their character in general encreafe proportion- ably to the more important fervices they are afterwards engaged in. On the contrary Guftavus began the military life, if not unprofperoufly +, at leaft in a manner not diftinguifliingly fliining and triumphant. Yet the fedate and fenfible foon perceived the young man's merit, for they difcovered in him equal mixtures (both in the higheft degree) of judg- ment and bravery : and thence prefigured to themfelves great events at their proper period ; and from this moment the clear-fighted Spinola *, as far removed from Sweden as the Low Countries, affumed in right of his age and experience the gift of prefaging, and foretold that Gurtavus might become one day or other the firll: commander in Europe -f-. For he had three adverfaries driving furioufly at his ruin in one flridl con- X Bayle's difcourfe on Guftavus Adolphus. heart in great agitations at a fort of his own * This great man was originally a Genocfc erefling called Scrtvia, September ij, 1630, merchant. His fiege of Etcda. was an illuftrious grafping the king, his mailer's letters in hii aftion : fearful of ruining his fair reputation, hand, and crying out day and night, M'hanna he was very unwilling to undertake it ; but the hvate thmore, m'hanno Icvato thonore .' And in- king of Spain's remarkable letter determined deed Philip IV. and the Spanilh miniftry be- him ; haved towards him with unparalleled ingrati- " Marquis ■ tude, for they refufed to defray the debts he ' " Take Breda ^^^ contrafted for the fupport of the army 1 " I the kins '' ^"'^ °" ^^^ contrary fequellered to that purpofe the eftates he had purchafed ; fo that his fon And this by the way is the original of thofe thought it beft ceconomy to decline all attempts brief military letters which have been fince fo of taking poffciTion. Hi/panic a: Dan.inaticnis Ar- greatly admired. cana, p. 115. Yet in favour to his memory as He was appointed governor of Milaa a little a foldier, and in confirmation of what occafi- before his death, but notwithftanding all his oned this note, he had fagacity ertough to de- fervices the Spaniards looked coldly upon him clare again, (namely, immediately after the for concluding the truce with Mazarine, as alfo b.ittle of Prague in 162c) that Guftaiut -was the for want of fuccefs in the fiege of Cafal, and onh frotejiant prince ixbo ought not to be frevokeJ. npoa fuppoGtion he held a criminal correfpon- Heylmanni Leo Arftoiis, 4'. 1703. dence with Richelieu. He died of a broken -J- Heylmanni Leo Arftoiis. 4°. 1703. federation^ OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 21 federation, all his elders in point of war and experience, and each his 1612. equal, if we confider their riches, pofleflions, and quantity of troops : fo that negative gloiy in a cafe circumflanced like his was equal to po- fitive glory in the relative fituation of others. What therefore the fire of paflion could not efFecl, (and warmth of temper was the only con- ftitutional infirmity interwoven witli his nature) the cool reflexion of reafon conduced foon to a fortunate conclufion. And then to make manifeft to the world his generous fentiments concerning religion, he eftabliihed a church at Stockholm for the fole purpofes of emigrating Germans. An extraordinary event which happened in the courfe of this year, made it plain that GufVavus inherited a portion of his firmnefs from Chrifrina his mother ; for when John duke of Oftrogothia, who was then but twenty-three years old, conceived the idea of efpoufmg Maria Elizabetha, the young king's whole filler, and his own firfl coufin, the pi'incipal ecclefiailics of Sweden oppofed this marriage violently in the afl'embly of the Urates, as contradiftory to the laws of Scripture :|;; but the queen told them with an air of decifion. That flie had held private conferences \^'ith various learned and pious churchmen on the fubjeft in queftion, and landing nothing therein repugnant to God's vvord, had reduced her fentiments to one fyftem of compatibility ; adding, more- over, that their oppofition was alike unfeafonable and improper, fince they all knew that the young people had publicly exchanged their pro- mifes two years before. " You give me," faid fhe, " advice, which I " no ways demand ; for when papal domination, and the creative " power of producing fubtieties are once aboliflied, it feems to me that " the affairs, of marriage appertain to the fecular as well as clerical " governors;" [I am here reciting the queen's own words conform- ably to the memoirs that lie before me] and therefore concluded flie, " give me no farther trouble concerning the prefent difficulty ; for " your retardments proceed more from a fpirit of perplexity than a " love of peace." And here perhaps the reader may doubt how a prince of John's age X Introduft. de Puffendorf, torn. iv. 88. could jt THE HISTORYOF THE LIFE 1 6 12. could be brother to Sigifmond king of Poland, there being twenty- three years difference between their refpcftivc dates of biith ? But their father, after having Uved in marriage twenty-one years with Catharina of Poland, efpoufed at her death a Swedifli young woman of quality, ^nd John was the produce of thefe fecond nuptials *, J 613. Whilll the congrefs lately mentioned fat in full agitation about meer nothings, two other eminent pcrfonages (for Sir John Merrick had been difpatched fome months before) prefented themfelves on the part of England, namely. Sir John Merrick, and Anftruther f ; the firft expedited cxpreflly to Gaftavus, the other being only the Britannic am- bailador at Copenhagen : the former a good Swede, the latter a well- wiiher to the Danes, who of courfe created delays, and deferred his journey to the very laft moment. On his arrival he fent his fecretary to Spence (who by the way favoured the caufe of Sweden) with inti- mations to him, that his majefly of Denmark would no ways allow him (namely Anffruther) to make the firft vifit, and of courfe requcfting Spence to come to his tent without relu6lance ; which latter informed Oxenfliern immediately of this extraordinaiy mefTage, who broke forth into a flame all at once, protefting loudly that it was amazing infolence on the part of Denmark to demand precedence over Sweden from j)lea3 of dignity and fuperiority ; and that the contraiy practice had ever uni- formly been well underftood in all public communications between the two kingdoms. And thus at length it was agreed that the two Britons Ihould meet at an aliigned place precifely fituated half way between their refpeci:i\ e tents. Merrick and Spence aded both with great cau- tion and impartiality towards the contending parties, fo that Guftavus opportunely and dcxtroufly lent a willing ear to all their propofals, ami after a ftrange variety of delays, obftrudlions, and punftilios, the treaty was figned January 19, 1613:!:. For particular reafons it had no pre- amble, nor was any guaranty admitted, for the king of Denmark could not bear to hear the Hollanders mentioned || . * GcnealogiK Ritterftiufii, fol. ^ Suecan. p. 522. «|r LocMuii Hi.1. Suecan. 521. d Introdwd. d* Puffendorf. torn, iv, X The treaty may be fecn in Loccenius. Hift. But OF GtJSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 23 But what privately difpofed Guftavus to liften to an accommodation, 1613. was the deplorable and wretched flate of the Swedilh marine, at the time he contended with a prince not contemptible for naval forces. As he knew the extraordinaiy advantages of maritime ftrength, fo he fore- faw likewife that fuch a power could not be created but by perfeverance and induftry, and therefore chofe to obtahi a paufe of intermiflion with refpedb to Denmark. And indeed he had ftrong reafons to enforce a project of that nature ^ nor did he ever fwerve to the hour of his death from this firft idea ; for Chriflian the preceding fummer had made a defcent near Stockholm, and miffed little of deiiroying the capital ; wliich indeed may be confidered as the fined military performance in that prince's life ; but Guftavus took care to render the attempt abor- tive. His next bufinefs was to procure the beft officers and mariners he could from the dominions of the ftates general and the Hanfeatic towns. But to return to the treaty. The whole tranfadlion thereof, as I ob- ferved before, was operofe and tirefome : for half ':he debate turned uporf matters of heraldry and titles. At length the conclufion (which alone carried with it the leaft glimmering of good politics and found fenfe) was, that his Danifh majefly fhould reftore Calmar, &c. and keep pofTeffion of Elfsburg till Guftavus refunded fome fatisfaclory e- quivalent. In a word, the Danes demanded one hundred and eighty thoufand pounds as an indemnification : allowing the Swedes to call the payment of that money either a reimburfement, or a gratification, as beft plcafed them ; referring the full and ultimate decifion to James I, who was to fign the treaty in the chai^afler of a perfon interefted. But at length, by the unwearied interpofition of the Britilh miniiters, it was concluded to make a very fmali part of the demand fupply the place of the whole, and aifign the delivery of certain fortreffes by way of hy- potheque or fecurity. Terms of very hard and difficult digeftion ! But Guftavus was well difpofed and tractable, and the fenate without fur- ther delay devifed means and expedients for difcharging the debt. In confequence of which, the principal refult was, that both kings were allowed to bear the three crowns for their arms. Chriftian was to make no 2+ T H E H 1 S T O U Y C) 1 T II E LIFE i6f3. no prctcnfions on Sweden by vhtue of this concefTion, and Guftavus on the other hand was to omit the title of king of Lapland. iVom all that hath been faid, it will appear plainly to the reader, that reafons of prudence contributed entirely to induce Guftavus to con- clude this peace, though at that very time he had made a progrefs in war which fervcd to aftonifli the whole European world : for it may be worth obfen'ing here once for all, that he, Condc, and his own difciple Forllenfon, were the only three generals who at twenty years of age Ihewed the public all the effects of a long experience. Keverthelefs, tl^e king concluded this peace ywi* chpeo tanttim, (according to the advice of his fenate upon another occafion) for he levied juft: before two good regiments in Scotland and the Low Countries, and hired likcwife fifteen fliips from the Scottifh nation, which plundered the town and 1615. diftrift of Drontheim, and failed afterwards to the fouthermoll fhores of Sweden *. 1614. The demands of Denmark being thus completely fatisfied, it was thought expedient in the next place, to enter into a fifteen years treaty of commerce and mutual guaranty with the ft;ates general ; and to this purpofe Guftavus difpatched Van Dyck, a favourite miniftcr with his father, in an embally to Holland, where the whole affair was concluded both efte6lually and fpeedily. As to the interior of the realm of Swe- den, due and fufficient care was taken both of cities and countries, in- afmuch as better means were devifed for exercifing trade and commerce, both by natives and foreigners; and the farmers and peafants were ab- folved fiom fupplying horfes and carriages gratis to the king's armies. Nor muft it here be forgotten, that though Guftavus from a principle of fincere religion, as well as folid policy, had an earneft defire to make his dominions the afylum of all virtuous and induftrious emigrants, from other countiies, whether papifts or protcftants, yet ftill one re- markable reftriftion was mtei-wovcn with the bodv of the roval cdicf, namely, that no foreigner or baniflicd perfon ftiould prefume to enter the kingdom \\'ithout bringing with him letters teifimonia! concerning his religious and moral deportment from perfons of character. After • Introdafl. de PufFcndorf, torn. iv. p. S4. 2 tiiis OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 25 this a fociety of trade was eftablifhed at Stockholm, where each party 1613. -who enrolled himfelf voluntarily, undertook to advance the king certain 1614. fums (none lefs than twenty pounds) at 12 per cent, and to encourage this fubfcription, tlie perfons contributing were exempted from taxes for three years. Deliberations had been held likewife, and royal conftitutions made pubhc, with refpecl to money, impolls, and certain immunities in point of taxation, diflindl from thofe already mentioned. All poflible pre- cautions were taken to eftablifli a peace with Mufcovy and Poland ; nor did this great and good king, amidft one perplext fcene of tumultuous difficulties, forget to regulate the leftures, difcipline, and morality of tlie univerfity of Upfal. It was then concluded that his majefty ought to propofe a peace with Mufcovy fword in hand ; after which enfued a royal edift refpe.ed by authority. took OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 29 took by ftorm the ftrong fort of Kexholm, then deemed to be hinpreg- 161c. nable. In the next place he formed the fiege of Plefko, of which the event appeared doubtful to all, but men of great and enterprizing genius y and {o much the rather, as the wintry feafon began to approach ; but his majefly of Great Britain at the requeft of the Mufcovites gracioufly in- terpofed his pacific offices : and in confequence thereof Guflavus writ Sir John Merrick an extremely civil and generous letter *, remarking here and there incidentally, " That he befieged Plefko, not from the ambition " of taking a fortrefs fuppofed inacceflible, but with a view to force the " enemy into conditions of peace, by an unexpecled flroke which car- " ried with it the appearance of performing fomething in the art of " war. — All the former part of which, fays he to Merrick, you have " known to be true, and have beheld likewife the obftinacy of the " Ruffians and their infidelity. Hearing no propofals with refpeft " to an accommodation, I had reduced the place to the very point of " capitulating : but notwithftanding all my fatigues, expences, and mili- " tary lofTes, upon provifo the Mufcovites be duly and juftly reftrained " for times to come, I lay my glory a facrifice at the feet of England, " with a view to convince mankind in general, that I waged this war «' not from motives of ambition, (for my territories are fufficiently large " and powerful) but from the mere compulfion and neceffity of " things It ever hath been, and is flill my inclination to cultivate " peace and friendfhip with all my neighbours. This upon juft " and honourable terms is mofl congenial to my natural temper. But " if a lawful war is not to be healed by conciliatory and reputable mea-. " fures ; fFe can e?nbrace it with refolution." And thus the king con- tented himfelf with reflefting coolly, even in the earlier parts of life. That the greatefl generals predeflined to perform the mofl illuflrious actions, are not indifpenfibly obliged to render thcmfelves mailers of every town they think fit to invefl: -f-, Neverthelefs it mufl be obferved in regard to the memory of James I. (OJific omnia feciffet !) that the conditions of agreement were good and * The whole letter, dated from Narva, Novem- f Bayle's Introduftion to the Life of Gullavus ber 50, 1615, is preferved by Loccenius, p. 525, Adolphus. honourable ; 30 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1615. honourable ; for the enemy refunded to the Swedes a confiderable fum of money, under appearance of making amends for the expences of the war, and ceded to them a large part of the contnient of Mufcovy ; {o that the lovers of prediction even then faid (fo promifing were the be- ginnings of our hero's life) that he had fulfilled in one part that line of conqueft on earth which correfponded with the delineation firft fketched out for him by Tycho Brahe in the celeftial regions *. Nor ought we to forget here, that it was m this campaign he firft formed, nurtured and feafoned that invincible body of troops called the Finlan- ders, and at the conclufion thereof, having brought the national fol- diers in general to a more fteady and regular fort of difcipline, dif- banded a large corps of foreign veterans, partly to redrefs the tacit com- plaints of his fubjeCls, and partly becaufe he lefs and lefs wanted their afliftance. It was likewife during the military operations of this fummer, if after all my refearches I am not greatly miftaken -f-, that Guftavus in the twenty- firft year of his age gave an extraordinary proof of his enter- prizing genius, declaring to all his officers that he would lay fiege to Notteberg-caftle, a place by each of his generals deemed impregnable : being fituated on a fmall ifland on the mouth of the Narva, more than caiinon-lhot from either fliore -, the conflux of waters on all fides being extremely rapid and impetuous. Reprefentations on reprefentations were offered unto him, but our young hero, like another Jofuah, landed his forces and took the fortrefs by compofition, in which were found pro- vifions and ammunition abundantly fufficient to fupply the garrifon for a twelve month's fiege. ^o~ • This calculation was made in 1572. See vertu de cet etoile naitroitvers le nord dans la Tkt nnv Star 0/ the North, Lond. 4'. 1632. from Finlande un prince qui ebranleroit rAllemagne pag. I. to pag. 23. In addition to which & qui difparaitroit en fin de I'an 1632. Voila the following paragraph may be fubjoined from precifement Gustave Adolphe, roy de Suedf; the Pathnana, p. 7. La Vie de Tycho Brahe a See alfa Pietro Pomo ; Guerredi Germ. lib. v. ete compofee par le bon M. Gaflendi. Ce fut p. 5. ce Tycho Brahe qui dans le traitte qu'il fit de la f The author of the Swedifh Intelligencer comete I'an 1674 (qu. if not 1672) qui difparut places this event in it'17, which appears to me a la mort de Charles XII. apres avoir dure improbable. CharaSer of Gujiaiui, Part iii, depuis le maJIacre de la S. Baxthclemi, a dit qu'en p. 1 84. And OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 31 And now for a certain paufing-time and interval he returned home : 16 15. and enjoying for a fliort fpace a moderate repofc, which may be called almoft the only one he ever tafted from the early parts of youth to the lafl moments of his life, applied himfelf with unexampled diligence to comprehend the true nature of commerce, and rendered himfelf mailer of that grand monarchical fcience, the art of eafmg (as much as in him lay) the taxes of his people. But no where appeared he greater than in the fpeech * he made his fenators at the commencement of the year, when it was neceffary to explain his inmoft fentiments in the debate which concerned the Ruffian vi^ar. This he performed with attractive grace and powerful demonflration > with all that eloquence could infpire or reafon could confirm ; obviating and overturning that accufation of ambition which feme of his fubjefts tacitly brought againft him in their own breafts ; and explaining and anfwering at the fame time the in- finuations of certain malevolent libels, which his coufin Sigifmond had taken care to fee difperfed through Sweden. And thus at once he charmed his fubjefts and convinced them likewife, that his ambition extended no further than a brave and prudent prince ought to dire6l it. Of courfe one uniform univerfal aflent enfued, and the flates and orders granted him all fupplies that could be concluded necelTary. And indeed whoever perufes carefully the fpeech I have mentioned (though it is rather too long to be inferted in hiftory) will find a diffi- cult tafk to abftain from admiring the eloquence of Guftavus, which mufl: have fuffered greatly by paffing through a northern alembic of courfely- filtrated latinity. Yet mcer oratory being little more than one of the fpeciofu miracula in the art of reafoning, we fhall not fix our principal encomium upon that topic. It is the precifion of Guftavus that we ad- mire ; the acumen of the Romans, and the dyxivoiot of the Athenians j the poffeffing an objecSt in the fingle point of view which is alone ma- terial. As to w/V, it no where appears that he aimed at it : though he feems to have had a natural turn to repartee and humour ; but there is a poignancy, an appofite pointednefs in all his fpeeches, replies and re- * This mafter-piece of good fenfe and era- may be peiufed in Loccenios, pagg. 526 — 533. tory extendeth itfelf to eight pages in quarto, and joinders ; 32 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1615. joinders} and fuch I may fay, as ferve to individuate him from every other man. Not but that upon particular occafions he could expatiate witii all the charms of the moft perfuafivc eloquence, of which no farther proofs need be recited than the oration now before us, and thofe pronounced at Erford and Nurcnberg ; but the clofer the engagement was, the more the vis 'uhicia of his genius flione forth ; and therefore he always chofe to difcufs matters perfonally with foreign miniflci's, and dictate all im- portant infl:ru6lions to his own ambafl'adors. Confcious of his abilities in a private chamber he folicited an interview with Chriftian of Den- mark, (one of the fubtileft politicians of that age) and obtained the efFecl defired ; he made the fame propofal to Louis XIII, but that prince had juft fenfe enough to dread the experiment, and of courfe declined it. 1616. The year enfuing was entirely employed in treaty-litigations between the Swedes and the Mufcovites, as likewife in contriving farther means to leflen the taxes, and adminifter eafe and plenty to the fubjecls of Sweden. 1617. At length Guftavus in order to give the world frefli inftances of his generofity and fincerity allowed a peace to be concluded at Stolba, after the obftrudlion of ten thoufand ceremonies of precedence and titles, which a proud and ignorant nation like the Mufcovites, is always ready to make. And indeed in moft, if not all treaties, the grand object is fooner fettled, (becaufe better forefeen and underflood) than the inci- dental and collateral ones. And here it muft be obferved that the great duke had required per- mifllon from the ftates general and James I. to raife recruits in their re- fpe6tive dominions, which his Britannic majefty made no difficulty of granting, upon condition the men were not to be employed againfl Guftavus. This damped the czar's ardour not a little, and Sir John Menick, gentleman of the bed-chamber, was fent ambaflador from England (who had difcharged a commifllon to Guftavus at Narva fome years before) to give all the afTiftances he could towards the completion of an accommodation ; by which it was at length ftipulated, " That a " general amnefty fliould be fettled between the two nations, the pre- *' tenfions of Charles Philip be extinguiflied, and free intercourfe gf 2 «' commerce OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 33 *' commerce eftabliflied; that the Swedes fliould reflore all their con- 1617. " quefts, and the great duke in return give back Livonia, renounce the " title he aflumed from it, furrender four towns in the prefe6lure of *' Novogrod, and refund the Swedes 9000 /. in good and flerling money. *' The concluding article was, that neither party fliould affift Poland in " any attempts againft the two reciprocal crowns *." Holland as well as England interpofed lincerely in this mediation : yet the treaty was not effectually ratified till the year enfuing. All parties wiflied earneftly for this event, and all rejoiced in its completion. His majefly of Great Britain in particular flione now in the full meridian of his pacificatory luftre ; ^od opt ant i Divum promittere nemo Auderet, volvenda dies en attulit ultra. It was about this period that Guftavus borrowed a very confiderable fum of the ftates general, in order to re-imburfe the king of Denmark accord- ing to the articles of peace lately concluded between them : but as this money arrived not at Hamburg in due time, his majefly (who piqued himfelf on a pun6liHous exadlnefs) fpared neither application nor pains to procure it in good feafon from another quarter ; neverthelefs he re- ceived it afterwards on due fecunty, and paid it back in copper-oar -f. Nor did the friendfliip and humanity of the Hollanders flop here ; for they gave him permifTion at or near the fame time to levy a body of 2000 men in the United Provinces, and allowed him likewife the year enfuing '\. to raife a complete regiment of infantry, and a certain definite number of feamen fufficient to equip five fliips of force againfl the Polanders ; * This treaty (not to be found in the grand taincth many things which are not to be found coUeflions) was comprifed in xviii articles, and in our own hiftorians, and hath been fuppofed may be perufed in the Laurea Aujlriaca, lib. i. by fome to be compofed upon the memoirs and p. 30, bfc. This book, which afFords the beft ftate-papers of cardinal Ditrichlleln, fucceflbr to accounts extant with reference to England and Klefel, and prime minifter to the emperors Ma- the courts of Vienna and Munich in regard to thias and Ferdinand II. the Palatinate, (a circumftance that direfted -f- Carlton's Letters, p. 95, the mea.ures of the Bntifh miniftry more or lefs J Anno i6i8. ■during the xeigna of James and Charles I.) con- VoL. I. F and 34 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1617. and as a tenor was then conceived over all the northern parts of Europe, that the court of Madrid, in order to facilitate the future conquefls of Sigifmond and the emperor *, propofed to fend a ftrong fleet into the Baltic ocean, they generouOy fupplied Guftavus with fix men of war, which actually failed under the command of Obdam, vice-admiral of Holland +. Nor muft we omit here that Chriflian, in confcquence of the late ac- commodation between Sweden and himfelf, made the king a veiy gen- teel and plaufible offer of fending a body of Danes to augment his army ; which propofal was accepted with thankfulnefs, but for certain j)rivate reafons politely declined. For Guftavus knew to perfc(5lion the addrefs and artifice of his neighbour, and dcfired nothing from him but a bill of acquittance. He difcharged therefore the debt with all imaginable diligence, and employed the moderate overplus that remained in puzzling the fidelity of the governor of Dunamond, which important place foon admitted the Swedifh banners to wave upon its ramparts ^. During this fliort paufe from military tranfa6lions his majefty (having firft convened the flates) pafled through the forms of a coronation at Upfal, and then proceeded to reduce his kingdom more and more to one uniform and well-conne6led fyftem : fettling the interior fprings and movements of it upon fuch a principle of regulation, as that no nota- ble inconveniences or obflru6lions fliould arife during his abfence in whatever wars he might chance afterwards to undertake. To effeftuate this, he made fome very fenfible alterations in the manner of convening the flates and in the difpatch of bufinefs, and eflabliflied five public offices, of great extent, namely, a court of juflice, a chamber of exchequer, a cancellaria |[, and two councils of war, one for land- affairs and one for the naval ; in each of which departments he appointed himfelf (abfent or prefent) to be fupreme judge and ultimate referendary. Thefe inflitutions being thus premifed, he in the next place augmented and confirmed the privileges of the flates and orders ; and to encourage what is ufually called the fair and fettled trader, publillied an edid againfl • Laurea Auftriaca. J Ibid. iSo. I Carlton's Letctrs, 96. 101. 126.186. U A fort of fecretary of ftate's office. 1 aU OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 35 all vagabond and itinerant commerciants, commanding likewife in ex- 1617. prefs terms that matters. of trade, hufbandry, &c. fliould be tranfafted in well known and public markets. And as a war by this time had commenced againfl: him on the fide of Poland, he next caft his eyes on his coufin Sigifmond in good earned : concerning whofe quarrel and pretenfions in order to fee the ground- work of them, we muft make a fmall retrofpe6lion into the PoUfh and Swedifli hiftories. Nor can this digreflion be deemed improper, for- afmuch as the war lafted (excepting only fome few temporary inter- miflions) till within three years of our king's death. Guftavus Ericfon, or Vafa, our hero's grandfather, having reigned two and thirty years with the character of another Titus, left behind him three fons. Eric (who had been propofed by his father to queen Elizabeth of England) married a young woman of mean parentage, merely from a romantic turn of love ; but growing difcontented, vicious and cruel, was depofed by his own fubje6ls, and thrown into prifon. Upon this John, who had been confined for reafons of flate in his bro- ther Eric's reign, (but fortunately contrived his efcape) was declared fuc- ceflbr to the throne. He died in 1592, after having governed four and twenty years -, and then Charles, duke of Sudermania, the younger of the three fons, and father of Guftavus Adolphus, (the pofterity of John being fet afide by the ftates) was appointed to fiicceed him. John by Ca- tharina his wife, daughter of Sigifmond II. king of Poland, left two fons, Sigifmond, (upon whom the hiftory particularly turneth) and John duke of Oftrogothia, which latter prince, a minor of three years of age when Charles was inaugurated, died without ifTue in 1618. And in imitation of his father kept firm to the Evangelical or Auguftan confeflion ; but Sigifmond, converted by his mother's means, had privately admitted himfelf into the Romifii communion. Charles was a bold and fincere Lutheran -, of courfe his brother John by his laft teftament made him a fort of pledge to the people with regard to the proteftant religion, and appointed him governor of Sweden till Sigifmond fliould return from Poland. During the interregnum he acquitted himfelf with the cleareft honour, exhorting Sigifmond to haften immediately to Stockholm and F 2 accept 36 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1617. accept the regal title which lay open for him, exhorting and conjuring him at the fame time to preferve the proteftant religion inviolably to his fnbjeds. Sigifmond took no notice of this latter paflage, nor gave the leaft fatisfa6lion concerning it when his fubjefls prefented a particular remonftrance to him. Charles prefled him a fccond time, and in the interim refufcd the crown which the fenate had offered him. At length Sigifmond was enthroned in the year 1594, and took the coronation- oaths, from the obfervation of which he fcholaftically abfolved himfelf with all the dexterity of a Polirti metaphyfician. " This oath" (declareth ' the juror,) " I religioufly promife and vow to keep to all my fubjcds, " young and old, born, and to be born, beloved, or not beloved, abfent " or prefent, no way infringing, but rather improving the fame by royal " affection: fo God be propitious to my foul and body." At the fame time it was flipulated likewife, that Sigifmond fliould make profeflion •of the Lutheran religion, and introduce no foreigners into the king- dom * j and fome time afterwards, upon his temporal repudiation from Sweden and difmifllon into Poland, his once-eleftors fhewed fo much juftice and generofity to him and his family, as to keep the fucce/Tion open upon eventual provifion that his fon Vladiflaiis, then a youth of twelve years old, fliould receive his education at Stockholm, and there make profeflion of the protefl:ant religion -|-. Neverthelefs during this interim, after full proof given to the public of various breaches of trufl:, equivocations, tergiverfations, perfecutionSi and violations of property on the part of Sigifmond, duke Charles by the univerfal voice of the people was invited to accept the crown Octo- ber 22, 1595, which honour in hopes of fome accommodation he de- clined heroically for feveral years ; but in the year 1600 the fl:ates of the kingdom lofl: all patience ; and an a6t was paffed, not only to inca- pacitate Sigifmond and his heirs, but to efl:ablifli Charles as king, and appoint the young Gufl:avus, then fix years old, for his fucceflbr. Nay fuch was the extraordinary zeal of the people in behalf of their civil and religious liberties, that a declaratory claufe was added to this effeft, • MS. relating to the genealog)', isV. of Guftavus Adolphus in Sion-College library, •f Ibid. that OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 37 that regal obedience and allegiance fhould be paid Charles, though he 1617. declined to aflume the title of king, and though the coronation-cere- monies had not been performed. And therefore, let hiftorians fpeak what they pleafe, it is poflible Charles had fome doubts with relation to John, prince of Oftrogothia, a youth at that period eleven years old, and bred a Lutheran, who had an hereditary title antecedent to his own, (being his brother the late king's fecond fon :) who by way of compen- fation had been created duke of Oftrogothia, &c. But be that as it may, Charles, one way or other, was reafoned and compelled, as it were, into the acceptance of what others not only paffionately long for, but commit fo many crimes in order to obtain ! fo at length he fubmitted to be crowned in form in 1 607 ; upon which event popery was declared a religious and political incapacity in all future kings ; no hereditary princes were allowed to marry a wife who profeffed an erroneous religion j and all feducers of princes from the do6lrines of the eftablillied church, were to be punifhed as traitors and confpirators againfl their country. On the other hand, the Swedifli reafons for depriving Sigifmond and incapa- citating his heirs, ran conformably to the tenour of the following repre- fentation : Namely, for the departure of him, Sigifmond, from the re- ceived eftablifhed Chriftian religion then predominant in Sweden ; con- tradicling the intent of his grandfather's laft teflament, and violating the oath taken at his coronation, and neglecting the promife made by him to his late father never to infringe the rights of Sweden, nor fubfcribe (when removed to another country) to any decifions relative to that kingdom, without previoufly applying to the ftates, and requefting their advice and concurrence therein. He was accufed further of leaving the realm at feveral jun(5lures, without due and legal notice given ; of re- moving fundry papers of great importance out of the national cancel- laria, exciting war againft his own country, and his fingularly beft friend and advifer, duke Charles his uncle. It was objected moreover, that he had allowed Denmark to infert the three Swedijh crowns in the regal arms; that he had employed a naval force againft his country, turned a deaf ear to the remonftrances of a free people, and refufed to educate his fo?i at Stockholm, in. order to render him capable of inheritance. Neverthelefs, ^8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 16(7. Neverthckrs, in defpitc of all thefe incapacities and difqualifications alledged, Sigifmond, who was a prince of a refVlefs, turbulent, cabal- ling, aiKl ambitious fpirit, employed all the time that intervened be- tween the publication of thcfe rcfolutions, till the period I am hafteu- ing to reconfider, in projcfling and executing an infinity of attempts in order to repoflefs the crown aforefaid. To this purpofe he ported a fet of political miflionaries throughout the kingdom of Sweden, and afTigncd them their feparate incendiary departments with equal judgment and dex- terity ; and had caufed remonftranccs, defamatory libels and manifeftos of war, to be difperfed every where in great abundance. And as they all took their rife firft from the Polanders, and not from native Swedes, Guftavus determined, partly to mortify Sigifmond, and partly to pre- vent confiderable fums of money from being fpent out of his country, (not to mention fome other inconveniences) to publifh an edift with prohibition to his fubjefts of purfuing their ftudies in Polifli univerfities, paying vlfits to the court, or holding any correfpondence with the inha- bitants of that kingdom. Now though Guftavus managed the pen with the fame addrefs as he vsdelded the fword, yet he no ways confidered a paper-war as a conteftation in any fliape defirable ; efpecially as it was conducted by a nation formed by nature for fchool-diftinctions and aerial refinements : where the jefuits likewife prefided in council, and mixed the politics of Loyola with the fophiflry of Smiglecius, and the plauHble elegance as well as fpecious arrangement of Socinus. Thefe circum- ftances determined him to cut the knot of controverfy with that magical fword of his, concerning which the Swedifli and German profeffors have produced more diflertations than one. Yet ftill the imquiet and malevolent Sigifmond contii r.ed to publifli - frefli defamatory libels, and new devifcd prctenfions and claims upon the crown of Sweden, That he breathed revenge and war appeared manifeft to all men ; and it is fuppofed by the more clear fighted and enlightened *, that the hopes of this defperate and hazardous enterprize were founded upon Auftrian promifes of fupplying the PoHfh army Kvith a body of troops fufficient to re conquer tlie dominions of Sweden. * Loccenii Hift. Suecan. p. 534. And OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 39 And from tliis hardly vifible embryo of exiftence, from this dimmu- 1617. tive fpark of latent fire, arofe afterwards thofe amazing flames which burnt with inextinguifliable fiercenefs for eighteen years, and reduced the empire to an heap of ruin. For Guflavus from a youth never truly reliflied any interpofition which took its rife from Vienna, (as we fug- gefled before in the fuppofed afliftance under the duke of Lunenberg fent by the emperor to the king of Denmark) and as he knew the Im- perial court to be of a phlegmatic temper originally in the preparation of expeditions, (Sigifmond at that time being comifelled and governed by Hifpaniolized Germans, and not native Folanders, which was a fm- gular overfight) he feized the flying opportunity to a moment, having firft fummoned a flight convention at Orebroy, and embarked for Li- vonia under the prote6lion of eighteen fliips : well forefeeing, that the pre-occupation of this province would obftruct all attempts from Po- land during the remaining parts of the campaign. He then took Du- namond (having paved the way to that incident as we hinted before) and Windau. The former place was the key to Riga. No prince ever made a better choice of invading Poland with un- common dexterity ; for Gabriel Bethlem, prince of Tranfylvania, ex- afperated to the higheft degree againft Sigifmond, who had affifted the emperor in the Hungarian war, (for Bethlem had lately invaded Hunga- ry) formed a defign to conquer Moldavia, part of which then belonged to his Polifli majefty, and drew the Turks and Tartars into the project,, who aflifted him with an inconceivable number of forces -|- : but as the king of Poland appeared to be overmuch entangled by an irruptioa truly barbarian on the other fide of his dominions, Guflavus (having pre-occupied what he thought for himfelf barely reafonable and conve- nient, for the whole province of Livonia lay expofed to his mercy : a moderation not to be found in a vi6lorious prince) generoufly concluded a truce with Sigifmond for two years, upon that monarch's humble re- queft and fupplication ; \inder rell:ri6lion however, that the interme- diate fpace Ihould be employed in proje6ling means to eftablifli a per- manent and fubllantial peace. All which may be confidered as a mag- •^r Hifl.oJrede Pologne, p. 32.3, Laurea Aiiftriaca, 64. jiificent 40 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1617. nificent inftance of heroical fupererogation, not to be paralleled in com- mon hiftories ; for which Sigifmond made him afterwards very un- gracious and illiberal returns. 16 1 8. Guftavus allowed his ad verfary this parcnthefis of repofe, (iftheex- prefTion may be permitted me) in order to enable him to chaftife the barbarians who fo furioufly invaded him, and give him fcope likewife, provided he was fmcere, to fettle amicably and by mutual confent all the differences that fubfifted between the two kingdoms. This he did for his own honour, merely to diveft Sigifmond of all juftifiable and plau- fible pretenfions of undertaking a fecond war at conjunftures and op- portunities more convenient. Yet flill Guftavus had fome private mif- givings (and time afterwards proved how very juft his divinations were) that an unfair and infidious adverfary, like the perfon in queftion, ha- vins: once difembarrafled himfelf from fuch troublefome enemies as Turks, Tartars and Tranfylvanians, might create frefh unfubftantial obje6tions and delays, and fet himfelf to renew hoftilities againft Swe- den with redoubled vigour. A few months foon reaUzed this inaufpi- cious conje6ture ; and as Guftavus piqued upon acting openly and with fpirit, he demanded the promife of a perpetual peace or a well pro- longed armiftice when the truce expired ; and receiving no categorical aflurances on the part of Poland, renewed the war without any ulte- lior meffages or declarations : having firft obtained the full approba- tion of an unanimous fenate, and folemnly confii'med the peace with Mufcovy on the feftival of St. Peter and St. Paul in the great church at Stockholm. Princes of a lefler genius would have given this unexpected ftroke of an invafion, under the difguifed appearance of feeling the pulfe of an accommodation : making proteftations one way, and adling in ano- ther way diftincflly contrary. Timorous and weak men always fhelter themfelves in dark and ferpentine by-paths ; for it requires great parts to be at the fame time prudent and brave ; fuccefsful and explicite ! There was the hke difference between Guftavus and Sigifmond, as be- twixt Oxenftiern and Mazarin ; the one executed what he determined, nobly, iii-mly, and inftantaneoufty ; tlie other brouglit to pafs, what he had OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 41 had combined together after a million of reflexions, with a certain t6i8. meannefs, timidity, and hefitation. One performed the moft momen- tous aftions by that glance of judgment which precifely feizes the cri- tical object and occafion, without allowing the mind to wander a mo- ment under the influence of any by-confiderations ; the other making up by philofophy and induction what he wanted in prefence of mind and acumen^ puzzled himfelf by a multiplicity of political knowlege, faw too little, by feeing too much ; was often by caution betrayed into danger, and fell into real fears at the fame moment he avoided fuppof- able ones. But to return to Guftavus, concerning whom we ought to remark tranfiently, that this cautious, juft, and fenfible young man, did not think it confiftent with prudence and equity to m.ake Poland the feat of hoftilities, till he had firft difcharged the refidue of arrears due to Chriflian king of Denmark. In the beginning of the autumn therefore (for the campaign this year commenced no fooner) he paid the remain- ing fum due for the redemption of Elffburg, and by his promptnefs, as well as dexterity of condu6l, kept the rear of his dominions free from a troublefome interferer and invader, who acquiefced with reluflancy, being precluded from all poflible means of devifmg a pretext for re- newing of hoftilities. And it was about this time that Guftavus obtained feveral valuable territories and pofTeflions by the death of his coufm John duke of Of- trogothia * : and in the fame year one of his caftles where he lodged took lire during the night, which fprcad itfelf round with fo much ve- hemence, that the doors and ftair-cafes were all involved in flames ; fo that he and his chancellor were obliged to throw themfelves out at a window, in which extraordinary attempt he fuffered inconfiderably, but Oxenftiern received fome very difagreeable contufions. Nor did the danger ceafe here, for as the caftle was begirt with a moat, which al- moft touched the edifice, his majefty was obliged (fo great was the vio- lence of the fii'e) to crofs that moat by venturing up to the Ihoulders in ooze and filthinefs \. * Genealogiae Ritterlhufii, fol, -j- Carlton's Letter;, p. 265. Vol. I. G During 42 THE HISTORY OF T H E L 1 F E 1619. During the comfe of the eufuing year, the PgUfli war began to grow languid on cither fule : nor was more fevvcl adminiftered to the fire than what jull fufficed to prcfervc it from expiring. Mean while Guftavus returned to Stockholm, and having well reformed and improved his navy, rendered it refpeftablc throughout the whole European ocean. He then pafTed a revifion over the duties and bufinefs of every partiai- lar land officer and private foldier, and reduced not only the art of fighting and ficges, but the whole military difcipline to one regular fyftem of his own invention I. The very inftruments of war were brought by him to a particular examcn ; the management of large ar- tillery was rendered more fcientifical ; the encumbrance and other de- i'c£is of the match-lock wa'e re6lified j the reft of the pike was abo- lifhed, and the pike was fliortenedj and perceiving that Sweden (though it abounded in the very materials from whence thefe implements were compofcd) remitted large fums annually to Spain, Lombardy, and Ve- nice, (for a man of fervice in thofe days could ufe only the piftols and carabines of Brefcia, or a fword tempered in the Ebro) he bethought himfelf prudently and fenfibly to eftabliih manufactures of arms in all convenient^ places throughout his wl:ole dominions. In all which in- ftances, not to fubjoin a great number of others, as the reformation of law, and abridgment of law-fuits, &c. &c. j he has been wifely and faithfully copied by a prince who bears a reference to him in fimilitude of anions, as well as in the likcnefs of fituation. But the parallel is too plain to be dwelt upon with more minutenefs. And laflly, as it was a maxim with Guftavus to perform as much as he could in his own perfon, he requefted an interview at a frontier town called Ulflbeck (others fay Halmftadt) with Chriftian king of Denmark, in order to leave his dominions unexpofed to any invafions from that quarter ; and all thefe dlfiiculties being previoufly adjufted, he publiflied the famous conftitution, De ad7)iiniJiratione & incretfientis civitatum hi regm Suecico. But there ftill remained another reafon for renewing a good undcrftanding between Sweden and Denmark, for the kings of either country plainly apprehended, that the new commotions X Loccen. Hid. Suec. 535;. in OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 41 in Bohemia and the incorporated pro'.inces dcferved to be watched 1610. with an eye of vigilance. And therefore having exchanged all matters of compliment and civility on an open plain, with enfigns liying, drums beating, and a reciprocal difcharge of mufquetry from the little armies that cfcorted them, they retired to a neighbouring city, and paffed the fpace of time from February 25th to March i ith in hofpi- tality and friendfhip *. Nor was Guftavus's attention to the troubles of Bohemia and the an- nexed territories ill direded ; for Sigifmond at that moment had de- creed a body of Coflacks to march to the emperor's afllftance, and had exhorted by letters the duke of Lignitz proteftant general in Silefia, and the Bohemian nobles to make their timely fubmiflions to the court of Vienna -f. In the year 1620, when Guftavus was meditating how to make an 1620. effeflual invafion into Poland, (which projefl was carried into execution the enfuing year) Sigifmond formed a defign, fay fome, to entrap this enterprizing and magnanimous neighbour. With his connivance and privity therefore, colonel Farenbach had orders to make an offer of fur- rendering into Guftavus's hands feveral fortified towns in Livonia, with a view thereby to feize his Swedifh majefly at fome conference there- upon to be held, and make him prifoner ; but the flratagem by fome chance or other took air, and the whole negotiation vanifhed in an in- ftant. And thus Sigifmond was obliged to repoflt-fs his towns ; nor did the lofs of them difcontent Guftavus, as he flill continued proprietor of his own perfon and liberty. By Farenbach's appearing at this time in the Polifli fervice, (for though a Lifelander by birth, he had born command under the houfe of Auftria) it is pretty certain, that a fort of clandefline afliftance (though the point hath hitherto been over-looked in hiftory) had been conveyed into Poland by the Auflrian minifters nine years at leafl be- fore the noted period of Walflein's difpatching colonel Arnheim upon that errand at the head of loooo men; which Hiews, that the pique * Laurea Auftriaca, pagg. 145, 146. •j- Ibid. Lotichius de Rebus Germ. fol. torn. i. 224. G 2 and 41- THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1620. and rcfcntmcnt which the king of Sweckii had conceived againft his Imperial niajcfly was an inveterate wound of long duration, and the memory thereof pre-difpofed him for a number of years, (though 1 ea- fons of prudence checked his incUnation) to make fome honourable rc- prifals by a German invafion in his own behalf, whenever a proper op- portunity fliould prefent itfelf. Eut to return from this flight digrcflion : notwithftanding I have thus related the audacious enterprizc of Farenbach ex jide ccdicum, yet ftill it is my own private opinion, that his want of fmcerity in this af- fair pointed towards Sigifmond, and not Guftavus ; for why otherwife llaould the prince laft mentioned admit him afterwards into his fervice, and entruft him with large funis of money, in order to levy 3000 men in Holland and Denmark ? Yet though Farenbach at this period of time appeared not to be a villain in the eyes of Guftavus, nor perhaps was he ; neverthelefs he foon convinced tl"i€ public, how dangerous it was to repofe any truft or confidence in him, for he ran away witli the king's money, and enrolled himfelf a fecond time under the Imperial enfigns ; and he it was who at the head of his German regim'ent firft entered the town of Bamberg in 1632, when Tilly's army fell upon the troops com* manded by Horn, and obliged that general to retreat ; which vigorous attack ruffled the temper of Guflavus for a few moments, as it was the firfl and only fmall difgrace worth notice which the Swedifli armies met with during two of tlie moft extraordinary campaigns that perhaps ever were raade^ This Farenbach was one of the flrangefl mixtures of inconflancy, perfidioufnefs, ability, and bravery, that is to be found in modern hi- flory. For at the time he beat the Swedes at Bamberg, he correfponded with Guflavus at Mentz and Francfort : and at length (though this in- deed happened near twelve months after the king's death) was con- demned publicly at Ratifbon, upon prefumption of having maintained an epiftolary intercourfe with the late Guflavvis, in reference to betray- ing the town of Ingoldfladt, which general Cratz intended to deliver up in the lame manner the enfuing year. As officers of fafliion i'l thofe times were beheaded, without being difgraced with bonds or fetters, he fprung OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 45 fprung from the fcafFoId, and wrefjing a partizan from the hands of one 1620. of the guards, killed four foldiers dire6lly, and wounded feveral ; but at length was opprefled by numbers, and cut to pieces. In that inftant a courier arrived from Vienna, with a reprieve, or pardon, obtained by the intercefTion of his lady and friends, (for in him fell the befl: engineer in the Auftrian fervice, having learnt his profelTion under no lefs per- fon than Guflavus) upon which incident an Italian author*, with all the gravity of a Spanifli cafuifl, gives this fober moralizing advice ; " Courteous reader, if ever it is thy misfortune to be condemned to ex- " ecution, v/alk flow, create excufes, and devife delays ; who knows but " a pardon may arrive the very laft moment?" And now Guftavus thought fit to embark in a different enterprife from all thofe already recited : for pre-fuppofmg that oiie day or other he might find himfelf embroiled with the houfe of Auftria, which feemed (in cafe flie could once thoroughly humiliate the princes of the evangelical union) to afpire at nothing lefs than uiiiverfal monarchy, he judged it highly expedient to make a tour through the empire -f-, attended only by a friend and fome domeftics, under the difguifed name of monfieur Gars J; which four letters being fagacioufly analyfed, make the four initials of Gujiavus Adolphus Rex Sicecice. When this precifely happened, I was long at a lofs to form any folid and well grounded conjefture. Some fuppofe it to be juft before he invaded Germany, which appeareth improbable || ; but an excellent book lately publiilied**, (the preface to which may be confidered as a mafter-piece of hiftorical correftnefs) gives us afTurance in fo many words, " That " Guflavus in the fummer of the year 1620 pafTed in a difguifed habit " through the chief towns in Germany, and ended his journey at the " court of Berlin, in order to fee the young princefs of Brandenburg, " whom he intended to marry -f-f*." So great an idea had he of pre- vious certainty in matters of love, as well as in affairs of war.- * Riccio de Bellis Germanids. L. x. 4°. Ven, || Riccio de Bellis GermaTi, p. 191 . &c. 164S. ** Letters to and from Sir Dudley Carlton, f Sapplement of Forefti. ff Letter from Sir Dudley to Seer, Naunton, X Swcdilh. Intelligencer, part iv. 183. July 20, i6zo. And 46 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1620. And here a fceoncl particularity dcfcrvcs fomc notice. I liave been adlucd by a perfon of excellent parts lately deceafed, who had travelled many years in fearch of hiftorical knowledge, that the name of Gufta- vus Adolphus is enrolled among the ftudents of Padua ; but if ever that prince was there, it muft have been in his younger days, as I hinted before, or by making a romantic digrefllon from this prefent peregrina- tion. Upon the like authority it was moreover afTured me, that Oliver Cromwell appears to be regiftered in the fame Paduan matricula, and yet hiflory maintaineth a profound fdence in both thefe refpects; though each pafl'age (except my memory deceives me) is confirmed by a mo- dern Itahan author, in his account of that feat of learning ; but as I neither remember the writer's name, nor have the performance by me, it becomes me to exprefs my fentiments on the fubjecl with rellrve and diffidence. It is highly probable that tlie tender and warlike pafTions alike en- gaged his Swedilli majefty to make a journey into the empire. He had ii view perhaps, even fo far back as the prefent period, of having fome- ihing to fay to the Germanic fyftem : and as to Maria Eleonora, fifler to George William then elector of Brandenburg *, then in the twenti- eth year of her age ; flie appeared to be a confort worthy of him, both as a heroine and a Chriftian. By a painting I have fecn of her, flie was a beauty of the graceful and majeflic kind : and moreover, a connection with her brother was not to be overlooked by one, who had conceived an idea of erecting fome future edifice upon German ground. Nor may the perfon of Guftavus be palled by here without remarking, that he was one of the talleft and moll graceful figures in all his army, large limbed, but not corpulent : yet fomething inclined to plumpnefs to- wards his latter days, though his bulk never encumbered or incom- moded him ; his eyes of light gray had a piercing clearnefs attemper- ed with benignity, except when anger difcompofed them ; his hair fair * George William was a weak prince and burg, were both put under the ban of the em- rot very profperous, for Schwartzenberg his pire. He married the princefs Charlotte, fiftet prime miniftcr betrayed him perpetually to the to the king of Bohemia. Memoirs of the Houj'e houfe of Auftiia. His two undes, the duke of of Brand. 40, 41. Jagernfdorf and the adminiftrator of Magde- coloured. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 47 coloured, his nofe gently aquiline, his forehead large, and his complec- 1620. tion florid. In more barbarous ages his look and flature might have advanced him to the regal dignity : for hardly a SwediOi horfe could carry him when completely cloathed in armour; but by all the paintings and prints I have ever feen of him, of which the number cannot be re- counted, he appears, even making allowances for the mode of drefs, to be much older than he really was, which I attribute to the violent con- ftant fatigues of his mind and body. There is a thoughtfulnefs mixt with fpirit in all his looks when well drawn, and a fort of recollection joined with fortitude. And indeed, as he united the ftatefman with the warrior, neither his limbs nor his mind were ever at eafe ; for he ne- gotiated and made campaigns, without ever being difmayed or puzzled, from the feventeenth year of his age to the hour of his death. So that no warrior or minifler ever better deferved the device and infcription on a medal which an ingenious foieigner, the chevalier Edlinger, once fliewed me J the emblem was a cube, with this motto, aequalis sem- per ET ERECTUS. Guftavus introduced his queen into Stockholm with extraordinary pomp, and the nuptials being there folemnized, appointed the cere- mony of her coronation in the month of November. This illuftrious and amiable princefs, after one or two difagreeable mifcarriages, at length brought him a daughter called Chiiftina in 1623, who died the enfuing year ; and then a fecond Chriftina, who at a year old was de- clared by the ftates heirefs to the throne in 1627. This decree of the fenate is ftill to be feen *. Mean while Guftavus m.ade great preparations for war by fea and ■ land, and introduced a fecular folemnity in memory of the reformation eftablifhed in Sweden. The edicl againft travelling was enforced like- wife by adduional claufes, (inafmuch as fuch pra6lice thinned the king- dom of fubjecls, and promoted evil defigns from enemies) yet leave was allowed the nobility, out of regard to their antient privileges, to pur- fue their fludies, or cultivate the art of war in foreign countries, upon * Suecict Refpublica, 12°. 1631, p. 245. 2 conditioa 48 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1620. coiKlltion they firft obtained a royal paflpoit, and refidcd not in fu- fpedlcd places. Laftly, a new attention was given to the army and navy, and a flight tax levied to that effect upon corn and cattle. His Polifli majefty at the fame time, whilft Gufl:avus was employed in the purfuits of love and glory, efcaped fortunately from a fuddcu danger in his own capital at Warfaw : for one Piecharfchi *, a noble- man of diftin6lion, had conceived a violent avcrfion againft his fo- vereign, partly on account of his political and military conducl, (for he gave the better half of his time to mufic and chymiftry, and twice loft the throne of Mufcovy by his neglect -f) and partly becaufc his majefty had affigned curators to take upon themfclves the management of his eftates, which were very confiderable : reprefentation being made that he was difcompofed in his intelle6ls. Like Felton his fuccelfor in that defperate trade, who aflaffinated Buckingham, he was fuppofed to have no participant in the undertaking ; but one morning as the king, attended by his courtiei's and guards, entered the veftibule of the great church, Piecharfchi ftarted from behind a j)rivate door with a fmall battle-axe in his hand, and fuddenly affailing the perfon of his mafter, gave him two ftrokes, one on the cheek, and one on the fhoulder. Sigifmond dropt immediately, but neither wound proved mortal. Few people were in the church, and fewer ftill obferved the blows. Mean while a poor Italian mufician who belonged to the choir, but could not fpeak half a fentence of Polifli, augmented the confufion (for he be- held the whole affair) with crying aloud, 'tradilore, tradhore ! which the by-ftanders concluding to fignify T'artari, ruflied out of the cathe- dral to fave themfelves, fuppofing that an inundation of barbarians had burft into the city +. Vladiflaiis the king's fon, affifted by a croud of courtiers, foon feized the affaffm and difarmed him. He made no con- feffion nor acknowlegement, lamenting only tliat his right arm had * Geflorum in Europa fingularium. Cracov. Piafecchii Chronica, p. 4C4.. Brachelii Hifl. 1646. This otherwile excellent book mud be noftr. temp. 37. confidered as very paitial to the Polifli caufe, -j- Tacite d'Araelot de la HouiTaye, L. 6, as will appear by confronting it with Loccenius, p. 516, 518. M. Bayle and others: I thought it proper to \ Kobierziiki Hiftor. Vladillai in loco, give the reader this precaution once for all, 2 deceived OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 49 deceived him. His breafts were torn off at two different gates of the city 1 620, with red-hot pincers, which operation he fubmitted to without a word or a groan*". His limbs were then difparted by wild horfes and burnt, and their aflies thrown into the Viflula. By this time Guftavus was determined to reduce Poland to reafon by fome methods or other : of courfe he made the Poles repeated offers of prolonging the truce, or concluding a peace, but Sigifmond, notwith- ftanding the Turks, Tartars, and Mufcovites attacked him on every fide, perfevered inacceffible, in oppofition to all advances that could be made towards him on the part of Sweden. Upon this Guftavus de- clined the ceremony of previoufly difpatching an herald to denounce his intentions ; as he underflood the war, in the language of the jus- publicifls of that age, to be proWadlum duntaxcty nonfuhlatum. There- fore for prudent reafons, conformable to his natural fpirit and turn of mind, he began the campaign, at the head of four and twenty thoufand men, with a very critical and difficult undertaking, the fiegc of Riga, the capital city of Livonia ; wifely pre-fuppofmg, that the redudlion of the province would depend entirely upon the fate of the metropolis. Riga was a large city, the emporium of all the countries that lay round it, well fortified, according to the ufages of thofe days,, and carrying on a confiderable commerce. It ftands on the river Dwina, v\ hich divides it into two unequal parts, not to mention its being prote61:ed by a fafe and commodious harbour, removed about two leagues from the ocean. This town belonged originally to the knights of the Teutonic order : it then formed itfelf into a republic, and fubmitted to Poland on the fame footing with Dantzic. Had Guftavus been of a tim.orous or fuperftitious temper, he fuf- fered enough at the beginning of this enterprise to have deterred him from the attempt. A violent ftorm in the mouth of- the Dwina dif- perfed and fliattered a good part of his fleet, in fpite of all the care of Gildenheim and Fleming, the two admirals; but his maxim was always to gain ground upon difappointments, and redouble his activity, inftead of wafting time in unavailing reproaches upon himfelf or ethers. • Lauiea Auftriaca, p. 341, &c, Vol. I, H Keeping 5° THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 62 1, Keeping liis eye therefore firm on his objecft, he landed his four and twenty thoufand men, and inverted the city. The principal officers that fcrved under him were De la Gardie, Wrangel, Horn, Banier, Ox- cnrtiern, and Ruthven a Scottifli colonel : names well known in the iucceeding parts of our hiltory. Mean while his re-affembled fleet pro- telling the mouth of the harbour, conveyed to him all proper fupplies, and prevented not only the enemy, but all neutral powers from tlirow- ing any relief into the town, whether of men, ammunition, or provi- fions. What was ftill more fortunate for him, the grand fignior had relinquifhed purpofely the fiege of Babylon, in order to pour the whole torrent of his forces into Poland * j fo that 60000 troops, under the condutft of an old and experienced officer, namely, Chodkievi pre- fect of Lithuania, (who died foon afterwards of a broken heart) were looked upon as nothing more than barely fufficient to check the depre- dations of 300,000 infidels. Now though Guflavus effected the debarkation of his troops at Mulgrab with great dexterity (a circumftance of war then little known, and to which he gave uncommon attention) yet it was not in his power to perform any femce very remarkable, till velt-marechal De la Gardie arrived with the Finland regiments. His majeily tlien opened his in- tentions to the foldiers in a fet fpeech, and having run a line round Riga, inverted it according to form : encamping chiefly on the fand- banks to the eaft of the Dwina. In his own quarter, which confifted of 6000 foot and 800 horfe, ferved prince Charles his brotlier, Oxen- ftiern, Horn, Banier, and count Mansfelt. De la Gardie extended himfelf on the king's right hand, having under his command the pre- torian foot-guards, and three regiments of infantry, (making 4500 men) and 300 horfe. Wrangel dire6led the third ftation at the head of his own and Ruthven's foot-regiments, with 700 cavalry j being ordered to encam.p on the king's left band, at or near a place called Heintz's farm : and Seaton, a Scots gentleman, commanded the fourth diviflon, which lay encamped round a wind-mill, and was near- eft the town. Mean while colonel Henry Fleming (for the admiral * Brachel. Hift. noftr. temp. 52. 2 was OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 51 was named Claudius) having turned his foldiers into pioneers, guarded 1621, the iflands in the Dwina, and alfo the weftern fhore of that river next to Dunamond-fortrefs, whilft the fliips lay ftationed in the mouth of the harbour. I am the more minute in defcribing the difpofitions of this fiege, as it was the firit Guftavus made in full form, and as it was a mafler-piece in the intentive parts of war, (wherein his great talent lay) notwithftanding all the operofe and expenfive performances of Spinola in the Low Countries fome few years before. The town of Riga was well prepared for defence in every refpedV. It was guarded with good baftions and well-fraifed half-moons ; the citadel was garrifoned with a confiderable body of regular infantry, and two troops of horfe ; and the citizens undertook to fuperadd to them 400 experienced foldiers, and their own militia. How well they per- formed their duty, the duration of the fiege will foon flievv; for their at- tachment to Sigifmond's intereft appeared to be quite enthufiaflical. Guftavus fpared his attention upon no occafions ; and on every cafual occurrence hazarded his perfon without difficulty. As it was the firft fiege of confequence he ever engaged in, he appeared, if I may be al- lowed the exprefllon, a very Proteus in command ; fuftaining in the fame day the characters of general, engineer, common aflailant, and pioneer ; for at Riga in particular he often ftripped to his fliirt, and wrought in the trenches with pick-axe and fliovel, exhorting his brother Charles Philip, and the feveral officers who ilood round, to follow the example. This unparalleled vigilance and application to every obje6l, greater or lefTer, foon threw him into the way of danger : for in fome preparatory meafures he took on the fand-hills in his own quarter, he miffed little of difproving an obfervation made by Cliarles V, that no king had ever been killed by a cannon-ball "*, fince a fliot of confiderable fize paffed direclly on the very line where he flood a few moments before. Some time afterwards he conceived his prefence to be neceffary where Seaton commanded, and there a fecond fhot killed fome foldiers that flood near him, and daflied the blood of lieutenant-colonel Stakelberg upon • Bayle's difcourfe on Guftavus /.dolphus. H 2 his 52 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 62 1, his cloaths ; and on another occafion, during tlic continuance of this fiege, a third cannon-ball pierced his tent, and glanced towards him in a dircfliion, as if it was predeftined to dcftroy him *. Upon thcfe events he changed the pofition of his batteries, and made himfclf mailer of higher ground, commanding the town and raking the ftreets tlirough and througli where -ever the leaft opening prefentcd itfelf. But as he chofe not to introduce an invafion with afls of bloodflied, forefeeing well that it was almofl impoflible to enter the town by ftorm, he fent his trumpeter to the commander and magiflrates three feveral times with propofals of an honourable nature, conceived in courteous terms; but they on the lafl: meffage, in order to preclude all hopes of accommoda- tion, received and difmifled the royal ambalfador blindfolded, returning him to his mafter quite overcome with fpirituous liquors, and without an anfwer. Upon this the Swedes redoubled the efforts of their bat- teries, and threw more bombs into the town than ever had been known in fo fliort a fpace with the fame quantity of artillery. What kept alive the fpirits of the defendants, was a reliance on Sigifmond's promife of raifing the fiege : but that prince was fo embarrafTed by the Turkifli invafion, that it was not in his power to make good his intentions to any notable purpofe. Wherefore to remedy this defcfl, Radzivil pre- fe6t of LefTer Lithuania, and one of the firfl men of quality in Poland, marched fuch troops as could be fpared, namely, 1 0000 foot and 4000 cavalry, to the afliftance of Riga ; neverthelefs, aftoniflied at the pre- cautions Guftavus had taken, he contented himfelf with gazing at a di- Hance from the banks of the Dwina. He had only fuch troops with him as in the emergency of affairs could then be difpatched, propofmg to throw fome fupplies into the town, in cafe he had not the ability to raife the ficge. The befieged, conduced by one Burk an Irifh officer, made two attempts to crofs the Dwina in fliips, and fecure an entrance to fome of Radzivil's troops : but Guftavus thundered upon them in fuch a manner from his batteries, ercQed previoufly on the fliore for that purpofe, that it v/as thought proper to difcontinue all future attempts of the like nature. Mean while the king, by way of gallantry, enter- f Loccenii Hift. Suec. p. 557. tained OF GUSTAVUS AD0LPHU9. 53 talned Radzivll with a general cannonade; and as one ball happened to 1621. pierce the tent of that c6mmander, he entered into a flight ineffeftual Ikirmifh the next day, and then departed. Upon this the king re- doubled his efforts, and filled the town-ditch with fafcines and rubbifli, having firfl cut off the communication with the rivers, and rendered himfelf mafter of Dunamond-fortrefs, a flrong place to the north of Riga. He then fent the magiftrates a frefli fummons, admonifhing them of their danger, and the impoiTibility of their relief, to which they returned an abrupt and rude refufal ; enraged at which, he took an half-moon by florm, and the garrifbn in return fprung a mine that lay beneath it, and blev/ up an hundred Swedifli foldiers into the air ; neverthelefs, their companions re-poffefTed the ruins, and made a frefli lodgment among them. The art of mining was carried to great perfection in this fiege, for both parties made various extraordinary ef- forts, which almofl deferve to be repeated; and his majelly himfelf Hill continued to v/ork with his Dalecarnian miners below ground, with the fame fpirit as he had laboured with the hardy Finlanders above ground in firfl opening the trenches. At length a breach v/as made, and Guftavus, in order to pafs the town-ditch, formed the firfl idea of a proje6l which he executed afterwards more glorioufly on the banks of the Elb and Lech. In a word, he contrived a flying bridge of wood, and rendered the fur face rough and unflippery, with flrong nails and pitched fackcloth, feizing the opportunity under favour of the night to throw it crofs the foffe, which, though filled with fafcines and rubbifir, retained flill too much water to admit the pafTage of a large body of -men. The colonels Seaton and Horneck * conducted the attack, but the ardour of the troops, which crowded forv/ards in greater numbers than was ordered for the fiiTt detachment, unfortunately broke down the machinery ; inafmuch as neither admonitions nor threatenings could reflrain their impetuofity. In this accident the gallant Seaton broke his thigh, undergoing afterwards an amputation ; and the garrifon at night reduced the royal architeflure to an heap of afhes. * This colonel was condemned afterwards in Germany for cowardice, but the queen begged his life. Guflavus 54 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ]62r. Guflavu?, not in the lead difmayed by this difappointment, appHed himfelf once more to mining, being refolved, if he could not pafs over the ditch, to enter the town beneath it. He laboured therefore in a frefli mine that very night ; for the bcficged ftill cxpecled (contrary to all probability) a fecond relief from Sigifmond. During this interv'al, tlie king ordered his young military favourites Horn and Banier, at- tended by Chapelle, a French officer, and Mufter, a Scotfman, to ftorm the fand half-moon at the head of 3000 chofen foldiers. Thefe brave warriors foon croffed the ditch, and diflodged a part of the enemy ; but when they approached the fummit of the fortification, the befieged made fuch an incredible refinance, that they were repulfed by main force. Beams of wood were thrown upon them in order to crufh them, and huge flones and grenados difperfed among them in every part. Chapelle's fon died bravely, for he continued fighting to the very laft ; Horn and Banier were both grievoufly wounded, but his majefly to comfort them, though unfuccefsful, fent them both the order of knight- hood that very ev^ening. Upon this flight fuperiority the garrifon pro- pofcd a fally, but the prudent magiftracy impofed a negative on fo rafli an vnidertaking. And now, towards the middle of September, matters approached to the very laft extremity, for the Swedes had formed their mines under the town-ditch, and beneath the fortifications that lay round it, whilft the king (in order to prevent fupplies from entering the cit)') having thrown a flfong boom crofs the Dwina, (which fome have thought to be his own invention) and prepared two new bridges capable of admit- ting five foldiers in front, his determination was to fire the mines at once, pafs his afiailants over the bridges in two places, and give the town a general aflault with all his army. It was then the inhabitants, after an obflinate defence for the fpace of fix weeks, began firfl to be terrified : for on the one hand the king had undermined their \\ alls in every part, and on the other hand their garrifon was enfeebled, their ammunition confumed, and all hopes of relief appeared chimerical and infubflantial. Now though Cuftavus knew their diftreffes, he afFeded fludioufly not to difcern them, in order to give the Livonians a right notion OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 5^ notion of his generofity. Morally certain of polTeHing Riga in a day and 1621. a night, he allowed the befieged a deliberation of fix hours, at the con- clufion of which hoftages were explained, and a capitulation ratified. Mean while, from a true feufe of military merit, he granted the inhabi- tants very honourable conditions, though they had fpoken of him during the fiege in difrefpe6lful and injurious terms *, and permitted them to incorporate themfelves into one fyftem with his own fubje6ls. Thefe acfs of benignity and magnificence arofe partly from the dictates of his own heart, and partly from a good maxim of policy, always to behave hu- manely and generoufTy in a conquered country ; of courfe he never once upbraided the natives for the fatigues and mifchief their obflinate refift- ance had created to himfelf and his troops. And as all great and good men, however modefl they may be, feel fome complacency upon having rightly perfomed any noble and illuftrious aftion, his majefty in the famous fpeech he made nine years afterwards to the generals of his army near Nurcnberg, on the fubjeft of their avarice, cruelty, and expila- tions, in a decent tranfitory manner juft fuggefls to their recollection his own difiimilar condudl at the furrender of Riga. But to return to my fubjeft ; the inftant Guftavus entered the town- gate, he dire6ted his fleps to the great church of St. Peter, where he kneeled down, and returned his thanks to God in a fliort prayer. As to allegiance, he told the inhabitants, he never de/ired' or expeSIed better from ther/j, than they had Jlie-wn their former niajler : upon which account he fhouldnot only preferv^ their privileges^ but augment them. The magiflracy then apologized for their conduft with refpe6t to Poland, obliquely up- braiding Sigifmond, after the reprefentations they had made him of their imminent danger, for returning this cold and jejune anfwer, namely, that the palatin of Wilno (who at (hat time v/as employed in Podolia) ought to have taken due care of the Livonian territory. They then told his majefty likewife -}-, thatGuftavus made a fwlfter paf- fage from Stockholm to Riga, than Radzivil had done from Poland to Riga, and that though the latter commanded ti'oops enough to have anfwered the purpofe, yet the pre-occupation of the country by Guftavus entirely » Memorabilia Suecica Geatis, p. 8 1 , f In a memorial, dated at Riga Sept. 20, 1 62 1 . frullrated 56 THE HISTORY O I" 1' H E LIFE 162 1, friiftratcd all his attempts, inafmuch as his SwediHi majefty Jiad rendered himll'lf maftcr of every firong pafs, and flopped the navigation of the Dwina (in which circumftance at tliat time confifted one great part of the mihtary fcience.) They then expatiated much on the clemency and affability of their new conqueror, who far from reproaching them for having made a refinance fo detrimental to him, told them from his own pure generofity in fo many words, that if a folld peace could be concluded between him and Sigifmond in three years, he would allow them to return to their Polifli allegiance, with refervation of all their antient rights and liberties : concluding with this remark, 'That -whoever had occafioned the lofs of their city (and whom he meant is eafy to be dif- covered) miifl render account for it at the lafi day to the Suprenjc Being* : and thus the affair ended. To this remonftrance Sigifmond had not the condefcention to return an anfwer : but prince Radzivil held the pen in his place, and writ a letter full of acrimony and recriminations j a fort of return which the brave inhabitants had no ways merited. There is one circumftancc in his letter extraordinary enough. The people of Riga had reprefented Guftavus as a prince of unparalleled cle- mency and generofity, to which Radzivil replies coldly, " That he v/as " not difpleafed to hear that the king of Sweden was a Chriffian." Guftavus then, at the head of a detachment of 14000 men, having firfl banillied the jefuits from Riga, invefted Dunamond and took it ; in confcquence whereof he next made himfelf mafter of Mittau -{-, the capital of Semigallia, and place of refidence of the dukes of Courland. This city then fubfifted under the title of a beneficiary poffeffion from the republic of Poland, with whofe interefts the reigning duke then naturally fided on account of his relative fituation : and from compaflion to thefe circumftances, Guftavus generoufly promifed to reftore the town to hint upon the obfervance of fome certain conditions fet forth in the body of the truce then to be concluded between himfelf and Sigifmond; which engagement was made good veraciouily by the king of Sweden. * Loccenii Hill. Suec. p. 537. -j- Piiftendorf favs Eritcao, but a nobkman of CourJand afiurcs ms there is no fuch place. 2 Farther OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. $7 Farther than Mittau he advanced not: for by this time fome PoliHi 1621. parties had committed great depredations near Riga. He therefore flew to the afliflance of his new fubje6ls, and left general Wrangel in Mittau with a garrifon of 2000 men. Upon this a truce enfued between Sweden and Poland, which was to remain in force till the expiration of the en- fuing year. The entrance of 1622 was rendered uncommonly difagrecable to i'622» Guftavus by the death of his brother *, whom he loved extremely : a young prince of clear courage, and remarkable for an uncommon fweet' nefs of temper. But the fame year was rendered illuftrious in another refpe6l, inafmuch as it gave birth to Charles Guftavus, afterwards Charles X. king of Sweden. And now Guftavus began to be perfe6lly well apprized, that iofubjiji an army was far more difficult than to conduct the fight'uig part : for thefe reafons, returning to Stockholm in the winter, (a flight truce being concluded with Poland, as we obferved before, and oaths of allegiance adminiflered to the deputies of Riga) he took care to procure a clear no- tion of his revenues ; adjufted fome difficulties then fubfifting betwixt Sweden and Denmark ; and formed fo good an underfl:anding with Chriflian, that he promifed neither to allow the Poles to make levies in his dominions, nor permit their fhips to carry provifions through the Sound, nor military floresj and as the duties of the year 1620, upon corn and cattle, did not appear fufficient to carry on the war, Gufl:avus introduced what was then called an excise, an expreffion till that time unknown in Sweden : which was defined to be a royal tax levied upon fuch thinsfs chieflv as were eatable and drinkable. The flates made fome obje(5lion to this impofl at firfl, but at length it pafTcd with univerfal confent. His majefty it is true propofed it only as a temporary expedient, but (however fincere his intention might be) it was never afterwards in his power to take it off: being involved every day in more and more in- terefting exploits. In a poor country like Sweden, as this was the mofl: advantageous, fo it was the mofl trying contribution that could be de- • He died at Narva Jan. 25, 1622, aged twenty years and nine months. Vol. I. I vifed. ^8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1622. vlfcd. Yet the nation had fuch a confidence in the integrity and bravery of their fovereign, that after a few flight murmurs, they fubmitted chear- fully: and upon this agreeable compliance Guftavus determined to move the feat of war intoPruflia, partly as lying nearer home, and partly to fccure the Baltic, and prefcrve it free from depredations and infults. Yet nothing could compofc the uneafincfs which Guftavus received from the death of his brother, and his mortification upon that occafion was rendered ftill more fenfible, as he had no children by queen Elconora. Thefe two events contributed to raife Sigifmond's hopes to the higheft degree : for that prince, by the way, was the greateft pretender then in Europe. He had a right to all he could take, and in proportion to his profpe6ls his pretenfions always improved, not only in tone of ftyle, but m force of title. His men of law kept pace with the fword, and arofe upon every event with new' proofs and afTertions. 3623. Hence it was that Sigifmond the enfuing year, having formed a defign of invading Sweden, made a political progrefs through Poland, and be- ing entertained with great magnificence at Dantzic, took care to confider occafionally the ftate of his marine, and the means and pofllbility of tranfporting an army to the gates of Stockholm. But Gufta\ais being, as my hiflorian obferveth *, princeps cautus, ad omnvs occafmnes iwvigilans ad avertenduvifi quod ingruerat pericuhwi, thinking it always the beft po- licy to commence an invafion, inftead of repeUing one, arrived by a fort of magical tranfportation with a fleet of fixty-fix fliips (of which twenty were large ones) at the mouth of the port of Dantzic. Sigifmond mounted a watch-tower, in order to behold his kinfman in the charadler of a fea-commander : upon which the land-foii:refies paid him the com- pliment of a general difcharge of artillery ; and to thefe Guftavus re- plied with all his naval cannon, which by fome was interpreted as a kind, of warlike declaration. But his Polifh majefly did not chufe to explain the incident according to this fafliion, contenting himfelf to difpatch a perfon in the name of the magiftracy of Dantzic, with orders to repre- fent and complain that fuch practices infringed the liberties of the jiort in. time of truce. Guftavus received this deputy with great courtefy, pro- * Kobierzilki, Hiftoria Vladiilaiis, 4°. 857 — 859. teiling OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 59 teftlng that he was inchned to cultivate a peace more and more, and 1623. that he meditated no frefh v/arhke tranfa£lions, except under the juftifi- cation of a prior Icefit. He then allced abundance of familiar queilions concerning the king and queen, and charging the reprefentative employed to deliver his compliments to prince Vladiflavis, (whom he defired greatly to fee) returned contentedly home without caufmg the leaft moleflation. Yet time foon convinced the public that Guftavus's prefages and pre- cautions were extremely well grounded : for the truth was, Sigifmond received his opinions at that jun6lure concerning Sweden from dlfcon- tented exiled Swedes, fuborned Germans, and Spanifh jefuits *, ftationed near him by the court of Vienna, (rarely admitting a fmgle Polander into deliberations of this nature) and of courfe meditated an expedition at the very moment we are now mentioning} and this broke out more diftinclly the year enfuing, when he demanded large pecuniary afliftances at the affembly of the fenators, and requelled that the marine might be placed on a new footing, and the land army re-inforced : but the flates of the kingdom declined to advance money towards thefe purpofes, and on the contrary prolonged the truce in a manner no ways conformable to their mafter's inclinations ; which gave Guftavus opportunity and leifure to form his future enterprizes upon Livonia and Pruffia -j-. State-intrigues produced another mifmanagement on the part of Sigif- mond. Moft men caft their eyes on Conofpolifki as the ableft comman- der in the crown-fervice : but as that officer was then employed on the fide of RufTia, it was thought neceflary to give the prefent command againft Guftavus to one Zamolki palatin of Kiow : but DenhotF prefed: of Lafci, then all powerful in the cabinet, did not care to admit a re- prefentative inConofpoUfki's department, left the kingdom, in cafe of any notable fuccefs, lliould requeft to fee him continued. And thus tlie campaign of a fecond fummer was ruined, for Conofpolilki arrived not till the month of 06lober %. * PolonisE rex nunquam excidiflet regno Suecis Domiaat. Hi/pan. 124. nifi credulam aurcm jefuitis Hifpanis, quibus ac- f Kobierzifki, Hift. Vladiflaiis, 4". 857—859. ceflus per conjugium Auftriacum liberior patebat J Ibid. 921 — 923, in regnum & ad reginam, prsebuiffet. Arcana I 2 Mean 6o THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1623. Meanwhile the Spaniards wanted greatly to preferve Sigifmond in a ftate of war againft Guftavus, and to this purpofe his catholic majefty dif])atched count de Sobre to him with a magnificent retinue. Tliis no- bleman, originally a Flemniing, wore the order of the golden fleece, and arrived afterwards to high authority in the court at Madrid. In his inflructions Guftavus was ftyled more than once the fupporter of an erroneous religion, and ufurper of Sweden. The main purpofe of his legation was to obftru6l the truce, and adminifter fewel to a more con- tinued v/ar. To which Sigifmond replied very fenfihly, That the con- flitution of Poland was no ways congenial to a ftate of warfare, and that Spain could aflift him only by commanding a powerful fleet to range the Baltic *. But this interruption of a vifionary fpeculation, (for the Caftilian flownefs and gravity did not duly confider the propofal till five years afterwards) induced him to fue for a frefh ceffation of arms that was to hold till June 1625, which favour Guftavus readily granted hini; for he formed this oppofition merely upon a principle of felf-defence, fmce Sigifmond had placed himfelf at the head of a fleet of tranfpons with a view to make a defcent on the Swedifli territories. Thus tlie de- figns of Poland were rendered abortive, and the town of Dantzic was obliged to make a profeilion of neutrality. 1623. During this fxiort repofe of ceflation from hoftilitics, his majefty found 1624. opportunities to make a fecond revifion in matters of literature ; beftow- * This anfwer may be worth preftn'iag ; it Vhimo addit, de pacifcendis cum hoftem indaciis IS the extraft of a letter from Sigifmond III. to etiamfi ille ab iis abhorrere non videatur in Philip IV. prxfenti rerum ftatu non cogitat legia majeftas, " Conditio imperii regut majejfatis fualis fit, fS magis eas circumfpicit rationes, ut, hofte hie im- " quibus adfiricla legibus, non ignorat cutholica pedito, orma in Sueciam transferat, quod fi a clajfe •' majejlas: omnia fene in bac regno fiatuum arhitrio paratior ejjit , jampridem B^/ariV /?>o/?/j sufus coer- " geri, ita ut de hello bellique ner'vo, nihil inconfultis citi fuiflent. Qua in re fi catholica majeftas clajft " crdinibus fiatui decernique poffit : qure res fape fua litsribui Sutcicis admota regia majefiati fuppttias " neceffarioi Iff oppartunos regis pro publica falute ferret, rem dignam et catholico nomine & fra- " conatus rtlardat, nonnumquam etiam firitos red- terno amore pra;ftaiet : & haud dubie una eadem- " dit." Hie ipfe regni Succix invafor, jampri- que ratione Danii regem, nunc vifceribus Ger~ dem in ordinem redaftus fuiffet, nifi toties ab maniac inha:rcntem, ad tuendum regnum fuum & crdinibus regni impctratis induciis, falfa honella; pnfentis & domeftici belli oftentatione retraheret. pads & tranfaftionis oftcr.tatione, nobis ilUvfiJlet. Ksbierxijki, ut/upra. ing OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 6i ing on the univerfity of Upfal * all the patrimonial eftate belonging to 162^. his own houfe of Vafa -f, excepting Lindholm, his family-manfion, and the manour round it, which he thought fit to referve ; the one and the other reoiaining now in the pofTefTion of the Cederhielms :^. He founded a fecond univerhty at Abo, and creeled fchools in Lapland ; and per- formed an a6t of like nature fome few months before his death, efla- blifliing and endowing the univerfity of Dorpat in Livonia, with a view ta cut off all the inconveniences and expences of travelling into Sweden for the fake of an education. And Chriftina his mother conveyed after- wards by her laft teftament 5000 /. towards the perpetual fupport of thirty ftudents at Upfal. Nor was high-admiral Gildenheim, Guflavus's natural-brother, behind the family in point of generofity to learning, for he bequeathed fix little farms for the maintenance of two fcholars of more diftinguiflied genius than the reft of their companions ; and what was ftill a further fubjeft for wonder, his executors for forty years be- flowed the benefaction unexceptionably on the moil deferving §. In- fluenced by thefe examples, the preceptor of Guftavus, who was an ex- cellent clafiical fcholar, and well knew the advantages of ftyle and elo- quence, endowed a profeflbrfliip of oratory, and the pupil confirmed it by royal charter. And indeed Gullavus alwavs fliev/ed the higheft gra- titude to this excellent man : for he made him a fenator and chancellor of Upfal, fupreme judge in the kingdom of Gothland, and (though his birth was no ways extraordinary) created him baron DuderhofF, and employed him afterwards in feveral important embaflies. In a word, the univerfity of Upfal had been quite neglected, and be- came a fort of defart during the reign of John, Guftavus's uncle, but the donations allowed by the king fufficed to maintain 150 ftudents. How uncommon is the pleafure to behold the ftudies of theology, philofophy and humanity, protected and encouraged by men of the fword ? • In the whole grant he ceded to the univer- poffefflons were added to the paternal eilates;of fity for ever thir:y-fix inanours, and thirty farms, Vafa. eighteftabliihedgranariesoftythes,aiidfourniills, f Memoirs communicated. The prefent owners in order to fupport poor ftudents, as well as aug- grandfather was a fenator. roent the falarics of profeflbrs ; fo that it is pro- J Ibid. bable (notwithllanding I want authorities where- \ Meraorab, Suec. Gent. 157. by to fupport this conjedai-e) that fome crown- And 62 T H E H I S T R Y O F T II E L 1 F E 1624. And by the way, it is probable that one of the mofl: remarkable inftances of the affection which military men have fliewn to learning is to l)e found in the hiftory of Ireland, where the troops in 1622, (if I can read the date right in my papers) at the conclufion of a veiy fortunate campaign, made a prefent of 1800/. out of their pay to the college of Dublin to purchafe books ; and Ulher and Chaloner faw the fum faithfully applied. And indeed Gullavus, as far as the hurry and confufion of a martial life would allow him, teftifiedupon alloccafions an high regard for learning and men of letters ; giving the public a proof of his excellent tafte, by making Grotius's incomparable book de Jure Belli et Pads (which though mentioned here was not publiflied till the year afterwards) his delight, his ftudy, his information -, nay, he carried his idea of the au- thor fo far, that he determined to employ him (whenever bufinefs flowed in faller upon him) as a public minifter : with which meafure Oxenlliern heartily concurred. This project was refumed, when nego- tiations began to thicken extremely in Germany. But the king's prema- ture death rendered the fcheme abortive for that period. Returning therefore from this digreflion, I fliall continue to inform the reader, that the conditions of the aforefaid treaty turned purely upon one circumftance, which was, that neither party at its expiration fliould be allowed to declare war without two months notice pre\ ious and an- terior to the ift of June 1625 : and this very ftipulation, by the mere perverfity of accidents, created fome mifunderftandings in the enfuing year. Many other punclilious difficulties were ftarted and refuted *, inafmuch as all that juf-publicifts could devife, and all tdiat a fcholallic nation could refine upon, was advanced by Poland : but it may fuffice to remark, that the folid ilrong fenfe of Oxenfliern foon pierced through thefe delicate, but thin-fpread cobwebs of ingenious fubtilty. Matters flood upon the fame footing between the two kings : for the rival of Guftavus was little more or lefs than a fchoolman on the throne. Diftinflions without difi^erence made up the half of his policv j he thought all things lawful that he had the dexterity to obtain, and valued himfelf more upon artifice, (if he could reach his object) than upon fincerityand • Loccenii Hifto;ia Suecana, 54S, 549. plainnefs ; OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 6^ plainnefs; falfly fuppofmg, that all circumvention and over-reaching 1624. implied fuperior abilities. On the other hand, Guftaviis was unreferved and open, generoufly honeft and devoid of diflimulation j and it was his choice (though nature had given him talents to a<5l otherwife, had it fo pleafed him) to oppofe a fort of compendious pointed common fenfe to theory, eloquence, and fophiilicated diftinflions ; convinced (as hath been obferved on a like occafion) that in this and all fimilar cafes, T'be ivry gleanijigs of the grapes of Ephraim are better tba?i the vintage of Ahiezer. And indeed, if we examine hiftory ever fo carefully, we fliall find but few families that have produced at the fame time two contenders of fuch oppofite characters as Guilavus and Sigifmond, both defcended from the houfe of Vafa, and not lefs nearly connected one to the other than in the relation of firfl coufms. Of the two, Sigifmond alone muft be con- fidered as the perfon irreconcileable : yet, unfortunately for the profecu- tion of his refentments, he found perpetual obftacles (partly occafioned by his own mifcondud: and difingenuoufnefs) from that honeft but capri- cious form of government, a PdiJJ: diet. In truth, the good people of Poland had fenfe enough * (being not a whit inferior to the Italian nation in quicknefs of parts) to diflike the great abi- lities of Guftavus in the charader of a foldier, fmce it appeared plainly, during the uniform courfe of all preceding campaigns, that he overcame them merely by the arts of fortification and the regular conduct of fiegesj by a new ufe of artillery and uncommon precautions in the article of en- campments -j-, pofTefTing in an high degree that great military virtue which Tacitus recommends, non alium duce?n opportunitates locoj'utfj fapien- tius legijfe. On thefe accounts they languiflied privately for the inter- vention of peace > nor were reafons wanting to make an attempt to clog the wheels of war, in order to facilitate that event ; for the king had con- ferred the bifhopric of Warmia on prince John Albert his third fon then living, who was under the age prefcribed by the ecclefiaftical laws, being in truth only twelve years old. It was likewife contrary to the conftitutions of the realm, to raife a prince of the blood royal to fuch a ftation as muft place him ex natiira officii in public prefe6lures, and give ♦ Brachel. Hiil. noar. temp. lib. ii. S5. f Kobierziiki, Hift. Vladiflaiif, p, 9:4. him- 64 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J624. liini fenion, deliberation and fufFragc in a national caj)acity : fuch pro- vifion had been made to check the influence of the royal family ! The queen likevvife, who was an Auftrian by birth *, had given great um- brage to a nation ever fantaflically vigilant in defence of its liberties, in- afmuch as flie had purchafed from a certain nobleman the county of Zyweck for the fum of 300,000 /. This being a diredl infraction of the paSla conventa, wherein it is folemnly ffipulated, that the king and the king's family fliould always continue under an inability of purchafing, or, in other words, of cmpoverfliing the nobles and enriching themfclves ; and fo anxioufly was this reftriftion kept alive, that confifcations for trea- t'on devolved not by any right into the regal treafury, but on the con- trary were beftowed on fome other perfon who was of the fame rank and order with him that was profcribed ; with this fmgle advantage of pre- rogative referved to the crown, that his majefty had power to nominate the party who was to enjoy the forfeiture, under condition he fell under the fame predicament of rank and ftation which his predeccflbr had enjoyed. But the purchafe abovementioned was attended with other circum- ftances, capable of alarming, a nation fo thoroughly tinged with politi- cal jealoufy. The diftridt of Zyweck lay near enough to Cracau to pre- fcribe laws to it, and the rather, as it confined on Sileda, Moravia, and Hungary, whofe inhabitants were of a turbulent and warlike nature, and in proportion more intermedling with refpe6t to Poland, as the major part of them confifted of proteftants very fincere and extremely jealous. What adminiftered farther caufe for fufpicion was, it lay very conve- nient, conformably to reafons already afligned, for enlifting foldiers to the detriment of the republic : and contained feveral fortred'es, calHes, and ftrong paifes, with power over which the royal family had no right to be inverted -f-. It was objected in the next place, that the current coin of the kingdom was debafed by counterfeiting, and diminiflicd by abfciflion ; ui>f)n which point one of the fenators obferved, that this was • Sigifmond married two daughters of Charles the firft in her nineteenth year, and the fecond in duke of Stiria, father of Ferdinand IJ. namely, her feventeenth. Gencalogiir Rittcrjhu/ii, fol, Anne in 1592, and Conllantia in the year 1605 : f Piafeccius in annum 1624. a grie- OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 6$ a grievance that proved affliftive to every individual, and afligned the 1624. following flate-reafon for a prompt redrefs, Privata acrius urwit^ pub- licorum fcnfiis facilius tranfmittitur *. But the Lithuanian reprefentatives, as if it were by concerted defign, refined upon the abufes of the national coin, by obferving, that it was not only clipped and adulterated, but reduced to fuch a fcarcity in point of quantity, that hardly enough remained to anfwer the common de- mands of fubfiftence, which fcarcity was alledged to refult from an ill- conceived and unprofperous war againfl Guftavus, who to their own knowlege had generofity enough to allow Poland no dilhonourable peace, whenever the kingdom thought fit to requeft it properly j and indeed it v/as Guflavus's charafter never to urge an enemy to the lafl extremity of diftrefs ; fmce if fuch a perfon chanced to prove ungrateful afterwards, or unfaithful, he was always confcious from a fuperiority of parts and valour that he had the power in his hands to reduce him to right rea- fon, or brand him with fome mark of condign chaflifement. The obftruclions and difficukies already afligned, ferved to cool that rancour of heart which Sigifmond always cherilhed in oppofition to his kinfman, and paved the way to a feries of truces, wliich he figned grudgingly, and obferved unfaithfully. Some other national allegations were likewife produced. It was re- marked, that Sigifmond had difpatched a large body of Coffacks into Boliemia, and plunged himfelf abruptly amidft the confufions of the empire, without requeiling the concurrence of the ftates : which preci- pitate ftep had given birth to an irruption of the Turks, inftigated by the perfuafions of Gabriel Bethlem, and made Poland one wide wafte of deva- ftation and depopulation. At length the Lithuanian fenators had the boldncfs to afTert, that with- out alfuming to themfelves the right of prophecy, they would venture to predift what fort of terms Gultavus would condefcend to grant them; (which ferves to fhew that a great prince performs as much by dint of corre- fpondence as by the point of the fword.) It was obferved therefore, that upon fuppofition all Livonia was reilored to him, affignment lliould be made * Brachelii Hill, noftr. temp. lib. ii. p. 86. 8'°. Vol. I. K of 66 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1624. of the territories of Finland and Efthonia to fome one of Sigifmond's chil- dren, in cafcGiiftavus died unblefl with malc-ifTue : mean while Sigif- mond was to preferve the title of king of Sweden, under flridt provifo that he gave no diilurbance to the aclual poffcflion of his rival and neighbour. A difcuflion of all thefe matters being thus premifed, there remained ftill fome frcfli latent caufes of miftrull and difapprobation. A clan- deftine and criminal correfpondence had been difcovered, from the im- port of certain letters intercepted in the Low Countries, whereby hopes had been given (it was fuppofed from prince Radzivil prefect of Lelfer Lithuania) to Gafton duke of Orleans, brother to Louis XIII. of fuc- ceeding Sigifmond in the throne of Poland : upon which the king took the alarm, and denied Radzivil the prefedure of Greater Lithuania, then vacant, to which he liad a right both from merit and flation : fubfti- tuting in his room the prince Sapieha, an old man of great authority, approaching to the eightieth year of his age ; rich enough from his own funds to contribute immenfely towards the fupport of a war, but en- feebled as to his capacity, and converfant in civil hfe more than the mili- tary : from whence the confequence was, that Radzivil ever afterwards maintained a good intelligence with Guftavus, and made him an offer of the crown of Poland in 1632. Upon the whole, the event of this diet proved not unprofperous to the affairs of Sweden -, for the friends of Guftavus had intereft enough to check the advance of money necellary for the maintenance of a northern war : which compelled Sigifmond, with infinite rcluftance, to conclude the truce above-mentioned j during which interval the Swedifli monarch extradled money enough from the province of Livonia to put himfelf into a capacity of rcfuming the war with fuccefs and vigour. The affair of Zyweck was referred to a future diet : and as to the bifliopric of Warmia *, the king- was obliged to make provifion by di- ploma, that his fon Albert fhould neither exercife the epifcopal function, nor take noffellion, till he had arrived to the due meafure of ecclefiafti- cal age ; fubmitting likewiie to take the oaths of fidelity to the republic, * Piafecchii Chronica Geftoruin in Europa fingularium, in annum 1624. pre\'ioufly OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 67 previoufly to all rights of fefficn and fuffiage in the diet: and laflly, all 1624. officers and foldiers employed in foreign fcrvices, the Imperial fervice efpecially, were folemnly recalled, under penalty of being confidered and punilhed in the capacity of fugitives and rebels ; which conclufive point was carried againll: the crown at the very clofe of the diet, though Sigif- mond fate himfelf in the fenatc-houfe, and hftened to the altercations there till break of day. At this period Guftavus finiflied the contro- verfy, which ftill fubfifted in a latent manner betwixt him and Denmark from the year 1622, with reference to the imports of the Soimd, and efre6led it meerly by the dint of an high and unfurmountable fpirit. Mean while the death of James I. king of England, made no notable variation in the affairs of Guftavus ; and here I will fpare myfelf the vanity of exhibiting a laboured delineation of his Britannic majefty's charafter : fuch a talk being the exercife of a rhetorician, and not the work of an hiftorian : fince it is in an author's power, if he hath any fkill in hiftorical painting, to place the pi(flure in this or that particular light, and overcharge or diminifli the features in meer proportion as fancy fliall dired, or prejudice and partiality mifguide him. True cha- raders are beft collefted from a fair narrative of fa6ls : and the reader may make his combination as judicioufly, and perhaps lefs prepolfefTed- ly, than the hiftorian ; for the very mechanifm of writing, helps to make one a party on this fide or the other fide. The more unprejudiced foreigners (if people are inclined to know their opinions) feem to have had a thorough infight into James's caft of mind and politics ; Nani informs us, " That he governed the Englifli and Scots by the machinery • *' of their natural averfions to each other, upon the principles of a pri- " vate political noftrum, that eafe and idlenefs, in the very nature of <' things, foften and predifpofe men's hearts to admit flavery : his firft pro- " pofals at Vienna might have been Hftened to, but they were fo im- " pradicable and abfurd, that the fubtil Spaniards foon faw what fort " of perfon they had to deal with, and availed themfelves accordingly of " his improbabilities and chimeras. They knew likewife that he trem- " bled at war, and abominated a rebellion*," And Le Barre tells us in » Iftoria di Nani, pag. 138. fol. K 2 words 68 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1624. words fo elegant, that I fliall leave them to work their way in his own language, " // ctoit d'un nafitrel doux, mdis d'lin efprit qui ne portoit giteres " jii fes Joins, 7ii fcs vucs an deld de lui-tneme. Borne au pre fent, abandon- " nent au tems le fort de fa pojlcrite, droit par char aSl ere, & facile a etre " tronipt^ ; corntne il lefut par les fauffcs negotiations de la maifon d'Autrtche. " // s'cn aper^ttt vers la fm de fa vie, lorf^u'il fi'etoit plus terns defccourir le * ' Pal at in fon gcndre * . " Charles fucceeded his father in the crown, and to a certain degree in his politics too : though that fliall be urged with tendcrnefs and allow- ances. It is true he formed a league offenfive and defcnfive with the flates of the United Provinces, and equipped a large fleet, to which the latter joined a fquadron of two and twenty fliips. Neverthelefs, with- out expatiating upon thefe circumftances, it mufl ever be candidly ac- knowledged, that James felt fome remorfe and compunction with refpeft to the Palatinate in his laft days and hours ; and according to the ac- counts of a veracious and fenfible author -|-, (who writ upon authentic memoirs delivered to him by the injured family in queftion, which had no great reafons to feel any predifpofitions to paitiaUty) charged his fon, only eight and forty hours before his deceafe, as he hoped for a parent's bc?iediBion, and that of heaven, to exert all his powers in order to re-injiate hisfif.er and her children into their hereditary dominions : for, continued he, it ivas my miflake to feck the Palatinate in Spain %• As therefore, in the courfe of thefe obfervations, I have been often fevere on that ill-judging king, meerly by relating the fl:ri6l truth, without ever indulging any pe- tulance of imagination, or acrimony of ftyle, fo it is a fatisfadfion to me to infert this little anecdote, whereby James's character is fo far cleared, as he appears to have died a political penitent. 1625. The year 1625 opened with new tranfa6lions in the Swedifh fenate. A vote pafied for raifmg a fort of {landing army (De perpetuo milite fubfi- dario) with this reafon afiigned, that a warlike flrength of fuch a na- ture might be always ready to obviate the difficulties of unforefeen or • Le Barre, Hi ft. Generals d'Alleinagne, % Memoires d'Eleftrice Palatine, Louif* Ju- Tom. ix. 4°. pag. 557. liane, 4°. \ Frederic Spanheim. fudden OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 69 Hidden events, both in times of war and times of peace j and in order 162 c. to levy a new fund for this purpofe, by way of fuccedaneum to the other taxes then fubfifting, a duty was laid upon all corn that pafled the mill, and the impoll:,was intended to favour the poor, who bruifed at home by hand the Httle pittance of grain which was barely neceffaiy for the fup- port of life. But before this edi61: received its full fanction, the fenate and nation agreed to fupply the land and naval expences by a voluntary contribution, and fuperadded a large body of recruits, in order to fill up the neceffary deficiencies occafioned by the accidents of war. The truce being now expired between Sweden and Poland, Guftavus, who fmcerely adhered to the good faith of an honeft warrior, fent a trumpeter at the time appointed to denounce his intentions, but the feverity of the weather rendered it impofiible for the meflengcr to acquit himfelf of his commiflion in due feafon. The Polifli ambafladors com- plained loudly of this negleft, to whom the Swedifli miniflers replied, That the king their mafler had been amufed beyond all human fuffer- ance, and that he alone could grant with propriety, what they on their own parts could not prefume to alk. It was obferved further, that the deputies of Poland were not furnifhed with fufficient powers, and that Sigifmond in his inftrudlions of 1624 had implied Guflavus to be an ufur- per ; whereas the latter, on the contrary, had not dropped a fingle exprefiion that could be deemed oblique ; nor were they, the Swedifh ambafladors, charged with any one fecret article of diredlion, it being their fovereign's cuftom to explain fully and publicly every circumftance he propofed to realize. But the Polifh reprefentatives ftill infifted, that a war and a treaty were things incompatible at the fame time, and that Guftavus muft firft difarm, and then negotiate. Upon this Oxeniliern *, who was at the head of the legation, afllimed the argument, being exafperated not a little ; and told them firmly, there fhould be no cefTation of arms till the preliminaries of the treaty were adjufted ; and upon that ground- work he had his mailer's ord.ers to prolong the truce till Auguft next enfuing, and not a moment further ; fince otherwife the feafon of the campaign would be elapfed, and who would indemnify the Swedes for * Loccenii Hift. Suec. p. 548, tfr, their ^o THE HISTORY 01' THE LIFE 1625. their expences and fatigues ? Obfcrviiig at the fame time, that Livonia was intended to be included in the armifticc aforefaid; iiififting likewife, that during this cenation it flioidd be allowed the Swedes to draw pro- vifions from Lithuania and Courland, and that Radzivil flaould approach their camp no nearer than at a diftance of ten miles. He then con- cluded with remarking, that he had the honour to fcrve a prince who knew how to fhoot opportunity on the wing ; That their propofals were only a ftale pretext, calculated to protra6lthe time; — That the king his mafler had the fword drawn; — That he faw his conveniencies, and xmderflood how to ufe them. — And thus the affair terminated without decifion. Mean while, afllfted with fuch helps as the good natured Swedes had generoufly contributed, his majcfty failed for Livonia, having a fleet of feventy-fix fhips under his command ; and by the beginning of the month of April made himfelf mafter of the cajftle of Kokenhaufen, an im- portant fortrefs, fituated near the banks of the Dwina, rendered ftrong by art, at the expence of the knights of the Teutonic order, and ad- vantageoufly proteiSled by nature. He then conquered Selburg, Dune- berg, and Nidorp, (not to mention Potnavia which he had taken before) which places were all well fupplied with Polifli garrifons. Afterwards he maftered Dorpat, which made an imperfecl refiftance, and furren- dcred through meer defpair of not receiving relief. Thus he reduced all Livonia in a ihort fpace, excepting Dunamond, having marched his army backwards and forwards near 700 miles : and as one of the enemy's colonels had formed a defign of poffeffing Riga, either by treachery oi" furprize, our vigilant monarch intercepted him in the very march, and cut his detachment to pieces. After that, by the dint of good intelli- gence, he over-reached young Sapieha (who had then fomefecond defigns upon Riga) at the head of the Polifli army, who lofl: mofl: of his bag- gage, and a confiderable quantity of artillery : for the youth, prompted by animal impetuofity, fought to give battle at the very moment he ought to have declined figliting ; and rufliing into a general aftion with a tu- multuous and ferocious fort of bravery, focn fell a facrifice to a vigi- lant, compofed, and determined opponent. This the very Pohfli hifl;o- rians OFGUSTAVIJSADOLPHUS. 71 rians acknowlege. The king then throwing a bridge over the Dwina, 1625. which parts SemigaUia and Lithuania, and opening a way to himfelf into the latter province, tookPofvoHa (which harboured a garrifon of Coflacks, who greatly harrafled his march) and then Birzen, a fortification of note m thofe days, where he found flxty or feventy pieces of artillery, one of which was remarkably fine, being embofled and indented on tlie outfide in a manner to refemble cracks and flaws, and bound round with an oiFenfible foliage of iron-work, as if it was intended to render the piece fit for fervice. In the next place he caft his eyes upon Courland and SemigaUia, and made himfelf mafler of Mittau, Boufiie, and fcve- ral other important places, partly by force, and partly by flratagem : yet all thefe fuccefies in war were not fufficient to render him averfe to an accommodation j fo that it appears at firft fight as if it v^^as matter of choice with him, rather to receive lav/s than impofe them : though perhaps there may be another reafon afilgned, which fliall be glanced at hereafter. Therefore to this efi'efl he difpatchcd Oxeniliern to propofe once more a treaty of peace; and Salvius, fubdelegate to the chancellor in fuch like conferences, and Horn, (not Guftavus Horn the general) were fent before or after him as co-adjutors : but the two latter * fell into the hands of the Coflacks, and were interrupted in their political voyage : Oxenfliern, violently exafperated at this infradion of the law of nature and nations, demanded his aflifl:ants with a tone of authority by way of preliminary ; to which Radzivil the Polilh general at length confented. Thus they rejoined the chief of their embafly, but he and they effected notiiing. Upon which event a battle enfued on the vail plains of SemigaUia -j--, near a village called Walhoff, about twelve miles from * Bayle in his hiilory of Gufiavus mentions England, undertook a journey on foot from Arnitz, Horn, and Salvius, as three fubdelegates ; Calais to Italy on the flight foundation of fifty but here he miilake:, for the hiftorian fays fniliings, and there ftudied many years. But Arviuum, Hornium, & loHANUEM Salvium : Salvius on his return could not efcape the pene- which lad perfon, whofe furname was Adler, tration of Oxenfliern, who having ftrongly re- born of mean parentage, was firll a phyfician, and commended him to the king, employed him in next a juf-publicift. He then rambled over all all cafes of importance, and moll particularly the more enlightened parts of Europe, much in at the peace of Munfter, being created a fena- the manner of the ingenious baron Holberg in tor and baron Orneholm. our days, who after having flayed long in f The duchy of Courland (which we ought to 72 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1625. from the banks of the Dwina, where it was pretended the Polifli cavalry would perform wonders, havhig full fcopc and room to aft it ; but Guftavus foon convinced Sapieha the father*, (a prince not deficient in fine parts, but too old to become a great commander) that he could con- duel a pitched battle with the fame mafterly diredlion as he entrenched his camp, or beficged a town. And here it may be worth remarking, as we obferved before under the fiege of Riga, that nothing could be more curious in the military fcience, than an exadl dcfcription of this firft ca- pital battle which Guftavus engaged in, fince it was upon the prefcnt occafion that he difcovered all at once his inventive talents in the difpofi- tions of the field : but hiftorians, like commentators, ufually leave us at the critical ftrefs of doubts and difiiculties, which v^ill appear more emi- nently when w^e come to examine how the king loft his life in the battle of Lutzen. All we learn with reference to the prefent engagement is, that Sapieha conduced no inconfiderable army, for he carried with him the flower of the Lithuanian troops, then thought the beft in Poland ; 400 Coffacks, and 200 cuiraffiers ; about 900 German infantiy, 2000 hufTars, and 400 Heyducs. Nor know^ we more on the other hand, ex- cept that Guftavus placed himfelf in the centre, and gave great proofs of military genius. Count Thurn the father (and not the fon, accord- ing to the relation of fome hiftorians) commanded the right wing, and Guftavus Horn the kft, fupported by the colonels Plato and Teiiffel. The a6tion was fliarp, but foon brought to conclufion in favour of the Swedes. Upon which Guftavus, in the very height of diis new pro- fperity, forgot not to make Sigifmond a tender of a fecond peace ; for he ■well knew the tedioufnefs and uncertainty of waging war againft a fort of vagabond army, vshom it was hard to find, and harder ftill to fix to a decifive battle. to h.ive obferved in the preceding page) is for the word /em is alfo fynonijnous to land, divided into two provinces, Courland, properly Memoirs commimicateJ. fo called, and Semigallia. Courland in the old * This prince Sapieha was called Leo ; and Curi(h language, which is a dialeft of the the fon (who had been lately defeated) was Sclavonian, fignines a _fiat land, and Sem-galle named Staniflaiis. (Semigallia) imports a leyui en the tther Jide : Ee OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 73 Be that as it will, the Poles loft their artillery, their baggage, a good 1625. number of ftandards, relinquifliing to the enemy many prilbners, and leaving 1600 dead men on the field of battle. It is affcrted by fome, that the king of Sweden, previoufly to this engagement, fent a triinipeter to Sapieha with this fhort meffage ; That as there were two fuch things in the world us peace and war, he niade him the co7npliment of chufwg that which he preferred mojl. To which Sapieha replied, " That having only one *' ambition, his defire was, to make a fair trial with his majefty upon " equal ground." Not that Guftavus complied with this requeft, (which was then the high miUtary mode) upon a principle of gallantry; but fore- feeing barely, that as his troops were better than the Polifli ones, and his difcipline fuperior, plain ground to him was a fort of advantage. More- over, it was highly expedient in his circumftances to introduce a battle of the decifive kind ; and it may eafily be guefled what induced Sapieha to come to adlion. The Pollfti armies, it is well known, abound in cavalry, and it was firmly believed in thofe days, that infantry on fiat ground could make no refiftance againft horfe ; but the king of Sweden (who firft fuftained the contrary opinion) conjectured otherwife, and realized his ideas upon that fubje6l more than half a century before the invention of the bayonet, which, when compared with tlie reformed pike of Guftavus, may be fairly confidered as the fubftitution of a fucceda- neum, where no fuccedaneum was really wanted. Mansfelt's ti'oops, it is true, had performed fomething of this kind a few years before, but that was effecled purely by chance, and the meer dint of necefTity : nor (though the fadl v/as indifputable) did he, or any military man, draw conclufions from it. Yet Sigifmond ftill continued inflexible, notwithftanding he perceived his competitor to be great in all things, and felt in the fpace of a few months the feveral effe6ls of his extraordinary abilities, not only in a pitched decifive battle, (the event of which had thrown into the hands of the Swedes all the vaft duchy of Lithuania, excepting only the town of Dunamond) but in the art of inverting fortified towns, and in the very direction and management of a Polifli diet. Add to this, that the dif- VoL. I. L pofitioos 74 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1625. pofitions of Providence, and the wife arrangement of human events, by the artful adjuftmcnt of Guftavus, had rendered thcmilitai-y tranfaclions of this year highly unprofperous to Poland. Two national misfortunes helped to co-operate to the fame end : the one was a fire which broke out at JaroHau, one of the moft renowned fairs in Europe, next to thofe which are held at Francfort and Leipfic, and as the houfes in Poland are all built of wooden materials, the flames foon confumed the city, and all the rich merchandizes therein contained *. The other circumftance to be lamented was, that the Coflacks thought fit to invade the Cherfonefe of Tartaiy, in order to revenge a brother of the Cham, who had been lately difmifltd from the Ottoman fervice : this irruption forced the grand feignior to requeft that Sigifmond would recal his barbarians ; which obliged his Polifli majefty to fend Conofpolifki, his befl general, to re- duce thcfe ferocious invaders to reafon. Thus Guftavus, during the fpring and fummer, obtained a breathing-time of very confiderable ad- vantage to him. And here, having mentioned the CofTacks, it may be matter of curio- fity to make a few remarks incidentally upon a race of beings as extra- ordinary in the military hiftory of thofe days, as the Paiidours and Talpaches are in the prefent century. The Coffacks were not properly fpeaking an original nation -f, but a fet of irregular foldiers, formed upon their own principles into a com- munity. His Polifh majefty appointed them a general, (as was the cafe with the Croatians in the Imperial fervice) but the inferior officers were elected according to their own regulations. They derive their name from the word ccza, which in the language of Poland fignifies a goaty alluding to the celerity of their loco-motion, and the depredations they make in the countries rovmd them. It was their cuftom to rvinter in the iflands of the Nieper, or Boryfthenes, called Sapcrcice, in order to be pre- pared againft the iiTuptions of the Tartars and Turks. In fummer they roamed from place to place, fupporting themfelves partly by hunting, and partly by dried fifli, with which the aforefaid river abundantly fup- * Piafecclui Chron. in annum 1625, fol. f Brachelii Hift. noftr. temp. 8°. p. no, fJc^ J>Z j)5;. Pi^tfecchii Chron. p. 52, bfc, plied OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ys plied them j and towards the approach of the new year, except the 1625. roads had been rendered impaflable, returned regularly to their cottages, and revifited their wives and children : in all places of their peregrina- tions and wanderings ever acknowledging themfelves fubjedls to the crown of Poland. In former times they carried a bow, a quiver, and a fliort fword ; but in the wars we fpeak of, they fupplied themfelves with cara- bines, head-pieces, and breaft-plates. Such were the Coffacks properly fo called j neverthelefs it muft be obferved in the courfe of this hiftoiy, that the Polifh light horfemen in general ufually pafs under that com- prehenfive denomination. Mean while Sigifmond their fovereign, aftoniflied with fuch rapidity of conqueft on the part of Guftavus, in order to recover the immenfe tra6t of ground that had been lately loft, ifTued out his monitorials to convene a frefli diet at Warfau, immediately upon the opening of the enfuing year j but Guftavus was expeditious enough to outftrip the precautions of his rival, and while Sigifmond was racking his imagination with devifmg ways and means how to extirpate him from the duchy of Lithuania, lo the Swedifli monarch (though the enterprize at that period remained a fecret) was forming a fchemc of kindling up a frefh war in the heart of that Pruffia which belonged to Poland. About the fame time his Bri- tannic majefty made fome languid attempts of entering into meafures with Guftavus and the king of Denmark, with reference to the reftitution of the Palatinate ; but received very cold and unfatisfa6tory anfwers from them ; fmce they roundly told him, they had nothing to fend him but matter of unintelligible amufement, except he gave them an example by dif- patching an Englifli army into Germany. Buckingham afterwards (in the congrefs of ambafTadors held at the Hague) refumed the point, purely with relation to Sweden, in which fome advances were made on either fide : but his Swedifti majefty, who wanted impatiently to interpofe in the empire, and fliorten the wings of the Auftrian eagle, demanded fome conditions incompatible with the interefts of the king of Denmark, who was Charles's uncle, and thus the negotiation was rendered abortive. Neverthelefs frefti inftrudions came, tending to compofe all differences between the two northern kings, with a L 2 view 76 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1625. view it is thought of givhig Guftavus room to interfere in Germany, which was then fuppofed to be his predominant pafTion. Having mentioned Buckingham in this place, it hath been fuggefted to me by fome people, that he and Guftavus formed a better intelligence betwixt each other a few years afterwards, and that when the duke made his famous expedition againft the ifland of Rhe, doubting much of the profperity which might attend fo extraordinary an enterprize, he con- ceived a fcheme, in cafe of difappointment, (being then-abfolute mailer of all men's external fervices that afled under him) of failing dire<5lly, and fixing a fettlement by virtue of a commifllon from Guftavus in fome part of the Spanilh Weft-Indies, of which the idea is romantic, but not abfo- lutely improbable. For Buckingham was a vifionary man of an imagi- nation unbounded. The foreigners give us a better idea of him than our own hiftorians ; he had the prefumption in France to talk to queen Anne in theftyle of a lover : and the marchionefs of Sennecy, dame of honour, who placed herfclf between him and her miftrefs in order to keep him at a greater diftance, faid to him with a tone of feverity, " Sir, people do not *' talk thus here to a queen of the realm *." Baflbmpiere, in the journal of his own life, gives us another inftance of the duke's petulant vivacity : " I had, faid he, a long difputative audience *' with his Britannic majefty, who permitted himfelf in the courfe of the •' debate to be hurried away by the violence of paflion, to whom I an- " fwered refpedlfully but firnily, when on a fudden Buckingham moved " from that part of the room where he was ftanding, and planting himfelf " between the king and me, faid pertly enough, Je viensfaire le hola entre " vous deux" I muft obferve like wife, that Richelieu and he hated each other mortally ; the cardinal writ him a letter, where he joined the body of his epiftle to the compilation of Monfieur at the beginning, making no fpace nor diftance : and the duke returned him an anfwer upon the fame principle : for which indeed one cannot blame him ; for he feems to have remembered fomething of the fame nature which paffed be- tween two grandees in Spain ; the one writ a letter to the other and. • Memoires Hillor. & Polit. d'Amelot la HouiTaye, Tom. i. 545. which anecdote is confirraed by Nani^ fubfcribed OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 77 fubfcrlbed himfelf at the bottom fimply, The Marquis, (implying that this 1625. title belonged to him by way of pre-eminence) but the other returned him a fignature at the bottom of his letter equally extraordinary, for he figned himfelf, I'he other Marquis. Neverthelefs, in fpite of all fuccefles with reference to Poland, Gufta- ibi-t, vus ftill demonftrated himfelf inclinable to peace. He did not relifli a long unprofitable war, which adminiftered no adequate gratification to his ambition : and as he pitied his fubjeifls with the tendernefs of an af- feiSlionate parent, chofe not to emburthen them with extraordinary ex- pences, except profit and glory could make them ample amends for the generofity of their contributions : and as he perceived Sigifmond, on the footing things then flood, determined to omit no occafions of difLrefTing him, in cafe he embarked in another war, and found therein the llight- ell check ; he therefore ardently defired to introduce a folid peace, or an inviolable truce : both which he had a right and pov/er to prefcribe to his adverfary ; but perceiving Sigifmond to be a man whom he could neither reflrain, amufe, or fatisfy, he at length refolved to put one fa- vovirite fcheme into execution with a very high hand, (the feliciter AUDET being his military and political motto) and this was nothing more nor lefs than to produce a war nearer home on a new theatre of adlion. When therefore it was concluded naturally by the Polanders, he (being now at Stockholm) would make a fecond irruption into Li- thuania, all on a fudden, to the furprize of Europe in general (before the common feafon of opening a campaign) it being only the month of February, having already contented himfelf with the conqueft of Li- vonia * or Lifeland, embarked an army of 26000 men in 150 ftiips-f-, and fleered his courle into the harbour of Pillau, which town was then garrifoned by the troops of the eledtor of Brandenburg, as duke of PrufTia ; but the governor (whom fome fuppofe to be pre-engaged by a proper application of money i) had more probably private inftru6lions to relinquifli the place without relu6lance to the poffelfion of the Sv/edes, firing only a few pieces of artillery unladen with balls : for Sigifmond, • Lotichius de Rebus Germanicis, fol, Tom, i. f Idem. Ibid. 179. X KobierzJlki, Hiftor. Vladiflaiw, 4^ p. g.20. yS THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1626. fome days before, had predicled the invafion of Guflavus to the {\ates of Ducal rrullia and the ele(51:or of Brandenburg : (rcqucfting the latter to confider himlelf as a pofleiror only by beneficiary riglit from the crown of Poland) and had fcnt infpcdors to examine thoroughly the harbour in queflion, who all returned him folcmn alfevcrations, that every thing appeared to be in a ftate of abfolute fafety, which created afterwards no fmall fufpicions in the royal mind ||. Nor muft we, on the other hand, forget that Guftavus had previoufly tendered a neutrality to the ele(5lor, his brother-in-law, which he accepted with thankfulnefs, and by way of return made him an offer of the town and harbour, both as a fecurity in cafe of retreat, and as the means whereby to colle6l either contributions or purchafable fupplies from the city of Dantzic, the firft of all the Hanfe-towns, and ufually flyled the granary of the north : where great things were dreaded from this aftonifhing invafion of Pruf- fia, fince a grave and pious hidorian * afTures us, that the inhabitants had beheld two armies embattled in the air, and that reciprocal dif- charges of thunder and lightening had performed the efFedls of artillery. Pillau, thus circumflanced, (efpecially if the caffle be included, which furrendered likewife) was a flrong place of great importance, fituated near the illand of Nerunga, on the coaft of the Baltic, and diflant from Koningfberg (a town then celebrated for its wealth and trafic) about twenty miles. A little frith conducts you from Pillau into the lake of Frifchau, which extends itfelf from Koningfberg weftward to the mouth of the Viftula; a breadth which meafures little lefs than threefcore miles. In this quiet water Guftavus refrefhed his troops fome days, and then difembarked them at the very point where the river PafTenge, or -as fome call it Pafferia, difembogues itfelf into the aforcfaid lake. And here it may be worth while juft to inform the reader, that PrufTia (which belonged originally to the knights of the Teutonic order, who in procefs of time fell a facrifice to their infolence, luxury, and corruption of manners) was divided into two parts, one belonging to the king of Po- land, and one appertaining to the ele6lor of Brandenburg. The former ^ Kobierziiki, Hiftor. Vladiflaiis, 4°. p. 921. • ScheiFeri Memoiab. Suec. Geniif, p. u, is'c 2 of r OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 79' of thefe princes pofTcfled Dantzic, and all that lies eaftward on the' 1.6.26.. banks of the Viflula to a certain breadth : in which traft may be reckoned many towns of great confequence, as Thurn, Marienbers;,. and Culm, (formerly the metropolis of the diflrifl) as alfo Elbingen,. the mofl flourifliing and beautiful of them all ; and the latter of thefe princes enjoyed a territory which borders to the north on the Baltic ocean, the Curifh lake, and the edge of Courland ; confined eaflwards by Samogitia and part of Lithuania ; having the palatinate of MafToria to the fouthwards, and Royal Pruffia on the weftern fide *. Guftavus, who had but one principal of aftion whenever he entered a conquered or neutral country, comported himfelf in the eleflor's do- minions with all imaginable moderation, equity, and humanity, and fo much the rather, as the terms agreed upon between them were perfe6lly well comprehended on either fide : palling therefore all electoral towns without animadverting upon them, and pointing the courfe of his army to the fouth-wefl, his firll flep, in order to difmay the enemy, was lay- ing a tax of 30 per cent, on the navigation of Dantzic. After that he took Braunlberg and Frawenberg, (which Pillau in effect commanded) transferring the collegiate and town-libraries of the former place to the univerfity of Upfal, which in truth was more matter of fliow than real utility ; being intended as a fecret reproof to the friends of the houfe of Auftria, inafmuch as Tilly had fome years before, by the connivance of that court, tranfported very nearly the whole Palatin colle6lion from Heidelberg into the Vatican : concerning which unfortunate fiege, the Heidelbergers to this moment talk of the incredible refiftance made by the Englifli, for it was more a carnage than military engagement on both fides. Every thing was plundered indifcriminately from the palace to the artificer's flied : nor did thofe learned treafures efcape, which till that time were eftecmed the glory of the proteftant parts of Europe. This library flood in the church of the Holy Ghoft : mofl of which Tilly by the emperor's orders conveyed to Italy, and a fmall dividend was fent to Munich. The Croatians, whether they could read or not, fecured fome few books, which were fold to the learned and curious bit * Piafetcku Chronica, Ln annum 1625! by «o THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE i6z(y. by bit, fo tbat one may fee morfds of this illuftrious collection, not only in various libraries, (bcfuics the Vatican and at Munich) but difperfcflly aniongll private hands all over Europe. Amongft other valuable MSS. there were fome pieces that the Romanifts were extremely glad to feture from public view : fuch, for example, was St. Chryfoftom's epiftle to Cefarius, which oppofeth the dochine of tranfiibjlantiatiou ; and many more of a like ftamp. Nor can a protcftant till this hour, though ever fo well received by the cardinals at Rome, (who to do them juftice are remarkable courteous to men of letters) procure any free and undifiiurb- ed accefs to feveral MSS. that once belonged to the Heidelberg coUetlion. The eleflor of Bavaria, who was a prince of great acquired as well as natural parts, had a violent defire to tranfport this ineftimable trea- fure to his own palace ; and if he had, Guftavus might have given the palatin a frefli inveftiture into his old poirelTions in 1632 ; but the pope had a fancy to make himfelf mafler of fo extraordinary an acquifition : and his rcquefl: did not well admit of a contravention j for by the way he was the firft mover of transferring the Palatinate to the houfe of Ba- varia, and the court of Munich befides had a new game to play at Rome, for Gregory XV. (formerly cardinal Ludovifio) died foon after this period, and Urban VIII. fucceeded him, who well deferved to be courted on account of his great fpirit, as well as excellent underftand- ing. He had been deputed nuntio by Clement VIII. into France, and had held Louis XIII. at the baptifmal font. Nor was he over-much prepofleffed in behalf of the interefts of the Spanifli faction, with which Bavaria then co-operated. For a thefis had been publiflied immediately on his eleftion, with this title, Num Papa ejfct CathoUcm ? To which Pafquin by the diredion of the party replied, Tace, tace Eft Cbrijii- anijfimus'^. Matters therefore being in this pofture, the books were divided; and as a Greek named Leon, librarian of the Vatican, crofl'ed the Alps on the occafion, he made no unfavourable divifion, as to quan- tity and quality, in behalf of his mafter, when a partition-treaty of manufcript-lcarning came to be fettled between him and one of Tilly's commilfary-generals. J Arcana Dorainat. Hirpan. p. 15, 2 But OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. St But to return from this fliort digreflion : the king baniflicd the 1626, whole race of jefuits from Frawenberg, as he had done formerly at Riga, not meerly as Roman cathohcs, but as public incendiaries both in war and poUtics : and it will appear hereafter how fnicerely earneft they were to be revenged of him, and how capable they demonilrated themfelves of returning him a countervailing equivalent at no incon- fiderable diftance of time. He then took Ravenfberg by compofition, with the fmalleft lofs that can be well conceived; for a fudden panic had poflefled the garrifon. Some days afterwards he inverted Elbingcn *, vdiere the defendants were almoft equal in number to thofe that affailed them. And here the king gave a frefh proof, both of his good nature and contempt of dan- ger; for whilft the commander and burgomafler were figning a capitu- lation in the royal tent, he walked up to the town-gates, and defired to be admitted within the walls upon courteous terms. He then afked par- don of the inhabitants for not making his appearance in a better fuit of apparel, and conveying himfelf from the crowd, in the midft of their admiration, ftepped unnoticed into a bookfeller's fliop, and defired the honeft man to fupply him with an edition of Buchanan's poems -f-. And here perhaps, for the remark is proper to be made under any article of this or a funilar nature, the public in general may be apt to blame me, for mentioning fuch little incidents in refpedl to the life of a perfon truly great : but I appeal to every man's heart, whenever he refpefls the chara6ler on any one, whether he is not more pleafed with the recital of little circumftanccs unknown, than with a pompous re- petition of fliining a6Vions which have already prefented themfelves within the reach of his knowledge ? Illuftrious perfons are not ill com- prehended from minute, common, and unguarded tranfa6lions ; and if the public can ever bear the recital of particularities, it will receive them complacently in the account of a man., the very copying of whofe pic- ture afforded daily bread to half the portrait-painters who then flouriih- ed in Europe. • Piafecchii Chronica in hunc annum. \ Character of Guftavus Adolphus. Lond. 4". 1633. Vol. I. M By 82 THE II IS TOR V OF THE LIFE J 626. By the acquifition of Elbingcn, to wbofe governor Guftavus gave as good terms as the Romans granted Antioclius king of Syria on a like occafion, he fulfilled what the continuator of Forcfti obferveth fenfibly concerning him, namely, that though he had rarely more than an army of 12000 men in Poland, yet he engaged fuccefsfuUy feveral Polidi ge- nerals at the head of great bodies of forces in the fame campaign, took the ftrong and important city of Elbingen, and ruined afterwards two Imperial detachments, which amounted at leaf!: to 1 6coo foldiers : ob- taining, by the pofTelTion of the laft named town, all that a warrior in fuch circumftances could defue ; for he procured money, refrefhments, and a vafl quantity of military ftores. At the fame time an infinite number of recruits (many of them foldiers of fortune, and Scotfmen) flocked to him from Ducal Fruflia ; fo that he completed all his regi- ments to their competent quantity *, and was enabled in three days to march to Marienberg, being the feat of the knights of the Teutonic order, into which city one Penclau, a commander in the Polifli fervice, had conveyed with great dexterity a re-inforcement of 200 men, whom he was marching cafually into Lithuania. But as the garrifon was flill deficient and incomplete, he undertook only the defence of the caftle, and foon changed even that refolution upon a night's refle^cion. Not that it is certain whether he feared an aflault from the Swedifli army, or whether he dreaded the un-foldierlike examen of a barbarian court-mar- tial, inafmuch as he had undertaken to defend a fortrefs without orders i for the Polifli fervice in thofe days was full as punctilious as that of the Spaniards. But be thofe things as they will, having the honour to be invited by Guft:avus to fuppcr, he frankly furrendered both town and callle during the courfe of the repafl, leaving in the hands of the Swedes a Polifli receiver-general, with his pi-ovincial chcft, by way of fecurity. Fortunately at the fame time count Thiu^n joined his mafter with a con- fiderable body of cavalry, having left Livonia, and made a very prudent march through Ducal PrufTia. Thus reinforced the king took Stum, Cliiiflburg, Vormltz, and Brcduick, and formed a lodgment in the two iflands of Verder, which f Brachel. Hift. noftr. temp. lib. iii. 128. 2 are OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 8j are furrounded by the Viflula and the river Nagoth : to which the na- 1626. tural remifTnefs of the Poles, and the difTentions that fubfifted between their generals, not a little contributed. But in truth the great matter was, that Guftax'ns was infinitely their fuperior, not only in pitched bv^ttles, and the art of invefting towns, but in the method of intrench- ing his army, and ere6ling fortifications almoft in an inllant ; fo that it was next to impoflible to force him into an engagement, except he chofe to embrace the opportunity. He then, to open a free paflage be- tween Sweden and his army, blocked up the mouth of the Viftula in the narroweft part, and with great prefence of mind prevented an at- tempt of the Polanders to burn his fhips, by reafoning rightly from the accidental difcharge of a fingle mufquet. (This flratagem, if we fubfti- tute fafcines in the room of turfs, was precifely the fame with that which had been pra6tifed againft Breda.) He then rendered himfelf mafter both of Mew and Dirfchau, two flrong towns fituated on the banks of the Viftula, having thrown a bridge over that rapid and wide- extended river. And here the greatnefs of his parts appeared very confpi- cuous, for by pre-occupying thefe places, it was his purpofe to preclude Sigifmond from interrupting the important fiege which he propofed af- terwards to lay to Dantzic : but matters were not then ripe for fo im- portant an event. Marching therefore with one Brahe *, an officer of twenty-four years of age, at the head of fome comecies of Smalandian horfe, he drove the Poles from Gluckftadt, and feized all their baggage : contenting himfelf, at theprefent jun6lure, to fend to the Dantzickers (as he approached their city) certain terms of hard digeftion, of which the principal were to this purpofe : That all fliips fhould pay him a certain imooft : that the town fliould enter into a ftrift and unreferved neutrali- ty : that his commiflaries fliould be allowed to purchafe corn for ready money ; and that the Poiifli veffels then lying in the harbour fliould be difmiffed ; to all which propofitions, the laft only excepted, the inhabi- tants confented with out\vard complacency it is true, but with an inward * The king chofe him afterwards for his ed the iirfl: centre of infantry at the battle of companion, when he croffed the Rhine in a Lutzen, being then count Weiflenburg. wberr}- to attack the Spaniards. He command- M 2 duplicity. §4 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1626. duplicity. Neverthelcfs, in a fliort time he made himfclf maftcr of tlie whole Polifh Pi'uflia j for upon this occafion fome fuccefsful circum- ftanccs contrived to corrcfpond with great abilities. On the one liand Sigifmcnd was abfcnt, and violent perfonal animofities fubfifVetl betwixt his commanders. On the other hand, Guftavus was not only a gcneralif- fimo without a rival, but proveditor of the army, meftre de camp, engineer, explorer of paflagcs, and common foldier. He had vigilance to forefee, ai^ivity to examine, and courage to execute whatever appeared to come within the reach of human attainment. Which feems to correfpond with what Sir Thomas Roe the Englilh ambaffador pronounced con- cerning him about three years afterwards ; " That he was a prince who " had well confidered ft '■dolandum ejl jus : a moll temperate and cou- " rageous commander, that doeth all offices both of a foldier and coun- " fellor : Vir ad ma gnus res, & revoludofics fiatus*". It may be ob- ferved further, that his troops were well cloathed, well paid, and well fubfifted. He allowed of no Ucentioufnefs, plunder, cruelty, debauchery, or immorality; and by his example, joined to an exacl diftribution of countenance and cenfure, rewards and punifliments, made his officers and foldiers as like himfelf as circumftances could admit. Nor may it be amifs to obierve afrefh in this place, that what pafled between Guftavus and the Dantzickers, appears to be only on their fide meer matter -of cajolement and trial of fkill : for they fent deputies to him jufl to rebate the edge of his keennefs, and protracl the time till Sigifmond fliould approach, whom they favoured privately. In effi^dl that monarch arrived foon at the head of 30000 men in the neighbour- hood of Graudrentz, and then the Dantzickers took off the malk, and committed fome hoftilities on the Swedes, who afterwards treated them as they juflly merited. Sigifmond, after fome fruitlefs attempts, in one of which he loft 4000 men near Marienberg, laid fiege to Mew, a fmall town in Pomo- relia, near the influx of the river Verfa into the Viftula, and entrench- ed the main part of his army on a fteep eminence, by which the Swedes nauft neceffarily pafs j for as he forefaw they would attempt to raife the * MS. letter to the earl of Cirlifle, Oilober 27, 1629. fiege. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 85 fiege, he wanted to bring them to a fort of general engagement, which 1626. in his judgment, conformably to the nature of the ground, had all hu- man appearances of proving favourable to himfelf. Guftavus drew near, and examined the approaches with uncommon attention, but fore- fav/ great inconveniencies from the furious fweep of two batteries, which the enemy took care to ere6l, having fome previous notice of the attack. It was indifpenfably neceflary for the fervice of the campaign, either to raife the fiege, or throw relief into the town ; (for on Mew and Dirfchau depended the hopes of poflefiiing Dantzic ;) but nothing lefs than a compleat vi6lory could effect the firft, and a certain fuperiority, like that of a battle fomething more than half-decifivc, was alone capable of producing the fecond. That fliarp fervice was to be per- formed, eveiy foldier well comprehended ; how to efFc6l it like men of honour was the remaining difficulty. And here it was the J'are felicity of Guflavus to be puzzled, but not difmayed ; to lofe his con- je6lures, but not his reafon ; for his mind, on thefe occafions, gave certain flaflies of Hghtning*, produced by the meer coUifion of necef- fities. Having marched therefore from his camp at Dirfchau, at the head of 3000 chofen infantry, and 500 horfe, without drums, and without trumpets, in hopes of beating up one of the enemy's quarters, fo far at leafl: as to throw relief into the town, he determined ab- ruptly, in one of thefe military irradiations, to afcend the hill, purfu- ing the track of a fmall winding by-path; neverthelefs, at the fame time, he found the enterprize fo dangerous, that he thought himfelf obliged, conformably to the cuftom of the age upon peculiar occafions, to animate his foldiers by a fhort fpeech. The brave young Thurn, feconded by colonel Hepburn, a Scots officer of great abilities, and of approved courage, conducted the attack. If the reader can reprefent to himfelf the behaviour of a body of Englitli failors, commanded to climb a very defperate hill, he may then form fome idea of that alacrity of afcending, which, at this tin>e, ani- mated the Svvedifh foldiers ; and as the (lopes of the acclivity were gar- nifhed f6 THE HISTORY OF IHE LITE J bib. nilhed with trees, thefe trees ferved tlic ali'ailants for mads and cordage whereby to mount. When Thurn and Hepburn had gained the fummit, which lay near the banks of the Viftula, they found the Pohih foldicrs entrenching themfeh'es, Uke good pioneers, and fell on them with incredible fury. But as the Poles poured in frefli troops every moment, the fight was maintained for two hours with incredible obflinacy. Upon which Thurn, finding the fervice to be extremely dangerous, retired a few paces to a poft which had appeared to him more dcfenfible. The Po- landers attacked him in making this movement with redoubled fury, being re-inforced by a large body of Heyducks and Coffacks, crying oat aloud, " That the Swedifh curs could not bear the bite of the Poliih " wolves ;" but the gallant Bohemian foon convinced them, that a fliort retreat was fomething very different from a determined flight. During this interval, Guftavus threw a fupply of men and ammunition into the town. And here once more it appeared, that infantry were able to refifl an equal or fuperior body of cavahy: for the fire of Thum's foldiers was irrefiftible, and the pikemen flood immoveable, like a wall of brafs. Upon this footing the a(5lion fubfided, of which the fuccefs was whimfKal and capricious ; for though the Polanders kept the field of battle, they abandoned tlie fiege. Thus the turn of the fcale in- clined rather to Guftavus's fide : for he carried his point, and his oppo- nents lofl theirs. Sigifmond was not prefent in this contefl, but prince Vladiflaiis his fon behaved extremely well > the action lafted two days *. There were fome other circumftances uncommonly remarkable in the prefent engagement : for at a juft average, every Swede killed a man, lofing only one feventh of their own number. The Englilh colonel Moftyn, and a count Brahe (not the young man we mentioned before) performed particular fervices that day. The former flood firm at the head of 200 German arquebufiers, and refilled evei-y imprefTion the enemy could make. And the latter, by the king's command, had ven- tured up the hill by another track, attended only with a fmall party * Lotich. Je Rebus German, fol. Tons. i. 4S1. of OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. S7 of infantry, and fupported there the fire of the Polandei's till he had 1626.. made himfelf mafler of the ground, and conveyed the inteUigence to his royal m after. The Poles were {o terrified with this defperate refolution of the Swedes, that without further ceremony they i-aifed the fiege, though attacked only by an handful of men. This condu6l of theirs, as it is commonly delivered down to us in hiftory, feems to me remarkably myfterious j but in truth the matter was, the Polifli generals difagreed among themfelves ; they knew likewife that Guftavus would immedi- ately caufe the larger part of his army to join him (being then at a ' fmall diftance from him) : and in the thii-d place, the Poliih camp was ill fupplied with pov/der. Guftavus entered the town that evening, extolling the fidelity of the inhabitants, and bravery of the garrifon, to the higheft degree, and al- lowing no man's good ferviccs to pafs by unrewarded. At night, when all the onicers afiembied to prayers in his lodgings, (as was not un- frequent) vv^ith a view particularly to retmii thanks for their mafter's delivery that day, (for his great efcapes were manifeft) Botvid,, his majefty's firft chaplain, who had retired to his devotions apart from the army during the vv'hole of the a6lion, made him his congra- tulations after the fervice was concluded : to whom Guftavus gave this pious and elegant anfwerj 'That be little doubted the profperity of the battle, ivben Mofes ajfijled him with bis prayers on the mount *. In the hurry and confufion of this confli6l, Guftavus fell twice into- the enemy's hands. How he efcaped the firft time cannot well be af- certained ; but be that as it will, he was extricated a fecond time by the admirable prefence of mind of a Sv/edifh horfeman, who (to con- ceal his majefty's quality) cried aloud to the Polanders, " Have a care; " of yourfelves, for we will refcue my brother;" fince, by the way, it muft be noted, that he had three or four companions at his elbow. This talk he performed in an inftant : when, not long afterwards, . Guftavus perceived his deliverer to be made a prifoner in his turn : and putting himfelf at the head of five or fix cavaliers, brought liim * Loccenii Hift. Suecan. p. 554, off «S THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE i6z(). off tnumphai\tly. New, fays he, brother fcUier, ive arc upon equal tcnm ; for the obligation ii become reciprocal*. Mean while Sigifmond made fome flight indications of liftcning to a treaty. Place and time being named, the ambail'adors met, and it was the mofl: unmeaning and folcmn interview that ever was known : for every man affefled the gravity, wifdom, ceremony, and taciturnity of a Spaniard. At length a Polifli nobleman of fpirit, provoked beyond the meafure of patience with thefe ferious giimaces, broke the filence, and propofed terms, which Oxenftiern and the others pofitively rejefted. And indeed this expedient of Zamofki's -f-, (for fuch was the propofer's name) if one may judge of the piece from the fample, carries with it a very extraordinary appearance, and may ferve to dcmonftrate (at leaft collaterally) what an high idea he, and his brother-deputies, had conceived of our king's generofity and great- refs of fpirit : For the tenor of it ran to the following efFccl, " That " the Swedes fhould cede Livonia to Poland, and Sigifmond on his " fide fhould refign to Guftavus Efthonia and Finland :" (to which latter principality he had a more immediate claim, inafmuch as it was a part of his father's appennage ;) " and in cafe Guftavus died without " iflue-male," (his only brother being dead about four years before) " that then one of Sigifmond's fons fliould be declared fuccedbr to the " crown of Sweden, and Sigifmond himfelf afliime the title as to ex- " ternal form ; the next relation of Guftavus being to be invefted " with the duchy of Sudermania in perpetuum." Now it is PufFendorf 's opinion, that this propofal came from the Swedes :|:, which appears to me highly unnatural ; and fo much the rather, as a more enlightened author informs us, that the conditions, alike unjuft and unworthy ||, were firft devifed by the Polanders ; nor can the baron's exaftnefs (any more than his impartiality) be always rdied on : for he tells us in the fame paragraph, that prince Charles, • New Star of the North. Lond. 4°. 1633. || Iniquis prorfus, & indignis conditionibus a ■\ Lotich. de Rebus Germ. Tom. i. 4S2, &c. Polonis oblatis. Loccen. lib.viii. 554. X Introduft. du baron Puffcndorf, Tom. iv. p. 102. the OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 89. the king's brother, died the pcceding year (1625): whereas the event 1626. of his deceafe happened four years before, hi 1622. As this propofed accommodation had the air of being erected upon mecr extravagancies, of courfe die war commenced afrefli : and Conof- pohfki, the ableft general amongft: the Poles, formed an enterprize againil Dirfchau, but retired with lofs and difappointment ; for Gufla- vus had prudently thrown troops into the town before he could pof- fibly approach it. Sigifmond made like attempts upon Mew and Ma- rienberg, with the fame ill fuccefs. Thus the campaign concluded nei- ther unprofperoufly nor inglorioufly for the Swediili caufe. For the king, whofe troops began to be extremely harraffed through the exten- fivenefs of his conquefts from April to October, encamped himfelf with great judgment on the approach of winter ; having all PrulFia at his devotion behind him, and the navigation of the Viftula open be^ twixt himfelf and Sweden ; and thus he bade defiance to the united efforts of Sigifmond, Conofpolifki, and Sapieha. Towards the expiration * of this year, Guftavus was rendered happy by the birth of a fecond daughter, called Chriflina ; the former named likewife Chriftina (or as fome fay Chrifliana) being dead for fome time. Upon this new event, Sigifmond (which is not uncommon to minds endued with perfeverance and obftinacy) grew more and more encroaching, proud, and intermeddling every day : upon which the Swedifli fenate, fully determined to mortify his vanity and check his ambition and turbulence all at once, thought proper to fettle the fucceffion on Chriilina, and declared her heirefs to the throne. It hath been the misfortune of this unaccountable woman to have been more fpoken of in hitlory and memoirs, than one half of her female cotemporaries. Reading much (for the great Oxenftiern was her tutor) yet not extremely learned; a collector and critic in the fine aits, but collecting without judgment, and forming conclufions V\":thout tafte -f. Affecting pomp, and rendering herfclf a beggar ; fond * December the 8th. with regard to piftu-es. She colIc£lcd st Rome f Amongft various anecdotes that might be many fine pieces, painted by tlie gieatell mailer?, produced on this head, I fhall fpecify only one and ordered their extremities to be clipped with Vol.. I. ' N flicars, go THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1626. fond to receive fcrvlle dcpendance, yet capable of abdicating a crown; (klighting in cruelty, yet diverting herfelf of the means ; paying court to the mofl: ferious Chriftians, and making profcflion of little lefs than atheifrri. It is affli(5live above meafure to confider fuch a daughter in the light of beincr defcendcd from fuch a man. She has claim at leaft to a certain degree of oblivion ; and one muft fay of her with the great Oxenftiern on a like occafion (who when he pronounced the words could hardly refrain from tears), y^las, alas, be things as they ivill, neverthekfs Jke is the daughter of the Great Gust a v us ! 1627. Matters continuing fti 11 upon a difagreeablc footing in refpcct to Poland, Guflavus took care, like a piaident and condefcending prince, to lay before the fenate all the efforts, advances, and conceffions he had made, in order to procure a lafting peace. Thefe papers being thoroughly perufed, the ftates took flame in an infl:ant, and being charmed on the one hand with their mafter's fincerity and communi- cative temper, and exafperated beyond all imagination on the other hand at the rejeftion of fuch reafonable conditions as he had vouch- fafed to propofe, determined once for all to mortify the pride of Sigif- mond, and cut off his pretenfions even from the very root. In a word, they repofed a confidence fo unlimited in their fovereign, that they made him a tender of new fupplies of money, and determined to fer\'e under him in their proper perfons, if there (hould be occafion. And indeed great national adlions can never be effected, except the king and his people preferve a mutual confidence and efteem for each other : for it was in the power of the latter to have checked the ope- rations of the war at any time, either through peevifhnefs or caprici- oufnefs. After fuch evidences of unreferved franknefs and fmcerit}^ his majefty began to' feel he had fixed his footing on firm ground; and therefore with an eye to popularity, and in hopes of conciliating (hears, till (he reduced them to the fize of the feen a roll of Titian's painting, half yard wide, fides of rooms, or the compartments of ftucco- at a broker's (hop, which had been feparated work and wainfcotting, where (he intended to from its original by this unmerciful Procrulles. place them : little confiderlng, that when the From an anecdote delivered down to us by Dry- fuperficial extent of a piAure is diminilhed by den, fhe is delineated in the Grand Cyrus under catting, that the proportions which remain are the charafter of queen of Corinth ; from whence greatly injuied, if not totally ruined, i have that poet depidured her in the Maiden Queen. the OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 91 the afFeclions of his fubje(5ls to him more and more, he befought the 1627. ftates to examine carefully a plan that had been laid before him for eftablifliing a commerce to the Weft-Indies. From which undertaking he propofed to give his nation a new turn for maritime affairs, and elicit no fmall advantage from an intercourfe which had proved not luiprofitable to his European neighbours, alledging likewife (whicJi in him was certainly matter of fmcerity) the fmgular advantages of fpread- ing the facred truths of the Gofpel over thofe unc\iltivated and un- lightened regions. On the fame religious principles he ventured on a bolder and more noble ftep nearer home, and at this important junc- ture re-publiflied and enforced an edi6t in favour of diftrefied and op- prefTed proteftants in all countries, offering thefa emigrants a fafe re- treat in Sweden, together with a periodical immunity from all taxes * ; and what is ftill more nobly difmterefted, full permifTion to return whenever the troubles of Europe fhould be compofed. And here, be- fides preferving a fmcere and generous fenfe of piety at bottom, his majefty had certainly an eye to the extravagant power and cruelty of the houfe of Auftria, and opened a fan6luary to a million of people, who, after the lofs of all their worldly goods and poflefTions, were de- prived of their civil and religious liberties : fo that we may denomi- nate this meafure one of tliofe fortunate a6lions in a prince which at the fame time is wife and good : and as Guftavus had fomething of the lingular and inventive caft in all he did, he may be confidered, except we fuppofe him to copy the conduct of queen Elizabeth on the like occafion, to be the father of the refugees, and the proteftor of exiles. In this circumftance likewife he has been imitated by One, who by copying the actions of Guftavus, pays a fUent but fpeaking tribute of honour to the memory of the deceafed. It is not to be defcribed how much all thefe new fchcmes at Stock- holm delighted the fenators ; and that particularly which related to eftablifhing a fettlement in the Weft- Indies ; to which all people fub- fcribed generoufly and promptly, in conformity to tlie example the king had fet them. One Ulling, a Fleming, two years before, firft * This herolcal and chriftian declaration is preferved by Lotichius, Tom. i, p. 546. N 2 made 92 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1627. made this propofal to Guftavus, who rcacUly complied with it both horn religious and ]U)litical reafons ; inafmuch as in the latter cafe he propofed, by introducing commerce, to leflen the taxes that aficcttd ;igriculturc, carting likcwife a fmall collateral glance at the king of Spain, who extracted, as he thought, rather too much money from the American regions, which tended chiefly to aggrandize himfelf and the Imperialifts likcwife. But his majcfty, greatly interrupted by affairs nearer home, had not power to give laws to two worlds at once : and the Spaniards, with a view to fuj)port the Polifli or Imperial interefts, (for no reafon was afligned) contrived, dexteroufly enough, to make themfclvcs mafters of the little Swedifli fquadron in the a£l of purfuing its voyage to the department affigned. Neverthelefs the difappointment was far greater than the real lofs ; for this firll equipment was only a foit of feeling the pulfe, in order to judge how far fuch a kind of expedition might anfwer hereafter : fo that the fubfcribing fubje<5l:s, and the nation in general, bore their lofles patiently enough, and the fums of money that remained were appropriated to the ufes of the war, and other fervices of ftate. Whilft Guftavus employed himfelf with great attention at Stockholm, (where by confent of fenate, making a draught of one man out of ten tliroughout his dominions, he formed a body of 40000 fine recruits in cafe of emergency *) Conofpolifki, notwithftanding the extreme feve- rity of the feafon, changed the fiege of Dantzic into a blockade, taking care at the fame time that the little Swedifh army, which Guftavus left behind him, fliould make no incurfions into the unconquered parts of Poland, having rendered himfelf mailer of the port of Buca, from whence, and from the harbour of Pillau, tlie Swedes in effect inveftcd Dantzic. Mean while Guflavus fuffered no fmall uneafmefs, as the tempefts of the ocean and the inclemency of the feafon would not allows him to tranfport a large re-inforcement to his army. But what contributed moft to agitate and chagrin him was, that the Poles liad re-poffefled the city of Putzka, which gives laws to a fmall territory • Lotich. de Rebus Germ. Tom, i. p. 845. of OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 93 of the fame name ; and that the colonels Strief and TeiifFel * (both 1627. men of fervice, the one having commanded the right wing of cavalry at the battle of Prague -f-, and the other being an officer v/hom Guftavus particularly efteemed) had the misfortune to be over-reached by the vigilance of Conofpoliiki, at a time they fuppofed him at leafl fixty miles removed from them. They had 8000 new-raifed troops under their command, all levied during the preceding winter, in and near the territories of Brandenburg. As the men were unpra6lifed, and unexperienced, it was not eafy for their commanders to raife them , to the height of a fpirited refiftance ; for when Sigifmond's general had furrounded them on every fide, and the Polifli horfe begun the attack, thefe military novices advanced, their hats upon their pikes, without deliberation, and aiked for quarter. Of courfe Strief and TeiafFel were taken prifoners, and the common men were difmifled to Germ.any, under promife of honour not to ferve againft the kingdom of Poland for one year then next enfuing. Behold here the only real difgrace that ever arrived to a large body of troops under the pay of Guftavus ; and ftill it mud be confidered in the fecond place, that the men were all infants in the pra6lice of war, and their mafter likewife was abfent. His majefly, when the event had happened, made no remonftrances nor complaints, (it being his cuftom to be angry only whillt matters continued undecided) yet never meeting with the name of Strief in the future courfe of our hiftory, it feems probable to me that the king difmifled him. TeiifFel he knew to be brave and able, (and allowing the beft officers to be circumvented or beaten once or twice in the , apprenticefhip of their trade) he continued his favours to him, and rather increafed them. Conofpolifki thought it now high time to refrefh his men ; but Guflavus arrived with the firft fair wind in the month of May, and forced him to refume the duties of the field with great relu6lance. In- deed it was our hero's cuflom to anticipate the approach of fpring in opening a campaign, but the tempeftuoufnefs of the feafon prevented • Lotich. de Rebus Germ. Tom. i. p, 545. by the ftates-general with a regiment of horfe •|- This officer was an Hollander, and fen: to affift the king of Bohemia. his 94 THE 11 ISTOR V OF THE LIFE 1627. his imbarkation till the time mentioned, and then he made his appear- ance in Pruflia at the head of a brave and well-difciplined army, open- ing the campaign with uncommon luflre, and gaining two very notable advantages in one day ; for he took the fort of Kefmark by aflault, and defeated a large detachment of Poliih troops which marched to its relief. He then applied himfelf to the fiege of Marienberg, a ftrong fortrefs built by the Dantzickcrs in order to free them from the infults of the Swedilh fleet, and foon reduced it, though it was well fup- plicd with provifions and militaiy fl:ore8, and doubly garrifoned. The Poles however purfued the war with furprizing perfeverance, and had brifknefs enough to attack Guftavus's camp, which occafioned a fe- cond adlion at Dirfchau ; where the enemy's infantry had been in- tirely broken and ruined by the Swedifti cavalry, if a large body of Polifh horfe had not made a motion inftantly to their fupport. The aflailants however, notwithftanding their fuperiority of numbers, were at length rcpulfed, and happy for them they efcaped on fo good terms ; for whilll: Guflavus was furveying, from an eminence, the nature of the ground, both with refpeft to himfelf and the enemy, upon fomc notable alteration in the turn of the battle, he had the misfortune to be flruck by a falcon-fhot near his elbow, which difconcerted his gene- rals and his foldiers to a fupreme degree. On this occafion all the chief officers of the army, with the refpeflable Oxenfliern at theii- head, be- fought him, on the approach of evening, in the tendereft manner, to manage his life with more care, as he paflionately loved, his fubjecls, and was beloved by them with reciprocal atfeftion. Convinced of their attachment to him, he told them with emotion, modelly, and at tlie fame time a certain degree of firmnefs : " T'bat the Divine Paver icculd continue jtifl the fame, 'when he ivas gene ; nor did he fuppofe himfelf f indifpenfably ncceffary to the confervation of his kingdom as they, f''^f" (^ kind pre pofj'effion in his favour, ivere ificlined to imcgive : Since, faid he, if the Supreme Being /Jjould be pleafed to difpofe of tve in the day cf battle, he ivill quejtionlefs raife up fome abler fupport to the crown cf Sweden. But, continued he, if that flf-fame Being hath ccmmitied this it:jporta7it charge to me, it is my biifmefs to perform it la-iihout any lie^s of OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. of favouring myfelf ; and if death be 7ny portion in the event- of ivar, hcnv can a king die 7nore glorioujly than in the jufiification of his people ? ' — It appeared afterwards from Guftavus's future practice and turn of mind, that the remonflrance had lefs effect than the reply \. But when his majefty's phyfician approached him, who thought a man of his importance mull fay fomething to flrengthen the requeft of the prime-minifter Oxenftiern and the generals, the king, with a fmile, repUed to him : Do5lor, pray make the converfation concife, and call to mind the good old Latin proverb, Ne futor idtra crepidam \. From whence it is manifeft that he bore all his pains with compofure of mind and gaiety ; lince, on another occafion, when the furgeon was puzzling himfelf to extrad: a mufket-ball, Guftavus (remembering doubtlefs a faying of Alexander the Great on a like occafion) befoiight the artijl to allow the ball to continue in his body, as an ilhiftriGUs monu- tnent that he had not faffed his youth in idlenefs and inaBivity *. But what afflided Guftavus more than the wound was the news he received, that Adolphus, duke of Holflein, had marched a body of Imperial troops in order to conjoin himfelf with Sigifmond. This ge- neral, ever diftinguiflied for giving marks of the cleareft courage, la- boured under two very fignal misfortunes ; his powers to act were greatly circumfcribed ; nor had his troops over-much opinion of his parts, or uncommon confidence in his military conduct, if we ex- cept only the fighting part. Yet, in fpite of the arrival of thefe ve- teran bands, the king was obliged to go to Stockholm, in hopes to recover his health, much impaired by the wound he had lately receiv- ed J and in the inteiTal left the command of his army to count Thurn, who chofe to give the men reft rather than aftion ; neverthelefs, upon relinquifhing a caftle which the Polanders immediately feized, he con- trived, having left a concealed mine beneath it, to blow up a con- fiderable number of enemies, together with the whole fortification. Thus concluded the campaign of 1627, and Guftavus by this time had obtained fo great a chara6ler as a man of confequence, that even his Britannic m?jefty humbly entreated his friendfhip, and fent him ■j- Loccenii Hift. Suec. p. 556. J Ibid. * Ibid. the 9? 1627. 96 T M E HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1627. the order of the garter by way of compliment for the heroic aclions he had performed. And here we naturally terminate the tranra(5tions of the year 1627, where we may juft tranficntly obfcrve, having made m£ntion of Charles I, that England, France, and Spain, were governed at this period by three yoviths, who had Buckingham, Ilichelieu, and Oli- varcz, for their prime miniftcrs. ibiS, . Nor was Guftavus unadlive during his refidence at Stockholm, admo- nifliing by edifl *, under pain of confifcation of fliips and cargo, all commercial perfons in the Flanfc-towns to abflain from conveying pro- vifions and military fupplies of any fort to the inhabitants of Dantzic, \\hom he confidered in the light of declared enemies, inafmuch as they publicly infefted the ocean, and ditl great harm both to his fubjefls and allies. Neverthelefs, that he might not preclude all hopes of an accom- modation, he artfully allowed them at the fame time a free intercourfc of commerce with foreign countrie ', excepting in fuch inftances as feU within the article of warlike ftores and affiftances ; upon this condition, that they paid a certain impofl to the royal fleet of Sweden, v^hich then blockaded the harbour. Nor were thcfe meafuies on either hand ill conceived with refpefl to Dantzic, as that town was a thorn of uneafi- nefs which his majefty could not eradicate, except with dextery. Matters being placed upon this footing, (the fpring of the year as yet but jufl commencing) Guftavus re-imbarked from Stockholm in a fleet of three and thirty fail, and lighting upon feven Dantzic fliips between that tov.-n and the fort of Weilfelmond, took three, funk a fourth, and gave chafe to the remainder. One refuged itfelf in the port of Colber- gen, but the Swedes demanded it from the inhabitants, who being fub- je(51s to the elector of Brandenburg reflgned it, as is fuppofed not un- willingly, though a certain face of appearances was preferved. His ma- jefty 's fquadron was not fo fortunate a few days after, for lighting by chance on five Polilh fliips (one of which was laden with fl:ores) the commanders of them behaved fo well, that they forced their way through • It was tather a fort of ir.sniftilo vc:y tenderly and yet acrimonioufly worded : Lotichius hath preferved n, Tom. i. 60J, £09, Cio, the OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 97 the Swedifh fleet. About the fame time a detachment from the main 1628. army attempted to ftorm fome of the outworks of Dantzic, but were repulfed with lofs, feveral captains being taken prifoners, and count Thurn wounded ; during which operations the Polanders with very in- confiderable lofs made themfelves mafters of Pautzken and Mew. Stung to the quick with thefe flight difgraces, his majefly broke up from his camp of Dirfchau, at the head of a detachment of 7000 men, and ha- ving made a concealed march over morafl'es deemed impafTable, pofl^effed himfelf by dint of indufliry, dexterity, and flratagem, of the leflTer ifland near Dantzic ; for he pafled the river over three flying bridges, convey- ing in light carts and on horfes his boats and leather-artillery, to which latter invention he h^ad a peculiar partiality * : fo that almofl: in an in- flant he crofl'ed the fl-ream and ere6led his batteries ; a taflc the Po- landers in their own minds allowed him a week to effe6l, and that with difficulty ; having killed 2co of his opponents, and feized twelve (fome fay twenty-two) pieces of artillery ; upon which it was commonly faid by the Swedifli foldiers, that the Polifli general had found the fpoil of a village in Mew, but that their king had created the plunder of a city in a half- inhabited ifland. Mean while Achatius Todt, who proved afterwards a renowned general in the German wars, (accompanied, as fome fay, v/ith Lefley and Sperreiiter, whofe names will be better known in the courfe of our hlfliory) was difpatched with two troops of caVahy and a fmall body of dragoons to obferve the motions of Conofpoliflci's army ; but as the Poles, like the Croatians and fuch other defultory foldiers, have little refourfe but in the arts of furprife and fl:ratagem, he found himfelf fuddenly involved in an ambufcade in the forefl: of Grebin, and as there remained no poflibility of a retreat, placed himfelf at the head of his men, and cut his way twice through the enemy, four times his fuperlor in numbers, more with the air of a conqueror than like an officer who was compelled to a6l a difadvantageous part ; for he con- dueled his troops fafe to the camp, and brought four fl:andards with him. . Upon which the king rewarded the more difl:inguiflied officers • Lotich. de Reb. Germ. Tom. i. 6ii. Vol. I. O and 98 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. and common foldiers, and conferred the honour of knighthood on then' commander in as public and folcmn a manner as he could devife*. Upon this Conofpoliflci began to take flame in earneft, and marched up to the khig's lines, who feared him not, as his army had been aug- mented by 9000 Scots and Englifli foldiers, which, combined with his other troops, made a body of 24000 infantry, 2000 cavalry, and 3000 archers. How indeed a firft-rate genius, enlightened in the arts of war like Guftavus, could condefccnd to employ this latter fpecies of foldiers, will appear to mofl perfons as fomcthing that exceedeth all common be- lief; but my ovi'n private conje(5lure is, that they were a combined mafs of irregular barbarians who had deferted to the Swedes, and had been accuftomed to ule no other fort of military weapons. From whence it is natural to imagine that the king received them, meerly becaufe he could not decently ve]e6t them > for to his dying moments he hated that clafs of foldiers (if the name may be given them) called irregulars -, partly on account of their depredations and cruelty, and partly becaufe they had a talent for military mifchief without ^ver producing any one po- fltive military good. In proof whereof it has been aflured me, that prince Eugene always honoured Gufl:avus for this great and juil idea, and in confequence of it difpofed the rabble of his Hungarians and Cro- atians (though fome of them fuice the days of Guftavus have been rendered regular) in fuch polls and fituations only, where no parti- cular preflures or efforts could be expe6led, allowing them barely the power of working harm, without being connefted with more honour- able forces. But, fetting thefe barbarian combatants out of the queftion, the king had flrength enough not to fuppofe Conofpolifki fo formidable an enemy, as that he ought to fliun him ; tlierefore to give his adver- fary a fair pretext of entering into an engagement, he gallantly con- fronted him upon equal ground ; for a fpeedy decifion was highly to be wiflied for by one who commanded an army in an hoflile country, where provifions were procured with difficulty. The confii6l was very obftinate on either fide, but Guflavus finding himfelf able to bear the efforts of the Polanders without breaking his ranks, or caufing the men , * Memorab. Suec. Gentb, 166, to OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 99 to retreat, detached the befl of his cavah-y and infantry to make an onfet 1 62S. on the rear of the PoUfli army. Meafures were fo well taken, tliat this march was made unperceived, and in the firfl and laft attack tlie Poles loft 3000 men, four field-pieces, and fourteen colours j not to mention that Conofpolifki himfelf was grievoufly wounded. This event gave the citizens of Dantzic more ferious thoughts ; they faw themfelves marked out as the great obje6l of attention, and began to perceive, that they were more and more confined and limited every day ; for the king by this time had blockaded their city with his land- forces, and ftationed eight vefi!els at the mouth of their harbour to preclude all ingrefs and egrefs : this was giving the inhabitants a wound in the vital part ; for a town of commerce foon lends an ear to ac- commodations when you can once divert the ftream that feeds and fup- plies it : yet the remark failed in the prefent inflance, (partly as Wal- ftein had conveyed an Imperial fleet to their afliftance) for the Dant- zickers had the good fortune with eleven vefTels in a fharp engagement (which lafled at leaft three hours) to defeat the Swedifli fhips ; four of which (one being admiral Sternfkield's) they took ; and had probably treated the vice-admiral in the fame manner, if he had not, more vain- glorioufly than prudently, blown up his vefTel and all the mariners into the air *. The Swedes loft a confidcrable number of people, befides their commander in chief, who died fword in hand ; for in truth the Dantzickers, though lefs brave, were the better feamen : yet Appelraan their admiral was killed, as were likewife feveral officers and 400 mari- ners : and as to the Swedifli fleet, the remainder thereof was driven in a forlorn and fhattered condition into the port of Pillau. Mean while Guftavus did not greatly relifti this incidental difgrace, though the af- fair was tranfafted on an element where in truth he had acquired no great experience : of courfe in the firft tranfports of his ill-humour he could not help repining, "That a -pacific commercial rabble (to ufe his own words) Jljould beat a Jet of illujlriotis fellows, nvho made fighting their profefiion. But notwithftandmg this momentary difappointment and chagrin, he ibon contemplated the event with lefs prejudiced eyes, and, • Memorab. Suec. Gentis, 91, 92. O 2 (as ICO THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. (as was always bis ciiftom) after the over-boiling of the firfl momen- tary heat, fet hirafelf to repair the lofs with double diligence, attention, and patience ; nor was it his temper ever to be angry or querelous af- ter he had pafTed his firfl fcntimcnts upon any unprofpcrous rencounter, Inimediattly therefore he replaced his former fleet with a fecond fleet of twelve Ih'ips, and having obflruded all commerce between Dantzic and other places, transferred that very maritime intercourfe to the city of Koningfberg ; a place for commerce not injudicioufly chofen, as an acute and fcnfible prince hath fiiicc dcmonflrated. It was, if I miflake not, in this campaign, but upon what occaHon one cannot f-iy, that Oxenfliern attempted to difTuade his mailer from fome undertaking of a very fpirited and hazardous nature : My good chancellor, faid the king, you are too cold for my temperament . Tes, Sire, replied the minifter, yet if my ice did not infufe a damp into ycur fire, it is pifjible your majefly might have been fcorched feme years ago^. How far Oxenfliern had reafon for infinuating this incidental reproof as to mi- litary enterprizes, is by no means here a matter of queftion. The king heard him with good humour, and dropped the converfation : never- thelefs, it may fuffice to obferve, that no man more than Guftavus truft- ed in forefight, precaution, and the probable judgment of fecond- caufes j fo that many days before the breaking out of any important defign, it was his cuftom to decline company, afiecl retirement, and flray abroad in the fields like a perfon im.merfcd in thought. It was in one of thefe reveries that Gaflion afterwards found him, alone, and wandering far diftant from his camp and foldiers, at which very time his majefty was meditating to make his firft trial of fl.ill on the renowned Tilly. A peace had now been talked of fome months : it was to have been effeded by the intervention of the Dutch ambafladors j but as in their journey they had made a private digreflion to the army of Gu{la\ais, and conferred with him on the footing of openncfs and freedom, his Polifh majefly paid little regard to their mediation, though in truth the terms propofcd carried with them a better profpesSl than had pre- fented itfelf formerly. Upon this a new fcene broke forth, to view : • Schefferi Memorab. Suec. Gentis, p- 32. for OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. loi for Gabriel Le Roy*, the Spanifh minifter, perplexed the caufe on the 152S. Swedilh fide of the queftion, and baron D'Auchi, who afterwards affift- ed him, overturned all : the truth was, the houfes of Auftria and Spain began to perceive too manifeftly from the gefterous, the prudent, the magnanimous turn of our northern hero, that he had it always in his power to diflurb, if not deflroy, the immenfe conquefts they had made in Germany, the rich acquifition of ten the moft profperous campaigns that Europe had then beheld. It was therefore refolved by them to traverfe the generofity or ambition of Guftavus. Prodigal therefore of promifes, they aflured Sigifmond of fecuring to him the poffeffion of all Sweden, and agreed to fend him twenty-four men of war, 14000 ve- teran foldiers, and about 33000 1. fterling-f-. The firfl: and lail articles were never thought of afterwards, (excepting that D'Auchi depofited about 1 6000 1. by way of commencing operations) which breach of promife was an irreparable defe6l in point of politics, fmce a body of 20000 men, a moderate naval force, and one tenth part of a million of money, had queftionlefs fecured them in the pofleffion of Germany for the century then to come, if not much longer. It is thought this parfimony or remillhefs proceeded purely from the Imperial court. For though the wary Spaniards, better politicians than the Auftrians, fear- ed Guftavus even at the greateft diftance, and the rather, as the faga- cious Spinola had always declared, that Guftavus was the only prince in Europe whom the two crowns ought either to find employment for, or cajole and amufe ; yet the latter fuppofed him an impetuous enterprizer in war, and looked upon his men as novices and probationers in the fchool of fighting. Walftein's extraordinary fpeech to Arnheim, when he fent him afterwards into Poland, feenis partly to confii'm this opinion, as will appear hereafter : and when Guftavus landed in Ger- many, the rodomontade at Vienna was, " That he was a king of fnow, " and would foon melt to pieces as he advanced fouthward." The emperor, in conjunftion with his allies and inclufive of garrifons, had likewife 1 70,000 feafoned men, moft of whom had been engaged in ten • Piafecchii Chronica, in annum 162S. afterwards into the king's hands whee he en- -j- The papers relative to this tranfailion fell tered Germany. years 102 THE HISTORY or THE LIFE 1628. years Iharp fervice ; and as for one part of them, the old corps of Biirgundians and Walloons, who had been formed in the previous Low Country wars, they were looked upon as a collcftion of combatants efteemed invincible : yet genius and courage, placed at the head of an handful of men, foon counterbalanced all thefe fceming advantages : for Guftavus, by an extraordinary reach of parts, created a new fyftem of fighting; and faw, moreover, that cruelty, rapine, lewdnefs, drunken- nefs, and immorality, were capable of bringing the beft foldiers down to the common level. Yet as Sigifmond had jiot the gift of forefeeing thefe difadvantages or advantages, it was his misfortune to liften to the propofals made by Spain and Auftria. And great on the other hand was D'Auchi's furprife, when upon his arrival at Lubec and Roftock he faw plainly, that no ufe had been made of the money he had engag- ed to give with intention to put the marine in order. But this proceed- ed from no remiflhefs in Sigifmond. The truth was, the fociety of Hanfe-towns with-held their co-operation and afliftance, having no de- fire to fee an Auftrian admiral in the Baltic ; nor did they chufe to give imibrage to the kings of Sweden and Denmark, who had juft added a temporary article to their late alliance with reference to all intrufions upon the free fovereignty of the Northern ocean *, under condition that neither party fliould accede to new terms with any other prince or fVate without including his firft ally. The naval cnterprizc being thus ren- dered abortive, Sigifmond humbly requcfted, that the fum depofited might be made over to the ufes of a land-war. But to that petition the Spanifh minifter pleaded want of inftrudl:ions. This chicanery ra- ther Iharpened the king of Poland than dejected him ; for though the fenate, convened this autumn at Warfau, had complained of the pro- longation of an inefteftual war againft the Swedes, and had with-hokleu as much as lay in their power the annual fup|-)lies, yet, in fpite of all obftruclions and retardments, he purchafcd and equipped fliips with his own money, and placed them under the condufl of an excellent feaman, who on the approach of winter had attacked a Swedifli fqua- * Ltocsej*. Hift. Suec. 559. dron, OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS, 103 dron, which blockaded the haibour of Dantzic, conformably to what 1628. we have recounted before. By this time the cold feafon began to approach ; but Sigifmond and Conofpohfki being now conjoined (for the latter had been difpatched for a fliort feafon to oppofe an irruption made by the Tartars) formed a fcheme of entertaining Guflavus with a winter campaign. But the king of Sweden had a great defire to refrefli his men, and therefore applied himfelf to the grand fecret of entrenchment, which was, pro- perly fpeaking, a military invention congenial to his nature. In this fituation he allowed the enemy to contemplate him during pleafure : upon which, ftruck with aftonifliment at the judicioufnefs of his en- campment, Conofpoliiki undertook the fiege of Dirfchau, and Sigif- mond paid a vifit to the inliabitants of Dantzic, whofe fidelity to him juftly merited, that attention. In the month of November he held a national diet at Thurn, and fupplies were voted for the war with greater unanimity than is ufually to be found in Poland. Encouraged by a difpofition of the nation fo benevolent, it was propofed by the king's party to make a defignation of a fuccefibr to the throne ; upon which the nobility took fire, and demanded that the traiterous advifer of fuch a proje6l fhould be given up to the mercy of the laws : fo jealous were they of not appointing one king during the life of an- other. And here I muft afk the reader's permiffion to make a momentary digrefllon from the fubjedl before me, though the point relateth as much to Guilavus as any one action that hath been recorded by me ; but as I know not under what year to arrange the faft (any further than that it happened in the Pohlh war) I therefore confider it as a fort of epifode. It was in one of thefe Pruflian campaigns that the irrational prac- tice of duelling arofe to a conuderable height in the Swedifh army, not only amongft perfons of rank and falhion, but between common fol- dier and. common foldier : upon which Gufiavus publiflied a fevere edict, and denounced death againfl every delinquent. Soon after a quarrel arofe between two officers of very high command, and as tliey knew J04 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ,628. knew the king's firmncfs in prcferving his word inviolable, they agreed to requcft an audience, and bclbught his pcrmiflion to decide the affair like men of honour. His majefly took fire in a moment, but re- prelll'd his paflion with fuch ait, that they cnfily miftook him: of courfe with feme rehi6lance, but under the appearance of pitying brave men who thought their reputation injured, he told them, that he bkmied them much for their miftaken notions concerning fame and glory ; yet as this unreafonablc determination appeared to be the refult of deliberate refleilion, to the beft of their deluded capacity, he would allow them to decide the affair at time and place fpecified : And, gen- tlemen, faid he, J "will be an eye^uiitnefs fnyfclf of your extraordinary va- lour and prowefs. At the hour appointed Guftavus amved, accompanied by a fmall body of infantry, whom he formed into a circle round the combatants, Now, fays \\&,fght till one man dies; and calling the executioner of the army to him, (or \\\t provojl-martial, as the language tlien ran) Friend, added he, the infant one is killed, behead the other before my eyes. Aftoniflied with fuch inflexible firmnefs, the two generals, after pauf- ing a moment, fell down on tlieir knees and alked the king's forgive- ncfs, who made them embrace each other, and give their promife to continue faithful friends to their laft moments ; as they both did with fincerity and thankfulnefs*. So that from this period we find no duel between men of note in Guftavus's fei^vice ; and though the edicl above referred to is not to be found in the Swedifli or German hiftorians, yet in the king's military code (which admirable fyftem of laws now lies before me) there are the fame fevere decrees againft duelling (all injuries of honour being to be redreffed by the army-confiffory upon due complaint and reprefentation) ; nor is it unknown by the curious, that this work was originally compofed in Livonia, 1621, at or during the fiege of Riga |. It was revifed and correfted during the Pruffian campaigns, particularly in the years 1626, and 1627, and laftly, nineteen frelh articles -f- (and many more perhaps occafionally) and • Meraoral), Succ. Gentis, p. 6i — 63. by lord Rea. % A copj whereof was tranfiiutted to England -f Arnilabei Arma Suec. 4'. p. 96, &c. fome OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 105 fome new prayers were added :|: after his majefty arrived in Germany, 1628. being made public in 1631. Nothing tormented Guftavus fo much as the refiftance made by the city of Dantzic ; for commercial towns have infinite refources, and are always hard to be fubdued. Neverthelefs, as he had the afl?air fo much at heart, it is probable he would have conquered it the preced- ing year ; but a mufquet-ball happened to wound him in the belly, in- fomuch that his life was defpaired of, and then the ■ generals, lofing all their hopes, proceeded languidly in the enterprize. As it was a maxim with Guftavus always to carry war into an enemy's country, he made this town the principal obje6l of his attention, and the rather, as the enemy drew from it his greateft fupplies. Having therefore new- modelled his fleet, which confifted of twelve large fliips, the Swedes, by way of retaliation, foon overcame the combined Dantzic and Polifli fleets, after an obftinate engagement, which lafted one continued day ; forced the admiral's fliip on a bank of fand, and there battered it to pieces -f-. A fecond flaip of almoft equal fize and value, called Hol- land Houfe, had certainly been taken, but after an incredible refiftance of twelve hours, it happened to blow up into the air accidentally. Guftavus now began to make his approaches in form round Dant- zic on the land-fide, having blocked up the mouth of the harbour with his fleet (which transferred the trade to other places, Koningfberg particularly.) He then pafled a morafs fifteen Englifli miles long, at the head of loooo foldiers in high confidence ; being alTifted in fwampy and difficult gullies by particular bridges of his own invention, carrying likevvife with him a large quantity of that artillery * which he himfelf had X Arnilabei Arma Suec. 4°. p. 77 — 87. prlfed if we hear no more of this invention of -f- It only carried 40 guns, and was valued at a new and more portable fort of artillery. Per- 50000 1. fterling. haps it was not fo ufeful as was at firfl expefled, • Whoever conflders, extraordinary as fuch yet this i? barely a conjefture contrived to ac- a confideration may be, that moft of Guftavus's count for the inattention of mankind, fince it is inventions expired with him, notwithftanding fo manifeft, on the other hand, that the king ufed many excellent officers had been formed under it from the year 1628 to the hour of his death. his eye, (the arts of war verging to a fort of Thefe pieces were certainly of extraordinary decline from the death of our king till the times fervice upon all fudden attacks in deep or moun- of Montecuculi and Turenne) will not be fur- tainous countries, for one ftrong horfe could VcL. I. P convey jo6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. had contrived, (than which nothing could be more ufcfid in heavy- countries, in cafe of a fudden attack) he condu6led his army, con- trary to all men's expc6lations, into a forcft, which encircled the town on one fide ; taking in Schonec and Mamevec as he palFcd along. Alarmed at fo uncxpe6lcd an approach, the magiftrates of Dant- zic began to fear an infurrc<5lion, as provifions, by the meafures taken at land ai.d fea, were thereby rendered extremely fcarce. To augment thcfe misfortunes, the Spaniards had fo far deceived them with refpeft to twenty-four men of war, which they had promifed to fend to their fupport, that Walflein on the contrary, fupremc commander in the northern parts of Germany, (who ridiculoufly enough ftyled himfelf admiral of the Baltic, doing that in rodomontade which the court of Vienna affefled in earneft) infifted on their fending nine fliips to him, to facilitate the fiege of Stralfund, and give laws to the fea-coafts. This doubly incommoded the Dantzickers, by depriving them of their own natural force, and by difobliging the king of Den- mark, who ordered his navy to make reprifals on the people of Dant- zic, whofe fliips they feized, and publicly confifcated. Yet the city itfelf efcaped from Guflavus by a fort of miracle, for the rains fell to convey a couple of them as faft as any troops the poor man died. Thus much is certain, re- could march ; and what was more, they could lative to our own fituation at prefent, that no- be fhiftcd in an inftant, according to the pref- thing (upon an admiflion of the fad, to which I fare and ftrefs of an engagement. am an abfolute ftranger) can be more convenient Authors well inftrufted on this fubjeft in- to facilitate or oppofe the landing of troops upon form us, (SchefFeri Memorab. Suec. Gentis ; any fudden invafion, when every prefent mo- Pietro Porno, Guerre di Germania, lib. i. p. 33.) ment is equal to a long future fuccelHon of that they were conipoftd of the moit hardened hours. leather, girt round with iron or brafs hoops, and Some give our hero the honour of firft in- could be brought to difcharge ten times fuccef- troducing dragoons into the military fcrvice ; . fively. Now if this account be true, they ferved though Mansfelt (as we have obferved elfe- to anfwer the purpofes not only of fudden at- where) puts in a fort of claim to this inven- tacks, but of more decifive as well as more ge- tion. Yet Scheffer's words (Memorab. Suec. neral engagements. About ten years ago, I Gent. p. 42, 43.) are very peremptory in Guf- happcned to mention this fort of artillery to a tavas's favour : Primus fane fuit ipfe qoi pe- perfon who had a paffion for new projects : he dites cum bombardis majoribus impofuit eqnis, fcemed convinced that fomething might be flruclc llludque genus edu.xit in aciem quod deinde dra- out in this kind : and my learned and ingenious gonarios vocant, ut fic celeritatem equitum & vim friend Mr. Johnfon informs nie, that he was juft peditum irgeniofa hsEC jjii.vtura in jifdem con- ready to aflv the honour of his royal highnefs to fqugretur. be prefent at an experiment, but in- that interim fuch OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 107 fuch a prodigious degree, (the Viftula overflowing its banks in all 1628, places, and wafhing away the temporary bridges) that the Swedes v/ere obliged to break up their camp, having no alternative, but ftarv- ing with hunger, or perifhing by water. But 5000 men were fur- rounded fo fuddenly by the inundation, that the king w^as obliged to feed them with uncommon difficulty, and more efpecially as he found himfelf in a country where provifions were rendered extremely fcarce ; but the food (fuch as it was) was religioufly divided between this corps and the main army. When the floods began to fmk, his ma- jefty drew off all his forces, having received a body of recruits from Sweden in 54 tranfports, and 2000 cuirafliers, enlifled by the Rhin- grave *. Taking Neuburg on the Vifl:ula by furrender as he marched along, as alfo Strafberg and Dribentz, in all which places, particularly the former, the foldiers gained an immenfe booty, belonging to the Polifii queen and nobles, and amounting, as the language of the age then ran, to fix tons of gold, which make about 54000 pounds of money fterling. It was the king's idea to advance to Thorn, but this acquifiticn of wealth occafioned a feries of countervailing inconveni- encies foon after ; for the foldiers grew^diflblute, and . difperfed them- felves over the country to find opportunities of confuming their riches : of courfe, fome were put to the fword by the enemy here and thei^e, and others furrendered on conditions which the Poles ill-obferved ; for they were all murdered in cold blood. Nothin.g hurt Guflavus like fuch violations of the lav/ of nature, humanity, and common good faith ; infomuch that in the tranfports of his refentment he made in- curfions, like the hero of a romance, even to the gates of Maflbvia and Warfau : and in one of thefe expeditions intercepted five pieces -of artillery, which Walftein had fent to Sigifmond's army. He then took the town of Sweitz by ftorm, and cut to pieces a body of Polanders, who attempted to defliroy a convoy that was m.arching to Strafberg. Amongfl: the prifoners at Maflbvia (wdiich tow'n was taken fword in hand) many Polifli matrons and young women of fafliion fell into the power of his foldiers, \ ' .> being heated and enraged with the * Loti...:. Tom. i. p. 6ii. ? 2 refiftance jo8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. refinance made by the garrifon, and rendered vicious by their late ill- acquired riches, might have proceeded to fomc outrages againft the fair- fex; but the king cruflied all attempts to incivility and rudenefs in a fmglc moment ; telling the troops, 'That people ivho ferved under his command itere to nscage ivar and coimnit hojlilities upon their otvnfex only, and that the ideas of afoldier and a ravij}:er ought to carry no connexion between each other. He then difmifled the ladies courteoufly upon the promife of their refpe£tive ranfoms, infomuch that no one woman received even the flightefl infult. Yet thefe digrefllons allowed no one thing to efcape the attention of Guftavus. He therefore kept his eye conftantly fixed on the depreda- tions committed in the Baltic by the combined fleet of Spain and Auflria, which he foon difperfed and ruined by ftationing a good quantity of fliips near Wifmar : and then, in order to preclude the intervention of Sigifmond, (of which previous notice had been given him) allowed the elc61:or of Brandenburg fix months fpace to deliberate whether he would embrace the Swedifli or the Polifli caufe. It is well known the faid prince fecretly favoured the Swedes ; yet had ftrong reafons, which mufl be obvious to all readers, to wifli for a lafling accommodation between the two contending crow^ns, which he helped to efFe(5t the enfuing year > neverthelefs, for the prefervation of appearances, he fent 600 infantry to Sigifmond, whom Guftavus contrived to intercept in their march. Nor was it difficult perhaps to be apprized of the route they intended to take ; upon which Sigifmond broke ofi^ all intercourfes of friendlliip with the faid eleflor. During thefe tr an factions, Conofpolifki contrived to retake Brodnitz, which La Mortagne, a French officer of repute, had furrendered fome time before to the Swedes ; for which precipitate determination the Po- lifli general caufed his head to be flruck off publicly : and then, by way of retaliation, (being very dextrous in matters of furprife) defeated the. rear-guard of the Swcdifli army, and took Banditzen prifoner, who was an officer of reputation. In revenge for this occafional clieck, Wrangel, governor of Elbingen, which town the Poles had in a certain manner blockaded, crofled the Dwina at OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. at a ford that was ill- defended, defeated a large body of troops, and feized their cannon and baggage : and again, as he v/as traverfmg the country with 8000 men, in order to amafs provifions for the army,, which was then in no fmall diftrefs, he furprifed near Strafberg, at a, fmall village called Rudovic, a large body of Croatians and Cofiacks, and. as he difcovered them to be irrefolute, or at variance in their opinions,, he charged them fo fuddenly that he foon difperfed them, and carried off a convoy of 2000 carts and waggons, which greatly affiiled the Svvedifh army during the remainder of the campaign, which was clofed with luftre by a gallant performance of old count Thurn*j though the pro- fefled hiilorians of that period have been filent upon the fub)e«5l. It hath been obferved before, that Guftavus had taken Neuburg. This town Conofpolilki befieged, and whild he inverted it (Thurn and Teiif- 109, 1628. • Mathias Henry, count de Thurn, one of the principal perfonages in Bohemia. He began the religious and civil commotions in that king- dom ; nor did he ever fubmit to the houfe of Aullria, but after the battle of Prague difcharged feveral embaffies in the name of Frederick [a fovereign of his own chufing) and Munsfelt, to Gabriel Bethlem, the grand fignior, and the \'ene- tians ; took a commiflion under the latter in 1624, and being honourably difmiiTed when the eleclcr Palatin dilbanded Ixis army, pafTed into the fer- vice of Denmark in 1627. Accepted of a gene- ral's commiflion under Guftavus, and being taken prifoner, was freed by Gallas, with orders, as was fuppofed, from Walftein ; who, out of a caprici- ous gallantry peculiar to hirafelf, had a mind ta rob the court of \'ienna of fo delicious a facri- fice. Some time afterwards, namely, in 1634, he made a brave defence at Ratifbon, and had the courage and addrefs to procure his own ex- ception in the capitulation. This great patriot was fuppofed by fome to be juftly piqued, becaufe Martinitz (one of the three judges that was precipitated from the win- dow, in the firft infurreftion) had fupplanted him in obtaining the government of Carlllein-caftle, where the crown of Bohemia and all records of confequence were preferved. His fpeech to the chiefs of his country on the breaking out of tbe. rebellion, as it is delivered down to us by Nani, may keep pace with moft of the pompous- harangues of the antient hiftorian:, and appears, to me to have a better chance to be authentic ; he concludes it in thefe words : "Liberty, fiom this- " example of ours, will inHnuate itfelf through- " out the empire, and'though there hi fame ap- " pearance of "violence in our conduft, yet necef- " ftty and fiety will excufe the faft. There re. " mains now no room for repentance, and no " plea for forgivenefs. The die is thrown— " Freedom or the fcafFold — Men of principle, " if conquerors, men of confcience and inde- " pendent — But if overcome, poor perfidious- " beings, perjured and rebellious." Thurn, in the German language, fignifies a toiver, and therefore the French writers, con- formably to their ufual freedom and petulance,, alembic the name into count La Tour ; and Carte and the other Englilh hiftorians, when treating of the affairs of the Palatinate and Bohemia, talk: of him very familiarly under that appellation : thus too, by the fame rule of French imperti- nence, I might undertake as an Englifhman to difcourfe of Mrs. Steel and her Homer, intend- ing at the fame time to be underllood as fpcak- ing of madam Dacier. There is a large exquifite print of count Tliurn by Mirevelt, who engraved Guftavus and Oxen- ftiern in the fame fize ; the fire of his eyes is in^- expreflible, fell no THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. fel being both commanders in it) young Thurn died of a fever. The okl man writ to the Polifli general to defire leave, as he only ferved Guftavus in the capacity of a volunteer, to remove the young man's body, that it might enjoy the rights of fepulture in a friendly country ; but the requeft was denied. Enraged beyond mcafure at this rcfufal, he cut his way through the enemy's lines, by an admirable ftratagem, with only fifty followers, and carried his fon's corps to the place where the Swedifh canccUaria was then held, never difmounting (but for the refrefhment of a few mo- ments) in a journey of eighty miles. At the diet of Warfau, held in the month of July this year, a confi- derable number of the fenators declared, that it was in vain to wage war againft Guflavus, except hoftilities were commenced againft the elector of Brandenburg ; upon which king Sigifmond fent a flight mefTage to him, admonifliing him, in gentle terms, of the allegiance he owed the kingdom of Poland, by DenhofF his fecretary, being privately deter- mined, in cafe of an evafion or downright refufal, to levy money at all events, and purfue his objedl of deftroying Guftavus. It was likewife fuggefled to the eleclor of Brandenburg, that his right to Pruflla was a fort of feudatory tenure, dependent on the republic of Poland, which faid fiduciary poffefiion he might render forfeitable or not, in proportion to his future conduft. Neverthelefs the nuncios of the provinces, and the major part of the fenators, afforded Sigifmond as little afllftance as pofii- ble, upon prefumption or private intelligence, that it was not diflicult to obtain a tolerable peace. And thus the war proceeded languilhingly on the Polifli fide. Two difagreeable occurrences produced themfelves this year in Ger- many, each fufiicient to cmbarrafs any mind but that of Guflavus: for the one was the fiege of Stralfund, and the other the congrefs at Lubec. But the king carried his point in the firfl inflance, and played his cards fo dextroufly in the fecond, as to give himfelf an advantageous opening foon after ; for thefe two events v ere a part of the preparatory incidents which helped to condu61: Guflavus into Germany. Walflein's great intention in pofTefling Stralfund, was to give laws at one ftroke to die kings of Sweden and Denmark, and invade the domi- nions OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. m nions of the latter without delay. In order to effectuate the tranfporta- 1628. tion of his troops, Schwartzenberg was difpatched to the Hanfe-towns, Lubec particularly, to demand fuch ftiipping as might be needful on the occafion, and grant them in the emperor's name fome vifionary pri- vileges, upon condition they would confine their commerce for the fu- ture to the coafls of Spain, and the countries that depended on the houfe of Auftria ; but the anfwer returned to him was, that the faid towns had confederations and alliances with neighbouring princes, (indeed Guftavus was the principal objefl alluded to) and that it would be highly imprudent in them to add fewel to particular wars, who fub- lifted by a general commerce with all mankind. Upon this Walflein (who affefted to be extravagant in all things) procured a patent to be admiral of the Baltic, and having conquered Roftock, V/ifmar, and feveral other maritime towns, converted his thoughts to marine archi- te6lure, and fea-preparations. Stralfund alone obflru6led his imaginary poiTeflion of the Northern ocean ; for that city once conquered gave him jufl the inlet he defired : and as it was well-furnifhed with wealth, fhipping, ammunition, and provifions, it was in a ftate of enablino- him (at leaft as he conjedlured) to land in Denmark, and make a conqueft of the whole kingdom. The immenfe ambition of this proie£l afto- niflied Chriflian, and determined him to fupport the Stralfunders at any rate : and as he liked no corps in his fervice better than lord Rea's Scottifli regiment, he tranfported it thither without delay. This was the firft fiege of confequence that Germany had hitherto feen. Wal- flein for his own fake, on account of the vicinity of Stralfund to his new dominions, was refolved to obtain it, whatever facrifice he made. And it is thought by many he had formed a defign to involve the duke of Pomerania in fome embroilment with the emperor, whofe territories (fuppofing them to be feized under any pretext) lay very commodious for facilitating and extending his vafl projefl on the Baltic (not to men- tion their vicinity to his own dominions * in cafe of fome new eventud arrangement :) and for thefe reafons he poured regiments into Pomeranirij * He had lately received the invelliture of of IValJlein, z%t^e. author of the Annals of the E.: ■ the.duchy of Mechlenbetg ; but was ne\'er dhke fhe inaccurately ftyles him, like 112 TJIE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1628. like Iwarms of locufts, with this difference, that they not only devoured the piodu6l of the earth, but fqueezcd the very laft dollar from the in- habitants, and made the duke himfelf little lefs than a ftate-prifoner in liis own cafVle. But to return to the fiege : he firft proceeded by artful means, and fent Arnheim, camp-mafter-general of his army, to the ma- giftrates to demand winter-quarters for a certain number of men ; but a compliance to this requeft was evaded. He then difpatched colonel Goetz to afk paflage only for a body of troops through the town ; but that peti- tion v>'as not acceded to. Walftein then, in order to make the emperor a party concerned in his fyftem, demanded of the inhabitants a contri- bution of about 25000 1. concluding naturally enough, that the magi- ilrates would ilill continue in an humour of denial ; but they, contrary to his expe(5lations, advanced part of the fum immediately, and pledged their honour for the refb, upon condition he erected no fortification near their town, as he had lately done. This prompt advancement of good lix-dollars pleafed Walftein's avarice, (for that general was equally avari- cious to collect, and profufe to beflow) but did not fatisfy his ambition : he therefore without further ceremony ordered Arnheim to invert the town. Upon this the inhabitants implored the afliftance of their neigh- bours the Dantzickers ; and Guftavus, to all appearances unafked, (though this circumflance Ihall not be confidently allerted) fuppllcd them generoufly, as the feas were open, with a good quantity of military ftores, of which the inhabitants at that time flood in great need. Oxenftiern indeed had partly opened the king's intentions in a conference held with the duke of Fomerania, wherein it was fugge'fted cafually, at leaft to all outward appearances, that Guflavus was determined not to fee the poor Stralfunders deprived of commerce and liberty at one ftroke, and that by fuch an interpofition he manifefled himfelf to confult the emperor's true glory and interefls better than "Walllein and the whole Imperial minillry could pretend to do. Mean while the duke of Fomerania (having fruit- 4efsly requefted Oxenftiern to abftain from all interpofition with refpecl to Germany *) attempted to mediate a fort of convention between his Im- perial majefty and the town j of which the conditions were : that 'all • Hiflorical or Authentic Relat. Tom. i. p. 58. I foreign OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. "3 foreign troops fliould be difmifled from the garrifon, and the city ar- 1628. range itfelf under the prote6lion of the faid duke, pafling its parole of , honour to be faithful to the emperor, and give no obfl:ru6tion to the Casfarean troops then cantoned in the ifle of Rugen (which was feparated from the continent of Stralfund by a fmall frith of fea) and ere6l no new fortifications -, with a provifo of admitting Pomeranian foldiers to guard the town. Upon this a treaty * was renewed, for former ones had fub- lilled between Sweden and Stralfund. Sadler undertook the talk, and expreffed his mafter's fentiments very dexteroufly ; for allegiance to the emperor was inculcated flrongly upon the inhabitants, and it was re- commended to them to pay all due obedience to the duke of Pomerania j forafmuch as his majefty of Sweden had no ob]*e6l in view but to pre- ferve the freedom of the Baltic, and maintain the immemorial rights and liberties of a town in thofe fenfes independent. During the attempt finally to adjuft thefe articles, Walflein marched with the eagernefs of a new monarch to Guftrow, in order to receive the homage and oaths of allegiance from his fubje<5ls, Inafmuch as the two dukes of Mechlenberg, Albert and Adolphus, had fought under the Danifli enfigns, and laboured even then beneath that bitter fort of prefcription, commonly called the ban of the empire, having paid no regard to a previous admonition from the court of Vienna. Colonel Hoik had hitherto, at the head of the Danifli forces, taken upon him the command of the town. The men were obliged to perform forty-eight hours fervice turn by turn for fix weeks, and yet Hoik, in the midfl of this fevere fervice, took it into his head to efpoufe a young wife, and celebrate his nuptials in a public man- ner ; which all the German hiftorians confider as a very unbecoming a6t of levity. During Walftein's abfence, Gufl:a\ais took the advantage to convey fome forces into Stralfund, which induced the inhabitants to change their language ; fo that the fine airy proje6l of the duke of Pomerania vanifhed into nothing : that prince then perfuaded the emperor to coun- termand the fiege, which provoked Walflein to fuch a degree, that he * It is prcferved by Lotichius, Tom. i. 608, and was to hold in force twenty years. Loccenij Kiftoiia Suecana, p. 560. YoL. I. Q^ fent 114 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 162S. iciit a fulminatory letter to the elector of Saxony, whom he fufpe6led to be at the bottom of this projeft ; and what was flill more, dcclhied to obey his mafter's orders : and on the contrary, enraged with Arnheim's ill-fuccefs or rcmifllicfs, made a journey to the camp in perfon, and re- newed the attacks with incredible fury, fwearing (according to his com- mon cuftom of rodomontading) " that he would take Stralfund, though " it hung in the air from heaven by an adamantine chain." This was neither an eafy nor a prudent tafk ; for no place is better fituated by na- ture. It fronteth the fea in a fort of elli})tical figure, and at the two ex- tremities joins itfclf to the main land by a narrow ifthmus. Behind it lies the lake of Frankcn, which can be pafied only in one place, by means of an high caufcway : and what enhanced the difficulty flill more on the part of the beficgers was this, that it was not in their power to obftru6l the entrance of fupplies into the harbour. I fhall not give a full detail of this ficge ; it may fuffice to fay, that as Walflein puflied on his afiaults with all the fury and induftry that refentment could fug- geft, the Danes found the defence of the place beyond their ftrength : but a ceflation of arms being agreed upon for a fortnight, a fccond re- giment of Scots in the Danllh fervice was thrown into the town during this interval, and then Chriflian, making a private treaty with Guflavus, caft the burden off his own flioulders, and transferred the danger and glory to his Swedifli neighbour : who immediately fent Sir Alexander Lefly with a body of chofen troops to defend the town, and Hoik for fome time a6led under him. This fupporting of the poor Stralfunders confirmed Guftavus in the idea of interpofing with the affairs of the continent, and giving laws thereto. At length Walitein, after a fiege of three months, having half-ruined a numerous army, thought fit to diflodge, for he found, by dear-bought experience, that it is next to im- pofilble to take a city that can at all times receive fi'efh fupplies from fea, efpecially if the garrifon behaveth with fidelity and courage. The cong'-efs, which was held at Lubec this year, created frefli troubles to Guftavus. The convention of the plenipotentiaries at firft was more folemn than it proved efficacious. On the part of the emperor came the baron Aldringer and count Gronsfelt, both colonels -, Rupa, commif- fary- OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 115 fai-y-gen-eral, and Walmerode : and in behalf of his Danifli majefty ap- 1628. peared Friefe and Uhlfelt, the one coiinfellor of the kingdom, and the other counfellor to the king ; admiral Skcel, the two Pvantzaus, (who were both privy-counfellors) Levin, marechal of the court, and fecre- tary Gunter. Thefe politicians, who were all extremely able in their way, eat, drank, affirmed, denied, intrigued and wrangled for fix months j fo that the year 1629 overtook them in their altercations ; yet nothing of 1629. moment appears to have been decided. Much depended afterwards upon an event I am going to relate : Guflavus had parts enough not to allow a peace to be figned under his eye, without concerning himfelf more or lefs in an affair fo critical : he therefore difpatched Spar and Oxenffiern (which latter was a relation of the prime-minifter) to this aflembly, with orders to fee all things reftored to their antient tranquillity, and fo- licit in particular for the town of Stralfund, and the re-inftatement of the dukes of Mechlenberg, whom, as relations and neighbours, he had admitted under his more immediate prote6lion. Some weeks before, fecretary Salvius (who gave fuch proofs afterwards of his abilities at the peace of Munfler) was fent into Denmark, to befeech his majefty to give introduiSlion to the Swedidi plenipotentiaries at Lubec : but that prince replied coldly by letter, after having taken an undue time to return an anfwer, That as he had received no commands from the court of Vienna, with reference to his Swedifh majefty, he could not prefume to venture on a (lep of fo delicate and dangerous a nature, without being furniflied previoufly with proper authorities : fo that if thefe northern plenipoten- tiaries had any thing to offer which tended to the public utility, his advice was, that they fliould fjbmit their propofals to the Auffrian mi- niffiy at Vienna. The truth was, he loved not Guflavus, and dreaded the emperor : and moff people at that time attributed this repulfe to the haughtinefs of Walftein. Be that as it will, the king of Sweden re- fcnted this indignity in a manner conformable to his high fpirit, (for if that prince had any one fault, it was being naturally liable to fudden tranfports of paffion) and this affront ftuck fo nearly to his heart, that lie allcdged it afterwards as one of .the principal reafons that induced him to land his army on Imperial ground, and interfere with the flate Qjl of ji6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. of affairs upon the continent : fince it is reported by a writer * well- verfed in the hiftory of treaties, that the Swedifli deputies were inter- diiSled from entering Germany and approaching the congrefs, under pain of death. The refult of the treaty at Lubec was, tliat his Danifh ma- jefty fliould content himfelf with the title of duke of Holftcin, without prefuniing to fuggeft either his wifhes or difinchnations to the emperor, with refpeft to the fyftem of the Germanic body : that he Ihould relin- quifli his pretenfions to certain bilhoprics on the continent, and reftorc to the Imperiahfts the iflands of Femor and Neuftrand, and fuch other places as he then pofleffed by right of arms : this premifed, by viitue of the fame treaty he was to re-enjoy his antient pofTefrions, upon con- dition the emperor fliould ftill retain his old title to Holfl:ein, Stormar and Ditmar ; that the expences of the war fhould be re-imburfed, and the prifoners exchanged on either fide. Neverthelefs the king of Den- mark (at leaft in order to preferve appearances) had courage enough to refufe a requeft that Wolftein made him, of adding a fmall fquadron to the Imperial fleet, under pretext of fecuring the free navigation and tranquillity of the Baltic -f-. By this time Ferdinand had overcome all his enemies in the empire and round it, and eredled the houfe of Auftria into an univerfal mo- narchy. Which one of Walfl:ein's deputies in effefl acknowledged to the king of Denmark : for being aflced if the Imperial party did not fear fome check from the united efforts of France, England, Sweden, and Holland, replied unconcernedly, that the perfon who was once mafter of Germany, might defpife the combinations of fuch remote and inconfiderable enemies. But God (to make ambition its own curfe) has given it certain ideas of acquirable greatnefs that are unlimited, unrea- fonable, and (what is fl:ill worfe) never to be fatisfied. Ferdinand there- fore, arrived now at the utmofl: height of human vanity, (for all things relating to finite beings have certain reclriclions and limitations) found flill a void in his own breafl;, and bethought himfelf of an ulterior glory wherewith to fill up this little niche of vacant fame : and this * Ambrifladeur de Wicquefort, Parti. 219. ^ Hiftorical or Authentic Relat, Tom. i. p. 5S. trifling OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ii; trifling fuccedaneum was neither more nor lefs, than the total extirpa- 1629. tion of the proteftant religion in Germany. The undertaking was ar- duous and hazardous, and therefore he began it gently : and as he was to walk in unfathomable waters, felt his ground Hep by Hep, before he obliged himfelf to take the defperate plunge. He made his firft eflay warily and cautioufly enough, upon his own hereditary dominions ; and publiflied an edid to this import, that all perfons of the evangelical perfuafion muft leave their poflefiions and depart, or conform to the popifh religion within a time prcfcribed. Even one fixth of Auftria itfclf was then peopled with proteftants, and Bohemia, Hungary, Moravia, Stiria, Carinthia, and Carniola, boafled flill greater numbers ; many likewife wavered in their faith, and a good number concealed their fentiments till fome general decifion fliould put their declarations out of danger. Yet the publication of this edid pro- duced more trouble than was firft apprehended. The peafants of Bo- hemia (where the fpirit of religious liberty could never be extinguiflied) formed themfelves into a body, in fpite of all former decimations and profcriptions, and concerted a defign of feizing the emperor and his at- tendants on a hunting-day, when probably they would have given his ambition its decifive flroke. The confpirators drew lots who fhould atchieve this defperate undertaking : but chance or infidelity made an ample difcovery of the whole plot, and the author efcaped into Hun- gary, and then refuged himfelf in the Ottoman dominions. This prelude of religious tyranny being thus brought to an happy- event, the emperor boldly difplayed his whole game at once, performing, what his predecefTors, from the perverfenefs of circumftances in their disfavour, had long fruitlefsly defired to efFe6l : and publifhed the famous edi£i of rejlitution *, which at length brought Guftavus into the empire, and overturned the labours of twelve of the moft profperous campaigns that the houfe of Auftria, or any European power, had ever feen. For that little cloud which arofe in the North, no larger than the palm of a maris hand, to make ufe of the words of Holy Scripture, coUeded its force fo fuddenly, and difpread that force fo violently, that it blotted * There is an excellent abrl^dment of this edidl in Brachelius, 1S5 — 188^. £ out iiS THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. out the radiant glories of the houfe of Auftria from the hemifpherc, almofl before a man could fay there, thej-e ! Ferdinand therefore, folicited hourly by the princes of his own perfua- fion, and mighty-well inclined to bigottry on his own part, under pre- tence of making the formulary of the religious peace, concluded at Augfburg by the common confent of all the Germanic princes, his rule and guide, gave orders to his men pf politics and jurifprudcnce to com- pofe and digefl this mighty work, of which the publication (that it might be rendered more complete) was deferred till the enfuing year ; during which interval application was made to the principal catholic princes to deUver in their opinions on fo delicate and dangerous a fubje6l. Amongfl a confiderable number of ecclefiaflical benefices marked out in a- catalogue delivered to the emperor, thcfe few following ones were fele6led for the firft facrifice, namely, the archbiflioprics of Magdeburg and Bremen, the bifhoprics of Minden, Ofnabrug, Halberftadt, Verden, Lubec, Ratzburg, Schwein, Camin, and the abbacy of Hirfchfeld ; and what was fomcwhat extraordinary, they all afterwards fliared the fate of fecularization by the confent of both religions at the peace of Munfter, excepting Ofnabrug (in which the catholic party refcrved an alternative) and Lubec : which latter had taken its fliare in the com- mon wreck, if the chapter had not engaged itfelf, one year before the peace was concluded, to chufe fix bifliops fuccefilvely from the houfe of Holflein-Gottorp, to which family the plenipotentiaries configncd the adminiftration of the bilnopric. Thus the papifls artfully enough paid the proteflants out of their cicn church, and the latter fwallov*'ed the bait without any hefitation, though they had been fighting (as they pretended) thirty years for the fupportand dignity of that wry church. Magdeburg, Minden, Halbcr- fladt, and Camin, were all ere(5led into principalities, and given to the houfe of Brandenburg. Bremen and Verden Vi^ere denominated duchies, and afllgned to Sweden ; Ratzburg and Camin were dignified with the title of principalities,, and bellowed on the duke of Mechlenberg ; and Hirfchfeld OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 119 Hirfchfeld was ftyled a principality too, and conferred on the landgrave 1629. of Hcffe-Caffel. At length,, to the infinite difquiet of the proteftant party, the edidl of refiitiilion was publifhed, and commiflaries difpatched into all the pro- vinces, to effet^l the rcftoration of the feveral acquifitions whicli the evangelical party had been fuppofed to procure to themfelves fmce the treaty of PaiFau. There was one claufe in it particularly embarraffing : for in cafe a papift had turned proteftant fnice that period, yet the pof- fefiionwas not to follow its natural and original mafter. Thus confu- fion was rendered more confufed ; and what was equally difagreeable, no prince was out of the reach of the decree ; for it affected the friends of Csefar as well as the enemies. The fiift and principal perfonages in the empire felt a certain difinclination to relinquifh rich ecclefiaftical" benefices, which ferved to make amv/le provifion for their children and relations ; and fome princes there were, whofe acquired pofTefTions in this very light exceeded their patrimonial ones. It was objected therefore, that long and undiflurbed occupancy ought to be confidered in good politics as a thing facred, and a fort of title : and it was decreed likewife, t.at the proteftants ever alTented in the peace of religion to the infertion of the article in reference to the relloration of the bona ecclefiaftica ; and as a proof of this, appeal was made to the journals of the whole tranfaftion : it being plain beyond contradi6lion, that tlie faid claufe had been fqueezed into the inftrument of peace by the oblli- nate perfeverance of the papifls, and the meer arbitrary violence of the emperor. Here the ele6tors of Saxony and Brandenburg joined ifTue, and requefted that the difficulty m.ight be referred to a new general diet, inafmuch as what related to all ought to be examined and decided by all. To this the Imperal party replied, that the determination of the affair belonged folely to the emperor, as appeared from feveral receffes * of * To underftand this expreflion the reader Imperial decree in form, and is named conclufam mud obferve, that what the dates eftablifti in Imperii, a cor.clufion of the Ernpire. And when a diet by plurality of voices, is called p'.acitum the aforefaid afts art Jtgned and pullijhed'wi the Imperii, a decree of the Empire. When the em- forenfic fenfe of the word, they are then ilyled peror approves this decree, it then becomes an recejjiis Imperii, or recejjes of the Empire. 2 the 120 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. the empire, and the lafl; rcfolutions agreed upon by the elc(5loraI con- vention held at Mulhaufcn. Upon this the comminaries fate forth to vifit their refpective difl:ri6ls, with orders particularly to fummon before them (at different times and places of hearing) all thofe who detained church-poflefTions, and all thofe who fued for their reftitution ; and in cafe unjuft occupation and detention were once proved, the party delinquent was to be com- manded in the emperor's name to make reftoration ; nor was the mat- ter to admit of any adjournment, though it was alledged that the caufe was then depending in the chamber of Spires, or that it was deter- mined to lodge an appeal in the next general diet, fmce the lafl: edi6l had provifionally precluded all fuch obftruclions and interferences. Cathedral and collegiate bodies were referred to the pope's declaration, which was expefted to appear daily; and by way of encouragement to thofe who fubmitted frankly, and without any refiftance, all paft pro- fits were to be allowed them : whereas at the fame time a retrofpe6lion in this point vias threatened to the refraflory, and a prompt interpo- fition of the military power. But in this rapid career of arbitrary perfecution, the popifh party made a falfe ftep in the very firft a6t of partition, for many old occupants expected (which was natural enough) to re-enter into their poffefTions, whereas new claimants ftarted up, equipped with no other title than a free grant from the emperor and the pope. The firft difficulty began at Augfburg, which appeared really to be fomething ominous, as the famous confeflion had been prefented rhere. The then bifhop demanded his intire jurifdi6lion ; and a military force fupported the authority of the Imperial commiflary. In vain the ele<5lor of Saxony prefented remonftrance after remonftrance : the pro- teftant miniflers were rejected from their parochial cures, and the in- habitants of the fame perfuafion prohibited from attending divine fer- vice, not only in the city, but in the neighbouring villages and fields. The ciixumftance of this tranfaftion piqued the elector of Saxony al- moft as much as the tranfaftion itfelf ; for he confidered Augfburg, with refpeft to the evangelical religion, as the place of its re-fufcitation ; an4 OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 122 and was mortified alfo to obferve, that matters flood now on as bad 1629. a footing as they did fome time before the peace of religion was agreed upon ; and what alarmed him moreover extremely was, that the wri- ters of the oppofite party afferted in numberlefs fugitive pieces, that the evangelical religion was not the fame fyftem of belief and pradlice which had been fet forth formerly in the Augfburg-confeffion. This, as he well forefaw, was laying the axe to the roots of the reformation, , fmce if that allegation was once allowed to be true, no perfon of the evangelical perfuafion, as then profefled, had any certain rights or in- terefts in the peace of religion. He therefore fummoned all the emi- nent civilians and divines of his party to a meeting at Leipfic, and combined their arguments together in one apology againft the Ro- _ manifts, fetting forth, that the elector of Saxony, and other proteftant princes and flates, had prefented a clear and well-reafoned confefTion of faith to Charles V. (which a6t, reciprocally authenticated by both parties, had been enrolled in the regifters of the empire) and as they had perfevered inviolably in the fame fyftem, without any addition to it, or diminution from it, it was therefore abfolutely equitable and reafonable to expe6l, that they fliould not be precluded from the pro- teilion and advantages which the peace of religion granted them, as it was compofed and regulated by the principles of the aforefaid con- fefTion. During thefe tranfaftions a new perfecution had arifen in Bohe- mia of a very extraordinary nature, upon which many unhappy emi- grants refuged themfelves in Sweden ; for an edicl was publiflied, that all women of the evangelical perfuafion, that were married to catholics, (whereof there were numberlefs examples) fliould be expofed, ipfo faclo, to banifhment, except they retracted. The feverity of this decree gave uneafinefs to the papifls themfelves, whom it affefled : for the firft officers of flate, and nobles of the kingdoms, had intermarried freely amongfl the proteflants before the breaking out of the civil wars (;n- afmuch as the ladies in Bohemia became lieirefTes almoft in the fame manner as they do in England ;) upon this account the hulbanc's, fearing a confifcation of their wives pofl^eflions, exprelFed an aukward Vol. I. R fort 122 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. fort of diflikc, and the rather, as no divorce was propofed by way of falvo and indemnification : but the ladies took a nobler part ; they exclaimed ioiuUy againft tliis matrimonial perfccution, and not a fingle woman left her houfe and family. Thimderftruck with fuch perfe- vcrance the Imperial chamber iflued out, May 1, 1629, a fccond edict of the explanatory kind, allowing the fair-fex a fort of toleration till 4 the hulband's death ; after which event they were deprived from th» right of poffcfiion, and enjoined to tranfport thcmfelves into fome other country, under prohibition, during the interval, to exhibit themfelves . at any nuptials or other public entertainments, except upon condition of giving precedency to every woman of the catholic perfuafion. How arbitrary muft a fovereign be, who can enacl la-ws of fo afflictive a nature to the poor females ! Whilft the commiflaries executed their ofRce with great feverity in the judicial way, and both parties (to change the nature of their former difputation) engaged with great acrimony upon paper, a new complaint took its life, which afFecled both fides deeply, though per- haps not equally, and that was the licentioufnefs, rapine and cruelty of the Imperial army, which Walftein had augmented to a degree in- fupportable: even though looco men had been fent into Poland againft Guftavus, and a confiderable fupply detached for tlie fervice of the arch-duke in the Low Countries j not to mention an army of near 30000 combatants employed in Italy on the reduction of Mantua. Walftein adminiftered occafion to farther complaint, for all Germany trembled at the thoughts of wai', and that general was indefatigable iai feeking opportunities to create a new one. As he was a punctual nian in matters of feverity, he fent colonel Pecker to Magdeburg with a regiment of Croatians, in aider to receive the contribution he had impofed on the town ; which was an errand difagrecable enough to a city not over v/ealthy, and which valued herfelf upon being by no means the moft ignoble of the Hanfeatic towns. Upon which the po- pulace (Vihethei" with or v»'ithout the connivance of the magiftracy cannot be aflerted) feized fome fliips of corn that were making their way down the Elbe to Walftein's army, and committed fome flight a<5ls of OF GUSTAVUS ADOLI^HUS. 123 of hoftility on the regiment then quartered near the town. The ma- 1629. giflrates made fliew of great external difapprobation upon this occa- iion, but Walflein, naturally vindidive and of a temper uncontroll- able, (bearing them likewife an antient hatred, as they exprefled no joy when he became their neighbour, and was created duke of Mechlen- berg) fent them word immediately, that by way of making their peace with the emperor, they mult levy a regiment of foldiers for his fer- vice, and maintain them at their own expence, A memorial was pre- fented to him with a view to deprecate the feverity of this command, but Walftein rejected their applications with fcorn, and ordered a part of his army not only to blockade, but inveft the town. Upon this the Hanfeatic cities took the alarm, particularly Brunfwic, Lubec, and Ham- burg, and fent deputies to him, in hopes to break the force of his anger, and induce him to withdraw his troops. His anfwer was, (and if they knew the man they had reafon to expe<5l fomething of that nature) that tlie corn mufl: be reftored him in the firfl place, and the feveral delinquents delivered into his cuftody ; (fufficient caution be- ing alfo given him for all future good behaviour on tlie part of the citizens) and that then the contribution levied upon them muft be difcharged, and an Imperial garrifon admitted into the town, in order to give laws to the fury of the populace. From that moment the ma- giftrates of Magdeburg had a clear prefentment that their dellru6lion was determined, fince a garrifon would always have the power to ex- a6l contributions at will, and introduce the edi6l of reftitution Vvhen- ever they pleafed. Be that as it will, they chofe to wait the event of their ruin, and refufed glorioufly to admit the garrifon ; promifnig at the fame time to give implicit obedience to the emperor in every other refpe6l. They then befought leave to fend their deputies to Vienna, but Walflein denied them that favour, (being advanced by this time as far as Guftrov/) and gave the inhabitants to underfland moreover, that if they did not receive his garrifon in five days, all future accommoda- tion fhould be precluded. Neverthelefs that general, from fome mo- tive undifcoverable to us at prefent, (for the inhabitants had made all pofTible preparations for a defperate defence) contented himfeJf with R 2 bare 124- THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. bare threatcnings, and lowering his tone all in a moment, abfolved them even from the payment of the contribution he had before de- manded, and requefted nothing further of them, but to perfevere in afFe6tion and loyalty to the emperor. Some fuppofe that he dreaded to aflault a fet of men rendered defperate by opprcffion j but Wal- rtcin was not fubje6l to terrors of that kind ; others conjecture that he had received a pofitive countermand from his mafter ; but fuch he had often difobeyed upon other occafions : therefore my private opinion is, (and that feems to me moil conformable to his chara6ter) that he feared to irritate Guftavus, who then wanted an occafion to invade Germany, (for Guftavus was an objeft of fear even to Walftein) or that he thought it imprudent to kindle up a w-ar juft in the neighbourhood of his new- acquired dominions. Guftavus was greatly enraged with Walftein's infolence at the late convention, for part of the outrage committed againft his majefty's dignity was afcribed to him -, and determined to pufh the war witli fuch vigour, as to force the Poles into a compliance. In thefe cam- paigns he relied chiefly on the connivance and private favour of the ele(5lor of Brandenburg, vvhofe fifter he had married ; for that prince fecretly wiflied him well as far as he durft, and permitted hira tacitly> in cafe difaftrous events might fall out, to retreat and ftielter his troops in his dominions. It was in this after-game that Guftavus placed his confidence, upon fuppofition any fignal misfortune fliould befal his army. Neverthelefs, a part of the eledlor's afFedtion could not be concealed from the fufpicious and watcliful Auftrians, and that was the free- occupation he granted Guftavus of the port of Pillau, through which intercourfe the Swedifli army was chiefly fupported, not only as to provifions and implements of war, but alfo with refpedl to re-inforce- ments. As Walftein had prefl'ed the town of Stralfund extremely hard, and Guftavus had fcnt the inhabitants a fuccour of 500 men, and a good fupply of ammunition, the court of Vienna grew enraged to fuch a degree, that in confcquence thereof it v.-as determined to difpatch Arn- l heim OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 125 heim to the affiftance of Sigifmond *. Him Walflein difmiffed with this 1629. extraordinary injunftion: " Arnheirrij take 10000 men, and drive Gu- " flavus out of Poland; and in cafe you cannot perform that talk, " tell him Walflein will come and effe6l it himfelf -f-." Which vain- glorious rodomontade puts me in mind of a fpeech that an Iriflhman made to one of our Henrys, who was fent by a certain Mac-Gilpatrick, chief of Upper-Offory, to the king, to complain againft the deputy of that province ; he met his majefty going to chapel, and delivered his embafly in thefe words : " Sta pedibus tuis domine rex ; dominus meus " Gilla-Patricius me mifit ad te, & jufTit dicere, quod fi non vis cadi- " gare Petrum Rufum, ipfe faciet helium contra te." Neverthelefs the Poles admitted thefe troops into PruiTia with a fort of diffidence :];, notwitliftanding Sigifmond declared that he had per- fonally requeiled fuch afliftances from the emperor, in order to extir- pate the Swedes from Pruffia, and recover his own hereditary dominion of Sweden. Yet the fenators entered coldly into his allegations y for Arnheim (as being the flave of Walftein's inclinations) was looked upon as a perfon of fufpe6led faith : and upon this the orders of the kingdom replied, that Guftavus, on fuppofition he was not provoked^, was too far removed from their concern : and if his majefty had carried his zeal for popery, by the advice of the pontifical party, to the very precipice of extremity, it was now his own perfonal bufinefs to recover the crown of Sweden by the felf-fame affiftances. As the Polifh fenators dealt much in plain-dealing and free-fpeak- ins:, fo the ftates of Sweden dillins:uiflied themfelves in another re- fpecl, and that was in afFe6lion and loyalty : " Reprefenting to their " mafter in the ftrongeft and tendereft manner, that as Sigifmond had " refufed. the reafonable offers which had been made to him by the " deputies of Brandenburg and Holland, and infifted that Sweden " fhould rcftore to him all the conquefts that had been made in Li^ " vonia and PrulTia ; as he had rcquefted an auxiliary army from his " Imperial majefty, and as the emperor had infolently denied admit- * Hijlorical or Authentic Relation, in Low nelius Danckaertz. Tom. i. p. 51,52.. Dutch, f .1. three Tomes, adorned with maps, f Swedifh Intelligencer, plans, portraits, ifc. engraven by the cele- % Hiil. Authent. Relat. Tom. J. p. 53- brated Matthew Merian, and publilhed by Cor- ** tance: 126 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. " tancc to theSwcdifli plenipotentiaries at Luhcc, tl^cy implored Giirta- " vus, in cafe a deaf ear was turned to his future generous propofals, " to commence the war with re-doubled vigour, and fix the feat of it *• in fome foreign country, that being in their opinion the riloft ad- " vantageous method of carrying on hoftilities : it appearing to them *' infinitely more dangerous and fatiguing to prote6l their own coafts, " and lefs reputable and diftinguifhing likewife in the eye of the pub- ** lie." It was then voted, that money fliould be raifcd conformably to the taxes at that time fubfifting ; that the recruits to be levied fliould be continued for two years certain, and tliat the marine fhould be placed on the beft footing that human prudence could devife : and to flrengthen the fleet particularly, each nobleman, who furniflied an horfe to the military fervice, engaged to fubfcribe about eight pounds. Large fums were likewife promifed from the India company, and the clergy and people in trade agreed to furnifh out fifteen armed ftiips. At the conclufion of the meeting the king paid a very gallant compliment to three of his officers ; for he made Horn, Banier, and Todt, all fenators. Some time afterwards arrived an embafly from Mufcovy, with full powers to make his majcity an offer of difpatching of an army into Poland againfl Sigifmond * ; but the propofal was declined with thankfulnefs and courtefy : either becaufe the king had fome prefcnt- ment of an approaching accommodation, or becaufe he never relifhed the afiiflances of irregular forces ; for he always confidered war as over-cruel and fanguinary, even without the intervention of barbarian combatants. Arnheim by this time had made Higher Pomeranla the rendezvous of his troops -f. He then marched to Grandrentz, a city of Poland, lying on the eafl: fide of the Viflula, in order to join Conofpolilki, whom the Imperialifls confidered as a warrior of reputation. In twelve days time, the Polifli general encamped his troops on the eaflern fide of the * Hiftorical or Authentic Relation, in Low one a Swede, and the other a Polifh bifhop, I Dutch, Tom. i. p. 56. (hall conduft myfulf chiefly by the plain and f- As the operations of this lad and mod foldier-like narrative of Sirot, notwithftanding important campaign in Poland may be treated he then bore arms on the Imperial fide, 3fjr- partially, both by Loccenius and Piafecchi, the moires deSirct, 2. Tom, it". Vifliula, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. jz-j Viftula, oppofite to Arnheim, who, as yet, could not reach Grandrentz. 1629. A bridge of boats was then thrown over the river near Marienverder, in order to promote the jundlion of the two armies, whofc refpe6tive generals, after that was tifefted, took care to regulate their marches in fuch a manner, and with fuch difpofitions, as to be prepared for battle in cafe they were forced to engage. The emperor's army always made the right wing, as the poft of honour. Amidft their various decampments from place to place, advice was at length brought them that Guftavus approached. Arnheim and Conofpoliiki held themfelves in readinefs to receive him, and (to prevent furprife) marched in battle-array to a little town called Marienverder, about fix miles from Thorn, where Guftavus then was at the head of a part of his array, which had made an advanced journey, in order to contemplate the coun- tenance of the enemy. The Imperalifts being apprifed of Guflavus's intentions, decamped before break of day, with a \ iew to render them- felves mafters of a difficult pafTage, fituated in the midft of a v>ood,. and capable to afford them opportunities of making great refiftance. Here, in a fort of arapliitheatre, flood a mill, fituated on the banks of a confiderable river, near which was a large morafs, that on one fide. rendered the approach very diflicult : the other fide was likewife pro- te6ted to a certain degree, inafmuch as a wood was to be traverfed by the affailants, and the roads thereof were conftrained and narrow. It is certain, if Guftavus had pre-occupied this poft, according to his own intentions, the Poles and Imperialifts had been both embarra/Fed more than fufHciently ; but fortune favoured the united armies ; fome of whofe troops arrived there before the Swedes, and made a lodgment by the dint of induftry ; for Ccnofpoliflci, who well knew the importance of the poft, marched all night at the head of nine regiir.ents, befides two regiments of dragoons andCoffacks, and began to entrench him- felf by break of day. He tlien placed a grand guard at the front of the wood, on that approacli next the Swedes, for fear of being fur- prifed in his obftru6ted rfnd concealed retirement. A part of his ad- vanced troops, favoured by the darkncfs of the night, difperfed them- felves here and there through the fields that extended beyond the wood. 12a THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. wood, and brought intelligence at break of day, that a regiment of dragoons, and another of horfe, were in full march to fecure the poft in queftion. Thefe troops were conducted by the Rhingrave *, a hot young man, who had hke to have ruined his mafter by his impetuofity 5 for Gufla- vus had ordered him to pufli on and fecure the paflage, upon fuppo- fition only that he met with no notable oppofition -f : but the Rhin- grave (who afterwards, to do him juftice, became a more compofed and regular general) urged his men on with that extremity of refolution, that the enemy foon found it expedient to relinquifli to him this firft fituation ; though their number more than counterbalanced that of the Swedes j for he attacked them with that fury and intrepidity, that he allowed not his dragoons an opportunity to difmount, which was an order tlie king had given him for particular reafons. Had this brave young man flopped here till Guftavus came up, all had been fafe ; and it is probable a fignal victory might have enfued ; yet it no-where appears that his mafler was angry with him ; for it was his notion there fliould be rather too much fire in youth, in order to fupply proper remains for maturer years. The Rhingrave advancing brilkly to purfue his point, prepared him- felf to force a fccond entrance. Arnheim and Conofpolifki being in- formed of this rencounter, and of the defign of the enemy, imagined themfelves to be out-done both in dexterity and bravery. Upon this inftruftions were given, that a large divifion of the army fliould ap- proach, in order to fuflain thofe who defended the paffage and the mill. The troops marched with fuch diligence that they fupported their comrades, who otherwife muft have funk under the fuperiority of the Swedes, who attacked like men pofiefled, and whom neither the diffi- culty of the ground, nor the perpetual difcharge of mufquetry, could compel to retreat. Neverthelefs, the Imperial cavalry, after gal- loping a good hour, was fo fortunate as to prevent the Swedes from • His name was Otho Lewis. He perform- but made a fecond miftake in Germany, \vbicb ed before a very gallant aflion in the Danilh might have proved fatal to him. fervicCj at the retreat of Oldenberg in 1626, -j- Loccenias, p. 561, after the fetal lofs of the battle of Lutter ; making OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ric^ making any farther progrefs, and arrived juft at the point of time i6zq, when the engagement began to proceed to the laft extremity : for Gu- llavus in that inftant had jufl joined his men with a re-inforcement of feme regiments, and fome chofen troops ; but foon found that mat- ters were not fo circumflanced as to favour his undertaking : but being a man of honour, he was refolved to bring his fuftering foldiers off with credit ; for the Rhingrave had loft five colours, and 200 men were killed ; not to mention the prifoners. At this very inftant Gu- ftavus learnt, that befides part of the Polifli army, the whole Imperial force was advancing to attack him, (a fet of hardened and experienced troops, far more refpeclable than the Polanders) which induced him to think of founding a retreat ; and not engaging himfelf imprudently in a place, and in an attack where he could not fucceed but by a com- bination of fortunate circumftances hardly to be expedled : for his ma- jefty had no intention to draw on a battle that day, but only fecure a pafs, leaving the better part of his array at a good diftance behind under Wrangel's care, and having no more with him than 8 or loooo felecled men, wherewith to oppofe an enemy who outnumbered him by two thirds. But at the moment he was meditating to file off and retire, two frefli regiments of Imperialifts arrived, and dlfmounting ' • immediately, fell on with fuch fury, that they opprefTed the Svvedifli troops by weight and number, and drove them back to the extremity of the wood wliere the Pohfli grand guard had firft lodged themfelves. At the fame time Sirot joined the Imperialifts with the regiment of Arnheim, feven felect companies of foot, and two regiments of Cof- flicks ; fo that Guftavus was obliged to retire behind an hill of fand, about 3000 paces from the entrance of the wood, and range his troops afrefn in a fituation where one could not readily fee them, or form a notion of the difpofitions then made. After various Ikirmiflies and attacks on loofe uneven ground, Guftavus contrived to mount the emi- nence of an hill, on which there was a large area, prote6led on one fide by a marfli and wide lake, and on the other fide by a deep ditch, vv'hich came out of the wood and environed the fpace, round which was a meadow of no inconfiderable dimenfions : and there Guftavus Vol. I. S lodged 130 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. lodged Ills troops. After fcvcral rencounters, which took different turns, being of a variable and equivocal nature, the Imperial army at length came up, but was greatly embarralled for want of fufficicnt room to aft in. Amidft this confufion, the Polifh troops that were firft on the port determined to make themfelves mailers of the fummit of the hill. To this eft"c6l, they all advanced in one line, ex'cepting the Coifacks, who marclied a few paces after them at right and left. On this new movement the Swedes redoubled their efforts ; but the numbers that afled againft them were fo difadvantageous, and the fire of the muf- quetry io greatly fuperior in frequency and quantity, that they refigned the top of the hill to their adverfaries, who entrenched themfelves there. Guflavus had ftrong reafons for making this facrifice, though highly contrary to his natural temper ; for he chofe not to lie fo near a determined enemy, when there was nothing to divide the combatants- but the rubbifli of fome old ruins. In this third retreat the Coffacks incommoded extremely the regiment of the Rhingravc in flank, which oWiged him to attack them in felf- dcfencc. Eut unfortunately, in making this movement, he necefParily laid himfclf open to Sirot, who, though inferior in point of men, feized one of thofe critical moments in war, (which never prefent themfelves a fccond time) and made fo judicious and opportune an attack, that the Swedifli army was obliged to face about. And now regiment op- pofed regiment, in like manner as one man engages another ; the irre- gulars upon the whole did much mifchief, efpecially upon the right wing of the Sv.edcs. A feries of millipprehenfions and mifcondu6l in inferior officers had drawn Guflavus into fuch a dilemma, that he re- folved for a flioit fpace to try what an incredible effort might effeft : he fought therefore at the head of the firfl regiment like a commoa foldier, with an intrepidity not to be defcribed. Sirot miffed killing him very nearly ; nor was the king deficient in returning the like inten- tions. To comprehend this matter more exaftly, it mufl be known, that the gallant Frenchman had fliot the cornet of the pretorian regiment of guards, and wanted to carry off the colours. Guflavus, who was en- gaged jufl by, feeing the officer on the ground, and judging rightly of I the OF GUSTAVU8 ADOLPHUS. rjt the French baron's defigns, inflead of taking a Httle patli, which would 1629. have conducted him more fafely round the edge of the lake, advanced towards Sirot by a fliorter paflage, and lodged a carabine-ball in his right arm, intending to have fhot him through a vital part. Sirot advanc- ing, m.ide a return with his piftol, and fired fo near the king's head, that he burnt his hair, and either the ball, or the motion the king made on the occafion, caufed his hat to fall to the ground. Sirot had by chance a dqmeftic with him, who being infenfibly drawn into the combat, and having a defire, as his horfe was killed under him, to feize the horfe of the cornet whom Sirot had fhot, took up (as he was then on foot) the king's hat, and gave it his mafter. Sirot had not efcaped fo cheaply, had it not been for a coat of mail which he wore under his hongreline. He neither knew the king, nor the king him. It is faid by an author *, (not that I relate that writer's account for matter of faft, having no collateral authorities) that this very impious and heretical hat was fent by the houfe of Auftria to adorn the flirine of the lady at Loretto ; which, faith the fame perfon, is lefs to be wonder- ed at, inafmuch as the father of critics had the prefumption to be- queath his night-gown to the faid holy virgin. Whei"eupon a wit of that age wrote the following diftich : Criticus viriletn virgini togam legans In morte fecit Lipjius folcscifmum. But to return to the adlion laft mentioned. Upon the whole, cer- tain it is, that the king always difliked this lofs of his beaver, and com- forted himfelf as well as he could with the following application to the enemy : 'ViSlor ovat fpolio, gaudetque pot It us. 'Tumo tempus erit tnagno cum optaverit emptum IntaSlum Pallanta & cum f poll a ijia, diemque Oderit * New Star of the North, p, 44. S 2 Wc 132 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1629. Wc have no account of the numbers flain on cither fide ; yet the re- giment of Bimlhauf, cfleemed the very finefl in the Imperial fcrvice, was intircly luined : and fourteen enfigns of foot and five of horfe were taken by the Swedes. Who were made prifoners, and who were Uaughtered, appearcth not, excepting a Swedifli velt-marechal (whom I fuppofc to be Wrangel *) and count John, the Rhingrave's brother. Sirot's men took him, but the Polanders attemped to rob them of their capture, in expectation of a large ranfom. In this tumult.uous conteft: the poor young nobleman was unfortunately killeall leave the "world viith a Jinn perfucjion that Providence will fupport viy Jhbjedh, becaufe they are faithful and virtuous j and that my minijlers, generals, and fenators, ivili pundlually difcharge their duties to my child and people, inafmuch as they refpe&ed me, and loved their country *, I own myfelf at a lofs which to admire moll in tliis debate, his majefty's abilities or his honefty ; for as he had not actually fettled any eftablifhed agreement between himfelf, France, and England, though morally fure of effe6ling fomething on that head, he generoufly dif- dained to have recourfe to fuch perfuafive and plaufible arguments : and indeed it was always the caft of his temper, to preferve fome re- fources by way of furprife, and perform more than he gave people reafons to expert. It was only for a man like Guftavus to quit this common department of the politician : and if Charles I. had thoroughly underftood this exception in human nature, he would not have ruined, as far as lay in his power, the eleflor Palatin's caufe, by infifting upon promifes from Guftavus relative to the reftltution of that prince, before he had power to realize them. The true policy had been to have trufted the king of Sweden, and fufpe(5ted the reft of mankind ; which incidental remark the reader will fee verified hereafter, by the king's affe6tion and regard for that unfortunate prince, at a time when his Britannic majefty gave over all concerns for his intereft. '630. It muft be remembered, that this aflembly was held in Pruflia; and from thence Guftavus fet fail for Stockholm, in which voyage De Char- nace attended him ; and there he renewed his application to enforce an alliance between Sweden and France ; but in fuch high terms, and with fo great an air of indifference, that men of fenfe fufpefled Riche- - lieu (who had been made fecretary of ftate and primc-minifter long before) to want more to penetrate into Guftavus's defigns, than to form any real agreement between the two crowns : for De Charnace threw out his propofals in a manner fo extremely genend and unre- ft:ri(5led, that in every inftance he feemed to refen-e for his mafter a fafe and uncontefted opening by way of retreat : nor was he over- * Loccenii Hift. Suecan. p. 563 — 565. " modeil OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 145 modeft in the reqiiifitions he made; for it was exprefly requefted by i6-;o. him, that Guftavus, upon entering Germany, fhould maintain an army of 36000 men, and oblige himfelf to continue the war, right or wrong, fix intire years ; for which fervices France fliould pay him an- nually 75000 1. fterling. Gufta\ais, conformably not only to right reafon, but to the natural cafl of his temper, treated every article of thefe conditions with an air of penetration and difdain : he chofe not to enlifl himfelf as a mercenary general upon fo contemptible a ftipend ; nor was it pleafmg to him to be excluded from the means of treating with the emperor, upon condition propofals were offered him fatisfaiSlory to his own honour and the proteflant caufe. He feared alfo lefl the other princes and ftates, who courted his alliance, or might reciprocally be requefled by him to enter into engagements, fliould negleft, contemn, or think ill of his friendfhip, when they knew him to be engaged by France to carry on the war in the empire, at all events, for a limited number of years. A further difficulty yet remained; De Chamace had forgot to invelop his fentiments in fuch clouds of obfcurity, as certain politicians have always the power of creating ; confequently Guflavus penetrated through the thin difguife, and faw plainly that France, whilfl flie em- ployed him for a certain number of years irreverfibly in the empire, had a private view to make an advantageous peace with the emperor in Italy. For thefe reafons the prefent negotiation was fufpended ; neverthelefs, not to crufli it abfolutely in its precarious exiflence, the fe- cretary Nichola'i was fent to Paris, to infmuate dexteroufly, that Guftavus had no difmclination to an engagement, where the conclufions were rea- fonable, and not inconfiftent with his welfare and dignity. During this interval, De Charnace fet out with a view to revifit France, but received orders at Copenhagen to embark again for Stockholmi, with frefh inftrucStions (as it was generally thought) relative to a new confe- deracy in refpecl to the invafion of Germany *; and thus matters were conducted to a more fuccefsful conclufion. • MS, letter from Sir Thomas Roe to lord vifcount Dorchefter, fecretary of flate, Feb. 14, 1629-30. Vol. I. U K ,46 THE Hli STORY OF THE LIFE ]6^o. It liath been aOeited by Waffcnbcig *, an author of fo great repute, that the famous count dc Furflcnberg publilhcd a commentary upon his hillory, that Guftavus, upon the propofal made him to enter Germany, placed fo Httle confidence in French promifcs and fubfidy-payments, that he infilled on his Chriftian raajefty's fending feven hoftagcs to re- fide at Amfterdam by way of fecurity : and it was made a point likewife, that the repubhc of Venice fliould fend two lioftages on the lame pur- •poks to Stockholm ; and the Englilh and Mufcovites fliould difpatch a . certain number to make their abode in fuch places as the king fliould fpccify. But the ftates general were truftcd upon their bare parole of honour : a markof confidence which at that time they jufl:ly merited, on account of their finccre good-will to the unfortunate ele6lor Palatin, and the proteftant religion, upon all occafions then exifl;ing. This matter being thus difmifled for a feafon, Gufl^avus at length pro- pofed the final difcuflion of peace and war to the ftates of the kingdom aflbmbled in fcnate. Various arguments were then alledged on either fide, in fubfl:ance much the fame with thofe already related j but at length it was unanimoufly determined in favour of a {a.{Q and glorious peace, or a briflc and perfevering war, without admitting any intermediate flate of things by way of fuccedaneum. The fenate then concluded with an earnefl: requefl: to his majefl:y not to confent to a peace, except be bad his helmet on-f; requefl:ing him at the fame time to relinquifli no prefent or future acquifitlons, without maintaining in the highcfl: degree the honour and glory of Sweden, the fovereignty of the Baltic, and the free ex- emption of the town of Stralfund ; not forgetting the refl:oration of the dukes of Mechlenberg, and the re-efl:ablifliment of anticnt tranquillity in the two circles of Lower and Upper Saxony ; keeping a flridl and watchful eye to all alliances then contracted, or thereafter to be con- trafled with foreign princes, and the true prefervation of the rights and dignity of the proteflant religion t- Upon this the fl:ates of the kingdom expedited a deputy to Walft:eiii •• Florus German, p. 260. the ufage of war then in being, f Sed tcntumfiibchpeo: but the original words '% Hift. Authent. Re!at. in Low Dutch, fol. sould not be uanflated literally, according to Tom. i, p. 51. z and OP GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 147 and Tilly, to whom his majefty difpatched alfo a couple of letters *. 1630'. But when the perfon delegated, whofe name was Nicolas Bielke, (lord jufticiary of tlie country of Smaland) arrived at Stralfund, he thought proper, for certain reafons, to fend his letters and a copy of his inflruc-' tions to the refpeclive generals, and complained with great acrimony againft the violence of Walftein. It does not appear, that this arro- gant commander had the politenefs to return the king an anfvver ; but Tilly made a reply with great refpc6l, and modeflly vindicated both hini- felf and his party. The refult therefore was, that the affair of Stral- fund gave Guilavus pretenfions upon tlie empire, and paved a founda- tion for him whereupon he might repofe his hopes and prefervation : for it rendered him mafler of a fea-port alike commodious for advancing or retreating. And now openeth a great profpeft, that is to fay, the invafion of Germany ; and fmce this point may be juflly confidered as the mofl important event in European hiftory, it appeareth here highly conve- nient, once for all, to form a fhort but diftindl notion of the ftate of thd empire, for a century preceding, and fomething more, with refpe6t to its rehgious, civil, or military commotions. Previoufly -f to the Bohemian troubles in 1618, about an hundred years, (almofl to a month) Martin Luther, profefTor of theology in the univerfity of Wittemberg, began to difpute publicly againft ths abufes of Indulgencies ; and Ulric Zuinglius at tlie fame period declaimed from tlie pulpit againft the aforefaid abufes. The doctrines of Luther in general were extremely reliflied by the majority of mankind 3 and he found moreover an excellent patron and prote(5tor in Frederic the Sage, ele6lor of Saxony, and John the Conlfant, his brother. This was that very Saxon elector who, in conjunction with fome other flates, proteftcd againft the Imperial decree in the diet held at Spires, in the year 1529, from which action the name of Protejfant lirft took its rife. After that a confefiion of their faith was prefented to the emperor Charles V. + at the • Hiflorical or Authent. Relat. in Low Dutch, % It'has been thought by fome, that the houfa fol. Tom. i. p. ji, 52. of Auftiia, in fucceeding ages, formed its plan of -f- Memoirs communicated, univerfal monarchy upon the practices of this U 2 , priftce. 148 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ^630. the diet of Aiigfburg the enfuing year, and from thence the Lutherans fuinamc themfelves to this very hour Fidei Augnjlance addiBos ; and as there was great rcafon to fear that the emperor would attempt to reduce them to conformity by force of arms, they tliought it both fafe and convenient to place themfelves in a ftate of defence, and of courfe formed immediately the famous league of Smalcalden ; a fmall city in the territories of Hefle. The eIe6tor of Saxony, and Philip landgrave of Hefle, were the chief pcrfonages in this confederation. But P'rancis I. king of France, Henry VIII. king of England, (who had publiftied a treatife againft Luther, upon the fubjefl of the feven facraments, which procured him the title of Defender of the faith) and the king of Denmark, all afpirtd to obtain the good graces and amity of the confedcrators at Smalcalden. M. de Bellay concluded a treaty with them at Eflinguen in 1532 j and it was then fuppofcd in France, that a political flep of this nature wouM create the means of giving an oblique check to the immenfe power of the emperor. Yet the new religion unhappily performed that, which the enemies thereof could not eifeft ; for the two communions of Lutherans and Zuinglians (or as fome afFefted to call themfelves, Helvetians) had the prince, and fomc traditional fchemes and fay- that Charle; V. granted more favours to the pro- ings of his, that had been delivered down to tellants by the pax reUgiofa, than an abfolute re- pollerity by uninterrupted fucceflion. The po- ligionift could be thought to have done, and have tentate in queftion, the moft powerful and illu- fufpefted (though perhaps without foundation) Urioas of all the fucceflbrs of Charlemagne, that the conference at Worms had made fome im- trained up to geat enterprizes, firA by Peno- preffion on his mind, and wrought therein no in- net, and then by cardinal Granville, conceived confiderable change: for when the Spaniards in the high idea of becoming fole monarch of the Smalcaldic war, on the furrender of Wictem- Europe ; a title the Auftrians and Spaniards at berg, after the defeat of John Frederic, eleftor that junfture greatly wifhed to fee realized ! of Saxony, defired pevmifiion from him to dig They well forefaw the difficulties which the up the bones of Luther, and burn them, he re- princes and Rates of the empire might throw in plied with great emotion ; " Leave the man in their way, and of courfe made the grand at- " peace, I have no inclination to behold him tempt to divide them, under pretext of cxtir- " again, having feen enough of him in the dif- pating the doflrines of a Saxon profefTor. This " putation at Worms." And what confirms the exprtffion of pretext I purpofely make ufe of, matter ftill farther is, that his laft words were inafmuch as it was in their power, many years reputed to be thefe : In folis meritis Chrijii coit' before, to have given the death-ftroke to the Jxm *. Lutheran caufe. For fome writers have thought • Kiffanlcti Deminationii yircjti*, p. 2o fc' 16, Mmifi f«ur la gjcnx d' Maugiu, p. 95. misfortune OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 149 misfortune to difagree in the very Infancy of reformation. At firft: the 1630. difference was flight, relating to little more than fome infubftantial dif- agreements in the article of the Holy Supper ; but after the Helvetians had adopted tlie do6trines of Calvin, the feparation proceeded to greater lengths. It was the cuflom of the age to furname this latter party Cal~ 'c'mijis, but for their own parts they chofe rather to be dignified with the title of the Reformed. At length the reformation made furprizing advances in neighbouring countries ; Guftavus Vafa eftabliflied it in Sweden, and Albert of Bran- denburg, fii-fl duke of Pruflia, embraced it likewife. Chriftian III. king of Denmark, caufed the Doftor Pomeranus to come from Wittemberg, in order to eflablifh the new religion in the North. This ecclefiaftic per- formed the ceremony of his coronation, and compofed a liturgy at that time, which is made ufe of to this hour in the coronation of the kings of Denmark. About the fame time, and with a motion almofl as rapid as lightening, the reformation difpread itfelf over all Pruffia and Livonia, as alfo over Poland, Lithuania, and even Bohemia, Hungary, Tranfylvania, Auftria, and Carniola. On the other hand it made Its progrefs with the like rapidity through the Low Countries, but was attended there with great commotions and diilurbances (which took their rife from theanabaptifts) ; and then forced its way Into the dominions of France, where Calvin threw it into a new mold. The court of Rome difcountenanced all difcuflions upon this fubje(5l ; and the popes perfifled in one uniform tone with Charles V. which was, to crufh the proteftants in Germany by meer force of power. But the em- peror was not of fo turbulent and fanguinary a temper, and had reafons befides for dealing more mildly with the proteftants, and more circum- fpectly. He had a long and difagreeable war to fuftain againft Francis I. and the grand fignior had no lefs fcheme in view than to ravifh Hungary from the emperor's brother, Ferdinand I ; in profecution of which, he threw all Germany into an alarm, by invefting the city of Vienna in 1529- Mean 150 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Mean while the emperor, and many other cathoUc fovereigns, rc- quefled a free council of tiie popes, but unfuccefsfuUy. Perhaps his Imperial majcfty might have done better to have convened a national council by way of fuccedancum : but that not being the cafe, at lengtli pope Paul III. exhibited, what may juftly be termed a farce or interlude to all Europe, a convening the ailcmbly of Trent, which was fuppofed to reprefent an oecumenical council : but tlie proteftants kept thcmfclves upon their guard, and were not over-reached. Tliat being the cafe, tlie emperor, after the conclufion of the peace at CrcTpy hi 1 544, found himfelf in a capacity to turn his arms againft the confederates of the Smalcaldic league, and two years afterwards pub- liflied an Iniperial profcription againfl the two principal perfonages con- cerned therein, namely, the elector of Saxony and the landgrave of HelTe. lie then defeated the eleftor at the famous battle of Muhlberg, April 24, 1 547, and took him prifoner : commanding that day in perfon, though extremely incommoded by the gout. Yet fo great was this prince's paillon for glory, when placed in the balance againft other fentiments, that he transferred the eletlorate of Saxony to prince Maunce. And hence it is that the eleftoral dignity is palFed into that branch of the family which is called Albertin, Mean while the landgrave, in order to obtain his pardon, was obliged to come to Halle and perform the ceremony of genuflexion at the emperor's feet, who IHU detained him prifoner, tliough Granville ' his great chancellor had given flrong hopes to the contrary. Hence arofe a new war; and this may be called the mod fliining epocha in the reign of Chai^les V. Infomuch that a fufpicion hath arifen in many minds, as if he intended, after the reduction of the proteftants, to have given a new caft to the foTm of the empire. Be that as it v/ill, it grieved him particularly to have made his brother Ferdinand king of the Romans ; fmce thereby he precluded himfelf from having the power of aflbciating to the empire liis fon Philip ; a young man whom hiltory might have pronounced fortunate, had he chanced to inherit his father's genius ! But foon afterwards he acled an unbecoming part in England upon efpoufing Mary, who had juft then fucceeded her brother Edward, and in the tranfpoits of enthufiafm over- turned OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. i^i turned that reformation, which his brother-in-law had taken care to 1630. introduce. Eut at that very time, when the emperor Charles V, concluded him- felf fovereign dilpofer of the fortunes of all the proteftants in Germany, Maurice, the new eleclor of Saxony, formed a freih league, in order to fecure the liberty of religion ; and Henry II. king of France, who had lately fucceeded his father Francis I, availed himfelf of this critical con- jundure with a view to make a powerful revulfion, and of courfe con- cluded with the confederate princes the famous treaty of Chambor. The elector of Saxony marched an army fuddenly againft the emperor in 1552, who at that time was without troops in the country of Tyrol, and fufpeiSted nothing. His efcape was fortunate ; for the confederates miffed little of furprizing him in the city of Infpruck. Mean while Henry II. declared war againfl him, and furnamed himfelf the pro- tedor of the Germanic liberty j a title the French kings have ever af- fe6led to affume fnice that period ! As if there was an opiate in the found, which might fcrve to lull the empire to fuch a degree, till it dreamt itfelf into a flate of llavery ! At the fame time the princes of Farnefe took the alarm in Italy, and cloathed themfelves in armour : infomuch that the emperor, perceiving himfelf embarratled on all hands by a feries of revolutions quite unex- pected, concluded immediately a truce at Paffau with the proteftants, in order to employ all his forces againft the king of France. This truce was at length fucceeded by the peace of religion *, agreed upon at Auglburg, anno 1555, in a general diet of the empire, wherein Ferdinand king of the Romans prelided in the abfence of the emperor his brother, who employed himfelf at that time in the Lov/ Countries,, having already planned out to himfelf the fcheme of relinquiihing the * The moll eflential article of this pacifica- the eleftor of Brandenburg and the landgrave tion was, " That no perfon thenceforwards of HclTe, &c. were admitted parties. It re- " fhould be profecuted in the Roman empire ceived a renfion three years afterwards at the '• for the fake of religion." The treaty itfelf, diet of Augtburg, and confifts of thirteen ge- commonly called the fax reH^'.ofa, was con- neral articles ; of which the reader may penife eluded in the year 15;;, between the emperor a clear diflinft abridgment in Era< helius, Hill. Charles V. and the elcftor of Saxony i to which noftr. temp. 12°. 186, &c. throne. 1-2 THE HISTORY OV THE LIFE 1630. throne, and pafTmg the remainder of his days in retirement and tran- qnilUty. And here it mufl: be obferved, that the prace of religion did not then extend itfelf to do6lrinal points ; it cftablilhed only a full and fair equality between papifts and protcflants in rebus civilibus : and of courfe the latter were left in quiet pofFenion of all the bifhoprics and other ecclefiaflical benefices, with which they had inverted themfelves till this period. Neverthelefs, king Ferdinand inferted one claufe at the felicitations of the catholics, which was, " That whenever a prc- " late of the Romifli pcrfuaficn Ihould think fit to embrace the pro- •' teftant communion, he fhould then be obliged to relinquifh his be- " nefices." This fhort claufe is called the Rcfervaium Ecckfiajiicum \ and hath been confidered by the Romanifts as the bulwark of their church. The proteftants exclaimed aloud againft this perpleicing limitation, and wdth greater reafon, as it happened to be iiiferted contrary to their knowledge, and without their permiflion *. Thus a few flrokes of the pen gave birth to innumerable difcords, altercations, and inteftine commotions, which were never truly compofed till die peace of Wefl- phalia. When the prelates arrived at the council of Trent, they had no in- clination to enter into debates in the neighbourhood of a refpectable army ; and making thefe appearances a pretext for withdrawing, re- tired to their refpeftive homes April 22, 1552. France extra6led no fmall advantage from the wars and confufions then fubfifting j for flie procured the pofibfTion of Metz, Toule, and Verdun ; and die delicious tafle of thefe three little models quickened her appetite to fuch a degree, that flie at length fwallowed down the three relpedlive biflioprics that appertained to them. The council of Trent afTembled a third time in the year 1562, and publifhed its decree the year cnfuing. But, in fpite of all the anathe- • As the proteftants had never intereft to " That a protcftant prelate, upon profefling procure this claufe to be expunged, a frelh one " himfelf a Roman catholic, (hould be deprived waj inferted by way of counter-balance at the " of his dignity and his revenues."' treaty of Muniler, whereby it was ftipulated, 2 mas OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 153 mas then thundered out, the emperor Ferdinand * confirmed {he peace 1630. of religicji throughout the empire, and the number of proteftants aug- mented under his reign, and thofe of his fucceffors MaximiUan -f- and Rodolphus II J, in the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia, and in all the hereditary dominions of the houfe of Auftria in Germany : and the latter prince in particular granted fome notable privileges to the proteflants of Bohemia, and the annexed provinces, under the title of Literce majejlatis. * This prince, brother to Charles V, in all but what related to the Refer-vatum Ecclejtajiicum, difcovered no outrageous fpirlt againft the pro- teftant religion, and was pleafed to fay, a fhort time before he died, that he had laboured to compofe the animofities between Chriftians, and had attempted to compel no man to believe contrary to his private fentiments. What con- firms this is, that he and the eleftor of Saxony agreed very well in their general opinions, and his ambaiTador at the council of Trent gave at- tention to the marriage of priefts, and the com- munion under both kinds : fo that the council in general appeared to be much better fatisfied than his holinefs the pope. Motifs four la guerre d" Allemagne, 96. ■f- Maximilian, fucceffor to Ferdinand, de- cently obfen-ed all the forms of popery ; but there are reafons to think his heart had no in- fuperable difinclination to the oppofite religion : for the proteftants owe to this prince the fa- vourable conllitution granted them 1577, in which he difpofed of all their Bona Ecckfmjiica, in a manner contrary to the fentiments of his own party. X Rodolphus, brother to Maximilian, be- haved well to the proteftants, even in the here- ditary dominions. He allowed a Lutheran dodlor to come from Brunfwic and inftruft fuch of his fubjefts as were of his perfualion. This anecdote was acknowleged by the Imperial minifter, count Lamberg, and others, in his own houfe, at the congrefs of Ofnabrug, 164S. From which feries of remarks, by way of notes, it appears plainly, that the houfe of Auftria was never fo fincerely bent upon becoming abfolute. Vol. I. as at the time Guftavus thought fit to enter the empire. Under thefe above-named emperors, the court of Spain had no great afcendant in Ger- many. The two firft were its concealed ene- mies more or lefs ; and Rodolphus, piqued at the infanta's being given in marriage to arch- duke Albert, his brother, always maintain- ed a fecret hatred to Spain, nouvithftanding he had been educated in the court of Philip II. Thefe refentments continued fo ftrongly upon him, that fome years afterwards he gave the Spanifh ambaflador a box in the ear, and ba- nilhed him from his court, for making a very petulant and lively remonftrance to him : and this Volmar, the Imperial plenipotentiary, con- feffed at Nurenberg to the French minifter. During all this period the crown of Spain re- ceived no confiderable aiEftances from the em- peror or the empire. But matters took another turn in 1612, when Mathias afcended the Im- perial throne. Good correfpondence and intel- ligence was immediately formed between the two courts ; and the ambaffador of the latter foon found means to create and foment divifions in the empire, upon the plan of Charles Vth's memoirs, and wakened the fleeping fires in Bo- hemia to their full aftivit'y, by difcovering the uneafinefs of the proteftants, and then exhort- ing the court of Vienna to purfue the moft ar- bitrary and perfecuting methods of reducing them to obedience. Thus, by adminifterirg breath to a few latent fparks, a furious flame was raifed, and the conflagration did not ceafe in lefs than thirty years. \_Mot;fs pour la gueirt d" Allemagne, 96, is'c.'\ X Queen 154. THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Queen Elizabeth not only re-eftabliftied the reformation in England, but fupported it likewife in France and the Low Countiies, where the indifcreet zeal of Philip II. paved the way for thofe future revolutions, which adminiftered a feries of opportunities, all tending to the dif- membering and enfeebling of the houfe of Auflria j whilft, on the other hand, the love of liberty took root impeiceptibly in the United Pro- vinces, and derived its chief fupport and nourifhment from the treaty of Utrecht concluded in 1579. But in France the reformed religion made more rapid advances, and milTed little of afcending to the regality in the perfon of the king of Navarre. But the particular league, fo much talked of, compelled this prince at length to pay his attendance at mafs in the commencement of the eighteenth century *. Soon after the tempeft began to thicken all over Germany, in a very formidable manner : for the proteftants being alarmed at the perfecut- ing fpirit of Ferdinand II, to which the Spaniards took care to admi- nifler fewel, and dreading extremely what a perfon of fo furious a temperament might undertake, whenever he mounted the Imperial throne, had the precaution to combine themfelves under the denomi- nation of UnioniJIs; and on their parts, in order to counter-balance the machinations of the papifts, formed an immenfe proje(5t, which had the appearance of extirminating the Auftrian princes from the empire, or depriving them at leaft of the better part of their dominions. This aftonifliing revolution broke forth at Prague in 1618. But their expectances from England, France, Holland, and Denmark, all proved fallacious, or unavailing. James I. hated king-making, and had an averfion, as the foreigners tell us, to a drawn fword. The pro- tcftants in France were foon deprefled, and had the power of contribut- ing nothing, except their good wiflies and their prayers. And the catholic party there overtiu'ned the union by their intrigues -, for that kingdom, at the period I am now fpeaking of, under the miniftry ot the conftable Des Luynes, by a contrafl of politics remarkably fingular, cultivated the friendlhip of the Spaniards, and advanced their interefls. * Memoirs communicated, ■ I Thus O F G U S T A V U S A D O L P H U S. 155 Thns the Auftrian affairs being arrived to the very zenith of power, 1630. out came, almoll at one flroke, the fuhninatory edict of reftitution, which founded afrefh the alarm to war, and carried it to the amazing duration of thirty years. In the various edi6ls pubHflied by the court of Vienna on this occafion, it was expelled by the emperor, that the reformed had no title to be comprehended in the Pax rcUgiofa, and that the proteftants in general ought to reflore all the ecclefiaftical pof- feflions which they had appropriated to themfelves ever flnce the con- clufion of that treaty j aijd this fmgle flep brought the great Guftavus into the empire. I fliall now attempt to defcribe in a few words the fituation of things at this important period. It appears from v/hat hath been premifed, that the houfe of Aufiria had continued in the higheft fplendor ever fmce the time of Charles V. At this important junfture, iht was mi- ftrefs of Spain, Portugal, the treafures of America, the Low Countries, the Milanefe, the kingdom of Naples, Bohemia, the incorporated pro- vinces, Hungary, its own hereditary dominions, and, to a certain de- gree, of all Germany : fo that if fo many ftates had united under one chief of that family, there is reafon to think that the proteflant religion muft have been exterminated, and all Europe enflaved. And the houfe of Spain, at that time, confidered itfelf to be all powerful; fince in a Latin manufcript memorial *, or letter, which I have in my pofleflion, addrefled to Louis XIII, it is there faid, that his Catholic majefty, Philip IV. had the prefumption, and one may add the impiety like- wife, to place this kmma under his inlignia, sine ipso factum est NIHIL ; which exprelTion, if it doth not border on blafphemy, the reader muft judge ; for it is applied eminently and defervedly to our blefied Saviour by St. John. The emperor too, by means of his own proper forces, and thofe of the catholic league, had by this time cruflaed every prince and ftate that prefumed to oppofe his ambitious defigns. He had reduced Bohemia and the- annexed provinces after their revolt, an4 * This treaufe is written in very elegant He concludes with thefe remarkable words to Latin, with uncommon fpirit and freedom of Louis XIII. Agnofce teip/um is" viilor eris. fentimentj and contains eleven pages in folio. X2 had 156 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. had conftrained their unfortunate prince not only to reUnquifh his new kingdom, but his patrimonial territories : for after a mock-reign of eighteen months, the decifive battle of Prague un-kinged him, and font him to feek his bread and his fortunes in other countries, fince his Englifli father only fupplicd him with peaceable advice and fcho- laftic quotations, inftead of money and legions. Upon this the emperor doled out in paicels the dominions of Frederic to feveral potentates that were in his interefts. But the greater fliarc was transferred to Maximiliaji, eleflor of Bavaria, as the perfon among them the moft refpedable in rank, and the mofl confiderable in point of fervices. To him therefore was configned the whole Upper Pala- tinate (excepting only a trifling part) and the ele6loral dignity. Alarm- ed and aftonifhed at thefe tranfa6lions, his majefty of Denmark formed an alliance with fome German princes his neighbours, and commenced a frefli war againfl the houfe of Auftria, which proved upon the whole fo unfuccefsful, that he was obliged to accept fuch conditions of peace as the Imperial party thought fit to prefcribe ; and Ferdinand on the other hand, elevated with fuch a feries of profperous events, [which gave him pretext to raife a very confiderable army, and pretences to continue the fame army on foot, with appearance of extirpating his enemies, and maintaining a general peace throughout the empire] de- termined to develop to the public, the myflerious obje6l of all his waflies, which, though many fufpeded, yet few pofitively believed. And in order therefore to place fuch princes as were fuppofed to enter- tain unfavourable ideas of him, beyond the bare poflibility of obflru6l- ing his future defigns, publiflied the ever-memorable edict j which, joined to the infolence, outrages, depredations, and depopulations of Walftein's army, that lived every where at difcretion, and made but a barely perceptible diftindlion between friends and foes, alarmed even the catholic powers, as well as the evangelical -, for the former began to perceive at length, that the plan formed by the houfe of Auftria w'as too exorbitant, and likewife too tyrannical : for Walftein is faid to have drawn 300,000 1. flerling from the eletSlorate of Brandenburg only OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 157 only*. Nor did George William himfelf (the prince then reigning) 1630. greatly relifli tlie edict of reftitution, inafmuch as it portended no lefs than an annihilation of the biflioprics of Brandenburg, Havelburg, and Lebus -f. In fupport of this remark, it may be worth obfej-ving, that the eleftor of Bavaria himfelf was not devoid of fufpicions and jealoufies, who (indeed principally on his own account) had thought fit, by one and the fame ftroke, to preferve the emperor, and fecure to himfelf that delicious morfel the Higher Palatinate, Here he wiflied fecretly to flop; but as fuch a check appeared to be rather too bold and abrupt, he con- tented himfelf with clogging the wheels of the Auftrian machine, by projecting at a diftance, the difgrace and ruin of Walltein, and paving the way remotely to an under-ground intercourfe between the courts of Munich and Verfailles. And as he was the moft refined and myfterious politician of any prince in thofe days, he made one ulterior attempt of ambiguous appearance, but of pofitive decifion ; for under the fhew of prudence, ceconomy, and not giving any undue umbrage to the pro- teftants, he induced the court of Vienna to engage itfelf in an enter- prize, much more prejudicial to her project of abfolute power, than the removal of Walftein could be ; and that was, to march 30000 men into Italy, in order to take polTeffion of Mantua and Cazal in the Im- perial name, as alfo to difband a veteran corps of proteftants, who fought under the Auftrian banners (for this prince with all his policy was a determined bigot by profeflion) : and laftly, to pare away fome- thing from the immenfe number of the catholic forces, fince a lefs fu- fpicions quantity of foldiers was fufiicient in all confcience to give laws to the empire at that conjuncture j which we will acknowlege to be true, if fuch a cotemporary prince as Gultavus had not happened to exift : but whether Maximilian privately wiflied for his interference, or whether he over-looked, him or defpifed him, (as a perfon fo very re- mote from the Germanic fyftem) is more than I can take upon me at this diftance to determine. Be that as it will, the Imperial forces and thofe of the league, which confifted of 125^000 men, were reduced * Memoirs of the hou£s o£ Brandenburg. f Ibid, (garrifons. 15^ T H ]• HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. (garrifons excepted) to about 70000 combatants; a quantity of foldicrs fufficicnt to have enflavcd the empire at that time, if nnforefccn acci- dents had not happened to interfere. On the other hand, the neighbouring princes and ftates took um- br^ige at the immcnfe and ambitious projects of the houfe of Auftria, and after various refle6lions, in confequence of the ill fuccefs that had attended his Danifli majefty's irruption into Germany, found no perfon upon whom they could repofe their hopes but Gufl:a\ais : and him they were obliged to extricate from that difagreeable war vihich en- gaged him in Poland : for the fate of Europe feemed to depend upon this one political negotiation : and as all parties, without confulting each other, were convinced his Swedifh majcfty alone could perform the talk, England, Holland, and France, alike interefted themfclves in pro- pofmg an accommodation. The laft more particularly, as fhe was neareft in fituation to the emperor, and moft a rival to him in power : and the rather as Richelieu, who then fate at the helm, and directed the whole political machine, had adopted the fyftem which Henry IV. foiTnerly devifed, of humbling and debafing the houfe of Auftria. A fyftem France, lince that period, hath contrived to execute too fuccefs- fully ! The Swedifli and Auftrlan parties at this critical conjunflure both fought the affiftance of the king of Denmark: but that politic and wary prince, long exercifed in misfortunes and difappointments, ex- prefled a defire to continue neutral ; for in truth the emperor had ter- rified him half out of his fenfes on the OTie hand, and he had conceiv- ed a cold and invidious jealoufy of fo powerful and enterprizing a neighbour as Guftavus on the other hand. And here it may be afkcd by fome perfons, how far, and in what refpedts, the prefent commotions may be denominated a war of religion? As Guftavus was a prince who had a vital and fmcere affecflion for the prefervation of the evangelical doflrine, it is not to be doubted but that thefe ideas made fome impreflion on his mind ; but upon the whole I think it is certain, that he would have oppofed the domination and arbitrary views of the houfe of Auftria, even if fhe had made profeflion OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 159 profefTion of the proteftant belief : fo that I have been prompted fome- 1630. times to think, that religion iiad lefs to do upon the prefent occafion than is commonly imagined, and tliat it was only a fort of half-pretext: as the eletilrefs Palatii!, Louifa Juliana, (no inconfiderable fcates- woman) ufed always to aiTert. Nor ihuft I here omit, that the people of the cabinet conftantly kept peace with the men of the fword : for previoufly to the breaking out of the Bohemian troubles, the proteftants had violent fufpicions that the Imperial court, then fuppofed to be under the influence of the jefuits, had a mind to violate the grand pacificatorium of Faffau, and erecl itfelf by degrees into an univerfal monarchy. With a view to give death to thefe infmuations, the ele61or of Bavaria, after the battle of Prague, or- dered \ns jus-publicijls to fet forth an impreflion of the Anbaltine Cancel- laria : (a coUeftion of ftate-papers found amongft the plunder of the prince of Anhalt's baggage, which were alledged to contain no lefs de- ligns, than to extend proteftantifm from the Baltic to the Mediterra- nean*:) to which a counfellor of the eleftor Palatin made a reply; and one Keller, a jefuit, under the name of Fabius Hercymannus, printed a fort of rejoinder in behalf of the catholic fide. Various controverfies cnfued afterwards : at length Camerarius, prime-minifler to the faid eleftor, (or next at leaft in confequence to the chancellor Grun) thought it high-time to enter the lifts, and gave the public, by way of counter- poife, a Cancellaria Hijpanica. Rufdorf afterwai'ds beftowed the high linifhing touches to what his mafter and preceptor in politics had left unaccomplifhed ; and that not only in his Vindicice Caufce Palatin^Tf^<3///', Tufa.icl, Tubal, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 167 and fome other officers of lefs note, to embark from Stralfunrl, and make 1630.. a lodgment in the ifle of Rugen *, where they foon drove Gcetz, the Imperial commander, to the laft extremity ; who, after various unfuc- cefsful Ikirmifnes, was obHged to fave himfelf by water to Stetin, and leave the v/hole iiland to the difcretion of the Swedes. Guftavois had a much finer army at this time than the world could, well imagine. He had trained up a fet of young generals (for few, ex- cept Oxenfliern, were elder than himfelf) who were all felefted and cho- fen geniufes : each eminent for one or more diftingiiilhing qualities : nor were his com.mon foldiers novices, as fome people vainly furmized, fmce the very Swedifli forces had been feafoned by a fucceflian of fevere campaigns. But the major part of his troops were men of confummate experience, for he had gleaned up, at various intervals, ail that was good in the difperfed armies of Mansfelt, duke Chriftian, the kings of Denmark and Poland, and the troops that belonged to the town of Dantzic He had likewife 10,000 Englifli and Scottifh foldiers, all well-nurtured and experienced in the preceding fervices of tlie empire -, a fet of men he always principally confided in, confen'ing on them the glory of every^ Tubal, Dubalt, Du-iuall, &c. [As to Haubald, the obrgations he had to his deceafed mafter, de- he was certainly another perfon.] Yet after all ferted the caufe of Sweden at a period his affift- this, his true name was net De-wlatel, (though ances were chiefly wanitd ; becoming a fatal,. I call him fo, in order to -eorrefpond with other but we hope an uncommon proof, that the brave authors) but Mac-Doughall \ being defcended man, and the man of honour, are not always to from a Scottifh father in the Swedilli fcrvicc and be predicated upon each other. a woman of Lifeland. The Icing loved him ex- * This ifland belonged to the duke of Pome- tremely from the time he knew him in the capa- rania. It ia twenty miles fquare, and lies about city of a common foldier, making him colonel two miles from Stralfund. It was infejled, faith q{ his own guards on the death ofTcirtFel and an hiftorian, rather 'Cax^'a guarded \>y the Imperial governor of Ruffelhtiir. . B«ing taken priloner troops ; for Guftavus afterwards told the em- near Nurenberg, the Imperial general WaLlein ^ror by letter, who had accufed him fharply of" difiriilTed him without raufo'ni, and entrufted him invading Germany, that he did r.ot contpur the. to negotiate an accommcdition with Guftavus. ifle of Rugen, out only took fojjejjiim of it. This Acquiuing himfelf well in various commands of ifiand was confirmed to the Swedes at the peace importance, he v/as at ier.gth betrayed by Arn- of Weftphalia as a diftinft principality. The heim in Bohemia, hut Walftcin releafed him allies conquered it with great difficulty in tlie- generoully, and defrayed his ranfom a fecond yearljiy. But by the peace of theNorth 172c, time. He then rofe to be fer;eant major gene- it was reftored to Sweden, very much /Ivattered, ral under the duke de Weymar, but forgetting and in e.\trenie ill-plight. critical. i^S THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630, critical and trying advcntui'e *. He had likewife, to a certain degree, the power of picking and collecting from the armies of Walftein and Tilly ; for many of the Auguftan confefiion chofe to ferve under them rather than flarve, and a good number relinquiflied their party upon having received fome injuries, either real or imaginary. No troops were ever better calculated for fervicc than the Swedifh, being naturally brave and hardy, patient of fatigues, frugal, induftri- ous, obedient, and fober ; verifying to the life the remark made by Vegetius ; Septentrionales popuH largo f anguine redundantes, funt ad bdla pronipti/Jimi ; and another by Lucan, O/nnis in ArSJdis popuhcs quiciinque pruinis Nafcitur, indomitm bellis & Martis amator. Lib. vii. And Tacitus applies this high idea of the ftrength and bravery of northern nations to the country of Sweden particularly, as a territory quod valcbat viris & arniis. The whole dominions of this kingdom, at the time Guflavus pofiefTed the throne, meafured, according to fome writers, about 1 500 miles in length by icco miles in width : an immenfe tra6l of country, but not fo well-inhabited, as there are reafons to conjedlure it had been in the times of the antient Goths, of whofe populoufnefs many manifeft traces yet remain, even in the woods and forefts, and of which more con- vincing proofs may flill be produced by the four incredible emigrations made from thence into other countries. But an author who publiflied an account in the year 1 633, relative to the king's invafion of Germany -j-, tells us, that this kingdom, excepting only fome remoter provinces, was comprized under the old denomination of Scandinavia, which vaft penin- fula, if one may be allowed to call it fo, was fuppofed by Pliny to be a traft of land incomperti tjiagnitudinis ; is at prefent imagined to meafure length- ways about 1200 miles, and 540 miles in breadth. And here it mufl be noted, that under the defignaticn of Scandinavia, are com- • In the grand campaign of 163:, Guflavus -j- Difcours de I'Eftat & Couronne de Suede, had fix Eritilh generals, thirty colonels, and fifty- S°. 1633. one lieutenant-colonels. See Monro's Liji. prehended OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 1,69 prehended the kingdom of Sweden, properly fo called, and thofe of i6^0o Gothland and Norway, excluding the part that belongs to Denmark. To which may be added Bearmia, Scrifinia, Lapland, Bothnia, Finland, Carelia, great part of Livonia, the town of Stralfund, and the ifland of Rugen. Thus flood the pofleflions of the crown, when the king of Sweden made his firft appearance in Pomerania ; and yet perhaps all thefc vaft tra6ls of territory did not contain many more inhabitants than the kingdom of England fingly *. Nature feems to have formed the Swedes exprefly for war; for they are brave, fober, patient, compliable, well-principled, and induftrious ; every common foldier being at the fame time a peafant, a pioneer, and a me- chanic. Guftavas had likewife more refources than could well be ima- gined, having a fleet, which contained above feventy fhips of notable force, and being capable at a fortnight's notice to produce 40,000 chofen infantry, and a good body of cavalry, wherever he pleafed j and, what was more, made them follow him implicitly. It is true, the horfes of the country in general were fmall, but alert and vigorous. Neverthelefs, his majefty, who was one of the talleft and moft graceful perfonages in * The kingdom of Gothland, faith the author laft cited, which occupies the fouthermoft-part of the peninfula of Scandinavia, is about 450 miles long, and 300 broad. It is divided into three parts, Eftergothia, Weftergothia, and Gothia meridionalis or Smaland : the firft con- tains the provinces of Teufchia, Bravichia, and Kindia : the fecond, Dalecarnia, Vermland, Marchia, Falonia, Vofbogia, Ridvegia, Frochi- nia, Gudhumia, Cachinnia and Warthopia ; and the third, Verendia, Motingia, and the diocefe of Vexo. As for the ifland of Gothland, it be- longed to Denmark. The kingdom of Sweden, ftretching itfelf from South to North, extends 900 miles from the river Motala to the confines of Bearmia, and contains eleven dutchies, namely, Sudermania, Roden, Geftritia, Halfingia, Midelpadia, An- germania, Coperdalia, Weflermania, Upland, Fieringia, and Neritia. Swediih Norway is the weftermoft part of Vol. L Scandinavia, divided from Sweden and Goth- land by one continued chain of mountains, in moft places inacceffible. The province of Bearmia is the very norther-' moft part of Sweden. Scrifinia lies betwixt Bearmia and Finomar- chia, but advances fomething more to the fouth- wards. Of Lapland we fliall fay nothing, as SchefFer's hiftory hath rendered it known to moll readers : and Bothnia is a large province, which occupies the northern part of that huge boJy of water, which the Baltic ocean difembogues into the center of Scandinavia, commonly called the gulph of Bothnia. Finland is a very confiderable province plenti- fully peopled J Carelia is large, but not fo popu- lous; Livonia, Stralfund and the ifles of Rugen are better known. Difcours de I'Etat et Courotmf de Suide, p. 5 — 59. Z the ,7o THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. the whole army, could haidly be carried by one of them, when he was completely cloathed in armour. Matters being now advanced to a crifis, GufVavus determined to realize his intentions, and fo far the rather, as the fituation of his domi- nions removed him at fuch a diftance from the houfe of Auftria, that he had no reafons to fear any military rcprizals from that quarter : for the Baltic ocean was fpread between him and the emperor's generals, and as to naval ftrength he was greatly fuperior to his adverfary. He therefore publiflied his grand manifefto once for all * ; ajul caufed it to be printed in Latin and German, in order to dilperfe it more advantageoully throughout the empire : but though it was 3 very fenfible and well reafoned performance, I Ihiill not trouble tb.e reader with a long declaration of all the caufes, which induced our hero to carry this invafion into Germany ; as many of die material ones have been already treated on in the courle of our hLftury. Neverthc- lefs, there is fomething veiy folid, and at the fame time not unartful in the beginning of it, where he infmuates, " That whoever hves near " a powerful and ambitious monarch, can enjoy peace no longer, and " in no greater quantity, than that monarch thinks proper to allow " him." The fubftance of it was to this effe£l : " Tliat his Swedifh majefty " had fincere intentions for the prefervation of the evangelical doctrine : " — that in the year 1625, his letters from Poland to Gabriel Bethlem-f- " had • It is preferved in the Apptndix. to the bargain ; ambitious, anAil, refeived, and -f- Soch was that prince's tme name, and not treacherous, who ferv'ed all, fold all, and be- Btlhkm Gahor, as the Englilh hiftorians afFeft trayed all reciprocally. Formed in the court of to call him. For the Tranfylvaniacs place the Gabriel Battori, he paiTed his life in arms from the fumame after the Chriftian; and Gahor fignifies feventeer.ih year of his age, and lived for feme Gabriel. If ever an unaccountable man de- time at Conftantinople. He had been prefect ferved a note, it may be bcftowed on this po- in forty-two battles ; and often declared, that teatate, and the rather as he had many tranf- his circumftances were fo mean, even when hu actions with Great Britain. From a limple was thirty years old, that a merchant of Cafl'o- gentleman he mounted to the government cf via refufed to lend him eighteen pounds for want Tranfylrania, and from an infigniiicant portion of fecurity. He was aifable, polite, intriguing, of ground in the European fyttem, negotiated but capricious and mutable beyond imagin»don ; at once with all the protQftant princes and ftates, talked Latin with tolerable fluency, and loved half the popifti ones, and the grand fignlor in- the fociety of men of letters. His memory was aAonilhinj;, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. (71 <( (C (C <( cc (c c« (C (C well knowing, that he ferx-ed a mafter, who, though he compaflionated the hardlhips his troops might fuffer, yet never could be induced to difpenfe with any infrac- tions of natural juftice and military difcipline. It was upon this » It is preferved in the Hiftorical or Au- and the heads of the generals, who fland round, thentic Relat. Tom. i. p. i66. are all fuppofed to be painted from nature. In f Arnilabsei Anna Suecica, p. 19. Swed. larger compartiments are to be feen Guftavus on Military difcipline, 31. horfeback, and the principal aftions of hii cam- At a coBntry-feat in the middle of Sweden, paigns, comprehending likewife the fcenc of his wiach belonged formerly to the Hoble family of death. The generals heads are in lefler fquaies, De la Gardie, but is now conferred on count and at bottom are emblematical defigns relative de Tefijn for life, is a hall adorned with hifto- to the charafter of each officer. ■ Memoirs com- ricai paintings, portraits, and emblems, all relat- municatid. ing to the actions of Goftavus Adolphus. In one J Chemnitii Bellum Sueco-Gcrmar. Tom. s> little compartimect the prefent ftory is fet forth, p. 44. very ijb THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. very occafion that Guftavus likcwife told his men, 'That they vnijl mt he alarmed at the Iniperialijh, and confide?- them in the light of new anta- gonijls, fmce they bad fought inith foldiers of the fame flamp in Poland and Prnjfm ; arid that the fample and the piece ivere of one colour and one con- texture *. And here it may be worth while for a moment to take a fliort fur- vey of GuftavLis's marine ; and the rather, as the tribe of hiftorians, like the herd of commentators, ufually pafs by thefe more curious re- fearches and enquiries. This prince in general neglecled nothing ; and amongft other things kept an attentive eye to the fea as well as the land : for at the very period we are now confidering, he was mafter of fifty fighting fhips, from 20 guns to 40, and 6000 regular failors, chiefly Finlanders, Angermanians, Dalecarlians and Hollanders j which made his power with reference to the houfe of Auftria as indifputable in the Baltic, as it proved afterwards in the empire. The quantity of royal artillery was at tliat time amazing, except we confider the vafl: re- Iburces of metal in the Swedifli mines. It is fuppofed by many, that Guftavus was owner of 8000 pieces of ordnance -|-. And under this fame article it may not be improper to obferve, that Sweden at that time fupplied the king with a certain number of land-forces ; for each province maintained a confiderable body of regular troops, to which the modern reader may give the name of militia, or what other de- nomination he thinks fit. For example, Sweden, properly fo called, and Gothland, fupported at the leaft 16000 infantry, and 5500 cavalry, who, though fed by their refpective provinces, were cloathed by the king ; received a monthly ftipend from him, and paid for nothing but with an exemption of duties. It is true, this military conftitution or eftablifliment in times of peace was extremely frugal : for though each company of infantry contained at leaft 500 men, yet only one captain was afligned it, and one lieutenant, who received their raiment and food from the royal bounty. The captain had a falary of five pounds fifteen fliillings a year ; and the foot foldier had three fhiUings ** Chemnidj Bellum Sueco-German. Tom. i. p. 44. f Bertii Commentaria, 4°. p. 357. and OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. s^y and fixpence per month. About one third more was allowed the ca- 1630. valry : and every foldier made prifoner in war was to be exchanged, or redeemed at the king's expence. And here likewile it muft be obferved, that Finland, Livonia, and all other provinces, contributed towards the general fyflem of a perpetual army, according to their wealth and tract of country in the fame proportions. Thus Sweden under Guftavus may be confidered as a true military government, like that of the Romans in their better days*. Such an original bafis of national forces having been thus eftablifli- ed by the laws of Sweden, his majefty fuperadded to it out of his own revenues, and conformably to his own voluntary pleafure; and thus much is certain, that he hired and employed more foreign troops, than the contingents of his own dominions could poffibly amount to : fo that we may reckon his own army, at leaft during the three grand campaigns in Germany, to amount to 60, or 70,000 fighting men. And yet, though the revenues of Sweden could not be magnificent, this wonderful man neither borrowed money nor diilrefled his fubje6ls, nor left behind him any one confiderable national debt, notwithftand- ing all the treafure was fpent abroad : nor does it ever appear that his army wanted pay a fingle month ; nay, on the contrary, it was ge- nerally his cuftom to advance one third of pay on the firit, eleventli, and twenty- firfl days of every month -f-. There is a certain illuftrious prince now in being, who copies Guf- tavus in this part, as well as many others, and who guides himfelf by fafts and obfervations relative to him, which are not to be found in every page of a common hiftory : and indeed Guftavus was one of thofe genius's which fhine proportionably both in the great and the Icjer degrees of excellency. Alike confiderable, if circumftances could be fuppofed equal, as common foldier, financier and proveditorj or as an engineer, politician, and generaliffimo : nor do I throw out thefe encomiums rhetorically and at random (the common method of adorn- ing charaders) but interfperfe them occafionally as they rife from fafts. • Bertji Commentaria, p. 355 — 358, &c. f, Swedifti Military dilcipHne, 4.°. Lond. 1632, ,;,VoL. I. A a Indeed 178 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Indeed it is impofTihle to afcertain what the revenues of Guftavus might be at this period, fince fiy Swcdifli friends at the pref nt mo- ment profefs themfelves unable to afford mc any warrantable informa- tions. All we can learn from cotemporary writers is, that he had fome royal demefncs, as well as a patrimonial poflcflion * ; that he had a fole right in particular mines, and a tenth fi-om all ; he had likewife fome peculiar taxes appropriated to his own coffers, and the tytlies of the kingdom, great and fmall, (as the ecclefiaftics term them) including thofe of fiih, cattle and furs ; which latter, from Lapland efpecially, made no inconfiderable object ; and in times of war new requifitions were made from the provinces -f. As to his men, the Swedes from the days of Tacitus were remark- able from their obfequiiim erga rcgem. Neither Roman nor Grecian invafions could ever reach them ; whereas they, on the contrary, at various times over-ran all Europe with the rage and rapidity of an xmexpedled torrent. The foldiers of Guftavus were patient of cold be- yond expreffion j nor was it uncommon for a centinel in extremity of winter to remain eight fucceffive hours on his poft without being re- lieved : but the king took conftant care to cloath them accordingly, and allowed each man, befides his regimentals, a long warm cloak of Swe« difh manufa6lure, lined with Lapland fur. There v/as another un- fpeakable advantage in Guftavus's army ; for every perfon was his own tradefman, his own artizan, and his own mechanic. And hence it happened, (to name only one particular inftance) that when the king wanted to ereiSt his extemporaneous bridge acrofs the Lech, he had 2000 very tolerable carpenters amongft his foldiers. It was the fame likewife when pioneers were wanted, or in matters of mafonry and fortification. As to the cavalry, the Swedifli horfes were fmall but well figured, making up in velocity and vigour what they wanted in height and bulk ; it being poffible for them, relieved only by a flight refrefliment, to keep in a6lion forty continued hours. Neverthelefs, as the fize, weight and • This he had bedowed on the univcrfity of -f- Bertii Commentaria, p. 355, &c. Upfal. j preflure OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 179 preflure of horfes are of no fmall confequence in the day of battle, 1630. Guftavus generally chofe to mount his troops upon fuch as were the produce of Germany and Denmark*. But what was equal to moft other advantages, his officers both refpecled and feared him ; for he faw their faults with a fingle glance, and drew conclufions from them with the greateft precifion ; and on the contrary, whenever they acquit- ed themfelves well, he beftowed his honours, pecuniary rewards, and encomiums liberally : for I have not hitherto difcovered (though the cafe be common even in the ableft commanders) that he ever confider- cd any one general, that a6ted under him, in the light of a rival ; nor deftroyed a fmgle man of confequence either through jealoufy, or refent- ment, or the juft ideas he had formed of military difcipline, if we ex- cept only colonel Mitzval. But though his heart was equally humane to all perfons upon every occafion, yet it is very certain his priuate 2naxim nvas, to be reverenced by his generals -)-, and beloved by his common foldiers : and indeed they devoted their hearts paffionately to him, for no man balanced between certain death and the inclination of his mafter, who never made the meanefl fervant a facrifice to his pride, his obflinacy, or his vanity. And perhaps one may judge of the temper of the foldiery from the flight circumftance I am now go- ing to relate. The Livonian regiment of DenhofF had a ftandard of black filk damafk, whereon Abraham's offering of Ifaac was depiclured with this infcription : " Ut Abrahamus vult immolare flium, " Pro Rege Jic nos parati fiaiius mori 1^." * Bertii Commentaria, p. 355, &c. Dif- " tenance to fuch forms as you pleafe ; but the cours de TEtat & Couronne de la Suede. 4°. " prince your mafter has had fonie obligations 1632. " to this warlike inftrument during the cam- ■f- This is corroborated from the idea, which " paign wherein I affifted him by my fovertign's De la Gardie, his general in chief and military " orders againft the Polanders : and be the dif- preceptor, had formed of him : for when that " appointment of the interview ever fo great, commander was invited to a conference with " no monarch upon earth fliall make Dt i:i the Czar, the Mufcovite courtiers told him, he " Gardie refign his fword, except Gullavii-. ' muft leave his fword in the anti-chamber. Memorab. Suec. Gent. " Gentlemen," faid he, " you may give coun- J Vide Ainilabai Arma Suecica, p. 39 A a 2 But i8o THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ^630. But to return to the prefent embarkation, his majcfty contrived to bring with him ninety-two companies of foot, and fixteen cornecies of horfc, (one half of which confilted of Englifli, Scottifh and Ger- man forces) which troops in thofe times, fuppofing them to be full, made about 13,800 men, whom tlie king in a month's time augment- ed to 20,000, if not more : not to mention 6 or 7000 foldiers which liad been conveyed to Germany fome time before, in order to re-in- force the garrifon of Stralfund, and take pofTeflion of the ifle of Rugen. And indeed it may be confulered as an uncommon inftancc of pru- dence and precaution in his majefty to dillodge the Imperiahfts from this ifland ; for as it Hes contiguous to Ufedom [between Ufedom and Sweden] of courfe his retreat, if fortune had favoured the enemy, could never have been rendered fecure, whilft Rugen remained in any perfon's poflcflion except his own. But Lefly, the Swedilh commander there, took care to affure his mafter, about the time he approached the German coaft, that all tilings were reduced to his majefty 's fatit- fadlion, which determined Guftavus to advance to Ufedom. And here, in order to animate his army a little at firft, the king gave his foldiers all the lawful plunder belonging to the Imperialifls, and allotted a body of troops and two men of war to protedl the ifland, being determined not only to make it his fea-port and magazine of war, but his fure retreat in cafe of misfortune or dilappointment: and concluding it likewifc highly convenient to refrefli his troops, who were not a little fatigued with a tedious and difagreeable voyage, he had the goodnefs likewife to allow them two days uninterrupted reft, and in that interim contrived to land his horfes and his artillery, as alfo ammunition, provifions, and military utenfils. It was his next bufmefs to take particular care of the poor inhabitants ; and having publiflied a proclamation to allure them of the moft perfect peace and protection, he diftributed food and raiment to the hungry and naked : and thus by turns exercifed the three glorious chara6lers of an able general, a wife politician, and a good Chriftian ; fo that in the whole courfe of the war he injured the Imperialifts as much by his clemency and generofity, as by lik prudence and magnanimity. Having OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. i8i Having taken thefe military and civil precautions, his majefty on 1630. the third morning made an excurfion over the better half of the ifland, at the head of 1000 horfe and 3000 co-mmanded * nuifqueteers, in which expedition he drove the Imperialifls before him without dif- ficulty ; for in truth they had no appetite to conteft with him. And here it may be afked not improperly, where Walftein was at this conjundure, the command in thefe parts being his proper and refpeclive department ? To which queftion one may readily reply, That he employed himfelf at the prefent conjuncture in other matters of more immediate importance to his own well-being, firft in Bohe- mia, and then at Memmingen, in order to avert the difgrace that threatened him at the diet of Ratifbon. Tilly too, carefully declined to enter that military walk which belonged properly to Walftein, whom he feared on account of his ambition, and loved not by reafon of his infolence and uncomimunicative temper : for thefe reafons he ehofe to occupy himfelf in Franconia, and about the' borders of Lower-Saxony, in giving the finifhing ftroke of. reduftion to the princes and itates which had affifled the king of Denmark in the late war. Or perhaps I may explain this paflage more diflinftly, by tranfcrib- ing another paragraph from my original materials, where it is ob- ferved, that nothing could be better judged than the time which Gu- ftavus feized for invading Germany. For thovigh the houfe of Au- ftria and the leaguers juft before this period had an inconceivable number of veteran troops on foot, yet one part had been diibanded out of pure refpedl to the complaints preferred at Ratifbon ; another army had been difpatched to form the fiege of Mantua ; Walftein lay inaftive in the circle of Suabia (we mean in a foldier-like capacity) in order to watch the motions of tlie diet, where his ruin was meditated ^ and Tilly bent his thoughts on reducing the only rebel to the majefty of the empire, the Landgrave of Helle, and bringing fome parts of • Commanded men, in the language of thofe ticular the troops, upon enterprizes of import- times, were the better half of a regiment fe- ance, were doubly coknelled. We (hall fpeak lefted from their companions, and conduced more of this invention of Gullavus elfevvhere. by the refpeflive colonel; fo that in this par- Weftphalia; i8£ THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Weftphalia and Lower-Saxony into obedience; where he had grants given him of great pofleflions as a reward for his fervices ; and par- ticularly the lands belonging to that gallant youth Chriflian duke of Brunfwic and bifhop of Halberftadt. Yet after all this, it is ftill furprizing, how many armies his Im- perial majefty and his aflbciates had then on foot, all well feafoned troops, accuftomed to viftory. The forces of the league, confifting of thirty thoufand men, a6led in Weftphalia and Lower-Saxony under the command of Tilly, Pappenheim, and other generals in fepaiate di- vifions. A fecond body of troops nearly equal in number attended Ahliinger, Colalto, and Gallas, in the Italian expedition, and all re- turned in a few months.— —Montecuculi and Ofta, in conjunflion with the archduke Leopold's forces, (making in the whole a body of ten thoufand men) gave laws to Suabia and Alfatia, extending their dominion more or lefs from the Valteline to tlie town of Strafburg. Then their good allies the Spaniards took the lead, and difperfed ten thoufand Walloons over the whole Lower-Palatinate and the coun- tries adjoining The influence of the three ecclefiaftical electors fucceeded next, (who preferved about eight thoufand men in their own territories) and thus a boom of conqueft was ftretched out from the fource of the Rhine to the circles of Weftphalia and Lower-Saxony, or, in other words, from the feet of the Alps to the fliores of the Baltic, where Tilly and Pappenheim were fuppofed by all men to be next to invincible. At the fame time the interior parts of Germany fecured themfelves : for as the houfe of Palatin was by this time exterminated from its he- reditary pofleflions, the other few proteftant princes had fubmitted by agreement, or been difpoflefled by force. Nor was the eaftern flde of the empire difmantled of proteflion, though the ele6lor of Saxony appeared not then difaffecled to the Au- ftrian interefts, nor indeed was he; for Baltazar di Marradas command- ed eight thoifand men in Bohemia, where Walftein likewife was all- powerful, like a fovereign ruler; and Tieffenbach and Goetz conduced another army of the fame magnitude in Silefla and Lufatia.— — — So that 2 if OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 183 if any part was iveak (and that we may attribute to the extraordinary 1630. fagacity and courage of the perfon that attacked it) it was the long extended duchy of Pomerania, and the fliore of the Bakic thereto be- longing : yet the duke of Pomerania was a meer (liadow of power, being in effedt a ftate-prifoner, and at bell mafler of a few broken regiments ; and as to the elector of Brandenburg, it is well known he was proprietor of no more than four or fix thoufand foldiers, not over well paid, and but poorly difciplined ; whilft Torquato di Conti, at the head oi ftxteen thoufand Infolent and unmerciful veterans, had re- duced either country to fuch a flate of fervitude, that ihc inhabitants durfl not truft the idea of Guftavus even to enter into their private thoughts. Yet that great man^ fure of no one German alliance, and ex- pecting none, except from a confcioufnefs of his own lenity, prudence, dexterity, and fortitude, had the allonifliing refolution to crofs the ocean, and fix his footfteps in a hoftile empire, repofmg all his hopes on the narrow bafis of thirteen thoufand eight hundred foldiers (for the garrifon of Stralfund muft not be computed as any real affiilance, except under its own walls) wherewith to confront ninefeveral armies^ which (fuppof- ing thofe troops to be divided in eight fimilar portions) were each equal (if we except only a few men) to the whole force of his majefty at his firft landing. And to the Imperial field-troops, &c. may be added likewife the Imperial garrifons ; for in thofe days every town in Germany be- ing more or lefs fortified, required a proteftion. So that in truth, the king had more than one hundred ftrong cities and fortrefles to befiege ; and though the moderns may fay that the ftrength of a for* tification was in thofe days nothing, yet at the fame time we ought to remind them, that ftrength is a term relative to the arts of inveft- ing and attacking, which then fubfifled ; nor could Guftavus have conquered the empire in twice the number of years, if he had not (by a fort of pre-occupying genius) managed his artillery conform- ably to the inventions of the fucceeding century; and this juftice Tilly allowed him at the reduction of Magdeburg, for he had but one ex- cellent engineer in all his army, and that was Farenbach, who liad learnt his profelfion under Guftavus, and then deferted. Mean i84 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Mean while his majefty, undifmayed by difficulties, and no ways deterred by difproportionable numbers, taking the advantages of Wal- ftein's avocations, and Tilly's jealoufies, crofled the fmall frith which divides Ufcdom from the continent ; it being httle more than the mouth of the river Pene ; and leaving ferjeant-major-general Knip- haufen to guard Pennemond-fort and the reft of the ifland, marched dire6lly to the town of Wolgaft, and cutting to pieces two hundred Croatians out of a larger number that oppofed him, made himfelf niafter of a ftrong fort at the water's edge fword in hand, and left Banier to maintain it. Neverthelefs, during this flight attempt on the town of Wolgaft (for it merits not to be called a miUtary ope- ration in good earneft, the intent being only to feel the real ftrength of that important city) Torquato de Conti *, chief commander in thofe parts, an elder officer than Walftein (who was at that time unde- prived) but not fo dexterous nor fuccefsful, and beneath him too in rank and authority, marching at the head of three German regi- ments -f-, made a fruitlefs attempt to raife the fiege. For upon all occafions this general fhewed himfelf to be no great commander. By meer dint of extortion it is true he wrefted from the duke of Pomerania the ftrong towns of Gartz and Griffenhagen, but mifcarried in his attempt on Stetin, though he difpatched colonel Walftein thither, who carried a letter of fummons from his kinfman and namefake :[. Indeed it has been matter of difficulty to fome, why Torquato did not attempt to oppofe Guftavus at his firft landing, or • Bougeant calls him Torquato Conti ; but fervice, he was the firft man who difcovered to fpeak properly he fhould be called Torquato Mazarine's genius, and recommended him, when de Conti : Torquatus de Comitibus, according to he was about twenty-three years old, to his the tenour of the Imperial patent. He was holinefs the pope. Upon his abdication of originally deftined to the church, but chofe ra- the Imperial fervice, he obtained a frefh em- ther to carry arms ; and ferved firft in Lorn- ployment at Rome, which fuited better with bardy among the Spanilh troops as captain of his age and infirmities ; for he was made cap- horfe, and then under Bucquoy in the Hunga- tain-general of the ecclefiaftical forces, rian wars. He was little beloved, and lefs -I" It muft be obferved that the German re- confided in, by the foldiers : and on account giments were much larger than the Swedilh. of his exaftions and feveritlcs, the common % Chemnitius de Bello Sueco-Germ. Tom. i. people always furnamed him The Defil. Ne- 37. verthelefs, before he paflcd into the Imperial give OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 1R5 give him battle at leaft a few days after his arrival ? Neverthelefs, of 1630, this difficulty one may fafely venture to give a folution. The whole country had been depopulated by the Imperialifts ; nor could their ge- neral with certainty tranfport provifions to his army from the parts of the empire which lay to the fouthward ; whilft Guflavus for the firft two months, having the ocean open at his pleafure, derived fure and moderate, though not abundant fupplies from his own country. It was upon this account that Torquato fell back and formed two camps at Gartz and Stolp, almoft at the two extremities of Outer- Pomerania, making Landfberg, which forms the fouthern point of the triangle, a fort of intermediate place of refidcnce, by the emperor's exprefs orders. And here I fhall digrefs for one moment, in order to obferve, that it was one great error in this general (not the lefs abfurd for being common) to deftroy, in the manner he did, all cattle, provifions, barns, hay-flacks, and mills, merely with a view to deprive the Swedes of fubfiftence at their firft arrival. If the houfe of Auftria had pre- vioufly paid for thefe things, and then dc/iroyed them, the condu6l had been admirable ; but in the other view of the queftion, flie loft the hearts of the common people irrecoverably : for we muft take human nature from the higheft to the loweft as it really is, and though a peafant may greatly eftcem his prince and country, he is weak enough to love his family, and his little dearly-earned acquifitions ftill more. The event foon juftified the obfervation, for Guftavus from that mo- ment wanted nothing at the market price. And here I may ftill give the reader a better idea of Torquato de Conti's inabilities} for about this time, (namely, at or near the landing of Guftavus) Sigifmond king of Poland informed him by letter what fort of warrior he muft expeft to find in the perfon of his Swedifti niajefty ; and how much it behoved him to keep a ftrift eye to the prefervation of Pomerania. But Torquato, who, though a native of Italy, had more Spanifti faftuofity in his temper than Reman cauti- oufnefs, returned him a fliort contemptuous anfvver, (conformably to the language then, ufed at Vienna) which he never afterwards took Vol. I. B b care y> j86 the history OF THE LIFE 1630. care to verify > namely, that Guftavus Hiould find enough and enough employment againft men of fcrvicc, and learn by dear-bought experi- ence, that he had left his laurels in the groves of PrufTia *. From Wolgaft his majcfty returned to Ufcdom, and gave feme little attention to matters of politics, employing his troops at the fame time in the total reduction of that iiland, and a fmall one con- tiguous to it called Wollin. His firft bufinefs was to give audience to the miniflcrs of his cou- fms the dukes of Mechlenberg ■!•, and tlie deputies from Stralfund; and fome private intercourfes paflcd between him and the duke ofi Pomerania | ; for the latter terrified by the menaces, and difmayed by the feverities of the houfe of Auftria, had made fome overtures to his Swedilh majefty on the fubje(5l of returning home, and leaving the empire to be the fole arbiter of its own repofe. For this prince well forefeeing which way the ftorm of the north pointed, had fent to Guflavus juft before he embarked, to befeech him to make fome other country than Pomerania the feat of invafion : many memorials and replies pafied between the Swediili and Pomera- nian miniflers ; at length the king told the latter, juft as he was going on Ihip-board, That he would carry his anfwer in pa-Jon to the duke their vjajler. Rightly therefore concluding, that thefe difficulties proceeded more from fear than any real difinchnation to his expedition, he advanced dire6tly to the flrong fort of Schwein, fituated on the eaftern fide of the ifland, and maftered it without refinance ; for the Imperial garrifon thought fit to diflodge at fii'ft fight, and crofled the river into the ifland of Wollin : which little diflrid: (for it is fomewhat fmaller tlian Ufe- 4om, being about twenty miles long by ten or twelve broad) is form- ed into an ifland by the fea, the FrifliofF-lake, the mouth of the Oder, and a fmall frith, that is half rivulet and half morafs. Guflavus having found fome boats, foon purfued the Imperialifts acrofs the water, who ■ • Kobierzifei, Hift. Vladiflaus, p. 931. % BogiHaiis duke of Pomerania died ag«d •f- Adolphus Frederic of Schwerin, and John feventy-feven in 1637, the laft of a family Albert of Guftrow : the fonner bom in 1^89, which had enjoyed that duchy 700 yevs. and the latter in 1590. 2 in OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 187 in their flight fet foe to a fine caftle belonging to the elector of Sax- 163a, ony's fifter, and foon evacuated the ifland, leaving behind them their cannon, baggage, and a part of their horfes. Here were found two beautiful leopards confined in a cage, being deftined by Walflein as a prefent to the emperor : for as he had the vanity to confider himfelf as admiral of the Baltic, he thought it neceflary to give fome proofs at Vienna of his commercial correfpondence. In thefe two iflands the king repofed himfelf near a fortnight, not from any aff^e6lion that he bore to a flate of tranquillity, or inadivity, but merely to procure means to himfelf of tranfporting his artillery, troops, and baggage over the lake of Friflioft^, a paflage of about twelve miles in length, which gave him entrance into the large mouth of the Oder, and thence to Stetin : of which enterprize we fliall fpeak more diflinclly hereafter. During the interval of preparation and reflexion neceflary to an en- terprize of this nature, we will cafl: our eyes for a few minutes on the diet of Ratifbon, which fubfifl:ed at this very time^ and had been con- vened before Gufl:avus arrived in Germany ; or, to fpeak more pro-* perly, previoufly to his landing. But after his embarkation the fliates of the empire, at the earnefl: folicitation of the proteftants, had af-. fembled themfelves at Ratifl^on, in order to deliberate about the means of refl:oring their country to its ancient tranquillity. But upon the grand event of his Svvedifli majefly's arrival in the ifle of Ufedom, Cefar^ as the Germans affe61: to call him, gave indications of his fupreme wiU to the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg, commanding them to fup- ply his numerous army with provifions and military fl:ores j and upon thefe conditions generoufly promifing them to make fome mitigations in their favour (by way of acknowledgment) in the edicl of refl:itution. Guftavus Ilkewife notified his appearance in Germany to the latter of thefe two eleftors, and expounded to him the reafons that induced him to make an attempt upon Pomerania (that country being contiguous to^ the electorate of Brandenburg) preferably to any other part of the era-^ pire, making him at the fame time an offer of fecurity and protection, provided he did not oppofe him In an hoftile manner. ~ B b 2 ' It i88 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. It is much to be doubted whether it was in the emperor's power, confidently with common prudence and external appearances, to have put by this general convention of the Germanic body. The protcftant princes had been almoft ruined, and complained fo loudly, that it was necclfary to make them fome ollcnfible conccfllons : for military exe- cutions on the one hand, and the forenfic executions on the other, hand, had forced the edift into fidl activity, and many princes, the duke of Wirtembcrg in particular, had allowed the monks, nuns, and clergy to rcpolfcfs their ancient eftablilliments. The eleclor of Saxony like\yife was particularly anxious to maintain his fon Auguftus in the archbifliopric of Magdeburg, which the emperor had afllgned in ima- gination to his fecond fon Leopold. Upon this account the eleclor promoted privately the aflembly at Heidelberg in 1629, from whence a petition for the revocation of the edifl was addrefied to his Imperial majefly, and a flight fort of confederation projected between the pro- teftant powers ; nor were certain oblique and indiftinfl innuendos omitted with reference to Guftavus. But what was ftill worfe, many princes of the catholic perfuafion wiflied for peace, inafmuch as their countries had been terribly haraffed even by the armies of their vic- torious friends. Of this clafs was the duke of Neuburg, defcended from a younger branch of the Palatine family. The archbifhop of Saltzburg too had withdrawn his contributions for no better reafon^ but becaufe no dcfuable fpct of proteflant ground bordered upon the edges of his territories, at a time when his neighbours were all making new acquifitions. The eledlor of Tryers * likewife grew fick of the depredations of the Spanifli troops, and the eleclor of Cologn, bro- ther to the duke of Bavaria, joined with him in remonflrances on the fame fubjedtj yet not one of thcfe princes would conf^nt to anniliilate the edifl of reilitution. Neverthelefs, certain fufpicions, or glimmerings of fufpicion, were fuppofed to prevail amongft thefe princes ; for though the real objed of the houfe of Auflria was the demohtion and deflrudion of the pro- teflant party, tliat being confidered as a work of no extraordinary dif- • Philip Chriftopher Van Scottem. ficulty i OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 189 ficulty ; yet a traverfe fcene was to be drawn behind this outfide one, 1630. and the deep defign at bottom was to humiliate the cathohcs in their turn, and eftabU^i an univerfal monarchy in the empire. Count d'Ognata, the Spanilli ambaffador, unfortunately opened himfelf once upon this fubje<5t, and faid, " That the epifcopal gowns in Germany " were fomething of the longeft, and wanted paring." Upon the occafion of this diet the emperor made a magnificent entry, attended by his wife and fon, the king of Hungary and Bohemia. All the catholic electors appeared. The electors of Brandenburg and Saxony, though perfonally written to by the emperor, implored him to liften to the reprefentations of Sweden and France, and conclude an univerfal peace. Of which the real reafon was (though the eleftor of Brandenburg complained that fourteen regiments complete had been quartered on him alone, and the Auftrian regiments were then extremely large) that both thefe eIe6lors declined to fee the emperor in perfon, as they did not chvife to eleft his fon king of the Romans: nor was the duke of Saxony by any means fo poor as he pretended j and what was ftill more, they had snaintained an indiftindl but timo- rous correfpondencc with Guftavus, and had a confcioufnefs that fome- thing of that nature might take air during the tranfaftions of the diet. Each of thefe princes pleaded poverty in order to be excufed at- tendance, and mentioned the feemingly incredible fums which the Imperial officeis had extorted from their fubje6ls *. Sucli public ex- pilations had never been known or read of j and befides all this, a lively pi6lure was drawn, not only of the avarice, but of the cruelty and infolence of the commanders -f j and by way of conclufion it was flrongly recommended upon fuppofition a laudable peace could not be procured, that new laws fhould be made with regard to con- quefts, contributions, and plunder ; and that a frelh fyftem of difci- pline and regularity fliould be inforced by the ftrongeft penal fanftions that could be devifed. It was requefted alfo that fome more efFe6tuai method of paying the army might be propofed to the public j and • Memoirs of the Houfe of Brandenburg. •f Publifhed by the duke of Pomerania in High Dutch and in Latin. tliat J99 THE HISTORY OP TffE LIl^E 1630. that a better application might be made of the Germanic money col- ledled and fct apart for this purpofe : in which latter claufe the catho- lic eleiSlors ail agreed > for the Imperial armies made little difference between friends and foes. Great part of the military licentioufnefs and forenfic irregularities above complained of was attributed to Walflein, whom the world in general agreed to flyle the German Di&ator. The confederate princes and eledtors hated him as a new raifed man, who from a Bohemian gentleman, by the emperor's indulgence and facility, rofe to be firft a count, and then duke of Fridland, Sagan, and Mechlenberg. His manner of living difgufted them too, for he maintained finer retinues, and kept a more magnificent table, than moft of them could afford to imitate. But in generofity, and a more than princely afFeClation of rewarding valour and merit, he exceeded them all ; for it was a maxim with him, that a prince who defired to be ferved cheap, had always clieap fervices done him. There were other circumftances peculiar to this unaccountable perfon, which produced frefh uneafinefTes ; for being uncommunicative by nature, and referved by choice, he familiarized himfelf with none of his afTociates, neither imparting his own defigns, or colledling the lentiments of others, except at fuch diflance as was' unobfervable : fo that upon the whole, at leafl to external appear- ances, he overlooked all men's opinions, and negleclcd all men's ad- vice, if we except only his Imperial majefty. For thefe reafons he levied contributions, granted proteflions, difpofed of troops in gar-^ rifons and into winter quarters, without ever confulting the princes in whofe territories thefe deflinations were made; and upon any complaint or remonflrance from them, his anfwer was, I'hai he had offended formerly by an improper condefcenjion ; but percet'ving mankind to be devoid of gra^ titude on that head., he for the future fkoidd change his mildnefs into a* fperity. It may next be obferved, that befides the ele(5lors and their deputies, many perfons of great confequence paid their attendance at this diet, as Sir Robert Anftruther from England, M. Brulart and Father Jofeph on the pait of; France, and Rufdorf in the behalf of the ele^or Pa- Jii'iJ latin. OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. ' 191 latin. Indeed the diet in general was the moft pompous and magni- 1630. ficent that liad ever been known, (a circumftance that ill became the deplorable mifery and poverty of thofe times) } and it is thought the expences of the duke of Bavaria alone, though that may not found high to tlie ears of an EngUfliman, amounted to near 25,000 pounds a month *. Tilly likewife, and Anholt -f, the tv^'-o generals of the catholic league, made each of them an extremely handfome appearance. The former fpoke of Gullavus in the higheft terms of refpe£l, and, inaufpicioufly for himfelf, compared, the grand event of a war to a fmgle fortunate call upon the dice : but Walftein, who then did not think his revo- cation fo certain, rivalled even his mafter in point of fliow, being at- tended by 600 horfemen finely mounted and richly habited, which in- fpired no fmall envy into the ele6lors, and paved the way to his fu- ture difgrace. It may juftly be imagined, that all parties here ailembled had their refpective games to manage. The houfe of Auftria aimed at univerfal monarchy over papilts as well as proteftants ; and wanted likewife to give a check to the interpofition of all foreign powers in the affairs of the empire : and a third grand objeft ftill remained behind the fcene, which was to caufe Ferdinand, the emperor's fon, to be then appoint- ed king of the Romans. The ele6lor of Bavaria had his realbns for traverfmg indirectly this lad attempt, and defired likewife to fublHtute Tilly in the room of Walftein. The proteftant electors co-operated with him in this refpeft. Their deputies harangued largely on the infolence and expilations of Walftein duke of Fridland (for few people cared to give him the title he derived from Mechlenberg) and remark- ed in the courfe of their inve6tives, that he had waged war upon coun- tries againft which no war had been ever declared. In this combi- nation againft the general, the Spanifti minifters and the Hifpaniolized^*' * Mercure Francois in annunv 1630. This entered into no fervice, after he received bis diet began about June 19, and ended Novem- pard&n and reprimand on account of the Bo ber 13. hemian wars. The perfon here meant is John ■f he Barre, (Hiftoire d'Allemagne, Tom. ix. James count of Anholt, next in command ta p. 589.) in other refpefts a moft exaft hiftorian, Tilly, and watch-mafter general of the Bavariaa .. foys, Tilly, and the prince of Anhalt, who army, who- died the November enfuing. Auftrians 192 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. AuHrians moft heartily concurred. France interfered too upon its old principle of firft diftuibing the waters, and then purloining a good part of the prey. The elector Palatin a(5led purely out of form, with- out any hopes of fuccefs ; and the Britifli ambafl'ador aj)peared in the character of a preacher more than a negotiator. As to the ecclefiaftical eleftors, they aimed at nothing but at Walftein's difmifllon, and the full continuance of the edi(ft of reftitution. The emperor promoted and carried on the intrigues of this aflembly very artfully ; for though he determined to grant the protcftants no one advantage, yet at the fame time he well forefaw, that the appear- ance of making fome conceflions bore the air of plaufibility and mild- nefc. Moreover, he had refolved within himfelf to infinuate, that as France, Holland, and Sweden, all caballed againfl the empire, and fent both men and money into it, it behoved the proteftants, as well as catholics, to unite in one common fyftem, and fruftrate fuch public attacks on tlie Germanic body in general. It was argued fpecifically, that die eledlor Palatin had given no figns of compunflion, and therefore it was neceflary to pafs an irreverfible fentence upon him : that the Dutch had long fliaken off all filial duty to the Cefa- rean throne, and had rendered themfelves maflers of feveral towns which appertained to the empire, not without intentions of replacing the elcftor Palatin in the Lower-Palatinate : that the French king had interfered both in Italy and Germany, without Ibhcitation on one part, and without giving previous notice on the otlier pait : and, laii- ly, that Guftavus was worthy of blame above meafure, fmce he had never received the leaft provocation from the houfe of Auftria ; there fubfifling in truth no one dilpute between him and the emperor but the affair of Stralfund, In the accommodation of which matter he had neglecled to liflen to Dhona, the Im})erial ambaflador, as alfo to a public minifler on the part of Denmark, who had undertaken the office of a mediator. One cannot prefume abfoluteJy to contradict tiris lafl af- fertion j yet it is plain enough to the clear-fighted and intelligent, tlia.t the king of Denmark's friendlhip to Guflavus carried with it an in- fmcere afpeiSl, which naturally created miftrull and fufpicions. That prince OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 193 prince juftly triumphed, it is true, in prefiguring to himfelf, that the 1630. houfe of Auftria might happen to be humbled to a certain degree ; yet it did not pleafe him to behold the Swedes in pofleflion of Stralfund ; nor did he like the eftablifliment Guftavus had made for himfelf in the ifland of Rugen, which gave him an unlimited command on either fide of the Baltic ocean. He had a fecret joy however in predi6ling to his nation, that Sweden and Auftria would at length weary and tor- ment themfelves into a ftate of ina6tivity. Thefe ideas joined to a good degree of caution, intermingled with timidity, kept him in a fort of fiifpenfe, which he thought fit to furname a neutrality : yet at bot- tom he dreaded Guftavus, and hated him too, and in fpite of all obli- gations which the proteftant religion might be fuppofed to have on his mind, preferred the intercfts of the houfe of Auftria in his more referved and fecret wiflies. On the other hand, it appeared plainly, that the Imperial minifters made peace only a plaufible pretext in the firft article of the feveral propofals produced by them -, for the five fubfequent ones breathed nothing but menaces, chaftifements, and hoftilities -, of which we have a clear proof: for when all the proteftant deputies implored the em- peror to put a ftop to fuch unmerciful proceedings, cardinal Klefel*, who had relinqiiifhed politics, except with a view to humble Walftein, replied coldly and unconcernedly : It "was the decree of heaven, thai people J}:ould bear patiently what they had deferred -f. To recapitulate all • Melchior, archbifhop of Vienna, prime ceremony to confider him as a traitor j and the minifter and favourite of the emperors Rodol- : archduke Ferdinand (next year ekaed emperor) phus and Mathias. roundly told him, He 'would rather fee the king- -f- We cannot but fufpeft that hillorians have dom ruined, than damned. Hift. Ecd. Bohem. xz". made this fpeech proceed from a wrong mouth: p. 152. fmce this firft perfonage in the Auftrian cabinet From thefe hints the cardinal archbifliop foon was generoufly endined to the Bohemian pro- concluded his downfal to be inevitable, and as teftants, and no great friend to the Spanifti fa;- he went to court conjured his doinellics to ftand tlon. For when in the year 1618, he perfuad- upon their guard. The apoitolic nuncio attend- ed Mathias to ufe mild and lenient methods to- ed him. When he entered the antichamber, a wards the revolters in Bohemia and the annext chamberlain of the archduke's made his mailer's provinces, and difplayed in the flrongeil lights excufes for not receiving him. The emperor the miferable effe£ts of perfecution and inteftine likewife compelled him to v/ait fome time (the wars, Ognata the Spanilh ambaflador made no council-door being bolted, ar.d he and Ognata Vol. I. ■ C c ii T94 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. all the feveral offences of the protcftant princes will be difficult; but the duke of Pomerania's irremifiible crime was, that he had wiftied the emperor ill-fuccefs in a bumper of white ale. As to the ambaffadors from foreign countries, it may fafely be faid, that Anflruther at leaft did nothing, having in truth nothing meritorious in his power to perform : for though he had certain au- thorities to treat with the Imperial commifTaries and the eleftoral princes, yet it is evident, that no good could be produced from fuch attempts, as the houfe of Auftria aimed only at cajoling his mafler, and procraftinating thofe dormant good wifhes which he bore to the Palatinate and the proteftant caufe. Neverthelefs, by the artful inter- pofition of Spain, who pretended to ftand in the character of a third perfon between their Britannic and Imperial majefiiies, he was re- ceived politely and courteoufly by the emperor, who perhaps at that time had fome fears of an alliance then tranfafting bctv/een Charles and Guflavus. Anftruther's fecond infl:ru6lions, bearing date July 22, 1630, carried the fame conciliating pacific air, which thofe of James I. had formerly borne, and are filled with remonftrances and deprecations infbead of h-.enaces and refentment. They have all one tone -, jirmisfcmctis, ncjlro exemplo : and his Britannic majefty declares in them, that the elector in clofe conference) and then baron de Previner In vain Mathias lamented his difgrace, for came out and told him, (whilft Dampier and he loved him entirely, and confided in him a- Colalto waited below with an armed force) that bove all men ; nor was he made privy to the be had committed great mifmanagements in the ftratagcm. All the anfwer he could receive government, and muft retire with him : to from Ferdinand and his adherents, was, that which ftep the then pope Paul V. had given his the meafures taken had a view purely to his confent. The cardinal put himfelf into great glor^. He then requelled a prcmife from them emotion at fo abrupt an attack, and talked very in writing, that they would not injure the ear- loudly in his own juftification ; upon which dinal's life or fortune; but they only gave him Preiiner prefented him with a riding coat and their engagements of honour. When Ur- black hat, compelling him, much againft his ban VIII. examined this great minitler's caufe, ■ will, to quit his red hat and pallium : and he was found to have neither money nor pof» having condufted him privately down a back felTions. A diftulpation was then paiied in his flair-cafe, Dampier received him in a clofe pert- favour : neverthelefs, he declined all concern chariot, and conveyed him to Infpruck, the court with ftate alFidrs, except with regard to the dif- obliging him to fign a refignation of all his pre- million of Walftein ; and liitd in 1630, aged ferments. And thuj room «as made for car- feventj'-fcvcrv. dinal I>itrichftein. Palatiu OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ' 195 Palatiii had configned to him implicitly the management of all his affairs 1630. (an aflertion which may perhaps be liable to fome queries and explana- tions) and that notwithftanding his father and himfelf had ever proved unfuccefsful in their interpofitions on Frederic's behalf, yet that he fliould ftill continue to purfue the fame pious v^ork and falutary meafures : and the rather, as his catholic majefly exhorted him to perfevere in this plan, giving him reafons to expe6l the moft equitable condefcenfions from the emperor : and for fear thefe advances might not prove confiderable enough, Anftruther had powers likewife to become refponfible for the Palatin's fubmiffions *. Neverthelefs it no where appears, that thefe powers were derived from their proper fource of authority, that is to fay, from the elector Palatin himfelf. Some few weeks after the date of this fecond commiffion, I believe towards the conclufion of the month of Augufl, (for we will not vio- late the chronological feries of hiftory without acknowledgment, though upon the whole it appeareth befl to me to confider the affairs of the Palatinate under one general article as much as poffiblej) the faid am- baffador from England was admitted to an Imperial audience at Vienna, ^not being able to procure fuch admiffion at the late diet) where he made a long I'ubmifTive and plaintive fpeech -j-, which carried with it more the air of an elegy, than the fpirited reprefentation of a powerful kingdom. Its purport was, (for I care not how little time we employ in analyzing it) " That the king his mafter acknowledged with grief and fhame, that " his brother-in-law the ele6lor Palatin, without any regard to his opi- *' nion and concurrence, had a6led formerly (in reference to the crown *' of Bohemia) not only rafhly, but unadvifedly ; which imprudent " meafures ought chiefly to be attributed to the ambition and inattention " of youth J and that it would highly become the emperor, confiftently " with his accuftomed clemency, to receive his fubmiffions, and re-inftate " him into his dominions, inafmuch as fuch an a6l of free and gratui- " tous favour would oblige the kings of England to all pofterity. * Fccdera. Tom. 19. p. 172. • ■\ We have thought fit to publifh it verbatim in the Appendix. • C C 2 It jg6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. It then proceeded to remark, " That his majefty of England (not- " withftanding a pretence for war appeared felf-evident) always chofe " to prefer the amicable adjuflments of treaty, fo often efTayed, and " negligently regarded by all his friends ! repofing himfcif in every " emergency upon the known candor and ftianfuetude of tlie houfe of «' Auftria, — In the next place the folly of this fpeech is equal to its ab- " jeftnefs ; fmce war is there confidered as the moft unchriftian aft in •* human nature, and the moft uncertain. Mention is then made of the " kind interpofitions from the courts of Madrid and Bruxelles : (than •' which nothing could be more impudently or infamoufly infincere j) " and the merites non fetits of James I. towards the houfe of Auftria are " ftrongly inculcated No pretenfions of right are fo much as glanced " at : on the contrary, all is referred" (as if one was addrefling the fupreme being) " to the free gratuitous unconditional mercy and cle- *• mcncy of the Imperial throne. Laftly the diftrelies, the poverty, the " exile of the numerous Palatin family are depiflured with all the pa- " thos of an afFe6ling tragedy *, and then a petition is preferred for an " allowance juft fufficient to keep them from ftarving, which, faith •' Anftruther, by prefcription of right as well as the laws of piety can- " not be denied to any perfon confiftently with common juftice.'' Thus, as an Auftrian hiftorian obferveth -j-, he flattered and trembled like a criminal pleading his caufe before Pluto. Walftein's aftbciates joined with Anftruther upon thefe reprefentations, partly to prevent England from combining with Sweden, and partly to play the eletSlor Palatin's re-eftabliftiment againft the immeafurable ambition of the duke of Bavaria. But all thefe attempts were eluded with politely giving them a patient hearing ; and the unhappy Anftruther fate himfelf down contented ; for the Auftrians knew the extent of Charles's hereditary patience to an hair's breadth, and had received likewife indirect but to- lerably certain affurances, that he had been tampering for foroe time • Que voftre majefte, S:c. daigne aufli jetter braflent en fuppliant les autels de voftre de- les yeux benins de fa grace fur une tendre, mence & bonte Imperiale I numereufe, & innocente famille Palatine, & fur -)■ Laurea Auftiiaca. une troope d'autres leur parents &al!iez, qui cm- with OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUSv 197 with Guftavus, whom he had invefted with the order of the garter, 1630, feveral years before at the fiege of Dirfchau. It may be worth obferving here, that Frederic was more poUtical and heroical than his brother Charles j and Rufdorf *, his firft agent at the diet, gave proofs of abiHty and firmnefs far fuperior to what Anftruther could pretend to imitate. His mafter, the eledor Palatin, had taken the precaution to convey letters to each ele6lor, all written with his own hand, in which he befought them to interpofe their good offices with tha emperor in his behalf. To thefe reprefentations his Imperial majefty re- plied artfully enough, Tiiat he had private difpofitions in that unhappy prince's favour, whereof he fhould foon behold the benign effects, if he would perfonally alk his pardon, renounce the crown of Bohemia and his own ele(5lorate for himfelf and his heirs j and enter into no future alliances or intrigues either with German princes or foreigners ; and then only, and tipofi thefe conditions, promifed from the mere inherent motives of bounty and clemency refiding in his breaft, to reftore to him the part of a province, and a penfion fuitable to the dignity of a prince. Thefe propofals ferved to amufe the king of England very well j but Frederic reje6ted them like a man of honour and fpirit, laughed at them, defpifed them, and detefled them: for though this prince was no great hero in the field, he had a juft fenfe of his parentage and flation j and declared peremptorily, that he would ha.ye all the Palatinate or none : • One of the ableft prime minifters of the pleteil works the world ever faw, and in the eleftor Palatin, who refided many years in a fingle articles of method, brevity, and perfpi- public capacity at London, where he colledled cuity may difpute the palm even with Thomas all the negotiations and ftate-tranfaftions rela- Aquinas's Summa;, fo juftly celebrated for thefe tive to Great Britain and the continent: which perfedlions. It is here we may admire him in the MS. work, confjfting of feveral volumes in charafterof apolitician,jas-publicift,andcivilian; folio, is ftill preferved in the archives at Heffe- and as to his claffical abilities, witnefs his beau- Caflel : and from a fyllabus of the contents tiful elegy, entitled. Querela Frederici missa tranfmitted to me deferveth highly to be rendered unioni, written with all the elegance and fpirit public ; fince it is certain the affairs of thePala- of the antients. And if one may form any con- tinate influenced all our meafures more or lefs jeftures from fimilitude of thought and. language, during the reigns of James I. and Charles his it was he that compofed the efi//e from the city fon. As t'o the ftyle of Rufdorf (for the coUec- of Heidelberg in the charafter of an unaflaila- tion I am fpeaking of is compofed in Latin) the ble virgin, to general Tilly, in 1621, when the reader may eafily form an idea from the other Englilh garrii'on behaved fo glorioufly. It be- performances he has thought fit to publifh, gins, Siccine 'virgineum, &c, the Vfndiciee Palatini being one, of the.com- ■ . ":"- 1 nor lyS THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. mrj}:cvldar.y vcorldly motive induce bint to cut off bis children's iirth-rigbt and leave them penfioncrs to the houfe of Aujlria, if they were of a tame dif- fo fit ion ; or vagabonds and mercenary foldicrs, if they were of an heroical one. In return to this, it is remarked by fome, that the emperor alledged by way of compurgating himfelf, tliat the better part of Frederic's domi- nions were depofited in the hands of the infanta Clara Ifabella *. But the elector Palatin gave no ear to fuch ridiculous cajolements and excufcs. But to return to Anftruther's oration : it is amazing, that our hiftori- ans know nothing of i\{\sfpeech, nor the four extraordinary conditions re- quired by the emperor, though the reigns of James and Charles I. can never be undcrftood with any common degree of clearnefs, except we comprehend far better than we do at prcfent the whole tranfaclion rela- tive to the Palatinate with refpeft to ourfelves as well as the courts of Vienna, Madrid, and Bruxelles. The reader therefore may have fome flight obligation to me for producing this political threnody after the ex- piration of a century, and one fifth of another ; yet flill it will be hard to afcertain what thefe four indigejlihle propofitions truly confijled of. I once mentioned the affair tranfiently to a German nobleman, who at prefent is the brightefl luminary of the court he ferves, and than whom no one is more intimately converfant in the depths of hiftory ; and upon the whole it appeared highly probable to me, that the propofals from the Auftiian miniftry were to this efte6l : ( i ) That Frederic Ihould refign the upper Palatinate forever to the family of Bavaria : (2) And accept a penfion for his own life. (3 ) That his elder fon fliould be bred a catholic at Vienna, and having efpoufed an arch-dtichefs of Auflria, be re-inftated .at the father's death into the lower Palatinate. (4) And, laftly, that the • Ifabella Clara Eugenia, wife of arch-doke created arch-duchefs ; for when Philip II. con- Albert. This great and political princefs was figned the feventeen provinces to her by way of bftrn at Segovia in 1566. She fixed herfelf in dowry (which feemirg aft of difmeniberment the Low- Countries at the beginning of the lall gave his fon no fmall difquiet,) he anfwered like a century, and governed fingly for twelve years, politician formed in his own Coirabrian college. She lived to the age of fixty-feven. There are Promififfe fe quidem eas provincias, fed mtltas many fine piftures of her : his grace of Devon- rationes & caufas poffe inveniri, quec eum hoc ihire hath a good one. It is fufpedted by many promiflb abfolvant. Arcma Dominat. Hlqav. that fhe was rendered barren before ihe was 124. eledlor OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ,99 elector Palatine in afking pardon fliould fubmit to the odious circumflance 1 630* of genuflexion. As this prince, whofe affairs explain the fecret hiflory of Great-Bri- tain for fourteen years, appears to be known chiefly by hearfay to the Englifli hifl:orians, I fliall venture to obferve concerning him, that the unhappy Frederic feems to have been born to nothing but turmoils,, troubles and difappointments *. The dukes of Neuburg and Deux Fonts- difputed fl:rongly, during his minority, the adnnniftration of the Pala- tinate ; the one by virtue of the late ele6lor's will, and the other as be- ing the nearefl: relation to him. At length the emperor Rodolphus decided in favour of the duke de Deux Pouts, who exercifed the office of guardian, as guardians ufually do, that is, feverely and infolently enough. Our young prince was fon of Frederic IV. and the celebrated Louifa Juliana, whom Spanheim's pen hath rendered immortal in one of the mofl: curious pieces of hifl:ory we have extant -j-. Formed at: Sedan under the duke de Bouillon, and moll virtuoufly educated, he underflood Latin extremely well, and talked all the modern languages ; he was likewife uncommonly verfed in hiftoiy, and confulted with pecu- liar ardour the peace of the empire. For he had three excellent minifters, Camerarius, Grun, and Rufdorf. • The moment he was difengaged by age from the incumbrance of a. guardian, he haftened into England, and efpoufed Elizabeth daughter of James I. The Englifli, who are feldom indifferent upon any occa- fion, took it Into their heads to be extremely tranfported with this pro- teftant match ; and to do them juftice, indeed they had reafon. Uni- verfal joy feized the whole nation : the balls, caroufals, and feafl:ings were innumerable. The very poets were called in from every quar- ter : fuch magnificence of the fcene hath rarely been beheld in the moft expenfive and extravagant times. Jbnfon and Davenant held the pen ; Lawes compofed the mufic ; Inigo Jones contrived the theatrical archi- tefture, and the befl: painters on this flde the Alps garnilhed the fcenes-- with their pencils/f, * Scliaunat, HifL Abregee de la Maifon in my way, it appears th.^t his Sritannicma- Palat. 8°. jefty (including Elizabeth's dowry of 40,000!.) f Memoiresde Louife Juliane-EIeftrice Pala- expended on thefc nuptials from the beginning tine, 4". a Leyde 1645. [By Fred. Spanheim.] to the condufion 146,572 1. X So that by a calculation which hath fallen Thefe 200 THE HISTORY OF THT^ LIFE 1630. Thcfc honours, to which the order of the garter -was added, lulled Frederic into a fort of dream, and rendered him a vifionary in ambi- tion, to which the fpirited and magnanimous temper of his wife did iiot a little contribute *. He forgot his own dominions, (in theml'clvcs the moft beautiful, and at that time the moft flourifhing in the empire) and caught incautioufly, though honeftly, and with fome diffidence, at what he imagined to be a moft plaufible acquifition, the crown of Bohemia- Had this prince been bleft with a caution and penetration that rarely fall to a young man's fliare, had he well known his own comparative weaknefs, or the ftrength and fury of his enemies, had he feen ever fo little into the mutability, infmcerity and timidity of his father-in-law, who never held but one tone, namely, abjlineto ab annis fatuis, he might then by a mere aft of intuition have rejefVed the offers made him by the protcftants in Bohemia, who fought him not as a fure protestor and fafeguard, but as the only one that could then be found. Amongft other things, this unhappy young man, conformably to the cuftom of that age, allowed himfelf to be influenced by judicial aftrology ; and as the book of fate was a volume which every ftar-gazer could read his own way, backward, forward, fideways or downward, it happened that one of thefe genius's gave the decifive fixture to Frederic's irrefolution : who was hardly warm in the regal throne, when the battle of Prague put an end not only to his power, but even to his expeftations. Thus vacating a throne which he never enjoyed, he retired into Holland for an afylum, and lived twelve years an exile upon public charity. His friend and relation the king of Denmark was too unfortunate in war, to be able to render him any afliftance : and his father-in-law paid him only with fchool diftin6tions and adages, inftead of well conducted troops and letters of exchange. Asa warrior itmuft be acknowledged he made no great figure, for he committed a notable error in creating Anfpach generalifTimo, and fecretly favoured Hohenlo, whom all men fufpecled, and who afterwards de- bited him. He wanted neither courage nor fiimnefs -, but they were * Joh. Nadanyi Florus Hungaticus, 12°. Anift. 1663. p. 361. more OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. goi more of the refle(^ive than military caft : for jufl: before the battle of 16^0, Prague, he conveyed his eldeft fon and declared fucceflbr out of the kingdom of Bohemia, whiih caft a damp upon all men's fpirits ; he left the field of action like a difcomfited colonel of Croatians, and not with the dignity of a retreating prince, lofmg his order of the garter in the precipitation of retiring, and upon this account the Imperial beaux- efprits affixed a programma on the gates of Prague to the following effei^ : namely, " That great rewards fhould be beflowed on the perfon " who could give any tydings or intelligence of a certain run-away " monarch, in the flower of his youth, of a complexion inclining to " the florid, diminutive in ftature, with a beard entirely juvenile, and " eyes fquinting a little : of himfelf a well- conditioned and worthy " young man, but feduced by evil-minded and feditious advifers *." This is the firft hue and cry after a fugitive king that I remember to have met with either in antient or modern hiftory. Yet this prmce, in all other refpeds relating to civil and political life, appears to be ftedfaft and unihaken : for he remonflrated in the eleiStion of the king of the Romans, that if the Aufliian fucceffion was not in- terrupted then, when the right line failed, there remained no hope here- after, when that honour was conferred on Ferdinand, who, having iflue, would make it an appendix for ever to the Imperial throne -, and in- llead of fmking under the oppreffions of the houfe of Auflria, he rather feems to rife upon them, preferving a clearnefs of judgment as well as an uniformity of temper under the fevereft trials -f-. Yet part of this may be attributed to the conduct of Elizabeth of England his confort, who was intrepid and heroical beyond all the reft of her family -, for when young Thurn undertook to defend Prague a fingle day, in order to facilitate her efcape, Ihe generoufly refufed to force the brave fon of her beft friend to fail into the hands of an unforgiving enemy. And though it is certain that her Bohemian majefty never gave countenance to any intrigue, yet ihe had a violent inclination to be adored at a diftance. She was not to be called a confummate beauty, though then in the height of her bicora, • Riccio de Bellis German. L. i. p. 46. Cabala, which may be conlidered as a mafter- •f- See his letter to James I. preferved in the piece in politics. Vol. I. D d being 202 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 630. being aged about twenty-three years ; but her figure was both of the majeflic and attraclive kind*, and flie certainly poflefled what the French call the manners and the graces. Her very courage and prefence of mind provided her admirers ; half the army being her pafflonate inamorato's. Thefierce Chriftlan duke of Brunfwic was her traclablc flave '}- ; and fo were young Thurn and lord Craven. They all fouglit for her, as much as the catife, and the latter when he left the wars (all hopes, of recovering the Palatinate being cut off by the death of GufVavus) carried his enthu- fiafm fo far, that he built tlie fine houfe of Hampfled Marfhall, on the banks of the river.Kennet inBerkfliire (a tradt of country not unlike the Palatinate, nor fuperior to many parts thereof in beauty) as a fort of afy- lum for his injured princefs \. It is certain that pofterity, which ufually draws conclufions from the fuccefsful or unfortunate nature of events, may blame Frederic for ac- cepting the throne of Bohemia prematurely. Yet that prince had excel- lent minifters, who judged rightly according to the probability of fecond caufes : but his pacific father-in-law deceived every expectation of the young prince : and the Bohemians, as much as they languifhcd for li- berty, declined to advance all pecuniary affiftances. Neverthelefs, it muft not be difi"embledj that a pamphlet was publiflied at that period, namely, in the year 1620, fome few months before the battle of Prague, which for fpirit, elegance, and political acumen furpaffeth any thing relative to the times in queflion, which I have perufed ||, and contained truefug- geftiohs no way difadvantageous to the profperity of Frederic. " The drift of this work was to prove, that his Bohemian majefly *' had paiTed tlie Rubicon ; that the die of his fortune was cafl, it being • There are two piftares of Elizabeth at talle of the reign of Charles I, and coft lord riampton-Courf, one when princefs of England, Craven (though he never lived to linifti the in- and one when eleftrefs and queen of Bohemia j fide) about fixty thoofand pounds. The author, the latter by Vanfosner. when a child, was a melancholy fpe£\ator of its ■f- Elizabeths conjugi Frederic! ercptam dc deftruftion by fire in the year 171 8, or there-- manibus Chirothecam pileo fuo accommodans, abouts. jur&vetit ; non demiffurum fe fyoibolum illud e || It was entitled a Tret Di/courfe, or fecret in- caplte, piiufquara regem Fredericum folio Pra- ftruftions with reference to the affairs of Ger- ^end redditum vidifiet. Bracket. Hifi, nofir, many, Bohemia and Hungary, addrell in a kt- tenif. p. 58. tcr to the eleftor Palatin. , % It was a piece of architeflare ia the true 1 , m OF GUSTAVUS ADQLPHUS. ' 203 for the foldiers were all triable at the commandant's court-martial ; who like wife had the prerogative (it being fet forth, that he was a per- fon of moft confummate experience) of difpofing the artillery and watches in fuch places as beft pleafed him, with this further authority, that nothing, which was matter of military ufe, fliould be moved out of the town without his privity and confent*. His majefty, whilft he continued at Stetin, began to grow impatient for aftion, and difpatched Banier and lord Rca crofs the Oder at the head of 1200 infantry, to make themfelves mailers of Dam, a fmall fortification within fight of Stetin, and about fix miles diftant from it on the fouth-eafl fide. A peafant offered to conduct this detachment over a morafs, which having one narrow caufe-way was deemed im- palTable in all other places : but as this propofal happened to take air, the inhabitants like good politicians fent Banier word (well knowing, that a town taken by florm became fubjecled to military plunder) that if he would poflpone his vifit till evening, they would open a pollern- gate for his more quiet admilTion. Mean, while tlie Imperial garrifon perceiving how matters were like to proceed, dillodged very prudently before fun fet, and threw themfelves into. Stargard, a llronger place, and more capable of refiflance : for fome days befoi"e the Italian colonel. * Chemnitius, Tom. i. 53., Ficcolomlni, 222 THEHISTORYOFTHlfLIFE 1 630. Plccolomini, had introduced by furprizc a confiderable gariifon into it, and having feized the city-keys, which were in the magiftrates pofc fcflion, exacled a contribution from the inhabitants amounting to 1 000 pounds. In confequence of thefe feverities, a private exprefs was dif- patchcd to the king, requefting him to turn his arms agaiiift Stargard: .but as Guftavus had fome fufpicion of the townfmen's good faith, he thought fit to employ the governor and garrifon of Stetin (accompanied by a body of his own troops) in this expedition, partly as better ac- quainted with the town and its avenues, (being lefs liable alfo from their knowledge of the people to be amufed or mifled) and partly be- caufe he was willing to engage the Pomeranian forces in fome open afl of hoflihty againft tlie emperor, in order to fecure them more faith- fully to his interefts. This Httle body of troops having made a mid- night march of about ten miles, fcaled the walls at break of day, and put to the fword a confiderable part of the garrifon. Piccolomini, with two or three companies of infantry, retired to the caflle, and at length capitulated. Some days likewife before the epifcopal town of Camin, which lies on a promontory over againft the ifland of Wollin (being the capital of a fmall principality) incurred the fame fate. But the lofs of Stargard, being one of the principal towns of Outer- Pomerania, was a more fenfible inconvenience to the Imperial general; for it was the magazine of corn and provifions, and lay in the road be- tween his two camps. By this time his Imperial majefty plainly difcovered he had been grofsly abufed with refpe6l to Guftavus, whom he found to be for- midable in every fliape. Perplexed in his mind what meafures to pur- fue, he at length difpatched a letter * to him by the hands of one of his courtiers, requefting a fuller explanation of all the king's reafons for invading the empire in fo hoftile a manner ; alledging, that his Swedifli majefty had no more to do with the affairs of Stralfund, and the inteftine quarrels of the princes and ftates of the empire, than the emperor had to do with the internal government of Sweden ; admo- * See the original in the Mercure Franjois, en I'an 1630, Tom. xvi, p. 334. It he^i date from Ratlibon, Auguft '-|-. nifliing OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 223 nlfhing him at the fame time to withdraw his troops and conclude a 1630, peace, or elfe threatning to exterminate him and his army out of the em- pire, by fending the whole weight of his mighty legions againft him ; inafmuch as the affairs of Germany regarded only the Germanic body. Gaftavus received the letter with extreme politenefs, and told the gen- tleman it required too many ferious confiderations and revifions to be anfwered immediately : Be fides, Sir, faid he, I am at this prejcnt junEIure incapacitated ; but luill not fail tofe?hi a proper reply to his Ccjarean ma- jejly the very Jirji motnenf I am recovered of a 'wound, which an eagle * hath give7z me in the hand, ivherewith I hold my pen. Upon which the courtier, without faying a word more, made his obeyfances, and i etired,. perceiving plainly, that this allegorical excufe proceeded from the refent- ments the king had entertained on account of the detachment, which- had been fent into Poland under Arnheim's condu6l ; and fo much the rather, as the court of Vienna had denied the Swedes to raife recruits in the empire during the Polifli wars -f-. And here it may not be improper to relate a few paffages with regard to Ferdinand II. emperor of Germany, whom more from a fenfe of his power, thani from an idea of any extraordinary abilities in him, Guftavus confi- dered as his great antagonift. He fucceeded Mathias in 16 19. That monarch had two brothers, Maximilian, who died one year before him, and Albert ; both unblelTed with children. Ferdinand was their coufin German, firft prince of their blood, fon of the late arch-duke Charles, prince of Stiria, who was brother to the emperor Maximilian, father of Mathias, MaximiHan, and Albert. The faid emperor Maximilian and Charif.s prince of Stiria were brothers fons of the emperor Ferdi- nand, and Anne heirefs to the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary; which made out Ferdinand's title to thofe dominions. This perfon had great concerns in hiflory, and yet hiftory reporteth little with refpeft to him. That he was a bigot is certain, as appears by a remark we have made elfewhere in a paragraph relating to cardinal * Alluding to the Auflrian arms. See Le Barre, Tom. ix, p. 60 !. Riccio de BelJisi Cerman. 199. f Heylmanni Leo Arftoiis, 4°. p. 9, " ' JUefel 224 THE IIISTOR Y O F THE LIFE 1630. Klefcl •'•, To which another anecdote may be fubjoined of the fame ftanip. When the dccifions of the Bohemian judicature were tranf- niittcd to Vienna, with reference to the intended flate-maffacre, which was decreed to complete the battle of Prague, he fent for his confefTor (uhofe name was Lamormain) and adjured him by his confcience to inform him, whether he could fafely fign the dead warrants, or as fafely grant an univerfal pardon. To which that worthy and generous eccle- fiaftic replied, IJlnmque in poiejlate tua cjl, Cafar -f-. Yet the unmerci- ful alternative flill took place : one hundred and eighty- five noble pro- teftant families were fent to beg their bread in foreign countries ; and the principal perfonages of the kingdom figned the evangelical profcfTion with their beft blood on a public fcafFold, not merely like Greeks and Romans, but with a ferenity and vivacity no ways unbecoming the pri- mitive Chrillians : of which I cannot refrain from inferting fome few particulars, being fuch as it is highly probable have occurred to few peo- ple in the courfe of their reading. When the inquifitors of juflice examined count de Schlick with infup- portable rigour, he tore open his cloaths, and laying bare his breaft, made the following fpeech in fo many words j 'Tear this body of mirie into ten thoiif and pieces^ probe every vein and corner of my heart, youJJ^all not find afingle fetitiment there, but what my right hand hath fubfcribed at the bot- tom of the apology. The love of liberty, and of God's religion, and of my country prompted that very hand to laeild thefword : and f nee it hath pleafed the Supreme Being to transfer fuccefs to the etnperor, and deliver us into your hands, lean only fay with fubmifjion, complace?icy, and reverence, the will of God be done%. Many other unfortunate prifoners fpoke much to the fame effedl, and all protefled, That the jujlice of a national revolt cotdd not derive its mora- lity from the event of fecond caifes ; and, what is (till more remarkable, no one perfon acknowledged the crime of rebellion. When that part of Schlick's fentence v/as read, which pronounced his body to be torn to pieces with wild horfes, and his limbs affixed in vari- • See p. 193, 194. p. 211- 1632. Sine loco. •}• Hift. Perfecutionum Ecclef. Bohem. 12°. J lb, &c. &c. Laurea Auftriaca, fol. 460, &c. OUS OF GUSTAVUS ADOLFHUS. 225 ous places, he addrefled to his judges with an air of ferenity a beauti- 1630. fill application from the claflics, Facilis jactura sepulchri : and when father Sedatius, chief of the Jefuits, who had much laboured to effect his converfion, cried out haftily, at the time the executioner's hand was lifted up, Domine comes, recordare cdhuc ; he replied to him and his aflbciates with an air of feverity, yam me facite mijfum. When fupper was ferved up to thefe ftate-criminals the evening before the execution, they all declared, that they had no need of a material it- paft : neverthelefs, left the public might interpret their abftinence to proceed from fear, they were determined to take the refrefliment of the table, and then endeavour to obtain a good night of repofe. On the morning of execution they all dreffed themfelves in their richeft apparel, and thofe, who wei^e military men, wore fuch part of their armour and habit as might not create any retardment to the operations of the execu- tioner. The chevalier Kapler had an offer made him of receiving his life upon condition he could content himfelf with perpetual imprifonment ; but the anfwer he fent the vice-roy, the prince of Lichtenftein, was, " That •' being an extremely old man, unable either to tafte wine or rehfh " " meat, walking with pain, and (leeping with difficulty, he had but " one favour to afk, which was to be beheaded." The venerable Michaelovitzki, whom the king of Bohemia particularly loved, when the officers came to conducl a young nobleman to the fcaffi3ld, ftepped before him with an air of vivacity, and faid, feniores, priores : I demand the precedency of age. He had been one of the principal aiSlors in all the public commotions next to Thurn, and had been joined with him as deputy burgrave of Carlftein caftle, (a poft of fmgular honour and profit, as the regalia of the crown are there preferved :) and was one of the three ambafladors, that had been fent to Francfort at the eledlion of Ferdinand. Kutnar, a fenator of old Prague, for fome particular reafons, was condemned to be hanged. When he mounted the fcaffold. My good friejids and countrymen, faid he to the fpeSlators, a Jlrange death is ol- VoL. I. G g lotted 226 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. lotted mc; for 'whether J am to be fufpcndcd by the heels, the neck, or the ribs^ is more than I krioiv, and more than I care for, except it be, that I cannot have the reputation to leave the world as a gentle/nan ought to do. And ano- ther criminal of fupcrior rank, when that part of the fentence was pronounced againft him, which refen-ed to the difmembering his body by wild horfes, miade a very lively anfwer without much emotion ; Gentlemen, faid he, fend one limb to the pope y a fecond to the emperor, a third to the king of Spain, and a fourth to the great 'Turk -, yet the Supreme Being •nill hio'W how to re-unite them at the lajl day. But to conclude thcfe tragical fcenes ; the cafe of Dr. JefTen was more extraordinary. This gentleman (who was an Hungarian of noble ex- tratl) had been redlor of the univerfity of Prague, celebrated for his learning, and knowledge throughout all Europe ; and being a phyfician had digrefled naturally enough into the amufement of judicial aftrology conformably to the vogue and pradlices of that age. In the year 1618 lie had been fent ambaflador to the Hungarians, and in his conferences with them had executed his commiffion with great fuccefs and dex- terity : but it was his misfortune in his return homewards to be inter- cepted by fome Imperial partizans -, and thus he became a ftate pri- foner at Vienna. The houfe of Auftria thought fit to exchange him againft an Italian of confequence, who ferved the emperor, and upon quitting the prifon he writ thus on the chamber- walls, I. M. M. M. M. The arch-duke Ferdinand, amongft others, made a vifit to thefe initial letters in order to decypher them and expound them, and at length de- clared their originality and meaning to be, imperator. math i as. MENSE. MARTio. * MoRiETUR. He then with eagernefs drew a pencil from his pocket, and added a fecond reading and explanation j jesseni. MENTiRis. MALA. MORTE. MORiERis. -f- wliich fhcws at kaft, that the future emperor had fome readinefs and vivacity of parts. Thefe circumftances were recalled back to men's minds, and much agi- tated, whilft the dottor lay under condemnation. Neverthelefs his cuftom was to give one general anfwer to all enquirers ; As my prophecy held good with relation to the death of Mathias, his Imperial majejly, Ferdi^ * He died the March eftfuing 1619^ f He was executed in £621^ tiand^ OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 227 nand, kvUI certainly pique himfelfto confirm his prediSlion likexvife in reference 1 6 ■2 o- to the extinSlion of poor fejfen. In a word, the perfecutions of the houfe of Auftria had hardened the Bohemians into a ftate of heroifm ; and of courfe I fliall relate but one ftriking example more in regard to cruelty : two officers held a naked infant by the legs, and one of them fplitting it through with a ftroke of his fabre, made ufe of this tremendous exprefllon, Jam habes fub utrdque; alluding to the communion under both fpecies, which the unhappy pro- teftants had requefled with earneftnefs *. Thefe fliort inflances may ferve to give fome idea of the temper and government of Ferdinand II. Mean while Guftavus received a joint- letter -f-, fubfcribed by the feveral electors, difpatched from the fame place with that of the emperor, and bearing date Auguft 3 : in which, by the way, they had recovered their memories fo far, as to give him the com- pellation of king ; an honour they had withheld from him in the pre- ceding part of their application to him. It was pretended, that the omiffion of the regal title did not proceed from any difregard or evil- intention of the heart, but from a certain form and parade of dignity, which the electoral body had afTumed from time immemorial in their cor- refpondence even with crowned heads. It is vifible to the moft inatten- tive reader, that the houfe of Auftria held the pen in this querimonious and exhortatory epiillej for the electors blamed him on account of his in- terference in regard to Stralfund, for interrupting the deliberations at Ratifbon with an armed force, and for a needlefs interpofition in refpedl to the reftitution of his kinfmen, the dukes of Mechlenberg ; and then advifed him to evacuate the empire and repofe himfelf on the humanity and equity of his Imperial majefty. By this time Guftavus, it being near the middle of Auguft, thought proper to form one general camp under the walls of Stetin (which he committed to the conduct of Guftavus Horn) having received a rein- forcement from that commander of 8000 frefli troops out of Livonia ; himfelf making excurfions here and there, in order to reduce the neigh- • Hifpanic* Dominationis Arcana, p. S,. This letter is preferved in the Mercure Fran9ois, -f It had been preceded by one dated July lo, and in Arnilabseus, p. 37. G g 2 bouring 5i8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. bouring fortified towns into fubje6lion. He had an earned dcfire to make himfelf mailer of Gartz and GrifFcnhagen, two important cities, whicli commanded the river Oder ; but did not think it expedient to hazard his troops on lb adventtirous a fervice in the very infancy of an invafion. He therefore left a part of his army encamped, as we obferved before, to cftcftuate the conqueft of Pomerania ; and applied himfelf with the rell: of his forces, (having firft ordained a general faft,) to reduce the duchy of Mechlenberg, which lies contiguous to it, partly from a point of honour to recover the dominions of his kinfmen the depofed dukes, and partly with a view to attack Walftein's new acquifitions (an enterprize highly popular in the empire) and render himfelf mafter of the whole fliore of the Baltic. Shaping his courfe therefore towards Stral- fund, he attacked Wolgaft, the capital of a duchy bearing the fame name (whofe fort he had taken before, and which town Banier had blockaded) and having rendered himfelf mafter of the city, at length ob- tained the caftle by furrender, after difcharging 8000 cannon-fliot againft its walls. Colonel Schleiifler evacuated the place, marching out at the head of five companies of infantry, which were reduced to 600 men ; one half of whom immediately enrolled themfelves in his majefty's fer- vice. Upon this the caftle was repaired and furniflied for the reception of the queen of Sweden, who was foon expelled to n-^ake a vifit to her hufband, and become the partaker of his profperous or evil for- tunes. By this time Torquato had withdrawn from his camp at Anclam, and entrenched himfelf under the cannon of Gartz ; and, as he dreaded Guftavij.s in open field, determined (conformably to the praftice of his country, for he was an Italian) to circumvent his opponent by fraud and ftratagem, and either kill him, or make him his prifoner at all hazards. To this purpofe one of his officers named Quinti Aligheri (fome call "him Quinti del Ponte) defeited by permiflion under pretence of fome difguft, and was admitted lieutenant-colonel in Falkenberg's regiment of cavahy. He there found a countryman, who was a captain of horfe, one John Baptifta, whom, according to the cuflom of the wais, he chofe for his comerade, and imparted to him the whole plot he had con- ceived. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 229 celved. Some time aftervs^ards Guftavus had adefire to take a view in 1630* perfon of Torquato's lines, in order to form the fiege of Damin, where all Quinti's ill acquired wealth was depofited * ; upon which this officer, who was a favourite with the king, being one of tlie party, con- trived to leave his mafter, whilfl he attended him on the road, by a feem- ing fort of accident ; and riding full fpeed to the Imperial general gave him a brief information of the expedition intended. As his majefty had only feventy foldiers with him, Torquato difpatched immediately 500 chofen Neapolitan cuiraiTiers, whom the traytor Aligheri com- manded -f. The fubtile Italian having difpofed an ambufcade with^ great dexterity (for therein confided good part of the military genius, before the arrival of Guftavus) entrapped the king on his return in a narrow defile, where he could neither advance nor retreat. No private foldier made perfonally a braver defence than his majefty did ; and in fpite of a fuperiority more than fix to one, the Swedes kept firm to their leaders, nor did a fingle man behave unworthily. Their refiftance was fo heroical and fo obftinate, that the commander of the affailants was obliged to change his original plan (of taking his ma- jefty alive) and try, if poflible, to cut him to pieces. He twice or thrice determined to ftioot him ; but his prefence of mind deceived him, when he attempted to make the dangerous and infamous experiment | ; for he dreaded the look of a man like Guftavus, v/hom he had bafely be- trayed ; and greatly feared that the cries of the combatants, and briflc difcharge of the fire-arms, might colleft fome ftraggling partizans to the king's defence. Guftavus, after his horfe was killed by two mufquet- balls, fought for a confiderable fpace of time on foot, nor had his fol- diers opportunity or power to remount him. He for fome moments was taken prifoner, though unknown, (and it is remarkable lie never moved fo fuUenly, as when the enemy wanted to carry him off":) but his com^- panions threw themfelves round him, like men in defperation, and in- ftantly recovered him ; for every man, without confulting his friends, had determined to die conqueror. * Memorabilia Saec. Gentis, p. 85. ^ ScheiFeri IvIemorab». 209, 21c. t Riccio de Bellis Germ, zoi, &c.. At 430 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. At length a Livonian colonel, ported at the head of a detachment, by the king's orders, to fecure a retreat, greatly uneafy at difcovering no figiis of his mafter's return, commanded his men to advance with all convenient fpced, and difpatched a troop of horfe before in full gallop to procure intelligence; which attra6led foon by the noife of the fire- arms, found his majefty with a furviving handful of men crouding round him, juft upon the point of being deftroyed. In that inftant the colonel appeared, and foon routed the Neapolitans, without at- ^ tempting to purfue them, concluding it honour enough to have pre- ferved his fovereign. This action in point of bravery was confidered by the army as a very extraordinary one, that feventy men, taken at a difadvantage and by fur- prize, Ihould maintain a fight of half an hour's duration againft 500 chofen troops, animated with the hopes of taking no lefs perfon pri- Ibner than the king of Sweden. As to Aligheri, he returned back to the Imperial fervice, and there continued ; but his comerade John Baptifta, according to the then military law, had the honour to be beheaded in the Swedilh camp. Two Imperial banners were gained in this rencoun- ter, and prefented to his majefty, who, though charmed with the fidcUty and bravery of his followers, received the compliment with an air of affli(51:ion ; for other thoughts then occupied his mind, and obftrufled his joy. Jamforry, faid he, to have brought a Jet of bra\'e men (for fuch 7ny companions truly nvere) fo far from their refpeStive homes, afid fee them cut to pieces by unequal 7iumbers. What might they not have lived to per- form, if the nvarmth of my temperame7it bad not delivered them inconfi~ derately to flaughter * ? But a misfortune more inglorious ftill threatned his majefty; for a German monk born at Amberg, originally nothing better than a taylor, had formed a defign to deprive him of his life -f-. This man in order to attra6l Guftavus's obfervation wandered about the camp under the appearance of an exile, having a book in his hand, • Hift. or Authent. Relat. in Low Dutch, paragraph. Tom. I. 174. Neverthelefs the author Dane- f Loccenii Hill. Suecana, p. 571. kaertz has placed his fpcech under a wrong and OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 23J and always afFedling to pore therein. Some fay his purpofe was to give 1630. the king a packet of poifoned papers to perufe, a method of difpatch then in vogue amongft the ItaUan troops, who ferved the emperor, and which is fuppofed now in Italy * to be efficacious to a certain degree ; others aflert, that his intention was to have recourfe to a more compen- dious method, the interpofition of the Stilletto. Be that as it may, the attempt was fufpe6led and the defign acknowledged. Whilfl Guftavus employed himfelf in confidering attentively the fituation and the fortifications of the town of Gartz (which town as well as GrifFenhagen the duke of Pomerania had befought him to free from the Imperial garrifons) a Swedifli colonel had formed a defign to take an outwork, which belonged to the former place, by furprizej and in order to obtain what he thought the fecureft advice, imparted his pro- jeft to feveral officers, that ferved with him ; but by fome accident, either of treachery or inadvertency, the fecret took vent, and the garrifon be- ing prepared for his coming, gave him a very unexpe6led reception. Neverthelefs he made his retreat like a man, who underftood the fighting part, and prefented two flandards to the king, who received them with a certain air of diflatisfafllon, obferving to the generals, that flood round him, 'That no retreat or defence could jujltfy a cotmnandery ivho had not power to lock up a military fecret in his oivn breajl ■\. His Imperial majefty thought it now high time to cement his friend- fhip more and more with the court of Madrid ; and of courfe a con- tract of marriage was figned betv/een Ferdinand his fon, king of Hun- gary, and Anna Maria, filler to PhiUp IV. king of Spain. This prin- cefs embarked at Barcelona with a very numerous and magnificent fleet ; but not being able to land at Genoa, on account of the plague, which then reigned there, pointed her courfe to Naples, and demanded per- miffion of the Venetians to crofs the Adriatic %' ^^^ that republic, whofe maxim it was to talk highly at a time when other nations ac!^ * I have been informed, that prince Eugene pacquets with their hands behind them, jwidi was once Ilunned with perafing a poifoned letter leave them unfolded to the air for fome time, written in a hand fo difficult, that it required a •{■ Hill, or Authent. Relat. Tom. L p. 174. very clofe examination : and to this moment \ Le Batie ; Hift. d'AUemagne, Tom. i.v. fome great perfons ia Italy break open fufpicious 602, with 232 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630, with timidity, ordered Pifani, general of the iflands, to give battle to the fair lady's fquadron, witliout any ceremony : ncvcrthelefs an offer was made to tranfport her to Triefte, in the galiies belonging to the itate. Upon this, couriers were difpatclied immediately to the courts of Vienna and Madiidi and as the politicians there did not chufe to con- vert a wedding into a fea-fight, the efcort of the republic (which faid republic defrayed the princefs's expence with magnificence) was accepted with profound acquiefcence : yet thefe retardments allowed her not to arrive at Vienna till the third week of the year enfuing, and then tlie nuptials were completed. Led by fome evil delliny of war, a fmall party of 300 Swedes en- tered the little town of Paflewalk, and began to fortify themfelves therein : but a body of 3000 Imperialifts detached from Torquato's army inverted them unexpe6ledly ; and either their refiftance was fo extraordinary, or the cruelty of the allailants fo great, that not a fmgle perfon out of the garrifon efcaped. From this moment the war began to grow extremely bloody and fin- cerely in earneft. At length it was agreed, in confequence of the re- prefentations of the king of Sweden, to allow free and fair quarter on either fide. Neverthelefs the Imperialifls were cruel enough to except the foldiers of the duke of Pomerania, and Guftavus by way of retalia- tion excluded the Croatians : For if, faid he, the former are to be confi- dered as a band of rebels, Ifhall efteem the latter as an herd of favages *. About this time a Angular adventure happened to 700 Scots, who, in coafting the Baltic from Pillau in order to join the main body of the Swedifli army, had the misfortune to be fhipwrecked near Rugenwalt -f-, which town was defended by an Imperial garrifon. Thefe poor wq-etches loft their ammunition and baggage, and ex- cepting a few wet mufquets, had only pikes and fvvords, wherewith tm defend themfelves. What was ftill equally difagrecable, the enemies * Pietro Pomo ; Guerre di Germana, lib. i. way betw-een Stetin and Dantzic. It was then P- 9. one of the doke's places of refidence, and was f Rugenwalt is a large town, with a good greatly embellifhed with parks, waters, tec. harbour and caftle, fituated on a traft of land, Erich XIV. king of Sweden held his court there which projefts into the Baltic, lying juft half twenty years, having left his country in 1439. troops OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, 233 troops were quartered all round the country, and the king and his army 1630. removed from them at a diftance of eighty miles. In this dilemma Robert Monro * their commander lent a meffage to the late Pomeranian governor, who was ftill in Rugenwalt with fome foldiers, (a6ling feem- ingly under the Imperial directions) with orders to inform him, that if he would open a poftern gate for him at niglit, and convey to him fifty firelocks and ammunition, he would engage to clear the town of its new vifitants, and reftore it in fuch manner as their two refpe6live mailers fiiould afterwards agree. Thus Monro by a fingular fortitude and prefence of mind took Ru- genwalt by a midnight ailault, and having difpatched a meflenger to advertife his majefty of what had happened, obflructed all the pafles, that approached the town, and maintained himfelf bravely and pru- dently there for the fpace of nine weeks, till his countryman colonel Hepburn, who commanded under Oxenfliern in Livonia and the adja- cent parts of Pruflia, relieved him with his own regiment, and having drawn together a fraallarmyof 6000 men, co-operated with Kniphaufen in the blockade of Colbergen. Indeed, by peculiar good fortune, 400 German foldiers belonging to the Swedifh army were driven, by flrefs of weather into the harbour near the town, which increafed the garrifon to 1 100 men. And here one may juftobferve incidentally, that during the fhipwreck of the Scottifli troops, a ferjeant's wife, without the affillance of any other woman, was delivered of a fine male-child, which flie anxioufly held in her arms, and conveyed fafely to fhore, and marched with it in the like manner four long miles the next day. And when lord Rea gave the king an exa6l account of the extraordinary manner, whereby the town of Rugenwalt was thrown into the pofleflion of the Swedes, his majefty replied, with vifible marks of joy in his countenance, I'bat he now began to hope., that the Supreme Being gave marks i-f approbation in the fupport of his caiife. About this time Guftavus marched an army, confifling of 13,000 men, by way of bravado, up to the very front of Torquato's lines, (which ftretched themfelves round the fortifications of Gartz) and ufed • Author of the two Expeditions. Lond. fol. 1637. part z. p. 3. Vol. I. H h all 234 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. all forts of provocation and allurements to draw the cautious Italian to a pitched battle. Guftavus performed this feat of chivalry merely to keep the troops in fpirits ; nor was it an imfuccefsful artifice, according to the pra6tice of war in that age ; for he well forefaw, that Torquato would not depart from the ftrength of his entrenchments. However, in his return from this effort of military gallantry, he met by chance a kinfman of Walflein (fome millakenly call him a fon) in a coach and fix, efcorted by part of a regiment. Orders were given to charge him inftantly, and 1 50 perfons were taken prifoners ; but the young man quitted his coach, and owed his cfcape to the fleetnefs of his horfe. The greater part of Pomerania being now fecured, his majefty turned his thoughts towards an irruption into the duchy of Mechlen- berg, and having rendered himfelf mafter of the flrong fortrefs of Stolpe, which commanded the narrow frith, through which he was to fail from Stetin, embarked 12,000 chofen men aboard his fleet, and pafTmg by Wolgaft and Stralfund, furprized Bart, and then took by ftorm the important towns of Damgarten and Ribnitz. Thefe two places, con- nefted by a bridge crofs a fmall river bearing the fame name with the laft town, end removed from each other at a diflance of about three miles, were in thofe days confidered as the lock and key, that gave ad- miflion into the duchy of Mechlenberg on the Pomeranian fide ; the fecuring a paffage over rivers being efteemed at that period the firft part of military prudence. Guftavus attacked Ribnitz at midnight, and carried it, after a very fliarp camifado j for the Imperial colonel Merode . made an obftinate rcfiftance, and w^as taken prifoner fword in hand. Nor muft it be diftembled, that in the confufions of a night-attack fome reta- liations were made for the cruelties lately exercifed at Pafi"ewalk. Never- thelefs the king foon repreffed the refentments of his troops, after a few of the enemy's men had been precipitated from the windows. And here it muft be obferved, that the navigation from Stetin to Damgarten was an extremely difficult and dangerous undertaking, being all to be performed in a narrow channel, full of iilands, fand-banks and promontories, not to mention in fom^e places the whole preflure of the Baltic upon the Ihipping, in cafe the wind blew from the north, or any OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 2,. any points tending towards the north. But Guflavus was by this time 1670. almoft as much an admiral as a general, affe6ling independency alike both by fea and land ; and having thus obtained a tolerably fecure foot- ing in the duchy of Mechlenberg, invited all the country by procla- mations * to difavow Walilein, and re-acknowledge their antient pof- feflbrs. It is true the duke and ftates of Pomerania had befought his majefty to give Torquato battle (of which he made a brave proffer, without expe6ling it fhould be accepted) and drive him from the neighbourhood of Gartz, and GrifFenhagen, both for the general quiet of the country, and the fecurity of Stetin in particular : but the king had not phlegm enough to wafte his time and facrifice his men in watching the motions of an intrenched wary Italian. Befides he knew from good authority (for no prince ever procured better intelligence) that the inhabitants of Mechlenberg wifhed to fee him, having been long difpoflelied of their natural princes, and long groaned under the intolerable domination of Walilein. He forefaw too, as he governed all his campaigns by politi- cal good fenfe, that a vigorous attack upon that general's territories would be highly agreeable to fome of the enemies, and all the friends of Sweden. He had a by-view likewife in approaching nearer and nearer to the territories of William landgrave of Hefle-Caflel, whofe father Maurice was then alive, but had refigned the government to him in 1628. Herman Wolf, the landgrave's minifter, befought the king's proteftion and afiiftance, and made overtures of co-operating with him with an army of 8000 men. A treaty was inftantly committed to pa- per without helitation on either fide, but w'as not figned and confirmed till the enfuing year. Amelia Elizabeth of Hanau, the widow of this prince (for he died in 1637) proved the beft ally that Sweden ever obtained in the courfe of twenty German campaigns. Her defigns were great and generous, and executed with fucli precifion, firmnefs and fidelity, that Ihe became the ornament and glory of the proteflant caufe. Her hufband William left the minority of his fon to her regency, and, if I raiftake not, the kings * See the original in Arnilabsei Armis Suecicis, p. 42, 43.' Hh2 pf 236 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. of England and France were rcqucftcd to make a revifion thereon. She waged war boldly againft the emperor and the landgrave of Hefle Darmftadt concerning the diftrift of Marpurg, and obtained at the peace of Weft- phalia the abbacy of Kirchfield, and four fignories to be annext forever to her dominions. She gained likewife by way of indemnification up- wards of 90,000 I. to be raifcd in nine months from the dioccfes of Mentz, Cologn, Paderborn, Munfler, and Fulda : refigning the power of government to her fon in 1650, and furviving duke Bernard de Weymar (who had an ambition to marry her) about twelve years *. Mean while Torquato attacked Horn in his entrenchments at Stetin, but was repulfcd with confiderable lofs ; and having difpatched the duke of Savelli into the duchy of Mechlenberg (which was, properly fpeaking, the duke's diflrift of command) in order to countera(5t the king's motions, wafted the reft of the campaign in a fort of defponding inaflivity, and took here and there a defencelefs town, merely for the fake of extorting money ; dealing in nothing except little incurfions, furprifes, and matters of plunder and contribution. The king next turned his eyes upon Roftock (by the natives fuppofed to fignify the town of rofes) a confiderable city, adorned with a provin- cial univerfity ; removed from the Baltic about four miles, and diftant from Ribnitz fomething more than twenty. But Savelli fruftrated this intended fiege ; for demanding permifTion of the magiftrates to march a detachment through their town, in order to fecure Doberan, the thou- fand horfe, who entered firft, feized the grand gate by violence, and gave admifllon to the infantry. His majefty wrote to the magiftracy on the occafion, who feemed willing to admit him, but knew not how : upon this he changed the fiege into a blockade j ordered part of his fleet to poflefs the harbour, and eredted redoubts and ftrong fortifications upon all the principal roads that approached the town. By thefe methods the garrifon began to be extremely ftraitened, and Savelli, with a view to merit the good graces of Walftein, difpatched 4000 men to cut a pafTage for themfelves, and throw fome relief both of provifions and foldiers into the town. This detachment the Swedes handled veiy roughly (his * Imhoff Notit. Principum, fol. 244; majefty OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 237 majefty being returned to his camp at Stetin) and Banier receiveci or- 1630. ders to continue the blockade . I fhould have obferved before, that Guflavus, highly pleafed with thefe profperous beginnings, and confirmed in liis good opinion of the loyalty of the Mechlenbergers, pubHfhed a fecond manifefto rela- tive to his entrance into their territories, which contained little more than a bitter inventive againft the ufurpation and tyranny of Walftein, whole pretenfions to the dukedom he treated with fovereign contempt and difdain, and called his foldiers land-buccaneers, ruffians, and murderers *. In the way to Stetin, the king repofed himfelf for a fhort fpace at Stralfund, and after a confideration of three and thirty days from the time of date, difpatched his reply -|-, during this interval of recollec- tion, to the joint letter of the feveral eleflors. He there tells them, (as frefh letters had arrived during the interval of his majefty's filence, full of excufes for omlfllon of terms of ceremony, and requefling him at the fame time to depart from Germany) T'hat he -was not ciifpleafed to find they had at length difcovered him to be a king, (for his name in thefe fecond letters was placed anterior to their own) and had not denied him the title, which the Supreme Being had bejioived on him. In addition to what hath been already mentioned, the fubflance of his anfwer was, " That the fuppreflion of the regal title was an affair " merely external to thofe, who had private qualities of a moral and " religious nature to value themfelves upon ; and that the annihila- " tion of a phrafe of refpeft and good breeding neither demeaned " him, nor exalted them. He then concluded with a recapitulation " of the various caufes and motives, that induced him to enter the " empire, and added with great franknefs, that in cafe fafe conditions * See the original in Arnilabaeus's Arma I chufe to take my account from Loccenius, be- Suecica, 44, 45. Hift. or Authent. Relat. ing an author of better repute, and who had Tom. i. 178. nearer accefles to the truth ; (Hijl. Suec. p. 574.) f This reply is preferved in the Mercure neverthelefs, I have preferved the letter of the Fran9ois, Tom. xvl. p. 338 ; but as more let- Mercure in the Appendix. ters had pafled from the eleftors to the king, «' coulct 23 S THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. " could be procured for himfelf and Ills allies, he would difcontlnuc " the war as chearfully as he had undertaken it unwillingly." Two days afterwards he wrote to Louis XIII *, cardinal Richelieu *, and Charles I. As to what he tranfmitted to the latter pcrfonage, I can fay nothing, it being only in my power to relate the faft. In his letter to the French king, " He defired leave to raife recruits in '• France ; and told him roundly, he was furprized De Charnace his ff* ambaffador had made a difficulty in a point of meer form, which to *' him appeared abfolutely incomprehenfible." To underfland this matter, which is only hinted at obliquely in the letter, with an equal degree of delicacy and politencfs, I mull have recourfe fw the fatisfadlion of my readers to other authorities -|-, and obferve, that De Charnace, in the rough-draught of the treaty, had inferred the word proteBion on the part of France ; and infifted like- wife, that the name of his mafter fliould precede that of Guftavus, even in the ratification, which the latter was to fign. To this his Swedifh inajefly anfwered livelily and with fome emotion. That he kneio no pro-- tcction but that of the Supreme Being ; and as the two contrasting parties ivere both kings., fo they were both equal in digjiity ; and that precedence in this cafe lOas a thing not to be tmdcrjiobd. To which De Charnace replied, conformably to the petulance of his nation, That all fcarlet •was not of the fame value. Guftavus nettled with fuch an animated impertinence, and at the fame time being the prince in the world the moll jealous of his dignity, told him with an air of determination. That he chofe rather to difpenfe nvith the afjiflance of Frarice, than tarni'f} the ghry of the antient croivn of Sweden j // appearing matter of ajlonif:- 'mefit to him, that his Chrijiian majejly Jhoitld defire him to refgn a title, nvhich he held cjily frd^n-heai-en. Thefe difficulties being fmoothed, or rather acceded to, by the French, the treaty arrived to its full matu- rity in the commencement of the enfuing year. * Thcfe two letters nre preferved in the Jp- l^ la Suedt, p. 5. The latter part of this book, fen.lix. by aniwering Chanut in many places, rendeK f PufFendorft"; Su>- Us alliaiim ttitrt laTranct that period of hiftory morfe complete. In OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 239 In his letter to Richelieu f, he renews the fame complaints con- 1630* cerning the falfe imaginations and wrong-headed obflinacy of M. de Charnace, and befeeches the cardinal to put an end to fuch ridiculous obftruftions, which tend in their own nature to create delays and mif- underflandings. As Tilly had orders from Vienna and Munich to approach Torquato de Conti as expeditioufly as pofTible, Guftavus was determined to hinder that junction, which he had reafon to be alarmed at; fmce two powerful armies in the neighbourhood of Saxony and Branden- burg might have hindered the ele6lors from coming to an accommo- dation with him, a circumftance of union he ardently wifhed to fee realized; and wliich he was almoft morally fure of efFecling, upon fuppofition he could either obftruft or traverfe the motions of Tilly. In order therefore to form a diverfion of this nature, he fet himfelf to contrive that general fome bufinefs in the duchy of Magdeburg, and to that purpofe perfuaded the adminiflrator Chriflian William of Brandenburg to make himfelf mailer of the capital, and prevail on the inhabitants and their neighbours to take up arms. A Swedifh ambaflador attended him in this expedition. The magiftrates and people foon complied, and raifed a body of 2000 foot, and 2500 horfe. The city of Magdeburg had been the fubjeft of great contefts fome years before ; for the houfe of Brandenburg (as we have obferved) had fixed a kinfman there in the adminiftration, who was uncle to the then ele6lor, and had found his intereft long declining at the court of Vienna, having made himfelf an affociate of the league at Lawenberg, and formed an alliance with Chriftian king of Denmark. Upon this account Ferdinand recommended his fon, the archduke Leopold, to he co-adjutor ; but the chapter remonftrated againft the propofal, and petitioned for Auguftus, fecond fon then living, of the elector of Sax- ony, becaufe he was a proteftant. The old adminiflrator had made a vifit to Gullavus at Stockholm, jull before the expedition into Germany, and had implored affillaaces of men and money. He received great encouragement in both par- -)■ Seethe App.sndj-x, ricularsi. &i\.Q TIIR HISTORY OP THE LIFE 1630. tkulars : but the king charged him to reprefs his ardour for fome time, and make pretences of deprecating the Imperial refentmcnt*. His majeily at that time cither could not, or, to fi)eak more proper- ly, chofe not to anfvver the tlcmands of the adminiftrator, who re- quired money to raife an army of 1 0,000 infantry, and 3000 cavalry : neverthelcls, he gave him letters of credit on feveral bankers and mer- chants, to raife fuch part of the fum as could be poflibly amalfed, for tlie payment of which he made himfelf refponfible -f-. This exiled prince was kindly received by all the inhabitants of the duchy ; and the troops he had colle6led in the king's name and in his own, made feveral excurfions, and drove the enemy out of many im- portant pofts. But their commander, though no young man, was a new warrior; undertaking more than he could conquer, and more than he could have maintained in cafe he had proved fuccefsful in his firft enterprizes : for the eIe6tor of Bavaria had long forefeen the effecls of this menacing infurre6lion, and had fent Pappenheim :|: at the head of 6000 men to give a check to fuch tumultuary revolutions, and co-operate with Torquato and Savelli in fuch a manner, as to give the former a freedom of motion, by creating an opportune diverfion. Pappenheim, the ablefl and the readiefl general in thofe days, next to Guftavus, foon compelled a novice in the art of war to contract his conquefts, and at length reduced him to flielter his troops under the walls of Magdeburg, round which he formed to a certain degree a fort of blockade. His majefty perceiving the prince to be thus flraitened, and well forefeeing, that the prefervation of the duchy of Magdeburg might have great influence on the landgrave of Hefle-Caffel, difpatched colonel Falkenberg, grand marechal of the houfehold, an officer of approved bravery, to diredl the adminiftrator with his counfels, fupport the fpirit of the inhabitants, and promife them an expeditious relief; which » Chemnitius, Lib. ii. the emperor but the title of count, with the f Brachelii Hid. Noft. Temp, ad Ann. 1630. appendix of Illuftrijfimo . He married Ludoroilla \ Godfrey Henry, count de Pappenheim, one of the houfe of Colorath ; but we fliall recite of the moll renowned warriors in that century, more particulars concerning him in another He was originally a baron, and go: nothing of place. foon OF G U S T A V U S A D O L P n U S. 241 foon afterwards, from a concurrence of embarraffing circumftances, it 1630. was not in his power to realize. I fpeak not here of the grand relief, which he deflined to fend to the inhabitants in the month of May en- fuing, when Tilly befieged the town in form ; but purely with a view to the prefent blockade. Neverthelefs, it was impoflible for his ma- jefty to leave the electors of Brandenburg and Saxony to chufe their party, being both of them at that time in a ftate of uncertainty : and, what was flill worfe, it was not in his power juft then to convey to the inhabitants of the town a confiderable fum of money, which put the burghers out of humour, who expe6ted prompt payment from every foldier. To make this diverfion in behalf of the Swedifh caufe flill flronger, Francis Charles, duke of Sax-Lawenberg *, was employed to inlift a body of foldiers in the diftri6ls round Hamburg and Lubec. The prince had the good fortune to take Ratzburg (a place of refidence be- longing to his family) by camifado ; a city of fome confequence and natural ftrength, being fituated like Mantua in a large lake. Him colonel Reinach was fent to oppofe and harafs with his own regiment • In thefe wars were feveral dukes of Sax- adted next to Arnheim in the Polith campaign Lawenberg ; as the reigning duke, named Ju- of 1629. As to the duchy of Lawenberg, it gitfius. And he, after many attempts towards a appertains now to his Britannic majelly ; the neutrality, at length efpoufed the Swedilh caufe; family of Lawenberg becoming ex:in£t at the as did alfo Francis Charles, the perfon here men- deceafe of duke Francis Julius in 1 689 ; which tioned, who married the widow of Gabriel is the more extraordinary, as his grandfather Bethlem, (with whom he received a fine dowry) Francis II. had twelve fons and feven daughters, and then the relift of TeufFel, who was born many of whom married and were blefl'ed with countefs of iMegau. He made himfelf a con- an abundant offspring. Yet the whole family vert to the church of Rome, and Francis Hen- became extinft in fifty years. On this event ry, a Swedilh colonel, to whom Guftavus gave only eight competitors preferred their claims to the eftates belonging to the convent of Marien- this territory, of whom the chief were George flyes in Pomerania. On the other hand Ro- William duke of Zel!, and Auguftus king of dolphus Maximilian ferved under Tilly, as did Poland, as eledlor of Saxony ; who being oc- alfo Francis Julias, who was killed by the pea- cupied in other matters, fold his pretenfions to fants near Lintz. Next came the youngeft Ton the duke of Zell for fomething more than Francis Albert, whom we fliall fpeak of more 150,000!. And as about this time a new elec- minutely hereafter, as he was fuppofed to have torate was erected in favour of the houfe of fome concern in the king's death. In the year Brunfwic-Lunenberg, the duchies of Zell and 1625, this prince commanded a regiment of Lawenberg, in the year 171;, on the death of light horfe under Walftein. He was an officer George William, fell, with all rights of fuccif- of good efteem at the fiege of Mantua, and fion, to the eleftoral branch of Hanover. Vol. I. I i newly 242 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 16^0. newly raifcd in Fiizeland, and a thoufand other foldiers. In his fup- port Pappcnhcim advanced, and as he exceeded mod generals in fecrefy and celerity of marching, foon trode on the duke's heels, at a time when he expeftcd nothing lefs than a vifit from him. The firft ftep that vigilant commander took was to furprize a convoy, that came to Lawcnberg's afliftance ; and then making a fecond uncommon ef- fort in a forced march, fecured the foot of Ratzburg bridge, and the port-cullis which defended it, before the garrifon perceived him. The polFefTion of this bridge, vv'hich vras 300 paces long, and the only way of entrance into the town, foon gave him a power to prefcribe laws to it. Upon this, duke Auguftas, who not long before had refufed to give his brother entrance into the caftle, found himfelf obliged to ad- mit Pappenheim, for he did not care to exafperate the emperor. Fran- cis Charles made an appearance of defending the town (though in truth it was not defenfible) : neverthelefs, when all things were pre- pared by the Imperialifts for a general alFault, he fent to demand a truce, which Pappenheim granted him for the fpace of one fmgle quarter of an hour. In that interim the duke attempted to efcape to Lubec in a fmall pleafure-boat ; but the fteerfman being killed by a fal- con-fhot, he thought it moft prudent to drive to fliore, and furrender himfelf to Pappenheim, who promifed him, conformably to that gene- rofity peculiar to brave men, that neither the emperor, nor elector of Bavaria, fliould hurt him ; engaging likewife for the fecurity of his- life, and an exemption from perpetual imprifonment. The king, in order to be fomething nearer to thefe operations, made a fecond vifit to Stralfund, from whence (it being now the laft day of OlSlober) he thought fit to anfwer * the emperor's letter, which bore date Auguft the 8th, having delayed returning a reply to him eight and forty days from the period he had difpatched his juftifi- cation to the feveral electors : an affected indifference, purpofely made ufe of by his majefly, partly with a view to mortify the Auftrian pride, (as the empei-or had only beftowed upon him the title of Otir Prince) • Sec the original in Arm. Suecicis, p. 54, &.C. Neverthelefs, I have rather carried the ab- ftratl of Loccenius in my eye. I and OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 243 and partly becaufe he favv no ground-work whereon to eftabhfh a folid i6;jo. accommodation. It may fuffice to fay, with reference to this extraordinary epiftle, that he upbraided the emperor with great fpirit and acrimony at firft fetting out, and gave him to underftand, " That it became not the " Cefarean majefty to fupprefs the title of king in his applications to " him, fince that implied a fort of dependency on the Germanic em- " pire; whereas at the period alluded to, he was not mafter of a foigle ." inch of land in the empire : nor was it a reafon, if the cafe had " been otherwife, that an outrage fhould have been committed on his " regal character. Alledging afterwards in the ftrongeft terms, that " the emperor had waged war againft him in Poland and Pruflia, with- " out any formal declaration of hoftilities. That for thefe reafons " he could not be accufed of tranfgreffing the laws of nature and na- " tions, inafmuch as he paid back and repelled mihtary interferences, «' but did not commence them. Fie then recapitulated briefly the fe- " veral arguments of his manifefto, but in a manner more pointed, " more fpirited, and more ad hominem ; and finifhed his letter with " obferving, that he had no inappetency to a general accommo- " dation, if his allies, kinfmen, and friends, could be effedtually " redreffed, and himfelf convinced of the Imperial friendfliip, which " at prefent appeared to him of an equivocal and fallacious na- " tare, fince the houfe of Auflria raifed armies, and pretended to " languifh for peace, at the fame moment: That for his own part " he would deal in realities, and not uncertainties, and confent on no " account to the propofals of a truce, or the difmiflion of a fingle " foldier." None but the truly brave and great can be thus firm and explicite in cafes of the moft trying emergency ! Artifice and political cunning always acknowledge fuch a fuperiority of condu6l with an abjeil aflo- nifhment ! For tlie fliort and honeft way is always the true one, if men have parts to reach their object. Highly fatisfied therefore with affording the emperor fo diftinfl an explanation, Guftavus gave audience next to a public minifter from I i 2 Brandenburg, 244 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. Brandenburg, who made the eledlor's congratulations to him, and be- fought him to confider his mafter as a neutral power. His majefty granted the requefl with great franknefs ; but. Sir, faid he, be pleafed to tell the elf£lor at the fame time, that henceforward no connivances, no indnlgencies mufl be JJ^ewn to my enemies, and no advantages mufl refult to them. - ■ TV// htm, moreover, effeSlually, (and not fiiperficially) That he mufl difmifs the Imperialijis from every fart of his dominions, and allow them, under no pretext, either provifions, or quarters, or money. If be cedes one town to the emperor's convenience, let him refgn another of equi- •valent itnportance to me ; and if he furnifhes the Imperialifls on one hand, let him fupply my Swedes on the other. Tell him. Sir, thefe are Guflavuss notions of a neutrality : and upon thefe terms, though he does not offer him friend/hip, he promifes hijn fafety. It may readily be forefeen, that the propofals to the emperor on the part of Sweden were rejected with an high air of difdain ; in confe- quence whereof Camerarius was fent ambaffador to the Hague, with a view to folicit fome powerful afliftances from that quarter. In his harangue * dictated to him by the king, and pronounced in full aflembly of the ftates general, he told them with an air of can- dour and firmnefs, " That his majefty at that period was attempting " only to realize a fcheme of fupporting the diftrefied and afflidled, " conformably to the requeft and exhortation of their high mightinefles *' fome years before. That the faid prince his mafter had befought *' them in the month of May preceding, to difpatch their reprefen- *' tatives to the conferences his Danifli majefty had procured to be *' held at Dantzic; whither (as it is fuppofed) no deputies ever ar- " rived on the part of the United Provinces.— He then acknowledges, " that the letter of his mafter made its appearance at the Hague fome •* days too late ; but attributing that delay meerly to accidents, infifls " ftrenuouily, that no inconveniency had thence arifen to the ftates ge- " neral : at the fame time .obliquely but politely expoftulating with " them on the fubjed: cf not returning an anfwer to his Swedifli ma- " jcfty." • W» have preferved it sw full length in the Affendix. It was pronounced in Oftober 1633. Recovering OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 245 Recovering himfelf from that digreffion, which, though fincerely in- i63o» tended, had tlie appearance of being cafual, " he exhorts them to give " fome important diverfions to the enterprizes of Spain and Auftria ,' fmce if the arms of Sweden fhould prove unfuccefsful, the whole tor- rent of war might pour itfcif on the Low Countries ; — and then ob- ferveth, with great modefty, " that the king his mafter, far from flat- ".tering himfelf with prefumptuous hopes, confidered the fuccefs of the " field as a periodical fort of profperity; neverthelefs, that he had call " the die, and palled not only a Rubicon, but the Baltic ocean." And as there are reafons to think, that Gullavus was fomewhat piqued at the inattention of the Dutch, both with regard to forms of refpeft, as well as due vigilance to the public welfare of Europe in general, Came- rarius concludes with telling them, " That being then on the wing of " departure, it might not be improper to appoint deputies to hold a con- " ference with him the firft moment, that appeared convenient." And thus the affair ended, in no degree to the difadvantage of Guftavus. Whilft his majefty remained at Stralfund a public fall for three con- tinued days was obferved in Sweden, and on his return to Stetin he ap- pointed a fecond general humiliation, and ordered divine fervice to be folemnly celebrated at the head of every regiment. He then gave directions to a part of his army to pufli on vigoroufly the blockade of Colbergen * which Torquato de Conti, and all the troops, that ferved under him, had made their magazine of wealth and plunder. The garrifon confiiled only of 1700 infantry, and a few horfe. The Imperial general, for the reafon above affigned, was very defuous to raife the blockade, or throw 7 or 800 dragoons into the town : but that attempt was difficult, as Kniphaufen and Bauditzen had clofed up all the avenues with an army of about 12,000 men. It not being eafy there- fore to render this enterprize practicable, Ernell, count de Montecuculi f , was • Colbergen is the third principal town ia cathedral is elleemcd a gcod piece of Gothic Ulterior Pomerania. It hath a good port near architeflure. the Baltic, and carries on a confiderable trade. f This officer, a perfon extremely iccomr Moll people think the fortrefs ftrong, and the plilhed, was defcended from one of tRc bell fa- niilies 246 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 630. x^'As dlfpatchcd at the head of a detachment, confifting of 10,000 men (being the regiments of Coloredo, Ifolani, Goetz, Spar, and Cliarlcs WalAcin) who marched in full hopes of cutting the Swedes to pieces by way of furprize, and rendciing inefFedlual a very long and tedious blockade. But Horn, wiio lay at Stetin, foon procured intelligence of this entcrprize, and having fummoned a council of war, fent the gene- rals advice to march out of their lines, and give the enemy battle. Upon this a draught was made of the moiety of foldiers in each regiment (for fuch was the king's practice in this invention) every colonel being to condu6l his own divifion ; and as they were commanded men, to ufe the cxpreflion of the age, it was their cuftom to march without colours. By thefe means a general, upon any emergency, had the choice of the better half of his army, and the more experienced officers of rank and fenio- rity ; who by their prcfence rot only kept the common men in fpirits, but did them honour j and if the fervice proved fharp and unmerciful, no regimental corps was quite annihilated, but deftroycd only in part. The army being thus draughted, tlie remaining moiety, with Lefly at their head, and under the diredion of their refpeftive lieutenant-colo- nels, defended the lines of the encampment : fo that the Swedifli de- tachment being re-inforced from Horn's army, and by feveral handfuls of foldiers felefted from the neighbouring garrifons, made in the whole about 11,000 effective men. Serjeant-major-general Kniphaufen, who commanded it in chief, revolved much in his mind the nature of the road, by which the enemy intended to approach him, and having requefted Sir John Hepburn' to examine well the pafs and fortrefs of Scheifelbtin, orders were given to lieutenant-colonel Monro, to throw fome com- panies of infantry into the town and caftle, to whom Kniphaufen gave milies in Modena, and paffed regularly from the taken prifoner, and died partly with grief, in jnufquet to the partizan and baton ; being at the year 1633. He muft not be confounded length general of the artillery and chief com- with his nephew Raymond count de Montecu- mander in Alfatia. His valour led him into an culi, of whom we (hall fpeak hereafter in the indifcreet rencounter near Colmar, where after ftorming of Brandenburg &c. having received two wounds from a fword and • Pietro Pomo ; Guerre di Ferd. II. k three mufquet-fliots, he had the misfortune to be Goftavo Adolfo. 4*. Venet, 1638. p. 12. a fhoit OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ^^^y a fliort billet in writing to this effect : Maintain the town as long as you 1630, can, but give not up the c a file nvhilji a Jingle man continues with you *. Upon the whole, this place was not defenfible in general for a longer continuance than twenty- four hours j yet Monro having occupied it three days before Montecuculi's arrival, made a very laudable appearance of refinance, and when the Imperial general had ranged his army round the walls, in order to give one united affault, and fent a trumpeter to propofe a treaty, the brave Scot replied with great plainnefs, T'hat the word treaty by fotne chance had happened to be omitted in his inJiruSlions, and that he had only powder and ball at the count de Montecuculi's fervice. Upon this orders were given to commence a general florm, but the Scottifh troops behaved to admiration, and having laid the town in afhes, re- tired with great compofure into the caftle. The Imperialifls perceiving the governor to be a man determined, broke up their encampment, and relinquiflied the fiege. This flight effort of refiflance gave the Swedes an incredible advan- tage, for in that interim Kniphaulen received Horn's afTiftances, and obtained a fliort fpace for cool deliberation ; it being no fmall error in Montecuculi to have lofl time in tampering with Monro, who had re- folved to give a refpite to his comrades, or perifh in the ruins of Scheifel— bein- caftle. Both armies were now in full march with different defigns. As to the Swedes, the fupreme command being vefted in Kniphaufen, the baron Teiiffel led the German infantry, lord Rea the Englifli and Scots, and Bauditzen conducted the horfe. About midnight they received intelli- gence from a peafant, that the Imperialifls had taken up their lodgings in fome little dorps hard by them ; a piece of intelligence in no degree unacceptable; fince if thefe two bodies of troops had miffed one another, the Imperialifts probably might have forced the camp, that remained- round Colbergen, and thrown relief into the town. A council of war being fummoned immediately, Kniphaufen gave it for his opinion (for he was an officer of equal calmnefs and valour) that a midnight battle might prove a tumultuous and indecifive affair ; fince, fuppofing the worfl *• Monro's Expeditions, part ji. p, 8. to 248 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 3630. to happen, that could be imaghied, it would ftill be fufficient glory to maintain the fiege, and render the enemy's defign abortive : obferving fur- ther, that they knew neither the ftrength nor the fituation, nor the precau- tions taken by their adverfaries; and if by any mifapprehenfion or error tl^y lliould chance to be defeated, that then Colbergen, and even Stetin, would be irrecoverably loft. This opinion with fome difficulty prevailed. Mean while the felf-fame pcafant, as it is imagined, deferted to the Im- perialifts ; who took the alarm, and at three in the morning left their encampment in flames. All were ready to blame Kniphaufen, though perhaps unjuftly : for appearances in war amount to demonftrations in weak and over-hafly minds, Neverthelefs it was refolved at laft, to march in purfuit of the flying enemies : and the Swedes the next morn- ing, by eight o'clock, overtook them on a large heath, continuing their retreat with prudence and diligence, and fkirmifliing in good order ; but coming to a defile, and fome carriages breaking and choaking up the road, the Imperialifts found themfelves obliged to confront their pur- fuers in good earnefl:. The Croatians, unaccuft:omed to ferious fighting, turned their backs according to cuft:om ; but the foot-foldiers ranging themfelves in a morafly plain, determined to obtain honourable condi- tions, or fell their lives as dearly as they could. In this interim one of the darkeft mills fprung up, that ever was known. The Imperial infan- try demanded quarter, and offered to ferve his Swedifh majeflry in the fame rank, and under the fame conditions they had ferved the emperor ; protcfting at the fame time, that if thefe propofals were not acceptable, they would maintain the fight to the laft man. Whilft thefe matters were in agitation Bauditzen, intirely ignorant of what had happened, returned from purfuing the Croatian horfe, and feeing the grofs of the enemy's army drawn up in fair battaha and unbroken, attacked them immediately with great refolution. The Imperialifts fufpedling treachery, and finding themfelves furrounded on every fide, having altered their fiift arrangement, formed immediately into Burgundian fquares, and re- turned a furious uninterrupted fire. Neverthelefs Bauditzen entered them with his body of cavalry ; and upon thefe frequent charges, the other half of Bauditzen's horfemen, which compofed the oppofite wing I of OF- GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 549 of the Swedifli army, fuppofing the enemy to have halted, and put them- 1630. felves in a poflure of difputing the vi6lory (which opinion was confirmed by the flight and fear of difperfed foldiers, as is ufual) fell immediately on the troops of their own army, who hemmed in the Imperialifts on the point dire6lly over-againft Bauditzen. And thus a dreadful con- fli6l enfued amongfl mutual friends, and fervants to the fame mafter, which cofl many a brave man his life. What promoted the miftake was, that the Swxdifh army, as we hinted before, carried no colours on that day ; fuch being the cuftom in Guftavus's fervice, when armies of expedition were compofed of battalions draughted from feveral regiments. In this confufion and panic all the Swedifli troops behaved reciprocally well and ill, excepting the van of the infantry commanded by Teiiffel, and Bauditzen' s large brigade of horfe, conduced by lord Rea, and Sir John Devereux an Englifliman. The Imperialiflis, under favour of this miftake, retreated with much lefs lofs than human wit could well have imagined in fuch circumftances. Thus the Swedes loft a complete vidtory, partly by the intervention of the mift, and partly by not carrying the refpedlive colours that belonged to each regiment: but whether the king ever altered this overfight, (in cafe it be thought one) is more than we can take upon us at this diftance to determine. And thus concluded a rencounter of a very uncommon and difagreea- ble nature, where comrade killed his comrade, and friend his friend : nor can I agi'ee with a brave Scottifti officer, who in his relation of this engagement, where he happened to be prefent, calls it a mighty pretty and comical fort of a battle. But be that as it will, public thankfgivings were decreed to God throughout the feveral Swedifli armies, with great ferioufnefs and folemnity *. And here itmuft be obferved, that during the interval, which Monro's vigorous refiftance procured, the king flew to Horn's camp, and placed himfelf, in conjundlion with that general, at the head of a body of ca- valry, in order to bear a fliare in fo important a tranfaftion : but an • Heylmanni Leo Ardtous, p. 17. Vol. I. Kk expref 250 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. exprefs from Kniphaufcn advcrtifed them on the road, that he had com- pelled the enemy to retire. Upon tins Kniphaufen returned to his anticnt camp, where he received a conliderable re-inforcement from his mafter, and was replaced by Horn, who having changed the blockade into a regular fiege, and in- tercepted a convoy of 180 waggons laden with provifions, obtained the town of Colbergen (which had been three years in fortifying) by capi- tulation, agreed upon in the month of March the year enfuing, after an obflinate refiftance of five months continuance. The garrifon, con- fifting of 1500 good foldiers, received an efcort to Landfberg ; but to augment the governor's chagrin, four Imperial fliips arrived the next day after figning the articles, well provided with a re-inforcement of foldiers and military (lores. The Swedifh veffels, which guarded the coafl-, gave them full opportunity to fteal into the harbour, which is formed by the mouth of the river Perfant ; and thus they were entrapped between a naval and land fire, without any poffibility of efcaping. And fome time after that, the garrifon was arrefled at Friedberg in the New Marche, on account of the maflacre committed by Tilly in the florming of New Brandenburg. But to return back to the month of November 1630 ; his majefty having cafl his eyes a fecond time on tlie duchy of Meclilcnberg and the counties adjacent, returned once more to Stralfund, and thence direfl- ing his march to Stetin, made a frefli revifion of its fortifications. A perfon blefled with a difcerning genius like Guftavus, foon faw room for fome additions and improvements, and in defpite of a very rough ap^ proaching winter, converted his whole army into pioneers and militaiy architefts. During the main ftrefs of this work it was told the king, that a captain had been imprifoncd for giving his company a bad example, complaining indireffly of the feverity of the feafon, and the hardfhip and fervility of the employment. My good friend, faid the king, the earth is always frozen to thofe, that ivant indujiry. It is ridiculous to pojl- pone till to-morroiso what ought to be executed the prefent jnonmit : en the con- trary, it is impofjible to purfue one's point with too much earnejlnefs. It is perfevering OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 2^1 perfevering alacrity alone ^ iiohich performs all that is great and Jhinvig. Mojl 1620. things might be effeSled by men, upon fuppofition that indole fice did not retard them, nor fear difmay them *. It was about this time, according to the relation of an -f- hiftorian well verfed in the affairs of the prefent period, that his majefty received from England the fum of 60,000 1. with advice likewife concerning the body of recruits then to be raifed by the marquis of Hamilton. He was fa- voured likewife with a good fupply of 48,0001. from another quarter; but whether it came from Sweden I cannot fay, or elfewhere. Never- thelefs it induced him to make a general review of all his troops, and having diflributed a part of thcfe fums among them with uncommon franknefs and generofity, the difobliged and difbanded Imperialifts foon flocked to his enfigns from every quarter ; infomuch that fixty cavaliers in a body, each completely armed and mounted, made him a tender of their ferviccs in one morning. Aftonifhed with fuch vigorous proceedings old Torquato de Conti, weakened with infirmities, or, in ti'uth, rendered fick of a war, where he made no figure, befought the emperor to excufe him from the com- mand of the army. From thence he retired to Rome, took an em- ployment under the pope, where the fervice was more pacific, and died there the laft of his family. Hannibal count de Schomberg fucceeded him in command, and having removed his camp from Anclam, en- trenched himfelf near Gartz ; ill-provided (according to the hereditary management of the houfe of Auflria) with provifions, money, ammu- nition, baggage-waggons, and draught-horfes %■ About this period the king exhibited a fliining example of lenity and Chrifcian moderation towards the inhabitants of Lubec, who, though all proteftants, had refufed his officers the power of enlifting foldiers. It was eafy at a fmgle flroke to have crufhed this unkindnefs of theirs, which Guftavus calls itihumanify ; but on the contrary he gracioufly tells them, that though the proofs on his fide of the allegation were incon- * Loccenii Hift. Suecan. p. 577. Armii Siiecicis, p. 93 — 96, which concludes with -}• Soldat Suedois, p. 38. Arnilabaei Anna thefe remarkable words: An ego Iblus omnibus Suecica, 4°. p. 60. fufficeie poflim, tua cxcellentia judicet. J Sec his letter to Tilly picfcrved in the K k 2 tcftaWe, 252 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. tcftable, yet ftill fomething privately afTured him, that fuch behaviour proceeded only from fccret ill-wifhers to the glory of his caufe, and not from the body of fenators and patricians in general. Wherefore, con- cludeth he, I Jhall make no difficulty of re-injlating you all into my antient .favour atid good-will, upon condition, that what hath been praSlifcd hitherto^ may hereafter be omitted *. And at the fame time he took care to culti- vate a fpirit of religion in his own army, and gave orders to the con- fiftory of clergy, which attended his camp, to draw up a frefh body of prayers, three and twenty in number, by way of fupplement to thofe already pubhfhed ; moft or all of them relative to the occafions of war •\. It was now the 23d of December, but his majefty far from paying attention to the feverity of an uncommon German winter ; for it was a cuftomary faying with him, that he could perform greater aclions in a winter campaign than a fummer one:{:. Of courfe he crofled the Oder, at a time the Imperialifls concluded he would repofe his troops in warm quarters, according to the then eftablifhed method of making war j and reviewing his flrength a fecond time, which confifted of 12,000 in- fantry, 85 cornets of horfe, and 70 pieces of cannon, ordered public prayers to be offered up at the head of every regiment, and after an appearance of refleftion for fome hours, made a midnight march, and invefted Griffenhagen by break of day ; notwithftanding Schomberg lay encamped at Gartz in fuch a manner, that the two armies were only feparated by the river Oder. The town of Griffenhagen, whofe fituation is naturally ftrong, ftands on the north-eafl bank of the river, about twelve miles diflant from Stetin. By means of its bridge it is alfo a pafs of great importance, as it communicates with the Marche on one fide, and with Pomerania and Brandenburg on the other ||. * See the original letter in the Armii Suteleit, to the oppoGte town : for that from Griffen- p. 87. hagen abutted two miles above Gartz, and that + Ibid. p. 77 — 87. Hift. or Authent. Relat. from Gartz did juft the fame in regard to Grif- in Low Dutch, Tom. ii. p. 34. fenhagen. It fufficed Guftavus to entrench a X Arnilabxi Arma Suecica, p. 76, and 61. body of troops on the eaftern-foot of Gartz- H It mud be obfervcd there were two bridges bridge. (Over the Oder, neither of them tending dircftly What OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 253 What apparently rendered the fiegemore difficult, was the neighbourhood 1630. of Schomberg's forces ; yet his majefty had received private afTurances, that the Imperial general, merely through the diftrefs and poverty of his troops (for they durfl: not plunder and commit outrages in the manner they had done before the Swedes arrived*) had difperfed a part of them into better quarters at fome diftance from the main army. It was true he had the power of throwing as many men into the town before it was invefted, as he thought fit : but Guftavus was not to be deterred by an effort of this fort, concluding thereby only to obtain a greater number of prifoners ; fince he took his meafures fo prudently, after having once inverted the town, that Schomberg fhould not pafs its bridges with- out permiffion, it being in his own power to blow them up whenever he pleafed. Neverthelefs, he mixed confideration and humanity with the ideas of precaution and fafety, and looked upon deftroying the bridges as ruining the intcrcourfe between two very confiderable places, lofing the afFe6lions of the natives, and cramping his own locomotions to the eafl: and to the weft, in cafe he became fuccefsful. For thefe reafons he moored his fliips at proper diftances along the fides of the two bridges, with directions to fire from fixed batteries upon any extraordinary occafion. His majefty foon examined the fituation of the ground round the town, and having made choice of a convenient hill, thundered upon the city-walls day and night from the mouths of fixty pieces of large bat- tering cannon with fuch inexpreffible fury, that he made an opening, which in all appearances rendered the place aflaultable, Neverthelefs, to be more fecure, and not facrificc the lives of his men out of pure gallantry, he fent for Wildefein, a Swifs lieutenant- colonel in his own regiment of guards, giving him orders to cloath himfelf in armour, and take an exa6l fui"vey of the breach : but as that officer brought back an unfavourable account, the fire was renewed a few hours more ; and then two entrances were made by a couple of batteries, which mounted 20 pieces of cannon on each fide of a tower, capable to admit two or three men abreaft. Wildefein led on the firft mufqueteers, and his colonel, the * Brachelii Hiftor. noftr, temp. p. 23!, gallant 254 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. gallant baron Teiiffel, fecondedhim with a body of pike-men. Struck with fuch aftonifliing refolution, the Impcrialifts began by little and little to give ground, and fly out of the town by way of the Oder- bridge. On tliat fide Sir Alexander Lefly lay encamped, who attempted to clear the pafTage by fuch ordnance, as had been planted in the king's fliips for that purpofe : but before this could be effedted to any confi- derable degree, great part of the garrifon, which confided of 2,500 men, had got over, and drew up in battle array on the other fide of the river, where the king's troops could not approach them. Lefly then made himfelf mafter of an outwork, and getting between that and tlie town-wall, near the place where the aflailants had entered, an unlucky miftake happened between his party and theirs, from confequences na- tural enough in fuch great confufion ; for they fired reciprocally on each Other with incredible fury. The brave Wildefein and Sir Thomas Con- way *, an Englifliman, were both wounded ; nor might the mifchief have flopped there, had not a Swede, who received a mortal ftroke from a mufquet-ball, made fome ejaculations to heaven in his own language, and thus the mifapprehenfion was difcovered. Both parties then joined and foon cleared the town : for the governor Ferdinando di Capua, a Neapolitan, and knight of the order of St. James de Compoftella, could keep only 5 or 600 foWiers about him : neverthelefs, he fought it out to the laft man, and died foon afterwards of the wound he received in his thigh ; being conveyed at his own requeft to Stetin, which place, fome weeks before, he had vain-glorioufly boafled to render himfelf mafter of with little or no difficulty. This brave man was much difmayed at one event ; he had been over perfuadcd, during the fiege, to fend his colours for fafety's- fake to Schomberg's camp, and from that moment, upon frerti a.nd frelh recoUecSlion, began to defpair of the fuccefs of his refiftance. This flight circumftance alfo, conformably to the fuperftitious ideas of that age, terrified and puzzled the common men to fuch a degree, that they foon left their commander in that difordcr, which we have above de- • Sir Thomas commanded a regiment of the coaft of Denmark ; and Sir John Caffeli Engliih infintry. Some time afterwards he had fucceedcd him, who was alfo an Englifhman. ihf miifoitunc to lofe lii^ life in a fliip-wreck on fc rib d. OF GUSTAVUS AD(5LPHUS. 25-5 fcribed. Signior Antonio, ferjeant-major to the governor, was taken pri- 1630. foner, and fome few of the better fort -, whom the king, on account of their ranfoms, made a prefent of to baron Teiiffel. Amongft other perfons, who perfevered in this extraordinary refiftance, was a count La Torre, a youth of a moft Uberal countenance, in the fifteenth year of his age.. His majefty had an eye immediately to this young war- rior, and after giving orders to protecft him from the undifcerning fury of the foldiers, commanded him to be new cloathed, conformably to his quality and merit, with permiffion to wear his fword, fcarf, and plumage. The Imperialifls had deputed an handful of men to fet the town on fire in various places, but the flames were foon extinguiflied by the vigilance of the Swedes. As the town was taken by afTault, the fol- diers were allowed free plunder for the fpace of four hours ; but no outrages were comrhitted. Immediately after Chriftmas-day, his majefty marched his whole army in high fpirits towards Gartz, crofling the river Oder at both bridges in hopes to allure Schomberg, who had more troops than him- felf, to a decifive engagement ; but that geiieral retired immediately, and difpatched a meflenger to Tilly with an account of the ill Hate of his troops. In the king's way flood a very important fort in a morafs, called Capua's fconce ; but the real name of it was fort Mor- vitz. It was new, and fortified upon the beft principles then known j but the garrifon (which was a veiy great overfight) hardly made any refiftance. A leffer fort was taken by the king immediately afterwards. But at fupper time it was reported in the royal tent, that the town of Gartz was all in flames ; and on this his majefty ftarting up from table, beheld the lights, and heard great explofions in the air. Schom- berg was employing himfelf at that moment in the a6l of decamping, and blew up fome old turrets where the powder was lodged ; in which. he was confidered by many as acquitting himfelf in an unfoldier-like manner, as alfo in not defending fort Capua, and relinquifliing a pafs fo important as Gartz was efteemed to be. But the king's in- trepidity, good difcipline, and unwearied perfeverance, had created a fort 2^6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1630. fort of alarm in Schomberg's mind : he pretended too, ihat his troops were ill paid j that they were too libertine and diflblute, and too much accuflomed to cruelty and plunder. Be that as it will, he, having firft drawn off his garrifon, funk his cannon in the river, deftroyed all the ammunition he could not remove, burnt the bridge after him, (an a£l highly unpopular to the country) and made a long retreat, which ap- peared rather too precipitate for a good commander, inafmuch as it threw his foldiers into fome diftruft. What this general propofed to himfelf was, to lodge his troops in Francfort upon the Oder, and take upon him the defence of that city, not under the appearance of a garrifon, but in the light of an army capable of giving the enemy fome notable oppofition. Suppofmg the idea to be right or wrong, Schomberg was not happy in the execution thereof ; for four of his regiments in their march were overtaken and handled feverely enough; 300 baggage waggons were lofl, and colonel Spar efcaped with difficulty : and if during the latter part of Schomberg's retreat the town of Cuftrin * had not opened its gates to him (Spar being detached on that occafion) he had miffed fecuring that important pafiage, and loft, in all probability, the greateft part of his army -j-. On the other hand, Francfort and Landfberg had fallen of courfe into the poffeffion of the Swedes ; and the fatal ftorming of Magdeburg, which happened the May enfuing, had been prevented. But for the prefent, the unhappy timidity of the eleflor of Brandenburg counter-worked, as much as poffible, that great and aftonifliing plan of conqueft, which Guftavus had formed. For it muft be obferved, that when his troops arrived at Cuftrin in purfuit of the flying Imperialifts, the garrifon clofed the city-gates * This town, fituated about fourteen miles to its fortifications, fo that it is deemed upoa from Francfort, was then, and is fince, confi- the whole impregnable : be that as it will, thus dered as one of the moft important pafTes in the much is certain, it hath never yet been taken empire ; being placed in the middle of a great by open force. morafs, at the confluence of the Warta and f This part of the hiftory, with much af- Oder. The fortrefs is acceffible only by one terwards enfuing, is taken from the accounts caufe-way, which is five miles long ; and in of a Briti(h officer, who was ferjcant-raajor in approaching it you crofs no lefs than thirty- the royal regiment of guards, under the corn- two bridges. Moft of its proprietors, the elec- mand of baron TeiifFel. tors of 3randenburg, have made improvements I againft O F G U S T A V U S A D O L P H U S." 257 agalnft him, which deprived him of the means of ruining Schomberg's 1630. army, and marching dire6lly to Tilly with a view to give him battle. Neverthelefs, a difappointment of this kind only iliarpened the king's induftry, inftead of difmaying him. And here, by a fort of co-incidence with the conclufion of Decem- ber, clofe likewife the military operations of the year 1630 ; during the fpace of which died Jolin count of Anholt, fecond in authority to Tilly, and Rambold count Colalto, who had been commander in chief in the Mantuan war; as alfo Melchior, cardinal Klefel, in the feventy-feventh year of his age, who had been prime minifter and favourite to the emperors Rodolphus and Matliias, but was imprifoned by Ferdinand, and baniflied before that prince afcended the throne ; of which tranfaclion we have fpoken largely in another place, as like- wife of his poverty, and his difculpation by the fee of Rome. He was recalled fome years before his death, but never chofe (if we make only one exception) to immerfe himfelf again in politics j for it is thought by many, that when Walftein was tottering in his power, he gave him clandeftinely that dire6lion of obliquity, which brought him to the ground. By way of a finifhing paragraph at the conclufion of this year, I fhall only obferve, that Charles I, by the interpofition and perfuafion of the court of Spain, fent Sir Henry Vane to the ele^lrefs Palatin, with orders to lay before her, in the moft perfuafive manner, the expe- diency of allowing her eldefl fon to be educated a papift at the court of Vienna, with a view to make a match between him and one of the princeffes of the houfe of Auflria ; to which reprefentation flie replied heroically, " That rather than comply with fo irreligious and mean a " propofal, fhe would be her fon's executioner with her own hands." The year 163 1 opened with the common feverity of a German 1631,' winter ; but Gullavus kept the war alive with all due briiknefs and fervour. The very night Griffenhagen was taken, he, for fome rea- fons, flept with his army in the open field, and next morning caft his eyes upon Landfberg, a flrong town fituated on the river Warta. It was an object worth poflefTmg, both as a place of importance, and Vol. I. LI as 258 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. as it was full of provifions, ammunition, and artillery. But the at- tempt, upon a clofer review, appeared difcouraging ; for the garrifon had been greatly augmented by many fugitives from Gartz : fo Horn, who liad been fent upon the errand of befieging it, was commanded back, and orders were given to blockade it with feveral regiments of foot and horfe. The court of Vienna began now to confider Guftavus as fomething more than a king of fnow, (fuch being the denomination, which the Auftrian miniftry at firft gave him ;) for he continued to gain ground every hour, and had amafTed together an army, which appeared to be formidable even in refpefl of numbers, having improved it in the fpace of fix months on his own ftrength, from a flight beginning of 13,000 men, to 34,400 infantry, and 11,800 cavalry, without comprehending the Britifli and German troops, that a£led under Oxenfliiern in Pruflra, the forces that Banier commanded in the redu6lion of Mechlenberg and about Magdeburg, and the eight regiments, that were employed in the blockade of Colbergen. He had likewife in Sweden a body of refcr\'e, amovmting to 25,000 effeftive foldiers ; fo that upon the whole, he was eflieemed capable at this period, in cafe any occafion of emergency fhould prefent itfelf, of leading into the field a well inftrutfted and well appointed army, amounting to 71,200 combatants; having at the fame time iflTued out commiflions to raife io,6co frefli men*. Aftoniflaed to behold a prince creating to himfelf fuch inconceivable refources, and approaching more and more to the fouthward every hour, the houfe of Auftria, which faw no vifible marks of Guftavus's diffolution, but confidered him rather as an inventive and perfeverimg warrior, began now fincerely to repent, that fhe had ever inclined an ear to the reprefentations of the catholic princes at Ratifbon, which at that time were efleemed meer memoir-work and matter of form. It is true, flie fl:ruggled long and hard againfl: the fwallovving this bitter prefcription, that was recommended to her : but as the cr)^ either at, or juft before the arrival of Guflavus, was fo very loud and peifevering, with reference to the enormous expences of maintaining a number of • Arnilabxi Arma Suecica, p. 7-4. a fuperfluous OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 2 59 fuperfluous and dilTolute foldiers, it was refolved to diiband a certain 1631. part of the army j and, what was yet more unfortunate, the young and vigorous troops were retained, and many of the old weather-beaten Walloons were difmifled, upon fuppofition they had pafTed the flower of their age and fervice j though perhaps one fourth of thefe men were fit to be officers, and many capable of fupporting the chara6ler of ge- nerals. By thisfmgle error (which no hiftorian hath taken notice of, as to its confequences) the houfe of Aujlria ruined herfclf. For thefe ex- perienced veterans, who had been born in camps, and nurfed in war, knew nothing either of manufa6lures or of agriculture ; and having a turn, as well as ambition, to live by the fword, conveyed themfelves, by little and little, into the fervice of Guftavus and his allies. Though, for fome particular reafons, I bellow a few retouches here upon this extraordinary tranfadlion, with a view to introduce the re- gulations of difcipline made about this time in confequence thereof, and to delineate in proper colours the embarraflnient into which it naturally tlirew the court of Vienna ; yet the reader will be pleafed to recoiled, that the ftep had been taken fome months before, when Guftavus firft engaged himfelf in the German invafion, and when it was the fafliion- able tone of raillery in the court-circle at Vienna to confider him as a fort of enthufiaftical adventurer, who with an handful of new-raifed troops, that had fought only againft Mufcovites, Poles, and Coflacks, had formed a chimerical hope of defeating and deftroying an incon- ceivable number of regular troops, who, to fay the leaft of them, had been fluflied with fuccefs, and improved by the experience of twelve fuccelUve campaigns, all crowned with an uninterrupted viclory. The fatality of this dilbanding fcheme was foon found out, but the men were vaniflied. However, by way oi fuccedaneu?n, the Imperial re- gulations in matters military were made public*: the do6lrine of levying contributions was propofcd to be rendered more reafonable and equi- table, and affurances of pay fet forth to the foldiers upon a better foot- ing of probability ; and as peace by this time was concluded in Italy, Aldringer and Gakas had orders to march that army into Germany, * Tills edift, bearing date November 9, 1630, ij to be fcen in Arnilabsus, p. 67. L 1 2 which a6o THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 T. which liad performed fuch great fervice at the fiege of Mantua, The emperor then exhorted the ele£lors and cathohc princes to exert them- fclves to the utmoft at this extraordinary crifis of danger, " which in " truth, faid he, ought to annihilate all pcrfonal interefts, as well as pri- " vatc animofities." But what went moft againft his inclination was, to rebate tlie edge and rigour of the edict of rcftitution ; and yet the fup- pofed convention of proteftant j^rinces, then talked of to be aflembled at Leipfic, rendered fomething necellaiy either to be done or promifed' on that head. Some moderate cathoHcs fmcerely wifhed to make a few concefiions in good earnefl ; for they faw a temped: gathering, which portended more than an equivalent for certain cafual acquifi- tions : but the majority of the Auflrian and Spanilh faflion was dazzled with the glittering hopes of univerfal monarchy, and the un- bounded profped of confifcation and phmder. Some were delighted' with the total fubverfion of herefy ; numbers confided in the fortune- and experience of the Imperial troops, and feared their enemies the lefs as their army was a confufed colledion of twenty different na- tions. • If we except the difficulties, which Guftavus found at this time in the hope of befieging Landfberg fuccefsfully, it may be worth obferv- ing, that in the fhort fpace of eight days, during the very depth of winter, he had cleared all Pomerania and the Marche from the Warta to the Oder, and opened to himfelf a communication with Branden- burg, Silefia, and Lufatia. By thefe means he gave the inhabitants of Pomerania a breathing-time to renew their con"imerce and agricul- ture, and draw from them reciprocally very confiderable fupplies for the fupport of his army. Leaving Horn therefore with the grofs of his army about Landfberg, he fhaped his courfe towards Stetin, and made himfelf mailer of New- Brandenburg, where colonel Marazini commanded with 1600 men, part of whom was his own regiment, which proveti fo fatal afterwards to the king at the battle of Lutzen. Pleafed with this latter enter- prize, he next took Clemptno, Trepto, and Loitch, the town itfelf being of no confequence, but the fcrtrefs extremely ftrong. At this laft OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 261 laft place a ridiculous eircumftance fell out, v/hich gave the king both 163 1, niirth and wonder. One Pietro Perazzi, an Italian"*, commanded the caftle. A trumpeter was fent to him with aii exhortation to furrender ; upon which Perazzi fell into a violent paflion, called for his fervants to help him on with his armour, fent for the ladies to behold him in his military garniture, ordered the trumpets to found a charge, and re- turned word back to the king ; 'That he was a man of honour, and would tnaitifain the depofitum- committed to his charge at his enemy's peril, and for his nmjler's glofi-y, to the laji moments of his life ; fmce his purpofe luas to make a quite different figure from ivhat the commandants had done at Clemptno and Trepto. During the time the trumpeter delivered his m.eflage, the fair females hung round this blood-thirfly determined combatant, and befought him not to pufh matters to the very violence of extremity. In an inftant he uncloathed himfelf from his armour, and fent word he was ready to capitulate. Guftavus was aftonilhed at a man of fo un- accountable a chara^er, and admitted the furrender upon one provifo, that Perazzi might be prefent at the figning of the articles ; for he pri- vately longed to fee him. But greater was his aftonifhment, when Perazzi produced himfelf, gay, alert, and unembarrafled, dreiTed as gorgeoufly as a bridegroom, in embroidered cloaths, with a maffy gold chain hung thwart-wife acrofs his breafl. A- gentleman of fafhion be- longing to Guftavus's life-guard had no patience to fee fuch a hero, and without preface, or any other previous ceremony (being fuppofed to conclude inftantaneoufly how far he might prefume to venture on fuch a freedom in the royal prefence) took the chain compofedly off his neck. His majefty gave fome fecret mark of approbation, and Perazzi, not in the leaft difconcerted, made a low bow with a fmile, and talked of fomething elfe. And thus this intercourfe ended ; for the king was fo divided betwixt the ridiculous and the incomprehenfible, that he knew not what to do, or fay; infomuch that it was a matter of queftion amongft his officers, whether the braveft perfon in Europe would have • Chemnitius calls him Peralta, and fuppofes the charailer is more confident with that na» him to be a Spaniard : but other very valuable tion, hiftorians pronounce him an Italian; and indeed. puzzled 262 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. puzzled him fo profoundly. Neverthelefs, this redoubtable Ferazzi had pafied among the Imperial troops for a true Italian Spetza-ferro. Which recalls to my mind an half-countryman of his, one Pictro ferrari, a Corfican, a biufterer and barbarian of a very ftrange and unaccountable character *, who being alked, why he threw a com- mander of great diflindlion, whom he had taken prifoner, into a daik dungeon, which he did in order to extort a ranfom the fooncr, feeding him only with bread and water, and appointing two wretched follow- ers of the camp to attend him, one loathfome witli his wounds, and one infefted by the plague ; made this prompt and aflonifliing anfwer to his remonftrating friends : Gentlemen, ivhat ji.mll I allcdge .=■ My father is dead, and I have confoled myfelf — My mother is dead, and I have confoled myfelf — And if this rafcalj this becco cornuto, (I am here repeating his own words) fould die of 'want and a broken hearty J fall confole myfelf like-wife. Neverthelefs, thus much mufl be obferved by the way, that we no where hear of the Ferrari's and the Perazzi's in the field of battle. By this time the montli of January was half advanced, and the king, who was alike induflrious in the cabinet and in the field, had contrived to negotiate a treaty with the archbifliop of Bremen, with George duke of Luneberg, and William landgrave of. Hefle-Caflel. What next came upon the carpet were the articles of alliance be- tween France and Sweden, the whole of the negotiation being left to the management of De Charnace on the one part, and the generals Horn and Banier on the other. This affair was tranfacled at the camp of Berewalt, in the marquifate of Brandenburg, having been projeded in Sweden the preceding year •\. The French amballador flill infifled upon one part of his old noufenfe, about rcfufing the king his regal titles j but Guflavus gave him peremptorily to under- fland, that if he brought nothing in his packet but fuch futilities, he was mafler of the day and hour of returning to France without further ceremony. " Mem. du due de Grammont, Tom. i. p. 31, 32. f ArnJlab.-ei Ainu Suecica, p. 100, This appears likewifc frOTO the leth article of the treaty. Z;: An OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS.:^ 263 An Engllfh ambafTador likewife made his appearance before Guftavus, 163 1, and prefented letters in behalf of his mailer, explaining, in a long feries of deductions, the motives, that induced him to demand the reftitution of the Palatinates : but the propofals he made were fo chimerical (the fupplies of men and money being likewife forgotten) that Guftavus gave him leave to retire without exhibiting his papers to public view, giving him his promife of honour to take the affair into his own hands, and a6l therein as to himfelf appeared beft, or, in other words, as matters appeared, upon the concurrence of future events, to be moft reafona- ble and moft convenient. iv r'niio'^ .•??fn"°vD'' The tenor of the confederation between Sweden and France ran to this effeft ; that it was to continue in force for five years next enfuing, being to be ratified without delay by the two refpeclive kings. Its principal ar- ticles were as follow*; " That his majefty of Sweden fhould maintain " an army on foot confifting of 30,000 infantry and 6000 cavalry; and " that the French king fhould furnifli him annually with 400,000 " crowns, payable at Pai'is and Amfterdam in two feparate payments, " at the choice of the king of Sweden The objetSl of this armament " was to be the liberty of Germany, the re-eftablifhraent of opprefled *•■ princes and ftates, the demolition of new forts and harbours on the " coaft of the Baltic, with an eye likewife to what had happened in the " Valteline and the country of the Grifons : that a free reciprocal com-- " merce fliould be eftablifhed between the fubjects of France and Swe- *< den : that the catholic religion (in fupport of which article Richeheu laboured extremely, with a view to render himfelf popular at home) " fhould continue yz^iJ eademfonna in thofe places where it had been an- " tiently profeffed ; and that a good nnderftanding fiiould be cultivated " with the eleftor of Bavaria (at whofe court fome private intrigues were then foftering to the detriment of Sweden) " and the princes of •' the league, in cafe they were inclined either to friendfhip or neutra^ ** lity : that fuch princes, as were defirous to accede to the faid confe- ** deration, fhould be admitted upon the fame conditions : and, laftly^ J See the original treaty in the' Jfpendix. «' that 264 Tn-E HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. " that the treaty fliould be renewed, if a general peace was not con- " ckided on, within the time cxprefTed for its continuance." This convention was fully aflented to January 13, 163 1, yet the ratifications were not exchanged in due form till the May following. The whole caflr and form of this treaty hath been confidcred as a mafler- piece in the political fcience; nor muft it be here forgotten, that Eng- land and Holland, fome few weeks afterwards, acceded thereto -f-. During the difcuflions, which naturally attended this treaty, his ma»- jelly took the field by day, and maintained his argument with De Charnace in the evening; during which interval, or rather a few days before, Lefly had rendered himfclf mafter of the caftle of Lignitz, which the king made him a prefent of by way of country vi-lla j and Bauditzen, by dint of a general ftorm, took Piritz (which in the Vandstl language fignifies abundance of com) a town of confiderable import- ance, fituated on the frontiers of Outer-Pomerania, garrifoned at that time by 1400 Imperialifts. .£ ... Mean while Melk, a native of MecHlenberg, who from a fimple fol- dier rofe to be a partizan of repute, being a perfon often made ufe of «pon hazardous occafions, performed an uncommon exploit upon Malchin, a ftrong fort fituated updtithe banks of the Pene, and de- fended by two companies of dragoons. His little army coiififted only of 300 foot and 36 cavaliers; but having invited a good number of peafants into the fervice, and giving each of them two lighted matches in their hands, difperfing them at the fame time here and there in fmall parties, and efpecially along the grand avefiue over a inorafs, that ap- proached the town, he fummoned the garrifon about fodr in the morn- ing to capitulate in the name of the king and all his force*, protefting at the fame time, that if they hefitated a fingle moment, no quarter fhould be allowed them. The commandant complied on fb unforefeen an exi- gency, not permitting himfelf to examine into Mclk's afiertions ; and thus he, and his two companies, were made prifoners of war ; who, f T«r{eri Chron, S. in Vitam Guft. ad annum 1631, I with OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 265 with the fame facility they furrendered the town, enrolled themfelves into 163 1. the Swedifli fervice, not caring to rejoin their antient companions, nor undergo a feries of fevere and fliarp miUtary farcafms. Nor muft ano- ther flight example of this leffl-r kind of war be here omitted ; and the rather, as Guflavus confidered it as the very grammar of the art military, and the only fure and expeditious method of obtaining the knowledge of men's abilities. One Braun, an enfign in young Thurn's regiment of mufqueteers (which regiment at that time carried wheel fire-locks, and not match-locks) taking with him juft fifteen determined com- panions, croiled tlie Oder in a fmall boat, and gave a camifado on the quarters of 200 Croatian horfe, with a colonel at their head. Entering the village unobierved, he marched dii'e6lly to the grand guard, and, milTing the commander in chief, fliot the enfign of the regiment dead with his own hand. His few men foon made terrible havock, and by the fuddennefs and terror of the onfet put the Imperialifls to a precipi- tate flight, who knew neither the number nor flrength of their alTailants. Braun prefented the colours (on which was portrayed a fable bipartite eagle in a filver field) to the king his mafler atBerewalt, and received from the royal hand a very magnificent gold chain, and a commiffion to take upon him the command of captain in his own regiment ; the flipend of captain in the Swedifli fervice being at that time a fmall mat- ter more than double the pay of an enfign *. The extraordinary advances of Guftavus, (who paid no regard to one of the fevereft winters, as by this time it proved, that Germany had felt for many years, but on the contrary derived even advantages from the frofl, by tranfporting his artillery over deep morafTes otherwife im- pafTible, as happened particularly in the fiege of Damin, which we are going to relate,) gave fome faint glimmerings of hope to the protellant electors and princes, whom the terrors of the houfe of Auflria had almoft frozen into a ftate of inaftivity, and emboldened them to venture on an alTembly, which was adlually opened at Leipfic the eightla of February. Whilft thefe cautious and fluftuating politicians employed themfelves in the operations of the cabinet, his majelty being joined by Kniphau- * Chcmnitius, Tom. i. lib. ii. p. 95. Vol. I. Mm fen. 266 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, ien, with a body of 2000 foot and 1000 cavalry, invefted Damln, a place of great importance on the banks of the Pene, fituated between the duchies of Mechlcnburg and Pomerania, and belonging at prefent to the king of Prufiia. It was the key of admiflion to the firft named duchy ; and had been deftined likewife to be the grand Imperial maga- zine on the coafts of the Baltic *. This town had been fortified by the Imperialifts at a great expence ; but the caftle, which was feated in a deep morafs, mofl men confidered as inexpugnable -, yet the Swedes found means to approach it by the afTiftance of the frofl. No lefs per- fon was governor than the duke of Savelli, and the garrifon confifled of 1700 veteran troops, fele6led from his own regiment, and that of Hoik. He had likewife provifions and militaiy flores in great abundance, not to mention a new fupply of artillery, which he had received from Gripfwald ; infomuch that Tilly, who then lay near Francfort upon the Oder, and purpofed to raife the fiege of Damin, concluded the town, in his own judgment, capable of making a refiftance of tsventy days. But the king (not that we have need to blame Tilly's opinion) was a warrior, who chofe very compendious methods of proceeding ; though, to fpeak the truth, part of his fuccefs was juftly owing to the frozen con- dition of the ground. The Swedes arrived, invefted the town, and befieged it in form in one day. Upon the good or evil turn of this fiege depended more than half the fuccefs of Tilly's future operations : for as it was that general's obje6l to make a powerful diverfion about Magdeburg, and recal the enemy from advancing fouthward (fince otherwife the northern powers would naturally withdraw their allegiance from the emperor, having the S wedifh army between them and Vienna) he chofe, at the time of making this irruption, to maintain a fecure retreat into Pomerania, Brandenburg, and Saxony, with a view not only to check the progrefles of Guftavus, but to keep the princes of the lafl named countries under due fubjeftion. And here it muft be obferved, that the road of his retreat lay directly through Damin. * Heylmanni Leo Arftoiis, p. 20^ His OF GU STAVUS ADOLPHUS. 267 His majefty thundered againft the town from his batteries all the firft 1631. afternoon and night on the fide next the river, where he placed himfelf : and TeiifFel next morning made a lodgment in an half-moon, and re- pulfed the enemy in a general fally, which Savelli ordered. Mean while Kniphaufen played with equal fury upon the caftle, having full room to fpread himfelf round it, as the frofl fupplied the place of bridges, ■which the Imperialifts had broken down. By break of day, a lieute- nant, at the head of 400 chofen mufqueteers, began the ftorm ; and be- ing vigoroufly aflifted by his affbciates, fixed himfelf in a part of the fortification : upon which the garrifon fecured the remainder by cutting off all connexion, and retired principally to an old tower, whofe walls were fo thick, that it feemed impoflible to apply cannon againft them. The king furveyed this antique ftrudure with great attention, and gave immediate orders to undermine it, in fpite of all the feverity of the weather : and when fome progrefs had been made in that work, the commandant thought proper to furrender with feven companies of Hoik's infantry, who, as their colours could not be excepted, confented to enroll themfelves into the Swedifli fervice. It may be alked, why this garrifon did not retire into the city, where Savelli greatly wanted fuch a re-inforcement ? To refolve this queftion, it muft be obferved, that the caftle, fituated in a deep morafs, was re- moved from the city about 1000 paces, and had no communication with it but by means of a caufeway, in the middle of which a ftrong fortifica- tion was eredled. His majefty foon difcovered the importance of fuch a poft, and ordered Teiiffel's lieutenant-colonel, on the very afternoon of his arrival, to make himfelf mafter of it fword in hand. The fervice was extremely obftinate on both fides j and one Heatly, an Englifh officer, gained good applaufe : for though he received on the firft onfet a very dangerous mufquet-fhot, he ftill continued to prefs on, and entered the fortrefs before the reft of his comeradcs ) nor could any perfuafion induce him to retire till the Imperialifts were cleared to a fingle man *. Nor muft I forget here what happened to a Scottifh officer, one Robert Rofs, who the firft day of the fiege, in the midft of an unmer- * Monro's Expeditions, partii. M m 2 ciful 268 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, clful cannonading on both fides, fate blowing tobacco (to ufe the words of the author I am copying from) at tlic head of his regiment, which lay witliin full reach of the enemy's artillery : but being fuddenly ftruck with a cannon-ball, he dropped his pipe with great tranquillity, and crying only, The Lord receive my foul ! expired in an inftant. His majedy having rendered himfelf mafter of the caftlc, took care to difplay Hoik's crimfon enfigns on one of his batteries, and then poflelTed himfelf of two important outworks ; upon which the befieged made a fecond defperate fally, but Banicr repulfed them with confiderable lofs, condu(5^ing the whole engagement with fo much valour and prefence of mind, that the king, who ftood at a diftancc, and rarely cared to a6t the part of a fpedator, palled the whole time in contemplating his con- duct, and beftowing upon it all polTible encomiums. A part of Monro's regiment, commanded by major Potley, an Englilh cavalier, performed a gallant a6lion in this rencounter i for a foldier of Banier's being in danger of remaining on the field moitally wounded, (his countrymen refufmg the defperate fervice of bringing him off) the Scots formed themfelves by confent into one body, and reflored him to his comerades. The poor man died that night in great agitations and emotion, admir- ing the generofity of flrangers, and beftowing many bitter reflections on his national companions. A circumflance not fo unpleafant happened to fall out in tliis felf- fame rencounter ; for a^ the Britifh troops were marching down a fleep hill, expofed to a furious cannonading of the enemy, one Lille, an en- fign, happened to tumble forwards, and the wind being extremely high carried away his peruke ; upon which Potley fwore a great oath, that an unfortunate cannon-ball had taken off the cavalier's head. The king enjoyed this ridiculous fcene at a flight diftance. Nor did his majefty about the fame time efcape from a certain adventure without difficulty * : for having an inclination to furvey in perfon the enemies works, by the afliflance of a perfpedlive glafs, the ice of a fudden gave way, and down he funk to the arm-pits. One captain Dumaine, who lay at the mofl advanced guard, ran immediately to his alllftance; but the king with • Monro's Expeditions, part ii. I extraordinary OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 269 extraordinary compofure of mind, made a fignal to him with his hand 1631, to retii'e to his pofl:. In fpite of this precaution near 1000 mufquet- fhots, at a confiderable diftance it is true, were difcharged againft his majefty, who at length, with uncommon patience, wrought himfelf free from his incumbrances, and making the beft of his way to the guard-fire, called for cold meat and a goblet of Baccharah wine, and, having afterwards changed his cloaths, intermixed with his troops, who were employed in repulfmg the befieged in a fally. Dumaine, who was a gentleman of fpirit and good manners, took the liberty to remonftrate with his mafler upon this adventure, repre- fenting to him, that the well-being of Europe depended upon the fafety of his fmgle perfon. The king heard him with great complacency ; But, captaifi, faid he, / bwce afooUp fort of a fancy, •which tempts me to imagine, that nothing can be better feen than when I obferve it myfelf. On the fourth morning after the fiege major Greenland, an Englifli officer in the Imperial fervice, waited upon the king from the duke de SaveUi, and Guftavus fhewed fome indulgence to his propofals, as the governor's defence had not proved over-obftinate : neverthelefs it was ftipulated, that Savelli and his officers fliould give their promife in writ- ing, not to ferve againfl Sweden or its allies for the fpace of three months. Conditions, in other refpe6ts honourable, were foon granted. The Swedifh army ftlt a particular joy upon this capitulation ; for Quinti Aligheri (whom Chemnitlus calls Quinti del Ponte) the tray tor, that attempted to deftroy the king in an ambufcade, had been admitted lieutenant-colonel in the regiment of Savelli, and was well known to be in the city, when it was firft invefted. By what methods he contrived to efcape hath never appeared ; all v/e know is, that he was killed the May enfuing in flormlng the town of Magdeburg. Neverthelefs on the fur- reiKler of Damin, the generals in a body reprefentcd to the king, that the wealth of the afiaffin ought to be confifcated to his majefly's ufes, (for, as we obferved before, Aligheri was partly excited to deftroy Guftar- vus, in order to fave the rich harveft of ten years plunder repofited by him in. this city :) but the anfvver was, T'hat all tranf unions in matter of capitulation implied facred and pimSlual obferva?ice ; ind ai the exception had 7:ot 270 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, tiof been made during the preliminary conferences, the king chofe rather to enrich a 'villain, than feize an advantage, which by the laws of religion and reafonjuflly belonged to him *. His majcfty, it is faid, received a flight wound during the prefent flege, and loft: about 300 very excellent foldiers. Letters were intercepted from Tilly to the governor, wherein he befought him to hold out only four days longer, and promifed him certain afllflrance. Be that as it will, the Imperial general lodged a procefs againft him before the council of war at Vienna, and brougl.t his life in quefl:ion : but Savelli made it appear he had private oiders not to facrifice fuch a chofen handful of troops : and the emperor by way of juft:ification difpatched him on an honourable em- bafly to Italy, and imployed him afterwards in military fervices : never- thelefs he was to the lafl: either injudicious in war, or unfortunate. When Savelli quitted the town at the head of his garrifon with enfigns flying, and attended by all his baggage-waggons, and two pieces of cannon, Guftavus received him on horfe-back, and having firfl: made a courteous fpeech to the magiflrates, turned round, and defired him to prefent his compliments to the emperor, with aflurances, that he waged war againft: him merely for the fake of civil and religious liberty, fince he bore no perfonal refentments againft him. Pie then told the duke, ithat he confdcr-ed him as a man intended by nature to fnne rather at courts than in the field of battle -f. At firft flght one is apt to conflder fuch a fort of fpeech as fomething tending to abruptnefs and indelicacy : never- thelefs his majefty's manner of addrefling this commander may be jufti- fied to a certain point. Duke Savelli's courage, it is true, was never called in queftion, either before or after this period ; and fome fuppofe, that Guftavus was not only unapprized of his private inftrudlions, but piqued likewife at difcovering, that even an enemy had not made a more obftinate defence. But the king was too good a politician to reproach the Imperialifts for furrendering their towns to him upon over-eafy terms. The probable occafion of this afperity was as follows. Duke Savelli, as I have feen by a painting and fome prints of him, was almoft the only general in thofe wars (don Baltazar di Marradas * Memorabilia Suec, Gentis, p. 8 J. f Soldat Suedois : Swediih InteUigencer. excepted) OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. ' 271 excepted) who wore a large perriwig of that fafhion, which was af- 1631. terwards called Chedreux * amongft us in the beginning of the reign of Charles II. Now Guflavus thought this habiliment of the head rather too fantaftic for a great commander ; and therefore, not without fome little indignation, pronounced him a better courtier than a •war- rior. Nor was Savelli's charafter becoming a nobleman of his rank. No perfon was more fordidly avaricious and extorting, though to outward appearance the fine gentleman of that age. Once having received a quantity of horfes from the gentry and farmers of the diftri(5l round him, by way of levying contributions, (wherein the generals of thofe days were extremely fliarp and dexterous) and finding them by reafon of their leannefs and ill-plight, neither purchafeable nor redeemable, he jordered the hangman of his regiment to flea them, and put the money the hides fold for into his pocket -f-. In a word, he was al- ways confidered as one of the inquifitors of the duchy of Mechlenberg, and was alfo fo odd a mixture of bigottry, as well as cruelty, that he would allow no child in his diflri£t of command to receive the rites of baptifm from the hands of a Lutheran minifter. Upon leaving the town, he was obliged to confign to the king abundance of provi- fions and military-flores, together with fixty very fine pieces of brafs ordnance : and as Tilly was expe6led to march that way, and a flrefs of action fuppofed to be coming on, his majefty made no lefs perfon than Banier commander of Damin, and prepared himfelf in every fhape for the great event of fighting Tilly. With wonderful precau- tion therefore and dexterity, he fixed Kniphaufen with his own regi- ment, and fix companies of Englifla and Scots, at New-Brandenburg, placed major Sinclair with a fmall body of infantry at Trepto J, lodged the royal regiment of horfe, and Monro's detatchment of foot at Malchin, recalled Guftavus Horn from the blockade of Landfberg, with injunctions to encamp at Fridland, (eich officer having exprefs • Hence the expreffion of Cfietireux -cntic in J This place mud not be confounded with the fined Englifc profe-writer. Tripto in Outer Poracraaia, •}• Chcmnitius, Lib. i. p. 97. orders 272 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. orders in writing, without any difcretionary powers of departing from them) and laftly, repofed himfelf for a few days with the main army at Paflewald, a ftrong pafs, which commanded the road between Po- merania and Mechlenberg. Thus the king, in eight months time (which to many readers will a])pear incredible, confidering what a force the Imperialifts had the power to produce againfl: him) had rendered himfelf niafler of four- fcore cities, forts, and caftlcs, and cleared the whole palTage behind him even to the Baltic ocean; being a diftrifl of near 140 miles in breadth, not to mention the command of all the rivers and import- ant pafles. And thefe conqucfts may be confidered as abfolutely entire, if we except Colbcrgen, which furrendercd at this jun6lure, and the town of Gripfwald, which Banier had firft blockaded, and then Todt; neverthdefs, it held out till the middle of fummer. Colbergen had refifted a blockade formed by Horn and other Swe- difli generals, for the fpace of five months : at length provifions grow- ing fcarce, and all hopes of relief vanifhed, colonel St. Julian *, the governor, an old officer of repute at the battle of Prague, thought fit to furrender upon terms of honour, and preferved a garrifon of about r5co men, (of' which one third were dragoons) whom the Swedes agreed to efcort to Landlberg. They were flopped at Friedburg in the New March, by way of reprizal for Tilly's cruelty to the gairifons of New-Brandenburg and Feldfberg -, but it does not appear, that any man was put to death ; they were only difarmed. Colbergen, next to Stralfund, was efteemed a town of the mofl confiderable confequence of any in the whole dukedom of Pomerania. It was alfo flrongly fortified, according to the pra6lice of thofe times, and was one of the keys of the Baltic ocean, which made Guftavus excefTively defirous to render himfelf mafler of it. And indeed Bauditzen obtained it at a moft critical time ; for three days afterwards four fliips well fupplied with foldiers, and deeply laden with provifions, touched at Colbergen, • Chemnitius, Tom. i. p. loo, calls him of capitulation : the former, being an Irifhnian, lieutenant-colonel Mors, which feems to be a belonged to the regiment of Hardeck. milUke. Mors and Boctlus figned the articles (a cir- OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 273 {a circumftance of affiftance, which might have preferved the town, 163 1. had it arrived in proper time and fucceeded) ; but the Imperial fea- officers perceiving the town to be otherwife difpofed of, fuddenly changed their courfe, and returned to the ocean. Yet his majefty had taken all proper preventive meafures againft an expedition of this na- ture ; for vice-admiral Ulfpar lay in the harbour with two fhips of force, being protected on each Tide by a new-raifed mole, which was flanked with batteries and extemporary fortifications, ereSied by the care of colonel Boetius, This officer, by his matter's orders, was par- ticularly cautious in the form of wording the capitulation, and carried his point in two affairs, that were partly ufeful, and partly matter of punctilio : the one related to the prefervation of all the Pomeranian archives, ecclefiaftical and civil ; and the other turned upon the refti- tution of a pair of colours, that belonged to a Swedifh regiment of cavalry, and which Guftavus could not bear to fee in the enemy's pof- feffion : fo jealous was he of the flighteft difgrace ! Four hundred fol- diers of the Imperial garrifon took the oaths of allegiance and difci- pline to the crown of Sweden, having the liberty to follow the fate of their colours, which Horn took care to fee furrendered by article. In the mean while Tilly decamped from Francfort on the Oder, with an army of 20,000 combatants, paid his men (contrary to the Auftrian cuftom) promptly and chearfuUy ; and advanced to raife the liege of Damin, or give Guflavus battle. But hearing the town had capitulated, he turned fhort on the caftle of Feldfberg, near New-Bran- denburg, took it by ftorm, and after that flaughter, which naturally happens in an obftinate refiftance, put 50 of the furviving Swedifli foldiers to the fword. He then difpatched camp-mafter general Cratz with 12,000 men to inveft New-Brandenburg, and followed him with the remaining part of the army. The garrifon confided of 2000 fe- lefted troops, and ferjcant-major general Kniphaufen, an approved officer, commanded them, who made an incredible refiftance. He was a chieftain of flow but excellent parts, and confidered as the beft ge- neral, under whom a young man could form himfelf. It was his maxim to leave little or nothing to the hazard of fortune ; and when other Vol. I. N n men 274 1631. THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE men were profperous in a manner, that fcemed lo him not quite fcien- tilical, lie ufed to fay with emotion, That a dram of good hick en- abled a commander fooner to reach his objccl, than an ounce of good fenfe. He had an incurable averfion to the Scotiilh nation, which created him fome enemies. It is true, the king had ordered him to retire and fave his men j but the mcflenger and the letter happened to fall unfortunately into Tilly's hands. Of courfe Kniphaufen, though deftitute of artillery, acquitted himfdf like a man of fervice, conclud- ing from the king's filence, that he lliould certainly be relieved : and hence it was, that he refufed honourable conditions, when the Imperial general propofed them. The town was battered feveral days in a man- ner as furious, as had been obicived during the preceding courfe of the war i yet the breach was not affaultable upon prudential views, and the rampart-wall was too high for fcaling-ladders to be fixed againft it with any hopes of fuccefs. Neverthelefs, chance and temerity brought about a flrange event ; for as Tilly on the eighth day of the fiege was riding round his lines, and making fome neceffary remarks, the fol- diers ruflied into the breach by dint of furprize, maintaiiicd their ground, and poured into the town, being fupported by all the infantry of the army, who crouded to the walls without orders. The young count of Montecuculi *, being now in the twenty- third year of his age, and having ferved from fixteen in the capacity of a common foot foldier, was the firil man, who mounted the walls, and prefented one of the keys of the city-gates to his generaL Kniphaufen, with his * RaymonJ, count de Montecuculi. His ardour in the firft battle of Leipfic carried him in fo fJr among the Swedes, that he was taken prifoner : and it is a certain faft, though few hiftorians know it, (he being then only a colo- nel of horfe) that he had a principal hand (fcrving then under Merci and John de Wert) in defeating 'I'uicnne at the battle of Mergen- theim, or Mariendal, as the French hiilorians are pleafed to call it. His abilities and pene- tration at that time were fo very great, that it was a common faying with the Swcditli and French generals, that Montecuculi enttrtaincd a familiar fpirit in his fervice, who made him acquainted with all their defigns. From this period his hiflory is tolerably well kno\\Ti ; h;s campaign againft Turenne being in itfelf an a- bridgment of all that is refined and cxquifue :n the fcience of war. His two favouiite autliors were Euclid and Tacitus. Neverthelefs, his Military memoiri no v. ays anfwer the idea of what he really pradifed. The truth is, tlev we.-e dr.iwn up in his eailler campaigns againft ihe Turks ; and it would have been no injuilice to this great man's memory, to have omitted their publication. lady, OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 275 lady, daughter, and niece, his fon, and feveral gentlewomen of con- 1631, dition, four captains, fome lieutenants and enfigns, and fixty common foldiers, threw themfelves into the town-houfe, and obtained quarter. Ke had not time to deflroy his papers, which was looked upon as a matter of ill-fortune, and loft nine colours, which gave his mafter no fmall regret, as it was the firft confiderable accident of that kind, which had befallen him in Germany. Near 2000 Swedes and Germans were put to the fword. Half lord Rea's regiment (which faid half confift- ed of 600 perfons) was here maflacred, almoft to a man. Lieutenant- colonel Lindfey, who commanded this corps in his colonel's abfence, was killed on the breach, as were alfo Moncrief, Keith, and Haydon, all Scots. Such as had the good fortune to furvive were promoted im- mediately by the king's exprefs orders. It is thought Tilly loft 2000 men in ftorming the town, which in fa6l was little more than a large unfortified village * : nor did he fhew himfelf that great commander the public expected to find him, in marching direclly to Magdeburg, leaving the electors of Brandenburg and Saxony a facrifice to the Swedes, and allowing Guftavas free paf- fage to Francfort, and the hereditary dominions. But the truth was, he faw too many fuperior abilities in his Swedifti majefty, and dreaded at that junfture the fatal decifion of a general battle. The king, who had arrived as far as Anclam, in order to relieve his ferjeant-major general Kniphaufen, was fo enraged at this maffacre and that of Feldft»erg, that he declared he would repay Tilly in his own kind, and teach him to wage war like a perfon of humanity, and not like a Croatian. But the latter, conformably to what we have ob- ferved before, finding it difficult to advance, as a detachment of the Swedifti army lay directly in his way, namely, at Schwet, turned ob- liquely, and made an appearance of directing his courfe towards Mag- deburg, in whofe neighbourhood Pappenheim then lay. Upon this • This paflage confirms what the king re- he, this man, laying his hand on the general's marked afterwards to the Nurenbcrgers in their Ihoulders, has defended a mialki village againfi great diftrefs and anxiety, when he left Knip- all the efforts of Tilly, haufen to be their governor ; Gentlemen, faid N n 2 the 2^6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, the Swedes (bon lepoflefled New-Brandenburg, and the rather, as the Imperialifls had juft difmantlcd the principal parts of the fortificatioiv. A general, who had parts hke Guftavus, foon faw the evil efFedls of the fiege of Magdeburg, in cafe the Imperial general fliould veiv ture to undertake it, and determined within himfelf to relieve that city after the redu(5tion of Francfort, in cafe the eleftors of Branden- burg and Saxony did not counterwork his generous intentions. Be that as it may, no confiderations could deter him from advancing fouthwards. , Tilly now lay at Rappen, undetermined whether to interrupt the in- tended fiege of Francfort *, or inveft the town of Magdeburg. The king, for excellent reafons, had lellened the main body of his forces upon this occafion ; one part being detached into Pomerania and the March^ in order to hinder the Imperial troops, which lay in great numbers about Landlberg, and in Silefia, from intercepting two little armies, which he exped:ed from Pruflia and England ; and tlae other part un- der the condu6t of Guftavus Horn, being ftationed at the important pafs of Schwet (which commands the crofllng of the Oder, and gives an opening either to Stetin or Francfort) with a view to prevent Tilly from attacking him behind, Thefe precautions being thus wifely taken, his majefty, at the head of 18,000 men, fhaped his courfe along the banks of the Oder up to Francfort, carrying with him 200 pieces of cannon, and a bridge of boats, which he had conftrucled at Stetin, being 180 feet long, and of breadth fufficient for five horfemen to march over it abreaft. Schomberg, as we obferved before, commanded in Francfort, and had a garrifon under him of 9000 horfe and foot, all choien veteran tioops : but Tieffenbach, then juft declared camp- mafler general of the Imperial army, conformably to Tilly's exprefs orders, had thrown himfelf into the town at this conjuncture, namely, on the fiiit day of the month of April -,. which occafioned no fmall matter of mirth among the Swedifh forces, being, faith a grave hillo- • Francfort upon the Oder is a large town. The profeflTors of theology are of the Calvi- 80 miles from Berbn, remarkable for its fairs, nillical perfuafion ; but two extraordinary pro- Its univerfity is not devoid of learned men. fcflbrs of Lutheranifm are allowed- - ft ■ riaji. OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 277 rian, veteri Germanorum confuetudine ludibrii plena die *. His firft bufi- 163 r. nefs was to ruin the fuburbs, country-houfes, mills, vineyards, and orchards round the town, which many confidered as a mark of pre- mature fear. No troops ever made a finer approach than the Swedes did in inveft- ing the town. Guflavus marched his whole body of forces, formed upon fevcral columns, in complete battle-array ; for he feared fomc notable obftruftions from a garrifon, that might be confidered as a fort of army, and bore Tilly likewife in remembrance, who lay behind him. He performed himfelf upon the occafion the duty of ferjeant- major de la battaglia, arranging every officer and band of foldiers in their proper places ; and having appointed a body of commanded muf- queteers to make the forlorn hope, and placed fmall peletons of 50 foot foldiers between every fquadron of horfe, arrived without ob- ftruftion under the city-walls, leaving all the cavalry, excepting only the Rhingrave's regiment, well polled behind him at fome miles di- fiance, for fear Tilly fhould approach unexpe6ledly. In this order he paid his vifit to the town the afternoon before Palm-Sunday ; and having made all proper difpofitions both for a fiege and an aflault, ap^- proached with Teiiffel very near the enemy's works, in order to view the towri^ walls and the Guben-gate. In the midfl^ of tlieir obferva- tions, the baron received a mufquet-fhot in his left-arm ; and to fhew of how much confequence a great general thinks fome individuals upon certain occafions, his majefly perfectly changed countenance, and cried, Alas I now 'Teuff'el is difabled, what Jhall I do-f! Upon this the be- • Chemnitias, &c. p. 106. clergyman, fee Pref. to the fecond part) by f Swedifh Intelligencer, Vol. i. p. 88. The Hepburn, lord Rea, Mafham, Aftley, and o- four firft parts of this work, which of them- ther Englilh and Scottiih officers,, who bore com- fclves make two confiderable volumes in quarto, mand in Germany. But after the unfortunate reach down to the death of Guftavus. To decifion of Lutzen, the perfornnance groweth thefe is ufually prefixed the Sixedijh difciplir.e, lefs valuable ; for the firft writer defifted from religlbus, ciiiil. and military, confifting of 90 his undertaking at that period ; To that the con- pages. This book, though drawn up in a tinuation of it in various volumes is chiefly an quaint and- moft inelegant ftyle, (for nothing, extraft from the Mercurius Galh Belgicu:, the can be meaner than \u conipofuion) is a trea- Mercun Francois, &c. Sec. As the feveral parts fure intirely peculiar to our own nation: foi: great came out periodically, it is vsry-rare to find tiie part of the accounts, till the king's deceafe, were whole complete., delivered to the author (who, I believe, was a fieged' 27S THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. ficgcd made a fally ; but major Sinclair, who ftood juft by the king at the head of a body of commanded mufqueteers, foon repulfed them, taking a lieutenant-colonel and a captain prifoners, and making a lodg- ment afterwards in a church-yard, which lay contiguous to the ene- my's out- works. Next morning divine fervice was twice celebrated throughout the 5wcdifli army j but the Imperialifb, who difturbed themfelves very little about religion, took this omiflion of hoftilities for the forerun- ner of a retreat, and in the coarfe military way of drollery, hung out a wild-goofc on the ramparts, intimating, that the northern birds of paflage ought always to think of evacuating a country. Upon which ibme Scottifli officers remarked pleafantly enough, in the phrafeology of their own country, That for their own part they hoped foon to fee an Imperial goofe well roajled, and well fauced. The king, who had made neither lines nor approaches, being in- clined to allow the enemy fmall time for recolleclion, determined to ftorm the town fword in hand about two in the afternoon, fupported by the thunder of twelve huge pieces of cannon, diredled againft the Guben-gate, feveral other batteries playing at the fame time, in order to create a diverfion. And hitherward the foldiers turned all their fury, with a view to form one general attack, though the Guben- gate was principally aimed at, whilft the yellow and blue brigades were commanded to approach on the fide of the vineyards next to Cuftrin (a part lying by in order to repulfe tlie enemy's Tallies :) mean while the white brigade was appointed to lodge in the fore-town to fup- port the commanded mufqueteers, which lay between them and danger; and Hepburn's brigade (the commanded mufqueteers belonging to it being conduced by major Sinclair) was deftined to carry on the great intended operation ; whilft the Rhingrave's regiment of cavalry pro- tected the train of artillery not in ufe, and kept the approach of Tilly conftantly in theu* thoughts. His majefty referved himfelf for the main attack at the Guben-gate, leaving the condu6l of other divifions to approved commanders. He told his men, \\itli a chearful countenance, that be only hefcught their I patience OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 279 fetience a few hours longer, ajid that then he hoped to give them wine to re~ 163 1. frejl^ them, ayid not common loater out of the Oder. The officers fliewed fo much alacrity on the occafion, as to undertake this enterprize without their armour ; but Guftavus, who had before mixed in the prelude of the affault with the common foldiers, carelefs of hirafelf, but uneafy for his commanders, remonftrated to them in the kindeft terms, 'That he, -who loves the king his m after s fervice, imll not hazard his life out of pure gaiety. If my oficers are kilkd, who fl^all com- mand my foldiers ? Giving them therefore exprefs orders to cloath them- felves in armour, the fafcines and fcaling-ladders being all duly prepared, he called for Hepburn and Lumfdelby name : New, faid he, wy valiant Scots, remember your countrymen fain at Old Brandenburg ; who both in an inftant, by the help of two petards, fhivered the gate to pieces ;, and (as the aftonilhed enemy forgot to let fall the port-cullis on the in- fxde) entered the town unhurt at the head of their refpeftive regiments,. Clofe at their heels general Banier crouded in with a frefli body of muf- queteers ; and forming themfelves as well as the ftreets could allow them, they cut to pieces one Imperial regiment with very little mercy. Upon- which a detachment was difpatched to fecure the bridge, but it arrived rather too late. Lumfdel's men alone took 1 8 colours, and after the en- gagement was over, his majefty bade him afk what he pleafed, and he would give it him. Mean while major Sinclair, and one Heatly an Englifh lieutenant, pafled the walls in the quarter of the vineyards by fcalado, and upon en- tering the town at the head of only 50 mufquetecrs, were attacked by an equal body of cuiraffiers completely armed ; but they ranged them- felves againft the walls of the houfes, and gavetheir enemies fuch a con- tinued fire, that they forced them to retreat.- Nor mud the condu6l of one Andrew Aner, a Saxon lieutenant, be here forgotten, who crofled the town-ditch, and gave chafe to fome Imperialifts, that guarded it. The king, though naturally fhort-fighted, had foon eye-fight enough to feize one of thofe fortunate moments, which, when critically fnatched,. are equal, to days and weeks in military operations. He pointed to his troops to follow Aner. The combat was renewed on either fide with incredible eSo THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, incredible fury ; at length the befieged gave ground, and the afTailants en- tered the town with them. The Imperialifts beat a parley twice, but the confufion was fo great no one could hear it. His majefty gave Aner a handlbme gratuity of about 150 1. and as he was a man of fuch alacrity and expedition, told him, he Jliould remo've him from the infantry, and try "what exploits he could perform in the capacity of captain of horfe. At length the yellow and blue brigades entered, two bodies of troops highly efteemed in the Swedifh army. It was their fortune to attack the quarter, where lieutenant-colonel Walter Butler lay with his Irifh regi- ment, who gave the Imperialifts an example of refolution, which might have faved the town, if it had been copied even imperfe6lly ; for he flood his ground at pufli of pyke till he had fcarce a foldier left with him ; nor did he fubmit till he was fhot through the arm with a mufquet-ball, and pierced with an halberd through the thigh. All things being thus fecured, his majefty, who made the tour of the feve- ral attacks on the outfide of the walls, entered the town at the head of the Rhingrave's regiment of horfe. TiefFenbach, Schomberg and Mon- tecuculi efcaped over the bridge, (which was fortified with a ftrong re- doubt on the oppofite ftiore) and conducted their flying troops to Great -Glogaw in Silefia, which was diftant from Francfort at leaft fixty miles ; 1700 Imperial foldiers were left dead in the town, almoft as many more were never heard of ; 50 colours were loft ; the colonels Herbenftein, Walftein, Jour, and Heydon weie killed ; and about fixty officers and feven lieutenant-colonels taken prifoners. Amongft the latter were found likewife general major Spar, a native Swede, and the colonels Mor\^al (fome fay Waldo) and Butler, [the fame who afterwards afiaf- finated Walftein,] and about 700 common foldiers. His majefty took infinite pains to prevent pillage, and exercifed his baton amongft his followers without remorfe ; yet they plundered to the amomit of 30,0001. in fpite of all his endeavours; for many valuable goods were lodged in the town on account of the approaching fair ; yet no wo- man's honour was violated, and only one burgher killed, merely through his own imprudence and obftinacy. I The OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 281 The king felt inexpreflible uneafinefs to fee his troops difband in hopes 1 63 !• of plunder, (for feveral enfigns were left alone without a man to guard the colours) and determined within himfelf thenceforward s to adminiflcr ■fome effectual remedy to this notorious violation of military difcipiine. But the tumult being at length compofed, he diftributed corn and wine to all the citizens out of the Imperial magazines, telling them at the fame time, that he hoped they would fupply fomething towards his fol- diers good fupper and kind reception^ A public thankfgiving was de- creed next day in all the churches ; and one circumftance afterwards ex- tremely delighted the whole body of proteftants throughout the empire ; for the Leipfic conclnfions * were figned at no great diftance from the time when Francfort was taken. The Imperial garrifon upon this occafion fafFered greatly in their for- tunes, as well as their perfons ; for as this town was a fure afylum, where they haddepofitedmoftof their ill-gotten wealth, the ftreets, and bridge particularly, were fo crouded with baggage and waggons, that retard- ments, confufions and obftruflions foon arofe ; whence ii happened, that numbers were taken prifoners : fome threw themfelves into the Oder and there were loft ; fome were killed with the fword (for the Swedes could not quite forget the maffacre at New-Brandenburg ;) fo that one way or other no very confiderable part of the garrifon efcaped. The Swedes loft about 300 men, but no officer of note. Indeed Teiiffel and Hepburn were wounded, (the former circumftance we mentioned be- fore) and colonel Dargitz -f- was fliot through the fides. Nine hundred quintals of powder were found in the arfenal, abundance of arms, and eighteen pieces of great ordnance. A large body of troops was placed in tlie town by wav of garrifon, and Lefly commanded it, having received orders to repair the fortifications, and make improvements to them. The taking of Francfort was a point of extraordinary confequence to his majefty's affairs. It extended his elbow-room into the rich pro- • They were ten in number, and may be about fix months before, we find nn fuch name : fceu 'together with the whole tranfadions of he therefore muft have been a lieutenant-colonel, the lilei.) in the ^/i/M(i';>. or is miftaken forDamitz, who commanded the •(■ tie is fo called by the bcft hiilorians, but white brigade that da)-, in 3 lift of the Swedifti colonels made public Vol. I. O o vinces 282 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, vinces of Saxony, the March, Lufatla, and Silefia, and made liini mafter of the Elb and Oder on both fides. And thus having cleared the neigh- bourhood of the two eledlors from the enemy, lie reduced them to the necclfity of joining with him fiom the rules of fclf prefervation, becaufe he was eventually, and in effect their mafter and conqueror. It de- lighted him alfo not a little to have gained this important place on Palm- Sunday, and at the critical period when the proteftant confcderators were nfFembled at Leipfic ; to whom he wrote the very next morning, April the fourth, with uncommon fatisfa(5lion and felf-complacency * : but, unfortunately for him, the aflembly was diflblved the day before. Schomberg and TiefTenbach merited no great praife in defending Francfort. Their greateft efforts ought to have been, before the town was attacked fvvord in hand. They had too many cavalry in the garri- fon, which caufed more confufion than advantage, when once the enemy entered the town. They had alfo, according to the Imperial cuitom, an immoderate number of females and fuperfluous attendants on the army t and it may be obferved farther, that they confided likewife too much in their number of troops, and defpifed the befiegers to fuch a degree, that when the Swedifh army appeared before the town, the officers thought proper to continue their mirth, and not rife from table. But this gallantry and gaiety of the befieged upon the firft inverting a town very rarely keeps up the fame fpirit to the finifhing and ferious conclu- fion of the fervice : and perhaps the Auflrians might have defended Francfort better, if they had been more fparir.g of their petulancies and fcunilities ; for they affronted the Swedes by their vain-glorious fpceches and their emblematical rcprefentations, too dull, and too illiberal, to deferve the notice of the mofl indifferent hiftoiian. It may fuffice therefore (more to the purpofe) to remark here, that during this fiege his majefly ordered colonel Monro to employ himfclf and his regiment all night in forming what was then called a running line of approach. Monro kept his foldiers to their duty, as well as he could, and never fate down till break of day. Yet the king was extremely difpleafcd the next morning, when he faw how flowly the trench was advanced. Upon ♦ Sec the Letter in Arniis Suecicis, 126, 127. which OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 283 which two very good obfervations have been made by perfons then em- 1631. ployed in the Swedifli fervicej that Guftavus being himfelf the beft en- gineer of the age, expe^ed a great deal from his officers in all fieges, and was more impatient upon thofe occafions than in the day of battle. The fecond obfervation was, that the Scots, however excellent in the open field, were too lazy and too proud to work, even in cafes of the utmoft extremity ; which abated more than one half of their military merit, Tilly had actually began his march in order to give a diverfion to the affair at Francfort, but receiving upon the road the melancholy news of the ill fate, which had befallen that city, he returned and inverted Magdeburg, hoping thereby to draw Guftavus out of Pomerania : but the king continued firm, nor did he choofe to receive his laws of loco- motion from Tilly's di6lating : on the contrary he renewed his appli- cations to the proteftant princes afl'embled at Leipfic, and exhorted them to make a peremptoiy decifion in behalf of their civil and religious li- berties. He then wrote to the magiftrates of Magdeburg, and conjured them to acquit themfelves like men of honour and principle ; aiTuring them, that if they could maintain their ground for two months, he would certainly relieve them ; obferving likewife, that before the time fpecified he could neither make the necefi'ary difpofitions with regard to his new conquefts, nor colle6l together a body of forces fufficient to confront Tilly. It was now indeed high time for that general to take the field, and attempt to ftop the torrent of Guftavus's conquefts. By orders therefore of the emperor, and his friend and patron the elector of Bavaria, he had drawn together all the troops he poffibly could from the land of Juliers and Eaft-Frizeland, the duchy of Bremen, and the circles of Suabia and Franconia. His firft fcheme was to give Guftavus battle ; but that fort of decifion the Swedifli hero prudently declined. He then purpofed to hinder his enemy from difturbing Pappenheim, who formed a fort of blockade round the town of Magdeburg. But new commo- tions broke out in the interior parts of the empire, which he thought himfelf obliged to compofe in time ; and this unhappy movement gave O o 2 Guftavtts 284 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. Guftavus an opportunity to fix his footing at the courts of Drefden and Berlin. Guftavus now leaving a part of his army at Francfort under Banier's command, caft a defiring eye towards Landfperg, garrifoned with 3000 loot, and 1500 dragoons. He had long wifhed to make himfeif maftcr of this important place ; for as it lay between Pruflia and Poland, it was- a great thorn to him in his late Polifli wars. He made one fruitlefs at- tempt upon it on his firft arrival in Germany, but the detachment lie fcnt to furprize it mifcarried in the attack. A fecond eflay fucceeded the foregoing, attended with the like ill-fuccefs. The town lies on the Warta, and it muft be obferved here, that three years had been em- ployed in its fortifications, and the peafants for ten miles round had performed the duty of pioneers and labourers all that time. The king and Hepburn pofted themfelves on one fide ; and Horn, who had com- manded the blockade, lay on the other. This undertaking of Guftavus's was a very extraordinary attempt in two particulars; for he took with him only 2,200 commanded muf- queteers, and 800 horfemen -, fo that the garrifon exceeded him in num- ber by 500 men : neverthelefs we mull not reckon the people, that at- tended the train of artillery, which confifted of twelve pieces of battering cannon, under the direction of that excellent officer colonel Leonard Torftenfon *. He likev.'ife contrived to march his troops near 40 miles in two days -|-j and after he had eft^ecSled his bufinefs returned to Francfort in the fame time. In the way to Landfperg his advanced guard defeated a regiment * Monro calls him Leonard Richardfon, a intelligence : [and thus Ben Jonfon makes 3 perfon, whom we no where find either before or foldier talk of his Low-Country — Vor-loffe ; after this period. But the Chriftian name foon i. e. Furlo. Staple of News, Ad. v. Sc. i.^ enabled me to correft the miflake ; for Leonard Neverthelefs our northern hiftorian is very vera- Torftenfon ^vas then general of the artillery, cious in all his fafts, and rarely relates any And here it muft be obferved, that the valiant thing, which he did not fee. Monro, who was no great mafter of orthography, f Diary of marches by Monro. This little harcly fpells any name right of man or town, piece has been of e.i{traordinary ufe to mc ufually following the German found in pronun- throughout the whole ; though, to avoid tediouf- ciation. His very ftyle is likewife German, as nef , I quote it only on thij one occafion. It has Spruce for Pruflia, Polack for Polander, leaguer proved in effedl one of my bed chronological for camp, fiillfiand for truce, and conjhaft for tables. of OF GUSTAVUS A D L P H U S. 2P5 of Croatians, the colonel that commanded the party being mortally 163,1. wounded : neverthelefs in their retreat they had the precaution to break down every bridge after they had pafTed it. There lay a flrong fort, well-guarded with cannon, betwixt the king and the town. Monro inverted it the firft night, and the king left two horfemen with him, giving them exprefs orders to come and wake him, in cafe the enemy attempted to fally. Next morning the batteries played violently againft it ; but the parapet of earth was fo compadl and well- hardened, that it was foon thought proper to difcontinue the attempt on that fide. Under this difficulty, his majefty made himfelf acquainted with a blackfmith, who advifed him to throw a float-bridge over one part of a wide morafs all covered with water : (and here it muft be ob- ferved that the king brought a fmall bridge from Stetin, as well as that large one we have mentioned before :) thus advancing over fliallow pafl^es, which the honeft mechanic well knew, the Swedes pofted them- felves unexpe6ledly on the weak fide of the fort, between that and the town. Lieutenant-colonel Dewbatel and Monro followed the blackfmith with 500 men, half dragoons and half infantry, and Hepburn moved flowly after them (for his laft wound was only a contufion) at the head of one thoufand mufqueteers : the enemy's guard being foon routed, the fort furrendered upon compofition, and the king's troops made a lodg- ment under the town-wall. Young Cratz, the governor, a fpirited officer, whom the foldiers much confided in, being killed in a fally, and 300 Imperial troops being taken prifoners, propofals of furrender were foon offered to the king. This fhameful capitulation was owing to that great error, which ran through Tilly's and Walftein's difcipline j namely, the allowing every regiment an undue number of fervants, futtlers, and unneceffiary dependants of all forts. Thefe ufelefs mouths diffrefied them in the field, and ff;arved them in befieged towns : for when this garrifon naarched out (and they were reputed fome of the beff: troops in the Im- perial fervice,) there were amongft them half as many proft:itutes, as foldiers. There was one circumflance hardly to be paralleled in this ca- pitulation. The king had onse a mind to fend for a detachment from his main army, before he allowed the Imperialifts to march out of the 3 town i 286 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. town; for as the garrifon out-numbered liim, he was not fure but that they might give him battle in plain ground. The town being thus evacuated, (for the Imperial troops fliaped their rourfe to Great Glogau, in Silcfia) his majefty, who feldom indulged in repafts, but with politicians and ambafladors, in order to extraft points of knowledge from them, allowed Banier, Bauditzen, and the other generals to take a chcarful glafs, as they had nothing material to do, and no enemy to fear that evening. Neverthelefs he did not honour them with his prefence ; however, by way of gaiety, he gave his guide the blackfmith one hundred pounds, and made him burgo-mafter, or in plain Englifli, lord-mayor of Landfperg ; who in the late fecret attack marched with a ferene countenance at the head of the detachment, and bore the whiftUng of the cannons and mufquet-balls very well : but when the fervice grew ferious, and fcveral foldiers fell by him, finding, as he faid, that the Swedifli mufquets (the powder being wet) did not make fo brifk a report as the enemy's, he begged leave to run to the king, and bring a fnpply of better powder. It was well known what he meant by that good office. It is amazing to imagine how much pioneer-work the king efFe6ted during this fhort fiege with a few hands, infomuch that it was obfcrved on the occafion, That he made his foldiers perform for nothing what would coft another power many thoufand pounds *. By this time the Imperialifts began to find the Swedes a different fort of foldiers from what they had firfl: imagined. The emperor himfelf condefcended to lower his tone, and at length determined to give Gufta- vus the appellation of king of Sweden, which he had formerly beflowed on Sigifmond his rival. Thoughts were alfo conceived of refloring Wal- ftein, who at that time threw out certain innuendo's, as if he had a mind to pafs into the Spanifli fervice. The court of Vienna and the catholic league began now to tremble in good earneft ; for Pappenheim, who feldom wrote in the -dejected and dciponding ftyle, informed the ele(5lor of Bavaria, that the emperor • The expreflion is a ton of gold, which denotes in the hillorians of that age, if I miftake not, about 90C0 pounds fteiling. I muft OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 287 muJft fall, except the whole united body of catholics fupported him 1631. with all their money and forces ; that Guftavus at prcfcnt was fovereign arbiter of the fate of Germany ; that Francfort and Lanufperg were both in his pofleflion ; that his Swedifh majefty probably (as there was no fufficient feparate army to oppofe him) might attempt to raife the fiege of Magdeburg ; and then perhaps the flower of the Imperial fol- diery might be cut off all at once : that he had it in his power to fliape his vdftorious courfe whatever way he pleafed : in a word, that the re- maining towns ought to be duly garrifoncd, and that nothing lefs than two ftrong armies could flop the violence of Guflavus's progrefies : that the league only, and not the emperor, could preferve the empire : that money, either in fpecie or in bills of good currency, muft be conveyed to Tilly and him ; and that 6000 horfe, and foot proportionable, muft be raifed forthwith in the bifliopric of Liege or duchy of Lorain. Poraerania and the March being now cleared, his majefty had a fair entrance into Silefia and Brandenburg. Into the firft he difpatched the Rhingrave and Bauditzen, who took Croffen, a confiderable city on the Oder, and made excurfions to Great Glogau and Walftein's palace at Sagan. Into the fecond his majefty entered, throwing a bridge of boats over the Spree, and by a trumpeter fummoned Wittenhorft, governor of Brandenburg, to furrender to him in twenty-four hours. Wittenhorft defired a few days refpite in order to fend an exprefs to Tilly ; who firft commanded him to acquit himfelf like a man of honour, but then dire6led him to capitulate, and haften with all his garrifon to him at Magdeburg. The mention of that town always brought a cloud upon Guftavus's brow : his natural fpritelinefs had never deferted him be- fore ; but he forefaw its ruin, and could not prevent it.. Neverthelefs, in order to leave no human methods untried (having: concluded a fort of alliance with the landgrave of HefTe-Cairel, and duke William of Saxe-Weymar) he from Brandenburg pointed his com fe to Copnick, and about noon fent count Ortemberg to Berlin to demand of the ele6lor the two towns of Cuftrin and Spandau, and infift likewife upon fubfiftence and one month's pay for his army, with a promife to re-deliver thofe places at two months end, or when the fiege of Magde- burg 288 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. burg flioukl be raifed. This demand not fucceeding, Guftavus Hoiu was difpatchcd the next morning at break of day to renew the foUcita- tion, but returned unfuccefsful : his orders were to make the eleflor an offer of tlic reverfional pofleflion of the dukedom of Pomerania ; but this prince, who was remarkably referved and fliy in advancing a finglc llcp towards his Swedifli majefly, excufcd himfelf by alledging, That he could enter into no engagement without the participation and full confent of the eleflor of Saxony. The king wafted the two fucceeding days in meditation what to do, and then marched peremptorily to- wards Berlin at the head of five cornets of horfe, and one thoufand mufqueteers, and four field-pieces, not to make ufc of apparent force and compulfion. He had fome objcflion to the undertaking this enter- prize on a Sunday, but the approaching fate of Magdeburg determined him. Guftavus had extraordinary reafons to wifh to poffefs Cuftrin, not only as it was one of the ftrongeft fortifications in the empire, being prote6led with 150 pieces of cannon, having an arfenal furniflied with arms fufficient to equip 20,000 men, and flored with provifions equal to the maintenances of half that number for a competent fpace of time ; but becaufe it was alfo that very important pafs, by means whereof the Imperial army had been preferved, when it fled before him from Gartz j at which period he had not intereft enough to obtain it. Guftavus had other great defigns in poffeffing Cuftrin j for as, through the timidity of his allies, he began to fufpe(5t he fliould not be able to raife the fiege of Magdeburg, it was then plain, that Tilly, after making himfelf mafter of that town, might by this paflage march uninter- ruptedly to him, and Ihake the good faith of his expeded ally. It was at length agreed, that his majefty and the eledlor fliould have an interview in Copnick-grove, about a mile from Berlin. The elec- tor made no advances towards a good underftanding betwixt them ; for, to fay truth, the cruelties and rapines, which the houfe of Auftria exer- cifed according to antient cuftom, had frightened the German princes out of all prudence and common prefence of mind ; fo that Guftavus v/as on the yery point of breaking off the converlation, which had lafted OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 289 lafted an hour, when the eleflor begged a fingle half-hour to re-confider 163 1; the affair. Sir, faid the king, I perceive your mind to be greatly agitated^ and covipajfionate the irrefolution you labour under. It mujl be acknowledged, that my propofals are alarming a?id dangerous ; but the necejjity of times and circumjiances demand them : it is you I am -extricating from deJlruBion, and not the fubjeSls ef Sweden: And then turning round to Albert duke of Mechlenberg, who flood by, Couftn, added he, be pleafed to obfe7-ve I take'> this abrupt and extraordinary Jlep for the prejervation of poor Magdeburg and the protejlant religion. For if I think ft to retreat to the Baltic, where are the troops, that can obJiruSl my retiring f If I entrench my f elf on what-- elrr traB of ground I chufe, the renowned and invincible Tilly will refle£i tiaice or thrice before he attacks me : and if peace can once be imagined to have taken poffefjion of my thoughts, certain it is, I may have the power of prefa-ibifig every fingle conditio7i to his Imperial majejiy. But how will you twofovereigns anfiver at the lajl day for the total extirpation of the reformed and evangelical religion ? Forget me as much as you pleafe but remember the gofpel : and remember too, that the type of your temporal deJlru£iio7i makes itsfirfi and certain appearance at the dow7ifall of Magdeburg *. .During the fudden aflonifhment, which this fpeech occafioned, the eleflrefs, ac- companied by her mother and fome court-ladies, furprifed Guftavus very critically -|-, who was too-well bred not to liften to the reprefenta- tions of the fair-fex, efpccially as the ele«5lrefs difcovered that fpirit of heroifm, which her hufband wanted. Terms now were foon agreed on, and his majeity was delired to fleep in Berlin that night, and bring with him his thoufand mufqueteers for his guard, and the five troops of horfe. ' At parting his ma]efty, laughing very heartily, told the eleftrefs and her ti'ain of ladies. That they did mighty well to bri7ig about this accommo- dation ; for in cafe they had 7iot been inclined to fuch /neafures, his i7itentio7i was to have fent them and the ele£lor to have pajjed a fummer in the cooler regions of Sweden : and when the cavalcade retired to court, Guftavus paid his honours to the fair-fex by a general falvo of his little train of artillery i * Hiilorical or Authentic Relation in Low- f Pietro Pome? ; Guerre di Germania, lib. L Dutch, Folio, "Tom. i. p. 49. p. 9 Vol. 1. P p but 290 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. but as the engineer had forgotten to turn his cannon from Berlin, the approach being firft made in an hoftile manner, he difmantled the tops joi one or two houfes j a flight inattention, which vexed the king, and put the ladies into fome confufion *. Neverthelefs, nothing now re- mained for the ele6lor but to convey his apology to the court of Vienna, from whence it was coldly anfwcred him, that the Swedes would fpare the Marches no more than the Imperialiflis had done formerly. In the courfe of this negotiation Spandau was granted in all appear- ance to his majefly during the continuance of the war, and colonel Axel Lilly was pitched upon to be appointed governor ; but Cuftrin could not be obtained, except for the fpace of a fmgle month. Be that as it will, firm afllirances were given, that its gates fhould always be open at his majefty's command, who was allowed unmolefted paflage throughout the whole electorate. The ele6lor made a copious libation that night to Bacchus, and Guflavus parted at break of day for Stetin, where he had fome buflnefs to tranfadl with the Mufcovite ambaflador. In one of the paufes of the converfation above mentioned, as the elec- tor was timorous and unwilling to confent beyond all imagination, Guftavus gave a fudden flart, and turned his eyes towards Magdeburg : Let us march yonder. Sir, faid he, without a moment's delay or hejitation : let us free Magdeburg, not only for our o-wn fakes, but for the fake of the pro~ tejlanf caufe. Upon fuppofition, that no man afjifis us, and the attempt fhould be rendered abortive (lohich tieither you nor I ought to fear) at ivorf. Sir, we can return hither, place flrong garrifons in all the conquered towns, and make a peace with the emperor upon our own terms : thus are you fafe at all events. But invert the telefcope, and contemplate things in another profpeSt. I can retire to Stockholm, and live and die peaceably in fpite of the emperor. And then there will remain a certain prince, who mufl he exhaufied and plun- dered without remorfe, who has facrifced the protefiant religion in the moji confiderable part of Europe, and who mufl one day anfwer for his negle£l or timidity at Gods tribunal. To this the eleftor either durft not, or could , not anfwer. ^ Memoirs of the Houfe of Brandenburg, Guftavus OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 291 V Guftavus marched next to Potfdam, and thence fummoned the elec- 163 1. tor of Saxony to join him, or allow him free paflage, as he was fully- determined to raife the fiege of Magdeburg ; both which rcquefts this prince denied him. His pretext was, that he could not abfolve him- felf from the oath of fidelity he had taken to the emperor. When an interview was prefTed on him, he declined accepting it, as being obliged to make a review of all his army : he dreaded another circumftance too, the drawing the war into his own country : in a word, he was like a man bewildered in a dangerous forefV, who knew not which track to purfue. By this fatal refolution Magdeburg was loft, which gave many an agonizing pang to a generous and manly heart like that of Guftavus, who unbofomed himfelf to the public in one of the beft reafoned manifefto's of that age, and then (to wafte no farther time in fruitlefs complaints) fat himfelf ferioufly, earneftly, and inflexibly, to make amends for the defaults of others. He forced the eleclor of Saxony to fee his error, and formed a plan, which made him profperous and victorious againft his will, and con- trary to his firft intentions. During Guftavus 's political tranfaftions at Stetin, it may be worth while to obferve, that in the month of February *, the elector of Sax- ony, in the name of all the proteftant princes, had convened the friends of liberty and Guftavus to one general aflembly at Leipfic-f. This meeting was both auguft and formidable : it confifted of the ele<5bors of Saxony and Brandenburg, the margrave of Bareith, the dukes of Weymar, John, Bernard, and William j the landgrave of Hefle-Caffel, the margrave of Baden-Dourlach, the prince of Anhalt, the dukes of Altenberg, Coburg, and Sultzbach : all thefe appeared in perfon. The archbifliop of Bremen fent his deputy, as did the dukes of Brunfwick, Lunenberg, and Mechlenberg, the margrave of Anfpach, the new ad- miniftrator of Wirtemberg, (duke JuUus not being yet fettled) and, though laft, not leaft in proteftant zeal, the good princefs, the ab- » Bougeant, Tom. i. p. 229, 8'. mifplaces from the Litin, and publifhed at London, 4°. the period of this convention under the articles 1632, containing 19 pages. This diet began of the year 1630. February 8, 1630, and ended April 3, 1631. f HiAory of the diet of Leipfic, tranflated P p 2 befs 292 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. befs of Qucdlingberg *. Deputies appeared likewife from the circles of Suabia and Franconia, from various fovereign counts of the empire, and from the free towns of Strafburg, Nurenberg, Francfort, Lubec, Bremen, Brunfwick, Hildefheim, Northaufen, Mulhaufen, and Augf- burg, &c. Dr. Mathias Hoe, the eledor of Saxony's domeftic cliap- lain, opened the aflembly with a very fpirited difcourfe, nor was his text ill-chofen : Dcus, quis fimilis erit t'tbi ? N^ taceas ncque compefcaris, Deus : quo- niam ecce inifnici tut fonucrunt : 6f qui oderunt te, extiiUrunt caput. - Super populum tuum malignaverunt confilium, & cogitaverunt adverfui fan^os ; dixerimt, venitCy & difperdamus eos, &c -f-. The ftreets were all barricadoed, the city-keys delivered every night to the eleclor, and no man allowed to enter the town, whofe bufmefs was not precifely known ; for nothing was fo much dreaded upon this occafion as an Imperial fpy. Yet the zealous, able, and turbulent ecclefiaftic, Mathias Hoe, notwithftanding the fine fpirit, which appears from his text, was fiip- pofed, being dire6lor of the ele6lor s confcience, to have received fome gratuities from the court of Vienna. Thus much is certain, he tra- verfcd Guftavus on the prefent occafion, though the full intent of it tend- ed to eflablifli a clofer union between the Lutherans and the Calvinifl:s : to which purpofe one Durseus, as Grotius calls him :{;, had been fent to the aflembly held at Francfort upon the Mayne not long before, furniflied with conciliatory letters from the Englifh prelates. And the opinion of Grotius concerning this convention was as follows : Rex Suei'Ia Magnus Gujlavus no}i multicm ante mortem^ Lipjia ccnven- * The abbefs of this illuftrious proteftant fold his right in 1697, againft which the late convent is always a princefs, and holds imme- abbefs, Maria Elizabeth of Holllein-Gottorp, diately under the empire. The emperor Hen- proteftcd more times than once, but always in ry the Fowler founded the convent, and his vain. This abbey fends a deputy to the diet ; daughter Matilda was the firft abbefs. It is en- and its contingent, upon the military ellabliOi- dowed with a pretty territory that lies round it. ment of the empire, is one horfeman and ten The principal perfons in it, after the abbefs, are foot-foldiers ; a fmall number of knight-errants, a priorefs, deannefs, and cannonefs, who have all confidering the fine ladies of family and conle- handfome houfes and good revenue. The quence they are to proteft. number of conventual ladies, depends upon the f Brachelii Hill. Noft. Temp. p. 246. will of the abbefs, who at prefent is Anna Pfalm Ixxxiii. I, 2, &c. Amelia, princefs of Pruflia ; whofe brother is % Epiftol Uiv. now proteftor for the cleftor of Saxony, who turn OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 293 turn injiituerat utriufque fententice protejlantlum Effecit fua aiic- 1631. toritate ut amice difcederetur^ cum magna fpe rejlituende wiitatis. Scd trijiis exitus tanti regis falubre hoc caeptum interfcidit. Neverthelefs, the houfc of Auftria made no remarkable efforts by way of oppofmg this aflembly, taking it for granted, injudicioufly enough, that the proteftant princes had no other point in view than to propofe fome mitigations in regard to the edi6l of reftitution : whereas the objeftions made by them under this article were Httle more than a meer pretext ; for every perfon convened had a private view to form fome connections, as far as he durfl, with the king of Sweden. Yet no prince had the courage to be the firft propofer of any public fpirited and generous refolution, being fearful of becoming the immediate vi6lim of the emperor's refentments, before the pro- teftants could conjoin their forces effeftually, and with a fmcere in- tention of making good their engagements *. The firfl points agitated were thefe that follow : To obviate the fchemes, which the catholics propofed to form at their affembly, in- tended to be held at Francfort upon the Mayne ; and next implore the emperor either to annihilate or abate the rigour of the edi6t of reftitution : and upon fuppofition the court of Vienna fhould remain inflexible, then to conclude on proper meafures for diverting the ftroke, that impended over them ; as alfo how to clear their refjoeftive domi- nions of the Imperial foldiers, who ravaged and deftroyed every thing within their reach, contrary to the laws of the Germanic fyftem, and the Pa6ia Conventa of the emperor folemnly fworn to at his corona- tion. It was reprefented likewife, in a memorial tranfmitted to the em- peror. That the Im.perial conftitutions and the laws of the Golden Bull had been violated, and the eledlors of Saxony and Brandenburg cruelly opprelTed, the latter of which perfons (though the king of Sweden poflTeffed good part of his territories, namely, the Old and New Marches) being obliged to pay his whole contribution without abate- ment ; which reduced him to fuch difficulties, that he was compelled * Le Barre, Hift. d'AIlemagne, Tom. ix. jr. 604. to 29+ THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. to make retrenchments in his own table and family; nor was he able to maintain a fufficient garrifon for the protection of his capital : and that feveral princes of the houfe of Saxony, for example thofe of Alten- berg, Weymar, and Coburg, had, upon complaining of their inabi- lity to difcharge their refpective contributions, been threatened with the exaction of a quadruple proportion ; whereas the emperor behaved with great mildnefs and partiality towards the fubjecls of his own he- reditary dominions. It was agreed further, that the proteftant clergy had been ufed with an unbecoming feverity, and that new impofitions were produced eveiy day, at the arbitrary difcretion of the Imperial commifl'aries, without confulting (conformably to the Germanic con- ftitutions) the parties and provinces, whom the thing concerned : that the catholic armies defended fliamefully to-day the very countries they devoured but yefterday : and that lands had been affigned to generals and foldiers upon the footing of a conqueft : that they had been obliged to contribute to the fupport of ineffe6lual or imaginary regiments; and that fums had been levied, after the nullity of the demand had been evinced ; upon which military exadtion enfued : that the com- miffary-generals entered countries, and afllgned quarters, without leave tirft obtained from the refpeflive fovereigns : that outrages, thefts, and rapes, were matters of common pra6lice ; and that agriculture and commerce were both exterminated from the territories" of the empire. Neverthelefs, the whole was reprefented in the fupplicatory ftyle, with an air of modefty ; each perfon being determined (fo far as was con- fiftent with public good and private confcience) to maintain due loy- alty and obedience to the emperor *. Guftavus took care to apply fewel to this proteftant flame, and fcnt privately Chemnitius and other politicians, charged with thefe fecret inftru6tions ; firft, by way of preliminary, (having mentioned the al- liance concluded with France) to cultivate tlie elector of Saxony's good graces with particular attention, as the princes and deputies all took their language from him: and then, fecondly, (upon which the king moft (et his heart) to induce the feveral affembled proteftants to * March 18, 1631. take OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 295 take off the mafk at once, unite themfelves with him, and deciarc war 163 1, againft the emperor : but, tliirdly, if feme fliould think thefe meafures over-violent, and inconfiftent with that obedience, which the Germanic body owes its chief, then to allure them to raife troops for the pro- teftion of their refpedive territories, and allow him, Guftavus, who alone defended their religion, lives, and properties, a certain annual penfion or fubfcription for the fupport of the common caufe, as alf© free pafTage, provifions, forage, and permiffion likewife to enter into fortified towns in cafe of a retreat : and, laflly, if neither the bold nor the moderate propofal fhould pleafe them, then to fuggeft a ftill gentler method, and infift upon their forming feparate alliances amongft them- felves, which they were to keep fecret till time of need. Never were propofals better calculated, either by a brave man or a cautious one : how they were reliflied, or how they were anfvvered, cannot from hiftory be afcertained ; but fure we are, that this account of the affair was allowed by Oxenftiern to be genuine. But what could be done with a prince of fuch ftrange difpofitions as the eIe6lor of Saxony ? who, though he opened the alTembly with a well promif- ing fpeech, was fo circumftanced, that it was extremely difficult to manage him. He hated war, and was greatly addifted to the pleafures of hunting and drinking : he had an implicit confidence in the king of Denmark, and a radical difgufl to the king of Sweden j and tlie rather, as their pretenfions co-incided with refped to the bifiioprics ot Magdeburg and Halberftadt. He had, moreover, conceived both dread and jealoufy againfl the houfe of Weymar, under pretence, that the princes of the union, in the Anhaltine papers found at the battle of Prague, had promifed his eledorate (concerning which promife we know nothing certain) to a duke of Sax-Weymar, defcended from that line, which Charles V. had deprived : he was partial likewife to the Imperial interefts, through antient habitude 5 and was induced thereto by fome private reafons : for Bohemia and the incorporated provinces lay contiguous to his territories, and he always hoped to ob- tain fome grants upon them, in cafe the houfe of Auftria grew profper- ous in her viftories. To complete all this, he profefTed an averfion to z ' all 296 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. all foreign interferences in the empire, and, what was ftill more, had one favourite principle at heart, which was to bring about a general peace in Germany, and transfer the feat of war into fome foreign country, as Sweden, Poland, the Valtcline and Italy. In this object he had two views, to give a diverfion to the enterprizlng ambition of the Auftrian family, and maintain his own country in repofe till he could indemnify himfelf for the fatigues, expences, and depopulations of a tedious war. Thefe were Arnheim's maxims rather than his own. And befides all this, the landgrave of Hefle-Darmftadt, who was the elector's fon-in-law, held a ftridl correfpondence with the Imperial miniftiy ; and Francis Albert duke of Saxe-Lauenberg, who then ferved under Guftavus, was flill more liable to fufpicion. What embroiled matters more at the court of Drefden, was, that Arnheim, general in chief of the Saxon army, had ferved many years under Walftein, in the capacity of his obfequious creature and mofl impli- cit follower. This mean compliance of his temper might not have made him formidable ; but his artifices and diflimulation were un- paralleled. Richelieu ufed to fay, the church loft in him the com- pleteft Jefuit that ever Uved *j and (having been often tormented with his • Or, as Grotius has delivered down the a- necdote in a private conference, " robbed the " world of the moft infidious and negotiating " cardinal, that the fee of Rome coald ever " have produced." John George Arnheim was a gentleman of Brandenburg. He had an inventive head in matters of diSimulation, artifice, and deceit, and may be confidered as the prime author of aJl the eleftor of Saxony's duplicity. Amongft other things, he betrayed the Swedes in 1633, and negotiated the alliance between his mafter and the emperor, being always a creature, who fubjefted himfelf to the/iru/a of Walftein. His behaviour to count Thurn and Dewbatel was highly ur.generous ; for he attacked them in the ni^ht whiill they were his allies and ferving him ; took all their foldiers prifoners, and transferred them to the Imperial fervice. Wal- (lem, who was magnificent in every thing, where 2 his private paflions were unconcerned, was fo afhamed of this aftion, that he difmifled thefe officers without ranfom ; a piece of private hif- tory, which few hillorians have been able to ac- count for, as no prifoner would have been fo acceptable to the emperor as the former. Arnheim being taken by the Swedes in fome rencounter about the year 1638, was condufted with great joy to Stockholm, and made a ftate- prifoner in the caftte there. M. du Maurier tells usf, that he often faw him at his window reclining his head on his hand, and mufiog like a man, that feemed loil in meditation. He at length gave a new proof of his abilities in ftratagem ; for pretending to be in a fort of dying condition, he fignified to the miniftry, that he could make a difpofition of part of his ellate by fale greatly to his advantage, if they would grant a paflport to one of the gentlemen ■j- Menioires, p, 259. of OF GUSTAVU^ ADOLPHUS. 297 his tergiverfations and fhifting parties) rejoiced and made little gefli- i6n. culations like a child, when the Swedes took him prilbner. Nor was the general alone infmcere to the Swedifh caufe j for the chaplain had his fliare, and the miniftry likewife. Upon the whole, it may fuffice to obferve, that the elector of Sax- ony wanted to pleafe, and not difplcafe, both contending parties ; a tafk unworthy of a great man, becaufe of the improbable fuccefs which attends it, and too difficult for a weak or timorous man to execute -, the refult of whofe wonderful cunning and addrefs is, to render each party difcontented ! After various debates, it was at length agreed by univerfal confent, " To petition for the revocation of the eJi^ ; to relieve the proteftant *' princes and ftates, that were oppreffed ; and maintain the Augfburg " confeffion in its full vigour and purity : to demand, that the Im- " perial troops fhould be removed ; otherwife not to grant them paf- " fage, provifions, or quarters : to preferve the liberties of the Ger- '* manic body without infringing the prerogative of the emperor : to " reftore peace confidently with law, and renew old friendfhip with " the papifts : to find expedients, whereby they might realize the pro- " pofals made at the diet of Ratilbon ; and, above all, to put them- " felves in a pofture of defence, in order to preferve their ecclefiaftical " pofleffions, and oppofe the completion of the edi<51: of reftitution." Each circle, prince, and ftate, was to fubfcribe a certain contingent of men and money in defence of their hves, their properties, religion, of his retinue to crofs over into Germany, hav- man his agent in the charafter of his livery ing inverted the faid trufty perfon with proper foot-man, well muffled in a large riding coat, authorities. The regency made no difficulty of He reached the fea-coall with great celerity, complying with fo reafonable a requeft, and and tranfported himfelf in a little veflel into Amheim artfully chofe a day to difpatch his Germany. The remainder of his family at Agent, when great rejoicings were made for the Stockholm carried on the farce with great fo- birth of a dauphin of France. Upon this pre- lemnity ; and as his pretended illnefs kept him text Amheim's retinue made a public dinner, from vifitants, too much time elapfed to give ind dillributed rich wines in great abundance to the miniiiry any opportunity of retaking him. the perfons, that guarded their mailer, and in The fuccefs of this artifice threw Oxenftie^^ the clofe of the evening Amheim (who was into great difquietudes f. fuppofed to be dying) liTued out with the gentle- ■\ Lotichius de rebus Germinicis, Fol, Tom ii. f> J>i< Vol, I. Q^q and 298 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. and libeity, conformably to the laws of the Germanic fyftem, and the common principles of felf-prefervation. They then entered into a common treaty to afTift and vindicate one another, and a chofen junflo (of a few only) was appointed for the more f])eedy difpatch of important bufinefTes, vefted with full authority to a6l for the reft. And laftly, it was refolved, by way of corroborating their interefts, and giving fanftion to their determinations, to invite the king of Denmark, the duke of Holftein, and the maritime towns of the Auguftan poiieflion, to accede ; and that letters fliould be ad- drefled to all foreign proteftant princes and ftates upon the fame fub- je6l. Nor muft I here omit, that it was determined upon the whole to raife an army of 40,000 men *, with i-eftri6lions to all outward ap- pearance of afling only in a defenfive capacity. Care was taken like- wife not to mention a fmgle fyllable with reference to the irruption of Guftavus into Lower-Saxony ; nor was the leaft promife made of af- fording any afliflrances to the emperor. Thus ended the famous Leipfic conclufions ; and the afTembly was diflblved on Palm-Sunday, the 3d of April. Of all which proceed- ings the eleftor of Saxony fent the emperor and the catholic elefVors a feemingly minute and circumftantial account ; imploring the former in terms as ftrongly conceived as can be imagined, to exert the greateft power the Supreme Being had been pleafed to beftow on any prince in Europe, in a manner worthy of the giver and the pofiefTor, fo as to re- ftore the empire to its antient peace, and prevent a fcene of blood-fned and ruin, the largeft in extent, and the moft dreadful in its confe- quences, that the world perhaps might ever fee. He then obfervcd, tJiat the confederations made at Leipfic tumed purely on the defenfive fide of the queftion ; and what had been there determined, related only to perfonal prefervation, and not the deftrudion of others. Be that as it v/ill, this lail attempt was unfuccefsful j for the emperor would not * The number of this army can only be the latter looo). that Saxony was to rail'e fix gueficJ at, but not poftively afcertained. All regimenti, Brantlenburg tiiree, the circles of we find is, (making an equal proportion of foot Saabia, Franconia, and the Rhine, three each ; and horfe, the regiments of the former being and the circle of Lower-Saxony i-> levj' money ordained to coniiit of 3000 men, and thofe of for raifing one regiment and pa^-ing it, expunge OFGUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 299 expunge one tittle in the edi(5t of reflitution. Of courfe the Saxon let- 1631. ter was filled with a repetition of old complaints, and the Imperial an- fwer (which confifted of two monitory epiflles, conceived and exprefled with great acrimony againft the feveral princes lately afiembled at Leipfic) breathed nothing but refentment and indignation. To this fucceeded a prohibition of raifing troops dire(5led againft each and every potentate of tlie evangelical, and the reformed perfuafion } and ftri6l injun6lions were addreffed to the catholic pov/ers, commanding them to with-hold all affiftances from the proteftants, under pain of confifcating their re- fpeftive fiefs. During this contrariety of fentiments, fome foreign powers interfered, with a view to make thefe diftra6tions more unfavour- able to the houfe of Auftria, at whofe overgrown power they had rea- fon to be alarmed ; and all the good Guflavus could obtain from the eleftor of Saxony was, permiflion to tranfport provifions and powder through his dominions to the diflrefled garrifon at Magdeburg. As for money he refufed to contribute a fingle farthing } nor would he agree to unite his troops with thofe of his majefty, and conjointly raife the fiege. The king petitioned like a fuppliant for free poflefllon of DefTau- bridge, and befought the ele£tor to meet him and his army on the op- pofite banks of the Elb, from whence he purpofed, that they fliould march conjointly to Magdeburg, requefting likewife to have leave given him to embark his artillery and heavy baggage at Wittemberg, and pro- mifing to give him draughts on the banquiers of Hamburg or Amfler- dam for immediate payment of all the expences. But the eleftor con- tinued like a man petiified, and referred all to the example of the elec- tor of Brandenburg *. But Guftavus had no patience to fee the diflrefs of the unhappy town of Magdeburg, and renewing his folicitations by a fecond letter, far more urgent than the former, told the ele61:or, that he confidered his firfl denials as marks of politenefs and refpefl to the emperor ; but that a higher obligation now ought to influence his aiSlions, namely, his duty to God, and his affe6lion to his faithful fubjecls. As to the ap- pi-oach of Aldringer and the German army, that had ferved in Italy, he • Chemnitius, Tom. i. p. 120. Q_q 2 confefled 300 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. confefTed himfdf to be no ways difmaycd at fuch an event, and recom- mending a perfonal interview to his ele£loral highnefs (as bufmefs of confequence could not be carried on by the intercourfe of letters and the tedious perplexities of public niinifters) befought him in one word to remember hisfons and the archbijhoprlc of Magdeburg *. Mean while Tilly employed himfelf ferioufly about the fiege of Magdeburg -f-, a town of great ftrength, in one of the moft populous and fertile parts of North-Germany, fituated between the electorates of Saxony and Brandenburg. This fcheme of the Imperial general was not amifs. He wanted to ftrike fome ftroke of confequence to coun- terbalance the glory of Guftavus, and raife the reputation and fpirits of his own army. He hoped likewife by a decifive action of this fort to fix the two wavering elecftors to the interefts of the houfe of Auftria, but overturned all this plan hereafter by his own eagernefs and indifcre- tion. Pappenheim had formed a blockade round this city fome weeks be- fore, and, as he always relied upon the pen as well as the fword, had made the governor an offer by letter of vaft fums of money, and the title of count of the empire. Upon this occafion, Falkenberg acled both with prudence and fpirit ; for he examined the tnjmpeter, who de- livered the letter in prefence of all his officers, fending word back to Pappenheim (for he did not write) that he might find at home the fort of men he wanted, but that Falkenberg was not a perfon of that ftamp : and, friend, faid he, to the meffenger, whoever comes here again upon fuch an errand, fliall receive an halter for the decoration of his neck, inflead of a gold chain ; which in thofe days was the prefent of honour +. * Chcmnitius, Tom. i. p. 120. drawn by two fwans, and two white doves. A ^ Magdeburg, or Maiden-trvon, bears for naked Venus leans forward, having a rofe ii» arms a virgin crowned, fnppofed to be Venus, her mouth, and a myrtle-garland on her head ; «ho was worfliipped in this country till the the trefles of her hair waving. In her left-hand reign of Charlemagne, who converted fome of flie holds the terreftrial globe ; in her right thiee the Sa.\ons to Chriftianity. Its duchy is 180 golden apples. On her left-brcafi is a pointed miles long and 96 broad. In the town there is dart, on her right a blazing torch. Behind the a copy extant of a painting of Venus, which car ftand the three graces with their arms folded. was prefervod here in a place un-noticed till the % Chemnitius, Tom, i. 123 year 780. In this piduxc was a golden car. Tilly OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 301 Tilly invefted Madgeburg about the beginning of March, and foon 163 1. made himfelf mafler of various forts and outworks : one by way of peculiar ftrength was called Pafpenheirns Fort *, and was fo named in order to imply, that it was an object worthy of that general's ardor and courage. Neverthelefs, Pappenheim took it fword in hand. Another was called Ti//y's Difguji, which underwent the fame fate. The ToU- fconce, which the Imperial general attacked laft, coft him the lives of 500 men. It was defended vigoroufly by Falkenberg -f, the governor, who had thrown himfelf into the town in the habit of a peafant feveral weeks before ; yet he ought to have maintained this outwork (which commanded the biidge) at all hazards, fince from the moment it be- , came a prey to the enemy, the city, which was of great extent, though commanded by no eminence, was left naked to the enemy, being de^ fended only by the town-walls and a rampart, not extremely flrong. But though the governor was a good officer, matters went not ex- tremely to his fatisfaftion within tlie walls. His garrlfon was weak, ccndfting; of but 2000 foot and 250 horfe, new-raifed kvies, and 111- patfl. The money promlfed by Guftavus to the adminiftrator :|: could rf f he conveyed to him at tlie day appointed ; for the enemy had in- veP-" f'-#!H»- town fomewhat fooner than was expefted. Tilly had pen- fion^ '■ ' among the magiftrates, who betrayed the debates of evei7 coun- ciL' The town was ill-fupplled with provlfions. The commander niorCbver wanted powdery which was partly owing to an indifcreet en- terprize in one of his officers, who, juft before Tilly's army invironed the town, went with a detachment ■ to fetch 200 quintals, that were lodged in the bally wic of Gomern, ten miles diftance from Magdeburg : and then out of pure gaiety of courage, hearing that count Ladron, a Bavarian colonel, was coming down the Elb with a party of troops, made a digreffion from the objeft of his journey, and killed him ami moll of his efcort within fight of Deflau-bridge, in whofe fortrefe the » Waffembergii Florus Germ. p. 229. Brandenburg, adminiftrater and archbifliop of f Falkenberg was a German born, and grand Magdeburg, was a layman. The emperor had marechal of the court at Stockholm, profcribed him for not giving way to the edift X Chrifiian William, uncle of the eleflor of of reftitucion. ImperiaUfts 302 THE H I S T Q R Y p F T H E - L I F E 1631. Imperialifts had a garrlfon; whilft the powder very unfortunately fell into the enemy's hands. Amongll other cxpe(51:ances, this difcretionary adventurer conceived a vain hope of feizing papers of great confequencc from the elector of Bavaria to Tilly : but a fingle line of confequencc was never difcovered ; and not being able (by reafon of the digreffion he had made) to repafs the enemy's lodgments and enter Magdeburg, he I'etired with great difcom- pofure to Leipfic, for it is thought he killed Ladron and his men in a very unfoldier-like manner, and being there feized with the plague, died delicious under extraordinary remorfe and horrorsv ..-(iMean while, according to the cuftom of the times, many furious fai- lles were made, fome fuccefsful, and fome unprofperous. Falkenberg conduced one or two, which Ihewed more zeal than difcretion. How- ever, Pappenheim in a particular rencounter had like to have been killed or taken prifoner ; vvhich fingle evient plight .h^y« giveij a t,u^n to. the ^whole flate of affairs. ■ • '} - " - ' "-'\ '■■'] • ' — •■'■ • -'In about a month Tilly began to cannonade the tov/n very furioufly j having raifed four batteries againit the tiew city, each mounted with fixteen pieces of large artillery. On the feventh day from that period, ■ he carried his entrenchments to the foot of the wall (the town-ditch being dry*;) yet the breach was not large, enough to be efteemed aflaultable. Neverthelefs he flattered himfelf, that the city would then furrender ; having negotiated an accommodation by the means of the Hanfe-towns ; butiit.was.only^ theiamufement of falfe hope. The, troops did their duty with. incredible fpirit^on both fides, fo fierce and fo uninterrupted a firing had not been feen in thofe wars before. There was likewife great mining and countermining ; for -Guflavus had taught both- enemies and friends to be jnore compendious in the affair of fieges. Tilly wrote divers letters to the adminiflrator and diief magiftrates, but they re- \t£ted all accommodation, and ordered the cannoniers to fire -with dou- ble diligence. He had obferved particularly, that Falkenberg owed an -^•^ .^/.f^ ;•,..-.• .-..T .^»■ » ". • Brief, but Authentic Relation of the Siege hid. but authentic Relation in Low Dutch, and Storming of Magdeburg in High Dutch, three Tomes, folio, 4°. This work mud not be confounded with the allegiance -GF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS.i 303 allegiance to the emperor, as being a German born > to which the gover- 163 1. nor returned this fhort anfwer : I agree with the adminijlrator and the fenators ; attd will take care neither to hurt my confcience as a Chrijiian, nor ' fny reputation as afoldier'^. In confequence of this, Tilly, on the eighth of May, fent a trumpeter in form to propofe a capitulation, who was detained in town till the tenth before a proper anfwer could b3 difpatched to the Imperial general. During this interval, the batteries played night and day without Intermiflion : at length the tower and baftion of the new gate were overturned j the Imperialifts crouded from all parts to begin the ftorm, but the breach was not to be entered with common fafety. By this time powder grew fo fcarce within the city,, that the in- habitants were forced to grind it with hand-mills. During the detention of Tilly's trumpeter, the adminiftrator dif^ patched another to him, offering to enter into terms, on condition Tilly preferved the privileges of the city, and left him in pofleffion of the archbifhopric ; protefting further, that he would abide by any fiab- fequent articles, that the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg Ihould agree to. But the Imperial general did not chufe to aflent to this pro- pofal, having previoully felt the pulfes of thefe princes on the occafion, who excufed themfelves, and requefted the favour of continuing neu- tral, partly through fear of difobliging their protellant brethren, and partly becaufe the afpecl of things appeared at that time fomewhat in* diftin£l on the Imperial fide. Thus Tilly kept up ftill an uninterrupted fire, and made galleries along the fofTe, that fronted the Sudenburg and the new towru He then ceafed firing. The citizens vainly hoped, that the Imperialiflrs had formed a defign to raife the fiege. It is more than probable, that Tilly intended they fhould think fo : be that as it will, the fame night he fummoned a gene- ral council of war ; of which the refult was, that an univerfal attack. ihould be given the next morning at break of day, when it was fup- pcfed, (and not without reafon,) that half the gamfon would be afleep j not only becaufe the befieged were extremely faUgued, but be- •""'*^ ''3'^-*Chejnnitius, Tom. u- >. «*7-. caule 304 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, caufc moft of them were perfuaded, that the enemy was determined to fliift his quarters ; a circumftance, which Tilly's agents within the walb took care to propagate with additions and improvements. The tenth of May the Imperial general held another council of war- at one in the morning, with a view, that no fecret might have time to fpread itfelf abroad. The important affair was debated and re-confidered once more : and the majority, witli Pappenheim at their head, refolved (as at the laft council) in the affirmative ■, though all agreed, that the breaches were not in that condition, which a prudent befieger would wifli to have them. But Pappenheim, w^ho had an appetite for danger, and who thought many things were done by the mere dint of refolving to do them, declared flrenuoufly (as was ufually his cuflom) for the fighting part. His perfonal courage made him the darling of the foldiers, and his great experience, prudence, prefence of mind in danger, and above all his inventive faculty in military flratagems, made the other generals liflen to him with refpe6l and pleafure. At the head of Savelli's, Wrangel's and Gronsfelt's regiments (and when we fpeak of Imperial regiments it raufl be obferved, that they were at leafl double in number to thofe of Guftavus) he began the at- tack, on the late-ere6led fortifications of the new city (which was near the banks of the Elb, and where the adminiftrator commanded) pre- cifely at five in the morning, one piece of cannon being difcharged by way of fignal to all the troops. His watch-word was Jefu Maria (the fame afterwards ufed at the battle of Leipfic) and each foldier wore a white ribbon on his right-arm *. At the fame inftant two other attacks were commenced with an equal number of troops, conduced by Adolphus duke of Holflein, and count Mansfelt : the latter attempted the Sudenburg-quarter near the great cathedial, where Falkenberg commanded, and the former directed his force againfl the Crocken-gate, which watch mafter general Amfteroth undertook to maintain. The defence of the banks of the Elb (that river not b.irg fiippofed palTable by reafon of its depth, and tlirough want of boats) was left to the care of fifliermen, and fome few other inhabi- » Brief, but Authentic Relation qf che Siege of Magdeburg in High Dutch, +•. Magd. ij^g. tants. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 305 tants *. Tilly difmifled his officers with a ihort fpeech, and kept aloof 163 1. at the head of a body of referve, in order to convey fupports and aflift- anceg;^herever they might be wanted. Mean while all things kept as quiet within the town, as if nothing had been in agitation. Falkenberg, after watching the whole night in the ramparts, was unfortunately gone to a council held at the town-hall, in order to difpatch the trumpeter above-mentioned to Tilly, as was alfo the adminiftrator. Pappenheim, the mean while in the pod of honour allotted for him, having ordered all his cavalry to difmount in an inftant, drove tlie city- foldlers out of the fauffebraie, and obliged them to retreat behind the upper wall. He next caufed the new work to be attacked, and then filing along under the town-wall, upon which was ranged a battery of cannon, made one furious effort upon the laft parapet. Hither Falken- berg flew from the fenate-houfe, with all the troops he could collect to- gether, and pufhed him back beyond the new work, marching over the bodies of a hundred flaughtered Imperialifts. At length being mortally wounded, he was obliged to be carried back to the ncarell part of the town, where he continued to give his orders with unparalleled refolu- tion -f-. 1 'Mean while Pappenheim perceiving the courage of the befieged to- flacken, and making a fecond attempt with greater fuccefs than he could* have flattered himfelf, entered the ftreets about feven in the morning. It was then that Falkenberg greatly wanted his cavalry, which might have overborn the enemies before their own horfe were admitted ; but he found to his great mortification in his dying moments, that fome per- fidious citizens had barricaded the fl:reets with chains. All we know fur- ther with refpe<^ to him is, that his body perifhed in the flames. ■ Chemnitius, 126. BracKel. 251. don Jofeph de AinCa. Neverthelefs the difficulty f In this conflift the traytor Quinti Aligheri may be eafily folved. Theodanus in his narra- was killed, who, as Chemnitz tells us, was lieu- live calls Ainfa the lieutenant-colonel, fomc tenant-colonel in the regiment of Savelli : but a days after the aftion, by which time the general fubfequent account [page 237] gives that poft to might have filled up the vacant coramiffion. Vol. i. R r During 3o6 THEHISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. During this rencounter one captain Smith greatly fignalized himfclf: he repulfcil the Imperiahfts a fecond time, but an unfortunate fhot foon put an end to his generous efforts -, and when the alarum-bell b^^n to found, the citizens loft all courage, and each man provided for his own private fafety by retiring to his own houfe, or attempting to abfcond and (heker his perfon elfewherc. The duke of Holftein *, by Pappenheim's affiftance, then entered the Hamburg-gate, after haying made fcveral unfuccefsful attempts before, and pointed the cannon of the ramparts againft the ftreets. At length Mansfclt got into the town, and in the interim the cavaliy broke in like a torrent through the Hamburg-gate. This hindered the remaining pait of the garrifon from uniting, and making one general defence in the public fquare. The adminiftrator, at the beginning of the firft attack, had his thigh ruffled with a cannon-ball, and received afterwards feveral mufquet- fhots, one particularly in the left-leg : he was at length taken prifoner, under promife of kind and humane ufage fuitable to his quality ; yet foon after fome frefh foldiers fell upon him, who not only killed his domeftics, that attended him, but gave him two wounds in cold blood, one with a piftol on the leg, and one with a battle-ax on the head. They then ftripped him almoft naked, and had difpatched him without re- morfe, if Pappenheim had not flown to his alTiftance, and ordered him to be carried on two pikes to his tent, fainting, and half-naked. Next morning Pappenheim conveyed him in a coach to Wolmerftadt, and or- dered his own chaplain and gentleman of the bed-chamber to attend him. The dukes of Holftein and Saxony -f- had the unpolitenefs to reproach him in very grofs terms ; but he defended the juftice of his caufe with manly anfwers, and acquitted himfelf conformably to the fpirit of a prince and man of honour. Some time afterwards Pappenheim alked him, how he could be fo ill- advifcd as to expofe his life, and all that he poffefled, for the fake of • Afterwards killed at Leipfic. with two or three horfemen refcued Tilly whea ■\ Rodolph duke of Sax-Lauenberg. He taken prifoner. performed wonders at the battle of Leipfic, and 1 perfons, y.QF GU ST AVVS A D O L P H U S. 307 perfons, who fold him every day, and informed the befiegers of the or- 1631. der of the guard, the numbers deflined to the fupport of each ftatlon, the weaknefs of the fortifications, and the feveral inconveniencies they laboured under? That conformably to thefe reports he had laid the plan of the laft attack, and thereby judged precifely when and where to make it. When the adminiftrator was brought before Tilly, he told him and his generals boldly ; Tbat the Supreme Being would take -oengeance upon them : that blood could only be expiated ivith blood : that aSis of majfacre •were fatal to armies ; and that fooner or later the catholic forces would fuffer jujlly an equal degree of chafiifement with what they had injiiSled : that the Imperial caufe was "-cerging towards its decline, and the glory of Tilly lay itt' terred in the ruins of Magdeburg. And now began a maifacre not to be paralleled in modern ages. I know nothing approaches to it but the ftorming of Drogheda by Cromwell, who feems to have copied Tilly in the very meaneft part of his charac- ter. The foldiers fired promifcuoully in the ftreets, churches and fquares, upon perfons of all ages, fex, and conditions, with the fame fury as in the day of battle. The very beft troops, the old Walloons, behaved the leaft like men, and, as there may be a juftice fometimes in cruelty, Ipared not their own friends within the town, namely, the informers, in the general maflacre. The Croatians exercifed barbarities unknown to favages. The young men and the new-raifed foldiers were the only people, that fliewed any vifible figns of compaflion. When the Ilreets and public places were filled with dead bodies, (and this fcene may be confidered as the very mildeft part of their cruelty) the troops dilbanded themfelves, and began to enter the houfes. Here began a more deli- berate perpetration of murther : even the aged, the fick, and the young, found no mercy. Two foldiers held an infant by the legs with the head downwards, and chined it with their fwords. Eight Croatians violated a poor girl, and then transfixed her to the ground with an halbert. A young lady of quality was feized by an officer, but as he dragged her over the Elb-bridge, (he begged leave to have the ufe of her hands to R r 2 take 3o8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 63 1, take out her handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and that inftant plunged herfelf into the river, and there expired. Another young woman of fafhion, remarkable for her beauty, knowing that in fuch a cafe her charms were the leaft part of her protcd\ion, deliberately plunged her- felf into a well : and twenty young girls, who were aflembled together * at a houfe near the banks of the Elb, rufhed out of the doors all at once, and embracing each other, threw thcmfelvcs into the river. By this time the whole city was in flames. Mofl: hiftorians attribute this to accident ; but as the fire began in various places at once, many may be inclined to confider it as a part of the befieg-er's cruelty. Thus the few periflied, who had concealed themfelves, and by the juflice of Providence, the Impcrialifts loft the greater part, not only of what they had plundered, but of what the inhabitants had hidden. Nothing remained of the town but the cathedral, the church and convent of Notre Dame, fume few houfes, that ftood round it, and about eighty or an hundred fifhermen's cottages on the banks of the Elb. Out of 40,000 inhabitants -f, it is thought, hardly tlie number of 800 efcaped. Some retired to the cathedral, fome obtained quarter in hopes of • The author of the Memoirs of the Houfe of Brandenburg is pleafed to do more honour to the heroic virtue of the fair-fex than my col- le£lions can authorize me to fet forth ; for he makes the number of thefe Cloelia's amount, ac- cording to fome relations, to 1200. ■f When I fay 40,000 inhabitants, I fpeak only from others, it being my own private opi- nion, that including the garrifon, there could not be above that number in the town : neverthelefs fure it is, that many gentry in the aeighbourhood, and many country people, who had connexions with the citizens, refuged themfelves therein. It may be proper therefore upon this occafion to give a tranfciipt verbatim from the German relator, whom I have twice quoted already. " It is impoifible, faith he, to afcertain the num- " ber of perfons. that periftied in the city ; for " the fword and fire made equal ravages, and *' the flames, perhaps, deftroyed as many pet- " fons, if not more, than the cruelty of the bar, " barians ; for when the vaults and cellars came " to be opened, in moft of them were found " three, four, or five women and children, who " had been fuffocated. The number of the *' dead cannot be judged from the lift of burials ; *• for fome fuppofe 6,440 bodies to be thrown " into the Elb, not to mention thofe, which the '* fire confumed, and others, that were burieif " in the ruins ; fo that a quarter of a yeac " elapfed before many could be found. From " the few furvivors we might hare received fome " certain intelligence, but moll of them were " carried into different camps, from whence they " efcaped and difperfed themfelves over Ger- " many and Europe. According to the com.* " mon opinion and report, it was judged, that " about 400 citizens remained alive f meaning thofe that 'Tilly fovnd in the great catlndral) " part " whereof were detained prifoners with their " wives OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 309 of ranfom, fome efcaped over the walls, fome were dug out of the ruins, 163 1. and fome few were preferved by the feeming interpofition of Providence. An handful of the garrifon, which held out to the very lall man, ob- tained conditions ; but all the officers were put to the fword, excepting Amfteroth, who was taken prifoner, and died the next day, and a lieu- tenant-colonel and major, whofe lives were fpared. When one confiders Tilly's bigotry and extreme averfion to the pro- teftants, Pappenheim may be eafily excufed from being the author of this monftrous fcene of cruelty. Why elfe did Tilly make but momen- tary vifits to the town, which laboured then under fo extraordinary mif- fortunes ? or why, when fome of the officers made remonftrances to him, did he reply coldly and unconcernedly : The town mujl bleed : it hath not yet made Jujicient expiation. Let the foldiers perfji another hoi{r, and then we will re-conjider the matter ! Some have faid in behalf of the Imperial general, (and Cromwell is reported to have made the fame excufe) that feverities of this kind were exercifed only in terrorem. But if that had been the cafe, the garrifon alone was the true object of refentment ; an a6l, even in that light, highly unjuilifiable, being difgraceful to common humanity, and irreconcile- able with the prudence of a great commander, who knows the revolution of chances in war, and never defires to make it more bloody than it is well known to be in its own nature. Three days after the aflault, the Imperial general made his public en- trance into the town, and went dire6lly to the cathedral, where about 4D0 people of both fexes had locked in and barricaded themfelves, having neither eat nor drank fmce the city was ftormed. He ordered them fome provifions, imprifoned the men in the adminiftrator's pa- lace, and fent the women and children into his camp. He is faid to have repeated the following paflages from Virgil on the occa- " wives and children : fome were ranfomed, " plunder, for whofe fake the foldier had ex- " and others made their flight under favour of " changed his honour and his humanity In " the night, and by means of a fire, which " a word, the everfion of the beautiful and il- " broke out in Tilly's camp at Fermerfleben, *' luftrious town of Magdeburg can only be " on the fourth day after the town was taken, " compared with the deftruftion of the cities of» " which, confumed the greatell part of that " Troy, Saguntum, and Jerufalem." fion, ^,0 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631, fion, which might very well happen, as he had received his education among the Jefuits ; Vent t f urn ma diei & incluBabik fatuin. fuit Ilium, G? !f;grf!s Gloria Parthcmpes *. He examined the few fnrviving foldiers of the garrifon with great at- tention, being determined to make an example of all defcrters, and re- proached them (for which there was no reafon) for making, as he faid, fo poor a defence -, and then gave his orders, that plundering fliould ceafe from that moment. Next morning a dreadful fire broke out in his camp, fortunately enough for Stalman, the Swedifh refident, who had been confined there under a clofe guard ; for amidft the extraordinary hurry and confufion he recovered his liberty, and rejoined his mafter -f-. Thefe barbarities touched the king of Sweden to the very heart, and raifed his indignation to fuch a pitch, that he protefted firmly, with a tone of anger, that he would be revenged o« the old corporal for this maf- facre, or lofe his life in the attempt. To give vent to his paffion, he publiflied a fenfible and well-reafoned manifefto, wherein he plainly fhewed, that the citizens of Magdeburg in general had behaved very in- fmcerely with him, having made no fubfcription for their common de- fence, nor given any proper accommodations to the garrifon till the town was a6lually inverted ; and then fuch affiftances were adminiftred grudgingly, and came too late. That they had turned a deaf ear to the reprefentations of the adminiftrator lafl fummer ; who, if his re- monftrances could have carried any weight with them, would have fruftrated Pappenheim in the blockade he then formed ; and allowed his majefty to have planned out fome fortifications, which might have rendered the town impregnable, and confequently have removed the feat of war into fome other country.— — He taxed the inhabitants with in- fidelity to the proteftant caufe, and reminded them of the fupplies he • Tranflated literally Parthenopolis ; Magdeburg figTiifying in the German language, Virgin's Jotun. f Brief but Authentic Relation, 4". formerly OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 311 formerly drew for them from the banks of Hamburg and Lubec- As 1631. to any promife of raifmg the fiege, he defired the public to reflet, that fuch engagements carry a tacit implication with them of being even- tual, and muft be regulated by convenience, poffibility, and the flate of things. And here he obfervedoccafionally, that after having made him- felf mafler of Gartz and GrifFenhagen, he had certainly ruined the fe- parate army under Schomberg, and in confequence thereof raifed the fiege of Magdeburg too, if the governor of Cuftrin, (which belonged to the eledor of Brandenburg) had not denied him the poffeffion of that town at fo critical a conjundlure. He then continued to remark, that it was incumbent upon him, before he marched to relieve Magde- burg, to take Francfort, clear the Imperial troops difperfed along the banks of the Oder and the Silefian fide of the Worta, and defeat Schomberg, who was fuperior to him in cavaliy, and confequently had the power of haraffing the rear of his army, or difturbing his quarters every moment. — That Tilly during this interval had greatly llrengthened the army of obfervation, which lay near Francfort j fo that it was dan- gerous to make long marches, or confiderable movements, when a fu- perior force had always the power to tread on his heels. — Neverthelefs, fuch was his Swedifh majefty's zeal, that for the fake of relieving Magde- burg, he made that haiiy and furious ftorm on Francfort, and thence marched to Spandau, where he found a referved and jejune reception from the ele6lor of Brandenburg : adding like wife, that the duke of Saxony had denied him provifions and boats to convey his troops down the Elb, and had refufed him a paflage over that large river, either at Wittemberg or the Deffau-bridge ; fo that hitherto he could pronounce nothing with certainty concerning thofe two princes, till they had fpirit and magnanimity enough to take off the mafk, and adl as open enemies or declared friends. Laftly, all the world might fee, that his interefl and inclination were both equally concerned in the relief of Magdeburg, fmce upon the news of its being taken, he was obliged to caufe his army to retreat, and vary the whole plan of his operations. Neverthe- lefs, he even then had relieved Magdeburg, if the faid electors had co- operated 312 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. operated with him, or indulged him only with a free paflage through theu" territories *. Many preceding accidents and prodigies were called to mind upon the completion of this event, conformably to the reigning difpofition of that age. Some weeks before the blockade was formed a part of the city-wall tumbled down without any aflignable reafon -f-. When the adminiftrator mounted his horfe at Hamburg, in order to take pofTeflion of the town, two loud fudden thunder-claps were heard in a clear Iky. Whilft Tilly held his council of war at Hamelen in company with Pappenheim, Gronsfelt, commiflary general Rupa, and others, and de- termined at once to undertake the fiege, immediately arofe a hurri- cane, which overturned a magazine of powder with fuch force, that the falling ftones ftruck fire, and fo aftonifliing an explofion enfued, that they all fell down on their knees, and offered up their prayers, fup- pofmg it to be an earthquake. The fame ftorm reached Magdeburg ; for Falkenberg, who happened at that time to be riding in the fields, was thrice blown off his horfe : and the flatues of the wife virgins (which ftood in Paradife-chapel, belonging to the great cathedral) were overturned, and their lamps thrown out of their hands |. But the prodigy, which puzzled all men, and concerning which we have fpoken incidentally in another place, was what happened to an exempt corporal's wife, who died in labour with inexpreflible agonies, in the new city, which Pappenheim ftormed, requefting above all things, that her body might be opened, which produced to the public a boy as large as a child three years old, cloathed in armour of flelh like a coat of mail ; and, if the reader chufes to perufe the account in its original form (for all authors mention it) he may find the exac^eft defcription in the places referred to at the bottom of the page j|. But to return to the maflacre at Magdeburg : in the opinion of many Judicious readers, I may be thought to violate the dignity of hiftory, by • Chemnit. deBelloSueco Genu. Tom. i. 134, J Arma Suecica, 66, 67. i^c. Swedifh Intelligencer, Parti, p. 96, isc. || Brief but Authentic Relation in High Dutch. + Waffenbergii Florus Germ, de Bello Mag- Chemnitius, Tom. i, 132. Brachel. p. 254. deburgico. inferting OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 313 inferting here two narratives, which contain a i. *' and he went his way. " A little after came four or five foldiers, who only faid, PFickcd " priejl, what doji thou here? Having faid thus much, they departed. " We were now inclined to fhelter ourfelves in the uppermofl: lodg- " ings of the houfe, hoping to be there lefs expofed, and better con- " cealed. We entered a chamber, that had fcveral beds in it, and " pafled fome time there in the moft infupportable agonies. Nothli;ig " was heard in the flreets but the difcharge of mufquets, and the " cries of expiring people : nor were the houfes much more quiet ; " every thing was burft open, or cut to pieces. We were foon dif- " covered in our retirement : a number of foldiers poured in, and one, " who carried an hatchet, made an attempt to cleave my fkull ; but a " companion hindered him, and faid. Comrade y lahat are you doing ! " Dont you perceive, that he is a clergyman ! " When thefe were gone, a fmgle foldier came in, to whom my " wife gave a crape handkerchief off her neck : upon which he re- " tired without offering us any injury. His fucceffor was not fo rea- " fonable ; for entering the chamber with his fword drawn, he im- " mediately difcharged a blow on my head, faying, Priejl, give ?ne thy " money. The flroke llunned me, the blood gufhed out in abundance, " and frightened my wife and fervant to that degree, that they both " continued motionlefs. The barbarian turned round to my wife, " aimed a blow at her, but it glanced fortunately on her gown, which " happened to be Imed with furs, and wounded her not. Amazed to '• fee us fo fubmiffive and patient, he looked at us fixedly for fome mo- " ments. I laid hold of this interval to reprefent to him, that I was " not in my own houfe, being come to the place where I was, to dif- " charge my duty to a dying perfon ; but if he would grant us quarter, " and protect us to our home, I would then bellow upon him all I had. •' Agreed, priejl, faid he, give me thy wealthy and I will give thee the watch-- " word : it is Jefu Maria ; pronounce that, and no one will hurt thee. We " went down flairs diredlly, highly contented to have found fuch a " proteclor. The ftreet was covered with the dead and dying ; their S f 2 " cries 3i6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 T. " cries were enough to have pierced tlie hearts of the grcatcfl barbarl- " ans. We walked over the bodies, and when we arrived at the church *' of St. Catharine, met an officer of dllVm<5i:ion on horfeback. This " generous perfon foon difcovercd us, and feeing me covered with blood, " faid to the perfon, who conducted us, Fellow foldier, fillciv foUicr, take " care what you do to tbefe pcrfons. At the fame time he faid to my " wife; Madam, is yonder boufe yours? My wife hav^ing anfwered it was: " Well, added he, take holdof myjlirrup, conduB me thither, and you Jhall " have quarter. Then turning to me, and making a fign to the fol- " dicrs with his hand, he faid to me, Gentlemen of Magdeburg, you ' ' yourfehes are the occafwn of this deJlru5lion ; you might have aBed other- " wife. The foldier, who had ufedme ill, took this opportunity to fteal " away. Upon entering my houfe, we found it filled with a multitude " of plunderers, whom the officer (who was a colonel *) ordered away. " He then faid he would take up his lodging with us, and having pofled " tw^o foldiers for a guard to us, left us with a promife to return forth- " with. We gave, with great chearfulnefs, a good breakfafl to our " ccntinels, who complimented us on the lucky fortune of falling into " their colonel's hands; at the fame time reprefenting to us, that their " fellow- foldiers made a confiderable booty, whilfl they continued in- " aftive, merely as a fafe-guard to us, and therefore befeeching us to " render them an equivalent to a certain degree. Upon this I gave " them four rofe-nobles, with which they v/ere well contented, and " fhewed fo much humanity, as to make us an offer to go and fearch " for any acquaintance, whom we defired to place in fafety with us. I " told them I had one particular friend, who had efcaped to the cathedral, " as I conjeftured, and promifed them a good gratuity on his part, if " they faved his life. One of them, accompanied by my fervant-maid, " went to the church, and called my friend often by name; but it was " all in vain, no one anfwered, and we never heard mention of liim " from that period. *' Some moments after our colonel returned, and demanded, whether " any perfon had offered us the leafl incivility. After we had difculpated • He was only a lieutcnant-colgpel. " the OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 317 the foldiers in this refpc6l, he haflcne4 abroad to fee, if thers was any 163 1. pofiibility to extinguifli the fire, which had already feized great part of the city : lie had hardly got into the ftreet, when he returned with uncommon haftinefs, and faid. Shew me the way out of town, for I fee plainly we fall perifh in the fames, if we fay here a few minutes longer. Upon this we threw the beft of our goods and moveables into a vaulted cellar, covered the trap-door with earth, and made our efcape. My wife took nothing with her but my robe j my maid feized a neigh- bour's infant-child by the hand, whom we found crying at his fa- ther's door, and led him away. We found it impoflible to pafs through the gates of the town, which were all in a flame, and the ftreets burnt with great fury on either fide. In a word, the heat was fo intenfe, that it was with difficulty we were able to breathe. Having made feveral unfuccefsful attempts, we determined at laft to make our efcape on the fide of the town next the Elb. The ftreets were clogged with dead bodies, and the groans of the dying were infupportable. The Walloons and Croatians attacked us every moment, but our gene- rous colonel protedled us from their fury. When we gained the bafti- on, which Hands on the banks of tlie Elb, we defcended by the fcal- ing ladders, which the Imperialifts had made ufe of in the afTault, and arrived at length in the enemy's camp near Rottenfee, thoroughly fatigued, and extremely alarmed. " The colonel made us enter into his tent, and prefented us fome re- frefhments. That ceremony being over ; Well, {?ad\\Q, having favcd your lives, what return do you make me ? We told him, that for the pre- fent we had nothing to beftow, but that we Would transfer to him all the money and plate that we had buried in the cellar, which was the whole of our worldly pofTeflions. At this inftant many Imperial officers came in, and one chanced to fay to me. Ego tibi condclco, ego fum addiSlus Fidei Augufance. The depreffed. ftate I found myfelf in., made me unable to give a proper reply to the condolances of a man, who carried arms againft thofe, whofe religion he profelied, and vvlioie hard fortune he pretended to deplore. " Next 3,8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. " Next day the colonel fent one of his domeftics with my maid-fer- " vant to fcarch for the trcafure we had buried in the cellar; but they " returned without fuccefs, becaufe, as the fire ftill continued, they could " not approach the trap-door. In the mean while the colonel made us " his guefts at his own table, and during our whole ftay treated us " not as prifoners, but as intimate friends. " One day at dinner an officer of the company happened to fay, Hjat " curji/is "were the caufi- of all the evil we Juffcred, and that God had made " ufe of the catholic army to chajiife us : to whom my wife replied, that " the obfei*vation perhaps was but too true: However, take care, con- " tinued flie, left God in the end P^oitld throw that very fccurge into the " flames. This fort of female prophecy was fulfilled foon afterwaids on " the felf fame Imperial army, which was almoft totally deftroyed at " the battle of Leipfic *. " At lengtli I ventured one day to afk our colonel to give us leave to " depart; he complied immediately, upon condition we paid our ran- " fom. Next morning I fent my maid into town to try, if there was " any poffibility of penetrating into the cellar : {he was more fortunate " that day, and returned with all our wealth. " Having returned our thanks to our deliverer, he immediately or- " dered a pafTport to be prepared for us, with permiflion to retire to " whatever place we fhould think proper, and made us a prefent of a " crown to defray the expence of our journey. This brave Spaniard " was colonel of the regiment of Savelli, and named Don Jofeph de «' Ainfa f." I fhall • There is reafon to think our Spanifh officer a body of troops of 5000 men, and had a de- was killed there, for many accounts reckon fign to attack Mansfelt near Namur. The Savelli (in whofe regiment he ferved as lieute- reader at thi; time of day may confider our nant colonel) among the dead : but Savelli in SpaniQiheio, as no fuch example and partem of truth was then abfent, being gone to Vienna in tranfcendent generofity ; and may be furpriz.ed order to be examined concerning the lurrender at the gratitude the good paftor (hews him in hit of Damin : and thus the fubftitute might be narrative, and at the exprcffions of protestor, confounded with the commander he reprefented. deliverer, i^c. And the rather, as the faid \ I find Don Jofeph de Ainfa only once officer, after all his courtefiei, took from him mentioned in the thirty years wars, »nd that the whole he poflefled, if we except liberty and waj in 1625, whea SpincUi and he commanded life. But the ilate of war, and the manners of that OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 319 I fliall next give my readers die fiflierman's fliort narrative verbatim, 163 1. in its own natural call of exprefllon *. " The loth of May, early in the morning, at the time the regent " or mafter of our fchool was reading prayers, a report flew through " the ftreets, that the town was taken, which was confirmed by the " ringing of the alarum bells. Our regent difmifled us all in a mo- " ment, faying. My dear children^ hafien to your homes, and rccommmd *' yourfehes to the proteSlion of God ; for it is highly probable i£e jl:all meet no *' more except in hewcen. In an inflant we all difappeared, fome one " way, and fome another way. For my own part, I took my courfe " with fpeed along the high flreet, and found, where the public ftyllyards " are, (and where the grand guard of the city was kept) a confiderable " body of troops, with their fwords drawn ; and faw near them, and at " a diflance round them, a great number of foldiers flretched dead on " the pavement. Terrified with fo melancholy a fight, I fhaped my " courfe down the ftreet, called Pelican, with a view to conceal myfelf " in my father's houfe j but had hardly advanced a few fteps, before I *' fell in with a band of foldiers, who had that moment murdered a " man, whom I faw weltering in his blood. This fight fhocked me to " fuch a degree, that I had not power to move forwards ; but fhelter- " ing myfelf in an houfe oppofite to the Pelican inn, found a kind- " fpeaking aged man, who faid to me, Child, ivhy comeji thou hither ? " Sa've thyfetf before the foldiers feize thee. I was ftrongly tempted to put " his advice in praftice; but in that moment a party of Croatians " rufhed in, and holding a fabre to his throat, demanded his wealth. " The old man immediately opened a coffer to them full of gold, and " filver, and precious ftones. They crammed their pockets with his^ " riches ; yet, as the coffer was not emptied, they filled a fmall baiket " with the part that remained, and then fhot the poor old man through that age, were greatly different from what hath mention the example of Guftavus) foon changed fiiice been praftifed. The commanders then thefe praftices to a certain degree: yet room for made no ceremony of living by their fwords : amendment flill remained, and yet remaineth. many of them confidered conqueft as matter of " Angeli ; Hift. de la ViUe di Magdeburg, real right and property : but political osconomy, ii°. 1714. natural humanity, and public utility (not to the 320 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. " the head. I rtole away behind them, hoping to feek a place of fafely " aniongft fonic empty calks ; and found there a young lady, perfeftly " handfome, who conjured me to j-cmove, and make no mention of " her. Anxioudy rcflccling where to difpofe of myfelf, the fame " Croatians furprizcd me again, and one of them faid, Baftardly dog, " carry this bajket for us. I took it up immediately and followed them " wherever they went. They entered feveral cellars, and rifled wo- " men, maidens, and all perfons, that fell in their hands, without re- " morfe. As we afcendod from one of thefe cellars, we faw, v/ith " aftonidiment, that the flames had feized the whole fore-part of the " houlc. We rufhed through the fire, and faved ourfelves. In all " probability, every foul was deflroyed, that remained within doors. As " to my father, mother, and relations, I never heard a fyllable concern- " ing tiiem from that time to the prefent." Thus ended the fiege and florming of Magdeburg ; which latter in- cident may be confidered as the mofl: bloody and aflronifliing tranfaftion, that we can poflibly find in modern hifl:ory. Upon this occafion it, was faid of Tilly, with great juflice, that mofl: generals, who have en- joyed uninterrupted profperity in battle, become cruel and vindictive upon tlie firfl: reverfe of good fuccefs. For Tilly, long before the fur- prize of Magdebujg, faw the die of fortune very inclinable to vary to his difadvantage ; his temper grew four and referved j his natural chear- fulnefs deferted him. He beheld, w^th infinite regret, a young, vigilant, intrepid and able adverfary, refolved to make a trial of flcill in the fight of all Europe againft an old man, who was obliged to fee with other people's eyes, and commit the jexecution of the mofl: important adions to inferior commanders : and, finally, what completed his unhappinefs was, his troops began to withdraw their confidence and obedience from him ; for being glutted with rapine, and fleflied with cruelty, like chil- dren over-indulged in vices by a fond parent, they took the liberty to defpife that lawful authority, which had a fort of natural right to their fervices. And here it may be obferved, that Cromwell's cruelty at Drogheda was not much inferior to the Imperial barbarity exercifed at Magdeburg ; and O F G U S T A V U S A D O L p' M li S. jVf and even Turenne's charafter will forever be tarniftiedby the fatal ir- 1631; fuption made by him into the Palatinate; in all which cafes ohe can- not help lamenting with the hiftorian, ne tanti fachioris immanitas auf non extitijfe, aut non vtndicata fuijfe videatur. The fiege of Magdeburg being over, which little fuccefs on thS' Auftrian fide did not deter the ftates of Holland from fubfcribing*- 50,000 guilders a month to the ufe of Guftavus *, all things were re-' duced to a new ftate of confufion between Brandenburg and Sweden:^ for the eleftor, much dlfmayed at the event, re-demanded the fort of Spandau, (the time ftipulated being rendered void by the redu6lion of the aforefaid city) a place of extreme confequence both to Tilly and the King ; fmce, to all human appearances, the pofleflion of it feemed to determine the fortune of thefe two contending warriors. His majefty had his own" garrifon in it, confifting only of 400 men (for fear his neighbours^ might think him too encroaching on one hand, or too diffident of theil^ fincerity on the other); and from the rights of convenience and urgent neceflity, he might have kept the fame, and Jufltified his con-' duct to the public. Lefs matter would have fumifhed out a very plan- fible manifeflo ; and a timorous or unconfcientious perfon would have' feized this opportunity at all hazards, and indulged a certain freedom' of fixing his pofTefhon therein at every event, efpecially as the eIe<5lor' of Brandenburg was no lefs than bpother-in-law to the king of Swe- den : but Guftavus, determined to obferve the ftri6left rules of honour, knew not how to purchafe fuccefs (though the fate of his army and^ his whole military chara6ler lay at flake) at the expence of his repu- ' tation and good faith. And confidering likewife, that his garrifon had taken an oath to the eleflor, which he looked upon as matter of in- difpenfible obligation even in the emergencies of war, he, who had al- ways the gift of deciding in an inftant, fent the eleftor word, by a ' trumpeter, with an air of anger and difdain (for the mortification he felt was inexpreflible), That he ivas at full liberty to refojfefs Spandau: but that hi mf elf in perfon -would makeavift to Berlin -jprotejling, in the fame breathy that the efftifon of imiocent blood Jhould not be laid to his charge. At the • Hiflorical and Autheitic Relation, kc. in Low Dutch, fol. Part ii, 77. Vol. I. Tt heels 3^2 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. heels of this mefTcngcr he difpatched count Thurn with more ample orders, commanding him to tell the clcdor. That the neutrality bet-ween them was noiv undcrjlood to ceaje : and as ivhatever turned out to the detri- ment of Sweden and its allies, mitjl confcqucntly prove advantageous to tie boufe of Aiijlria; of courfe the chrlor 7/iuft excufe him, if he occupied paffeSy took towns, and quartered his troops relatively to his cwn conveni- ence : for he now made a declaration of hojlilities in form, a/id allowed him only three days to return a definitive anfwer^ without any regard to the fu- ture concurrence and co-operation of the court of Drefden. The elector no ways relifhed fuch compendious methods of proceed- uig; but Tilly's removal into the foreft of Hartz (which may be con- fidered as an indifcretion) with a view to terrify the landgrave of Hefle-Caffel, leflened the terrors he had conceived of the houfe of Auftriajfo, as Arnheim happened to be then at Berhn, he befoughtthe favour of him (as to all appearance, though not in truth fo, a difm- terefled perfon, and one well known to the public in the character of no common negotiator) to undertake to avert the king's anger, and induce himto enter into fome new agreement. Arnheim, (who in fa6l was fent to Berhn in order to counterwork the Swedifh meafures) took poft-horfes, and reached the king forthwith, but could obtain no con- ceflions. His majefty then, conformably to his plan, foon brought matters to a fhort conclufion ; for he marched diredly to Berlin at the head of five troops of horfe, one thoufand commanded muf- queteers, and four field-pieces, thinking it mofl prudent to make ufe of great force, and a fuperior degree of compulfion. The aftonifiied • eleftor negotiated three days to very little purpofe: at length his con- fort* and the exiled mother of the ele6lor Palatin, (who had made Ber- lin her place of refuge) accompanied by fome ladies of diftinguiflied quality, addreffing themfelves a fecond time to Guila\ais, fbon made fome imprefllon on his Teeming impenetrability, and effecled, partly by perfuafion and partly by tears, what tlie men had vainly laboured to bring to a conclufion. In confequence of this application, Spandau was granted to the king during the continuance of the war, the gates of Cuftiin were ordered to be open to him upon all demands, and * She was lifter to the unfortunate Frederic V. king of Bohemia and eleftor Palatin- tie OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 323 the ele6lor was obliged to pay a certain contribution to the SwedilTi 163 1- army (amounting to about 3000 1. a month*) till articles of treaty could be completed in form. Soon afterwards the whole royal army croffed the Spree, and encamped round Berlin -f-; for the new affign- ment of Spandau and Cuftrin determined tlie king to pafs forwards into Saxony, inafmuch as he poflefTed Spandau in reality, and Cuftrin in effedl j having full power to march fouthwards (that being his pri-i vate defire) and little to fear in returning northwards, in cafe the ele6lor of Saxony ftiould join Tilly, and reduce him to the neceffity of re- tiring nearer towards the Baltic ocean; it being then his intention to carry on a defenfive war in the duchies of Mechlenberg, Pomerania and Magdeburg, ? -^rf " Yet the king, in fpite of his fucceflcs, met with more difficulties and affliftions than one ; for the peftilence, which then raged violent- ly in Berlin, made furprizing havock in his camp, which lay near the city walls, infomuch that fome regiments loft each of them thirty men in the courfe of a week. About this time the foldiers too began to grow infolent and rapacious, being much elated with an uninterrupt- ed feries of fuccefs and profperity, and took the liberty to plunder fome Hamburg and Englifh merchants of a confiderable quantity of valuable efFe(5ls, that were then to be tranfported (as is moft probable) to the enfuing fair at Leipfic. Upon this the king added eighteen new articles, of a more fevere nature, to his military code |, and compelled his men to rcftore all the goods unembezzled, and in the ftate they feized them. Struck with fuch an high example of juftice and huma- nity, the German traders were foon prevailed upon to lend his majefty a fum (then precifely convenient for the purpofes of the war) amount- ing to fomething more than 30,000!. But tlie Englifli merchants could not be induced to advance him a lingle farthing: neverthelefs out of refpe<5l to their brave countrymen, who then fought under the Swedifti enfigns, Guftavus took the opportunity to acknowledge his gratitude, ■ • Arnilabaei Arma Suecica, p. iCt. fifty maps and plans, befides heads. f Danckaertz's Hiftorical Authentic Relation, X They are preferved in the Armis Suecicis, &c. publifiied in Low Dutch, 1642, folio, with p. 96, &c. '*^'"' ' T t 2 and 324 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. and made no difference between the merchants of London and thoiie of Hamburg*, &c. Mean while the general Tilly, befides removing into the forcft of Hartz, had committed another overfight on the very day that Magde- burg was taken, which fhews, that he wanted fpirit to run a hazard, and procured likewife but indifferent intelligence : for not being fure of maflering the town, and fearing upon fome falfe alarm, left Guftavus Ihould approach him unexpectedly, he deflroyed the DefTau-bridge, a pafs of great importance -f-, lying crofs the confluence of the Multa and the Elb, confifling of feveral fortifications, that on the Elb fide being extremely large and flrong. After his fuccefs in florming Magdeburg, he looked back with much affliction on this over timorous precaution if, fince it excluded him from obflruCting the conquefts of the Swedes on the other fide of that river, and debarred him from the opportunity of approaching to the afflftance of the two fluftuating eleftors, name- ly, thofe of Saxony and Brandenburg. . v- The Imperial general found hirafelf fufKciently exhaulled and fa- tigued with the fiege of Magdeburg, which had thinned his army in that refpeCt, where the iofs is mofl confiderably fek ; for good part of his veteran troops were deflroyed. He therefore judged jt more conveni- ent to omit fieges of long duration for the future, and decamping from Magdeburg in the end of May, left 5000 men in the town by V/ay of a garrifbn ; and then pointed his courfe through the country of Hartz, taking Allenfleben || and Mansfelt in his way, and entering iaito conference with feveral deputies from the free towns and the elector of Saxony, proceeded onwaids as far as Erfurt, where the magifbacy formed fome engagements with him. In his pafTage through the Hartz, the peafants, in order to be revenged for the cruelties ex- ercifed at Magdeburg, killed him fuch a number of difperled and ijiraggling foldiers, that the fields adjoining the road were ftrewn with • Monro's Expeditions, Part ii. p. 45. I I fency it muft be read Alverflaben, that f Here Walftein beat Ernefl count Mansfelt towa lying direflly in his road on the bank» of in 1626. the river Bever : normuft it be confounded with J Pietro Porno ; Guerre de Gcrmania, lib. i. Afcherleben in the principality of Halberftadt. p. 22. dead OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 325 dead bodies ; fo that he loft as many men in this march, as if he had 1631. engaged himfelf in a moderate battle*. At length he turned his thoughts to dcvile by what means he might deter and terrify the land- grave of Hefle-CalTel, who had given more than equivocal indications of having a fecret good will to the Swedifh caufe. Of courfe he me- ditated an irruption into that prince's territories; but a letter from Pappenheim, giving him an account of the king's progrefs on the banks of the Elb, made him change his plan, and refleft ferioufly on the coiiduft of another potentate, of much greater importance in the Germanic fyftem than the landgrave could be ; but the letters he fent to the ele(5tor of Saxony on the occafion, feemed rather to put him on his guard than difmay him; for that prince, meerly on account of this epiftolary intercourfe, raifed an army of 20,000 men, and placed Arnheim at their head. The troops were young, healthy and vigor- ous ; they were well paid and well cloathed ; but wanting the habit of valour, and being deftitute of experienced and good fubaltem officers, they were hardly able at the battle of Leipfic to look Tilly's hardy and experienced veterans in the face, whofe cloaths, as fomebody hath re- marked, were torn and dirty, but their mufquets always clean and bright. Tilly not being able, or not having means to give the eleftor of Saxony a decifive turn, only hurt himfelf and the catholic league, by •larming him juft fo far, as to force him to embrace fome falutary meafures at fo critical a conjimfture. Of this we have a manifeft proof; for the eleftor by letter foon fignified to the emperor, *' That the edift " of reftitution merited Well to be re-€onfidered, before it was carried *' into full activity : that, by preceding capitulations and Imperial " conftitutions, the princes and ftates of the Germanic body were not " obliged to fubfift and re-inforce the emperor's armies : that the pro- " teftants at Leipfic had only formed an union in contradiftin6tion to " a prior league among the papifts, with this difference, that the for- " mer propofed to proceed defenfively, as the latter had determined to " aft the part of aggreflbrs." The court of Vienna underftood the import of this letter without an interpreter. » Brief but Authentic Relation, in High Dutch, 416. Mean 3t6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. Mean while his majcfty having been entertained magnificently in the electoral garden at Berhn (that evening being devoted to extraordinary rejoicings) and having appointed Horn, with an army of 10,000 men, to watch Schomberg's motions, and cover the conquefls lately made on the frontiers of Silefia, parted from Berlin at break of day, and making a fpeedy vifit to Stetin, gave audience to Fedor Adreovitzki*, tiie Mul'covite ambaffador, who coming from a barbarous part of the world, then lefs known than at prefent, aflonifhed the Swedes with half a dozen coaches and fix, and a retinue of 1 50 perfons extremely well drefied. With refpeft to his embafly, one can pronounce nothing diftinftly. An oftcr was made of foldiers and money, and Guftavus appeared to be highly delighted therewith. But the ambaflador died in the Auguft following, and the whole propofal and agreement vanifhed ' . into air-f-. With the fame peflilential fever, in the fame month, died the beautiful and virtuous Chriftina, wife to Guftavus Horn, and daughter of the high chancellor Oxenftiem. She thought it her duty to attend her hufbandin all his wars: and indeed they were a fliining example of reciprocal conjugal happinefs and fidelity. She breathed her laft breath in the arn>s of her confort, yet he had the good fortune to iefcape the contagion ; and though young, rich, accomplifhed, and hand- fome, yet never could be induced to make choice of a perfon worthy to replace his deceafed wife, whole remains he took care to convey to Sweden in a marble coffin. As foon as the king had concluded his conference with the Mufco- vite ambaflador, and regaled him at an entertainment full as magnifi- cent as a foldier ought to give, or as times would then admit, he hailened with his ufual induftiy to the camp before Gripfwald, v/hich town had been blockaded fome months by Banier, and was the only city, that remained to the emperor in all Pomerania. Perufi, a colonel of Croatians, knight of the Golden Fleece, commanded in it; he was brave to a degree of gallantly, but the country hated him, for he had the misfortune to be miferably avaricious. Neverthelefs his love of mi- litary fame ever got the better of hispafllon for riches, in all fuch com- * Hiftorical but Authentic Relatii», Tom. ii. 104. -j- Chemnitius ; lib. i. p. 143. ^ ' petitions, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 327 petitions, where the honour of a foldier was concerned: and for this 1631. reafon, though he had heaped up much wealth in the town, he fliew- cd himfelf quite inflexible in the article of furrendering, having never once allowed the idea of fuch a tranfaclion to enter into his thouehts. To relieve the exigencies of his garrifon in fo long a blockade, he had coined tin-money with this infcription, necessitas Gryphiswal- DExsis; and had retrieved fome old difcontinued falt-fprings, that lay- within the city walls, which proved of great ufe in preferving provi- fions for the garrifon. Over and above all this, he was an excellent mi- lltaiy archited, and had fortified his town fo well, that Guftavus (no ill judge in thofe matters) confefled himfelf greatly furprized, when he ex- amined the works, having feen nothing amongft his enemies contrived upon the fame principle before. • Banier, who had been fent hither to affift Todt, who formed the ori- ginal blockade, wrote a civil letter to colonel Perufi, infinuating, that he had intereft enough with the king his mafler to procure for him very fol- dier-like conditions, in cafe of a capitulation. He exhorted him not to facrifice a body of .brave troops under his command ; and reprefented to him the unchriftian depopulations and cruelties, which he had exercifed throughout the whole diftrid, that lies round Gripfwald*. Perufi's anfwer was very laconic ; that it was not convenient for him to leave the town fo fuddenly: neverthelcfs, if peimiffion was given- him, he -would con-^ fult Tilly. on the occafion. •'(;•■ -r'" ?'■.;••.-.•■ •> :!..'•' . Some Swedes, knowing well the governor's appetite for fighting; right or wrong, prefented themfelves in bravado before the walls, and ipduced him to make a very rafli and defperate fally, by, means of which, according to the cuftom of war at that time, he was allured on by degrees into an ambufcade. He was imprudent enough, upon this oc- cafion, to wear his gold chain and order above his armour > which in all probability coil: him his life, as every common foldier ftrove to poflefs fo diftinguifhing a booty j and from hence moft people conclude, that he believed his body, conformably to a report propagated concerning him in both armies, tahave been rendered invulnerable by incantations » This letter is prefetved in the Annia Suecicis, p. jb;5i" '**"' .«»«'*^"'*'* ^•'•' _ i';-jii/iq and jai THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, and magical (ignatures*, and being a native of Italy he gave more cafily into thefe vain imaginations ; for the Italian aftrologers were greatly re- ipp6ted among the German troops, of which we have an uncommon ex- ample in Walftein's praftice, who undertook nothing of moment, till he had firft confulted Battifta Seni, to whom he allowed a table, a coach and fix horfes, and all the appointments of a general officer. Though Perufi had the misfortune to be betrayed into an ambufcadc, (accompanied by his camerade, a knight of Malta, who fell firft) yet he di- ed heroically, and fought with his colours by him to the laft gafp, though his Croatian horfe, according to cuftom, had defcrted him, and thrown tliemfelves into the river Rick, which divides the beautiful valley of Ro- fendal into two parts. Perufi's fucceflbr, whoever he was, (though, if I miftake not, he was only a captdiri, and named Drackfted) made a good fhew of refiftance : for being required to furrender, he fent word back, that the lofs of the late commander was merely perfonal, and that the honour and refolution of the garrifon did not expire fympathetically with him. Neverthelefs, after fame rencounters, (not to mention a very furious fally, which mifled little of fucceeding) he thought it prudent to capitulate, and marched out with more military diftin^tions than are ufually allovv-ed in like circumftances : (for the Croatians, upon this occafion, as the Swedes greatly wanted to poflefs Gripfwald, were permitted^to receive conditions) but as the efcort, which conveyed the governor and his foldiers, was not ftrong enough to prefcribe laws to him, for it confiflcd only of 1 50 horfemen, he chang- ed his mind on the road, and fhaped his courfe to Havelburg, and not to Roftock, the place agreed upon in the articles of furrender. By way of punifhment for this infraftion of ftipulations, colonel Hall thought it allowable to attack him, and fo much the rather, as Banier, under whom he then ferved, had a particular defire to fecure Havelburg, as it helped to • His body was fappofed to be rendered of incantations, pretends, that Peiu/i wat only and the free towns (where manufaflures, trade, and arts flourifhed) exerted themfelves with a degree of zeal ftill more diftinguifhable. Net- tled at fo lively an obftinacy, the emperor now began to lofe his temper, and ordered Furftenberg, at the head ©f the army lately arrived from * Diet of Leipfic, 4 Lond. 1632, Vide with the cemmands of their refpe£live fovereigns. Appendix. inafmuch as the emperor only \y3.i fipremus feu- f A fccond edia was pnbliOied afterwards to Jorum dominus. abfolvc all feudatory perfons from complying Mantua, 33 + THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1611. Mantua, to march diie£lly into the territories of thefe more exemplary proteftants, and deflroy all before him with fire and fword. That com- mander fulfilled his inftrudions with great rigidity, and foon obliged the towns of Memmingen, Kempten and Ulm, the inhabitants of Franco- nia, and even the duke of V/irtemberg, to renounce the conclufions of Lcipfic : but as thefe fubmiiTions proceeded from fear and compulfion, rather than from a fenfe of obligation and obedience, they immediately revoked all their promifes upon receiving the account of Tilly's defeat in Saxony. And here perhaps, without being thought to violate the dignity of hiflory, it may be allowed me to introduce the recital of a ridiculous ac- cident, that happened at Hildefheim, which the Imperialifts, who were then fuperftitious to a furprizing degree, interpreted in a manner very inaufpicious to their caufe. Moft people know the low tafte of the German drama. The jefuits college in this city exhibited a piece, where two hobby-horfe men reprefented Guftavus and Tilly. The latter gave the former very ill language, and reproached him for his interference in the holy Roman empire. Words, according to the poet's plan, foon matured themfelves into aflion ; piftols, laden with powder only, were reciprocally difcharged : but unluckily, and againft the intention of the dramatift, he, that perfonated Guftavus, was the better cavalier, and more valorous combatant, for in the heat of his theatrical fury he gave Tilly a violent blow, and unhorfed him. Upon this the houfe broke up in diforder, and every fpeftator returned difcontented to his refpeclive home, full with indiftinft pre-fentiment of what the battle of Lcipfic taught him afterwards to realize *. Neverthelefs, fome authors recount a fimilar ftory with farther cir- cumftances, varying the year, wherein the event happened, and laying the fcene at the town cf Cham in the Lower Bavaria. It was permitted the children (fay they) by the burgomafter, to enroll themfelves into tv\ o fiflitious armies, each boy being left at full liberty to enlift himfelf under the Imperial or Swcdifn enfigns ; and as the town was truly Bava- rian, the Pfeudo-Tilly, fon to the chief magiftrate, foon collected J 50 • Arnilabsei Awna Soecica, p. 1-5. wcU- OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 335 well-looking followers, whereas the mock Guftavus (who had been 1631. forced to aflume the name by drawing lots) could amafs no more than thirty combatants, of fmaller ftature, and more mean appearance. But the perfonated king copied his original, in the very fhining part of excellency ; for having well entrenched his companions in a field adjoin- ing the city, he invited the enemy by found of trumpet to force his lines. The priefts gave a blefling to the Tillian party as they marched from the town, and exhorted them to acquit themfclves like warriors of fpirit. After repulfe upon repulfe, they ftill perfevered to lead the chil- dren on, till at length the whole corps difunited, and the unconquera- ble Tilly became a prifoner. On this the young Guftavus commanded his hands to be bound, and having led him to the houfe of his father, refufcd to dehver him without a ranfom *. By this time his majefty began to open his grand projeft of advancing fouthwards, and having united into one army his fevcral little camps, which lay round Brandenburg, fhaped his courfe towards Saxony, care- fully fecuring and paving his footfteps of his progrefs as he went along. On this account, with a view to procure more certain intelligence of the enemies motions, he firft explored the country at the head of all his ca- valry and 1 000 commanded Tnufqueteers, as far as the monaft:ery of Jericho, and then to the bridge of Magdeburg city, into which place he forced Pappenheim to retreat for fhelter : and finding no indications of any confiderable interruption, taking care to leave Oxenftiern behind him with one army in PrufTia, and Horn with another in Silefia, he crolTed the Elb by fording, and took the town of Tangermund (a place of great importance to him) by affixing a petard to one of the gates. Upon this event the garrifon lay at the mercy of the afTailants, and fuch as furvived, being about threefcore in number, threw themfclves in a croud round Guftavus, (for the Swedifh foldiers could not yet forget the mafTacre at Magdeburg) and begged for quarter : which the king granted them in a monfient, obferving at the fame time, I'bat hejlmtld not prefume to coiin- terwork God's providence, ivhich had preferved them from the resentment of bis foldiers by a fort of miracle -j-. He then flung a bridge of boats over ' Theatr. Eurofs, p. 518, &c. f Hejlmani Leo Arftoiis, p. 30. the 336 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. the Elb, for the convenience of his infantry; but ordered his cavalry and artillery to pafs through the river ; the bare recital of which afl of intrepidity (for notliing was loft, but here and there an empty waggon) amazed Tilly beyond meafure, for the ftream in that part was not fup- pofed to be fordable. It was here the king, who loved great ftrokes in the military way, con- ceived the idea of aftonifliing Europe by retaking Magdeburg *, and the rather, as it was thinly garrifoned, and as the fortifications had not been thoroughly repaired fince the late difafter. The town likewifc lay convenient for him, as it afforded an excellent pafTage acrofs the Elb, which half determined a campaign in that age, and as his majefty was then circumftanced : and fomething there was of the illuftrious and mag- nificent in the very aflion itfelf. But fcrious and mature reflexion foon threw a gloom over thefe dazzling appearances ; for Pappenheim was in the town, whom Guftavus confidered in the chara6ter of a fecond gar- rifon, though it confifted only of one man -, cancurf-ere bellum, Atque virum : Nor was Tilly far off, who lay incamped at Mulhaufen ; but what he feared moft, was allowing the ele6lor of Saxony time to indulge his private difinclination to the Swedifh caufe, as alfo his natural timidity and inconftancy. Therefore, making a facrifice all at once of his am- bition, he preferred convenience to glory, and progrefTive fecurity to for- tunate rapidity ; which is the more to be wondered at, as the natural turn of his temper was quick and hafty. Conformably to this cool revifion of things, the pofTeffion of Havelburg and Werben were confidered by him as two excellent preliminary fteps : for being encamped at, or near, one of thofe towns, (the latter indeed was his obje(5l of refidence, as it lay almoft upon the confluent angle of the Elb and the Havel, his back being guarded by both thofe rivers,) he had the command of the archbiihopric of Magdeburg, and the Old March, in front, and on his right hand j and his left fide was protefted by the Havel, which run through a friendly country } namely, the • Chcmnit. tie Bcjlo Succ. Germ, Tom. i. 147. Middk OF GUSTAVUS A D 6 L P H U S. 337 Middle March. By means of this river, he had power to convey 1631. down ftream what provifions and forage he thought necefTary for the fubfiftence bf his troops. He was environed hkewiie by rich and plen- tiful towns : and, what was ftill more, the poft he had chofen was fo pro- tefted by nature, that though the Imperialifts had two armies, one on his right hand in Thuringia, and one on his left hand in Silefia, he feared neither, inafmuch as it was in his power to conteft the paflage of the rivers, previoufly to any grand and decifive a6lion. - In order to fix himfelf in this defirable fituation, he commanded Banier to take Havelburg by aflault, lince by polTeffing that place he he- came mafter of the Havel on the eaftern fide, having fecured already the weftern banks of that river as far upwards as Spandau. The at- tack was made fword in hand at break of day, and Winkel's blue bri- gade of infantry not liking the enemy's fire at a diftance, crofled the river with aftonifhing refolution, though the water reached up to the men's fhoulders. The a(5tion was brilk on both fides whilft it lafted. Four hundred and forty of the garrifon were taken prifoners. Colonel Cag was appointed governor, who had under him his own regiment, and Fowle's regiment of Scots. Why Pappenheim left Havelburg a few days before cannot be accounted for, except he confidered it as a place indefenfible, at leaft as matters were then circumllanced. Havelburg being thus fecured, his majefty, conformably to his origi- nal plan, employed two good officers; namely, Bauditzen and count Ortemberg, to take the town of Werben fword in hand, who carried their point, after having met with a very obflinate refiftance, killing and making prifoners 200 horfemen belonging to the regiment of Munick- haufen. As the difpute had continued long, and the weather proved then extremely warm (it' being the lafl day of June) thefe two com- manders thought proper to bathe themfelves in the Elb, and then crowned the performance with an over-free indulgence in Baccharah- wine. Of courfe they both fell into violent fevers ; the former efcaped by the ikill of his phyfician, or the dint of conllitution ; but the lat-' ter expired foon afterwards at Berlin, to the great regret of Guftavus, who loved him extremely for his abilities in the cabinet, as alfo for his Vol. I. , X X courageous 238 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE iCji. courageous and enterprizing difpofuion. He commanded the royal re- giment of foot-guards. By this time the Imperial general found himfelf obliged to give fome check, if pofTible, to the progrefTes made by Guftavus on the banks of the Elb, and having dropped his enterprize againft the landgrave of HefTe-CafTel, advanced as far as Wolmerlladt, a fmall town ten miles north- weft of Magdeburg, and about forty miles from the Swedifli camp. Mean while the van-guard of his aimy, confifting of four ehofen regiments * (the very flower of the Imperial cavalry) had ad- vanced a confiderable way before their general, which Guftavus being apprized of, immediately conceived the thought of giving them a ca- milado in an evening or two, for he never failed of procuring the heft intelligence. To this purpofe he ordered 2500 ehofen troops, horfe, dragoons, and mufqueteers, to aflemble themfelves at Avniberg in the Old March, and at nine at night joined them privately, and conducled them to a village four miles beyond Tangermund. Neverthelefs, whatever fecrecy this expedition might require, as the next day proved to be Sun- day, and as the enemy's advanced troops happened to be ftationed at fixteen miles diftance, the king chofe to lie by privately, and fet apait a certain nirmber of hours far the fervice of religion > difpatching the ^ watch-mafter general of the army with the royal regiment of horfe- guards to procure intelligence. This officer returned about five in the evening with feveral prifoners, who gave information, that the Imperia- hfts had taken up thek quarters within the diftance of two hours eafy marching. They were condufled by colonel Bemftein, a brave and enterprizing commander, who took up his lodgings at three different villages, at a flight inconfiderablc diftance one from the other: and as tliefe places hap- pened to lie upon a line, the Swedifti party divided itfelf into three bo- dies, it being their intention to cut off all communication between the Imperial regiments at the right and left, the very inftant the attack was begun. P»ppenheim, Montecucoli, Uolk, and CorODini. At OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 339 At the point of time agreed, one body of Swedes gave a furious on- 1631. fet on the regiment of Montecuculi *, which was partly routed and part- ly cut to pieces, before the men could mount on horfeback, and range themfelves in any tolerable order. But as no concerted attacks can well commence at a precife moment, Bernflein heard the explofion of the firfl iii"e-arms, and having caufed his men to mount immediately, made a ju- dicious difpofition of the better half of them, and at the head of one troop of his cavalry, marched to the entrance of the village, and gal- lantly received the enemy j but the impreflion was fo violent, the Swedifli troops being prepared and frefh, and Bernflein's men both hurried and fatigued, that after a very briflc and obftinate contefl, the latter foon broke and began to fliift for themfelves. The chance of efcaping under favour of darknefs is a great temptation to foldiers thus attacked, to be- have themfelves ill ; efpecially when in fuch confufion it is morally im- poflibie to diilinguilh particular offenders : confequently the advantage is at leaft two to one in behalf of the affailants, who have fixed their refolution and advance determined. Be that as it will, Bernflein ftayedtill the very laft man, and was killed probably without being known. In him perilhed a family, for he had no kindred. He was an officer of approved fervice, or otherwife Pappenhiem would not have allowed him to have conduced his own regiment of cuiraffiers, and a body of troops, that appertained properly to his army. Mean while Hoik -f- made a refiflance, which appears incredible ; for during the other attacks he had leifure-minutes to draw out his men. * The count de Montecuculi, who belonged he declared himfelf a proteftant, and difpatcliing to this regiment, was the uncle of him, who ferv- round the country feveral troops of horfe, offered ed againft Turenne. He was not prefcnt in the lool, for the charitable aflillance of a Lutheran aflion, miniler in his laft hour? ; but he had committed f Hoik, Henry, ferved the king of Denmark fuch outrages, that no ecclefiaflic would come near as governor of Stralfund, but on fome difguft ac- him till it was too late ; and though he was at cepted of a regiment of infantry under Walftein. the head of an army of 10,000 men, all his of- It was thought matter of levity in him to efpoufe ficers and domeftics deferted him, excepting a a. young wife, at the time when the town hede- young woman, whom fome fuppofcd to be his fended was reduced to the utmoft danger. He miftrefs. In the Imperial patent, by virtue of gained immenfe wealth in the plunder of Leip- which he was created a count, his name is fpelt fic. As to his religion, he changed it twice, for Holka. on his death-bed, being (eized with the plague, X X 2 He 34^ THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 63 1 . He received the Rhingrave unmoved, and dlfputed the honour of the field inch by inch. In this tumult he had the unhappinefs to lofe two pair of colours, on one of which was depidlurcd the goddefs Fortune, and the word AUDACTER infcribcd beneath j but the other was flill more elegant, and more particular both as to its emblem and motto; for a firpent wreathed in fpires rolled itfelf round a draiun fword, (alluding to the wifdom of the animal, and the bravery, which the weapon implied,) and the device was, his ducibus, sitis imperterriti. His majefly, for fear the foldiers might quit their ranks in qucft of plunder, gave private orders to fet the villages on fire : for if the men had deferted their ftation in hopes of booty, a detachment from the ene- my's camp, part of which lay hard by, might have robbed the Swedes of a confiderable viclory. Yet much plate was found, and a private foldier feized one thoufand pounds in Hungarian ducats. Abundance of excellent horfes fell likewile into the hands of the conquerors *. His majefty commanded perfonally in this engagement, but where or how far cannot be learned. Neverthelefs, as the pofl of importance was attacking the middle village, and cutting off the communication, it is na- tural to think, that he fell uponBernflein's quarters -f-. He was extremely afflicted at the death of Charles, prince Palatin of Lautrech:^:, his own filler's fon, who received two piftol-balls in that obftinate refinance, which Hoik made. He fought at the head of the Rhingrave's regiment, and a few moments before his death had killed a cornet of the enemy's hand to hand ; but the cornets camerade, (as moft officers in that age had a gentleman-volunteer, who ferved with them under that title) foon re- venged his fiicnd, according to the manner above related. His corpfe was carried to Stetin, where the queen of Sweden, of whofe arrival in the empire we (hall fpeak immediately, thought fit to honour it wiih a moft magnificent funeral. • Anllabsi Arma Si;ecica, p. 173. exiinfl in the year 1694. It had three little pof- •j- Since my writing this paflage, I find the "fe.Tions, the duchy of Veldentz, the town of ; conjeiTtme verified. Rex cum fuij, in Rheindor- Lautrech, (which now belongs to the eleftor Pa-j> fium, Bernfttinian^e legionts hofpidnni, impegit, latin) and the county of Lutzelllein ; which al &c. Loiichius, Tom. i. 720. prefent is divided betwecD the houfes of Birc- X That branch of the Palatin family became kenfcld and Sultabach. It OFGUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 341 It muft be obferved, that this vidory at Rheindorf or Angern (fuch 1631. being the names of the principal, villages where the Imperialifts lay) was chiefly gained by the means of the intermingled mufqueteers, and by the afliftance of fmali parties of them, who filled up the avenues, where horfemen could not well be ftationed. Fifteen hundred men were kill- ed, and twenty eight colours taken, Tilly being advanced almoft within hearing the difcharge of the fire-arms j which mortified him not a little. This aflion, not to mention the gallantry thereof, did the king great fervice ; for it aftonifhed the Imperialifts to fuch a degree, that he gain- ed four days to make additions to the intrenchments and fortifications round his camp at Werben ; for which labour he was afterwards repaid with abundant interefl. He procured opportunity likewife to draft all the neighbouring garrifons, and fummon to his aiTiftance feveral fcatter- ed regiments, that lay near him; fo that in truth (and thus it often hap- pens in the conducl of great generals) the little aftion at Rheindorf facilitated the prudent encamptment made at Werben, and both together paved the way to that more important decifion, v/hich happened at Leip- fic, which completed the operations of the year 163 1. For all good campaigns, if rightly analyzed and duly explained, are nothing lefs than one continued feries of judicious caufes, and fortunate effects *. One cannot fufficiently admire the king's great military judgment, in fixing his camp precifely on that fpot, which he had long wifhed to oc- ' cupy : for having thrown a bridge of boats over the Elb, he had it in: his power at one and the fame time to attack either the Imperiahfts, or the ~ eledtor of Saxony, who could not well conclude a treaty at fuch a dif- ^ tance and under fuch circumftances ; nor could Tilly advance without giving Guftavus the choice of a battle. I have before obferved, that the: • camp of Werben could not poflibly be difh-efTed for want of provi- * I remember in my youth to have heard " thus, (continued he) a good commander, the great, earl of Peterborow make a very lively " at the very dawning of a campaign, (hould comparifon upon the occafion: " Pope" faid he, " pre figure to himfelf by what aftion he pro- (for Mr. Pope was then fitting at table) " always " pofe& to conclude it; for thelaflrftroke al\va)« " Jixes ftrli on the laft rhyme of his coapiet, " computes for fomething in the year enfuing.T ^' and the genera] caft of the Ttcond line : and lions. 342 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE jC)^!. fions and forage, and fliall remark here, that it had two the heft: na- tural folFea heli'uid it, that a general could wifh for, namely, the Elb, and the Havel. Thefe rivers protefled likcwife its flanks : and as to the front, it was guarded one part in three by the town of Werben, which was fortified ; fo that a fmall traft of ground only required the affift-ance of art, and that the king ftrengthened by deep intrenchments, difpofing large batteries of cannon here and there. In this fituation he commanded not only the Elb and the Havel, but had an eye likewife to the Oder and the Warta; fo that within the great expanfion of command, the whole ele£lorate of Brandenburg lay direflly under his prote(5tion*. During thefe occurrences, Maria Eleonora, queen of Sweden -f-, like a confort worthy of the hero fhe had efpoufed, left the pleafures of the court of Stockholm, in order to alleviate the fatigue and cares of her huf- ' band, and brought with her a re-inforcement of 8000 men, half of whom joined the grand army, and the other half was employed in the fervice of the dukes of Mechlenburg, with a view to facilitate the con- quefts of Roftock and Wifmar. This lady, who was a pattern of con- jugal affection, had her fhare likewife of refolution and magnanimity : for inftantly on her embarkation for Sweden, one large fhip, fumamcd the Vasa, laden with heavy artillery and military ftiores, in a day entire- ly calm, at about two miles difl:ance from fhore, funk directly to the bottom, without giving any previous warning, and never flriking upon flielf or rock. The fudden unaccountable lofs of a vefTel, that bore fuch an illuflrious family-name, might have terrified a poor woman, efpeci- ally in an age fo xmfortunately ingenious in expounding omens and pro- digies : but the queen heroically purfued her courfe ; nor did fhe balance a moment between female fears, and the afliflance, that was due to the great Gufi:avusJ, On her arrival at Wolgaft, where fhe made fome fhort ftay, (for the duke of Pomerania had fent his deputies to fee her well entertained, and her hulband had taken care to deftine a palace for her reception) flie • Loccenii Hift. Suecan. lib. 8. p. 582. and twenty )'ear$. f Daughter of John Sigifmond, eleftor of J; SchefFeri Memorab. Suec. Gentis, p. 21, Brandenburg. She furvived her hufband ihree 22. I was PF GUSTAVUS AD.OLPHUS. 343 was agreeably furprized with the celebration of a public thankfgiving 1631. throughout all Pomeranla, on account of the revolution of an entire year fince the landing of Guftavus in thofe parts ; and about the fame time, by way of counter-check for the fatisfadion fhe felt, her tendernefs was alarmed and put to the trial; for it was indifcreetly told her by fom& of her courtiers, that a jefuit, difguifed in the habit of a cavalier, had been difcovered by Bauditzen. It was confirmed too, that he had three more companions of his order, and had a delign probably to aflaffinate the king. Mean while Tilly, touched to the heart with the late difgrace his troops had received at Angcrn, wifhed moft ardently to repay the Swedes in like manner ; and the rather, as he found himfelf ftill at the head of 24,000 foldiers, who breathed nothing but revenge and fury. It was time likewifeto perform femething of the aftonifliing^ kind ; all Europe expedled an a6lion of this nature, and his very foldiers demanded it. In addition to this it mufl be obferved, that Pappenheim had perfuaded him to crufh the king of Sweden firft, aud tlien reduce the landgrave f^ of Hefle-CafTel to reafon at fome more convenient opportunity. He therefore marched his army in full battle-array up to the Swedifli lines, and made his enemy the offer of an engagement upon equal terms : but the king, who never tranfgreffed military prudence, when the welfare of tlie fyftem was concerned, and who huibanded the lives of his officers and foldiers, though he dealt fomething unfparingly now and then with his own perfon, chofe rather to confide in his intrenchments, and gave Tilly the choice of running, if he pleafed, upon his o'.vn deftru6lion; which he hoped might happen from the extraordinary ardour of Pappenheim. Befides his grand obje^l was, firft to fix a fij-m alliance with the two proteftant electors, and then give battle whenever a fa- rourable opportunity prefented itfelf. What he thus wifely forefaw, was very foon realized; for Tilly being determined to make one trial of fkill, led his troops up to the front of the king's camp at Werben, which, ac- cording to a plan * I have feen of it, was completely fortified by art • One thing is remarkable in this plan ; the ter cf his' camp. Some genera! officers had their king's tent was erefted in a large area, defend- tents likevvile in the fame cnclolure ; but whether •d with a ditch and parapet, almoft inthe cen» {hij waihismaj'effy'a c&r.l!.intpra«iccIcannotlav-. and 344 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, and nature, being fomething in the fhape of a' bow, protefled on the ftiait fide by the town of Werben (which had walls and outworks) as alfo by ftrong redoubts and ditches ; and guarded on the elliptical part by the river Elb, and part of the Havel. When Tilly brought his greater artillery to acl, the cannonading was defperateon both fides. From one battery of thirty tv^^o pieces, he pierced through the king's camp in fuch a manner, that the major part of the troops was obliged to draw up in battle array behind the wails of Werben. Yet the king, who only oppofed the Imperialifts with half the number of forces that they had, (for his whole army amounted to little more than 12,000 men) never loft his vivacity and prefence of mind for a fmgle moment : nor did he call in his advanced guards of ca- valry and mufqueteers, relieving them only at proper intei-vals of time, and giving each and all the officers at parting thefe particular inftruc- tions, namely, to retreat inch by inch, in cafe the Imperialifts fliould overpower them by numbers, but never to turn their backs to the enemy. Weaned out and chagrined with indecifive flcirmiflies, Tilly at length determined to force the king's lines : and though this general had dealt too long in realities to rely greatly upon vifionary expectances, yet on this occafion he had amufed himfelf with the hope of corrupting fome peafants to nail the Swedifli cannon, and fet fire to their camp in fun- dry places, juft before the grand attack fhould begin. But it was not eafy, even by the moft clandeftine correfpondence, to fruftrate the vigi- lance of Guftavus, who upon this and all occafions had the prefence of mind to turn to his own advantage thofe very incidents, that were calculated to diftrefs him ; for having difcovered both the confpiracy and the confpirators, (one of them, for what motive I know not, making full confcfiion of the fa6l) he ordered fires to be kindled in various parts of his camp, and inftru6led the rabble of the army to imitate confu- fion and noifes of perplexity. What is more remarkable, he impaited the difcovery of this treachery to no one of his generals *, but allowed his aflgilants to approach the very mouth of his cannon, without • Mercure Frajicois, Tojn. xvii. 170, returning OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 345 returning any fire excepting that of his mufqueteers. Then, in an 1631. inftant, broke forth a terrible difcharge of grapc-fhot; the confequences of which, far from being defcribed, cannot well be imagined. It is true, the Imperialifts advanced with determined refolution and an air of con- fidence i but after this unexpedted and terrible reception, it was impof- fiblc for their commanders to reftore the ranks, or bring the men on to aClion a fecond time. In this chaos of confufion and difmay, fome Swedifh troops, conduced by Bauditzen and the Rhingrave, pafl^ed the lines, and fell upon the enemy's rear with great refolution j but Tilly, with equal bravery and capacity, made his foldiers halt, and having brought his artillery to aft, foon convinced the aflailants, that every re- treat was not a flight. Thus for once he efcaped a difgrace, which might have proved as afflicting, as that which befel him afterwards on the plains of Leipfic. The conflict was extremely fharp and obfl:i- nate. Bauditzen, in the tranfports of courage, mixed fo far among the enemy's troops without reflexion, that at length he was taken prifoner . by two horfemen ; but young Wildefein, a youth of quality (for in point of years he hardly merited the name of a man) who ferved under him in the capacity of a volunteer, foon refcued his general, who fought his way back with unparalleled refolution ; and having killed an Impe- rial commander of note, brought little more than the haft of his fword out of his body. His good fortune, all things confidered, was very parti- cular, for he efcaped without a wound ; yet two balls carried away the pommel of his faddle, and the rowel of one of his fpurs, and his horfe was fliot in four places. Here Bernard, duke of Saxon Weymar*, gave the firfl: difl:inguilliing marks of that military genius, which pro- cured * This gallant prince inherited an irreconcil- Anhalt, was left a widoiv in his infancy, yet able hatred to the houfe of Auftria, being de- gave him, and all her children, a moll accom- fcended from that eleftor of Saxony, who was plifhed education. This lall atlion, the fiege of taken prifoner at the battle of Muhlberg, and de- Brifac, may be confidered as one of the nnell prived of his eleftorate and the greater part of military performances of that age ; for he won his other pofleffions. He was the youngeft of fourpitched battles, whilft he inverted the town ; eleven brothers, who all (excepting fuch as died and fent the four Imperial generals, namely, young) carried arms againft the emperor. His John de Wert, the duke Savelli, Furftenberg, mother, DoroUiea, daughter of the prince of and Sperreuter, prifoners into France. In the Vol. J. . " Yy . M 346 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. cured him afterwards the furname of Succeflbr to the great Guftavus. He had one horfe killed under him with a cannon-ball, and mounting a fe- laft of (hefe engagements, he wai obliged to mount fix different horfet ; and one being dazzled with a piftol, that was fired clofe to his eye*, reared up and fell backwards upon his rider ; but the troops formed thcmfelves round their ge- neral to fuch a degree, that it was impoiCble for the enemy to take him prifoner. Afterwards, John de Wert and he fingled out each other, and maintained a combat hand to hand with i'o much bravery and obftinacy, that the troops for a Ihort "time paufcd, as it were, by confcnt, to obferve the behaviour of two fuch diilinguifhed wat- liors. When he took Brifac, and chofe not to alSgn it, by way of dtfojuum, into French hands, his anfwer to Richelieu was yvcy noble : ajka 'virgin to make a facrijice of her chafity ? Upon this, the cardinal loft all patience, and obferved de- corum and management no longer. One remon- flrated againft the advancement of money, and one urged the quantum meruit ai the performance. Great propofals were made the duke, if he would come to Paris ; but he faw the net that was fpread for him, and refufcd peremptorily to undertake the journey. He knew the court of V'erfailles, and that court had known him before tuis peri- od ; for he did not ehufe, in the year 1636, to give precedence to Richelieu : and when he had his audience from the king, well confidering what honours v/ere due ta his birth, as prince of the houfe of Saxony, and fuppofed to defcend, by the Milnian branch, from the race Imperial, he thought proper to rankhimfelf on the fame foot- ing, upon which the French had lately placed the duke of Parma. (Memcires touchant Us Ambaffa- diurs, Ttm. i. p. 122.) This event was forefeen and dreaded ; but the miniftry did not care to lound his lentiments upon that topic, for fear of iiiggelling an idea to him, which perhaps had not •then found an entrance into his imagination, Truftmg therefore to pure chance, they thought it lafell to allow him admiffion without any pre- vious difcufa-in of difficulties. Of courfe, the moment the king covered himfelf, 1»e, with great compofure, put on his hat -. upon thus the eourt I was flruck dumb with aftonifhment; but there was no room at that time for open refentment, fince France needed more the duke'i aififtance, than the duke wanted her's. Upon occafictnj of a like nature, there were fome mifundcril.-indings too between him and Oxenftiern, to whom, after the king's death, he gave the lead with great reluflancej and it was in confequence of that unfortunate competition,, that he threw himfe'f into the arms of France. This heroic prince died in 1639, in the thirty fixth year of his age, having waged war againft* the emperor juft half that time. Upon the ap- proach of death he made his will, performed all the duties of a good Chriftian, and pronounced a dying fpeech to his officers on the fubjeft of expilations, avarice and military jealoufiei. Thefe brave men all ftied tears on the occafion. It was thought about that time he was entering in- to fome negotiation with the emperor ; but it is more probable, as I have obfervtd fully in ano- ther place, that he was attempting to carry on the grand projeft of marrying the unparalleled Amelia, landgravefs of Hefle-Caflel, wh« had jufl then quitted her weeds of widow-hood ; which alarmed the French minifter beyond all defcrip- tion. He complained of a fifli-fauce he had eaten. And if there be any thing difhonourable in that circumftance, it muft be attributed to Richehea. His body was full of livid fpots, which fome phyficians called the plague : the reader maft take that part of the probability, which agrees beft with his judgment. He bequeathed Rmvu, a poor miller's' horfe he always fought upon, to count Naflau, and his fword to Guebriant: he left colonel Ohem 3000 1. -and then devifed to Naffau, Refa, and Erbch, 2000 1. each, €00 1. -to his chaplain, and fomething confiderable to all his friends and domellics. He conftitured the four colonels above mentioned commanders of his army ppovifionally, till France and Swe- den (hould agree upon a proper general ; com- manders,! fay, of that very army, which Riche- lieu, by theine*ns of Erlach, feduced into the French interefts ; as he did alfo, the town and garrifof OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 347 a fecond was forced to quit him, as that too was grievoufly wounded. 163 1, The king, who had the quickeft eye to merit of any prince or general upon earth, gave him orders immediately to raife three regiments, and repair to the afliftance of the landgrave of Hefle ; yet gently repri- manded both him and Bauditzen, partly for afting without orders, and partly for expofmg their perfons with too much freedom. Happy, could he have pradlifed himfelf what he taught others with fo much affeftion, and fuch great clearnefs of reafoil ! Tilly now began to feel the manifeft fuperiority of Guftavus, and dif- covered at length, that it was equally in his power (I will not fay in: his choice) to a6t the offenfive or defenfive part -, being compofed and phlegmatic, vigorous and operative, precifely as fuch condu6l beft agreed with his prefent fituation. He learned moreover, by bitter experience, after having ferved upwards of fifty campaigns, and gained no lefs than fix and thirty battles, that a fuperior genius, with an army not half equal in number to that of the aflailants, cannot be compelled into a decifive a(5lion, except he chufes to embrace the offer. But be- fides all this, it was manifeft to Tilly, even in his own judgment, that the king greatly exceeded him in the methods of fubfifting an army, in the arts of entrenchment, and in the management of his artillery ; and for thefe reafons bent his thoughts from this moment to allure him to an engagement on plain ground. Conformably to this plan, he af- terwards fent him a romantic fort of a challenge, and defired to have the honour to difpute the fate of the empire with him in open field, drawing up his troops in fair battle-array at half a mile diftance from the Swedifh lines; but the king was referv^ed, and checked his natural ar- dour with great command of temper, for he expected Horn and Todt to join him with a re-inforcement of 14,000 men, drawn from the gar- rifons of Pomerania and Brandenburg. garrifon of Brifac. He beftowed on every other It is certaia, that M. de Turenne always ac- colonel that ferved under hira, looo 1. and hav- knowledged the duke de Weymar to have been ing ordered the foldicrs to take an oath to his preceptor in the art of war : and the prince their new leaders, bequeathed to each man a de Conde profefled the fame obligations to anor month's pay, which made upon the whole a fum ther difciple of Guftavus, namely, Gaffion. Me- notmuch lefs than 2o,ocol. Ihomce Carr, Tipfi- moires de la Farrc, p. 23, 24. raninjis, Itinerarium. Tern. xi. tap, 40. Y y 2 Mean 348 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 T. -Mean while, Tilly, cone6ting his judgment at the expence of lofmg 6coo men, the very flower of the Imperial army, in the two aftions^ lafl: recited, gave over, for the future, all thoughts of forcing his Swe- difli majcfty's intrenchments, and waited with impatience for the re- inforcements, that were ready to power upon him from all parts, in or- der to give the decifive fl:roke at once, expe6ling fuccefs from fome for- tunate unforefeen event, or hoping by the dexterity of his marches, and the frequency of fliifting from place to place, to furprize his majefty unprepared, and upon equal ground. For thefe reafons, and partly for want of provifions to fupport his army (whilft Gudavus drew food and forage in great plenty from the diflrift round Havelburg, not to men- tion the aflual arrival of Horn and Todt) he marched direftly to Halle, with an intention to take Leipfic, and compel tlie elector of Saxony to abjure the caufe of Sweden. But the king fagacioufly penetrated into thefe dcfigns, and having pafTcd the Elb at Wittemberg, joined the Saxons, as will appear hereafter ; whilft general Banier kept all open behind him, even to the Baltic ocean. Upon this, Tilly retired to Tangermund, and from thence to Magdeburg : and the king, not con- tenting himfelf to continue idle a Angle moment, requefted the ftates general of the United Provinces, by letter, not to difcharge their troops then in pay, but on the contrary exhorted them, to maintain them for the fafety of the contnient a little longer, or confign them to him *. And now, that we may not violate the connexion of our fubje(5l, we will refume our narrative for a fliort fpace backwards, taking notice of 4he expedition of the marquis of Hamilton from England, and con- cluding that piece of Britifli hiftory once for all, though it reaches till the middle of the month of September in the enfuing year. And though perhaps I may difagree with bifliop Burnet -|- in various places, yet I fliall cxprefs myl'elf v\'ith the fame candour, as if the author w'ere now living, and had the opportunity of perufmg thefe papers j fince it is ira- polfible to be too guarded, or too modeft, vvhen one reviews tlie per- formances of a writer, who can no' longer juftify himfelf. The marquis • Hiftorical Authentic Relation, fol. Part i. -f Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton. r "3- of OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 349 of Hamilton had the honour to be allied to the royal family, and was 1631. fo much efteemed by the queen of Bohemia for an attachment to her intererts, and a certain heroic gallantry in his difpofition, that (he treatsd him as a kinfman, an advifer, and a friend. But Charles I. had not fpirit enough, to levy and tranfport abroad a body of troops openly and avowedly for the reftitution of the Palatinate : of courfe he fupplied the marquis with money, and the means of raifing money underhand j and defired, indifcreetly enough, that Europe fliould con- fider him as a perfon removed entirely out of the queftion. This me- thod of proceeding feems to me to have arifen purely from timidity and irrefolution, even though it gives a contradidlion to that unhappy prince's paft condu6l : for certain it is, that he fent Sir Thomas Roe ambaffador to Guftavus merely upon the fubjeftot the German invafion, which faid public minifter continued at Stockholm till the month of June 1630 *. As he v/as a man of parts and fpirit, he greatly relifhed a Swedilli expedition into Germany, and upon all occafions informed his court, that Guflavus was an intrepid and judicious commander j one, who fuftained in his own perfon all the offices of foldier and flatefman, be- ing (to ufe his own words) Vir ad raagnas res (^ revolutiones ?wJus -f-. He reprefents farther, with no fmall uneafmefs, the ftrong neceffity of fupplying Guftavus with no uiconfiderable fums of money, in or- der to determine him to undertake the invafion, which at that time em- ployed his thoughts, and appears much difcontented left De Charnace fhould :J: conclude an agreement between Fi'ance and Sweden, and rob England of an honour, which appertained more properly to her. That Sir Thomas comprehended fully the true part he was to afl, may be inferred not only from the jealoufy he conceived againft De Charuace, (who performed that for France, vv'hich our countryman wiflied to efFe61: in behalf of his own nation) but from the regard Guftavus had for him, who honoured him with a prefent am.ounting to • Sir Thomas Roe i MS. papery. The aa- f Letter to the earl of Cariifie, Oftober 27, thor is indebted for fome excellent materials 1629. on this head to an extra£l communicated to J MS. leuer to lord, vifc unt Dorchetter,. him by his wonhy friend, the reverend Dr. fecretary of ftate, April zo-3e, 1630. Birch, the 350 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 T. the value of two thoufand five hundred pounds, efteeminghun doubt- lefs as the promoter and encourager of tlie German expedition *. This prcfent was accompanied with a letter from Oxenftiern, wherein are to be found tliefe remarkable words ; Sluce inter ms tnutuis coUoquiis ac dif- curjibus aSla funt rat lone belli a S. R. majefiate, domino meo- clement iJiniOy in Germaniam tran that I was the agent to bring that " brave- king into Germa y -|-." At length his Britannic majefty, amufed by reftlefs fliiftings to and fro, but not relieved, gave the marquis of Hamilton private inflru6lfons to levy .1 body of troops, and conduct them into Germany. Upon this tiie Scottifh nobleman difpatched colonel Alexander Hamilton +, (Chem- nitz' gives him that Chriftian name) brother to the carl of Hadinton, to the. king of Sweden, and employed afterwards David Ramfay on the fame errand the May following. Guftavus took the propofal in good part, and conveyed back immediately his own limitations and conditions of acceptance, of which (if lam allowed only to remark, with the above-cited hiflorian §, that the king referved to himfelf the lupreme power of command) the more material fubitance v^as as follows ; " That * London, Nov. 20, 1631. (Paper-Ofce.J Gnflavus ; Alexander, Ficderir, Jair.es, John, •f Auguft 16, 1631. Ibidem. and Hugh. The four former were knights. X Theie were five Hamiltons coJoneh under . ^ Chemnitius, Tom. i. p. ifo. ."as or2 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. " as the marquis had generoufly propofed to raife 6000 men at his own " cxpcnce, to be employed aganifl: the Imperiahfts, and any other ene- " mies of Sweden, it was highly proper, by way of preliminary, that the " intended place of landing fhould be firft fpecified ; that 4000 infantry «" (liould condufl him to the Swedifli army, or wherever his troops were *' to make an imprefTion -, and that this efcort was to be paid one whole " year at the Swedifli expence; that as the marquis fuppofes 2000 horfe " abfolutely necelTary for the protection of his infantry, expedients " JJ:oi/ld be foughf for, to procure fuch a number of cavalry ; that the " marquis ftiall not only have full command over this army in the " king's abfence, 3ut a counfellor Jhall be added to him, in order to render " his deliberations more expeditious, and lefs liable to objedlions : whatever " the marquis conquers jhall belong to Sweden, but the emoluments and " contributions fhall appertain to him and his army, provided, at the " fame time, that no outrages or extortions be committed. Laftly, the " /aid marquis and Ixis troops Jhall take an oath of fidelity to the croivn of " Siveden*:' ' '"' 1 have never feen the marquis's original propofals, which produced tliefe conditions and limitations on the part of his Swedifh majefty ; but there is a fpirit in the latter, and a political abiUty, which fliew Guftavus confidered not himfelf in the fituation of a fuppliant prince. Not one fyllable is mentioned in regard to the Palatinate, the only true and oftenfible objeft of Great-Britain's interference. Neverthelefs, it is probable, notwithftanding all that Burnet infinuates to the contrar}-, that the promife of an efcort, and the co-operation of 4000 men in Swedifh pay, was always intended (as will appear more fully by and by) becaufe it was afterwards realized, which the bifliop alloweth not. But as to the claufe relating to the addition of 2000 cavaliy to the marquis's infantry, it is conceived in fuch vague and indeterminate ex- preflions, namely, that, upon condition they fhould be found neceffary, expe- 'dieiits Jhall be fought for to procure them; that it appears to me, (and ought fo then to have been underftood) as a fort of offer merely even- tual, which die king intended to fulfil, or omit, as befl agreed widi f See the treaty at large in the /ffpendix. • ^ ' • ^ the OF G U S T A V U S A D O L P H U S; T 353 the exigencies of war. T'he joining of a cotinfellor (who probably 1 63 1 , was a man of the fvvord,) "iijith the marquis is a plain proof too, that it was never propofed, that tlie Biitifli general fhould have thtfupreme command: And that no coiiquejls fhould belong to him, or the parties whofe caufe he more immediately efpoufed, was a farther proof, that no operations of his could have any effe6l in procuring the recovery of the Palatinate. The laft article, that of taking the oath of fidelity to the croivn of Sweden, proves the leall exceptionable of any one, that is to be found in the whole colleftion ; yet even that gave fome additional weight to his majefly's power : nor is it ufually infilled upon, when a lelTer allied army co-operates with a larger body of troops : yet in this cafeGuftavus alked no more than he granted himfelf in relation to the garrifon, which he placed in Spandau. In the body of the treaty, I paffed over a circumftance, which at that moment feemed too minute for an hiftory of confequence ; but be- caufe in the courfe of making thefe remarks one cannot but be ftruck witli the independent fpirit, and fuperior air of authority in Guftavus, (not to mention the promptnefs and firmnefs of his mind, even at a time when he was greatly diftreffed, and requefting a favour) I mufl here juft obferve, that though the king had promifed the marquis bills of ex- change to buy ammunition, and had alfo agreed to provide him with a great number of mufquets, pikes and cannon-balls, and a certain quan- tity of iron and utenfils to make fome warlike inftruments of that noblem.an's own invention; yet in the fame paragraph it was alfo flipu- lated, that if the treaty then agitating at Dantzic betv/een the Swedes and Imperialifts fhould take efFe<5V, and a general peace be con- cluded, the marquis fliould refund to his majefly the particular fums of money, that had been expended upon thefe militaiy inflruments by way of preparation. Be that as it will, Guflavus chofe to prefcribe laws, and not receive them : and as he perceived the king of England wanted magnanimity to appear as he ought in fo glorious a caufe, he therefore chofe either to make him fubfervient, or not depend on him at all, there being no other alternative in the tranfaClion of an affair fo critical with an irrefolute monarch. Vol. I. Z z The 354 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. The March following, in the year 1631, the marquis at length, with the concurrence of the king his mafter, accepted of the above men- tioned propofals, and engaged to land his troops at the place ftipulated in the month of Jime next enfuing *. He commented a little upon liere and there an article, and made a few flight explanations and en- largements upon feveral paflages, to which no anfwer was returned, fo far as I can difcover at this diftance of time ; but nothing fyftematical was advanced upon the whole, nor any one objeflion duly urged againft thofe various claufes, which I have made my obfervations upon, as car- rying with them the marks not only of great ability, but of fuperior commanding authority in Gufl:avus. Neverthelefs, this omiflion rauft be referred to the king and his miniltry, as in truth it ought, and not to the marquis of Hamilton. Donald, lord Rea (whofe family name was Mackay) and David Ramfay, who both ferved in the Swedifli army, were now employed by Guftavus in Great-Britain to facilitate the turn of affairs in his behalf, and encourage the new general in raifing recioiits ; and on this account (in refpedl to fome words fpoken of the marquis) arofe that noted quarrel between them, which ended in an appeal to fmgle combat, au- thorifed by a royal commiflion -f-, concerning which all our hiftorians exprefs themfelves with fo much minutenefs^ that I fhall purpofely pafs it by without further notice. It is true bifliop Burnet gives them both • He left England July 1 6, touched at Ore- feparate command, and he had better employ- fund, and landed at Wolgaft the fecood and ments under Guftavus (being a colonel of two rc- third of Auguft. giments) than he could hope to obtain in the Bri- -f- At the day of trial, Ramfay called Rea tifli army. So that if there was any treafon at liar, and barbarous •villain, and, throwing down bottom, (which I no ways fufpefl) it certainly his glove, protefted, to gar him dy for lukat he lies at Ramfay's door, had /aid, if he had him in a place for that furpofe. The drefs of the appellant and defendant on the But Rea preferred an intire dominion over his day of trial was very conformable to the tafte of temper, 'and replied only, without figns of paf- chivalry at that time. Ramfay was cloached in fion and difcompofure, Mr. Ramf.iy, ive njcill not fcarlec, laced with filver fo thick, that the ground contend here ; anpwer my bill. Sanderfon's Hiftory ofthe cloth could hardly be fecii. The lining was of England, p. 167. a Iky-coloured plufti. Lord Rea was apparelled Upon the whole, it was improbable that Rea in black velvet with filver trimmings and but- fhould want to attach himfelf to the marquis tons, his fword hung in a fdver-embroidered any further than out of pure afFeftion to a no- belt ; and he wore the order of a Scottilh baro- bleman of his own country , for he knew the net about his neck, Jbid. king of Sweden would never allow Hamilton a extremely OF G U S T A V U S A D L P H U S. 355 extremely bad chara6lers, which reprefentation at this diHance of time 1631. it is not in my power to conti-adi6l. All I know of them is, they were foldiers of approved fervices, and Guftavus valued them both, efpecially the former; a circumftance many people will think fufhcient to confront an hearfay report, delivered down to us by a very able, but prejudiced hiftorian, who paints with great warmth, and fnatching one point of view finiflies his portrait, without confulting what particular lights and attitudes the fubjeil may admit of. In the fpring-months of the year 1631, Hamilton employed himfelf with great diligence to colleft an army ; and the caufe in itfelf was fo agreeable to the people of England and Scotland, that his drums foon drew together a confiderable number of troops, and many experienced officers flocked to him both from Holland and the Low-Countries. He then difpatched an agent, faith Burnet, to befeech Guftavus to order the efcort of 4000 men to be ready to join him on his firll landing in Germany; and, in cafefuch a body of forces could not be fpared, to fend him letters of exchange, whereby he might be enabled to levy the afore- faid number of men. On the other hand, as matters now drew near their crifis in the em- pire, (for the generals knew by the interpretation of each other's mo- tions, that a decifive battle muft foon happen) the king wrote feveral prelTing letters to the marquis, conjuring him to complete his levies, and embark with all poffible expedition. At the fame time lord Rea was fent into Denmark and Holland to raife recruits ; and a like com- miffion was given to colonel Farenbach, concerning whofe defigns on the king's perfon we have fpoken more dillinilly in another place *. This bold and unaccountable adventurer (who had orders likewife to pafs into England, and collect troops there) received his majefty's money to raife four regiments, and then very myfterioufly difoppearcd, and re- turned to the Imperial fervice, where he had borne command under the emperor Mathias, and thence palled into the fervice of Sigifmond king of Poland. • Vide fupra, p. 43. Z Z 2 It 356 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. it is more than probable, that thefe regiments were intended to join Hamilton ; for the countries, in which they were to be raifed, lay near the place, where the junflion was propofcd to be formed. Their num- ber likewife correfponded with the number of troops promifed ; for as a Swedifti regiment then contained 1008 men, of courfc this body of foldiers amounted precifely to the due contingent, with an addition only of two and thirty perfons more than were mentioned in the ftipulation. Nor could Guftavus expect any ufe or afliftance from thefe new-raifed recruits, but upon fuppofition they were to unite themfelves with the marquis ; and then both thefe little armies might render themfelves fu- perior to infiilts, and march on to their place of deftination conform- ably to the king's orders. For 4000 men, raifed in Holland, Frizeland, and Bremen, unfupported by the Britifh troops, could not, without un- common good fortune, have joined the king or Banier; inafmuch as Tilly lay between them and the former, and Pappenheim and Boning- haufen betwixt them and the latter. Thefe are little remarks, which tend much to the explanation of hiftory, and cannot eafily be made, except one underftands the fubje61: thoroughly, and knows precifely what each general was about, and where every body of troops was ftationed at a certain period. By this time Guftavus began to find great inconveniencies in the fi- tuation of his affairs, inafmuch as Charles was fo extremely cautious in the declaration of his good intentions. And upon this occafion, the proteftant princes in Germany put on a cold, referved, and ambiguous air, refle6ling (not without wifdom) how extremely dangerous any ar- mament, or the publication of any one fimple memorial, might prove to them, when the king of Great-Britain, environed by the fea, and re- moved at fo confiderable a diftance from every ill efFeft, that could pro- ceed from the houfes of Auftria and Spain, prefumed only to a6l be- hind the fcene, and guarded himfelf under the poflibility of havii^g re- courfe to fubterfuges and excufes. Befides, they difcovered plainly, that as he declared not boldly and avowedly for them, he was to be under- ftood as afting to a certain degree againft them. Upon tliis account Guflavus preffed hard, by the means of Camerarius his ambaffador in Holland, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 357 Holland, and Salvlus his agent at Hamburg, to bring Charles into an 1631. expKcit and open treaty, by which 10,000 men (to be paid by Great- Britain) were to be added to the marquis's army, and the efcort above- mentioned : over all which troops the marquis, in cafe thefe propolhls were accepted, was then to be declared general in chief, with this fub- fequent proviflon, that no peace fhould be concluded with the emperor, till the ele6lor Palatin was re-inftated in his patrimonial dominions. Charles liftened to thefe propofals with an air of approbation, allowing himfelf at the fame time to be cajoled interchangeably between tlie Auftrian and Spanifh miniftry : but inftead of confenting in a compen- dious manner, (which fmgle ftroke of politics, not uncommonly bold, would have crufhed all the ambitious projefVs formed at Vienna and Munich, and produced in fliort time the final refloration of the Palati- nate) he promifed, in imitation of his father, to fend an ambaflador to finifh the agreement. Whether any fuch minifter went merely at that time, and on that errand, is more than I can take upon me to afTert. Henry Vane was charged with a public commiflion to Guftavus, about half a year afterwards : but the critical opportunity had then vanifhed, and the ele6tor of Saxony had declared for Sweden. On July 16. the marquis, after having reviewed tiis troops, fet ^ail from Yarmouth with a fleet of forty fhips. In his way he flopped at Elfmoiir, and went alhore to deliver letters from his mafter, in order to obtain a free paflage, and pay his refpe<5ls to that venerable warrior, Chriftian, king of Denmark. Guftavus had appointed him to land at Bremen, and had difpatched thither Lefly (afterwards earl of Lieven) to negotiate with the archbifhop concerning the means of fupplying the Englifh army with provifions j and it was well known, that he amalTed great quantities of bread and beer from Bremen and Hamburg. But when the marquis found, that the efcort of 4000 men had not been fent him, according to promife, and that the enemy's troops covered a large tr&R of country betvv^een him and the grand Swedifli camp, he thought pro- per, from his own impulfe, having juft touched at Orefund, to pro- ceed onwards in his voyage, and landed in the mouth of the Oder, be- tween Wolgaft and the ifle of Ufedom j at which Guftavus was greatly piqued, 35 8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ] ?6i. piqued, for the arclibifliop of Bremen privately favoured the Swedlfli caufc ; and as the Imperial troops were but weak in, and near that di- ocefe, he wanted above all things to carve work for Tilly on the banks of the Wefer, and divert him from marching into Saxony*. But Bur- net either knew nothing of the king's reafons for being angry, or kept them a fccret. Indeed I cannot fay there was any confiderable body of Swedifh troops tlien in Bremen; but Lelly, governor of Stralfund, appeared there in perfon by his maftcr's orders. Todt likewife, and Banier, lay at fome dillance with no contemptible armies; and all the world knows, Gufta- vus was too good a general to run the rilk of facrificing fuch a brave body of allies, by leaving them in a forlorn and defencelefs flate. Mean while, Lefly was not a little aftonilhed to fee the king's plan broken in the very fiift flep the marquis took, (who determined immediately to hoift fails, and pafs onwards into Pomerania :) therefore, without cere- mony, he embarked in a fmall veflel for Stetin, and thence haftened by land to the king, in order to know what frefh refolutions he would be pleafed to take upon the deftru6lion of his original defign. His ma- jefty, from that moment, difliked the marquis for not placing a due confidence in him ; but having the talent never to be furprized with the breaking forth of any new incident, he changed his plan in an inllant, and deftined the Britifli troops to ferve on the banks of the Oder inftead of the Wefer. The fame of this little army, whofe numbers were trebly magnified, ftruck great terror into the Imperial troops, and contributed more than can be well imagined, to the obtaining the battle of Leipfic : for Tilly thought himfelf obliged to detach fix or feven thoufand men into Silefia, to ftrcngthen his army there, and re-inforce feveral garrifons on the occafion ; the want of which foldiers greatly diflrefied him, when the decifive hour of a6lior\ arrived. The marquis landed 6000 men, Englifn and Scottifli, all in high fpirits and florid health, for only two had died during the voyage. This diminutive army confifted of four regiments^ each of which contained * Chcmnidiu de Bdlo Sueco-Gcinun. Tom. i. 160. ten OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 359 ten companies, and eveiy company amounted to 150 men*. Burnet, 163 1. ■who makes a facrifice of Guftavus's chara6ler in order to aggrandize that of his hero the marquis, no where allows, that the ftipulated efcort of 4000 Swedes joined the EngUfh after their landing. But this miflake arofe either from ignorance or defign ; for 4000 Swedes joined him, according to flipulation-f-, which arrived fome few days after the re-inforcement, that the queen brought j and then the combined troops marched firfl to Stetin, and afterwards into Silefia, where Horn lay at that time, and whom Banier replaced. It is true, numbers of the Englifli periflied by eating of the German bread, which is heavier, darker-coloured, and fourer than that of their own country : they fuffered too by an immoderate fondnefs for new ho- ney, of which they found great abundance in thofe parts ; nor did the German beer agree with their conftitutions. They came frefli likewife into a country, that had been ravaged by the peftilence. Of courfe this body of troops proved but of little fervice in the fequel of the war. For they were new-raifed recruits, the very ofF-fcouring of the people ; and, in order to juftify this aflertion, it muft be obferved, that Guftavus had no intention to make ufe of them upon trying occafions, and about his perfon, till they had been better feafoned and difciplined in the art of war. The magnificence of Hamilton's table, his equipage, and liveries, ap- peared to have more the air of a prince, than of a fubje6l. He had forty gentlemen's fons, by way of pages and volunteers, and a body of guards, which amounted to 200 men. He was received in the camp at Werben (for thither he went without his army) in a manner the mofl affeftionate and moft polite, that can be conceived. Guftavus made him a thoufand apologies, for the barenefs and fcantinefs of the quarters allotted to his troops ; and having conferred with him many hours in private, fliewed him the difpofitions he had made in order to give Tilly a foldier-like reception. By this time the Britifli troops were advanced to the banks of the Oder, and thither the marquis haftened to take the * ChemnitiusdeBelloSueco-German. Tom. i. -f- Swedilh Intelligencer, Part i. p. 1C9. 160. command 360 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE lO" I. command of them upon himfelf * ; but never could obtain the power of being declared general in chief, when the junflion was to be fornicd betwixt him and the Swcdifli commander; that honour being ftrenu- oufly denied him, except his Britannic majcfty fliould think fit to add io,oco frefh men, conformably to the propofal lately made by Gufta- vus, which we mentioned tranfiently as we pafled along. Some little time after the decifive engagement at Leipfic, the king ordered the marquis to fupply the deficiency amongfl his Britifh troops with German recruits, for the expences of which he promifed to be- come refponfible ; and from thence we may infer, that his Britannic ma- jefty only fent an army into Germany, but was not extremely punctual in remitting the payment that belonged to it. Soon after this, the mar- quis received inftru^tions to quit the banks of the Oder, and make what acquifitions he could in Silefia : but his army, from caufes above afTigned, was reduced to little more than two complete regiments ; and what was worfe, had fubfifled ever fmce its arrival, in countries half depopulated by peftilence, and where the provifions had been twice confumed by ene- mies and friends : nor could he, in this new expedition, obtain more than 500 auxiliary troops to co-operate with him. Neverthclefs, he and his Britons were delighted with the thoughts of making an inva- fion into Silefia, a duchy -j- extremely fertile in itfelf, and little, if at all, impoverifhed by the preceding wars. He had there the good fortune to raife the fiege of Groflen, which was more eafily effeded, as mofl of the inhabitants were proteftants. He then took Gubcn (the fecond and bell- peopled town in Lower Lufatia) by furprize ; and had probably maftered Glogau |. next, if Guftavus, for political reafons, had not recalled him ; * Monro's Second Expedition, Part ii. 52, 53. J This town gives name to a confiderable ■\ Some modern writers have afiured us, that duchy, which the emperor had conferred onWal- thl; duchy, which is about 240 miles long by ftein, as a remuneration ic part for his great fer- 60 broad, more or lefs, contains 100 well peo- vices, Walftein had fitted up the caille with his plod cities and towns, 353 fmall market towns ufual magnificence. There is one particularity and larger villages 4C00 gentlemen's houfcs, in- in this duchy ; the daughters inherit prefe-ably to eluding 8(13 caillts, and an infinite number of the collateral males. The prefcnt princefs of little tillages and hamlets. The reader is dcGred Furftenberg, Jas the prince her hufband informed not to take tln< account upon my authority, for me) is an heircfi of the houfe of Walftein. the computation appears to me to be exaggerated. at OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 361 at the fame time giving him to underftand, that the eIe6lor of Saxony 1631^ had undertaken to make the conqueft of Silefia, as that province lay moft convenient for him. The Scottifli nobleman was tranfported with rage, to fee hlmfelf obliged to quit fo plentiful a country. He had once a mind to have continued there in oppofition to his majefly's orders ; but that defign would have amounted to nothing, for the Swedifli commanders in the feveral garri- fons, had authority given them, in cafe of his obftinacy, not to ac- knowledge him as an ally. If this condu6l of Guftavus fhould chance to puzzle the reader, he will upon a moment's rcfle6lion difcover, that the Swedifli policy was not amifs in this refped : for as no explicit com- pact had been made about re-inflating Frederic, either as ele6lor Palatin or king of Bohemia ; and as Silcfia belonged to the crown of Bohemia in the light of an incorporated and annexed province, Guflavus wife- ly forefaw, that what the Englilh conquered there, would be fuppofed by that nation to be conquered for the Palatin's ufe -, and that it was much more plaufible and political too, to turn their force another way, than to difpoifefs them. Befides, his fcheme was not to contfa6l for the refto- ration of Frederic (though he had that event lincerely and really at heait) till Charles thought fit to engage more avowedly and flrenuoufly in the war, and advanced larger and more regular fupplies of men and money. Hamilton therefore, with manifefl ill will, marched to Magdeburg at the head of 1 500 national troops, and 2000 or more German infan- try, which he had levied conformably to the orders of the king of Swe- den, and at his expence. His inflru6lions were to join Banier, who conduced about the fame number of troops, and co-operate with him in forming the blockade of the aforefaid city, about fix months after Tilly had taken it by florm. There was little good to be expelled from this projefl, for the foldiers within and under the walls (not to mention out-guards and advanced parties) were almoft as numerous as thofe, that invefled the avenues of the town ; fo that the mofl Guflavus could propofe, (except fome fmgular piece of good fortune fhould chance to prefent itfelf ) was to reduce the garrifon, and the troops encamped A a a under ri < , THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE r Hie walls, to tlie ftraits of hunger, and preclude them from iOg excurfions and levying contributions round the country. And now the marquis's refentment was thoroughly awakened j for he found, that Banier not only affe6lcd the fuperior command, but was de- termined to pofTefs it; for he carried the king's authority in his pocket, to be produced and ufed, in cafe difputes fliould proceed to extremity. Upon this, coldnefs and refervednefs foon gave birth to expoftulations and recriminations; at length their reciprocal ill-will to each other amounted to a mortal hatred, and each would have been glad to have facrificed his antagonifl: to private pafiion; for Banier, who was ex- tremely well born,, would not bate the marquis one jot in the articles of pride, and felf-opinion : not to mention, that he confidered himfclf (and juftly too) as one of the ableft generals then in Europe. And though the marquis pofTeffed all the gallantry, magnificence, and perfonal bra- very, that ought to adorn the man of quality ; yet he was then only entered' into the twenty fourth or twenty fifth year of his age, and for that reafon GuftavuS) in the original draught of the articles between them, chofe to* annex an advifer or counfellor, that is, in other words, an elder general, with him in the military command. In vain the Britifh nobleman pre- ferred remonftrance after remonftrance, in order to obtain the fupreme direction of tlie armies : it was told him by Guftavus, that the contrary- pra6tice was highly expedient to the public fervice; and in confequence of this declaration, letters were difpatched to London, befeeching Charles t-o recommend the do6lrine of fubordination to his general, and ex- horting him likewife to trajifmit the pay of the troops, not to the mar- quis of Hamilton, but to the king of Sweden: which propofals were agreed to, as fome hiflorians.afTert*. In the courfe of thefe refentments, the marquis behaved in a very fpi- rited manner againft Banier, who, contrary to the judgment of his Britifli coUegue, had dechned giving Pappenheim battle, who then ad- vanced in order to raife the blockade of Magdeburg. Banier produced- bis orders not to hazard the Swedifh and German troops, and immedi- * High Dutch Hiflorical and Authentic Relation, Part i, p, IT3. ately OF G U S T A^V U S A D O L P H U S. T j6j ately commanded a retreat to be founded. The truth was, wh^ch ei- 163 1» ther Burnet knew not, or chofe to fupprefs, that Boninghaufen, after an obflinate conflict, had thrown 1300 men into the town. Banier then paffed the Sala, and befought the marquis to do the fame, who refufed him pofitively, being affured by Sir Jacob Aftley, as an eye-witnefs, that the pafs, through which he was to march his divifion, was fo fecurc and fo defenfible, that he might purfue his journey at a quarter of an hour's notice, and give defiance to all Pappenheim's attacl^s. Be that as it will, Pappenheim in truth (whofe army was much weaker than that of the combined nations, though it was always his policy to double the number of his men in common reports) had no other obje6l in view, than to raife the blockade and carry off the garrifon, v\'hich amounted to 3000 well difciplined troops : not to mention fuch bodies of foldiers as were flationed in flrong pofls and important palfes round the town. Thus ended the campaign of 1 63 i , with refpeft to the marquis, who paid a vifit to the king, and was received with great cordiality and politenefs. And now, about the middle of September, 1632, Henry Vane arrived at Wurtzburg in his ambafiadorial capacity. His propofals were, that Guftavus fliould give the marquis a feparate army, and a feparate com- mand ; and that the faid army, conjointly with fuch troops as might hereafter be fent from England, and in co-operation with fuch as were levied and fupported with Englifh money, fhould acl uniformly and un- ceafingly for the recovery of the Palatinat. But Guftavus took the matter in a higher tone than he had made ufe of formerly ; fo that Vane and he parted upon very ill terms : in confequence whereof, he decUned giving the marquis a commiflion to levy a new army, and excufed him^ felf from paying the money, that was expended in Silefia to form a bo- dy of recruits there ; and Oxenftiern told the Britilh general, with fome warmth, tlaat he had received great fums from Charles his mafter, and mufl not pretend to amufe them with an account of injuries committed on his own private fortunes. Thus that nobleman, as early as the month of April, in the year we are now fpeaking of, found himfelf to be neither a general nor even a colonel, for his whole corps was reduced to one EngUfli regiment and Aaa 2 one 364 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. one Scottidi. Bcllandin, afterwards created a peer, commanded one, and Hamilton, brother to the earl of Hadinton, condufled the other : both which regiments being incorporated into duke Bernard's army, the marquis contented himfclf to follow Guftavus as a volunteer. His Britannic majefly made an indifl:in<5l reply to all this embroilment which Oxenftiern's rough fpeech had occafioned : he gave the money as king, and did not give the money as king; he ferved the Swedes openly, and he ferved them clandeftinely. The marquis in one light was ac- countable to the nation, and in one light was not accountable to the na- tion. But the poftfcript of one of the king's letters at this period con- tains fomething pretty extraordinary. The words are thefe ; " I hope fhortly you will be in a poflibility to perform your promlfe *' concerning piiSlures and ftatues at Munechen (Munich) : therefore *' now, in earneft, do not forget it." Now as this letter bears date April 30, 1632 *, it is plain the king of Sweden had entered Bavaria, and even pafTed the Lech almoft a month before it was written. The caft therefore of it, as Charles by this time began to be fully afTured that the whole deflorate would be more or lefs fubjefted to a kind of military decimation, may be under- ftood by many, as obliquely fuggefting (for the king knew well the pe- digree and excellence of every good piflure and flatue in the grand col- ledlion at Munich) that fome few of thefe curiofities might be treat- ed conformably to the fcience of true virtuofo-fhip.— Whatever appearance the thing may have, I fhall prefume to fay nothing on the occafion ; and if the bare mention thereof had not fallen immediately and elTentially within the courfe of my narrative, I fhould have pafTed by a circumftance relating to a prince, whom, in the charafter of a re- ftorer, and proteclor of the fine arts, every man of tafle ought for ever to refpeft. Neverthelefs the fcheme or idea, whatever it might be, was in all probability rendered abortive by a peremptory difapproba- tion on the part of Guftavus ; which one cannot affeft to be for- ry for, fince the Trenks and Mentzels of our own age, when they made an irniption into Bavaria at the head of a rapacious band of • Memoirs by Burnet, p, zz, Croatian s, OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS: 365 Croatians, Pandours, and Talpatches, made no hefitation to pafs by an 1632I aftion fo tranfcendantly Gothical, Non obfufa adeo gejlabant peBora Pcsniy Nee tarn a'verfus equos Tyriis foljunxit ah oris. Much more happened at this time with reference to Great-Britain (wherein the marquis was partly concerned) and his Swedifh majeflyj but that will prefent itfelf more naturally, when we fhall undertake to give a full account of Sir Henry Vane's embafly. It may fuffice, there- fore, to conclude with obferving, that fome months before the above mentioned embroilments had taken their rife from Oxenftiern's warmth of temper, Charles had conceived a flrong inclination to recall the mar- quisi perceiving plainly, that he flood on no good footing with Gufta- vus, and that there was little hope of procuring for him a feparate com- mand'; and as he bad, in common with his father, a mighty itching for new negotiations, vifionary projedls, and temporary expedients, he pro- pofed to his general, to fend him with a new army into the Lower Pa- latinate, in order to aflift the French, who had promifed to conquer it, and confign it into his hands by way oi depofitum; though at the fame time he adds, that he cannot confider French promifes as matters of authenticity. Nor did he judge amifs in this refpeftj for as thefcheme .was chimerical, fo it ended in nothing. And now the chancellor Oxenftiern propofed a frefh league, offenfive and defenlive, between Sweden and England, in a higher tone of lan- guage, and under exceptions and limitations much more fevere, than - had been expreifed in the laft offer he made: for there the power of concluding peace was to be vefted reciprocally in each contra6ling party, but here it was to refide entirely in his Svvedifli majefly's breaft. As this fingle affumption of prerogative caufed the whole ftate of the queftion to vary, Vane and he parted with much malignity. The marquis peti-- tioned for a new army, and Guftavus amufed him with a new delay. He urged remonftrance upon remonftrance ; but all was vain. Gufla- vus fpoke of Charles, his brother-king, in terms of angqr and bitter- nefs,.but at the fame time told the marquis, that he was thoroughly !• fenfible^' 366 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE I (,^2. fcufible of hisfcrvices; and at all diftances, and in all places, fliould confider him as one, that peculiarly appertained to him. Upon this, the Englifli general (all propofals being thus rendered incompatible on cither fide) relpeftfuUy took his leave at Neuftadt, about the middle of September, 1632, fix weeks before the king's death, being efcorted four miles by all the Engliih and Scottifli officers in the Swedifli fervice ; and taking with him the colonels Sir James Hamilton and Sir James Ram- fey (which latter was fumamed the fair) as alfo the valiant Colonel Hep- burn, who, as we fliall obferve hereafter, in fpite of all reprefentations and applications, never could be induced to forgive the king the af- front, real or imaginary, which lay upon his fpirits. In a word, as mat- ters flood upon this difagrceable footing between the fovereigns of Great-Britain and Sweden, one cannot blame the marquis for declining die poft of volunteer for life. Neverthelefs, his few remaining foldiers entertained no thought, that their general, or their country, had been ill ufed, for they all incorporated themfclves into the Swedifta fervice; nor did the Scots iri particular (the moft jealous of any people in Europe, with refpect to national affronts) ever withdraw themfelves from Guf- tavus's enfigns upon this occafion, though at that time three or four of them were officers of the field {zs the language then ran) and upwards of twenty ferved the king in the capacity of colonels; not that fo many occur in the courfe of my hiftory, for fome a6led in feparate armies un- der Oxenftiern, Horn, Banier, and others, and fome were quartered in Livonia and Sweden *. Thus ended the fortunes of the feparate army, chiefly Englifli, which the marquis commanded ; whereas, if Charles had made a bold and ex- plicit treaty at fii-ft, in his own name, and authorized it by regal fanc- tion and that of a parliament ; if a proper fund had been fettled for the fupport of thefe auxiliary troops, and a Britifli commiflary been fent to pay them weekly or monthly ; if the difpofal of all vacant commif- fions had been vefted in the national general, and him only; then Charles, I fay, might have made points of the recovery and refl:oration of the Palatinate. He might have employed his own foldiers in that par- * Monro's E.xjiedicicn. ticular OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 367 ticular deftination ; he might have flattered the peculiar partiality of 1 63 r. his fubje6ls, by giving them a commander of their own ifland. And had he infifted upon this, and many other points of a hke nature, at that time, when affiflance would have come with its true grace, and at a proper feafon, certain it is and undeniable, that Guflavus and Oxen- ftiern would have embraced his propofals with uncommon joy. But the misfortune of our king was, that he often faw and did what was right J but was always unlucky both in the manner of propofing, and the time of performing. But to return to our German part of the hiflory. Whilft Guftavus lay intrenched within the angle, which is formed by the confluence of the Elb and Havel, and as he was walking on the banks of one of thefe ri- vers, all alone, in a meditating mood, conformably to his ufual cufliom ; he was furprized with the voices of ten or twelve young cavaliers, who were talking with a great deal of vivacity, and feemed to fliape their courfe towards the Swedifli quarters. The king difpatched a centinel or two to fummon them to him; but as thefe volunteers talked neither German nor Swedifli, they could only anfwer by figns. Guftavus guefs- ing their errand, fpoke to them very politely in Latin, and offered to • incorporate them that very day into the beft body of troops then in the- fervice. For it was remarkable in this prince, that he ftudied the phy- fiognomy, and watched the condu6l, of every young man of fafliion, that carried arms under him, and afked the refpeftive colonels every day, what fort of turn of mind, and what kind of military genius they dif- covered in thefe nev/ adventurers, during their apprenticefliip in the art of war. Nor was this all; for he often converfed with the meaneft of his foldiers^ and knew numbers of them by their names. Having well- analyzed the characters of thefe new volunteers in his own mind, he conceived a veiy favourable opinion of one of them, and prefented him foon aftervirards with two fine war-horfes, faying at the fame time, Sir, I do not give them yon ; / only pay you for the merit I fee you have. This young man was Gafllon, afterwards marechal of France, one of the moft intrepid and enterprizing warriors of that age*. Ths king gave him • Gjllion, John, bad the good fortune; though a protellant, to arrive to the honour of being a^ marechal . 36S THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. liiin a variety of employment, made him a fort of brigadier in his own regiment of guards, deftined liim for the fliarpeft fervices, and honoured him with a great fliare of his private confidence *. In one of thofe def2)erate rencounters, which happened almoft every day between the two contending armies, his majefty recommended him very particularly to the care of the commander of the party. Gaflion had tlie good fortune to take a German officer prifoner, a young man of con- fidcrable eftate and quality : and as ranfoms at that time ran very high, v.'ith refpe£l to people of fafhion, Guftavus gave the whole profit to the young Frenck7v.an, as he ufed to call him ; and was greatly pleafed, when Gaffion told him, that he liked the air and manners of his prifoner fo well, tliat, poor as he was, he was determined to forgive him all the debt, provided the faid officer would do him the favour to inflrutt him in the Swedifli and German languages, that thereby he might be the •better enabled both to give and receive commands. Upon this event, in concurrence with fome other promifing indications, Guftavus in a few days conceived fo high an opinion of Gaffion, that he ordered liim to come privately on horfe-back to his tent at midnight, where, after fome lliort difcourfe, he fent him out on an expedition of confequence, which was conduced by the baron Teiiffel, one of his favourite colonels. By this time the affair of Werben received its conclufion ; w'here Tilly found himfelf greatly exceeded, not only in the military art, but in the methods of encampment and fubfifting an army. In vain he boafted of having defeated and ruined two kings, and that he fhould crufli a third, who was but a young man, with inconfiderable difficulty; but the event did not juftify the rodomontade. True it is, he attacked Guftavus more times than one, but was never able to carry his point. He allured marechal of France. He ferved firft in the Ge- fented himfelf to the king of Sweden. Riche- noefe war, under the conftable Lefdiguieres ; lieu mortally hated the abrupt impetuofities of afted afterwards with the duke de Rohan, in this officer ; and being advifed one day to con- Langucdoc, and bore a (bare through all the cam- fer the command of Rantzau's army upon him, paigns in Savoy and Piemont, till the peace of replied haftily in the negative, / know Rar.tTMu Querafque was concluded. He then conceR-ed gets drunk fometimes, but Gojffttn waj born drunk. a defire of alking a command under the em- See more in Folard, Tom. i. 229. peror, but the marechal de Thoiras dilTuaded * Hift. du Marechal Gaffion (par Michael le Jjim; and in the 23d year of his age, he pre- Pure) Tom. i. 45, &c. iiim OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 369 him to a final decifion upon plain ground: but the king kept his port 1631.' vvitli inflexible firmnefs ; for, though naturally brave and jealous of af- fronts to the higheft degree, yet he had too great a game at ftake to allow the congenial warmth of his temper to get the better of his fedate refle<5lion : and as it was now no time to indulge a romantic gallantly, he fubmitted patiently to become an objefl of aftonifliment to his own troops, whofe ardour, as we obferved before, he could but barely fup- prefs upon this trying occafion. Neverthelefs, that he might the better convince his officers, and compofe their minds by force of argument, he convened a council of war (a practice not very conftant with him) the night before Tilly attacked him, and there explained his whole plan to his generals, with fuch fuperiority of reafoning, that every perfon re- tired to his tent not only with acquiefcence, but with entire fatif- fadtion. At length the Imperial general, unable to force an engagement, and unwilling to fee his troops perifla by hunger, made a march by way of feint, as if he propofed to return to Magdeburg. But the king was not to be allured from his well-chofen fituation. He remained firm in his poft, and allowed his enemy to make what motions he thought beft on that fide of his empire. This coolnefs of the king difappointed Tilly, and mortified him likewife ; and at length, not knowing well what fteps to purfue, he pointed his courfe in earned, firft to Tangermund *, and then to Einflcben, a town famous for its magnificent Gothic tombs cre6led to the honour of the counts of Mansfelt-f-, but more renowned for being known to be Martin Luther's place of nativity. During thefe tranfaflions the landgrave of Heflc-CalTel, amongft whofe fubje6ls at that time the general Tilly fomented a re- • This well peopled town lies at the confla- f The fm.Jl county of Mansfelt was fequef- •nce of the Elb and Tanger. Ciiarles IV. had tered in ij/C, and continues under fequedration a fcherae to make it a commercial depofitary be- to this very day. Part belongs to Saxony, and tween Bohemia and Lower Saxony, and from part to Brandenburg. The prefent prince of thence to extend its communication to the Nor- Mansfelt poflefTes a few bailywics, which hap- thern fea; and if death had not cut fhort this pened not to be recited in the fcquellration, and emperor's projeft, perhaps Tangermund had exercifes fome rights, principally confiftorial ones, been precifely what Hamburg now is. over the county. Vol. I. B b b volt, 37° THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. volt*, implored the proteflion and afllflance of Guflavus, who received him with peculiar gracioufncfs ; and, after the conclufion of a treaty be- tween them, difmifl'ed him with a rc-inforcement of three complete re- giments, commanded by duke Bernard of Sax-Weymar, who, when he had joined the Heflian troops at Caflel, made a very profitable irrup- tion into the chapter lands of the convent of Hirfchfeld -f-, and fhaping his courfe from thence to Fulda :{:, conftrained the abbot to fubmit ta a redemption from plunder, and then raifed, by way of contribution, 2000 1. from a neighbouring prelate in the electorate of Mentz. The treaty abovementioned (the full fubftance whereof, in reference to the contradling powers on either fide, Chemnitius has thought it highly expedient to preferve ||) may be confidered as the ground-work, upon which Guftavus, and the German princes, all erected their future alliances. The main draught of it had been contrived and reduced to articles many months before, but it never arrived to any actual conclu- fion, till now at Werben. Upon this, Fugger, watch-mafter general of the army of the league, with a view to hinder the landgrave from infufmg fpirits into the electo- rate of Saxony, by declaring fo explicitly in behalf of Guftavus, ad- vanced with ten regiments, that had been raifed by the faid league, as • High Dutch Hiftorical Authentic Relation, mate of all the German abbies. After his elec- Part. i. 114, 1 1 J. tion, he pays the pope, his only eccleCailical f Thefe lands were fecularized at the peace fuperior, the inconfiderable fum of about 40 1. of Munfter, and being eredled into a principa- The pope in 1727 allowed him the power of Ijty, were conferred on the landgrave of Hefle- caufing himfelf to be chofen fuiEagan or vicar Caflel by way of indemnification for the ex- general. All the members of his abbey (\^hicb penccs, which the war had occafioned to him, is of the Benediftin order) mull be aeile ; and and his family. in them is veiled the power of eleflion. The % The abbacy of Fulda is about ninety miles abbot in Gullavus's time, [Bernard Schenk cho- ovcr either way. The abbot is more powerful fen March 12, ifi;}! made no ceremony of than many bifhops, and hath difputed prece- cloathing himfelf in nrmour, and following the dence formerly with the archbifhop of Magde- fortunes of Tilly and Walftein, w.is killed at burg and the bifhop of Hildefheim. But fince the battle of Lutzen not very glorioufly, for thofe alterations, he hath been allowed (in or- having mounted the flair-cafe of the wind-mills, der to prevent uneafineffee) to fit in the diet at that flood at fome diflance from the main adion, the foot of the Imperial throne. He is a prince (and which are to be fcen at this moment) he of the empire, and by virtue of being high had his head flruck oil by a cannon-ball, chancellor to the emprefs, hath a right to cro. n |{ Tom. i. pag, 162, is'c. See the Jpfendix, ker in quality of firft ofScial. He is alio pri- far OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. far as Vacha in Lower-Hefle : but not confiding over-much in new- raifed troops, he adventured firft to try the talents of his party in the perfuafive way, and fent letters from Tilly to the ftates of the province, exhorting them to malce amends for the indifcretion of their prince by a prompt and voluntary return to the emperor. Count Furftenberg at the head of a good body of Imperialifts, having compelled the ciiclcs of Suabia and Franconia to renounce the conclujions agreed upon at Leipfic, meditated another irruption into Heffe on the fide of Fulda ; but the ftorm foon blew over, for the latter general received counter-orders to march and join Tilly, and carried with him forty-one troops of horfe, and thirty-five companies of foot. Tieffenbach formed another corps for the fame purpofe out of the garrifons of Silefia and Lufatia, and John, baron Aldringer *, with all poffible expedition marched an army of 8000 371 1631. • Born of obfcurc parents in the county of Luxemberg, was originally valet de chambre, and then fecretary to a French nobleman, but rofe at length, upon Cratz's being fuperfeded, to the fupreme command of the Bavarian ar- my. He applied himfelf extremely to reading, and was employed in the chancery at Trent : but as he was a man of prompt and enter- prizing parts, his collegues foon conceived a jealoufy againft him, and counterworked and traverfed him fo much, that in a rage, (con- formably to the fuperftition of thofe times) he quitted his employment, and determined to take up the profeffion of the firft man he met upon the road. In his way to Infpruch, he lighted on a foldier croffing a bridge, and marched with him into Italy. Kis pen rendered him very ferviceable in the regiment wherein he enlifted, and foon raifed him to a lieutenant's command ; and as at the head of fifty men he defended a poft to admiration, he was chofen by a nephew of the archbifhop of Saltzburg to be his military direftor, and advanced by him to the place of ferjeant-major. He then rofe to the office of colonel (an employment of great importance and honour in thofe days, fome colonels having commanded a body of twelve or fifteen thou- fand men ;) and in the year 1630 had, upon the B b death of Colalto, the chief direftion of affairs before Mantua in conjunftion with Gallas. He was the beft debater of that age in a coun- cil of war, and was thought neceflary in Bava- ria to compofe the mifunderftandings between that court and Vienna. He had the misfor- tune to be wounded in the head at the paffage of the Lech, being then a general, and grand mailer of the artillery. The fame campaign he joined Walftein in Bohemia, notwithftand- ing all the efforts, that were made againft this junftion, but returned to Bavaria to oppofc Horn. His beft exploit as a general (after my period of hiftory concludes) was his contribut- ing to raife the fiege of Conftance in 1633. He then ferved under the duke of Feria, who con- dufted the Spanilh troops, and by Walftein's orders contrived to thwart and perplex him to fuch a degree, as to break his heart : for the duke was a perfon of very delicate fenfation in point of honour and all engagements between man and man. The public efteemcd him to b» one of the fineft gentlemen of chat age, and it w as his charadler to be humane and merciful be- yond defcription. He was known at home to be the beft politician in the court of Madrid, but it was his unhappinefs to take late to the profeffion of arms, merely by the compulfion of his maftcr. b 2 ' He 372 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE ;i63i. 8000 men, propofing and expefling to reach his generalifTimo in about three weeks. Many of thefe troops were men of approved fervice, and had performed great things in Italy under their commander. And here it may be worth remarking, that ever fince tlie publica- tion of the Leipfic conclufions, the houfc of Auftria had not been in- attentive to the part, which the court of Saxony might think fit to aflumc,. and of courfe Hagenmiiller, one of the interior council at Vienna, had been difpatched to the elector with inftruftions to befeech him and his toUegues to omit the levying of foldiers on tiie one hand, and allow free pafTage and fubfiftence on the other hand to the Imperial armies (fmce all fuch military afliflances fliould be confidered as things of a m.o- mentary, and not permanent duration) requcfting him likewife to per- form the part of a mediator, and produce a peace between Guftavu& and the emperor j which latter propofal was not difagreeable to the elector's private cart: of politics, nor did it crofs the opinion of Am- heim, who was in efFe(5t his prime-minifter, as well as his general. Yet the ground this prince was to fix his footing upon was of an un- ftable and crumbling contexture : he therefore made frefli profeflions of loyalty and obedience to the houfe of Auftria, fecretly enclined to do it fervice, if a fair opportunity prefented itfelf j but this was only a He died of grief at Munich, much in the man- figurative obfervation, (which comes nearer to ner as hit predecelTor and inftruftor, the great Aldringer's cafe) made, if I miftake not, by th» Spinola, died at Scrivia, and of the felf-fame author of the Memoirs of the duke de Gram- malady, mont, for not having the work before me, J Aldringcr was killed in the fame year, 1634, take the liberty to quote by memory ; Un Allt- on the bridge at Landfhut, whether by the mand defaife (s" halienife efi un diable incami. Swedes or his own men, is uncertain. One I muft obferve, laftly, that he drew up moll may fufpeft the latter, for with all his paits, of the political papers and manifeftos, that were and feveral good qualities, he was aufterc, paf- publifhed in behalf of the catholic league. He fionate and revengeful. He attempted to kill amaifed vaft wealth in the plunder of Mantua, Sirot for drawing on a lieutenant-colonel in his not much to his honour. Neverthelefs he fpent prefence (though the provocation was great and it with magnificence and profufion, and yet left iTudden) and never could be induced to fpare his confiderable fums in the banks of Genoa and life (fo far as it lay in his power to afFeft it) Venice. After receiving the fatal wound, he either at the council of war in Italy, or in his pafled the little time he lived in making ftrift reprefentations to the fupreme council at Vienna, enquiries after the perfon who Ihot him. He His parts were fo folid, adroit, penetrating, and was buried with great marks of honour. The lively, that he was ufually called tlie Spaniard emperor had created him firft a baron, and thea Italittr.i/ed. Which puts roe in yiind of a very a count. tranl OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 373 tranfient private wifh, and not a fettled political principle; for at the 1631. fame time he knew Guftavus, and did not chufe to undertake a work where the leaft duplicity might at once undo him : on this account he refigned himfelf to that fludluationof mind, which is ufually determined by the do6lrine of apparent convenience. Something likewife was in- fmuated, as if the houfe of Auftria fhould confider certain meafures (fuppofmg them to be taken) as a fort of high-treafon againfl: the em- pire ; and, what was ftill lefs political, the letters from Munich took the liberty to talk in the fame tone *. The better to enforce this dodlrlne, all the combined ti-oops, of which I have formerly given an enumeration, were intended to over- power the ele6lor of Saxony, and the ImperiaUfts had the prefumption to call themfelves the invincible army. Mean while lilly attempted to draw the eleflor into the catholic interefts by gentle means, and upon this account requefted him, as he was then at Merfburg, to give an audience to three perfons, deputed from him with full authority to treat and ratify ; namely, John Relnart of Metternich, (who was the catholic adminiftrator of the diocefe of Magdeburg,) Otho Frederic, baron de Schomberg, grand mafter of the artillery (who was killed at Leipfic) and Bernard! his fecretary. The ele6lor, who loved hofpitality, gave them a very plentiful repaft, and diflembled his refentments ex- tremely well ; but after dinner told them coldly, that he confidered himfelf and the emperor as Ulyfles and Polypheme, and that the only favour he had to expert, was to be devoured the laft. Saxony, conti- nued he, is referved as the deffert, which is to crown the Imperial ban- quet : but remember, gentlemen, that in the fruits, that help to compofe a deflert, fome are auftere and of dangerous digeftion, and fome have Hones, that can only be cracked to the detriment of the teeth -f. He pronounced thefe words with fo forbidding an air, that the com- miflioners hardly cared to proceed to bufmefs. However, at length they explained to him Tilly's propofals, which when compared to what had happened, and what naturally might happen, with reference to the condu(5l of the houfe of Auftria, were confidered as meer founds, and not as realities. • Memoires d'Eleftxice Palatine, ago. f Ibidem, 301. Enraged ^74 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1. Enraged at this diffidence in the court of Drcfden, the Imperial gene- ral was induced to make a falfe ftep as a politician, and ruined himfelf and his mafter's caufe, greatly to the difapprobation of that wife and artful prince the duke of Bavaria *. It was his bufinefs mildly to have allured the eleftor into the catholic interefts by all forts of promifes, conceffions, and gratifications ; and, in cafe nothing of that nature could have fucceeded, he then fliould have removed his arms from Saxony (which fingle circumftance might have compofed and pacified the elector, who wiflied nothing more than an exemption from war) and tranfported the fcene of a6lion into Pomerania and Mechlenberg, fince by fuch a diverfion Guftavus in the long run muft have been obliged to follow him ; for the king in thofe days could not have fubfifted, if the intercourfe had been cut off between him and Sweden. But Tilly's genius and for- tune both began to verge towards a decline. Either ill luck made this general fretful, or his fretfulnefs Winded his judgment, and rendered hira unlucky : but be that as it will on one hand or the other, fure it is, that he delivered himfelf up to the peevifhnefs of old age, and the tranfports of refentment. Of courfc, without waiting for the return of the deputies, he, on the fide of Leipfic, having united Furftenberg's army (which confifted of 10,000 men,) to his own forces ; and Hoik -f- and Gallas X con- joined, • Adelzreiter, Annal. Barar. Part. iii. lib. 16. He fucceeded Coalto, in conjunftion with Al- ■\- As Hoik's cruelties furpafled all credibility, dringer, at the fiege of Mantua, and rofe at it is a misfortune, that Tilly, fpealdng in the per- length to one of the fuprcme commands in the fon of the tutelar deity of Saxony, had not made Imperial army. He generoufly releafed old ufe of Taffo's words, in his inftruftions to this count Thurn, whom he happened to take pri- general. foner in Silefia, either from greatnefs of mind, as _ , , . , . . ^ . . he did not chufe a brave enemy fliould die igno- Guarda tu le mei leeci, e 1 facri tempi ■ ■ „ /■„-•. r y r , .,.,,, °. , ... minioufly on a fcaffold, or from the fear proba- J-a, ch 10 del iangue mio non baenic lavi : ,, , , , . r » i ./- , , r .-r ' , r . , .. .." bly, (as hath been fucperor's abfence.lieutenantof the Lower AuHria. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 379 vied Bavarian recruits, both of infantry and cavalry, were pronounced 1631* to be the fineft to appearance, that Europe had then feen. Upon this, Tilly, at the head of 44,000 veteran troops, having mif- carried in the attempt of croffing the Elb at Torgau, which the vigi- lance of Arnheim prevented, rendered himfelf mafter of Zcitz and Merfburg; and then invefling Leipfic, fent word to the commander, that, except he furrendered immediately, he muft expe6l the fate of Mag- deburg. The governor requeilred leave to afk the eleftor's advice, wha lay encamped at Torgau, about thirty miles from him ; but that indul- gence was denied him. Some flight refiftance he afterwards made; and a cannon-ball, unfortunately for Tilly's reputation, milTed killing him, as we obferved before, by an hair's breadth efcape. The town was given up the fecond day; three mcflengers were hanged, who brought exhortations from the elector to the governor, to acquit himfelf like a man of honour ; and the caftle of PleifTenberg, which might have made a week's refiftance, furrendered by way of imitation, with no fmall infamy. Yet fo relaxed was the difcipline of the Saxon army in thofe days, that the fame man, whofe name I think was Vopel, was replaced in his government after the battle of Leipfic, and delivered up the cita- del a fecond time in the fame manner to general Hoik, the year enfu- ing. The unhappy town redeemed itfelf from plunder, by the media- tion of as much money as amounted to 32,000!. or thereabouts. And here it may be worth obferving incidentally, that Oxenftierrf had no hand in the important and critical negotiation above mentioned betwixt his mafter and the ele6lor of Saxony; for at that time he com- manded a feparate army in Regal Pruflia, being directed to obferve the countenance of the Polanders. And indeed, fo great and verfattle were Guf- tavus's parts in all refpe(5l:s, that he had rarely occafion for him as a politician, even in the moft prefiing emergencies, any farther than to free himfelf from a multiplicity of trouble and bufinefs. Whilft Oxen- ftiern fecured the eaftern part of Germany, which confines on the Baltic, Horn and Banier were commanded to clear the weftern part: for his Swedifti majefty, in the midft of his conquefts, always fecured the' poffibility of a good retreat. Thefe two generals eftabhlhed a regency' Ccc 2 in jSo THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. in the provinces of Magdeburg and Halberftadt. Banier blockaded tjic former, (as hath been ah-eady mentioned) but Pappenheim obUged him to raife the fiege. Neverthelefs, when the duke of Lunenberg joined him with a fmall but well conducfted army, the Imperial general was compell- ed to evacuate Magdeburg, abandon the open country, and retire thence to Weftphalia and Franconia, into which circles the Swedes purfued him ftep by ftep. Magdeburg bting thus re-conquered, the few of its fur- viving inhabitants returned, for all the world admired the lenity of the Swedifh government ; many old emigrants flocked in from other coun- tries; and under fuch aufpicious protcdion, every perfon fet himfclf to revive trade and rebuild the town. Tilly's firft view was to make his irruption into Saxony by way of Torgau, where there was a bridge over the Elb ; hoping thereby, with great reafon, to impede the jun6tion of the Swedilli and Saxon armies, by porting his troops in the mid-way betwixt them both : but Arnheim prevented him in that attempt, by pre-occupying a pafs of fuch great importance. Mean while, Guftavus lay by, as a referved and cautious fpe6lator, at Wittemberg; and the eledlor of Brandenburg was with him. The ele(5lor of Saxony Joined them there; and they all entered into as ftrong and folemnly-good intelligence as could be devifed. Upon this, the Swedifli army pafled the Elb, and joined the Saxon forces near Di- eben, a fmall town lying on the great road to Berlin, and about twelve miles from Leipfic. Here Guflavus convened the two ele£lors into his own apartment; and held, at the fame time, a grand political debate, and a council of war ; where, with all the coolnefs of an experienced ftatefnian, he propofed to a6l upon the defenfive principle, fupporting bis ideas of the matter to this efFe6l; " That, as Tilly had taken care " to port himfelf very advantageoufly (having by this tim.e entered Saxo- *' ny by way of Merfburg and Halle, and inverted Leipfic) the judici- *' ous part would be, either to wait for fome favourable opportunity to *' attack him by furprize, or allure him by artificial marches into plain " ground, and decide the affair upon equal terms. For fuch an an- " cient and prudent general, continued Guftavus, will never facrifice •* the flower of the Imperial troops, and the fair reputation of an un- ^* interrupted b OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. 381 *' interrupted feries of vi6lories for thirteen years paft, except the ne- i63i» " cefiity be great and urgent: — and if he fliould happen to overcome " us, you two princes are each of you loft beyond redemption." But the ele6lor of Saxony, impatient and enraged to the laft degree, to fee his country depopulated, and his fubjecls ruined by a fort of military inquilition, declared ftrenuoufly for a prompt and decifive battle : which opinion (being privately that of Guftavus) v\"as, after fome objections and reprefentations, frankly complied with; and the rather, as Aldringer, who then lay at Erfurt, was not arrived with his part of the Imperial army. Upon this, Guftavus and John George, (the elector of Branden- burg for fome private reafons being returned home) marched their combined troops within fight of the enemy, who, having conquered Leipfic-town and caftlc forty eight hours before, had advanced that day as far as Breitenfeld, a fmall town about four miles diftant from Leip- lic; which was thought by many a great overfight, whereof we fliall give a diftinfl account hereafter. And it is ftill more remarkable, that Tilly knew nothing of the junn Ub M tn defirc OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 385 defire of fighting, right or wrong, in the younger officers, feemed ta- 1631. citly to reproach him, either with the want of refolution, or with not being the hero he had once been. What emotions this general felt, un- der fuch circumftances, is beyond my ability to defcribe ! He had ne- ver yet incurred a military difgrace, but, on the contrary, had been vic- torious in thirty fix fignal engagements and pitched battles. In a word, one of the greateft misfortunes, that can befal a general, is to outlive his profperity, or carry on the military command when he is too old. Thus Alexander, prince of Parma, had died the moft illuftrious war- rior of his age, if, after the fine performance of befieging Antwerp, he had bade farewel to war, as his friends advifed him ; fmce he made no confiderable figure afterwards in the Low Countries, but, on tlie con- trary, loft Zuthen, Deventer, Hulft, Nimeguen, Breda, &c. And fuch likewife was Tilly's unhappinefs, having miffed what Tacitus fomewherc elegantly calls the opportwiitatemjiiortis*. For now it was his defliny to have to do with a warrior, in whom the fupreme command was in- verted without any referve or defalcation of power; a hero vigilant, Ikil- ful, intrepid, in the very flower both of a6]:ivity and judgment. And though the Imperial troops were the fierceft and beft feafoned ot any that Europe had ktn till that time, many having ferved in the Low- country wars tvN^enty years before, and more in Germany from the year 1618, and all in every battle, bating the feweft exceptions, invincible ; yet there were reafons to dread a body of men, who (though to a relative degree novices in military pra6lice) were fober, patient, and vir- tuous; better difciplined, cloathed, and fed; bearing an entire fubniif- * What hath been faid in like circumftunces of \'ii'ceribii>, peuitufque virum vis igiiea vexat; Spinola's bodily torments, and mental perturba- Armaamens petit, aimatis tiepida undiquecingi tion, on a death-bed, may, mutniis mutandis, be CaRraputat; Francofque luo cumRege ruentes applied to Tilly and the prince of Parma. Nor jEgra mente videt; patriamque elatiis iu urbem is the pifture of the former inelegantly deline- Poll tot devi£los populos, tot bella, tut hofte?, ated by a poet of that age : Oppida tot, tot caftra, urbefque arcefque fub- aftas, Sive ilium fua fors, feu fpes decepta Cafalis y;,,^;^^^ ^ f^^^ \v,-,\EH^i, vit^eque fupremam Abftulerit, virtus five mdignata domanj j^j^;^ ^^; ^^j^^^ j^^j-^^_ ^,^^^^^ ^^^ SfinoU Iiicertum eft, doluit longa obfidione tcneri i ' = lucem. Cafalias arces : defperatoque triumpho SoUicitum invafit morbus ; convellitur imis Cafalium Bis Liitraium, p. 142. oclavol Vol. L Ddd fion 386 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 r. fion to their leaders, and placing an abfolute confidence in him, who was moreover Tilly's fuperior in the management of artillery, and in the difpofitiofi and arrangement of his troops. All Europe flood gazing at this mod interefting event; and when each of all thcfe circumftances arc combined together, can the reader be afloniftied, if poor old Tilly turn- ed pale once or twice, when he faw the Swedifh army advance to attack him, drawn up in the moft beautiful array, and ranged upon principles to him then unknown, approaching flowly and iilently, with that con- fiderate determined countenance, which prefages no good to the defen- dant? And though fome writers* invidioully mention the circum- ftance of Tilly's changing colour upon fuch a profpeft, yet it is certain this difcompofure arofe not from fear, (as appears by his future conduct in the battle) but from convidioii of the error, which the younger offi- cers had drawn him into, and from the probabiUty of fetting the great- eft fhare of military fuccefs, that perhaps any one man had ever pof- fefled, upon the chance of a fingle die (that very chance not judicioufly chofen) himfelf being fo far advanced in years, that he could never hope to reftore his charafler by any future fervices ! For thefe reafons, he wifely determined within himfelf, either to for- tify his camp, or evade a battle ; and the rather, as he expefted Aldringer and Tieffenbach to join him with 12,000 experienced troops. But Pap- penheim's impetuofity was irrefiftible, nor was it in his power, without totally lofing the hearts of his army, to put in praftife his favourite maxim, never to dip his foot in water, till he had made fome experi- ment of the degree of cold; or, asotherhiftorians relate the faying, never to wade in a ftream, except his eye-fight could command the bottom. His fir ft purpofe in the council of war, held at the grave-digger's lioufe, which appears to have been the beft, (his private opinion being co-incident with his real interefts and duty as a general) was to have maintained his original intrenchments, with the rich town of Leipfic at his elbow ; from whence he might have drawn provifions in the fame manner (having his own garrifon in the town) as the king fupported • Hiftoire des Guerres & des Traittez qui preccde'rent la Paix de Mimfter par Fere Bougeant, iii. Tom. 4°. himlclf OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 387 himfelf in the lines of Werben. During which interval, it is pofliblc 1631. likewife, that the troops of Cologn might have arrived. Nor could he, in this camp, have extended his front in that imprudent manner, which he exhibited afterwards in the field of battle. He faw plainly too, that it was not his bufinefs to fight, except urged thereto by fome extraordi- nary and almoft irrefiftible neceffity; for he well remembered Ihe cruel- ty and outrages, which the Imperial army had committed, and concluded every peafant in an enemy's territory as an enlifted foldier againft him, in cafe of a defeat. All the world knows, that ill fuccefs is doubly dan- gerous in an hoftile country} and, what is yet more, he wanted nothing in the camp near Leipfic. It is thought too, winter being then on the point of approaching, that if he had evaded a battle, and entrenched himfelf wifely, the ele6lor of Saxony would have been tired of his new guefts long before the fpring*. But Pappenheim, feemingly impeach- ing the courage of the generaliflimo, touched his fenfibility to the very quick, and induced him to relinquifti his firft camp ; yet the old man ftill determined within himfelf, not to bring on a general engagement. The felf-fame debate was refumed on the approach of Guftavus, and the new camp near Breitenfeld was protected with fome extemporary in- trenchments the day before the battle. Schomberg, and fome of the elder officers, concurred with Tilly in the opinion of declining a general combat, if that were poffible : but Pappenheim drew the count de Furftenberg, who aimed at fucceeding Tilly, and the younger colonels into a contrary fentiment, and though the majority inclined to counte- nance the commander in chief, contrived by his great zeal the next day, to bring about that event in the fiteld, which he had fruitlefly la- boured to effe6l in a council of war -|-. A fair campania fpreads itfelf all round the fide of Leipfic, where the Imperial general fixt his camp ; but part thereof, as it was now the month of September, had been frefli-ploughed, being the veiy fpot, ac- cording to fome hiftorians, (furnamed, if I miftake not, God's a«re,) where Charles V. overthrew Frederic, ele6lor of Saxony, and took him * Chemnit?., Tom. i. 171, -j- Letter from an Imperial Officer to a Friend. Halberftadt, September xxii, 1631. Ddd 2 and 388 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. and Philip, landgrave of Hefic-Caflll, prifoners, diverting the former both of the duchy and the deflorate. The two armies being now within three miles of each other, his ma- jefly the evening before the battle afTcmbled all the generals, that fcrvecV under him, and having ranged them round him in a circle on the midft of the plain, (for the Swedes flcpt that night in the open air) told them plainlv, fince he difcovered a fpirit of refoliition in their countenances, that i/.ey iccre iojight Vjith troops to-morrow of a different (lamp from Po- landcrs and Co[[iiclii. Fel/cit' Joldiers, faid he, IJlall not difemhk the dan- ger ; you ivill have a days nvork, that is ivorthy cj you. It is not my tem~ per to diminijh the merit of veteran troops like the Imperialijls ; but I know my ojicers at bottom, and f corn the thoughts of deceiving them. I forefee too, that our tiumbers ivill prorve inferior to thcje of the enemy ; but myfriendsy God is juf, AND REMEMBER MaGDEBURG*! Some few minutes before, he made the tour of his army, and told every body of troops, with a peculiar chcarfulnefs on his countenance, what particular duties they were to perform the next day. He feemed mod in pain for one large divifion of cavalry, the horfemen being un- armed, and the horfes of a flight make ; well knowing, that the Im- perial cuirafliers, cloathed in iron from head to foot, and mounted up- on beafls of a confiderable bulk, would foon difunite them by the meer effort of fqueezing. His advice therefore was to advance brilkly up to the enemy without firing, and apply their fabres with an oblique Aiding motion to their horfes nofes, heads, and necks. Thus, fayshe,. the Imperial ranks will foon be broken, and the difmounted cavalier will find his armour too cumberfome to be enabled to molefV you, during the remaining part of the engagement -f- : and what highly defervetb our obfervation, is, that the befl commentator on the military life of Guftavus makes ufe of this veiy pra^Vice in the difcipline of the Pruf- fian cavalry. But be that as it will, the king flanked the aforefaid troops with good bodies of infantiy, and interlined others amongft them at various inter\'al8. • 1 have only given the more material fub- at large, Tom. i. i^e, ftance of this fpeecb, which Chemnitifets forth f Ibid. 17}. The OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 389 The ele6lor of Brandenburg, for feme private reafons, returned home 163 1. the very day before the engagement. The king's army flept in battle array, on the bare ground,- and the king himfeif palled the vvhole night in his coach, difcourfrng at intervals with Horn, Banier, and TeiifFel, who fate with him. Immediately after the dawn of day the troops were formed, and each of the combined armies received orders to marclr, the Swedes making one column on the right, and the Saxons one on the left, each army amounting to about 15,000 men; the king having 7000 horfe and 8000 foot, and the elector 1 1,000 infantry and 4000 cavalry *j the vanguard confifting of three regim.ents, two Scottifh and one Ger- man, all condu6led by Scots officers, namely, Sir James Ramfey, fur- named the Black, Sir John Hamilton, and Robert Monro, baron of Fowks. The troops, in order to diftinguiih one another, wore a fmall green branch on their heads. All hiftorians aigree, that the king drsamed in his coach, that he and Tilly engaged without arms, in the manner peafants are accuftom^d to fight ; and in the morning he told his com- panions, that having thrown his adverfary to the ground, he received a bite from him in his left breaft; which was interpreted afterwards to fignify the Saxon army, which advanced on the left hand of the' Swedes. There was a little rivulet, and a dirty fwampy pafs, where only a few men could march in front, at a fmall village called Schortza, which lay between the king and Tilly : but as the latter, not caring to draw on a general engagement, did not chufe to difpute it with all the vigour he was capable of exerting, (which hath been reckoned by fome amongft one of the overfights of the day) the Swedifh and Saxori armies foon cleared this pafs, and when word was brought thereof to Tilly, he turned round to his foldiers, and faid. Now, my old friends ^ loe miifl look for bloivs. About ten in the morning, his majefty cleared the difficulty at Schortza; and having examined Arnheim's plan of the difpofition of the Saxon army, and made here and there a few interlineary remarks with his pen- •■ • Some writers enlarge the number of the (the one infantry and the other cavalry) which. Saxons: but this miftake feems to arife from the had been detached toward» Bohemia, tbfence of Solmes'a and HofkJr<:k^s regiments, cil. 39« THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 26x1 ■ <^il> drew up his own army in complete battle-array, giving orders for placing his artillery in the moft convenient fituations, during the courfe of the engagement ; paying little or no regard to the field-marechals and ferjeant-majors iiella batiaglia, but leading up every brigade and column of troops himfelf, difpofing them in their refpe6tivc flations, and leav- ing general dire6lions to their commanders. The king then rode up and down his own lines, and afked his men, with a chearful and animated countenance, if they felt a difpojition within them to perform a hard daysfervicc? — one univerfal vivat fpread itfelf inflantaneoufly through the army : upon which Guflavus, in order to keep his men in fpirits, and humour the pra6lice of the age, beckoned to a trumpeter, in fight of all the front of his troops, and taking fomething out of his pocket, bid him carry that little note to Tilly, for he wanted to fpeak with him. Tilly returned word back, promptly enough, that he was always ready to receive his majefty's commands, when notified by him : which looks as if he was determined not to fight, except upon compulfion ; and thus ended the military ceremonial. It was at this battle Guflavus put in praftife tlie principal part of all thofe fine inventions in the military art, which he had meditated and reafoned upon a thoufand times before. It is the inventive and creating power, which makes a man great in any fcience or profeflion; and in this light, our hero flione diflinguiflied : for he exhibited to the public, in the courfe of one day's a6lion, more knowledge in tlie tactical and fight- ing parts, and in that branch of war, which relates to artillery, than man- kind had difcovered from the times of the Romaris, till the invention of gun-powder, and from that period, till the day's fervice at Leipfic. And here I may obferve once for all, that the king's inventive genius in war had made its appearance, in many inilances, before this conjunc- ture. His grand ruling principle was, to make an enemy's country the feat of hoftilitiesi the invaders being always fuppofed to undertake their bufinefs with greater fpirit, and more determined refolution. He was the firfl:, it is commonly thought, who intermixed the infantry amongfl the horfe: which, if I remember right, he pracHfedin the very beginning of the Polifli war J but as my authority for tliis aflertion (whicii I dif- covered S:>S ^§ §"^ ^ > o o The King of S W E D E N 's new Way of Drawing up aBRiGADE of Pikemen and Musqueteers, firft praftifed in the German Wars: Communicated by Lord Re a about the Year 1631. [ N. B. The larger Capitals, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, refer to Pages 392, 3, 4, and not to Lord Rea's Delineation. ] A. A 2. A c E, R.R. H.R. H.R. E. bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb X. y V. XV. XV. X. B. b G. 192 MuSQiJETEEBS. T6. T5. X3. M- T4. X2. T3. Lj. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaa^ aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa a:taa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaai aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa naaa a^aa aaaa aaaa aaaa 2j6 PlKEUEH.' B 2. R PRHRHR G bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb V. X. V. X, V. X. V. X. 96 Musqueteers. Li. Ti. Ti. Li. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaia aaaa aaaa aaaa aata aaaa aaaa aaaa aaia aaaa aaaa aaaa aaia iUaa aaaa aaaa aaia 96 Musqueteers, L2. aaaa Ta. La. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa D. c 2l6 PlKEMEM. B I. CRHR RHRF bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb V. X. V. X. V. X. V. X. I9Z MVSQUETEERI. L3. Tj. X2. T4. L4. X3. T5. Tfi. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaa.i naaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aiaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaia Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa 144 MuSqUETIERS. H. I Musqueteers. Y. Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. K. 216 Pikemen, Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. Y. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa L. 144 Musqueteers. L5. T7. X4. T8. bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa - aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb bbb aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa Z. Z. V. bbb bbb V. aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa 2. Z. LORD REA's TABLE OF REFERENCE. 9 aa Miifquecters. bb Pikemeii. A 1 . EMeft Colonel. A 2. Second Colonel. B J . Lieutenant Colonel. B 2. Second Lieutenant Colonel, C Seqeant Majors. D Quarter-mafters. E Captain-Lieutenant, or Colonel-Captain. F Lieutenant Colonel's Lieutenant. G Serjeant Major's Lieutenant. H 1, 2, 3, &c. Captains. L I, 2, 3, 6cc. Lieutenants. T 1, 2, 3, &c. Seqeants. V Corporals. X Sciieants in the Rear of the Pikemen. Y Furriers [i. e. Undw Quarter-mailers]. Z Captains at Arms. R Eniigns following their Captains. REMARKS ON THE SUBJECT. A cmpldf Brigade, or Column, confiAed of two Regiments, or 20 1 6 Men, (though our Printer, by Miftake. Vol. II. p. 13, faith 2008.) It will be fuggefted in the Courfe of the Work, that his Majefty made fome Alterations, or Reformations, in the prefent Difpofition ; and if one may form Conjeaures from the upright Drawings of Dmikdertz and others, he pared away the 4 Di- vifions (comprehending 792 Men) that ranked behind the central Line undemeatli N° I. dotted thus, whether for Convenience, or thiougli Want of Forces, we cannot fay. So that inftead of the full, original Brigade, N" I. It fecms as if he reduced it more compadly into a Sort of Half-brigade, and tlien it contained 1224 Men, N" II. He then, for which we have an autho- ritative Plan in the Su-eJiJh Difcipline, [Lend. 4*^. 1 632.] fplit the fjrft Brigade into four, calling every fuch Divifion a Battaglia, (from whence the Word Biitteilion queftionlefs took its Rife:) Each on a fimilar Principle with tlie Paicnt tliat gave it Birth, and containing each 504 Men, N" III. and this is the Figure concerning which Fo/urd, N" IV. acquired a traditional, but impcr- fcft Account; for the Curious will difcover fome remarkable Differences when they confront them minutely in the Plate beneath. I. Brigade complete. □ □ ESCIl 2016 Men. II. Half-briEaSe. S3 n 1224 Men, III. IV, Brigade dimininied Folard's Four-fold. Brigade. fflffl m en 504 Men. Number unknown. i OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPIIUS. 390 covered in fome good author) hath efcaped me, after various fearchings 1631. and enquiries, I can only venture to prefent it to the reader upon the like footing it comes to me. For Mansfelt, at or near the fame time, as hath been hinted elfewhere, had fome idea of a fimilar praftice ; fince in a fa- mous piclure of the battle of Prague, now in the polleflion of lord Chef- terfield, (and which appears to me to be better painted than thofe, with which the houfe of Auftria has decorated the pavilion in the fbar-park, where the main ftrefs of the action lay) fomething of this kind may be difcovered in the arrangement of the troops. Guflavus likewife was the firft, who reduced the mufquets of the cavalry to carabines. He was diffa'tisfied alfo with the Imperial cuiraffiers, who were completely cloathed in armour from head to foot ; and commanded his own men to carry only a brcaft-plate and a head-piece. He disfurniflied the cavalry of their ufelefs incumbrance of pikes; and ordered his foldiers (for the exprefllon came firft from him) never to give fre^ till they could fee their own image in the pupil of their e?iemys eye *. He changed alfo into a pouch, wliich contained a certain number of cartridges, thofe fenfelefs utenfils called bandileers, which made a clattering in the time of adlion, and entangled themfelves one with another ; giving a military man the appearance of a High German rhymer, or an Italian zani. He ridi- culed greatly the forked refts, ufed to fupport the mufquets in giving fire; and when his officers, who had a fecret itching to the continuance , of old culloms, made an attempt to content him by reducing the fize and weight of thofe refts, fo as to render them of a more managable nature, he aboliflied them once for all by a fupreme act of authority. Yet an higher inftance, not of the improving but inventive nature, remains behind : and though all the world talks much of the Leipfic- brigade, or column of Guflavus, (which latter word is not precifely agreeable to the original nature of the fubje£l in queftion, which com- menced only to become a term in vogue, towards the conclufion of the laft century) yet I flatter myfelf, that there is no true and faithful de- lineation of this column extant, but what I here prefent to the reader, concerning whofe authenticity no folid objection can ever be made. For * Loccen. Hift. p. 587. 4°. Schefferi Meaiorab. Suecicae Gentis, p. 42, &c. lord 392 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1. lord Rca, who drew it, was one of the king's favourite colonels, and the drauglit is lb precifely cxacl and minute, that a letter of the alpha- bet is placed for every finglc man ; and the port of each officer may be afligned and afcertaincd to the diftance of a foot fquare. Indeed the in- tervals between corps and corps in the original are unduly wide and fpacious; but his lordlhip found himfelf obliged to referve thefe vacui- ties, in order to infert the letters, which denote the pofition of each particular commander. Yet, as I obfen'ed before, the word column is not the proper exprellion, wliereby to denominate the Leipfic brigade, except we comprehend it in the fenfe and configuration, into which Folard fuppofes Guftavus to have improved it, before he fought the battle of Lutzen, for which I can produce neither authority, nor cor- roborating proof. But conformably to lord Rea's drawing, the portion of the crofs A B makes properly the imprcfTive column of attack in the Leipfic brigade ; but as the allineated parts (I am here referring to the plate preceding) C D E G F, and the fupporting ftrengths behind marked with H I K and L, all acled and defended themfelves upon one principle, in cafe either of ailailing, or being flanked, or entirely fur- rounded; and as, I fay, they all acted by the fame impulftve force, and received the fame imprefllon and undulation, it feems t9 me but rea- fonable to confider the whole together in the light of one body, which henceforwards, with the reader's permilfion, we will furname a column, fince the word brigade correfponds now with another idea. As his majefty of Sweden was an original genius in the art of war, and the firft officer in the world with regard to infantry, it may be necefiaiy here to fay fomething flill more at large concerning his inventive and perfe£live talents in this day's difpofition. Having thoroughly contem- plated the tactical inftitutions of the ancients, and obferved from ex- perience the imminent danger, that threatens thin unconnei5led exten- fions of troops, when once they fall into aflateof undulation, (than which no worfc fymptom can make its appearance in the day of battle) he figured to himfelf, that a new caft might be given to the old ainem ^nd caput porcinum -, or, in other words, that a fort of crofs, of which the portions A B llridly Ipeaking made the column, fupported behind ai\d OFGUSTAVUS ADOLPHU S., - 393 and on each fide by deep lines of troops, who could throw themfe'lves 1631, into a fquare in cafe of being furrounded ; was on the one hand lefs fubjecl to danger from the adverfary's fire, and on the other hand more proper to penetrate by reafon of its figure and prefliire, being ca- pable to divide into two fe6lions, or dilate itfelf in any proportion whenever victory began to declare. It may be objected indeed, that the front-fire of fuch a column (for I ftill venture to ufe the term, though unknown to Guftavus) is very narrow : but then the chance of re- ceiving wounds from the enemy is contra6led likewife : and when troops are near, and the ground even, the fire of fmall arms conftitutes not the point decifive. Neverthelefs, without wandering from the fub- je6l befoj'e me, the combinations or groups of mufqueteers E and G made a difcharge nearly equal to that, which oppofed them. In a word, if there were any, the fmallefl difference to the difadvantage of the Swedes at firft fight, yet the Invention of the column more than doubly counterbalanced it, when matters once approached towards the moments of decifion. And when we fpeak of pikemen and pikes in this difpofition of Guftavus, we mean not that fort of inftrument, with which ancient arfenals are ufually garniflied, a military implement, which importeth contradi6lions, being both weak and unweildly at the fame time, with a fmall infirm head, and of length immeafurable. But what we intend is the pike, which the king actually invented *, more managable by many degrees than the bayonet, (if we confider the thicknefs, weight, diftorted figure and clumfinefs of the mufquet, to which it is affixed) and more effeftual at leaft by one third, as per- forming its duty with greater agility, before the other can difpute therewith. Many good judges have preferred the pikes of Guftavus to the bayonet of the moderns, and particularly the marechal de Saxe -}-, and the cheva- lier de Folard j. We ftiall therefore conclude this paragraph with apo- * By all I remember to have feen, it was a- fliarpnef?, the breadth of the blade being about bout eleven feet long, comprehending two feet four inches and a half in its lowermoft dimen- for the head of the focket that fixed it. The fions. head was made of the fineft tempered fteel, that f Reveries du M. de Saxe. could be procured ; it pierced or cut with equal % Traite de la Colanne, p. Ix.xiv. Vol. I. E e e logizing 394 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. logizing tl\us far at Icaft, that as the method, which dccideth victory fooneft, is, generally fpcaking, the Icaft fanguinary and cruel, we hope to obtain the reader's pardon for bringing to light a fyftem of praiStice like the Leipfic column, fo long difufcd, if not totally for- gotten. Nor ought one to compofc the life of Guftavus, and overlook that great man in the character of a field-officer. But to return to the fubje6l before me ; the evolutions of the bri- gade or column were fo few and fimple, that fuppofmg the noife and confufion of battle to be ever fo great, yet it is next to impoffible, that the meaneft foldier could be puzzled in his duty for the fpacc of an inftant. We will imagine this corps, for the fake of theory, to be at- tacked at once in front and in the rear : with a motion equally rapid as thought itfelf, the rear ftands prepared on fimilar principles with the front, protected alike (though not in the felf-fame difpofition) with mufqueteers and pikemen ; prefenting an impenetrable depth of thirty files. And to make the fuppofition bear ftill harder, we will form an idea of beholding the flanks attacked, and the whole corps environed by enemies at once. Yet even in this cafe, by no difficult evolution, the bodies G and F, D and E confront the affailants, and the files are thirty deep, as we obferved before. So that in the former inftance, you attack an amphilbena, which prefents an head at either end, and in the latter inftance, undertake to feize a bunch of thorns, which will give you a wound in whatever part you propofe to grafp it. j\jjr Upon this principle of arrangement is it reduced to that ridiculous compofition called the hollow-fquare, which when once penetrated (and nothing can be eafier than fuch an undertaking) becomes difparted for- ever beyond the poffibility of a future re-union ; refembling no more the brigade of Guftavus, than a fquare box of oaken boai'ds prefen^es the properties of a cube of marble of like dimenfions, either in folidity or refiftance. What therefore is to be done with this intradtable piece of military machinery, which performs with uniformity its intended progrefs ? The narrow nefs of its front, fupported by tl>e weight of its bafis, muft pervade and difunite the body thatftands before it; and that being once broken, it can dilate itfelf ad libitum in a few moments. On OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 395 * On the other hand, if the brigade in queftion fliould chance to be 1631.' furrounded, (a circumftance of ill fuccefs more likely to happen to any other configuration of troops in equal numbers,) it hath the power of contra£fing itfelf fuddenly into a mafs ftill more folid ; on which the at- tempts of cavalry (fuppofmg the brigade to perform its duty, fmce other- wife all reafonings fall to the ground) will appear to be little lefs than a bold and rafli experiment of danger : for the depth of the ranks, the refift- ance of the king's t-cformed pikes, (a fort of inllrument far more ma- nageable than the bayonet, and more efficacious,) and the fierce difcharge of mufquetry at a few paces diflance are difficulties which neither man nor horfe will attempt frequently to furmount : fince the folidlty of the body we are defcribing, and the fortunate configuration and con- texture of its parts are of fuch a nature that they cannot eafily be thrown into a total diforder ; and as the mortal prefage of military dif- fohitio?i is the waving and floating of a body of troops backwards and fbrwards at confiderable interftices ; — Thus on the other hand this corps of Guftavus is fo folidly compacted, and fo judicioufly incorpo- rated and conne6led, that though it may admit now^ and then a flight undulation, yet as it happeneth to a well-timbered manfion in the com- mon concufllons of an earthquake, it receives the imprefilon, and re- turns back to its original concatenation of parts in a few moments. In a word, nothing can greatly difturb the column of Guftavus but marching point-blank againft a battery of cannon. This the general muft avoid as much as he can in the field-difpofition of his day's fer- vice : and if the men are necefiltated to advance upon fuch an hazard- ous undertaking, they muft proceed as rapidly as may be confiftent with regularity and good order. And here the column hath fome advantage from its natural configurrition. Its narrownefs of front (provided we mean the laft-invented foi t, which confifted of 504 men, and was furnamed a battaglia,) is no difparaging circumftance on the one hand ; and on the other hand, its power of approaching by an oblique line, inftead of a direft one, is a peculiar felicity which merits our attention : each fort of motion being equally congenial to the nature of this body-f- ; which, in one word, nothing can eafily overcome but another of the fame configuraticn and condudfed better. Not but that various objeBiojis may be made to th'n * In ibe preccdingpage, line 24, lad paragrapli, read Nor upon this principle Ssc. + Traite dc h Co'ouiie^. dijpcfitian 396 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 16-^1. difpcfition of the king of Swetlen, and many improvements may be thereto atldcd ; for we are not declaiming on the fubjecl with the entluifiafm of Fo- lard ; fincc many beautiful theories deceive us greatly when realized by prac- tice. Therefore all we contend for is, that the idea in its firft conception was great and new. The plain, on which the battle was fought, extends itfelf in a line a}- mofl: all through Mifnia, and even in a clear day it is hardly poffible to diftinguifli a mountain in the whole neighbourhood around it ; fmce at moft it is only diverfified here and there with fmall elevations and decli- vities. As the combined armies propofed to act the part of aggreflbrs, the Imperial general had the choice of the ground. Of courfe he oc- cupied the flope of a gently rifing hill to the fouth-weft of Podelwitz, which extended itfelf near two miles ; forefeeing, as the conflicl could hardly become fcrious till after mid-day, that he fliould have the advan- tage of the fun, a matter then fuppofed to be of great confequence in the art of war. He had the good fortune alfo, according to the eftima- tion of thofe times, to gain the wind right in his favour ; for, as k blew that day extremely briik, it conveyed the fmoke and duft, which was abundant, dire6lly from him : and in thofe times generals were fo fond of thefe advantages, that very often they fliifted their troops in the heat of action (which fort of movements, by the way, are extremely dangerous) in order to gain a point of wind and fun. Guflavus was in no degree difmayed to fee thefe little fortuitous advantages fnatched from him : neverthelefs, it muft not be diflembled, that he knew the convenience of this elevated flope, and the wood behind it, as well as his adverfary, wlio lay near it, and had ordered an advanced party to occupy it by all poffible means; but in that attempt the Imperial general prevented him.: for he poflefled the poft one day before the battle. Nor could Guftavits make greater expedition than he did after figning the treaty with the eledor of Saxony, for he marched thirty miles in a day and an half, and fought his enemy the afternoon of the fecond day. It is true the Swedifh dragoons made a defperate attack upon the fpot of ground in qucftion, but were obliged to defifl:, when tliey faw the whole army of the Imperialifts prepared to pour upon them, and cut them to pieces *. Here Tilly entrenched his Walloon infantry, havijig planted * Burgi Mars Sueco-German, L. ii. 128. two OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 3^7 two large batteries, eonfifting of forty pieces of heaxy artillery, on the 1631' fummit of the rifing flope behind him at very confiderable diftances : for one fronted the right wing of the Swedes in a direft line, ^where he concluded the king would command, that being with him, for reafons to me unknown, the pofl: of honour, and the place where he affefted to plant himfelf, as he did afterwards at the battle of Lutzen) and the other, being advanced forwarder, according to the natural turn of the hill, cut through the Saxon and Swedifli Srmy obliquely. Behind him lay a large wood, which he propofed for a rallying place in cafe of a defeat. His army confifted of 44,000 fighting men, and the enemy produced only three fourths of that number to oppofe him. His watch word was Jefu Maria, the fame he had ufed at Magdeburg ; and his men, in imitation of their former practice in ftorming that town", wore white ribbands on their hats and helmets, and white firings round their right arms : that of the Swedes was Emanuel, or Ged icith us, which was always carried infcribed on the colours. They wore green branches on their hats and helmets. The Imperial general followed the old dif- cipline, which he had learnt in the Low-country wars, of drawing up his men in great fquare bodies, which in part contributed to his ruin. Not that the difcipline was then bad, but the difp'ofitions of ^yflavus were fl:ill better. Two high ways pafTed through the field of battle, but as they went upon the fame lines, by which the combined army advanced, the convenience and inconveniency of them were juft reciprocal to either party. ■ > i^ ^X Tilly, who formed his main battle and the two wings into three fcparate armies, making only one mighty front, • which reached from Sohaufen to Lindenthal, (a vaflnefs of extent hardly to be believed *) rcjecling the affiftances of a fecond line and corps de referve, pofted himfelf on the eminence above-mentioned, with ■ the' wood bel'vifid him. • '<> ~Ai As to the Saxon army, it performed fo little, that I Ihall onl^-tfan- fiently obferve, that the eleftor led the right wing, Bindauf tisp' kftj * It was, faith- Monro, two Englifh miles in length, Partii. ~ • "' ' ' '"" and 398 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. and Arnheim concluded the main body. Yet to (hew that prince's |i»rts, and Arnheim's invidious temper, the troops were drawn up nearly upon the fame principle with the Imperialifts. The king made fome objeclions to this difpofition ; but the Saxon general, who had pafFed liis apprenticefliip under Walftein, chofe rather to abide by the more received and eftabliflied forms. Such, as had a talent for war, foon perceived a manifeft fupcriority between the arrangement of the king's troops and thofe under Tilly's command : for the latter were as much beaten by dint of genius as by valour. It was the cuftom of the beft generals before this engagement to draw up their forces in huge fquare bodies, which they called tertia's ; the very unweildinefs of wliich mafTy combination helped to deftroy them : for upon any remarkable confufion each man overturned his neighbour, and when the whole corps was fqueezed into one jumble or chaos, no officers could move from place to place, nor reduce the men into their priftine order. Whereas the king's army was interfecled and divided into numberlefs ftraight lines and avenues, fome greater and fome fmaller, like the uniform ground-plot of a regular city or parterre : and the troops could advance, retreat, or make motions from fide to fide, juft as if they were moving in a defile between two hedges or walls. Thus the whole army was one complicated, but unperplexed machine, confifting of innumerable handfuls or peletons of men, all little fyflems by themfelves, all ading under a chieftain of their own, yet all contributing to the grand eftablifliment of the whole together. By thefe means, and by the promptnefs and faciUty of locomotion, he brought more hands to a6l than the enemy poffibly could ; and though his men might be killed, yet, fcientifically fpeaking, they could not well be routedy for help was ever at hand, and the deftrudtion of one part did not neceflarily involve the deftrudlion of another. Add to all this, that the direftions of the general had always free paffage, as the blood is poured firft from the heart, and then regularly difpcrfed, not only through arteries and veins, but even through the fmalleft capillaries. And byway of proof how much this grand invention avoided confufion in OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 399 in the very firfl experiment, only one regiment amongft all the royal 1631. forces was fqueezed out of its place, and that was Collenbach's regiment of horfe. This reducing an army to one piece of machinery in the day of bat- tle was the 'vis vivida, the diftinguifhing individuating principle of Guftavus's creative genius. Neverthelefs, he difplayed his talents in "ex- hibiting many collateral military inventions in the tranfa6lion of Leipfic, which deferve highly to be mentioned by an exa6l hiflorian. He found wonderfully good efie(5ts, fiom mixing his mufqueteers amongft the horfe, as alfo from flanking the horfe with mufqueteers : fmce upon the principles of his plan, there were always openings for them to retreat, in cafe they were in danger of being overpowered. And at that time of day, the fire of the mufquets (whofe calibre was larger than at prefent) produced a dreadful diforder amongft the cavalry, who could hardly approach in thefe circumftances fo as to bring their piftols to take efFe6l ; and as the horfemen then wore armour piftol-proof, they ad- vanced up to their enemies with abfolute unconcern : but the mufquet- balls oftentimes pierced their armour through and through, and always made contufions, which were very painful and inconvenient. Tilly re- ceived one in this very battle, which tormented him more than all his wounds, and in his flight was obliged to fend for the town-furgeon at Halle, who cut out all the bruifed flefli; and Guftavus loft his life from the efFe6ls of another ; for on the day of the battle of Lutzen he deter- mined to fight in his common wearing apparel (an elk-lkin waftecoat excepted) having lately received a contufion in his ftioulder, which ren- dered the leaft wrench of his cuirafs infupportable. This was alfo the firft time, that any general had ventured to thin the depth of his files, which the king reduced to fix deep, (the brigades or columns excepted ;) whereas the Imperiahfts, though drawn up in one front only, oppofed him with trebly the fame number at leaft. It was obje6ted to his majefty, that fo infubftantial a body of men could not re- fift a very ponderous imprefTion ; but his anfwer was, (for it muft be re- membered he fought upon two lines, not to mention the bodies of re- ferve) 400 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, fcrve) that upon his piinciplc, pafTagcs were always open for new troo])s to approach and luflain their companions ; that lie could flop a leak in. his army with as much eafe as a fea-captain could prevent the ill effects of one in his Ihip, and that the power of bringing more hands to acl abundantly, counterbalanced the plaufibilityof theobjeclion. His field- artillery, made of hardened leather, rendered him alfo excellent fervice, being fo very portable, that he could remove a little battery, or make a new one in ten minutes time, or advance it occafionally before his troops, here and there, jufl when a frefh attack was forming againll him. Here too for the firil time, excepting in reviews, was practifed in good earncit the method of firing in platoons. In a word, nothing of confequence efcaped Guflavus in the whole fyftem of the fighthig part from the bat- tle of Leipfic till the prefent hour, except the invention of the bayonet, which probably was overlooked by a fearching and fpeculative genius, merely becaufe it was fimple and obvious. Though many are of opi- nion *, that fomething between the pike and the partizan might be in- vented, which would prove more ufeful in repulfing the cavahy. Now it is highly natural to imagine, that Guflavus knew this : for he fhortened the handle, and varied the figure of the head of the pike, conformably to the idea I have jufl mentioned -f-. But to return to the battle itfelf. Tilly upon this occafion made fome miflakes as a general, which may properly be called his own, and fome he w'as enfnarcd into by the petubnce and impetuofity of younger men. As to the latter, I have, and fliall explain myfelf more fully concerning them in their refpeclive places, remarking here (in addition to fome overfights of the Imperial commander already fpecified) that he was worfe^rved with intelligence than he ought to have been, even in an enemy's country ; for hisSwedilh majefly approached him unexpedledly :|: i from whence it happened, that no contemptible body of troops was employed in forag- ing at a diflance not to be recalled in time convenient, and that Hoik \yith a confiderable party had been detached to make conquefls about * Chevalier de Folard, &V. % Lettre dc Tilli. Halberftadr, Sept. 24, f Scheiieri Memorab. Suecics Gentis. 1631. J^aumburg. -OF G U S T A V U S A D O L P H U S. 40 if- Naumbiirg *. Tilly did ill likewife not to order an army, that lay 1631. idle in Silcfia, to have attacked the ele6lorate on that fide, whicli would have incapacitated half the Saxon forces from joining Guftavus. It may be obferved further, that when Pappenheim violated his orders, and forced him to defcend from his eminence, his prefence of mind (which was difcompofed doubtlefs by fo vexatious an incident) feeras to have deferted him a few minutes ; for being compelled firft by teaz- ing and artifice, and then by dint of necefTity, to make a facrifice of his prudence and judgment, he commanded his troops to advance with fo much ardour and confufion, that the beft and moft proper regiments were not placed in their refpe6live fituations, excepting only the regi- ments of Piccolomini, Schomberg, and Cronenberg, which were efleemed the flower of the Imperial cavalry. In a word, Tilly was too old for his employment. In confequence of this precipitate meafure, the main body, which even at this time was not diftinclly formed, made an irregular advance ; for the cavalry deftined to fupport it received no orders to keep pace with the infantry. Now to underftand this paflage the better, the reader muft be informed, that the center was fuftained by fix regiments of horfe,' which had no connexion with the wings of the army. From hence it likewife followed, that there was no time to appoint a proper body- of referve; nor were any infantry interfperfed among the cavalry. The bell troops oppofed the new raifed Saxons, which may be confidered as' an extraordinary overfight -[-. " I afkedfeveral commanders," faith one who was an eye-witnefs of the battle, " if they knew their inftrudli- ** ons ; but by their anfwers it appeared they had none. Seemingly *' to me the hope was, that God would work miracles in proportion to " the errors we had committed." Yet Pappenheim, as marechal of the field, made the difpofition of the battle : and when it was told him, that his own wing was too weak in itfelf, and unfupported likewife by any referve, his anfwer was, that he had taken care to provide a re-' * Lettre d'un capitaine Imperial a un fien ami. authorities.] Sept. 22, 1631. [This account muft be read -j- Riccio de Bellis German. 271. * with care, as it wants to b« fufjported by other . Vol. I, Fff inforce- 4o: THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. inforccmcnt ; whether truly or not cannot be afcertained ; yet fure it is, that no re-inforcement ever appeared. The lafl: error, which in truth may be confidered as a misfortune, was, that Furftenbcrg, who kept an intelligence with Pappcnheim, but wanted the impetuofity of that commaiKlcr, dilliked the orders of the gencraUiTimo, yet wanted refolution to difobey them. Neverthelcfs, chance brought about what he privately wiflied to fee effedled ; for an old colonel at length told him, that he would commence hoftilities with- out his concurrence. This ralh departure from inftni^lions in either wing compelled Tilly to defcend from his eminence j for if Fiuften- berg had not engaged, it is more than probable Tilly would have con- figned Pappenheim to the mercy of Guftaviis : but perceiving the battle to thicken round him, and dreading the reproaches of facrificing the better part of the Imperial anny (for the public always favours the precipitate combatants right or wrong) he at length determined to order his main-body of infantry to advance, which confifled of 8000 troops till then fuppofed to be invincible, and which in truth might have efFe6led wonders, if the cavalry, which belonged to them, had re- ceived commands to march forwards and fupport them : but that cir- cumftance, in the hurry of the determination, happened totally to be forgotten. Having thus fketched out the previous ideas necefiary for the com- prehenfion of one of the moft important battles, which the world had then feen, I may by this time (and perhaps with little difficulty) ob- tain my reader's permiflion to enter into a diftincl defcription of the aftion itfelf ; inafmuch as the plan here annext will give a more diftinft idea of the field- difpofitions than can be defcribed in words. This battle wns fought on Wednefday the feventh of September, which day the Germans call iih's regina. The front of each army ex- tended itfelf near two Englifh miles in breadth. Many old officers declared, that the mighty conteft, at the white mountain near Prague in 1620, was but a fort of pantomime incomparifon to this *. As the iiitermingled muf»jueteers carried no colours, the Imperialills did not • Arnilabsi Arma Saccica, 138, 4*. '.. . • difcover ^l Ti'fi,;ir/,.40irclT, IM/r li:-,./,„t,/- .-T' P. 'i^ tTTTTl-TI-f'TTTt*' ^nr(»vy»£/. ^^B ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ ,rf yi /a -« J- JO « J/ i,- >''■ »tf '^ 'J " »' -"■ ,q '■«■ '- "*■ 'J '•* '3 '^ ." , _ _ ca c!a CZ3 c£3 en" "~~ *•> f^ <■/ SI ~^J ^ S^ S9 , 4m Leip srrji^.^ * J7 j*^ Js j-f sj ^ J' J' -^ •** -^7 ^ * -« -/J ^ -^ ^ J? j'jr j-f ^ .w .;.; ./» ik^i^ib^ it ^ d. ^* jy ftv *"•*' ^7 ^^ """" "Ss&jj^ ^ iAk TABLE of REFERENCE to the Field-Difpofition at L E I P S I C. R^ 9' :o. 1 1 12. IMPERIAL E C I M E N T Reiiconi, Merode, New Saxon, Baumgarten. Piccolomini, Strozzi, Holflein, Chiefa, Galas, Furftenberg, Montecuculi, Balderon and Army, of. ■Horfe, tiichftein united, 13. Tilly, 14. Coronini, 15. Goetz, 16. Coloredo, 17. Eruitz, i8. Savelli, 19. Blancard, 20. Pappenheim, 21. Haracour, 22. Reynach and Comar- go. 26 27 28, Wallis, Wrangler, Late Bernilein, Schomberg, Infan- try. > Horfe. of Cronenberg, OldSaxon, 2g. Wingarti, 30. Two Regiments Croats, 3 1 . Reformed Dragoons, SWEDISH Army. 32. 4C0 Finland Horfe. 33. 400 Finland Hoife. 34. 180 commanded Mufqueteers of Banier. 35. 4C0 of Tod's Horfe. 36. The fame. 3-. The fame. 38. 180 commanded Mufqueteers. of Banier's. 39. 800 Weft-Gothland Horfe. 40. 1 80 Mufqueteers, Banier's. 41. 800 Smaland Horfe, Stein- boch's. 42. 180 commanded Mufqueteers, Halle's. 43. 400 Eaft-Gothland Cavalry. 44. Lily's Brigade. 45. TeufFel's Brigade, Pretorian Guards. 46. Halle's Brigade. 47. Wincle's Brigade. 48. 200 Horfe, Horn's. 49. 500 Horfe, Callenbach's; 50. 360 commanded Mufqueteers. 51. 500 Horfe, Callenbach's. 52. 280 Mufqueteers, Oxenftiern. 53. 300 Horfe, Bauditzen. 54. 300 Foot, Erichuifen's. 55. 300 Horfe, Bauditzen. 56. 300 Mufqueteers, Erichuifen's. 57. 300 Horfe, Bauditzen. 58. 360 Mufqueteers, Hamilton's. 59. 500 Horfe of the King's own Regiment. 60. 400 Mufqueteers, Monro's. 61. 5 GO Horfe of the King's own Regiment. 62. 350 Mufqueteers, Ramfay's. 63. 400 Horfe, Rhingrave's. 64. 400 the fame. 65. 400 the fame. 66. 400 Livonian Horfe. 67. 400 Courland Horfe. 68. 300 Horfe, Damitz. 69. 400 Horfe, Sperrenter's. 70. Brigade,HalIe,WalIlein, Thurn, &c. 71. Brigade, Damitz, Hepburn, &c. 72. Brigade, Mitzval, Vitzdam, Ruthven. 73. 600 Horfe, Halle's. 74. 600 Horfe, ditto. 75. 400 Horfe, Courville's. 76. 500 Horfe, Schafman, Referve. 77. 500 Horfe, Cochtitzki, Referve. SAXON Army. — Horfe, Steinau. — Horfe, ditto. 400 Horfe, Bindauf. 400 Horfe, ditto. 400 Horle, Provincial Gentry. — Horfe, Arnheim. Infantry, ditto. Infantry, ditto. 86. 350 Foot, Schwalbach. 87. 350 Foot, ditto. 700 Foot, Lofers. 600 Foot, Electoral Regiment, 350 Foot, Glitzingen. 350 Foot, ditto. 350 Foot, Starchedel. 350 Foot, ditto. 400 Horfe, Provincial Gentry. Sax-Altenberg. ditto. Eledoral Regi- 78. 79- 80. 8i. 82. 83. 84. 85. 88. 89 90. 91. 92. 93' 94- 95- 96. 97- 400 Horfe 4c o Horfe, 400 Horfe, ment. 98. 400 Horfe, ditto. 99. 400 Horfe, ditto. An exacl Plan of the Battle of Leijijic is a Thing greatly to be wifhed for, inafmuch as his Six-edi/h Ma- jefty that Day exhibited to the public an Art of War entirely new and thoroughly fcientifical. Folard's Ichnography illuftrates in no Degree the important Truths I am mentioning ; fince the Size of his Squares bears not any Proportion to the Number of Troops contained in them, and the Ground itfeif is partly imagirary. Horfe from Foot we do not know : (an Inaccuracy to be remarked in moft plans) befides, with- out a juli Idea of the precife Quantity of Men in eacli Peloton, and in what Places the infantry were inter- mingled with the Cavalry, it is inipofilble to comprehend the fine Difpofition then made by CtftiT-cus, who added more to the Art of War in this Day's Service, than had been difcovered fince the Time of Julius Cafar. To front the Plan, p. 402. Vol. I. OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, 403 difcover them till it was too late. Tilly had the advantage of ground, 163 r. wind, and fun * ; but Guflavus performed great things with his artil- lery, and exceeded the Aullrian general, who piqued himfelf particu- larly in that refpe6l. But the viflory was principally owing to the eafy fliifting and quick difcharge of the new-invented leathern cannon, and the intermingled mufqueteers, whofe fire was too heavy and violent to be oppofed by the piftoi-fliots of cavalry. It was likewife enjoined the Swedes firfl to receive the enemy's difcharge, and afterwards re- turn it -f-. Tilly exceeded the two combined armies by ten ox tivelve thoufand men at leaft X '* ^^ ^^i^^ Monro, who was then prefent ; but our com- putation (which we profefs to have rated very low) makes the fuperio- rity ibowt Jive thoufand : yet the whole Saxon army fled, excepting only their mafter's guai'ds, and one other regiment Neverthelefs, his majefly obtained the vi6lory at the head of two and twenty thoufand men, and, what is very remarkable, not a Swedifli foldier behaved ill, and only one regiment was fqueezed out of its place, and that was Callenbach's ; whereas, on the other hand, the four Walloon bodies, that retired at laft to the wood, had been polled at coniiderable diflances one from the other II . After a furious cannonading of no inconfiderable duration, the king, cloathed in a new fuit of grey cloth, wearing a green plumage on his beavor, and mounted on a horfe de poil d etourneau §, began the attack on Pappenheim fword in hand, and after a defperate refiftance from that * Monro's Ex-pedition, ii. 64. guifhing marks ; as may be obferved not only -|- Schefferi Mem. Suec. Gentis. here, but at thefiegeof Ingoldftadt, and the fatal X Monro's Expedition, ii. 64. battle of Lutzen. And it was probably on this II Namely at N" 8. 12. 15. 19. account, that the artful Richelieu and father § We cannot exprefs this phrafe in Englirti Jofeph fent an horfe to be fold in the Swedi(h but by a term unbecoming the dignity of hiftory, camp very uncommonly marked. Conformably for an hoiie de foil d'etaumeait fignifies what the to what they divined, ,his majefty purchafed it grooms in their vulgar idiom call a fiea-bitten in a moment; but as Gaffion flood then high in colour. Now it was certainly a falfe afFeftation his favour, he bellowed it on him, and the faid in his majefty, (and in that refped Pappenheim horfe was killed under the Frenchman in the copied him) either from a contempt of danger, next day's cannonading. Mem. de Gaflion par •or in order to be better difcemed by his troops, M. le Pure, \z. Tom. i. 110, iii. ever to ride 2 fteed, which carried Tome dillin- • . F f f 2 hitrcpid 404 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. intrepid and mofl experienced commander, compelled him to retreat to fuch a diftance, as procured a point of the wind in his majefty's favour. What induced the king to pulh forwards this onfet with a degree of fury, that can hardly be paialleled, was partly to avoid the wind and dull, which were both perplexing that day beyond imagination ; and partly to Iccure the left tlank of his wing (N° 41, &c.) from Tilly's enormous battery, which pierced it obliquely *. This advance of the Swedes caufed a larger opening than appeared at firft, between the king's line, and the corps polled behind him under the dire,ccel- defeated, maintained their poft to the lali man. fion. Prince Eugene made ren.onfrrance after Next morning the general, (who had been af- remonftrance, and condefcended even to inter- flifted with the gout) was found dead in his cede and fupplicate for their cnntir.uanca ; but ann-ch:.ir at the head of his foldiers, who lay receiving in a private audience a pofuive de- all ftretched round him in regular lines, cover- nial fiom the emperor, he left the. cabinet .vith ing the fame ground, which they had occupied' great emotion, and fiied teaiS on the occarion:. whilfl alive. confei^uences 4M- TME HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. confeqiiCTices of this defeat, the Imperial id's loft more men imder the article of prilbners than in the aftion itfelf j for out of forty thoufand effeclive fokliers, according to their computation, the general of the league, by Pappenheim's confeflion, prcferved no more than one half. Great numbers of the enemy took the opportunity to dcfert a finking caufe ; 3000 perfons were taken prifoners in the day of battle, to whom the king granted quarter without the effnfion of a drop of blood ; fome were likewife killed in their flight; for Guftavus purfued the Impe- rialifts eight and thirty miles, and at Merfburg particularly deftroyed a 1000 more, and compelled 1500 to furrender. The camp of the enemy was taken ftanding, fo that the officers and fokliers loft great part of their ill-acquired plunder. In a word, there was hardly a foldier amongft the killed or prifoners, who had lels than ten ducats in his pockets, and more was ftill found concealed in their girdles and in their faddles, Almoft all the baggage-waggons fell likewife into the hands of the Swedes, as alfo loo enfigns and cornets, and more than two thirds of the train of artillery. It pleafed the victors to find many of the latter, infcribed with the names, or decorated with the arms of their friends and enemies ; as of the king of Bohemia, eleftor of Brandenburg, and duke of Brunfwick on the one hand, and of the dukes of Bavaria and Fridland, as alfo of his Imperial majefty, on the other hand. The king dinded tlie fpoils of Tilly's camp amongft his men in a manner remarkably equitable and uncommon : for, being apprized of the lodgment and difpofition of the enemy's troops, he appointed each Swedifh regiment to occupy the fame ground, which an Imperial regiment had poflefled before ; and no man was allowed to plunder out of his own appointed diftrifl, under the fevereft military pains and penalties *. The Swedes, who behaved well, loft only looo men in this en- gagement ; and the Saxons, who faced t'ne enemy only a few minutes, verified tlie old obfervation. Mors ^ fugacem perfequitur vtrum, for their lofs amounted to at leaft 2000. Amongft the dead on the • Monro's Expedition, Part ii. p- 71. Imperial OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 415 Imperial fide, may be reckoned Adolphus duke of Holftein, who ex- 1631. pired fome few hours after he was taken * : he was a protellant ; ferjeant-major general Schoenberg, vvatch-mafter general Erwitz, Baumgarten general of the artillery, the colonels Blancartl and Co- loredo, Lerma aid decamp, and the marquis of Gonzaga, the Ueu- tenant-colonels, the baron de Grotta, Caratelh, and don Jofcph de Ainfa (who commanded the regiment of Savelli in the duke's ab- fence) : adjutant-general Zinzendorf, and the commiflary-generals Walmerode and Graff, were taken prifoners ; as were alfo then, and a few days afterwards, at Leipfic and Halle, Coronini, Cratz, and fix other colonels, together with Bernardi, fecretary and treafurer to Tilly, and feveral eccleftaftics, who were Immediately dlfmified without ran- fom. Amongft the Swedes were killed Maximilian Teiiffel -f, who commanded the royal regiment of foot-guards, Hall, Collenbach, Al- dergaft, and Damitz, all colonels. Courville was taken prifoner, for having received a glancing flaot acrofs the forehead, and being blinded with the blood, that ftreamed down upon his eyes, he mixt among the enemy's troops without knowing them. Colonel Lumfdel, and lieute- nant-colonel Moftyn, were both wounded. Meanwhile the eleflor of Saxony loft ferjeant-major general Bindhauf, Loefel, Diefkau, the two Starchedels, and fome other colonels. Tilly received (fome fay) three wounds from mufquet-balls and piftol-fhots, and a very difagreeable contufion on his neck from the but-end of a horfeman's carabine. He was once taken prifoner by one Frederic, a captain of cavalry in the Rhingrave's regiment, whom the * This claflies not with- the king's account to fperg, who loved the turgid iVyle, fpeaks very Charles I, who confidered hiiri only in the pompoufly of this hero, upon fuppofition, thar light of a prifoner. It is fasd Guftavus Hora his real name (TeuiFel, i. e. Devil) was a ?wra queftioned him feverely in his laft hours for «> guerre^ Suedorum nonnullus ex pvimariis ferving under the Roman catholics : his anfwcr occubuit : caeterifquc infignlor Maximilianas •was, (for in all probability he had reconciled cognomeato diaboius, niedii agminis (quod himfelf to the Romilh opinions) that a man of monui) duftor, regi ob fortitudinem charifliraus. the fword, and a profeffor of theology, were It was a common faying with the German two different beings. wits, that Guftavus niuil countei-work and de- f Baron of Ginderfdorf and Weyerlberg. feat his enemies, fmce one of his generals was This brave man was a German born, but left Death, (ToJt) and the other the De-vil, (Teiif' the Imperial fervjce upon fome difguii. Lan- ftl). Gull. Magn. Bellum Germ, if 50, p. 329. army. 4i6 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE X631. army, on account of his ftature, furnamed Langfritz * ; who knowing him, made him an offer of quarter, and upon Tilly's rcfufal gave him the blow juft above mentioned ; but Rodolphus duke of Sax-Lauenberg flew to his afliftance with two or three horfemen, and bravely refcued him, killing Langfritz with a piftol-fhot, adjufling in fo great a con- fufion his aim fo true, that the bullet entered one ear, and paffed through the other. Pappenheim received fix or feven wounds, ac- cording to cuflom; and the count de Furftenberg was wounded, but not mortally. Cronenberg carried off the general at the head of the unconquerable Walloons, who were reduced now to 600 men, and lodged him by break of day at twenty-one miles diftance in the town of Halle. Furrtenberg attended Tilly in another coach, and the duke of Sax-Lauenberg affiiled Cronenberg in condu6ting the party. The regiment of Schoenberg foon followed them, but the major part of the broken troops pointed their courfe towards Halbcrfladt. In this confufion fixteen troops of horfe formed themfelves between the field of battle and the town of Leipfic, but they had no officers to command them ; and neither the generaliiTimo, nor marechal de camp, nor ferjeant-major della battaglia were to be found. At length Pap- penheim appeared amongft them, and having mounted a frefh horfe, led them on to make one final effort, but that attempt not fucceeding, he carried them off under favour of the night, purfuing that road, which we have jufl mentioned. All fuppofed the general to be dead, nor did Pappenheim appear much afflifted at that report ; for Tilly and he had never agreed fmce he difTuaded the former to defifl from his enterprize on the king's camp at Werben -f-. The king, according to fome j:, flept all the night fucceeding the battle, near a little fire made of fragments of wood, which his foldiers had coUeded together ; having firfl difpatched a body of troops to purfue the fugitives. Others tell us, that he invited the ele(5tor of Sax- ony to take part of a cold rcpafl with him in his tent ; and all people, who knew his majefly's warmth of temper, expefled he would throw * Long fides. :J. Continuatioa of the Laurea .^uftriaca, fot -f Mercure Franjois, 1631, p. ^93. p. 26, &c. out OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 417 out an oblique farcafm or two on the mifbehaviour of the Saxon 163 1. troops J but, on the contrary, he told the eledlor, T'hat his men, confi^ dering they were chiejiy new raifed recruits, behaved extremely well : and then alked him, how he liked his conduSi in the tranfa£lion of that day ; protejling at the fame time, he would follow his point vigor oifly, and pur-- fue the old corporal to the utmofi limits of the world. Next morning, after public prayers, and a folemn aft of thankfgiving at the head of his army, he mounted on horfeback, and returned thanks to his men regiment by regiment : and notwithftanding the Imperial army fuf- fered at that time a fort of general wreck, and every moment was precious to a conqueror, in order to complete his viftory more and more upon eafier terms, yet this wife and religious prince could not allow himfelf to purfue the ftroke at the very inftant his arm was lifted up, till he had firft returned his acknowledgment to the Supreme Be- ing, and difcharged the debt of gratitude, which he owed to his faith- ful foldiers ; bellowing particular encomiums on the Swediili and Fin- land horfe conduced by Horn, as alfo on that brave body of Scottifli infantry, which Hepburn commanded. Thus ended one of the greateft battles, that Europe had then feen. It lafted indeed only four hours and an half, without comprehending the two hours, that were employed in cannonading. It was in this refpeft that Tilly prided himfelf particularly : and, what was ftill more, fome of his artillery appeared to be of the heaviefl: fort then in ufe, and all his batteries were ready fixed ; but after the firft carriage was once paffed over, the king's portable cannons performed wonders *, as Tilly himfelf acknowledges in his letter. It is true, he fays nothing of his raajefty's peculiar method of fighting that day in columns (of which the king had made an experiment before in an engagement with the duke de Savelli) nor of fome evolutions, which were then efteemed extraordinary -f-. But this filence is not to be wondered at, fince it was • We have never had the fortune to meet with varying the attack, and rallying ; as alfo in deep 2 fufficient reafon for the difcontinuance of the and miry countries with fmall armies, and upon leather- cannon, which this prince invented. It fudden expeditions. certainly had its ufe in point of portability, and -f- Lanlbergii Gull. Magn. Eellura Gerni. f . was highly neceffary iot the fake of ftiifting, 324, 325. Vol. I. H h h impoffiblc 41 8 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1 63 1, inipoflible for Tilly to have commended Guftavus in thefe prefcnt cir- cumftanccs, without depreciating his own merit. The ground, (if we except the rivulet and the morafs of Scholka, the elevation of the Im- perial batteries, and the advantage of the wood where the troops rallied) may be confidered as tolerably equal ; nor were any entrenchments made ufe of on cither fide, there being indeed no time to prepare them. Many regiments charged ten or fifteen times apiece, and fome were employed (with only momentary intermifilons) from the begin- ning of the battle to the end : and, what is worth remarking, no of- ficer or foldier in the Swedifh or Imperial armies was ever afterwards called to an account for mifbehaviour. It may likewife be obferved incidentally, that the Svvedifli cavalry never difchargcd a piftol till they had received their adverfaries fire, and almoft touched the heads of their horfes : which eft^edl was the more fatal, as the peletons of intermixt mufquetcers difunited and broke the enemy's line by meer weight of ball, before they could come to touch their opponents. And what alike deferves our notice, is, that neither the king nor his troops difcovered the leaft difmay upon the flight of the Saxons (and it was perhaps upon this prefentiment, that he drew up his forces in two feparate armies) though Horn's left wing was thereby laid open and naked, and though the number of the ele6loral forces was half equal (to fay the leaft of them) to that of the Swedes. The lofs of this battle ftruck dumb the whole catholic league, after an uninterrupted feries of vi6lories for thirteen fucceflive years; and caufed fo great an aftonifhment even in the court of Vienna, that the emperor not thinking himfelf fecure in his capital, removed his houfe- hold to Gratz, the metropolis of Stiria. The king having employed himfelf the morning after the battle ac- cording to the manner we have related, diftributed the 3000 Imperial jnifoners amongft his troops ; in all which corps were only three fubjecls of his Britannic majefty, though confiderable numbers, Iiifh cfpecially, then ferved in the emperor's armies. This being finilhed, he permitted his foldicrs, who had llcpt all night on the bare ground, and had eaten nothing worth mentioning for two days, to take pollef- fion OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 419 fion of the catholic camp near Leipfic, where they found abundant 1631. provifions of every kind. He then at the head of a part of his cavalry inverted Leipfic, but leaving the fiege to the ele6lor of Saxony, (who by this time was returned from Eiilenberg, to which place he and his army had fled on the afternoon of the battle) he pufhed on the next morning as far as Merfburg *, whofe governor, the baron de Palant, received orders from Tilly to withdraw his garrifon ; but Pappenheim, who at that period was in effect general over the generalifTimo, pafiing through Merfburg after Tilly, left counter-orders with the baron, which that commander thinking fit to comply with, made a refiflance more becoming a man of honour than a man of prudence ; for not only he and his garrifon, but feveral broken companies, which had flraggled thither after the battle of Leipfic, were all made prifoners of war. The king, out of pure politenefs, left the reconquering of Leipfic to its lawful poiTelTor, inafmuch as it was very certain, that town mufl fubmit of courfe ; and in effect Wrangle the Imperial commander furrendered after a deliberation of two days, and faved 3000 good troops, upon condition, that thenceforwards they were never to bear arms againfl the crown of Sweden : never thelefs, fuch commanders and foldiers were excepted, as belonged not bona fide to the garrifon. So that about one hundred perfons, chiefly ofiicers, were detained a> prifoners ; and many brave Swedes were releafed, who had been con- fined there ever fince the florming of Magdeburg ; and by this time the king, as Monro, who was there prefent, afTures us, had encreafed his army, fince the battle of Leipfic, with an addition of 7000 Imperial forces, including prifoners. Mean while his majefly, at the head of 1 5,000 men, attended by an army of 1 0,000 more, advanced as far as Halle, and rendered him- felf mafter of the town and caflle with no great difEculty, Here he refrefhed his men for fome days, and returned public thanks to God in the great cathedral, employing every leifure moment in planning * Three days afterwards the caftle of Merf- burg. Guftavus fent the governor of the caftle. burg was taken, by which means colonel Uflar who was a fubjeft of Saxony, to plead his caufc regained his iib.;.cv, who had continued a cap- and make his excufes to the eledor his mafter, live there ever fmce the ftorming of Magde- . _ :, . H h h 2 and 20 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, and adjufting his future operations. Before he left this town, many protcftant princes, with the eleftor of Saxony at their head, made him a vifit ; and here it was, that meafurcs were taken for the completion of the great work, which was to enfue. What is yet more, this mighty j)lan was all reduced to form in one evening, though that evening was dedicated to fcftivity ; for the elc(5tor of Saxony loved the plea- fures of the table above meafure. Some minutes before fupper, co- lonel Monro entered the room out of curiofity, and the king, who diflikcd drinking, took him by the fhoulder, and faid with a whifper, / ivijh, Monro, you could be majifr of the bottles and glajfes to night, in the ahffnce cf old major-general Sir Patrick Rutbvcn : but you ivant a Jlrength of head to relieve tne on fuch an occajion, and make your ivay through an tmdcrtaking of Jo extraordinary a nature. Then turning round to the ele6lor, (upon fuppofition of refuming his topic) he digrefled into a long encomium of the Scottifli nation ; and beckoning to colonel Hepburn, who ftood in another part of the room, recapitulated the purport of his difcourfe, and recommended him, Lumfdel, and Monro, to the eleftor's more immediate notice. At length it was agreed on all hands, that as to purfue Tilly was meer lofs of time, it was therefore more expedient, fmce the emperor and the catholic league could not produce a frcfli army very foon, to fall upon the refpeftive dominions of certain popifli princes, while their minds were ftrongly impreffed with difmay and terror. But before this great work could be undertaken, it was concluded neceflary to employ part of the troops in fecuring the princes of the houfe of An- halt, as likewife the two diocefes of Magdeburg and Halberftadt ; and then Guftavus determined to march in perfon at the head of the re- fidue of his army, even into Bavaria, if that were poflible, with an intent to give laws collaterally to the ecclefiaftical eleflors, and the bifhops of Wurtzburg and Bamberg: and in the mean while it was allotted the eleftor of Saxony to carry on the war in Lufatia, Silefia, and Bohemia. What induced Guftavus, who was then afcending to the zenith of his power, and abfolute in his decifions in the aflembly at Halle, to aflign this department (and in effect the high road, which led to OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 421 .to Vienna) to the elefior of Saxony, hath been a point beyond the 1631. power of moft hiflorians to explain fully j and many perfons have been the more perplexed in their confiderations of it, inafmuch as the great Oxenftiern pronounced it to be a falfe meafure *. Neverthelefs, we fliall fpeak more amply concerning this difficulty hereafter, not in the leaft to his Swedifh majefty's dilhonour, but, on the contrary, very abundantly to his glory. We will now for a moment caft our eyes upon the unfortunate Tilly, who reaching Halle in the beft manner he could before break of day, fent for the town-furgeon to drefs his wounds, and make an incifion in- to his contufion, which gave him at that time inexpreflible torments. . Upon examining the bruifed flefh, the fagacious operator pronounced the general's body to be gefrorn^ that is in other words to have been rendered impenetrable by magical incantations, and taUfmanical fignatures -f- J. From Halle the Imperial commander fled to Halberftadt in a litter, and there having juft fufficient ftrength to bear being placed on an horfc for a fmgle hour, made a review of his fhattered troops, which amounted to 5000 cavalry, (if we conclude ten cornecies of horfe juft arrived from Cologn) and fome broken bodies of infantry ; for the greater part of the army, concluding it more falutary to adhere to Pappen- heim, perfued another route under that officer's prote6lion. The little handful of men re-aflembled at Halle exprefled great joy to behold their aged general once more; who, when he arrived at Afcherleben, difpatched the Cologn-regvment to join Pappenheim at Mansfelt, and fupport his retreat. When Pappenheim received this re- inforcement, it is aflerted by fome ||, that he difcovered very vifible figns of diftafte upon being fo certainly aflured, that the generaliffimo was living. Be that as it may, Tilly in two days expedited four expreffes to Aldringer, and befought him to join him at his general rendevous in the duchy of Brunfwic, which dlftrefled unfortunate country he confidered improperly enough as an afylum ; for the emperor had beftov/ed upon • Suecuin vincere, riaoria uti iwfciviiTe. Tillio abfuerit, fciunt qui hominem novere.^. Loccen. 587. Brachel. Hift. noftr. temp. p. 266. f SwediQi Intelligencer. || Lettre d'un Capitaine, &c. a un fien ami. X Q^od ffiilitix dehoneftamentum qutntum a him. 422 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, him, by way of gratification, a confidcrable pait of the territories of the brave duke Chrillian, who was alfo bilhop of Ilalberftadt. From Afchcrleben lie fliaped Ins courfe through the diocefe of Hildefheim, and arrived in ten days after the battle at Alvede, a little town on the river Leyne, which aftcrwaids pafles tlirough Hanover. This journey may be confidered more as a flight than a march, for in that time he had led his troops 140 miles. The king of Poland had long lain wait for the event of a decifivc battle, hoping, if Tilly had proved once fuccclsful, to have recovered all that the Swedes pofiefled in Pruflia : but matters taking a contrary turn, he thought proper to offer up his incenfe to the conquering party. His Danifli majefty made public rejoicing at Copeixhagen ; yet fo deeply rooted was his jealoufy of Guflavus, that he privately wifhed well to the houfe of Auftria. GuJftavus knew both thefe kings to the very bot- tom, and chofe to build upon tlieir fears much rather than upon their adulation. On the other hand, the dukes of Brunfwic and Lunenberg were more diftin6l j and the prince of Anhalt, with ail his family, made yio ceremony of efpoufing the caufe of Sweden by public treaty ; where- in it was declared by him, That repofmg himfelf upon the protection of Guflavus, his intention was to contribute his contingency towards the expences of the war, allowing the Swedes to eredl fortifications where- ever the king pleafed, and conflruct a bridge over the Elb ; towards the completion of which latter work he agreed to furnifh both men and money *. Guflavus, moderate in profperity, as well as undifraayed in adverfity, received all thefe princes with thankfulnefs, and carefled them all : and though the elector of Saxony, after the battle, expelled, as we obfer^ed before, but cold reception from a prince of fo much va- lour, feverity, and franknefs, yet our hero commended him for the in- finite pains he took to rally his men, and for tlie fenfible regret he mani- fefled upon account of their mifbehaviour. The eledlor charmed with a treatment fo unexpe6led vowed to follow the fortunes of Guflavus to his lafl moments, and offered the whole of his affiflance to procure him to be eledled king of the Romans. But the Saxon generals and * Chemnitius, Tom. i. ijj. minillers. OF GirSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 423 minifters, who were mofl of them penfioners to the court of Vienna, i6-'i. foon induced their mafter to change his ideas : neverthelefs, as to all outward appearance the two princes lived together in good intelli- gence ; manente in fpecietn Concordia. By this time, as a fort of 'natural confequence from the vicfbory of Leipfic, Guftavus began to difcover, that civil affairs encreafed upon his hands, as well as the military ; and for thefe reafons ordered Oxenftiern, who had been abfent from him ever fmce his arrival in Germany, to re- linquifh his warlike command in Pruflia, and take upon him the office of director general in the new-conquered countries ; or, as others fay, kgatus ab exercitii. The chancellor fet out immediately upon this charge, • which feemed more congenial to the bent of his inclinations, and the na- tural caft of his abilities ; yet reached not Halle till the king had crofled Thuringia, and conquered great part of Franconia. Mean while it was difcufled, in the evening of the entertaimnent we have lately mentioned, by what methods, and through what inroads the Swedifh and Saxon troops fhould invade the empire, and the allies of the Imperial family j proper departments being already affigned to the eleftor of Brandenburg, the landgrave of Hefle, and the dukes of Mech- lenberg. On both hands it was compendioufly agreed, that to purfue Tilly into Lower-Saxony would remove the feat of war too far from Vienna and Munich, and revive a new fcene of diflrefs and mifery among the proteftant princes of that circle. This fcheme therefore being confidered as injudicious and chimerical, only two roads prefented themfelves, whereby it was poflible to invade or annoy the houfe of Auftria and the catholic league ; namely, the left hand pafTage by way of Bohemia, ftrait to Vienna, which appeared at firft fight moft prac- ticable, as the road (excepting fuch defiles and mountains as you find on the northern and fouthern frontiers) was plain and wide, the coun- try itfelf abounding in good provifions of all forts ; and as the Imperia- lifls had prepared no troops in thofe parts by way of oppofitionj — and the right hand entrance into Thuringia, which might lead at length as far as Munich, but where many digreflive conquefts were to be made, and princes of varicus complexions to be. cajoled or threatned, whercthe inhofpitabl&. 424 THEHISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. inhofpitable forcft, called the Duringef- Walt, was to be crofled, and laftly, where the roads were narrow, ferpentine, and miry, and inter- fered, efpecially near Bavaria, by rivers and morafles, too numerous to be here recounted. The eleflor of Saxony not daring, or not chufmg to annoy the houfe of Auftria more than was needful, frankly made the king an offer of refigning to him the Bohemian paffage into Auftria, which Guftavus reje6led in a firm and plenary manner, without afligning any reafons. It is thought by many, that he entertained no high opinion of Arnheims honefty, and placed as little confidence in the eleflor's abilities or fin- cerity. Nor ^was he fatisfied, in cafe thefe difficulties could have been removed, that the field-marfhal or his mafter were capable of reducing to obedience even the fingle circle of Franconia, inafmuch as Tilly, when he had once conjoined his troops with thofe of Aldringer, Fugger, and the Lorainers, might return upon them (as neareft to him) with great fury, and give them, in all probability, a total overthrow. For he faw too plainly in the day's fervice at Leipfic, that the Saxon generals and Saxon foldiers, however well intentioned, could perform but little in oppofition to the rough and well-feafoned veterans of the Imperial army. For thefe reafons he thought it prudent to engage their honefty no farther than his own eye could fuperintend it, nor embark them fo deeply, as to run the rifque of facrificing the whole upon any mifcar- riage on their part j concluding it more advifable juft to keep them in breath by maintaining a diverfion, and enure them to an apprenticefliip in war, before they fate up for principals and mafters in fuch a difficult profeffion Having therefore well arranged and adjuftied all thefe ideas in his own mind, he pronounced only the refult of his private reafonings to the affembly, declaring in a few words. That as the princes and orders of Silefia had confidered the eIe<5lor of Saxony as the firft protecSlor of the proteftant caufe ever fince the breaking out of the Bo- hemian troubles, it was highly incumbent on the laid elector to fix his footing in Silefia, and then extend his conqueft into Bohemia That for his own part, with the concurrence of his eleftoral highnefs, he had lefolved once for all to penetrate through Thuringia into Franconia, having '•^ O -t"^ G U S T A V U S -"^A D O L P H U S. 42 j -having already prepared all things neceflary for fuch an expedition ; 1631. bemg determined not only to allow a breathing-fpace to the princes and ■ftates of Upper-Germany, but to make the enemy a vifit in his own 4odgiDgs, and give Tilly a fecond chance, if he thought proper to con- front him in the field of battle *. Thus fpoke the king, and as no man replied, both the debate and the converfation ended, though the land- grave of HefTe-Caffel, the dukes of Mechlenberg, and the princes of the ■houfe of Anhalt and Weymar were all prefent at this augufl aflembly. About this time Chriftian Margrave of Culmbach entered into a con- federation with his majefty upon the felf fame footing as that, which had been concluded with the landgrave of Hefle-Caffel, to which the adminiftrator of Wirtemberg afterwards acceded ; which gave the Swedes great credit in the circle of Suabia. The bifhop of Bamberg |) made pre- tence too of copying the examples above mentioned, and faved himfelf for the prefent by a mean a6l of equivocal interpretation : but the Swedes remembered him at a more convenient feafon, fo that upon the whole he loft the reputation of a man of honour, and gained nothing but the chara6ler of a diffembler, who attempted fruitlefsly to over-reach a prince of faperior talents. ■ '. The king then difpatched Chemftitz -f-, and another deputy, named Relinghen, to the Margrave of Brandenburg's :f: place of refidence : and from Bareiith inftruded them to pafs forwards, and found the in- tentions of the Nurenbergers, and other proteftants, with orders to ufe both kind words and menacing innuendoes. Chemnitz acquitted him- felf very plaufibly in the embaffies, but the Nurenbergers at firft had not courage to make any declarations againft the houfe of Auftria : for in- deed they had but juft tranfmitted a paper of allegiance to Aldringcr, fealed and figned in due form by the whole body of their patricians. Poppy too, an Imperial deputy, who then refided at Amberg, con- ftantly reminded them of this folemn engagement : fo that the moft they offered was a fort of neutrality, upon which the king wrote them a letter with his own hand, therein obferving, T/jat he Jaw through the * Chemnitius, Tom. i. p. i8o. f This was not the hiftorian, but one Martin y John George de Dornheim, elefted 1622, Von Chemnitz, a privy-counfellor. 4ied 1633. J Chriftian Margrave of Brandenburg. "''"OL. I. I i i fiirfaces 426 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 63 1, furfiuei of their heart i the Imperial intcrcfis in full proportion and diJlinSl^ nefs at bottom ; and that the middle courfiy which they propofcd to fleer, -was calculated upon no other principle.^ than to tunuje and deceive him. For my own part, continued he, / look upon all neutralities with an eye of con^ tempt, afidfiall treat neutral protejlants upon the footing of enemies, where- ever I fnd them. This letter being read in the public fcnate-houfe, where upwards of 200 Patricians were then aflbmbled, either terrified them into rcafon, or ferved as 4 pretext to juftify them for relinquifhing the interefts of the houfe of Auflria. Upon this the whole magiftracy encliued unanimoufly to the ca\ife of Sweden, and figned afterwards a treaty of alliance in conjunftipn with the other orders and ftates of the circle of Franconia. Chemnltic then received frcfh inftructions to con- tinue at Nurcnberg, and the other deputy paffed on to Ulm, and from thence to Guntzburg, in which journey, being by profelTion a captain of horfe, he fell with his little efcort on an Imperial commifTar)', guarded by a body of twenty mufqueteers, and having killed that officer witli a piftol-ball, carried along with him on to Straiburg the ftrong box, which contained upwards of a thoufand pounds, and confecrated the whole fum to his mafter's fervice. Mean while the king, conformably to his late plan (it being now only ten days after the battle of Leipfic) advanced at the head of his army to render himfelf mailer of Erfurt, a large city in the famous foreft of Thuringia, dependant by dubious and difputable tenure on the elector of Mentz *, which prelate was the firft prince of the catholic league^ againil whom Guftavus tho^ught proper to commence hoftilities. Never-* thelefs, before it was pofTible for him to demand admiiTion, a body of delegated magiftrates refpe^lfuUy told him, that he was extremely wel- come to make his refidence among them in perfon, but begged to be excufed from admitting a garrifon. His anfwer was, That he came as a friend, and not as an enemy : and for their advantage preferably to his own ;. that it was never his cujlom to makejirangers his guards, and place himfelf in, fuch afituation as to be obliged to receive laws from other mc7i ; Akerius nvnfit, * Frededc GreiiFenclav,, bi(hap of Worms ; For the various, claims and pretenfioDS to defied by the chapter 1626 in the room of John Erturc the reader ina/ cqnfuit La Geografbif ,dt. Suicard,. whofe family najne was Cronenberg. Hubr.tr, Toin. vi, p. 25S. . i /-i- yvJUi OFGU^tAVUS ADOLPHUS. ^ 427 qui futts ejfepoteft. Thefe were the very words he made ufe of on the occa- 1631. fion ; and upon the departure of thefe venerable fenators, ordered duke Wil- liam of Sax-Weyniar, under pretence of efcorting them with an honorary body of horfe, to fqueeze into the city at the fame time, that they entered. He then told the inhabitants in a long fpeech, that may be confidered not only as a public juftification of himfelf for entering Germany, but as a pattern of chriftian magnanimity, and religious moderation, *' That the public might be curious to be informed of what nature and " cogency thofe motives were, which induced him firft to interpofe in the *' Germanic fyftem." / embark, faid he, in a war far from my native dominions., and feem to court thofe dangers and di^culties, which another ?nan might labgtir to decline : but the fearcher of the human heart well fees and knows, that it was neither ambition, that tempted me, nor the avarice of ex- tending my dominiojis, ?ior the appetite offghtifig, nor the mifchievous petulance of inteyfering. Other object I had none, than to fupport the affiidied and op- prejjed, to maintain the religious and civil rights of fociety, and bear my tejli- mony againft a tyranny over the whole human nature. The Suprerne Being hitherto hath conferred upon nie the marks of a providential concurrence, and has rendered me the 'willing, but unworthy injlrument of rejloritig liberty both corporal arid mental 'to the late unhappy inhabitants in the various pro- vinces of Lower-Germany. But, 7ny friends, let us always remember, that in this general form and wreck of mankind, no one interefed perfon miif propofe to glean any ruins to himfelf, nor fit abje£lly lamenting with his arms folded, when the helm requires one man, when the anchor afks a fecond, and the fails dejnand a third. It is well known, I foliciled for peace before my army entered Gennany : 1 afked for it a fecond time very near the period of the inhuman maffacre at Magdeburg j and dm open to receive it now, even fourteen days after the decifve victory of Leipfc. But the infinSl of God prompts me fill to continue amongjl you, and the ncccffity of things (in the firf chain of- which I had no concern) compels me to proteSl a?id make condi- tions for my allies, my kinfmen, and brethren in religion : nor will I ever de- fer t them, till God refumes that exijience, which at prefent he has thought fit to make my portion,'— -—l acknowledge, with gratitude to the Supreme Being, that my mind is yet firm ^ and my body robuft j / thank him likewife for I i i 2 having 428 THE; HliS TORY OF THE LIFE 1631. having ble fed me with }w 'vu/gar fuccefs, cnul for. enduing me with abilitlei capable of applying that fuccefs to fui table pur pofh : never ihelefs I am neither vain-glorious in tny pajl profpcrities^ nor ijiapprehcnfive of the future froivm of providence. It.iscertaitf tOQi thftt I (ontmd -i^ith an army cf veteran troops, rendered majleri cf their prof ejfwn by experience, andjjjarpencd afrejh by dif appointment and defpair : and befidei all this, it is a point incontejla- blsy that, war, in the very, befl hands, is a game of uncertainty. If I, opprefs any man, merely through iheurgcncy of circumjlances, it is 1 thatfeelr as well as he : — if 1 requeji you tqrcfei've a garrifon, and expend fome money> in new-fortifying your city, it is becaufe I would verify that proteSlion, which I fmcerely promife you. It had never been my cujlom firjl to conquer, and then enfave ; and of this the tcivn of Riga is an i»/lcince undeniable. You too mayrepofe on the fncerity of my proteBion, fwhen I affure you, that I in~ lend to leave amo?ig you.,, as a pledge or depoftum, the. invaluable objecl of all my affe&ions in this world, and that is the queen of Sweden * -j-. His majefty, when the town-deputies met him between Halle and Erfurt, had gracioully given them his word of honour to protedl the liberties of the people, and not interrupt the eftabliflied religion, witli which the magiftrates appeared highly contented. Neverthelefs, being extremely delicate with regard to all imputations of fubterfuge and re- tratSlation, he reduced his engagements under nine diftinft articles inta writing %, which being duly figned and fealed, gave fuch redoubled fa- tisfadlion to the principal inhabitants of the town and difhift, tliat they> prefented on their fide a counterpart- proteftation, wherein (after having firfl obliged themfelves by oath to continue faithful and obedient to liim^ his heirs, his crown and allies. during the whole period of this religious war) they engaged to defend their town bona fide againfb all hoftile. attacks ; to attempt nothing to the detriment of his majefty 's ai'ms, but, on the contrary, make difcovery of all things, that tended to his pre- judice ; concluding with this general protellation, that they enrolled, themfflve? under the king's proteiftion with fubmijjlon and gratitude,. * Cliemnit. Tom. i. pa^. 184 — 187. tlie promife feemed ef.incly to be unr.ece/Tary. •]■ Whenhermajefly arrived, thefeatof war was % The author of the Swedifh Ictelligencer itmoved fo far froui Etfart, tliat the cpraplction qf gives us twelve, Paj^t ii. p. 4: ' . ■ fmcerely^ OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 429 fincerely, candidly and irreproachably, in a manner befitting liberal per- 1651. fons, and men of honour *. The king, who always made the tour of eveiy city the firft leifure moment after he had conquered it, (for he loved to fee the populace, and found it his interefl likewife to be ften by them) directed his fteps, as fome think by defign, into the church of St. Peter, and meeting the abbot at his firft entrance, requefted him to advife his fovereign fo with- draw his troops from tJx' army of the league, and not Jlrengthen the enemies of the proteftants : that for his oivn part he bore no ill ivill to the eleSloral body, andf.oidd be greatly mortified, if obliged to ufe them contrary to his in- tentions : that the emperor only, was his man and his cbjeSl : and as the Im-- perialfoldiers had 7:ohbed him of a beaver -hat -f- in Pomcrama, be. iv as come. thus far to re-demand it %, ..When the jefuits threw themfelves at his feet, he raifed them from the ground, and faid, They bad much to anfwer for before God's tribunal, on account of the conwiotions they had raifed, and the blood they had occafioned to be fpilt throughout the world. That for his own part he was fo far a jefuit, as to be able , to comprehend, that their projedls were ill intentioned,. their proceedings oblique, and their maxims dangerous. Thai it would become them more to per ufe their breviaries, and handle their rofaries (in imitation oj- the decorum and moderation of other good catholic ccclefaftics,) than to em- b)(til the mfc Ives in the intrigues of fate, and make the world afea of blood : exhorting them to continue in repofey and advertife their brethren oJ this dij- ccurfe, fence if they remained inaSlive, and in profound fitbmif ion, ftriB care fould be taken, that no perfon foidd.molefi them [|. Things being thus adjuftcd and explained, he gave the papifts aQur- ances, that they had the free liberty to continue undifturbed in the exer- cifes of their religion, or fell their eltates and effects, and retire into what country they pleaftd : but as to fuch, as had deferted their places of abode without: waiting for an explanation, he {hould make no fcru- ple toconfifcate their goods in order to fit up the manfion deftined for the reception of his royal con fort. With regard to th^ prote lantr • Chemnit. Tom. i. 188. J Lc SoWat Suedois, p. 147. + Sv& the- leneounter between him arid Sirot. |i Ibid. p. !-^8. dergvi 43^ THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE i4-yj, clergy, as likewife fchool-maftcrs and profefTors in the univerfity, he placed them with fingular honour under his own immediate protedion, and exempted them from the difagreeablenefs of quartering foldiers, or contributing in any fhape towards the expenccs of the war. With re- fpeft to the catholic ecclefiaAics, he contented himfelf with their de- claring folemnly, that they would no ways prejudice the Swedifh crown, nor the allies of Sweden. He then in the laft place, having made a treaty with the dukes of Sax-Weymar, appointed William, the elder brothei", a prince extremely popular, and who had many connexions in thofe parts, to be governor of the city and diftri6V of Erfurt (which contains about feventy-three parifhcs) and the whole province of Thuringia : nominating the count of Lowcnftein to be commander of the garrifon *, and referring all civil matters to Sternberg, who aded in the double capacity of judge and public minifler. In like manner, fome days before, he created Lewis, prince of Anhalt, ftadtholder of Halle, and dire6lor of the duchy of Magdeburg, joining with him Stalman as chancellor, and colonel Sneydwin -f- as military comman- der in the city, and precifely for the fame reafons j cautioufly avoiding to put native Swedes into fuch employment for fear of giving umbrage to the Germans. His majefty now :f turned all his thoughts towards the redu6lion of Franconia, a circle of more importance to the Imperialifts than any other, as it afforded them means of refifting and retarding their aggref- fors, partly from the abundance of narrow defiles and difficult paffes, and partly from the rocky and unequal nature of the ground in various places : yet though one half of the country be wild, woody, and fcantily peopled, which renders the march of an enemy highly difagreeable, yet the other half, at the fame time, vies with any tra<5l or territory in the empire, both for populoufnefs of inhabitants, and for a plentiful fupply of corn and forage, which might have enabled the defendants to have pro- • The garrifon confifted of Fowle's Scottifh foot, commanded by lieutenant colonel Chem- regijnent, confifling of 1500 men. For the pre- nitz ; all veteran troops of eftablifhed reputation, fervation of the province of Thuringia were left f He had been an old officer under the ad- behind, Conroille's regiment of cavalry: and miniftrator of Magdeburg. Lowenftein's ; Mitzval's, Monro's, and Forbes's % i. t. Fourteen days after the battle of regimenti of infantry, with four companies of Leipfic. tracled OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 431 tra6ted their refiftance, or made a vigorous oppofition in fuch very man- i6? r. ner as pleafed them bed. But Tilly had over-fliot thefe objefls, in inarching fo precipitately to the north-weft, which may be considered as a fignal overfight ; for on his returning to relieve Wurtzburg, he found Guftavus had adjufted his game in fuch a manner, that he had referved to himfelf the grand privileges of ftar\ang the Imperialifts, and de- clining an engagement. The king, partly to extend his conquefts, and partly to fubfift his army (which confifted of 20,000 efFe6live men) through the fatigues of a long and painful march, where provifions were to be obtained with difficulty, and the circumftance of tranfporting his artillery was very pei-plexing, judged extremely well to divide his forces into two bodies, in order to crofs, with greater conveniency, the vaft foreft of Thuringia, fo unfumifned of villages and market-towns. The column, which took the right-hand road, was committed to the care of Bauditzen, as commander in chief, and colonel Hepburn. Bauditzen made him- felf mafter of Smalcalden, Meinungen, Newftadt, Hamelburg, Gemund, and Carlftadr, as he paifed along. This general was as cool in refle6tion,. and as brave in execution, as any officer, that ferved under the king; but to thefe uncommon fliining qualities was fuperadded the tarnifhing charafVer of a low and dirty rapacioufnefs *. Hence it was, that in order to fqueeze contributions from the inhabitants of the principal cities, through which his rout lay, he confented to quarter his foldicrs in little corps and open fields ; and thus in a march of only eight days duration -f-, contrived to put five thoufand pounds into his pocket with- out the privity of his royal mafter ; nor did he impart a fingle dollar • He married Madamoifelle Rantzau, a lady Meinungen (thirteen miles and an half i) the born in Holftein, who (though a co-heirefs with fourth at Millerftadt (thirteen milss and a half: three other fifters) brought him an extraordi- the fifth at Newftadt (thirteen miles and an half:) aary fortune for that age and country; namely, the fixth at Gemund, (thirteen miles:) th« j6eoo 1. fterling. feventh at Carlftadt (nine miles ;1 and the eighth -(• There is fomething furprizingly rapid in at Wurtzburg (nine miles.) So that in this ex- Guftavus's motions, even in bad roads', and at pedition he marched one hunared and eie-vcn milt: »time when he was encumbered with very heavy and an half in eight days, and received the rapl- artillery ; for from a diary of this march it ap- tuiations of fix confiderable towns as he pafled pears,, that Bauditzen croffed the foreft (twenty, along. But the king reached Wurtzburg, and. fcvea miles) in two days: lay the third right at took it before his lievitenantgcner.d arrived. 432 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. l<^ the brave Hepburn, and fiich otlier officers as aflcd under him. When the king heard the Hory, he thought proper to remove him to a more remote command in Tomerania, partly from a deteflation of fuch practices, and partly becaufe the troo])S protefted they did not care to fervc under fuch a general ; though probably one half of that ob- jeftion refulted from his having made no participants in his extortion. Be this as it will, thus much is certain, that the land-officers in that age dealt a little too largely in prize-money ; which hung like a dead weight on his majefty's fpirits, who forcfaw wifely (upon fuppofition troops were warmly cloathed, well fed, and punctually paid] that fuch kind of practices mufl in time fubvert all difcipUne, all principle, and all military enthufiafm : for nothing renders foldiers fo cruel, and fo pu- fdlanLmous, as the love of money; ■■ ' Jbit, qui zonam perdidit, aiunt. And therefore, as we fhall obferve more particularly on another occa- fion, it was a fort of maxim with Guftavus, which he always threw out to his officers, as they flood round him ; 'that thefcience of war was en humane atid liberal profejfion ; and that he ever drew a line of partition between the jnan offervice and the ruffian ; the hero and the Croatian. Nor did the king in this exception lay any reftraint on the freedom of his own condudt j for he, Pappenheim, Horn, Gaffion, tec. were all men of very exa(?t and regular lives, and fo was Tilly j if we except his bigotry and cruelty at the fiege of Magdeburg, They performed far greater ex- ploits in the field, than " thofe extraordinary heroes, whofe immorali- *' ties (fays an ingenious author *,) " make almoft as much noife as " their vi6lories." But to return to the route, which his majefty purfued : the morning he left Erfurt, he fent a meffage to the count of Schwartzenberg -j-, that • M. Bayle, under the ankle of Henry IV. tied in England with the Saxons. And thii f He or one of the name had been the Im- branch enjoyed confiderable pofleiSons in Berk- perial ambaffador to England. He offended the Ihire and elfewhere in the beginning of the laft French ambaflador much at London in i6z2, century. The chief of the family was created a by paying his compliments to the Spanifh am- prince in 1671 ; and the country hath been fince baffador firft. Some of this nobleman's pre- ftyled a principality. The old EngliQi hillorians ■deccflbrs (their family names -were Gunter) fet- call the Guntprs, Cw/^rwiwu". he OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 433 he purpofed to take a bed in his caftle of G unter, near Arnftadt, the en- 163 1. fuing evening. Tlie nobleman was very uneafy at this unexpe6led frank- ncfs, becaufe one of his anceftors had done the Swedes great mifchief in a former war. He was weak enough to make his apologies on that head: but Guftavus told him fmilingly and compofedly, "That he had nothing to fear, inajmiich as his predecejfor had aSled like a man of honour and fidelity -, and that he 07ily deftredfuch a brave and affeSlionate fet of officers under himfelf. During this vifit, a party, detached from the main army, took Gotha by furprize ; and the king difpatched letters of accommoda- tion to the two principal perfonages of the catholic league in Franconia ; namely, the biihops of Wurtzburg * and Bamberg. He then, having refrefhed his men a little at llmenau, traverfed that dreary and unholpi- table trafl called the Duringcr-Walt j and as the troops broke up their quarters early, and reached them late, the route propofed to be purfued was illuminated mornings and nights with matches affixed to trees, and lanterns eredled on ftationary polls at befitting diflances. The diffi- culties of tranfporting the artillery through this foreft (which occurred to me at the time I croffed it) were fufficient to have dlfmayed any general lefs enterprizing than Guflavus. Neverthelefs, he furmounted the rocks and hills, fleered his courfe dextroufly along the precipices, and glided between the thick woods in fo adroit and ferpentine a man- ner, that he reached the fouth-wefl boundaries of this wild or wait on the third evening; having prefented himfelf, as hepaffed along, be- fore the ftrong callle of Masfelt (which being fince difmantled, lies now in an heap of ruins,) whilfl an advanced party of his light-horfe had the good fortune to feize Dacofla, governor of the fortrefs, and commifTaiy over the diflrifl round it, who at that time, like a vigilant warrior, was amufuig himfelf in courfmg a hare. In confequence of this unparalleled carelefTncfs on the part of the commander, this impor- tant ftrOiig-hold furrendered to the conqueror upon eafy terms. His ir.ajefty purfued his journey next morning to Koenigfhofen ; not the Koenigfhofen, which ftands on the Tauber, (for there are two towns of the ijame in the circle of Franconia) but that, which appertaineth to * Francis Hatzfelt. Vol. I. Kkk ' the 444 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 163 1, the blfliop of Wurtzburg, and is the key to that diocefe, and the diocefe of Bamberg. As the numerous garrifons in the town and caftle feemcd to make preparations for no vulgar^ refiftarfbe, the king thundred upon them by break of day from fuch batteries, as he could bcc^ the preced- ing night ; for he wanted this town exceedingly (it being victualled for a twelve-montli's refifrance, no uncomfortable allurement to an hungry army :) yet during this momentai*y fiege, whilft his mind was kept upon the ftrctch of impatience, he gave the public a very particular example of humanity ; for having battered down one of the principal towers, he fent word to the garrifon, "That his intention nvas to lay the whole city in apes; but if they iisouU fend out the iconien and children ^ he ivould give- tkcm a courteous and hofpitable reception *. Struck with fuch marks of benignity, joined to a valour and firmnefs, which they had thoroughly experienced, the befieged capitulated imme- diately, with very flight degrees of ceremony ; though few places of the fame fize with Koenigfhofen (it being the magazine and arfenal of the diocefe of Wurtzburg, as well as the principal fortrefs) could be fup- pofed to be better furnifhed with ammunition, provifionSj arms, and artillery : and in this fuppofed afylum was depofited great part of the wealth and rich moveables, that belonged to the nobility and gentry, who lived in the diftrift, which lay round it. One good regiment was left in the town by way of garrifon, and Erneft, another prince of the houfe of Sax-Weymar, and brother to William and Bernard, was appointed governor. It was during this fiege, that the king gave an extraordinary proof not only of his intrepidity, but that he imagined no foldiers, even thofe belonging to the enemy, could be guilty of a cowardly and illiberal a6lion. For riding up within half a mufquet fhot of the town- gate, after he had fent a trumpeter to fummon the garrifon to capitulate, he obfei-ved the guards blowing their matches to give fire againfl his per- fon ; Sacrament -f ! cried he, (the only time we ever obferved him to fweai') * Soldat Suedois, p. 151. Swedllh Intelli- find it, yet it's doubtful to me, whether the king gencer, Part ii. p. 7. made ufe of the fort of oath (not uncommon in •J- Though I cite this paifage in the manner I German mouths) which is here mentioned : for it OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 44^ fwear) if you dif charge one piecey the king pall know it: and he hath made 1631. a voiv, that in cafe fuch an accident foould happen, that not a fingle foul f^all receive quarter j but if you treat fairly, your own conditiotis fmll then be granted you *. Next morning (for the fiege and capitulation lafted only one day) his majefty, willing to improve on the enemy's confternation, and verify what was faid of him (partly out of pure defpite to Tilly) by the partizans of Walftein ; 7iamely, that he conquered the firjl circle of the empire, be- fore the expreffei could carry the news of his irruption to the court of Fienna ; purfued his road to Sweinfurt with all imaginable alacrity ; for he marched his army twenty-fix miles in one day, at the diftance of tliree weeks from the autumnal ci^uIiuja, and that, iiiaugie the hard fervice of the day preceding, and the march the day anterior to that, from Schleiiffing to Koenigfhofen, which may be computed at twenty miles and one half. In the fpace of a fmgle hour, his majefty inverted Sweinfurt, and admitted the governor into a capitulation, allowing the garrifon to retire to Wurtzburg, and appointing Charles Harte to be commander of the town, at the head of a regiment well approved and thoroughly experienced. In the middle of the day's march to this place, an old Imperial captain with one eye, affifted by fuch refolute peafants as he could affemble together, took poflellion of a wooden houfe, that proje6led into the ftreet of a little village or dorp, called Lauringen, ■(through which place lay a narrow and difficult pafs) and flopped the whole van-guard of the Swedifli cavalry for a very confiderable time, till at length the dragoons found themfelves. obliged to difmount, and cut this diminutive garrifon to pieces. When the king refrelhed him- -felf at Lauringen fome hours afterwards, and learnt whaT: retardment IT is it was remarked of him [M^rr. Franc. Toot. JW7.] pline with him, that whenever any foldier had thai, far from digrefling into any ra(h oath in the been proved guilty either of curf ng or fwear- ordinaiy courfe of converfation, he was rarely ing, hrwas condemned to ftand for a confjdera- ox never known to be betrayed into a fingle ex- ble feafon, with his hands tied up againll a preffion of that kind, even under the influence pike in fuch manner, as if he implored the divine of paffion, or when any extraordinary event fur- forgivenefs. p.ized him : and as a proof of this (fince it is * Appendix to the Swedifti Irite!ligencer, hardly probable he would have counterwbrked Part iii. 187. his own example) it was a fixt point of difci- Kkk 2 had 436 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. had been occafioned to his progiefs by the inflexible obftinacy of z fingle man, he vowed (defigncdly, as it's thought, in order to acquire the knowledge of fome fecrets) to put the one eyed officer to death, for faciificing the poor peafants, and making a refiftancc, which fa- voured more of the madman than the foldier. In the tranfports therefore of this refentment, he fent for the provoft-marfhal and the executioner ; but neither one nor the other could be found *. Never- thelefs, during the time, that was employed in thefe refearches, the captain contrived to make his peace with his majefty, by informing him of the ftrength of Wurtzburg, and the approaches, that led to the fortifications : and thus the affair ended, not without reciprocal fatis- faCtion on either fide. The amazing rapidity of the king's conquefts, dlffolved immediately the catholic part of the aflembly then convened at Francfort upon the Mayne, it being agreed both by papifts and proteftants, that the fword. might cut the difficulties of the edidl of reftitution, much fooner than the nice hands of the Jus-publicifts could pretend to unravel them. The firft perfon, that fled, was the grand-mafter of the Teutonic order -j:;, who fate as prefident in this aflembly, confcious of an irreligious and imprudent fpeech he had once made, namely, that the holy empire would never fee a peaceable moment, till every protefl^ant was maflacred, who had arrived to the feventh year of his age. On this account he had no defire to pay his comphments to a man of fpirit like Guflavus. Nor did the bifliop of Wurtzburg, who had diftinguifhed himfelf by an uncommon zeal for the caufe of the league, chufe to receive, a • Chemnit. Tom. i. pag. i. This very cip' cumftance ferves to confirm us, that the king's anger was only a pafiion aflunied and perfonated; for theie were four provofts and an executioner at that time belonging to every regiment, that afted under him. Nor is it to be fuppofed, that he, who never committed one aft of cruelty in all his campaigns, fiwuld have put to death a brave old Walloon, who at that very inftantwas mortally wounded ;• — but knowing well, that the man defpifed fimpic death as much as himfelf, he therefore chofc to operate upon him by propofuig a (brt of exit, which carried with it an idea of difgrace ; and counterfeited anger for a few mo- ments, in order to palliate and juftify a refolution (to the poor man's apprehcnfion) which would, otherwife have argued an infenfibility in the heart, and an obliquity in the judgment of the Great Guftavus. f John Cafpar, prince of Anhalt : fee the Court Regifter of Vienna, Anno 1632. Hiftor. or Authentic Relat. in L«w Dutch, fol. Tom. i. 126, Hift. du Regne de Louis XIII. par Ic Vaffor, Tom. vii. p. 54. Swediih OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 437 Swedifh vifit in his own metropolis; but diflodging thence juft before 1631 the letter of fummons reached the town, configned himfelf, boldly enough, into the army of the houfe of Auftria, and for this reafon» in the month of January following, was fent ambaflador into France in the name of all the cathohc eledlors. The bifhop of Bamberg, who had parts inferior to this prelate, and lefs firmnefs, Iheltered himfelf, as perfons of little genius are apt to do, under the low arts of duplicity and evafion : for having agreed by his deputies, (conformably to his own propofals) not only to ad- vance the king, three tuns of gold *, and pay the fame monthly con- tingent he paid the army of the league, but to recall his forces from the catholic fervice, an with only feven followers -j-, (for what reafons cannot be guefTed) ap- proached in the dark to the draw-bridge, which leads into the outward court of the caftle, wherein were lodged near two hundred Imperialifts. Being challenged, according to the word of the night, and aflced, who he and his party were, he replied abruptly and naturally, without any fcheme or forefight, 'That they -were Sivedes : from whence one may be induced to imagine, that he had never prepared himfelf to re- turn an anfwer to fuch fort of queftions ; being an hero better calcu- lated for blows than dialogue. Upon this the officer, who commanded the party within, attempted immediately to draw up the bridge, but the Lifelander jumped upon it with an extraordinary effort of adivity, and his companions followed him: in confequence whereof, the enemy took a fudden panic, which darknefs contributed to encreafe, and recoiled with fome confufion, fuppofing great numbers to be rufliing in. The Jieutenant cried aloud to a large body of Swedes, which was ftationed at no great diftance from him ; and thus the outward court of the caftle^ was fecured in an inftant. Of courfe the fortrefs of Marienbcrg w-as now conquered : yet the king, who always had a great abhorrence to^ rude bloodflied, and tumultuous murther, made frefh fignals of accom- modation to the garrifon j but Keller continued inflexible to the very laft moment. Some hundreds of Imperialifts tlirew away their lives with uncommon obftinacy, till at length the Swedes cried out in a rage, Magdcbur-g- quarter, Magdebu7-g~quarter . Amoiigft the dead, were found at Icaft twenty friars, who had occafxonally taken up the pike and •the mufquet. The commander Keller was taken prifcner fword in • Swedilh Intelligencer, Part ii. p. 14, &c. the nixth snan into the caftle. Ibid. f Hisjnajelly hearing of this fuccefs, eDCcied handj OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 443 hand, Ijy colonel Torilenfon *, who generoufly protefted him : never- 1631. thelefs, it was made a condition, that he fhould difcover a certain fecret vault hewn into the rock, wherein ineftimable treafures, both in plate and money, were depofited. Greater part of the wealth of the diocefe was here concealed, as alfo the fum, which the ele6lor of Bavaria had fent to Tilly in order to repair his (hattcred aimy after the unfor- tunate defeat at Leipfic. Corn and provifions were found in abundance, and a very large quantity of wine -f-. An equerry belonging to the pre- late made frefli difcovcries, and amongft other things, gave indications of a certain coffer, well filled with ducats, which Guftavus conceived a thought of appropriating to the ufes of his own privy purfe ; but its weight in the removal burfl: the bottom ; and as the foldiers cafl a longing eye on thefe glittering reliques, and began to pick them up for their matter's ufe, with a private view to fecrete here and there a few for themfelves, the king made a merit of neceflity, and faid with a loud laugh, I fee plainly it mujl be fo : let the rogues convert them to their own property \. Having allowed his foldiers to plunder with moderation for the fpace of one hour, he referved nothing for his own ufe but the fine hbrary of books (which was fent to the univerfity of Upfal ||, by way of re- prifal upon Tilly, who had tranfported the Palatin colleftion to the Vatican,) as alfo the bifhop's magnificent fervice of plate, and a liable of horfes, thought fuperior to any in the empire : not to mention the artillery, which amounted to thirty large pieces, and all the fmall arms, • Leonard Torftenfon, then general of artil- millions of pipes of ivitit, \_que!jues milliert dt lery. He proved afterwards one of Guftavus's tonneaux de ijin.l moftablefucceflbrs. The reader mull be informed. The original of Dc Prade contains about 170 that Monro by niiftake always calls him Richard- pages in duodecimo. It is not worthy of the fon. Bame of an epitome, fince I cannot perceive he f Honeft Ferrand Spence, who worked in the has abridged any one author whomfoevar. In a bookfeller's manufaftory of the laft century, in word, it is little more than an incorreft imiex, tranflating Du Trade's life of Guftavus, having full of falfe dates, new and old ftyle promifcii- fleard fomething of the common random a€- oufly ; juft as he found them. counts of German hard-drinking, conceived a \ Riccius de Bellis Germanicis. refolution to ftock the bifhop's cellars very copi- |j Schefferi Memorab, 149, 150. oufly ; for he fays there weie found in them fome L 1 1 2 of 444 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE 1631. of which latter there was a quantity fufficient to furnifli at leafl: 7000 men. It may be worth remarking, that amidft all this fcene of blood- flied, confufion, and plunder, not a nun was violated (though the nun* had refuged themfelves in this afylum from all parts of the diocefe *) not a matron affronted, nor a child terrified ; for the royal orders were ex- preflly calculated to the contraiy : and what may alike merit our obferva- tion, is, that all the valuable effefts in the vault, which belonged to the inhabitants of the city, were reftored to them promptly and punftually. Free exercife of the Romifh religion was granted to all, that made pro- fcflion of it, and a new chamber of juflice was erefled, confifling of twelve members, half proteftants and half papifls, one moiety, gen- tlemen, and the other, civilians. Nor muft we omit two other circumftances, which took their rife from this fiege : the firfl was, Hamilton was fo offended, that the Scottifh fol- diers had not the honour of conducing the lafl afTault, that he demanded his difmifTion from Guflavus, which was immediately allowed him. The- fecond was, that when the king entered the caflle, the very inflant after it was ftormed, he perceived, that the pavement of the court-yard was all covered with proftrated bodies ; but when he obferved them more nar- rowly, difcovei-ed that fome of the men (who did not care to be quite fo much in earnefl as their commander) looked very florid in the counte- nance. Upon which, being by this time convinced, that part of the number only counterfeited death, he commanded them, with a chear- ful accent of voice, to arife^ for their Ihes were fafe. In confequence of which, a part of the hundreds, whom my hiftory killed in the pre- ceding pages, flarted up from the ground, and returned his. majefty their beft acknowledgments. Upon taking Wurtzburg, and feveral other Roman cathoHc towns, fome of the king's generals perfuaded him to lay heavy contributions on the citizens for making profeilion of an erroneous, extravagant, and pei- fecuting religion. But his anfwer upon thefe occafions was always to one ciFeft ; It is now my ci^y, and appertaineth no longer to ike enemy : I camt » Mercure Francois, ii Partie du Tome .xvii. p. 78. id OFGUSTAVUSADOLPHUS. 44- lo unfetter the confciences of my fellow creatures, atid not enjlave them afrejh : 163 1, let free beings live as beji pkafeth them, conformably to their ant tent habitudes ; I change no religious laws to thofe, who a5l confidently with fuch laws as they have hitherto prof effed ;— ;hat might be the uld- mate objeft of all hi; views. ■\ The following narrative is extrafted from liis own difpatches. Ibid. proper OF GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS. 449 proper to inveft him with the chara6ler of ambaflador extraordinary ; 1631, but by his own accounts, he had no title to the quaUfication of plenipotentiary. The occafion of fending him took its birth from the wonderful profperity of Guftavus, and from fome letters of his to the king and marquis of Hamilton, relative to that nobleman's expedition. Vane employed twenty five days in travelling from Hamburg to Wurtzburg ; nor could he well perform the journey in lefs time, for the roads were difficult and dangerous, and flying parties of meroders * abounded fo in every quarter, that it was neceffary for him to provide a large retinue of horfemen, well mounted and completely armed j nor could he difpatch an exprefs to Guftavvis or his generals, without manifeft hazard to the undertaker's life or liberty. Which makes him complain in a fubfequent letter the year enfuing, " that he could " not travel with a fmaller retinue than fifty horfemen, nor expend lefs " on the road than twenty pounds each day." On the feventh of November 163 1, he had the honour to be admitted to his firft private audience, in which the king told him, " That if " his mafter wifhed to effe6luate the recovery of the Palatinate fincerely, " and with good faith, he muft afford him fuch affiflances, as juflly " merited the appellation of royal ones, and not only fupply him with " four or five tuns of gold +, (fums far from being very important to " a king of England fo nearly concerned, if thoroughly in earnefl,) " but convey to him early in the enfuing fpring a body of national " troops amounting at leafl to 12000 men : and then Guflavus " added, that he would engage never to fheathe his fword, till the * Having fpelt this word differently from the and ravifher was furnamed Merodifta by the writers of my own country, it may be confi- Spanifli and Italian foldiers, who ferved then acred as a common piece of refpedl to affign under the emperor : from whence came the fome reafon. The truth is, thefc partisans French word, marauder, which the marechal took their name from a count de Merode, a de Luxemburg always fpelt merodeur. brutal and licentious officer in thefe wars, who Reflexions Militaircs & Politiques de Santa was killed in a drunken quarrel by John de Cruz, Tom. iii. Wert. From this man's prai5lice a plunderer J A tun of gold is about 9000 1. fterling. Vol. I. M m m " Palatinate- 45«> THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE J 63 1. " Palatinate fliould be reconquered, and delivered back to the hands " of its lawful poflcflbr." Having thus explained himfelf with reference to the reftitution of Frederic to his patrimonial inheritances, •' he made it his requefl, *' that the faid unfortunate prince fhould repair immediately to the " Swedifli army, and march with it into his own dominions j in- •' afmuch as, according to the beft informations then to be obtained, " his fubje£ts ftill preferved an extraordinary zeal and affeftion for " him." Vane flood thunderftruck at thcfe propofals, and at length brought forth his excufe and reply Vk'ith no fmall difficulty; namely, " That his •' inftru£lions were rather to hear what the kingj had to offer, than to " propofe any thing himfelf : that he would not fail to advertife his *' court, and procure an anfwer with all poffible expedition." Yet little as this man loved Guftavus, and prepoflelfed as he was in his disfavour, neverthelefs, in his letters to England at or near this period, he finds himfelf obliged to do fome juftice to that prince's character in the capacity of a foldier ; for having obferved, that the Swedifh army confided of 120C0 foot, and 8000 horfe, he remarked afterwards, " That better men, and better cloathed, he never faw : and that there *' was not a fick man, nor boy amongft them. Their king let them " live at difcretion * : they fpared neither friend nor foe ; only " he did not fuffer them to touch the churches, nor moleft the catho- " lies in the exercife of their religion. That they were fo obedient to <* difcipline, that the beat of a drum called them off at any time from " plunder;" which in truth carries no refemblance to the condu£l of troops, who lived at difcretion, and allowed themfelves, or were allowed * All hiftory contradifts this report ; for little too freely with contributions ; and hanged the Swedifh army in point of ler.ity made a two foot-foldiers fome fe«- days afterwards for contraft againft the Imperial troops, with re- cmcring an houfe in Francfort-ftreets, though fpetl to ravages. The military laws of Gultavus they took nothing. Nay, our whole ftory, more are levelled with full force at rapine, extortions or lefs, makes proof againft Vane's aflertion, and plunder. He removed a favourite ;^eneral which, to fpeak honeftly, is a fofbijiicaled truth fome few days befoie this period for dealing a •v.-itb an allay of feljhood in it, by OF GUSTAVUS A D O L P H U S. ^^i by their mafter, to exercife all forts of outrage and violence without re- 163 r. flri6lion. Yet there remains ftill an almoft inconteftable proof, that the king's foldiers rarely or never pra6lifed extortions and cruelties, fines we rarely find, that even a fingle flraggler was mafl'acred by enraged peafants ; or that a town, or province, after their fii'ft reduction, ever revolted from him. But Sir Henry, on fome other occafion, delivers himfelf in a manner lefs liable to exception than many of the paflages above cited ; " That with regard to Guflavus's aftions and enterprizes, " all feafons were alike to him, as well as the moil difficult atchieve- " ments feemed to him eafy, if he once took, them in hand ; and as " the courage of the foldiers under fo daring a leader is great, fo is " the fear of his enemies, who every day came to ferve him : and " though other armies are diminiflied by marching, his encreafed ; fo " that he was able to fupply the towns he took in with garrifons, and " obliged them to maintain the fame *." This remark is not the lefs valuable, though at that time it was common in the mouths of all the officers, that ferved under Guftavus. Monro makes the fame obfervation, and fays, that the king, after marches, affaults, and fieges of forty days duration, found himfelf at the head of more foldiers when he came to Francfort, than he brought with him from Erfurt, though he crofled the vaft Duringer Walt, without lofmg, as far as appears, a fmgle foldier by defertion. But to return to the negotiation ; Vane contented himfelf to con- clude his difpatches with obferving, " That he thought nothing was " to be expe£led from Guftavus, but what was ftipulated : and by no " means advifed the putting of tuns of gold hito his hands, but rather " the fending over an Englifh army to ad in conjunftion with the " Swedilh." He fuggefted afterwards, " that if Charles was refolved " to put himfelf in adlion, the readiefl and cheapeft way would be, to " fend the king of Rohemia up into Germany (into Upper Germany) " fpeedily, to make levies -, for that he was expe£led by his fubjefts " with much zeal and devotion, and divers officers came to the am- * See a fubfequent MS. letter in the Pafer-Offict. I " bafladors 452 THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE &c. 1 63 1. " bafTadors (meaning the Palatin one as well as himfelf) to offer " their fervices in his behalf." With this fuggeftion the Britannic miniflry complied (as the king of Bohemia's minifter was inverted with no powers ;) for it was a Jlight expedient, and coft them nothing ; and thus the negotiation continued both at Francfort and Mentz, diver- fified with infinite changes, but attended with no one fohd event : con- cerning which I fhall fpeak tranfiently hereafter, and in fuch proportion, as the weaknefs and futility of the tranfaflion may feem to merit ; obferving only (and for tliis remark I am indebted to the Swcdifh and German hiftorians) that the flatefmen of Whitehall judged extremely ill, in commanding Vane to impart his inftrudlions to, and aft in concert ^vitli the iiiaii^uls of Ilaiiiikuii . f-^r tKougK tfie king had an high value for that illuftrious and enterprizing nobleman, and no fmall obligations to himj yet he could not bear, that a fubor- dinate officer fhould have an infight into the myfteries of the Swedifh cabinet. 77)e End of the First Vo l u'm e. UNIVtKsm (»l CALIFORNIA I inUARV Los Aiij;cloiv. Form L9-Series 4939 i'-^j DL 706. H252H 1 i 1158 01048 1033 D 000 016 002 8 t: m