THE LIBRARY OF ROMANCE BY LEITCH RITCHIE. VOL. VIII. WALDEMAR. LONPON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. 1833. WALDEMAR, A TALE OF THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR. BY W. H. HARRISON, ESQ. AGTHOR OF " TALES OF A PHYSICIAN," " THE HUMOURIST," ETC. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO., 65, CORNHILL.' 1833. Printed by Stewart nnd Co., ADVERTISEMENT. Ix one who has so often, and, it may by many be alleged, impertinently obtruded himself on the Public, it might be deemed superfluous to say aught in the way of preface to the present volume, were it not on a somewhat larger scale than any which he has yet attempted. If, in taking the field of Historical Romance, in which he has, hitherto, but felt his way, he has mistaken his vocation, he will, he doubts not, speedily be admonished of his error ; and, after all, a man ought not to lay his account with gaining much credit, who comes forward with the greatest story he has ever told in his life. 508 VI ADVERTISEMENT. Authority for his historical facts, and delinea- tions of character, will be found in Schiller's History of the Thirty Years' War, Harte's Life of Gustavus Adolphus, and the " History of the late Wars," by count Galliazzo Gualdo Priorato. The author has appended a few traits and anec- dotes, illustrative of the characters of some of the prominent personages in his volume, whose his- tories may not be familiar to the generality of his readers. WALDEMAR. BOOK I. WALDEMAR. CHAPTER I. COUNT ARNOLD, of Adlersberg, was a warrior of considerable repute in the electorate of Saxony ; but, although he had qualities which rendered him a terror to his enemies, he had others which endeared him to his friends. He kept open house, gave his alms liberally, and, notwith- standing, contrived to grow rich without grind- ing his vassals, or plundering his neighbours ; so that, when he died, at a ripe old age, he left his son Rudolph the best filled coffers, the finest castle, and the richest wine-cellar in all Ger- many. Annexed to these magnificent bequests, how- ever, was the charge of Waldemar, the younger brother of Rudolph, a trust of which the latter acquitted himself, within three months after his father's death, by equipping his ward as a soldier, VOL. VIII. B WALDEMAR. and despatching him to the wars, in the pious hope that he should never set eyes on him again. Nor was this brotherly prayer breathed to the winds. Rudolph was one of the many, in this world of varieties, who loved feasting better than fighting : nor would it be altogether reasonable to quarrel with him for preferring the more harmless re- creation of the two. He had, however, passed much of his time in cities, and had acquired loose habits and dissolute companions, who, soon after the death of the old count, established themselves, at free quarters, in the castle ; where was banquet- ing from morning till night, sabbath and saint's day, in violation of all order, and to the utter ex- clusion of the old friends of his venerable parent. In the midst of this profusion, the stream of liberality, which was wont to flow from the castle into the poor man's dwelling, was stopped by the new lord, the tide of whose wealth was directed into the narrow but deep channel of selfishness ; and thus the riches, which charity should have consecrated, made to themselves wings and flew away. Hence it happened that, in the course of a few years, he became a beggar, next a desperado, then a plotter against his prince, and, finally, pe- rished upon his own ramparts, while defending them against the legitimate authorities ; leaving to his brother Waldemar a blighted name, and a di- lapidated castle, which the state scissors had clipped of its lands up to the very walls. I have remarked that many writers, in describing their heroes, set out by stating that their " features were not strikingly handsome/' and straightway WALDEMAR. 3 proceed to invest them with all the graces of Adonis or Apollo. Now there are contradictions enough in this world to preclude the necessity of contradicting ourselves; and I shall, therefore, content myself by observing that Waldemar was a handsome man, as far as fair, though somewhat athletic proportions, and regular, but withal ex- pressive features, can constitute one. His light laughing eyes were faithful indexes of a merry heart and frank disposition; while, in his manner, the high bearing of the soldier was agreeably softened down by a closer acquaintance with the politer arts, than ordinarily characterized the youth of that period. Having said thus much, I leave the rilling up of the outline to the imaginations of my fair readers, in the full confidence that the picture will not suffer in their hands. As, at the period at which Waldemar embraced the profession of arms, there was little field for martial ambition in his own country, he obtained a commission in the service of the celebrated stadtholder, Frederick Henry. He had the good fortune so to distinguish himself by his intrepidity and address on several occasions, that the renown of his exploits extended even to his " father land." At length, however, the sea became the element best suited to the enterprises of the United Pro- vinces ; and thus, while they were successfully engaged in the Brazils and in Batavia, their army at home was in a state of comparative inactivity. It was while in the Netherlands that he received intelligence of his unhappy brother's death ; but, as his dilapidated inheritance offered little in- ducement to him to claim it, he deferred his return B2 4 WALDEMAR. to Saxony until the disbanding of his regiment, the consequence of the inaction referred to, left our soldier of fortune no alternative but the retreat which the now melancholy home of his forefathers afforded. Discouraging as were his anticipations of the state of affairs at the castle, the reality far sur- passed them. Time and gunpowder, as if willing to compensate for the destruction of part of the outer wall, had formed a permanent bridge over the moat with the ruins ; while, for want of due repairs to the roof, the building exhibited one of the conveniences of a modern mansion, inasmuch as the water had been laid on in almost every room, at the expense, it would seem, of the moat, which was nearly dry. In fact, there was only one wing of the edifice tenantable ; but that was " enough and to spare" for its sole inhabitant, an aged man, who performed "pro re nata," as the prescriptions have it, the various functions of war- der, butler, steward, and man-at-arms. Waldemar, however, though a young man, being an old compaigner, was accustomed to take things as he found them ; and, as the purse he had brought home from the wars was not particularly well lined, he could not afford to expend any of its contents on luxuries. He had little wine it is true, but he possessed the best possible substitute, namely, excellent spirits, and was oftener merry than sad over the ingenious expedients to which he was occasionally driven to furnish forth his frugal lable. It happened, one evening, at an advanced period of the autumn, that Waldemar was sitting be- WALDEMAR. 5 fore a fire, which might have been termed a cheer- ful one, had its fuel been any thing else than part of the ruins of the building. The day had closed, prematurely, as it were, with a violent storm of wind and rain ; and Waldemar was fervently hoping that, whatever alterations the gale might contem- plate in his crazy castle, it would confine its im- provements to the untenanted portion of it, when he was startled by the blast of a horn at the outer gate. In a few minutes afterwards, old Anselm, the worthy official we have mentioned, entered to an- nounce the arrival of a mounted traveller, who so- licited the usual hospitalities of shelter and refresh- ment for himself and steed. " Now, by my valour, Anselm," said the count, " I had almost rather he had come to challenge me to single combat ; for, as I live by bread, I am more able to fight than to feed him. However, since it may be no better, we must admit him, I suppose." " Then I may lower the drawbridge, count ?" inquired the old man. " It were scarcely worth while, Anselm," was the reply, a to peril the stranger's neck, and thy sinews, by the gratuitous ceremony of putting that crazy piece of machinery into motion, while there is a safer path over the ruins in the moat. How- ever, be it as thou wilt ; but prithee do what thou dost speedily, for this is not a night to keep a hound on the wrong side of a door, though one had not a bone to give him on the other." Anselm soon returned, ushering into Waldemar's presence a stranger, clad in a plain hunting-suit ; O WALDEMAR. who, with the easy frankness which distinguishes the true gentleman of all ages, briefly explained that, in the ardour of the chase, he had been se- parated from his party ; and, not having any par- ticular vocation for facing the storm by which he had been overtaken, he had ventured to throw himself upon the count's hospitality. " You are right welcome, sir stranger," said Waldemar ; " and yet, I would that your good star had lighted you to a host in better plight to do honour to a guest. Nevertheless, you are wel- come, I say again ; and Anselm will do his best for the credit of our house, although there be no- thing left of it but four crazy walls and a dis- banded soldier." And indeed Anselm acquitted himself of his commission so well, that, in half an hour, a dish of venison collops was smoking on the board, be- tween the stranger and his host, flanked by a very venerable-looking flask of wine. " It's an ill wind that blows no one any good !" exclaimed the count to his guest ; " and, if I had not had the misfortune, this morning, to break my shins over a heap of rubbish in the cellar, where this bottle, with some score or two like it, lay con- cealed, there had been nothing left for you but to wash down your supper with an element, of which, to judge by your dripping cloak yonder, you have already had a very sufficing quan- tity." " Sympathizing heartily with your shins, my kind host," said the stranger, " I cannot but opine that you have stumbled upon a balm for a WALDEMAR. 7 worse wound ; for, if I mistake not, 'tis of a ripe age, and, doubtless, of a rare quality." " I have not tasted of it," replied Waldemar ; " but, if you will pledge me in a cup of it, we shall be better able to pronounce upon its me- rits." " Right Bacharach, as I live !" exclaimed the stranger, as he dwelt, with the ecstasy of a con- noissieur, upon the perfume of the emptied goblet. " Commend me to broken shins; a mishap, by the way, which has more frequently followed such a discovery than preceded it." Indeed, the guest enforced his encomiums on the wine by such unequivocal evidence of their sincerity, while the host, on his part, felt bound to honour his own feast, that the ice of ceremony was speedily dissolved ; and, had a third party broken in upon them, at that period of the banquet, he would have deemed them friends of some standing rather than acquaintances of an hour. Stories were told and ballads sung ; while ancient Anselm, to whose ears such hilarious sounds had long been strangers, rubbed his hands, in the exuberance of his joy, and looked as if twenty years had suddenly been deducted from his age. " And how," inquired the stranger, breaking a pause in the dialogue, " did you like your friends of the United Provinces?" " Well enough," was the reply ; " if not the most liberal, they were the most punctual of pay- masters ; indeed, I have no reason to complain of them." WA.LDEMAR. " And how did you like their women ?" pursued the querist. " They were better specimens of humanity than the men/' answered Waldemar, " inasmuch as they were less phlegmatic. Their beauties were somewhat of the plumpest; but, for the rest, I found them, like the women of most other coun- tries, fond of finery, flirtation, and flattery." " Confess now, sir count," said the other, c< ~ have you not left your heart in the custody of some fair Netherlander ?" " Not I," was the rejoinder. " Then," observed the guest, " you must be formed of sterner materials than most men of your age, or you would have fallen over head and ears in love long before this time." " It had been better," replied the count, " that I had fallen over head and ears into a Dutch dyke ; since a man without a groschen has no right to trifle with a poor damsel, and has small chance of winning a wealthy one." " By the way," remarked the stranger, " my ' old friend, Baron Lindenhausen, must have been in Amsterdam about the time that you were quar- tered there." " Ah !" exclaimed Waldemar, " the worthy old baron ! You know him, then, and have doubtless seen his daughter, the fair Rudolpha, the loveliest vision that ever blessed the eye of man ; one of those beautiful creatures on which we are wont to gaze and marvel if they be composed of human passion and human clay !" " You describe the young lady with such en- thusiasm," responded the guest, " that I begin to WALDEMAR. doubt the sincerity of your recent disclaimer. But I suppose your divinity, like that of the fire wor- shippers, was only to be adored at a distance." " Nay," said the count, " I was a frequent guest at the baron's table." " The maiden was haughty, perhaps ?" inquired the other. " On the contrary," was the reply ; " she ever demeaned herself towards me with the greatest affability I might add familiarity which, how- ever, none but an arrant coxcomb, in the blind- ness of self-conceit, would deem the indication of any warmer sentiment than friendship." " A man," remarked the other, " is as liable to be hood winked by his modesty, as by his self-conceit; and I must have better proof of her indifference to a gentleman of your pretensions, than the vague inference you have been pleased to draw." " Take it then," rejoined Waldemar, " on the fact that she loved another." " Who loved her, in return, of course ?" was the inquiry. " Passionately I will not say madly," replied thecount, *' since, if everman had excuse for bowing before an idol of clay, it was to be found in the loveliness and virtues of that incomparable woman. Poor Carl Wolfenberg ! braver officer or truer friend never put foot in stirrup." " From your commiserating exclamation," con- tinued the other, " I fear he was not so success- ful with the baron, as with his daughter." " Alas ! he was not," responded the count ; " the wealthy old man loved his daughter and his ducats too well to part with the one or the other, and 10 WALDEMAR. still less with both, to one who had nothing but his good sword, honest heart, and six feet of as fair proportions as one might encounter in a day's march, to recommend him." " Aye," observed the guest, " Lindenhausen loves his money-bags, I know ; and yet I have ob- served his heart expand under the influence of the wine-cup, and I doubt not that, if your friend Carl had watched the fitting moment, he might have won the old man's consent ?" "But Wolfenberg was no match for the baron, who is a potent man over the flask. His head is as hard as flint," continued Waldemar, " and, by the time he had drunken himself into a mood to listen to the suit, poor Carl would have been some hours past the capability of preferring it." " And did Lindenhausen discover the attach- ment between the young folk?" asked the stranger." " Yes," answered the other, " he was, acci- dentally, an unseen witness of one of their stolen interviews." " And bade his daughter think of her lover no more ?" pursued the guest. " He was too wise a man," was the rejoinder, " to issue an injunction which he well knew she would not obey, and could not if she would." " He commanded her to see him no more then, of course ?" said the querist. " No," replied the count ; " but he took ef- fectual means to prevent her from doing so ; and, on the following day, without hinting to Rudolpha that he had made the discovery, he quitted Am- WALDEMAR. 1 1 sterdam, and retired, with his daughter, to an old castle on the banks of the Elbe." " I know it well," responded the other ; "it is a gloomy cage for so lovely a bird ! But what has become of poor Wolfenberg in the meantime ?" " I left him in the service of the States," replied Waldemar ; " but, as they were reducing their foreign troops, I suppose he has, ere this, been turned adrift with the rest ; and, in that case, is, probably, now on his way back to Saxony." " But what," exclaimed the visitor, " passing from your friend's affairs to your own, what, in the name of all that is monotonous, keeps a fine spirited young man, like yourself, rusting in this tumble-down castle of yours, like an old musket in an armoury ?" " Because," was the reply, " like that same musket, my services, as you are already apprized, are no longer in requisition." " Then why not betake thee to the electoral court?" rejoined the other; " men of less merit have found high preferment." " Nay, men of no merit at all, for that matter," observed the count ; " but the court is no place for one who, like me, cannot wear a fine cloak upon his back, nor a lie upon his tongue. Besides, I am likely to find small favour in the eyes of the elector, who has, doubtless, not forgotten the luck- less deeds of my misguided brother; which, woe the while ! have made me an acreless count," " Assuredly," replied the stranger, " any pre- judice which his highness may have entertained against you, on that score, must, long since, have 12 WALDEMAU. been obliterated by the honour which your mili- tary exploits, although in the service of a foreign power, have reflected on yourself, and, conse- quently, on your country. Moreover, if it be a crime to have had a brother who was unfortunate enough to differ in opinion with the powers that be, it must be acknowledged that the loss of your patrimony is a very sufficient punishment for it. Besides, the elector is said to be a just prince." " Nay," was the host's reply, " I will not quarrel with his justice, although I have suffered somewhat by its operation ; so, I pray you, do me reason in a bumper to his highness's health." " That will I," responded the individual thus challenged, filling his goblet ; " and then, with your good leave, to bed ; lest the little reason I have left be washed clean out of my brain." The guest quaffed off his liquor, with undi- minished zest, be it observed ; and, preceded by Anselm, who, on this occasion, added to his mul- tifarious duties the office of chamberlain, was ushered into the only room which was fit to re- ceive him, and which had been resigned by the count, who flung himself beside the hearth of his banqueting room, where he slept as soundly as though a couch of down had received his limbs. WALDEMAR. 13 CHAPTER II. LEAVING the new acquaintances to their repose, I shall proceed to inform the reader, if he have not already followed their example, of the position of affairs in Germany, at the time at which the busi- ness of our narrative commences. The reformed religion had, for a considerable period, been rapidly spreading throughout the Ger- man states, in spite of the resistance offered to it by the court of Vienna. The contest between the protestant and the catholic party was daily in- creasing in interest ; and the declaration of Saxony, then one of the most powerful of the German prin- cipalities, was looked for by each with the deepest anxiety. John George, the elector, himself a pro- testant, and, of course, wishing well to the re- formed church, was, however, destitute of that chivalrous enthusiasm which compelled so many princes, in those days, to risk their lives and do- minions for the good cause ; and was ever hesi- tating between zeal for his religion, and dread of the wrath of Ferdinand of Austria ; who, as in 14 WALDEMAR. the case of the unfortunate elector palatine, Fre- derick V., persecuted, to the most remorseless ex- tremities, all who were, in any way, obnoxious to his bigoted and tyrannical designs. But, although thus deficient in that firmness and decision of character so peculiarly essential to his office at that eventful and trying crisis, John George possessed qualities, which, in less turbulent times, would have rendered him an excellent prince. Indeed, one of the most enlightened historians who have written of that celebrated struggle, the thirty years' war in Germany, attributes the indecision he displayed, in a great degree, to his anxiety for the peace of his dominions, the welfare of which he appears to have had ever at heart. Another excuse for his conduct may be found in the commonly believed fact of the corruption of his ministers, who were in the interest, if not in the pay, of the emperor Ferdinand. Waldemar, an early riser by habit, quitted his couch, on the morning after his revel, somewhat sooner than was his wont, in order that the apart- ment might be arranged for the morning meal ; but, in his way towards the court-yard of the castle, he was surprised by the appearance of his guest. The latter, it seemed, unwilling to gratify his de- sire of exploring the building at the expense of the feelings of his host, who might not choose to expose more of the fallen fortunes of his house than was necessary, had left his chamber at day-break, in the hope of finishing his examination before Wal- demar arose. On thus unexpectedly meeting with the count, he relinquished his design, and, pleading some ex- WALDEMAR. 15 cuse for having strayed so far from his quarters, proposed returning to the hall. Waldemar, how- ever, having at once discovered the other's pur- pose, and appreciating his delicacy in abandoning it, observed, " Our breakfast will scarcely be pre- pared yet this half hour, and, therefore, if you will honour me with your company, we will spend the interval in a ramble over the old castle ; which, to say the truth, I have not thoroughly examined since my return." The young soldier, remarkable though he was for the buoyancy and elasticity of his spirits, soon found that he had imposed upon himself a task, which could not be discharged but at some expense of feeling; and, although he concealed much of what he experienced under the mask of affected gaiety, there were moments when some circum- stance, placing the former grandeur of his house in melancholy contrast with its subsequent decay, would draw a sigh from his bosom, and bring the tear of anguish into his eye. " Nay, sir stranger !" he exclaimed, on perceiv- ing that his emotion had not escaped the observa- tion of his companion, " a man may not contem- plate the wreck of his once honoured house, with- out a pang ; but, credit me, I grieve less for the condition in which I find the home of my ances- tors, than for the crimes and follies which have made it mine. They have made wild havoc with these walls, truly ; and yet," he added, the colour mounting to his cheek, and the spirit of a long line of warriors kindling in his eye, " ruin as they are, in a righteous cause, and with Carl Wolfenberg and my gallant troopers by my side, I would make 16 WALDEMAR. it good against twice the force to which it yielded." On their return to the apartment in which they had spent the preceding evening, they found a table spread with somewhat homely but substantial fare ; to which both guest and entertainer, maugre the effects of their nocturnal revel, did ample justice. Their meal, however, was scarcely concluded, when the stranger, who had been gazing, with some at- tention, through the casement, exclaimed, " Yonder horsemen, on the brow of the hill there, if I mis- take not, are in quest of their truant companion ; so I pray you, my kind host, let my steed be brought forth, that I may meet them in their way hither; for, if they once taste your Bacharach, they will not leave a flask of it in your cellar." While his guest was yet speaking, Waldemar poured out a parting cup of the identical liquor, when the stranger continued : " Ha ! the approved recipe, I perceive ; a hair of the dog that bit me. Count," he added, " I drink to the speedy better- ing of your fortunes ; and, in order to the attain- ment of so desirable an object, I beseech you be guided by my counsel, and come to the electoral court with as little delay as may be. Inquire for me Baron Spitzvogel at the palace, where I hold a small appointment, and it shall not be my fault if you obtain not one also. Farewell ! and fail not !" Having thus spoken, he flung a piece of gold to Anselm, who held his stirrup ; and, vaulting into the saddle, gallopped off to meet the party, who, as he rightly conjectured, were approaching in quest of him. Waldemar, who, having been so long accus- WALDEMAR. IT tomed to the bustle of military life, began to tire of the cares of the commissariat, which had devolved upon him in his retirement, betook himself seriously to weigh the parting counsel of his late guest ; and, at the end of three days' consideration, came to the resolution of adopting it. Having arrived at the point at which a man usually consults his friends, that is, when he has fully made up his mind on the subject, he sum- moned the trusty Anselm to council, and informed him of the invitation which the stranger had given. " It will be grief to me, my honoured young master," was the worthy steward's reply, " to part from you so soon, and it may be for long or for ever ; and yet, if the words of an old man have any weight with you, you will go. Yonder stranger, if I read him rightly, is no braggart, and sure I am, that, if his heart is as open as his hand, he will not play you false." And forthwith the garrulous old man proceeded to cite instances of persons who had thriven at court. " There was Dummerstreich," he con- tinued, "who, with no earthly recommendation, but a fair face and a smooth tongue, married a rich heiress." f( Who," remarked the count, " broke his head with her distaff." " That was his fault," rejoined the steward. " Then there was Schelmrich, who went to court without a kreutzer in his pocket, and was raised to an exalted post in no time." " Which post, if I recollect rightly," responded his master, " was the gallows." " True," pursued Anselm, nothing disconcerted, VOL. VIII. C 18 WAtDEMAR. " but you will remember he was made lord trea- surer first, and might have been so until this day, if he had helped himself from the electoral purse with more discretion. Then, again, there was Schlaffmann, who got a troop of horse in six months." "And was broke for cowardice," returned the count. " Truly, my good Anselm, you are some- what infelicitous in your selection of cases." " With submission," replied Anselm, " not at all ; since they go to prove that if Dummerstreich, who was a fool, Schelmrich, who was a knave, and Schlaffmann, who was a coward, obtained prefer- ment, you, my honoured lord,who have wit, honesty, and valour, and a handsome person into the bar- gain, have a right to reckon upon your share of court favour." " I fear," was the rejoinder, " that your in- ference would scarcely be borne out by the history of courts, from that of Darius downwards. But it matters not ; your counsel is backed by the strong- est of all arguments, necessity ; and, therefore, I will set forth to-morrow." Accordingly, on the following day, mounted on a stout charger, with a brace of pistols in his belt, his father's sword upon his thigh, and a sort of lance or hunting spear in his hand, Waldemar set out on his way to Meresburg, where the electo- ral court at that time was held. On parting from his faithful domestic, the count endeavoured to force upon him half the contents of his purse ; but the old man resolutely refused to accept of a single coin ; alleging that his wants were not so , nor his friends so few, that his master need WALDEMAR. 19 despair of the garrison being amply provisioned in his absence. It was on a fine morning that Waldemar com- menced his journey, and his spirit partook of the gaiety in which Nature had arrayed herself. He travelled until noon-day, when his ears were sa- luted by the blast of a hunting-horn, in the forest through which he was journeying ; but he per- ceived none of the party engaged in the pursuit, except a youth of about sixteen, who was mounted on a palfrey, and seemed to be rather hovering on the outskirts of the chase, than taking an active part in the diversion. His attire and equestrian appointments indicated superior rank ; and he ma- naged his slight but agile steed with singular dex- terity and grace. On an elevated spot, consi- derably above the level of the road, were grouped several females, on horseback, who appeared to be watching the progress of the hunt. On a sudden, Waldemar perceived an unusual motion in a brake about thirty yards in advance of him ; and, immediately afterwards, a wild boar emerged from the covert, and rushed at the youth- ful horseman. The palfrey of the latter, notwith- standing the efforts of its rider, refused to face the assailant ; from which the gallant boy was, accprd- ingly, unable to defend himself. Waldemar spurred his horse forward ; but, finding that he could not reach the spot before the boar would have closed with his prey, he suddenly reined up his finely bitted steed, and launched his spear at the bristled foe. He had a steady hand and a practised eye ; but the distance was great, and he succeeded in inflicting only a slight wound c 2 20 WALDEMAR. on the boar. Still, however, it had the effect of diverting the animal's fury from the youth to Wal- demar, who instantly flung himself from the saddle, and, drawing his sword, steadily awaited the attack. The count valued himself, and not without rea- son, upon his proficiency in woodcraft ; but it re- quired all his experience and activity to cope with his ferocious antagonist. A second and a third time did the boar come to the charge; and, on each occasion, was Waldemar exposed to imminent peril, without succeeding in wounding his foe. By this time the youth had dismounted, and gal- lantly advanced on foot to the aid of Waldemar ; and, at the moment when the animal was making another rush at the latter, succeeded in wounding their common enemy slightly in the neck. The boar turned to avenge the blow, when the count, taking advantage of the crisis, plunged his sword behind the shoulders of the brute, which, pierced to the heart, fell dead upon the grass. The first use which the young horseman made of his recovered breath, was to almost overwhelm Waldemar with expressions of gratitude for the timely interposition to which he owed his life. "Thou art a gallant boy!" was Waldemar 's reply, as he put his foot into the stirrup to remount; " and, but for thy coward steed, wouldst have disposed of yonder brute without my help : but the hunters are coming up, I perceive, and will scarcely thank us for spoiling their quarry; so, fare thee well !" and, without waiting for the arrival of the hunting party, who were approaching from one quarter, while the group of ladies were advancing WALDEMAR. 21 from another, he turned into a bridle-road, which struck into the recesses of the forest, and disap- peared. Our hero pursued his course, in the hope of reaching a small town, which lay about midway in his journey , before night-fall. He had not, however, cleared the forest, beyond which the proposed halt- ing-place was about four miles, when his horse began to betray symptoms of fatigue. Finding, therefore, that the night was closing in somewhat cloudily, and fearing that, should he even be able to pursue his journey in the dark, he might, by pushing on for the desired point, distress the ani- mal, and thus be incapacitated from proceeding in the morning, he determined, if possible, to take up his quarters in some cottage in the forest, in preference to incurring the expense and inconve- nience consequent upon a day's detention on the road. The moaning of the wind through the trees, and the fall of a few heavy drops of rain, announced a coming storm, and rendered our traveller still more anxious to find an asylum for the night. The gloom of the forest, in the mean time, continued to deepen around him. At length, his attention was attracted by a glimmering light, which vanished, but became visible again at intervals, appearing, on each successive occasion, at a greater distance. The nature of the country precluded the proba- bility of the light being one of those betrayers of wayfarers, ycleped Will-o'-the-Wisps ; and, there- fore, Waldemar drew the natural conclusion that it proceeded from the lanthorn of some peasant or forester, who. if he could not afford, might direct 22 WALDEMAR. liim to a shelter. Accordingly, the count urged his horse onward in the direction of the light, which, after he had followed it for some distance, suddenly and finally disappeared. Waldemar, however, still advanced in the direction in which he had seen it; and, after riding a few furlongs, found himself in front of a building, which, im- perfectly as he was able to reconnoitre it through the gloom, appeared to be one of those edifices which are thinly scattered over the forests of Ger- many, and which, being used merely as hunting- lodges by the proprietors, whose ordinary resi- dence was in the neighbourhood of the court, were left in the care of a few domestics during the greater portion of the year. There was no light in any of the windows, nor did his ears afford him better evidence of the building being inhabited. He rode round to the other side of the mansion, but still all was dark and silent. On returning, however, to the spot from which he set out, he perceived a momentary gleam of light from a casement ; and thus encou- raged, he advanced to the gate ; but, not finding any other means of communicating his desire for ad- mittance, he wound a shrill blast upon his hunting- horn, which, for some minutes, produced no other answer than its own echo. At length, his ears were saluted by the grateful sounds of approach- ing footsteps, and a voice from within demanded his errand. His reply was, apparently, satisfactory ; for the bolts were immediately withdrawn, and he was ad- mitted by a person whose garb and manner were those of a principal, domestic in a family of dis WALDEMAR. 23 tinction. He was then ushered into a small apart- ment, on the hearth of which a cheerful fire was blazing ; and, after having been assisted in divest- ing himself of his outer habiliments, which had been drenched by the rain, was informed that sup- per was laid in the next room, and that he would be a welcome guest whenever it was convenient to him to join the party. On his expressing his willingness to do so imme- diately, a pair of folding-doors were thrown open, and he found himself in the presence of a party, consisting of some ten or twelve individuals, who rose as he approached. The person who appeared to preside at the banquet invited him to a seat at his right hand ; and, after the first interchange of courtesies had taken place, our traveller had lei- sure to examine the company to whom he was thus suddenly introduced. It was, indeed, a motley group : in fact, it ap- peared to Waldemar as if not only every nation in Europe, but every grade of society, had a repre- sentative in that assembly. Some were attired in the newest fashion of the day, and yet exhibited an air of swaggering vulgarity which ill comported with the costume they had assumed ; while others, whose apparel bore evident marks of having done their wearers good service, were distinguished by the courtliness and ease of more polished life. On the whole, the result of Waldemar's scrutiny was by no means satisfactory ; but, being natu- rally fearless, and, moreover, alive to the inexpe- diency of betraying any suspicions he might enter- tain of the quality of his company, he accepted the proffered hospitality with apparent frankness ; and 24 WALDEMAR. exhibited an air of ease and gaiety, which, it will be readily imagined, he was far from feeling. When, however, the viands were removed, and the bottle began to make its circuits, the restraint, which several of the party, at first, imposed upon themselves, was laid aside ; and songs were sung, and toasts given, of a nature which confirmed the worst apprehensions as to the character of his en- tertainers. Among them was one person, whose countenance, disguised as it was by a superabun- dance of black beard and moustaches, Waldemar thought he had not then seen for the first time ; while the frequent and significant glances which the individual directed towards him, plainly indi- cated that he recognised the count. The latter could not call to memory the circumstances under which he had encountered the man ; but the im- pression left upon his mind, although vague, was a disagreeable one. To escape from the trap, into which he had been so unwarily betrayed, was our hero's first care ; and, accordingly, taking the opportunity of a pause in the conversation, he rose from the table ; and, after courteously thanking the president for the hospitality he had experienced, added, that he perceived the storm had abated, and expressed his intention of continuing his journey by the light of the moon, which was visible through the case- ment. " By no manner of means !" exclaimed the host "we cannot allow you to put shame upon our hospitality, by going forth at such an hour. If you are tired of our revel, you will find a chamber prepared for you " WALDEMAR. 25 " But," rejoined Waldemar, interrupting the other, " my business is urgent, and admits not of my taking advantage of your proffered kindness.'* " If," returned the chief of the robbers, for such he was, " your business be urgent, there is the greater reason for tarrying with us until the morn- ing. Remember the proverb, l The more haste, the worse speed ;' and, if you set forward to-night, you will lose your road ; or, it may be, find com- pany who will ease you of your purse, and put an end to your pilgrimages for ever." The count, in reply, expressed, with greater firmness, his resolution of proceeding at once ; when the bandit continued, " Nay, then, if that be your tone, you must e'en submit to such gentle force as, it may be apparent to you, we possess the means of applying. Grimm!" he added, address- ing a tall, ferocious-looking scoundrel, six feet high, and armed to the teeth, " show the gentle- man to his chamber." Our hero, who, by a stratagem, had been in- duced to lay aside his arms, the use of which, however, under existing circumstances, would only have accelerated his destruction, had no alternative but to submit ; and was accordingly conducted up a flight of stairs into a spacious and tolerably-fur- nished chamber, where he was left to his medita- tions, which were not much enlivened by the sound of the massive bolts by which the door was secured on the outer side. 26 WALBEMAR. CHAPTER III. BY the aid of a lamp, which, scantily supplied with oil, Waldemar's chamberlain had left upon the hearth-stone, he proceeded to examine his prison. The sides of the apartment were pan- nelled with strong black oak, and he was unable to discover any other entrance than that through which he had been ushered, and by which egress was altogether hopeless. There was another door in the room, which, after several ineffectual at- tempts, he, at length, succeeded in forcing ; but it disclosed a small closet, the contents of which, consisting of trunks and miscellaneous articles of apparel, were evidently part of the spoils of rifled, and, perhaps, murdered travellers. The count next proceeded to examine the win- dow^ which was merely a casement, and yielded to his first effort to open it. The hope inspired by this circumstance was, however, speedily de- stroyed by the discovery, that, in attempting to escape by that outlet, he must be infallibly preci- pitated into a moat ; which, as far as he was able WALDEMAR. 27 to judge by the light of the moon, contained more mud than water, and was bounded by a high and perpendicular bank, which it would be impossible for him to scale. Having finished his ill-requited investigation, he flung himself into a chair ; and, for a moment, his manly spirit appeared to be overpowered by the difficulties by which he was encompassed. He was, however, speedily roused by a burst of merri- ment, which appeared to proceed from an apart- ment beneath. He carefully examined the floor of the chamber, in the hope of discovering a chink through which he might be able to reconnoitre the revellers ; but, not succeeding in this, he next searched the boards of the closet, from one of which he, at last, found a knot had dropped out. Waldemar applied his eye to the hole, but, al- though he recognised through it some articles of furniture which he had observed in the supper- room, he was unable to obtain a glance of the party. His sense of hearing, rendered painfully acute by the critical circumstances in which he was placed, stood him in better stead ; for, on placing his ear to the hole, he distinctly overheard the conversa- tion of the banditti. The uproar, which continued for some time, at length ceased ; when a voice, which the count recognised as that of the chief, exclaimed, " Comrades! ere we proceed further with our revel, let us despatch the business of the evening. Is it your pleasure that our captive be eased of his purse in the morning, and permitted to proceed on his journey?" " That plan might answer well enough," said 28 WALDEMAR. another, " if we had encountered him in the fo- rest ; but, if we dismiss him with a knowledge of our retreat, we shall have a troop of the elector's horse down upon us in four-and-twenty hours. My vote is for cold steel." " And mine," exclaimed a dozen voices in con- cert. " Since, then," continued the captain, " you are all agreed upon the point, I have only to re- mind you of our law, which, to guard against after treachery, requires that business, such as we have in hand, be performed by one of the band without the presence of a comrade. And now for the dice, that we may see who shall bell the cat." " It will not need," said a voice, which the ex- cited listener instantly recognised as that of the bearded bandit, whose face he remembered, and whom his companions called Fritz ; "It will not need," he repeated, " I have an old score against this gallant, whom I met in the Dutch wars ; it is a debt of blood, and can only be cleared off with the dagger ! Leave him to me, and I warrant you I will give a good account of him before sunrise." This proposal having been agreed to, the ruf- fians resumed their debauch, and Waldemar rose from the floor with his death-doom ringing in his ears. The noise, however, of the revellers gra- dually became fainter, as if, one by one, they had retired for the night, or were overcome by the strength and depth of their potations; and, at last, the silence, as of the grave, pervaded the building. The count felt that his moments were num- bered ; and yet a wish, natural even to the stoutest WALDEMAR. 29 heart, of defending life to the last, inspired him with the idea of barricading the door ; which he did by piling against it every article of furniture his strength was adequate to remove. Having accom- plished this, he flung himself again into the chair, and gazed on the expiring light, with the convic- tion that the lamp of his own life would not long survive it ; there being little doubt that the attempt would be made as soon as the chamber was in darkness. With feverish excitement he watched the flicker- ing flame, which grew gradually more faint ; and, at last, expiring, with a vivid flash, left the cham- ber in total darkness ; save where a ray of moon- light, streaming obliquely through the window, rested upon a panel on the opposite side of the room. The crisis was at hand : the count drew from under his vest a small poignard, and, clutching it with the energy of despair, waited for the coming foe. All, however, for some minutes, continued silent. At length, he heard a slight noise ; he listened, and heard it again. It was evidently a footfall, which grew gradually more audible. Waldemar started on his feet, but the sound be- came less distinct, and finally died away. Silence then prevailed, for a brief space, but was again broken by a slight noise, which seemed to proceed from that part of the room on which the ray of the moon was shining. The count turned his eyes in that direction, but all was again still as the grave. Keeping his eye, however, fixed upon the illuminated panel, he thought he perceived it move ; and, at last, plainly beheld it 30 WALDEMAR. glide from beneath the moonbeam, which then fell full upon the grim visage of the bearded bandit, Fritz. " Villain !" exclaimed Waldemar, planting him- self in a narrow recess, from which he conceived he could more effectually defend himself; " I know your errand you seek my life but I am armed, and will sell it dearly." " Wait," returned the robber, in a distinct, though somewhat subdued , tone, " until you find a purchaser. Meanwhile, if you be armed, it were scarcely worthy of your valour to attack one who is weaponless." While he was thus speaking, he removed the shade from a dark lanthorn, and, placing it in such a position that the light fell full upon his own person, raised his open palms above his head, and displayed himself to Waldemar without pistol, sword, or dagger. " Your purpose ?" demanded the count. " No hostile one, be assured, or I had not come in such a guise," was the answer. " But tell me, count," continued the bandit, " do you remem- ber me ?" " I have a vague recollection," replied the other, " of having seen you before we met to- night ; but where, or under what circumstances, I cannot call to mind." " Had your good deeds," said the robber, with some emotion, " been as few as his who now ad- dresses you, it would be a light tax on your me- mory to recal them. But have you no remem- brance of having, while in the service of the United Provinces, procured the pardon of a soldier WALDEMAR. 31 who had been sentenced to die for an act of mu- tiny ?" " I do remember me of some such passage," replied the count. " That soldier stands before you ! your debtor for his life, and ready to risk it in defence of yours; which, I may not disguise from you, is, in immi- nent peril," continued Fritz : " will you trust me?" " I will," said Waldemar, firmly. " Then," said the other, closing his lanthorn, " reach me your hand, or rather take hold of my cloak, and follow me with a step as light as though you trod on your father's grave. Quick ! time is precious, and the night wanes ; and, if the sun shine upon us on this side the Mulde, it had been better that I had been shot in Holland, and you poignarded in yonder bed!" The count, his mind being greatly relieved by the chance of escape, which, a few moments before, he deemed nothing short of a miracle could effect, followed his conductor in silence, through the aper- ture by which the latter had entered, into a narrow passage, terminating in a flight of stairs. Having descended these, they arrived at a door, which, be- ing partly open, discovered to them a spacious hall, containing half a dozen of the banditti ; four of whom were stretched upon benches, and apparently asleep ; while the remaining two were conversing, at the further end of the room, one on each side of the hearth. This was an obstacle for which Fritz was evidently unprepared. He paused, in great perplexity, and whispered to Waldemar, " There were but four of them, as I passed through to your 32 WALDEMAR. chamber, and they were fast asleep : I fear the game is up !" Nor were his apprehensions without good foun- dation ; for, although the fire did not emit light sufficient to illuminate that end of the hall across which it was necessary for them to pass, a lamp, placed on the floor, within a few feet of where they stood, would infallibly betray their transit to the two robbers who were awake. Fritz kept his eyes fixed upon the latter, and, watching an opportunity, when their faces were turned towards the fire, he made a long stride into the hall, and with a sweep of his hat extinguished the lamp ; then, seizing the count by the hand, he hurried him across the hall into a passage on the opposite side, and had the satisfaction of hearing one of the robbers exclaim, " A murrain on this crazy house ! there is no keeping a light in it for the cursed draughts." In a few moments, Waldemar found himself in the open air, in a court-yard, on the opposite side of the building to that at which he had been ad- mitted from the forest. "Thank God!" was his fervent exclamation, when he deemed himself once more at liberty. " Ay," said his conductor to him, in a whisper, " and pray to Him also, for the worst is yet to come. There lies our path," he added, pointing to a gate which was the only egress from the court- yard into the forest, and at which the count, by the light of the moon that fell full upon the spot, perceived a centinel was posted. Fritz continued to lead Waldemar forward ; but, WALDEMAR. 33 just as they were emerging, from the shadow cast by the wall, into the moon-shine, the former ex- claimed, " They have changed the centinel, and we are lost !" It is probable that Fritz had expressed his sur- prise and consternation in a tone which was audible to the sentry, as the latter instantly presented his musket, and demanded, " Who goes there?" Fritz hastily whispered to Waldemar, " If you would not be a corpse in reality, you must play the counterfeit," caught the count in his arms, and, flinging him over his shoulders like a sack, ad- vanced boldly towards the centinel, and, in answer to the repeated challenge, said, " It is I, your com- rade Fritz, with a load of carrion ; if you will not help me with my burthen, at least let me pass on, and get quit of it." The sentry, ruffian as he was, appeared to have a wholesome fear of the presence of a dead body ; for, giving Fritz, as a sailor would say, a wide berth, he permitted him to pass through the gate with his load, which he did not resign until he had plunged into the gloom of the forest ; when, re- placing Waldemar upon his legs, he bade the count follow him, and then struck into a narrow path at the top of his speed. After running for a quarter of a mile, Fritz stopped suddenly ; and Waldemar, who was some paces in the rear, was startled by a noise in an ad- joining thicket; into which, however, the other immediately proceeded, and called on the count to advance. The latter obeying, was agreeably sur- prised by the sight of his gallant steed, tethered to VOL. VIII. D 34 WALDEMAR. a tree, and with his master's arms fastened to the saddle. To resume his weapons and mount was the work of a moment. Fritz, who had provided the best horse in the robbers' stable for himself, followed the count's example; and, bidding him not draw bridle until they reached the Mulde, led the way at a gallop. They had ridden about a mile, when the distant blast of a horn came sweeping on the breeze down the avenue, which the road they were travelling had made in the forest. " The hounds are on the scent !" exclaimed Fritz ; " but, if there be no straggling party in advance of us, we may baffle them yet." To the surprise and alarm of the fugitives, how- ever, the next blast of the horn was much more distinct than the former ; indicating that their pursuers had taken a shorter cut, or that the sig- nal had been answered by one of the outposts of the banditti, which it was intended to call in. The former hypothesis was probably the correct one, as our travellers had scarcely cleared the fo- rest by half a mile, when their apprehensions were confirmed by the sound of horses' feet in the rear ; and, on looking back, they perceived, by the grey light of the breaking day, a mounted party emerg- ing from the wood, within a few yards of the point at which the count and his fellow traveller had issued from it. Fortunately for the two latter, their pursuers, owing to the inequalities of the ground, experienced some difficulty in striking into the road which the WALDEMAR. 35 fugitives had taken, and were thrown a full half mile further in the rear by the delay, " Now !" exclaimed Fritz, as, having attained the brow of the hill, the two companions beheld the Mulde, and a small town on its banks, about two miles below them, " if our horses keep their footing down this steep for five minutes, we are safe ;" and, true enough, Before half that portion of time had elapsed, the robbers gave up the chase, when the fugitives eased their jaded steeds by riding leisurely into the town. Rest being necessary, not only to themselves, but to their horses, the travellers resolved on tarry- ing at an inn, the only one the town boasted, for a few hours, and, accordingly, were shown to their chambers. Waldemar, however, did not resign himself to sleep until he had poured forth, upon his knees, his fervent thanks to the Almighty Being who had preserved him under circumstances which, at one time, precluded even the hope of deliver- ance. Upon one in the bloom of youth and vigour of health, extraordinary fatigue produces only the effect of sounder slumber, and, therefore, it was nearly mid day before the count was stirring. On descending into the apartment where his morning meal was prepared, he inquired for his deliverer, and was informed that he had walked out into the town, but that his horse was in the stable, a pledge that the owner would return. Waldemar, who, when Fritz at first announced himself a debtor to him for his life, was unable, owing to the excitement of the moment, to call to mind the precise circumstances of the case, now D 2 36 WALDEMAR. perfectly well remembered that the act of mutiny, for which his preserver had been condemned to die, had been committed under the most brutal provocation of a superior officer ; and that the cul- prit, who had previously borne an excellent cha- racter, had been the object of universal sympathy at the time. Fritz returned to the inn shortly afterwards, but so metamorphosed in his outward man, that the count, who instantly recognised the soldier, could scarcely have identified him with the bandit. In fact, a judicious application of the razor, and some little alterations in his apparel, had worked won- ders ; and Waldemar saw before him a handsome young fellow, of about five and twenty, whose fea- tures had derived all their ferocity from the super- abundance of beard of which the tonsor had just relieved him. The count invited him to share his repast, during which Fritz explained a few circumstances, in the adventures of the last six hours, which had been matter of much conjecture to the companion of his flight. The building occupied by the banditti was, as the count had supposed, the property of a no- bleman, who filled some post about the court of the elector, and who had not visited his forest mansion for several years ; it having, in the interval, been left to the care of a few domestics, who, either bribed or overawed, had lent themselves to the lawless designs of the robbers. Fritz further informed him, that, as soon as he had been invested, by the consent of his comrades, with the office of Waldemar 's assassin, he quitted their company, under pretence of making the ne- WALDEMAR 37 cessary preparations; but, in reality, with the view of conveying the horses and arms to the thicket in the forest, and of making the centinel at the gate of the court-yard drunk; in both of which objects he succeeded, although he was unable to turn the latter to account, in consequence of the removal of the man from his post ; his incapacity for the duty having doubtless been discovered by some of his comrades. With regard to himself, Fritz went on to say, that, on his ignominious dismissal from his regiment in the Netherlands, he had wandered about, until, after enduring many vicissitudes and much priva- tion, he returned to Saxony ; where, unable to earn his bread by reputable means, and made reckless by despair, he, in an evil hour, fell in with the banditti ; who, to use his own emphatic expression, were a congress of scoundrels from every nation under heaven. He added, that, in a moment of intoxication, he had been induced to enrol himself in the band ; a step of which he had repented as soon as he grew sober, and resolved to make his escape from them on the first opportunity. He concluded, by the assurance that he had not been a member of the community more than a fortnight ; and that he had never been personally concerned in any of their acts of plunder or violence. 38 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER IV. " FRITZ," said Waldemar, as soon as their meal was finished, " I am indebted to you, under God, for my life, and I would 1 were in better case to show my gratitude. I returned from the wars, where, as you well wot, lead was more plentiful than gold, to find my home desolate, and my pa- trimonial lands confiscated. Let this be my apo- logy," he added, as he took some pieces of gold from his purse, " for the meanness of my offering. It is, however, half my worldly wealth ; but were it one-thousand-fold greater, it would be as justly your due, and as freely given." " Put up your gold," was the reply, " for I will not touch a coin of it." " Nay," pursued the other, " you will not, I am sure, deprive me of the pleasure of acknowledging the debt, though I be not able to acquit myself of it." " With submission," rejoined Fritz, " you have not stated the account truly. I preserved you from the knife of the assassin, but you saved me WALDEMAR. 39 from a death of shame; and, therefore, the balance is still against me. But, if you would wish to add to the amount, you will grant me a boon." " Right gladly, so it be in my power," was the reply ; " but what manner of boon may it be which one so poor in gifts as myself can grant?" " The honour of being taken into your service," said the other : " I am young and active, and the affair in yonder forest may, perhaps, be some war- rant for my faith." " An ample one, my good Fritz," responded the count ; " but it must not be. I have already told you that I am poor ; so poor, indeed, that my purse will hardly supply my own necessities for another month, still less admit of my taking you into my pay-" " I ask none," said Fritz. " But what advantage can you expect in the service of a ruined, and, you will say, a desperate man, when I tell you that I am journeying to the electoral court, on the mere promise of one whom I never saw but once, and may never see again ?" was the count's rejoinder. " I am content to cast my lot with yours, ne- vertheless," pursued Fritz. " If Fortune shine on you, I shall catch some of her rays by reflection ; and, if she frown, I shall have less reason to repine at my own fate, seeing that it is shared by a wor- thier man. Nay," he added, as Waldemar was about to reiterate his refusal, " do not, if you would be the honoured instrument of saving me from shame in this world and perdition in the next, cast me off, at the very moment when I would re- trace the steps I have taken in crime ; and thus 40 WALDEMAR. leave me again to the fearful guidance of my own evil nature." Thus solemnly adjured, the count replied, " As- suredly I will no longer oppose your inclinations ; and if the stranger's promises be aught but wind, I may yet be able to repay your welcome service in other coin than thanks. So let us now to horse ; for I am impatient to prove the value of a courtier's word ; and, moreover, these sojournings at inns ill agree with the slenderness of my purse." The travellers were soon upon the road again ; and, without any adventure worthy of record, ar- rived safely at Meresburg, where, as we have said, the elector of Saxony then held his court. On the next day, the count proceeded to the electoral re- sidence, and inquired of the loungers in the court- yard for baron Spitz vogel. The smile, and, in one or two instances, ill- sup- pressed laughter v/ith which his address was re- ceived, somewhat damped the querist's hopes, while they excited his anger ; to which he was about to give utterance, when one of his auditors, with more courtesy than had distinguished the rest, advancing from the group, volunteered to introduce Waldemar to the individual whom he supposed him to mean ; but added, with a smile, that he was not aware of the title being recognised beyond the precincts of the electoral court. Waldemar was, accordingly, conducted through various windings and corridors of a somewhat ex- tensive building, and was, at last, ushered into a small apartment, where his guide, with an apparent affectation of ceremony, presented him to baron Spitzvogel ; who, to the count's utter astonishment, WALDEMAR. 41 was a perfect stranger to him. The surprise seemed to be mutual : the two parties thus suddenly brought into contact, gazed .at each other, in silence, for a short space ; and we shall avail ourselves of the pause, by relating a few particulars of the character whom we have just introduced. He was a tall, though not well-proportioned man ; and, at the period of which we are writing, apparently about forty-five or fifty years old. His attire was somewhat outre, not to say fantastic ; which, coupled with the eccentricity of his manner, was deemed, by many, to imply a slight aberration of intellect. There were those, however, who, af- fecting to see further than their neighbours, asserted that there was an intelligence in the expression of his countenance which indicated a man of no ordinary stamp. He was a"n especial favourite with the elector, by whom he had been picked up, on one of his excursions, but held no appointment about the court ; from which he was frequently ab- sent, for weeks together, without considering it ne- cessary to give any account of himself on his return. He never divulged his name, or spoke of his connec- tions or country ; but he had the air of a foreigner, and was commonly believed to be a native of Sweden. There were not wanting those, who, from the fa- miliarity with which he was treated by his highness, did not hesitate to designate him the elector's fool ; but the only claim he could advance to that appel- lation, though some will deem it a very sufficient one, was his uncourtly habit of speaking the truth upon all occasions, and particularly in the ears of his patron. Others, again, were wont to term him 42 WALDEMAR. the court jester ; but his replies, for he never spoke but when spoken to, partook more of the character of sarcasms than jests, and had, doubtless, procured for him his soubriquet of Baron Spitzvogel.* When Waldemar had recovered from his surprise, he apologized for his involuntary intrusion, and explained the circumstances under which he had been induced to visit the electoral court. " And so," said the baron, when Waldemar had finished, " thou hast come to court to seek thy fortune : pray, may I presume to inquire the profes- sion which has the honour of so distinguished an ornament ?" Waldemar replied, that he was a soldier. " Ay," was the rejoinder, " that accounts for it ; the man who commits the inconceivable folly of putting himself up to be shot at in a field of battle, may reasonably be suspected of any minor species of madness. One man cuts a throat in a bye-lane, and the law pronounces it to be murder ; another performs the self-same action in the open field, and he calls it glory. However, as thou hast less of the bully than the generality of thy craft, J will e'en do thee a piece of service. I know of but one person about the court, licentious as it is, who would have had the assurance to use my name, which I pre- sume he did for want of a better, and to him I will introduce thee forthwith." The baron conducted his new acquaintance back into the hall which he had at first entered, and thence, through a narrow passage, to a small door ; on opening which, they found themselves in a spa- * Anglice, sharp bird. WALDEMAR. 43 cious chamber, nearly filled with persons appa- rently of rank ; at the upper end of which, upon a kind of throne, sat one whom Waldemar had no difficulty in recognising as his late guest, on whose suggestion he had sought the court ; while the state by which he was surrounded proclaimed him to be no other than John George, the elector of Saxony. Waldemar would willingly have remained in the obscurity of the crowd in which he at first found himself, but his conductor contrived to force him into a more conspicuous situation. The elector soon distinguished him, and acknowledged the ac- quaintance by a slight inclination of the head and a condescending smile ; but immediately turned to a courtier who was near to him, and did not again direct his eyes towards Waldemar. By degrees the assembly grew less numerous, and the count would gladly have quitted the apartment, in which he felt himself ill at ease, and somewhat disappointed at the cursory notice he had received, and could not readily reconcile with the professions of his late guest. His companion, the baron, however, was not to be thwarted in his whim, and contrived to detain him in the audience-chamber until all but them- selves and the elector had quitted it; when he suddenly made his exit, by the side-door at which he had entered, and left Waldemar alone with his highness. " Welcome to court, Count Waldemar !" ex- claimed the latter; " I am glad to see you have adopted my counsel, and have afforded me an op- portunity of acknowledging your hospitality in a 44 WALDEMAR. manner which, while it is most agreeable to my- self, may best conduce to your interest. At pre- sent, however, I have nothing to offer you but a command in my guards, which will entitle you to free quarters in the palace ; and there are troops who are worse paid than those of the elector of Saxony. Marvel not that your public reception was somewhat lukewarm ; had it been more marked, it would have better accorded with my feelings, but would have raised you a host of ene- mies, from whose power not even my authority could always protect you. Let this hint suffice for the future; and do not think that, if you have not so large a share of my personal notice as some, I shall the less eagerly seize upon every opportunity of advancing you, should your eon- duct justify my estimate of your character. Leave others to enjoy the shadow, and it shall be your fault if you grasp not the substance." Waldemar warmly but briefly expressed his ac- knowledgements of the elector's kindness and con- descension ; and, highly gratified by the sequel of a scene which had opened so inauspiciously, was about to retire ; when his highness, unwilling, per- haps, that the interview should terminate so ab- ruptly, inquired by what route he had travelled to Meresburg, and if he had met with any accidents by the way. Waldemar, in reply, related the particulars of his journey ; dwelling upon his adventure in the forest, the mode of his escape, and the instru- mentality of Fritz in its accomplishment. The elector appeared to be much interested by the re- cital, and, when it was concluded, he said, " I WALDEMAR. 45 will take some order with those lawless vagabonds before I am a month older ; but, in the mean time, touching this same Fritz, whose ingenuity in effect- ing your deliverance I admire not less than I ho- nour the gratitude which prompted the attempt, have you had opportunities of witnessing his con- duct in the field ?" " Several," was the reply, " and on each have had reason to applaud his soldierly qualities. The offence for which, as I have already informed your highness, he so nearly forfeited his life, and was eventually dismissed the service, was committed under circumstances of most tyrannical provoca- tion." " Which," returned the elector, " he will be perfectly secure from experiencing at your hands ; and, therefore, if he be willing to enter the service of the electorate, he shall be enrolled in your own troop ; and I will take care that his escapade with the banditti, shall not be remembered to his pre- judice." The count, after thanking the elector for having anticipated his wishes with respect to his follower, took his leave and returned to the inn, in which he had quartered himself on his arrival at Meresburg, and where he found Fritz anxiously awaiting the result of Waldemar's visit to the palace. When the count informed him that he had pro- cured him a new master, the countenance of the poor fellow indicated little joy at the news; when, however, the matter was explained to him, his face brightened up, and he replied that he was the more ready to enter the service of the elector, as, by so doing, he should cease to be a burden to Walde- 46 WALDEMAR. mar ; to whom, nevertheless, he should still be able to discharge the duties of a servant. Nor was the elector's promise of protection against the consequences of his being afterwards recognised as one of the banditti of the forest, a source of less satisfaction to Fritz, who had enter- tained much apprehension on that subject. On the following morning Waldemar was duly installed in his new appointment ; his outfit, for which, with the exception of his own charger, was librally provided by the elector. The count ap- plied himself to his military duties with a zeal arising from a love of his profession, strengthened by the desire to prove himself worthy of the favour of his patron. The corps to which he was attached had seen little or no service, and was, moreover, in a very indifferent state of discipline ; being officered for the most part by court favourites, who had as little experience as the raw troops they com- manded, and were tot) eagerly engaged in the pur- suit of pleasure to devote much of their attention to regimental concerns. Waldemar, on the contrary, was, both in theory and practice, an accomplished soldier ; and re- solved, if possible, to work a reformation in the handful of men who were, in the first instance, subjected to his control. To this end, he was un- remitting in his personal exertions, and materially facilitated the accomplishment of his views by fill- ing up the vacancies which occasionally occurred in the ranks, by veteran soldiers who had been his own companions in arms ; and some of whom, hav- ing, like himself, been disbanded, were daily re- WALDEMAR. 47 turning from the Netherlands to seek employment in their native country. Another powerful auxiliary in his designs for improving the discipline of the corps, was the at- tachment of his men, which the goodness of his heart and the urbanity of his manners eminently fitted him for securing. Without compromising his dignity, he made himself acquainted with the character, circumstances, and wants of every pri- vate under his orders, and paid an attention to their comforts, to which they had previously been altogether unaccustomed, and which, therefore, they appreciated the more highly. The count had speedily the gratification of per- ceiving that his endeavours not only were crowned by success, but that they had not been overlooked by the elector, who took every fair opportunity of advancing his protege ; with the double purpose of rewarding his zeal, and, since every successive promotion placed a greater number of men under his command, of diffusing the benefits of his system through the troops at large. Indeed, so highly did the elector appreciate the count's judgment and experience, that the latter was frequently, though privately, consulted by him on the affairs of the army; and thus had the opportunity of suggesting measures which he dared not openly propose, but which his highness was ever ready to adopt. Hence our young soldier, being well content to resign to his prince the credit of originating improvements, enjoyed the benefit of their operation ; and, at the same time, avoided giving offence to officers who were higher in command than himself. 48 WALDEMAR. Nevertheless, the path of duty, however success- fully it may be trodden, is rarely without its thorns ; and Waldemar occasionally found that he created enemies among those whose prejudice viewed his system of discipline in his own regiment as an innovation, or whose envy was excited by his rapid advancement in the service. But his influ- ence with the soldiery, while it protected him from the aggressions of petty foes, augmented his im- portance in the eyes of the enlightened members of the government, by many of whom he was treated with marked consideration and respect. WALDEMAR. 49 CHAPTER V. LOSING sight of my hero for a brief space, I must now introduce my readers to an apartment in a splendidly furnished mansion, the residence of baron Schlaukopf; the favourite minister of the elector of Saxony, and a man not less distin- guished by the brilliancy of his talents, than the ease, polish, and suavity of his manners. At a window, which commanded a view of somewhat extensive grounds pertaining to the dwelling, sat a female, apparently under twenty years old, en- gaged on some ornamental needle-work. She was elegantly formed, but not very tall ; with a counte- nance which, although not coming up to the cri- tics' standard, was distinguished by a sweetness of expression not always found in more regularly- formed features. Her forehead was high, fair, po- lished, and intellectual. Her eyes, of that colour which, although usually termed blue, is more strictly grey, were bright and animated, and shaded by lashes long, dark, and silky. Her nose was, it may be, a little too straight, and her lips VOL. vin. E 50 WALDEMAR. somewhat too full, to please the fastidious ; and yet, had it been possible to have moulded them to the received ideas of beauty, it is by no means certain that the general expression of her face would have been improved by the alteration. Her hair was of a dark auburn, very luxuriant, and fell, in natural ringlets, upon a graceful and exquisitely-moulded neck and polished shoulders. Her finely-rounded arm had been a study for our own Chantrey ; and her hand, foot, and ankle were delicately small, and in perfect harmony with the lightness and elegance of her form. She was interrupted in her occupation, then common to ladies of rank, by the sudden entrance of a youth, some two or three years her junior, who bounded across the room, with the spring of an an- telope, exclaiming, " Sister Bertha ! sister Bertha ! I have made such a discovery !" " One of the three hundred and sixty-five which make up the marvels of your year !" said the young lady, looking up from her work with a smile of affection ; " some rare quality in your horse or hound, I suppose ?" " It has nothing to do with either," was the re- joinder : " but I have seen one, but for whom I had long ago ridden my last chase, and you, my sweet sister, had been an heiress !" " And the most miserable maiden in all Saxony, you might have added," returned the damsel ; "for I presume you mean the gallant cavalier who rescued you from that terrible animal in the forest?" " The same," continued her brother : " and whom, think you, I have discovered him to be?" WALDEMAR. 51 " Nay," said the maiden, " that I cannot guess." " No less a personage," was the reply, " than the count Waldemar, who so distinguished himself in the service of the United Provinces, and who is working such wonders in the discipline of the elec- toral forces. I saw him but now, at the head of his troop but you remember him ?" " The scene," answered Bertha, " in which he acted so gallant a part, will not soon pass from my remembrance ; but I was so engrossed by the contemplation of your danger, that I had not a glance or a thought to bestow upon your deli- verer ; who, you recollect, rode off before we had sufficiently recovered from our consternation to offer him our thanks." " Then, Bertha," continued the enthusiastic youth, " you have yet to see a soldier, compared with whom the best officer in our guards is but a raw recruit. He gives the word of command in a voice like a trumpet-note, and as musical withal. His noble charger, too, is worthy of such a rider, combining all the points of a war-horse with the fleetness of an Arab ; and then he leaps like a deer. Do you not long to see him, sister ?" " Which, Albert ?" asked the damsel, with a smile, " the cavalier, or his horse ?" " Nay," was the reply, " the cavalier to be sure ; for what should you know of a horse, who prefer to my gallant bay, that ambling palfrey of yours, whose best pace is a shuffle ?" " Other than kindly I cannot but feel for one to whom, under God, we owe it that you are still with us," replied Bertha ; " and, of course, from E 2 52 WALDEMAR. a worthier motive than mere curiosity, should de- sire to see our benefactor." " Then," said the youth, " you are likely to be gratified ; since I understand my father has invited him to the banquet to-morrow, and he has pro- mised to come." The fact was, that, of all the persons who held confidential posts about the court of the elector, by none did Waldemar's merits appear to be more highly appreciated, than by the baron Schlaukopf. This functionary had, upon several occasions, shown our young officer unequivocal marks of respect and favour in public ; and had repeatedly approved himself a friend to his ad- vancement in the service. A few days before the conversation, which we have just related, took place, the minister honoured him by an invitation to a banquet, to which several distinguished members of the government were also bidden. Waldemar, naturally feeling flattered by the compliment from so exalted a personage, obeyed the summons ; and, happening to arrive somewhat earlier than the other guests, he strolled through the grounds by which the mansion was encircled, and, at last, sat down in a sort of arbour, to rest. He had not long been in this situation, when he heard a voice, which, although not very familiar, he fancied was not altogether strange to his ears, exclaiming, " Nay, sister Bertha, you have been dying to see my hero of the forest for these six months, and I must and will present you to him." This somewhat extraordinary speech was fol- lowed by the entrance of a young gentleman, WALDEMAR. 53 whom Waldemar immediately recognised as the individual he had rescued from the tusks of the wild boar, dragging in a female, in spite of her resistance and remonstrances. The natural charms of Bertha, for it was she, were rather heightened than diminished by the additional tint which the confusion, attendant on her unceremonious and abrupt introduction to an entire stranger, had im- parted to her cheek. As soon, however, as she found herself in the presence of the count, with a graceful wave of her hand, she flung back the disordered tresses from her beautiful brow ; and, advancing towards him, with a frankness characteristic of an innocent mind, said, " My brother Albert has, indeed, spoken my sentiments, although I could have wished that his introduction had been somewhat more decorous. I have long desired to see, and express my thanks to, the gallant cavalier, to whom we are indebted for my brother's preserva- tion, under circumstances so perilous both to him and his deliverer." Waldemar's reply, the reader will take for granted, embraced all that was kind and cour- teous, with a modest disclaimer of any merit in the matter. He did not add a wish, which, perhaps, our young soldier may be pardoned for having en- tertained, that the gratitude, so warmly expressed for her brother's deliverance, had been due to him on her own individual account. Without imputing to either party the venial in- discretion of falling in love at first sight, it will readily be conceived that, between so interest- ing a damsel, and so accomplished a cavalier, a 54 WALDEMAR. mutual feeling of good will was likely to spring up, which rendered the conversation that fol- lowed, common place though it were, sufficiently agreeable to both. Indeed, as far as Waldemar was concerned, he would willingly have " pretermitted " the banquet altogether, to have protracted so agreeable a tte- a-tete. The entertainment was on the most splendid scale, both as regarded the feast, and the quality of the guests, before whom Waldemar was des- tined to play a more conspicuous part than he had either anticipated, or was prepared for ; as baron Schlaukopf, who, since he last saw the count, had been made acquainted with his intervention be- tween Albert and the wild boar, presented our hero to the company as the preserver of his son. But neither the splendour of the banquet, nor the flattering reception which he experienced from all quarters, engrossed his attention, to the exclu- sion of the fair and graceful girl, who moved among the glittering assembly, like a being of ano- ther order and a purer clime. Her intercourse with good society had imparted a polish to her manner, without depriving it of that simplicity which constitutes the high charm of the female character ; and without which the fairest woman that ever trod the earth is but a puppet in the hands of fashion. Unconscious of the admiration of which she was the object, she appeared to have no thought but for the comfort and gratification of her father's guests ; among whom her attentions were distributed, with a kindness and impartiality indicative alike of good feeling and good taste. WALDEMAR. 55 The minister was a perfectly well-bred man, of refined taste, and very general information ; while he particularly recommended himself, at his own table, by the admirable tact with which he disco- vered, and the adroitness with which he drew out, the talents of his guests ; so as to exhibit each to the others in the most advantageous point of view. Waldemar, whose conversational powers were of no ordinary cast, won golden opinions from the company by the shrewdness of his remarks, and the liveliness of his sallies ; and, when the party broke up, he departed in high good humour with himself, and greatly prepossessed in favour of his host ; nor will it be imagined that he needed the superadded inducement of Bertha's society, attractive as it was, to accept the earnest invita- tion of Schlaukopf to repeat his visits as often as he found it agreeable. The frequency of special invitations to the mi- nister's house superseded the necessity of Walde- mar's drawing upon the general one ; and thus it occurred, that scarcely a week passed, without a repetition of his visits ; during which, his inter- course with the fair Bertha was unrestrained, to a degree implying an unlimited confidence in his honour, which Waldemar was the last man in the world to abuse. The count had not fallen in love with Bertha at first sight ; for, if he had, his passion, like other plants of rapid growth, would have been of brief duration ; but the society, which he had, at first, cultivated as contributing to his amusement, be- came, before he was himself aware of the extent to 56 WALDEMAR. which his affections were interested, essential to his happiness. It happened, one evening, that Waldemar, who had been unusually detained by some point of duty, was hastening to an entertainment at the house of Schlaukopf, when he encountered his cynical acquaintance, baron Spitzvogel, whom he was endeavouring to pass, with a courteous sa- lute ; but the baron planted himself so immediately in the soldier's way, that the latter could not choose but stop. " Young man," said the eccentric, " thou hast much to answer for, in causing me to infringe a rule, which custom has bound on me with almost the strength of a vow, never to waste time and breath by speaking, unless spoken to ; but I can- not see a silly sheep led to the shambles, and not warn him that the knife is at his throat." " I am much flattered by your solicitude for so insignificant a personage," was the count's answer ; " but, really, you must do me the favour to ex- plain your riddle, before I can arrive at the amount of my obligation to you." " Even now," rejoined the other, " thou art on the path to ruin !" " Nay," said the soldier, " I deemed that I was on the path to the baron Schlaukopf 's." " Where," continued the cynic, " the snares of craft, and the more dangerous toils of beauty, are spread for thy destruction. The decoy and the pitfall are before thee : be warned in time, and avoid them !" " I will not," replied Waldemar, " affect to misunderstand you ; but, if your insinuations im- WALDEMAR. 57 pugn the purity of Bertha, it becomes me to tell you that she is " " A miracle !" interrupted Spitzvogel ; " that is to say, a dove hatched of a kite's egg ; yet a decoy for all that, though, it may be, an unwilling or unconscious one : but, beware the kite ! I say, if thou wouldst remain loyal to thy prince." " What !" exclaimed the soldier, somewhat in- dignant at this imputation, " do you suspect me of being a traitor ?" " Nay, I said not so," was the reply ; " for thou art infinitely too simple to enact the character on thine own account, and art, therefore, the more fitting tool for the arch traitor, who would make his vantage of thy bull-headed courage, and in- fluence with thy brother cut-throats. But I have said enough, if thou art disposed to profit by my warning ; and, if thou art not, it had been well if I had kept my own counsel, and left thee to thine." Having thus said, the baron turned suddenly from Waldemar, who pursued his walk, with more than his wonted thoughtfulness. On his arrival at the minister's, he found that the party assembled, although smaller than usual, included several faces which he had never seen before. The entertain- ment was unusually protracted, and the wine was circulated with more than ordinary celerity. Towards the close of the evening, one of the company made an allusion to the confiscation of Waldemar's family estates, accompanied by some commiserating observation on the peculiar hard- ship of his case. The count allowed the remark to pass in silence. 58 WALDEMAR. although he was surprised, and not a little an- noyed, at the introduction of so delicate a subject. It was, however, shortly afterwards resumed by the same individual, a baron Schwartzheim ; who, not succeeding in eliciting a reply from the person to whom the matter particularly applied, proceeded to express his astonishment at Waldemar's having espoused the cause of the party, by whom he had been, in a manner, robbed of his patrimony ; when, by joining the Imperialists, he would, doubtless, in the event of their success, be reinstated in his rights. Our soldier had more prudence than had been ascribed to him by his cynical admonitor ; whose hints, however lightly they had, to all appearance, been treated, so far from having been thrown away upon Waldemar, rendered the latter quite alive to every circumstance confirmatory of the suspicions which it had been the drift of Spitzvogel's ob- servations to inspire. Perceiving that the extra- ordinary remark, which we have just referred to, had drawn upon him the eyes of the majority of the company, and that, without compromising his dig- nity, and subjecting his motives to suspicion, he could no longer keep silence, he addressed himself to the author of the obnoxious observation, and said : " I have no desire, and, least of all, in this place and presence, to fix quarrel on you ; or it would not be very difficult to construe the expression of your surprise, on such a subject, into a doubt of my loyalty. With regard to the sentence of confis- cation, it does not become me to arraign the jus- tice of the prince I serve ; and, for the rest, if I WALDEMAR. 59 complain not, you, fair sir, may reasonably rest content." These words, delivered with much coolness and deliberation, yet in the peremptory tone of one who was not to be trifled with, aroused the atten- tion of Schlaukopf ; who, during the remarks which had provoked such a rejoinder, appeared to be en- gaged in earnest conversation with the guest who sat next to him. The minister, having informed himself, by inquiries of those around him, of the nature of the colloquy between Waldemar and Schwartzheim, here interposed by reproving the imprudence of the aggressor, in bringing so delicate a subject upon the carpet. " While you, my dear * count," he continued, addressing the other, " will, for my sake, if not for the sake of the generous sympathy which has hurried the baron beyond the bounds of his usual discretion and good taste, pardon the unintentional offence ; and you, my friends," he added, turning to the rest of the com- pany, " will please to forget that the subject has been discussed beneath my roof." Schwartzheim apologized for his having been betrayed into the remarks, which, he protested, had been rightly attributed by the host, to a sympathy for the situation of a cavalier of the count's dis- tinguished merit ; while the latter, accepting the explanation with more grace, it may be, than con- fidence in its sincerity, permitted the subject to drop ; and, soon afterwards, the party broke up. Our hero's reflections, upon the occurrences of the evening, were far from agreeable ; since, not- withstanding the minister's reproof of Schwartz- 60 WALDEMAR. heim, it was scarcely supposable that the latter would have ventured on such tender ground, in the presence of the elector's favourite counsellor, ex- cept in the confidence of perfect impunity ; while his pertinacious recurrence to the subject, in despite of the discouraging taciturnity of the party alluded to, argued a design beyond the mere gratification of an idle curiosity. Waldemar passed the night in conjectures, with- out divesting the affair of the mystery in which it was involved, and a solution of which he could hope to find only in the future deportment of the minister ; who, if Schwartzheim were really, as there were no slight grounds for suspecting, his tool, could not but feel chagrined by the very peremptory manner in which our young soldier silenced the impertinence of the offender. Perplexing, if not painful, as was the state of doubt in which Waldemar was thus involved, cir- stances, which we are about to detail, prevented him from coming to an immediate conclusion on the subject, by the medium through which he had ex- pected to arrive at it. WALDEMAR. 61 CHAPTER VI. THE situation of the elector of Saxony became every day more perplexing. After having, for a long time, been the dupe of the Austrian cabinet, his eyes were, at last, opened to the perfidious de- signs of Ferdinand ; who had, moreover, personally offended him by excluding his son from the arch- bishopric of Magdeburg. Inflamed, however, as was his resentment against the emperor, and eager as he was to obtain that redress of his country's wrongs, which he now despaired of gaining from the gratitude or justice of his oppressor, he felt that his object could not be accomplished without the assistance of Gustavus Adolphus. Mistrusting, nevertheless, the ultimate views of the latter, and reluctant to abandon that position of neutrality which gave him importance in the eyes of both parties, he evaded the overtures for an alli- ance with Sweden, and turned his attention to another object, which, had he been gifted with a more commanding genius, he would probably have accomplished. That object was nothing less than 62 WALDEMAR. to draw to himself the whole protestant party ; so that, as the head of a third power in Germany, and standing between the king of Sweden and the em- peror, he might, at any time, turn the scale in favour of either, according as his interest might suggest. To this end, he held a conference with the elector of Brandenburg ; who, though less ambi- tious in his views, entertained an equal hatred of the emperor, and the same mistrust of Gustavus Adolphus. Possessed of the sentiments of his bro- ther elector, and, having obtained, in a diet held at Torgau, the consent of the Saxon states, without which he could not act, John George invited all the protestant powers of the empire to a general convention ; which, in defiance of the emperor, who used every effort to prevent it, was opened at Leipsic on the 6th February, 1631. At this as- sembly, the electors of Brandenburg, and Hesse Cassel, with several other princes, counts, and pro- testant bishops, either in person or by proxy, were present. The convention, after sitting for two months, came to the resolution of demanding of Ferdinand the revocation of the edict of restitution, which had been issued in favour of the catholic clergy, the recall of the imperial troops from the states, the suspension of all executions, and the reform of all abuses ; while, on their own parts, they de- termined on assembling an army of forty thousand men, for the purpose of obtaining that justice by force, which might be refused to their remon- strances. It was shortly after the separation of the con- WALDEMAR. 63 vention, that Waldemar happened to be on duty at the palace during one of those cabinet-councils of the elector which, at that juncture, were nu- merous and protracted. The council had no sooner broken up, than the count was summoned to the presence of the elector ; from whose flushed brow and perplexed air he inferred the debate had been stormy in its progress, and unsatisfactory in its result. Whatever might have been the cause of the ex- citement under which he manifestly laboured, the effect was an unusual degree of communicativeness, on the part of the elector towards the count, whom, immediately on his entrance, he thus ad- dressed : " It is said that, in a multitude of councillors, there is wisdom ; and I have too much respect for the authority of the proverb to doubt its truth ; but sure I am that it was applied to a different kind of councillors from those with whom it has pleased heaven, for my sins, to perplex me. No two of them are of the same opinion, and each sticks as pertinaciously to his own as if his salvation depended upon his obstinacy. One holds up to me, in terror em, the power of Ferdinand ; another that of the king of Sweden ; a third bids me consult my honour ; a fourth beseeches me to regard my interest ; while his neighbour conjures me to consider the welfare of my country, about which, I verily believe, notone of them cares a straw. Now, without pledging myself to adopt it, I would gladly know your opinion on the present posture of our affairs." "Be it far from me," was the reply, " presump- 64 WALDEMAR. tuously to usurp the functions of those, whom your highness, in your wisdom, has selected for your advisers." " Nay, Waldemar," exclaimed the elector, " that evasion shall not avail you. I am resolved, were it only for the novelty of the thing, for once to have an honest man's opinion ; and such, I am convinced, will be yours. Now, tell me, were you in my situation, between the powers of Austria and Sweden, what would you do ?" " Strike boldly for the right, and leave the issue with God," was the straight-forward reply of the count. "It is the counsel of a soldier, if not of a sage," remarked the elector ; to whom advice, in unison with his own vacillating policy, would probably have been more palatable. " But," continued his highness, " whether I strike the blow, or perse- vere in my neutrality, the augmentation of my army is essential to render the one effec- tual and the other safe. In order, however, to raise troops, I must raise money ; and this brings me to the object for which I summoned you. There is a certain Jew, an Italian by birth, named Rolandi, at present in Magdeburg, who has here- tofore supplied my wants ; and, having found me faithful to my engagements, will, I doubt not, on such security as I can furnish, accommodate me again. It is necessary that the negotiation for the advance be confided to a person whose zeal, integrity, and discretion are beyond question. Row, could I find one in whom those qualities were so happily combined as in yourself, I would not employ you in an affair, which comes not WALDEMAR. 65 within the line of military duty ; but the emer- gency of the case, and the importance of the mis- sion, must plead my excuse with you. Make ready, therefore, for the journey ; and, in the mean- time, your instructions and credentials shall be prepared." Waldemar could not but perceive, that the elec- tor, in dwelling upon the confidential nature, and, consequently, honourable character, of the mission, had overlooked one point connected with it, namely, the personal risk to the count ; the situation of Magdeburg, at that particular juncture, being such as to render a visit to it more than ordinarily hazardous. The rich archbishopric, of which Magdeburg, one of the most opulent towns in Germany, was the capital, had belonged, for a considerable pe- riod, to the protestant princes of the house of Brandenburg. Christian William, the last admi- nistrator, however, incurred the ban of the empire, by reason of his connection with Denmark ; and the chapter, apprehensive of the emperor's displea- sure, deprived the administrator of his dignities. Prince John Augustus, a son of the elector of Saxony, was nominated to the archbishopric, but was rejected by the emperor, who bestowed it on his own son, Leopold. John George complained to the imperial court, but without success. Chris- tian William, however, acted instead of remon- strating ; and made a journey into Sweden, with a view of obtaining the succour of Gustavus Adol- phus, who dismissed him with promises of support. The king of Sweden, shortly afterwards, landed in Pomerania; of which Christian William no VOL. VIII. F 66 WALDEMAR. sooner heard, than he entered Magdeburg, in dis- guise ; and, unexpectedly presenting himself at the town council, harangued them, with the desire of exciting their resistance to the Austrian court. He dwelt upon the excesses committed by the imperial troops, and laid open to them Ferdinand's ambi- tious designs. He then assured them, that their deliverer was approaching, in the person of Gus- tavus Adolphus ; and, in conclusion, excited the enthusiasm of his auditors, by reminding them of their glorious and heroical resistance to Wallen- stein. The result was, an alliance with the king of Sweden, who, on his side, undertook to protect, to the utmost of his means, their religion and privi- leges ; and, in return, was offered a free passage through their territories, and permission to recruit his army in the archbishopric. No sooner was this convention settled, than the administrator, Christian William, not having the patience to wait until Gustavus Adolphus was sufficiently near to support him, prematurely com- menced hostilities on the imperialists. He succeeded in capturing some corps of the latter, made a few conquests of minor importance, and even surprised the town of Halle. The approach of the imperial- ists in force, however, soon compelled him to retire, not without considerable loss, to Magdeburg. The king of Sweden, although grieved at the precipitancy of his new ally, sent him, in the per- son of Falkenberg, a German by birth, and grand mareschal of the court at Stockholm, an officer of great experience, who contrived to throw himself into the town, in the disguise of a peasant. WALDEMAR. 67 The count of Pappenheim, one of the imperial leaders, having terminated his expedition against the duke of Saxe Lauenburg, at last approached the city ; but, in consequence of the movements of the king of Sweden, which drew the emperor's generals to another quarter, it was not until the thirtieth of March that Tilly appeared before the town ; when he proceeded to carry on the siege, with great vigour. It was at this crisis, when the imperial army was gathering around Magdeburg, that Waldemar was despatched upon the mission to which we have al- ready referred. Had he, indeed, been sent at the head of his regiment, to take part in the strife, there were few calls which he would have obeyed with greater alacrity ; but he could not help feel- ing, what, however, he would not pain his patron by betraying, a reluctance to an undertaking, which would, in all likelihood, plunge him into the centre of the struggle ; while, as the soldier and subject of a neutral power, he would be precluded from taking part with either side, and thus become an object of suspicion to both. On arriving within a few leagues of Magdeburg, Waldemar found the aspect of affairs much more inauspicious than he had anticipated. Tilly, he ascertained, had taken up a position about the Toll-sconce ; count Pappenheim occupied the road that led to Neustadt ; while the duke of Holstein had extended his lines almost to Croken ; and count Mansfeldt took his station on the side of the fort marsh. Under circumstances so unpropitious to the exe- cution of his commission, one of less courage and r 2 68 WALDEMAR. perseverance might have deemed himself justified in turning back ; but Waldemar was the last man in the world to abandon an enterprise, while a chance of its accomplishment existed. He, ac- cordingly, resigned his horse to the care of Fritz ; whom he enjoined to keep as near to Magdeburg as possible, advancing or retreating upon a certain line, on which his master might rejoin him. The count then set forward alone, and on foot ; and, after a toilsome and circuitous journey, found himself in the vicinity of Magdeburg, at that parti- cular juncture, when Tilly practised the feint of raising the siege, in order, by lulling its defenders into a false notion of security, to make his final at- tack with greater effect. The success of this stratagem is thus described by an old writer on this portion of history, who says: "Conformable to humane nature, which is well pleased when events prove answerable to their desires, even drunk with this hope, and blinded with this conceipt, they (the besieged) stu- died more how to expresse their joy with invitations and feastings, than with diligence and sufficient guards to watch over their owne safetie." Thus, while hostilities had ceased without, and insensibility to danger prevailed within, Waldemar had less difficulty in gaining admission into the garrison, than he had anticipated. Indeed, he had no sooner satisfied the guard at the gate, at which he boldly presented himself, that he had really bu- siness with the Jew, whose name, for some reason unknown to our hero, appeared to operate like a talisman, than he was admitted, and conducted to the residence of Rolandi. WALDEMAR. 69 The house was situated in a narrow and obscure street ; and exteriorly exhibited an air of meanness, with which, he doubted not, the character of its owner corresponded. Our imaginations are wont to draw pictures of persons, to whom we are about to be introduced for the first time ; and Waldemar had prepared himself to meet an old, ugly, and de- crepit Israelite, with cunning, avarice, and chicanery written in every line of his countenance. How great, then, was his surprise, when, on entering a small but magnificently furnished apartment, he beheld a person, apparently under fifty years of age, very tall, erect, and well-proportioned, with features decidedly Jewish, but uncommonly hand- some ; his forehead, bold, high, and polished ; his eye, dark, full, piercing, and intelligent ; his nose, slightly aquiline ; his lip, a feature not inferior to the eye in expression, betokening firmness and decision. His dress was that of his tribe, but of the finest materials, and splendidly embroidered ; and his ensemble was rather that of a Judean warrior, than a trafficker in gold. His air, too, in greeting Waldemar, though courteous, was rather that of a king receiving an ambassador from another prince, than an usurer about to negotiate a loan. After reading the first few lines of the elector's missive, he directed his eyes towards the count, and said, " The name of count Waldemar, as that of a gallant warrior and most honourable man, is not strange to me ; and I thank his highness for having selected such a representative. He hath done, wisely too ! I love the bold front of a soldier, to whom I may speak fearlessly, as much as I hate 70 WALDEMAR. the double visage of the wily councillor, or in- triguing secretary, who has commonly been his messenger on similar occasions." Such was the charm which the mien and dig- nified manner of this extraordinary person had wrought upon Waldemar, that, in spite of the patronizing tone in which his address was delivered, the young soldier felt the compliment, and acknow- ledged it with a bow almost as deferential as he would have accorded to his prince. " But I pray you sit, sir count," continued the Jew ; then, observing Waldemar's travel-soiled ap- parel, he added j " but I crave pardon what, ho J within, there ! Japhet, a cup of wine !" In the brief space, between the issue of the com- mand and its being obeyed, Rolandi finished the perusal of the despatch, when he invited the count to drink. The wine, which was as clear, and almost as co- lourless as water, was poured into a richly chased goblet of fine gold, and was of so peculiar and delicate a flavour, that the count, after commend- ing its rare quality, inquired its name. " Liebfrauen-milch," was the reply ; " the pro- duce of the Tokay grape, cultivated on the Rhine ; and is, I believe, of an ancient and rich vintage." Then glancing at the elector's communication, he continued : " You, of course, are aware of the contents of this missive." The count replied in the affirmative, and named the amount of the required loan, adding, " Can you pleasure his highness on this matter ?" " Assuredly I can," was the answer; " as right well he knows." WALDEMAR. 71 " I should rather have said, then," resumed the other, with a smile, " will you do so ?" " First solve me a question, and I will answer yours," rejoined the Jew. " With whom sides the elector, with Ferdinand or the Swede ?" " When I quitted the court," replied the count, " his highness had not declared for either party ; but I am at a loss to conceive what that has to do with the question of the advance." " Listen," responded Rolandi, " and I will tell you. Twelve months ago I had a brother and a son ; the first was the guide and friend of my youth ; my son had realized a parent's fondest hopes. They fell into the power of the bloodiest tribunal of a bloody church ; one perished at the stake, the other in a dungeon. Their blood has not sunk into the earth. I cannot lead armies, nor lay waste fenced cities ; but I have gold, which, as the purer metal, hath the mastery over steel ; and I will use the talisman for my revenge. Tell your master, the elector of Saxony, that I dictate to no man ; and, least of all, to one of the princes of the earth. His course is free ; my treasure is my own ; and shall never be poured forth to pay the soldiers of Rome. On the other hand, if your master make common cause with Sweden, the loan de- manded shall be paid into the electoral treasury, within four-and-twenty hours after his highness has struck the first blow." " And I am to understand, then," inquired Wal- demar, " that upon this condition, only, you will consent to make the advance requested by the elector ?" " You are to understand," was the reply, " that I make no conditions, nor would it become me to 72 WALDEMAR. make any. Far be from me the presumption of suggesting a motive to his highness, for the adoption of a line of policy which his conscience disapproves. On the grounds on which I refuse to subsidize the champions of popedom, I would cast my last ounce of bullion into bullets, to aid their opponents. To a man of your perception, sir count, I have said enough ; refresh yourself, therefore, with another cup of wine, and get you out of this unhappy city ; which, even now, while rejoicing for its fancied de- liverance, is beleagued by its enemies, and betrayed by those who call themselves its friends." Waldemar thanked the Jew for his courtesy, as well as for his advice He availed himself of the one ; but, with regard to the other, he stated that if even, after the fatiguing journey of the day, he were competent to set out on his return, the dark- ness of the night, and his slight acquaintance with the country, would induce him to postpone his de- parture until the morning. " Then," responded the other, as he dismissed his guest, " watch with your loins girded ; for the hour is at hand, when the doom of the Maiden Town* will be written in blood. This silence of the enemy is as the stillness before the storm." * Magdeburg, (Anglicii, Maiden Town), bears for its arms a virgin crowned ; doubtless, having reference to Venus, who was worshipped by the inhabitants until the reign of Charle- magne, when many of the Saxons wejpe converted to Christi- anity. There is, or was, in this town, a very ancient picture of the goddess, in a golden car, drawn by two swans and a pair of white doves. She has a rose in her mouth, and a garland of myrtle on her head. In her right hand, she has three golden apples, and, in her left, a globe : on her right breast, is a blazing torch, and, on the left, a dart. The three Graces, with arms folded, are behind the car. WALDEMAR. 73 CHAPTER VII. WALDEMAR, having taken leave of Rolandi, who had inspired him with a respect which he could not previously have deemed himself capable of feeling for any one of his creed, succeeded, with some dif- ficulty, in obtaining quarters for the night. Fa- tigue, and probably an impression that the Jew had exaggerated the danger, overcame the caution which the latter had given ; and our soldier, with- out, however, divesting himself of his arms or ap- parel, cast himself upon a mattress on the floor, and was sson asleep. The chimes of the town clock had scarcely an- nounced the hour of five, when he was awakened from his slumber by the report of a single cannon. The count was on his feet in a moment ; and, rush- ing into the street at the time, when, at the sig- nal which had aroused him, the Austrian general, Pappenheim. at the head of Savelli's, Wrangel's, and Gronsfeldt's regiments, had commenced a vi- gorous attack upon the lately erected fortifications of the new city ; while, at the same instant, two 74 WALDEMAR. other attacks were made, with an equal force, by Adolphus, duke of Holstein, and count Mansfeldt ; the former on the Sudenburg quarter, and the latter on the Crb'ken gate. Tilly, meanwhile kept aloof at the head of a reserve, ready to give his support at whatever point it might be required. Pappenheim, having ordered his cavalry to dis- mount, succeeded in driving back the defenders of the town in that quarter ; and then, filing along under the wall, made a furious assault upon the last parapet. To this spot, Falkenberg, who, having watched all night on the ramparts, was en- gaged with the town council, hastened from the senate house. Pappenheim, whatever might be their comparative merits as generals, had, for once, met his match in personal bravery. After an obsti- nate struggle, borne down by the courage and impe- tuosity with which Falkenberg attacked him, he was driven back beyond the new work, leaving a hundred imperialists dead upon the spot. This momentary triumph was dearly purchased ; for, shortly afterwards, the heroic Falkenberg fell, mortally wounded, and was borne back into the town ; where, however, he continued to give his orders with amazing coolness and self-possession. The fall of the governor damped the ardour of the garrison, which, Pappenheim perceiving, made a second attempt, and with better fortune ; having succeeded in forcing his way into the town, about seven in the morning. On this occasion, however, he was again repulsed by a brave officer, captain Smith, who rallied the most determined of the be- sieged, and drove the assailants back to the gate. But, if the gallant captain shared the success of WALDEMAR. 75 his commanding officer, he also shared his fate, and fell mortally wounded in the moment of tri- umph. With him perished the hope of Magdeburg. Some, however, continued to fight on to the last ; and, among the most distinguished of this Spartan band, Waldemar observed, as much to his surprise as his admiration, the splendid figure of Rolandi. With a Damascus scymetar in his hand, he was seen every where in the thickest of the enemy, who bore back from the giant sweep of his arm. His great personal strength, the temper of his weapon, and no inconsiderable skill in the use of it, ren- dered him a formidable opponent. The spirit of a once warlike and mighty nation seemed to have revived in the person of that extraordinary man. Reckless of danger, or rather courting it, and dis- tinguished as well by his costume as his intre- pidity, he made his way from rampart to rampart, the Joshua of the fight. The shield of the God of Israel was over him ; blows fell, and bul- lets whistled, harmless around him as the summer rain. But the doom of Magdeburg was sealed. Be- fore noon, all the works were carried by the enemy, who turned the cannon of the ramparts upon the streets, and were soon masters of the city ; the in- habitants of which fled to their dwellings and awaited their destiny. They did not long remain in ignorance of it. Then followed a scene which forms the bloodiest page in the history of man- kind. It is very probable that, with such soldiers, under the excitement of battle and the temptation held out by the proverbial wealth of the place, 76 WALDEMAR. Tilly could not, had he possessed the inclination, have restrained them from many of the excesses which they committed ; but it is certain that he did not attempt it ; since, on being remonstrated with on the subject, when the sack of the city had continued for several hours, he coldly replied, " The town must bleed : it has not yet made suffi- cient atonement. Let the soldiers persist another hour, and then we will reconsider the matter." Were I to dwell upon the horrors which cha- racterized the sacking of this devoted city, I should but do violence to my own feelings, as well as to the taste of the generality of my readers. For those who have the morbid appetite for such recitals, there are, in these days, caterers enough, and I will not add to the number. Let it suffice to say, that neither age, infancy, sex, nor condition, could move the pity or stay the fury of the vanquishers, among whom Pappenheim's Walloons, and the Croats were the most distinguished by their atrocities. An idea of their treatment of the fair sex will be gathered from the fact, that twenty young ladies, who had assembled at a house, on the banks of the Elbe, rather than encounter the horrors that awaited them, rushed out of the door, and, em- bracing each other, threw themselves into the river ; while, in one church alone, were found the bodies of fifty-three women, who had been wan- tonly beheaded. The slaughter, including the as- sault and subsequent massacre, amounted, on the lowest estimate, to thirty thousand persons. Our readers, if we have been so fortunate as to have inspired them with an interest for our hero, will naturally be anxious to trace his course during WALDEMAR. 77 the perpetration of the outrages to which I have alluded. Waldemar, although indifferent to dan- ger in the field, did not, it will readily be con- ceived, unnecessarily court it on an occasion on which, the subject of a neutral power, he had no part in the affray. Having, therefore, neither house, home, nor friends to claim his attention, he was the better able to care for his personal safety ; which, it is needless to say, was not unfrequently threatened. During the assault, he had, with professional curiosity, posted himself in a situation which commanded a view of the battle ; but, when the struggle had ended in the capture of the place, and the work of pillage began, he betook himself to the poorest quarter of the town ; which, as offering less temptation to the cupidity of the captors, was more free from their presence. It was, while in one of the obscure streets, that the count was startled by a shrill scream of distress, which rose above the remoter shouts of the con- querors, and the cries of the vanquished ; and, turn- ing in the direction whence it seemed to proceed, he saw a gigantic Croat, dragging a female from the grand square of the city ; and hurrying her, in his arms, towards the comparatively retired spot in which Waldemar had stationed himself. The shrieks of the female, and the language of the savage, left no doubt as to his design ; but, if the sword of Waldemar was ready, almost of itself, to leap out of the scabbard at the outrage, what language can depict his feelings, when, by the con- flagration of a house, which, with many others, in various parts of the city had been set on fire, he 78 WALDEMAR. beheld, in the intended victim, Rudolpha, the be- trothed of his friend and comrade. In one instant, the left hand of the count was on the throat of the ruffian ; but, before he could use his sword-arm with effect, the Croat relinquished his prey, and shook off his assailant ; who had just time to thrust the maiden into a niche, which had once held, or been designed to contain, a statue, and take his station before it, when he was vigour- ously attacked in return. The Croat, as has been said, was a man of gi- gantic stature, being taller by half a head than his opponent ; who, however, was his equal in activity, and the use of the sword; and, moreover, was gifted with a coolness and self-possession, which rarely deserted him, and in which the other, infuri- ated by rage and disappointment, was deficient. Still the immense strength and superior stature of the Croat were fearful odds in his favour ; and, for some time, he made these advantages tell in such a manner upon his antagonist, that the latter was compelled to confine his operations to the defensive. At last, however, the sword of the- Croat, breaking down Waldemar's guard, descended upon the head of the latter, cut through his hat, and, slightly wounding him in the scalp, brought him on his knee. Waldemar, however, sprang up, with the rapidity of lightning, and, making a thrust, at the same time, plunged his sword into the body of his opponent, who fell, with a heavy groan, and lay, upon his back, in the street. Leaving the count and the lady for a brief space, we must retrograde a little, and inform our readers that the administrator, Christian William, having, WALDEMAR. 79 in the beginning of the assault, been wounded in the thigh by a cannon-ball, and, subsequently, re- ceived several musket-shots, one of which shattered his left leg, was taken prisoner, under a promise of being treated kindly, and suitably to his rank. He afterwards fell into the hands of other sol- diers, who not only killed the domestics in attend- ance, but brutally inflicted on him two additional wounds, in cold blood ; one with a pistol-shot in the leg, and the other with a battle-axe on the head. Happily, however, before his cowardly as- sailants could fulfil their design of despatching their victim, Pappenheim rode up, and, rescuing him from their murderous clutches, commanded that he should be placed across two pikes, and borne to his tent. Pappenheim, who, from this and other similar acts of humanity, would appear not to have been a consenting party to the plunder of the town, and either had not the power of restraining his Wal- loons, or was over-ruled by Tilly, his superior officer, proceeded, for some distance, in the rear of the litter, in order that his generous intentions, in respect of the wounded man, might be more strictly carried into effect. Their route to the tent happened to lie through the street in which Waldemar had encountered the Croat with his prey ; and the litter approached the spot a few minutes after the fall of the ruffian sol- dier. Waldemar, who knew Pappenheim by sight, and had some little knowledge of his character, allowed the wounded man and his bearers to pass, and then, in a few words, explaining the situation 80 WALDEMAR. of the damsel, implored the general's protection in her behalf. Pappenheim glanced at Rudolpha, and then, turning to Waldemar, said, " Truly, young gentle- man, if you take upon yourself the office of cham- pion to distressed damsels, you are likely to have your hands full to-day. Pray, who and what manner of man may you be ?" Waldemar mentioned his name, and rank in the elector's service ; on which the other remarked, with somewhat more of courtesy, however, in his manner, " Indeed ! and that," he added, pointing to the body of the fallen Croat, " is a piece of your handy-work ?" Waldemar acknowledged that it was, but pleaded the circumstances as a justification of the deed. " Faith, then," replied Pappenheim, " you are no bungler at your craft ; and, if I am not mis- taken in the ruffian's face, the deed you have per- formed were less easily done than justified : nor shall your valour be thrown away, if I can help it. Here," he continued, turning to Rudolpha, " take hold of my stirrup, fair lady, and walk beside my horse ; you shall have protection, and honourable treatment, if I can procure it for you. As for you, sir count, I tell you fairly, you must take your chance yet, stay." Then, after a moment's thought, he directed one of the administrator's bearers to resign his post to Waldemar, and added, " Put the end of that pike on your shoulder, and it may, perchance, save your head." Having thus spoken, he gave up the charge of the wounded man to an inferior officer, who came WALDEMAR. 81 up at the time; and then, having repeated to Waldemar his assurance that the lady should be honourably cared for, rode off, to seek an asylum in which to place her. Our hero, in the mean while, was escorted, with his burthen to a tent ; where, in pursuance of the orders of Pappenheim, the wounded man was at- tended by a surgeon, and provided with every comfort and accommodation, which, under such circumstances, could reasonably be expected, or, by possibility, afforded ; Waldemar officiating as head nurse on the occasion. It was while the unfortunate administrator was thus lying in the agony of his wounds, that the dukes of Holstein and Saxe Lauenburg entered the tent, and had the brutality to reproach him with his obstinate defence of the city. At the cowardly taunts, the drooping spirit of Christian William, for a moment, revived ; and he retorted, with energy, " I have fought for my rights, and the honour of Magdeburg, which, but for the false traitors, whom your gold hath bribed, had not now been in your hands. For the blood of her soldiers and citizens, which hath flowed in the strife, the grief is mine, but the guilt is yours." He would have said more, had not Waldemar interposed, and indignantly protested against the unmanly conduct of the intruders ; one of whom, turning upon the remonstrant, inquired, " Who, and what are you, sir, that presume to hold such language in this presence ?" " Who I am," was the reply, " it concerns not 4 you to know ; and, for the rest, it is enough that VOL. VIII. G 82 WALDEMAR. I am a man, to justify my abhorrence of such a deed." " How, sirrah !" exclaimed the other, " know you to whom you speak ?" " I know not," replied the count, calmly, " nor do I care to know. What I have said, I will, at a fitting time and place, maintain with my sword ; which, if I may judge of the quality of your cou- rage by this unmanly triumph over a vanquished and wounded foe, will be no difficult under- taking." " Base hind !" roared the other, rushing forward in a menacing attitude ; " this language to the duke of Holstein ?" " Put down your hand," said Waldemar, sternly, " or, be you duke or devil, I will cleave you to the chine !" The disputants had crossed swords, when Pap- penheim, who had gathered, from without, the na- ture of the scene within the tent, suddenly enter- ing, struck down their weapons, and, rushing between them, exclaimed, " Sir count, return your sword ; of which you have already made sufficient use, to prove that your valour hath marvellously the preponderance of your discretion. For you," he added, turning to the dukes, " I pray you, in all courtesy, to consider, that the administrator, as well as his hot-headed advocate, is my prisoner, and, therefore, under my protection. Count Tilly has desired me to request the honour of your presence at the council, where I will speedily join you." The perpetrators of the ignoble outrage, which has been described, had too much experience of WALDEMAR. 83 Pappenheim's importance in the army, as well as of the firmness of his character, to venture a quarrel with him on the subject. They, ac- cordingly, took the hint, and withdrew ; when Pappenheim, addressing himself to Waldemar, said, " Be not offended, count, that I have been constrained to condemn that as a general, which, haply, I may admire as a man. Continue, for the present, in charge of the administrator ; and you will do well to consider yourself, as I have just proclaimed you, my prisoner ; in the first place, because I see not that you can help it ; and, secondly, you will remember, those who bind may find the means of loosing/' On the following morning, Pappenheim caused Christian William to be conveyed, in a carriage, to Wolmerstadt ; and appointed his own chaplain, and gentleman of the bed-chamber, to attend him. It is related of the administrator, that, when brought into the presence of Tilly, (whether before or after his removal to Wolmerstadt, the record does not mention,) he boldly denounced, on him and his generals, the vengeance of heaven, for the acts of cruelty which they had perpetrated and encouraged ; and stung Tilly to the quick by telling him, thai his glory lay buried beneath the ruins of Magde- burgh. In the mean time, the work of destruction was proceeding rapidly in the devoted town ; and, having been commenced with the sword, was, at length, consummated by fire ; a catastrophe which some historians attribute to accident ; one, in particular, asserting that it originated in the carelessness of a soldier, who laid down his musket, with the match G2 84 WALDEMAR. lighted, on a barrel of brimstone in a " drugster's" shop. Others, again, arguing from the alleged fact of several houses, in various parts of the town, having been in flames at the same time, maintain that the conflagration was occasioned by the wan- ton cruelty of the besiegers. Whatever was the cause, the effect was the de- struction of the whole of the city, except the cathe- dral, the church of Our Lady, and a few houses which stood around it. Of those of the inhabitants who survived the event, many owed their preserva- tion to their captors' expectation of ransom. Some few of the garrison, who held out till the last, ob- tained conditions ; but all the officers were put to the sword, with the exception of Amsteroth, the watchmaster-general, (who died of his wounds the next day,) and one lieutenant-colonel and a major. Waldemar, when the removal of the adminis- trator to Wolmerstadt terminated his duties as hos- pital nurse, still continued a prisoner of Pappen- heim ; who, however, procured him honourable treatment, and held out to him hopes of soon re- gaining his liberty. The general, moreover, granted him an interview with Rudolpha ; who had found refuge in one of the cottages, on the banks of the Elbe, which had escaped the conflagration, and on which Pappenheim had posted a guard, on whom he could place reliance. Rudolpha, whose anxiety for one who had preserv- ed her from a fate which could not be contemplated without horror, had been as great as his solicitude for her, was rejoiced to see him ; and expressed her gratitude for the gallantry he had displayed in her WALDEMAR. 85 behalf, in no measured terms. She accounted for her presence in Magdeburg, at such a perilous crisis, by stating that she had been despatched thither, some months before, by her father, to at- tend the death-bed of a near relative ; on whose de- cease the danger of an attempt to return to her father's castle on the Elbe, in the disturbed state of the country, was estimated to be greater than the risk she would incur by remaining in the city, which, it was confidently hoped, the king of Sweden would have relieved of its besiegers. 86 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER VIII. THE storming of Magdeburg commenced on the 10th of May, 1631. On the 13th, the imperialist general, Tilly, made his public entry into that city ; and then, and not until then, gave orders that the sacking should cease. It was on the morning of the latter day, that Waldemar ? who, anxious to render an account of his mission to the elector, deemed every hour, during which his de- parture was delayed, an age, was waiting in his quarters, in the momentary expectation, founded upon Pappenhein's assurances, of being set at li- berty. His disappointment was, therefore, proportionately great, when, instead of being released, he was sud- denly summoned before Tilly himself; to whose pre- sence he was forthwith conducted by a file of sol- diers. He found that celebrated general, surrounded by his officers, in the great square of the city. He was mounted on a small white Croatian horse, to which he was exceedingly partial, and which had carried him in several engagements. He was of WALDEMAR. rather low stature, and affected somewhat of the dress and manners of a Spaniard ; which may be attributed to his having received his early educa- tion at the court of the Infanta. He was attired in a green satin doublet, with slashed sleeves, and trowsers of the same material. On his head was a little cocked hat, with a very long red plume of ostrich feathers, which hung down almost to the reins of his steed. He wore, around his waist, a belt, about two inches in breadth, from which de- pended his sword. His holsters contained only one pistol, concerning which, he once remarked, to mareschal Grammont, who had testified some sur- prise at the singularity, that he had gained seven decisive battles, without having occasion to dis- charge it. The contemplation of the havoc and bloodshed which, if he could not have entirely prevented, he assuredly might have mitigated, did not appear to have excited in Tilly any feelings of remorse ; or, if it had, its effects were not exhibited in any relaxa- tion of that cold severity of manner which had characterized him, during the whole of the fearful tragedy. He regarded Waldemar, for a few seconds, with an angry scowl upon his brow, and then sternly demanded how long he had been in Magdeburg. " Three days," was the reply. " And pray," resumed the general, " what may have been the purport of your errand." " I must be better satisfied of your right to ask the question, before I answer it," said the other, in- dignant at the peremptory manner in which he was catechised. WALDEMAR. " Seeing that I have the power of extorting an answer, methinks you might spare yourself the use- less trouble of arguing upon the right. But," con- tinued Tilly, " I have neither time nor the will to bandy words with you, and, therefore, tell you, at once, that I know who you are ; and would fain learn what object a colonel, in the service of the elector of Saxony, had in visiting Magdeburg, on the eve of the assault ?" " Assuredly," responded Waldemar, " had I been aware of the proximity of that event, I had chosen another season for my visit." " That evasion," rejoined the general, " shall not avail you. What was the nature of your busi- ness with the Jew? You see, sir count, your proceedings have been watched." " And if they have been faithfully reported to you," was the reply, " you will know that, save the inn, where I passed the night, the house of Rolandi was the only one I entered during my stay in the city ; from which it must be evident that my mission was not of a military character." " Military or civil, I demand its purport ;" said the general, peremptorily : " did it relate to your own affairs, or to those of the elector ?" "Kit related to mine," answered the other, " its import cannot concern you ; and if to the elector's, you, who so well know and perform your duty to your own sovereign, should not expect me to be- tray the secrets of mine. My mission, whatever it might have been, is accomplished ; and, as the subject and officer of a neutral prince, I demand to be set at liberty." " Ay," returned the general, " with the blood WALDEMAR. 89 of one of our gallant Croats upon your hands ! Call you that neutrality ?" " I know not how you call the act of rescuing an angel from the clutches of a fiend," said Wal- demar ; "but, give the deed what name you will, were the occasion to recur, I would attempt it again." " You persist, then," pursued the other, " in your refusal to answer the question I have pro- posed ?" " I do," rejoined Waldemar, firmly. " By the holy virgin !" exclaimed Tilly, losing all patience at the cool contumacy of the prisoner, " if you reveal not your secret to me, it shall pe- rish with you !" Then, turning to an officer, he continued : " Advance a file of musketeers but, no ; a soldier's death were too good for a spy : cast a rope over yonder beam." The expedition which the general exacted in the execution of his orders, would have left our hero little time for preparation, or remonstrance, had not Pappenheim rode up at that critical juncture ; and judging, at a glance, of the position of affairs, he pushed through the throng of officers, until he stood by the side of Tilly, in whose ear he said, " Have a care, my dear general, what you do. The elector of Saxony is, even now, at the head of a large force, and is balancing between the em- peror and the Swede : a hair would turn the scale ; and he is not a man to forgive an act, which, while it insults his authority, will deprive him of the best officer in his army." " So much the better !" was Tilly's remark ; " he will then be less formidable, as an opponent 90 WALDEMAR of the League ; against which, depend upon it, he will declare, ere long." " I am not so sure of that," replied Pappen- heim : " the fate of Magdeburg will strike terror throughout protestant Germany. Let us not, therefore, counteract its effects on John George, by arraying his wounded dignity against his fears. Besides," he added, perceiving that Tilly was not disposed to yield, " the colonel is my prisoner, and I have not only assured him of protection, but have given him hopes of his freedom." " Nay," returned Tilly, who, having resisted the other's arguments, not because he- did not see their force, but on account of their being addressed to his fears, was now glad of a fair plea 1 for retract- ing, " if that be the case, e'en deal with him according to your good pleasure : I wash my hands of the matter." Then, sullenly giving orders that the prisoner should be surrendered to the custody of Pappen- heim, the imperial general proceeded in his tour of the devastated city. On his return to the tent of Pappenheim, Wal- demar warmly expressed his gratitude for the timely interference, to which he owed his life. "Mention it not, my good count," was the other's reply; "I have but done my duty; and I rejoice in the opportunity of paying homage to your humanity and chivalric feeling; of which, had Tilly seen as much as I have, he would have been the last man in the army to have placed you in the dilemma, from which it has been my good fortune to deliver you. And now," he added, "you are WALDEMAR. 91 free to depart ; and, as I have no means of forward- ing your fair friend to her father, you must e'en take charge of her yourself. The old baron's castle is not much out of your way, and may serve you for a halting-place. I cannot afford you an escort ; but I can provide you with a written safe-conduct, a horse for yourself, and a quiet little Croatian nag for the damsel, to whom I pray you to commend me. You will find her at the cottage, prepared for the journey. And now, farewell ! and, whether we meet again as friends or foes, be as- sured I shall never repent this morning's work." Waldemar, having taken leave of his generous friend, repaired, under the charge of an orderly, to the cottage on the banks of the Elbe ; where he found the horses saddled, and the lady anxious to depart from the scene of her sufferings, as well as to relieve the mind of her father ; whom the news of the massacre of Magdeburg would have filled with the most painful alarm. For the first few miles of their journey, the two travellers exchanged but few words ; but, their minds becoming gradually relieved as the distance from the seat of war increased, their mutual reserve wore off. Waldemar, desirous of ascertaining the state of the young lady's feelings towards his friend, and, at the same time, conscious that the subject was too delicate a one to be directly alluded to, turned the conversation upon her visit 'to Amster- dam ; and, by a little tact, at length discovered, to his great gratification, that Wolfenberg was still the object of her tender regard. When they had arrived within a few miles of the baron's castle, their attention was attracted by a 92 WALDEMAR. cloud of dust, a few furlongs before them, pro- duced, as they soon afterwards discovered, by a party of six horsemen, who advanced towards them at a rapid pace. Ignorant of their quality or intentions, Waldemar's first impulse was to turn out of the road, until the cortege had passed ; but, finding that he could not do so without being per- ceived, and, jaded as were their horses, overtaken, if pursued, he deemed it advisable to proceed, with- out exhibiting any signs of apprehension or dis- trust. When the two parties had approached within a few yards of each other, Rudolpha uttered a shrill cry ; and, throwing herself from her jennet, was, the next moment, in the arms of one of the horse- men, who dismounted as suddenly, and almost at the same moment. The simultaneous exclamations of " My father !" " My child !" explained the scene to the wonder- ing, and somewhat alarmed count ; who did not, at first, recognise his old acquaintance, baron Linden- hausen. The latter, after a few words of explana- tion with his daughter, advanced to Waldemar, and overwhelmed him with expressions of gratitude, for his gallantry in the rescue of his dearest treasure ; and, in the sequel, informed the count that he had, a few hours before, received intelligence of the sack of Magdeburg ; and, almost wild with his forebodings, had set out immediately to ascertain the fate of his daughter. What, however, excited Waldemar's surprise more than the rencontre with the baron, was the apparition of Fritz, who formed part of Linden - hausen's retinue. The poor fellow, it appeared, WALDEMAR. 93 not having been able, without risking the loss of his horses, and, probably, of his own life, to keep on the line of road pointed out by his master, had taken refuge at the castle of the baron ; who, in- stantly recognising Waldemar's steed, readily af- forded an asylum to Fritz and his charge. The rumour, which had excited Lindenhausen's apprehensions for his daughter, had not less alarmed Fritz for the safety of his master ; and determined him on accompanying the baron, in his journey to Magdeburg, which had thus, happily for all parties, been rendered unnecessary. Unwilling, as was Waldemar, to lose time by a deviation from the direct route to the electoral court, the necessity of regaining possession of his horse left him no choice but the acceptance of the grateful baron's invitation, to pass the night in his castle ; where the return of Rudolpha, in safety, was celebrated with no ordinary measure of fes- tivity. Lindenhausen himself was almost wild with de- light. He sat, at the head of the board, with his daughter on one hand, and her preserver on the other ; reiterating, at every five minutes, his thanks to the latter, and as frequently embracing his recovered treasure. He circulated the cup with more than wonted celerity ; and, under the joint influence of the wine and his joy, grew con- fidential and communicative towards Waldemar ; who had never been treated by him with half the familiarity, particularly at so early a period of a banquet. The baron alluded, unreservedly, to the joyous hours they had spent together in Holland ; inquired 94 WALDEMAR. specially after his friend Wolfenberg, and expressed so much interest in his welfare, that Waldemar, when Rudolpha had withdrawn, was strongly tempted to plead his friend's cause with her father. Considering, however, that it would hardly be fair to take advantage of the old gentleman's hilarity, under such circumstances, he confined himself to eulogizing Carl's gallantry in the field, and high and honourable principle in every relation of life. On the following morning, a few minutes before Waldemar's departure, the baron called him aside. " Count," said he, " the chivalric gallantry with which you periled your life to rescue my darling Rudolpha from a fate immeasurably worse than death itself, has made me eternally your debtor. I can never hope to repay an iota of the obligation ; but, if there be any point, in which the application of my wealth or influence can serve you, I shall rejoice in an opportunity of showing that I am not ungrateful." " Baron," was the reply, " you greatly overrate an action which fell within the strict line of my duty ; and, had the matter concerned the honour of a princess or a peasant, I could do no less, and write myself a man. The wants of a soldier of fortune are few, and mine are liberally cared for by the elector; who, if he know not sometimes how to deal with his enemies, is never slack in rewarding his friends. Pardon me, however, if I exceed the li- cence you have accorded to me, by alluding to a subject, in which the happiness of more than one party is involved. My friend, Carl Wolfenberg " " I know what you would say, count," rejoined the baron, interrupting him ; " and will save you WALDEMAR. 95 the embarrassment, and myself the pain, of an ex- planation. Commend me to Carl Wolfenberg ; and tell him, if he thinks of us as he was wont, he will be a welcome guest at the castle of Linden- hausen. He will find that the character of a brave soldier has not declined in my estimation since we last parted." The baron then attended our hero to the castle- gate; and, bidding him farewell, flung over his neck a massive gold chain ; an ornament, which, fastened behind with a button and loop, was worn by officers of distinction in those days. Display, although the principal, was not the sole object for which this kind of decoration was adopted ; since, in the event of the wearer being made prisoner, it served to protect him from the fury of his foes, by whom it was received as an earnest of the future ransom. Waldemar, who knew that, by a refusal of the gift, he should not only offend, but grieve his grateful host, accepted it with many acknowledg- ments; and, waving his hand, in token of adieu, to the fair Rudolpha, who watched his departure from the battlements, set out on his way towards the court of the elector. It will be readily believed, that other, and not less powerful motives, than a desire to deliver him- self of Rolandi's answer to his mission, rendered our young soldier anxious to perform the journey in the least possible space of time. The image of Bertha was ever present to his micd's eye ; and, like the spirit of some loved and lost friend, dear as was the vision, while it haunted, troubled him. The scene, at the last banquet at the prime 96 WALDEMAE. minister's, confirming, as it did, the warning of the eccentric Spitz vogel, had left an ominous im- pression on his mind ; and given rise to an appre- hension that the events of that evening would change the course of Schlaukopf 's conduct towards him ; and that the natural result would be his ex- clusion from the society of one, with whom he felt his own happiness was becoming daily more in- volved. The positive infliction of an evil is often- times more endurable than the suspense which pre- cedes it ; and certain it is, that Waldemar, upon this occasion, was desirous of exchanging his doubts for certainty, little as he could hope, (to use a mercan- tile'ph rase), that the exchange would be in his favour. In conformity with the elector's instructions, given previously to our soldier's setting out for Magdeburg, the latter, instead of seeking, at once, an audience with his highness, returned to his ordinary duty at the palace, as if he had been absent on some private matter of his own. John George, in the course of things, soon heard of his protege's resumption of his post, and took an early opportunity of sending for him to his closet. If the elector, as was more than probable, had not anticipated the reply of Rolandi to his appli- cation for an advance, the manner in which he received the Jew's message did infinite honour to his philosophy. He thanked Waldemar for the zeal, discretion, and courage with which he had executed his mission, but expressed no disappoint- ment at the result. To Waldemar's account of the storming of Mag- deburg, however, the elector listened with horror, not unmingled with remorse, arising from the con- WALDEMAR. 97 sciousness, that a timely declaration, on his part, in favour of Gustavus, would have enabled the latter to march to the relief of the city, and thus have prevented the atrocities by which its capture was signalized. " And now," said the elector, as if willing to turn from a disagreeable subject, " in exchange for your public news, I have some of a different, and, to yourself at least, of a more pleasing cha- racter. Your friend, Carl Wolfenberg, has re- turned, during your absence ; and, finding that he had more time upon his hands than he knew well what to do with, I have, in order to keep him out of mischief, given him a commission in your own regiment ; and informed him, that I did so upon your representation of his soldierly qualities." Waldemar made his acknowledgments for the compliment to himself, as well as for the service ren- dered to his friend ; whom, as soon as the elector dismissed him, he proceeded to find out. Carl, although much gratified at meeting his old com- rade, was unable to conceal the agitation under which he was labouring ; and which, on being pressed by his friend for an explanation, he stated to proceed from his anxiety for the fate of Ru- dolpha ; of whose presence, in Magdeburg, at the time of the siege and sack of that city, he had been informed. The count not only set his mind at ease upon that head, but added the gratifying intelligence of the revolution which had taken place in his favour, in the sentiments of the old baron. The feelings of Wolfenberg, on hearing of his friend's instru- mentality in the preservation of Rudolpha, will be VOL. VIII. H 98 WALDEMAR. more readily conceived than described. The only drawback upon the pleasure which these tidings conveyed to the bosom of Carl, was his inability to avail himself immediately of baron Lindenhausen's invitation, consistently with his sense of honour, which restrained him from throwing up the com- mission so graciously bestowed upon him, at a period when it was probable his services would be required in the field. He, however, contrived means for conveying to Lindenhausen his acknowledgment of his kind and courteous message ; and acquainted him with the causes which interfered with his immediately taking advantage of the opportunity of renewing his acquaintance ; while he consoled himself for the postponement of the promised pleasure, of once more beholding the object of his long-cherished attachment, by the hope, that, in the mean time, he should gather new laurels to lay at her feet. Carl's adventures, from the time of his parting from Waldemar in Holland, were few, and briefly told. Like most other persons suffering under that monomania, love, he sought rather to feed the dis- ease, than to cure it ; and, accordingly, as soon as he was turned adrift by the United Provinces, he set out on a pilgrimage to the shrine of his divinity, namely, the castle of old Lindenhausen, in the hope of catching a glimpse of his adored. To this end, he reconnoitred the fortress by land and water ; but, after boating and bivouacking, for six days, and as many nights, he gained nothing but the rheumatism, and the intelligence that Rudolpha had set out for Magdeburg the day before his arri- val in the vicinity of the castle; and that any WALDEMAR. 99 attempt to discover her, in that city, would prove abortive. Love, in ancient days, I mean in the golden age of chivalry, must have been an infinitely more sub- stantial affair than it is in the present time, or was when our friend Carl nourished ; inasmuch as we read of love-lorn knights wandering through wilds and forests, without carving any thing but the names of their cruel or locked-up mistresses, on the barks of trees. To suppose that so gallant a cavalier as Wolfenberg could live without loving, would be to libel his constancy ; but, it is equally certain, that he could as easily live without eating ; and, therefore, as his finances were at the lowest ebb, and as he had no fancy for battling with wild boars for a breakfast of beech-mast, his mind natu- rally reverted to the means of raising the sup- plies. Having heard that the elector of Saxony was increasing his military force, he repaired to the head-quarters of the army, and presented himself as a volunteer. His name coming to the ears of John George, the latter, gladly seizing an oppor- tunity of securing the services of a gallant officer, and, at the same time, paying a compliment to his favourite, Waldemar, instantly nominated Wolfen- berg to a commission in his friend's regiment. 100 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER IX. ANXIOUS as was Waldemar to resolve the doubts which he had entertained as to the present senti- ments of Schlaukopf and his daughter, he could not summon sufficient resolution to present himself at their residence, until he had, as it were, sounded his way ; and, as the pressure of his military duties, consequent on his absence, furnished an ample apology for his not calling, he determined on wait- ing, until accident should bring him in contact with the minister himself. To the count's great gratification, and somewhat to his surprise, Schlaukopf no sooner saw him, for the first time after his return from Magdeburg, than he advanced with hia wonted apparent cordi- ality, expressed his pleasure at again meeting him, after so long an absence, and concluded by inviting him to an entertainment, on the evening of the same day. Nor were similar invitations less frequently re- ceived by Waldemar than heretofore ; but, although the minister himself maintained the same friendly WALDEMAR. 101 deportment towards his guest, the aspect of affairs, in other respects, was materially changed. Schwartz- heim, he discovered, to his dismay, was not only a constant guest at the minister's table, but a devoted, and, apparently, a sanctioned, if not favoured ad- mirer of Bertha ; who, assuredly, in accepting such a lover, could not be complimented on her taste ; the baron being a heavily built, overgrown person- age, some dozen years her senior, whose pallid complexion contrasted disagreeably with his black and bushy whiskers ; while his small, but fiery eyes, imparted to his countenance a mingled expression of ferocity and cunning. Bertha's manner, too, towards Waldemar, was decidedly altered ; its confiding frankness having given place to reserve ; which, however, he some- times flattered himself, was owing, rather to me- lancholy arising from some unexplained cause, than to alteration of sentiment. His doubts were destined speedily to give place to the appalling conviction, that he had no longer that interest in her heart, which he once fondly hoped he had acquired. Happening to be strolling in the minister's grounds, a sudden turn in his path discovered to him Schwartzheim, upon his knee, with the hand of Bertha in his ; while, with averted face, she was listening to the passionate breathings of his love. Had Waldemar obeyed the momentary impulse, the worst possible adviser in nineteen cases out of twenty, he would have smitten the odious lover to the earth, and overwhelmed the fair listener with reproaches. An instant's reflection brought reason to his aid, and, turning suddenly from the spot, be- 102 WALDEMAR. fore he was perceived, he sought the solitude of his chamber; there to vent the bitterness of his disappointment. It is true, in all his intercourse with Bertha, he had never received from her an avowal of a reci- procal feeling in words ; nor did he seek the con- fession through so cold a medium, when he fancied he had read it in her smile at his approach, had felt it in the gentle pressure of the hand at part- ing, and heard it in the sigh which brought the blissful tidings, as it were, directly from her heart ; nay, he had even gathered it from her anxious chiding, when he had, unnecessarily, as she thought, incurred danger ; for love is affectionate even in its reproofs. Waldemar was a man of quick feelings, but he was not a puling sentimentalist ; and, therefore, instead of bowing his energies to the melancholy, into which the discovery of Bertha's fickleness had thrown him, sought to divert his mind in the bustle of his military duties ; but there were, nevertheless, intervals, in which he could not help thinking of the high hopes he had once cherished, and when the anguish of his disappointment wrung from his bosom many a bitter sigh. The leisure, which he was wont to spend in the house of Schlaukopf, was now passed, for the most part, in solitude. It occurred that he was, one evening, walking thoughtfully, in a retired spot, in the vicinity of the electoral residence, when the approach of steps awakened his attention ; and, looking up, he beheld the form of Bertha within a few paces of him. Taken by surprise, he uttered her name in the WALDEMAR. 103 tone of tenderness with which he had been accus- tomed to address her : indeed, however keenly he might have felt his wrongs at the moment, he could not gaze upon those lovely and yet loved features, arrayed, as they were, in the expression of the most bitter dejection, and have accosted her in any other than the language of kindness. " Bertha !" he repeated ; " dear Bertha !" The mention of her name, and the well remem- bered tones in which it was breathed, startled her : she looked up, and a momentary expression of de- light irradiated her countenance, but as quickly subsided; and she exclaimed, in a voice of deep melancholy, " And is Bertha, after all that you have lately seen, and must have thought, of her, still dear to you ? O, Waldemar ! Waldemar ! could you but read my heart !" " There was a time, Bertha," he answered, " when I fondly deemed I could ; and that I saw my name inscribed upon its stainless tablets, in characters, which neither time, nor change, nor sorrow, could efface : but, I have been deceived ; bitterly deceived !" " Bitterly, indeed, Waldemar," was Bertha's reply, " and I have been the tool, because I am the slave of the deceiver ; and yet, as Heaven is my witness, am guiltless of the deceit." "And Heaven knows," rejoined Waldemar, with equal fervour, " how gladly I would believe you innocent of it, Bertha; and, O ! were I, even now, to hear, from those lips, that you still love me that I am not the despised, rejected being I have deemed myself all that I have suffered would 104 WALDEMAR. pass from my memory, as an idle dream, and I should be happy." 61 Of what avail were it," continued the gentle girl, " to tell you, that the love, which has been the cherished jewel of my heart, hath never known aught of change, since it would be but to raise hopes which I must blight by the assurance that I can never be yours ?" " Not mine, Bertha ! wherefore not?" exclaimed Waldemar. " Because," replied the maiden, " one, whose power it were madness and ruin to resist, hath de- creed me to another !" " The traitor Schwartzheim ?" asked her lover. " You have named the most hated of human beings, and yet am I his destined bride," said Bertha. " And against your will !" exclaimed Walde- mar : " never ! the villain dies first !" " O, Waldemar !" cried Bertha, imploringly, " meddle not with that fearful man : you know not the extent of his malice or his power. He hates you with the malignity of a fiend ; and will not hesitate on the means of effecting your ruin, whenever it becomes necessary to his purposes." " Bertha," said Waldemar, " you speak in riddles." " Question me no further, dearest Waldemar," pursued the damsel ; " my lips are sealed ; nay, were even this our interview discovered, the pe- nalty would be dreadful. But, hist ! I hear foot- steps ! leave me, I implore you for my sake, if not for your own, leave me instantly !" WALDEMAR. 105 Before, however, he could reply, a rustling was heard in an adjacent thicket, and, immediately after, baron Spitzvogel stood before the lovers. " It grieves me," he said, with his usual sar- donic smile, " to interrupt so interesting a tete-a- tete, and so admirably contrived, both as to time and place ; but, unless you especially desire the participation of the young lady's father in the con- ference, I would counsel an immediate adjourn- ment. I marked the old gentleman coming up the avenue, and looking marvellously as if he snuffed a plot. Nay, not that way, or you will walk into the lion's mouth. There is but one path for you both through the arch yonder. Haste ! he ap- proaches ; I will endeavour to keep the ground until you have put the ruins between you and him, and then you are safe." The young pair had scarcely disappeared through the arch, which the cynic had pointed out, than Schlaukopf stood on the spot which they had just occupied. " Good evening to you, baron," was the minis- ter's salutation : " have you seen my daughter ?" " Very possibly I have," was the answer ; " but I do not keep a register of all the butterflies which flit about my path." " Nay, baron," rejoined the other, " you mis- apprehend me : I mean, have you seen her in the park here within these last few minutes ?" " Had she on a green mantle ?" inquired Spitzvogel. " No," replied the minister. " O, then," pursued the cynic, with the most 106 WALDEMAR. provoking simplicity, " it was the scarlet one ; I do remember me " " Baron !" exclaimed Schlaukopf, ," you are trifling with me. I could swear I heard my daugh- ter's voice proceeding from about this spot, a few minutes since." " Nay," observed Spitzvogel, " if thou knowest not the voice of thine own child, I know not who should ; and, methinks, it were scarcely worthy thy senatorial wisdom, to waste words and time, in questioning me upon a subject, on which thou hadst been previously satisfied, by the evidence of thine own senses." " Thou compound of knave and fool !" ex- claimed the minister, losing his patience, and lay- ing his hand upon his sword, " tell me, instantly, by which way she passed hence, or I will stab thee to the heart !" " Truly," said the imperturbable Spitzvogel, " that weapon of thine is an awkward instrument for worming out a secret, seeing that dead men are not given to telling tales." " Villain !" roared the other, " know you to whom you speak ?" " Ay, that do I, sir councillor," was the calm reply; " I know thee for an unnatural parent, and a bribed traitor ; for one who hath sold his child to a robber ^ and his prince to a tyrant." " Thy knowledge perish with thee, then !" voci- ferated Schlaukopf, unsheathing his weapon, and attacking Spitzvogel. " Nay, there go two words to that bargain ;" returned the latter, preserving his equanimity, but, WALDEMAR. 107 at the same instant, drawing his sword, with equal celerity, and using it with so much coolness and address, that, after a few passes, by a mano3uvre, which savoured of sleight of hand, he struck the weapon from his antagonist's grasp, whence it sprang upwards into a tree, and hung, glittering in the sunlight, on a branch. "Slave!" said the cynic, dropping his point, which was at the throat of his vanquished adver- sary, " I had well nigh stained my good sword with the blood of a felon ; but a glance at thy dangling weapon yonder, which hath reached the goal somewhat before its master, reminds me that I may not cheat the hangman of his fee." Having thus spoken, Spitzvogel turned upon his heel, and left the minister, to digest his discomfi- ture, on his way home, as he best might. Whatever measures were contemplated by Schlaukopf, to avenge himself on his victor, they were, probably, abandoned as unavailing, since, on the following morning, it was discovered that the latter's apartments were deserted ; and, from the fact of his bed not having been disturbed, it was conjectured that he had departed soon after night-fall. The disappearance of a person of his eccentric habits, occasioned little surprise at the court ; and the circumstance was soon forgotten in the bustle of more important events ; in explana- tion of which, we must advert to the state of affairs in Saxony, at that juncture. The fate of Magdeburg was the occasion of bitter complaints, from the protestant party, against the king of Sweden ; who, notwithstanding his propin- quity to that city, had permitted it to be over- 108 , WALDEMAR. thrown. Of the earnest desire, however, of Gus- tavus, to prevent this catastrophe, there can exist no doubt ; since, he no sooner heard of the place being 1 in danger, than he marched towards the Spre with all his cavalry, and ten regiments of in- fantry : but, in penetrating into a country, in which he was surrounded by equivocal friends and open enemies, it became him to proceed with ex- treme caution, since a single rash step might cut him off from all communication with his own kingdom. To secure his retreat, therefore, was an indispen- sable measure ; for effecting which, he demanded of the elector of Brandenburg possession of the fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, until he should have delivered Magdeburg. It was not until after much negotiation, and consequent waste of time, that the vacillating George William could be brought to this concession. This point being set- tled, the king had to choose one of two routes to the beleaguered town ; one to the westward, through a country exhausted of provisions, and covered with the enemy's troops, with whom he would have to dispute the passage of the Elbe. The other road was to the southward, by Dessau and Wit- temberg, where he could cross the river by bridges, and could procure provisions from Saxony. This, then, it was evident, was the route which alone he could have been justified in pursuing; but, it could not be attempted without the consent of the elector, John George, who peremptorily refused to grant it ; and, pending the negociation, the fate of Magdeburg was sealed. The fall of that city, however, appeared at last WALDEMAR. 109 to have roused the latent energies of John George ; whom the subsequent insolence of Tilly, and the continued aggressions of Ferdinand, induced to throw himself, as it were, into the arms of Gusta- vus. He, accordingly, dispatched to the Swedish hero an ambassador, in the person of Arnheim ; who, on the disgrace of Wallenstein, duke of Friedland, had quitted the service of Austria, and assumed the command of the Saxon army. Officers, in those days, it seems, made little ceremony in transferring their services ; nor does such abandonment of one standard for another appear to have been viewed as a very heinous offence; since we do not find that the deserters were put to death, when the fortune of war threw them into the power of their former masters. Arnheim, though a brave man, was an indiffer- ent general, but had, nevertheless, brilliant talents, and was admirably adapted for the office of an ambassador. The finesse of the diplomatist was, however, no match for the straight-forward honesty of the gallant Swede ; who, at once, recapitulated the grounds of his complaint against the elector ; and demanded, as the conditions of his protection, the cession of Wittemberg to a Swedish garrison, three months pay for his troops, and the person of the electoral prince as a hostage for the fidelity of his father. Prompted by gratitude, corresponding with the intensity of his apprehensions, John George, not only agreed to these terms, but offered to give up Torgau and even Dresden itself, as well as Wittemberg, to the Swedish troops ; and to repair, with all his family, to the camp of Gustavus. 110 WALDEMAR. The generous monarch, however, overcome by this unbounded confidence, immediately relaxed his former demand, to one month's pay for his troops, adding, " I faithfully promise that the elector shall never repent his liberality." WALDEMAR. Ill CHAPTER X. THE elector, overjoyed at having made, what he had good reason to deem, such easy terms with the king of Sweden, took immediate measures for the concentration of his troops ; and, as a considerable portion of the Saxon army was composed of pro- vincial levies, the feudatories of the wealthy barons, it became necessary to send a summons to those of the latter, who were not actually in the field, re- quiring their attendance at the place of rendezvous. It was also of importance, that to some, at least, of the barons, the nature of the alliance thus con- cluded between the elector and Gustavus, should be explained, and an idea of the intended opera- tions conveyed. As, therefore, it was deemed highly expedient that an intelligent officer, of sufficient rank to give weight to his mission, should be en- trusted with the conduct of this affair, Waldemar was appointed to the duty. The count did not in any way admire the errand on which he was despatched ; in the first place, be- cause, in his apprehension, it was rather of a civil 112 WALDEMAR. than a military nature ; and, secondly, he had not the most unbounded confidence, in either the skill or fidelity of the officer on whom, in his absence, the command of the regiment would devolve. The in- dividual in question was an eleve of the minister ; and had, on more than one occasion, perilled the subordination of the men, by his imprudent and arbitrary conduct. Obedience, however, is the first maxim of a soldier ; and, accordingly, Waldemar set out on his expedition, which, it was considered advisable, for some unexplained reason, he should do without an attendant. There was the less objection to the adop- tion of this mode of proceeding, as the road was deemed, in every point of view, perfectly safe. In the order of route, which was prescribed to him, with great particularity, by Schlaukopf himself, it was arranged, that he should first summon a cer- tain baron, of the name of Eisenfuss, whose castle stood on the banks of a small river, tributary to the Elbe, at the distance of about a day's journey. It was, therefore, evening before he reached its vicinity; and, when within about a league of it, he inquired, at the house of a peasant, the most direct road. He was informed that the castle was on the opposite side of the river, which was so swollen by the recent rains, that the ordinary ford was no longer safe ; and that it would, therefore, be prudent for him to leave his horse in charge of the countryman, who would send his son to guide the traveller to a part of the stream at which he would find a boatman to ferry him over it, Waldemar resolved to follow the advice, and, preceded by his little guide, a youth about fourteen WALDEMAR. 113 years old, he began to descend the wooded moun- tain, at the foot of which flowed the river, evi- dencing, by its turbid and troubled state, the truth of the peasant's assertion. Observing that his conductor did not take the direct path, but, on the contrary, made a detour, for which there was, apparently, no necessity, Wal- demar inquired of the boy his reasons for it ; when the latter informed him, that, many years ago, a few specimens of the precious metals having been ac- cidentally discovered on the mountain, some ad- venturous miners had essayed to work it ; but so offensive, it appeared, was the attempt to the " Spirit of the Mountain," that nothing but dis- asters attended the undertaking, which was accord- ingly, at last, abandoned. Although Waldemar was as slightly imbued with the superstitions which characterized the times, as most persons of his day, curiosity induced him to question the boy further on the subject ; and, in reply, he was told, that the spirit was still visible, at intervals, and that he usually took up his quarters in a ruined chapel, about half way up the moun- tain, immediately opposite to the castle of Eisen- fuss ; and that, upon late occasions on which he had been seen by the peasantry, he was accompa- nied by his familiar, in the shape of a bear. As the youth finished speaking, he pointed out the ruin referred to, upon which the rays of the setting sun were, at that moment, falling ; when, to the manifest consternation of the guide, and to the surprise of Waldemar, they observed, at one of the windows, a figure somewhat resembling a human being, but the features of which were almost ob- VOL. VIII. I 114 WALDEMAR. scured by a profusion of matted hair, while, at its side, appeared the head of an enormous bear. By neither promises nor entreaties could Walde- mar prevail upon his guide to proceed an inch fur- ther ; and, therefore, after obtaining what informa- tion he could, as to the path, he pursued his journey alone ; and, having succeeded in discovering the boat, was ferried over the river, and found himself in front of the castle of Eisenfuss, an edifice of some magnitude and considerable strength. Waldemar applied himself with such energy to the horn which was suspended at the gate, that the warder obeyed the summons with more haste than civility ; when, after undergoing some apparently su- perfluous interrogatories, the traveller was admitted, and ultimately conducted to the hall, where, it hap- pened, the baron was, at that moment, feasting. On entering the apartment, he beheld a great number of persons, seated at a long table, in the act of carous- ing ; most of whom were armed to the teeth, a circum- stance, however, which, in those unsettled times, was not calculated to excite surprise. His astonishment, will, however, be readily conceived, when, on ap- proaching the head of the board, he discovered, in baron Eisenfuss, the identical person whom he had met at the house of Schlaukopf, passing by the name of Schwartzheim, his hating and hated rival. The warning of Bertha recurred to the mind of Waldemar with ominous force, and he involunta- rily started back ; but the baron, in no way dis- concerted by the rencontre, rose from his seat, and, with a courtesy, which sat awkwardly upon his grim features, saluted the addition to his guests, placed WALDEMAR. 115 him at his right hand, and bade him welcome to the castle of Eisenfuss. Waldemar, feeling that it was not a fitting op- portunity for acquitting himself of his message, and knowing that he could not prosecute his jour- ney until the morning, deemed it expedient to par- ticipate in the festivities of the evening ; although certain misgivings began to gather about his heart, and acted as an effectual check to his indulging in any exuberance of gaiety. As the night advanced, the baron, who appeared to have previously drunk pretty deeply, grew quite obstreperous in his mirth ; and, at last, when a fresh supply of wine was brought on the table, he filled his cup to an overflow, jumped up in his chair, and exclaimed, " Gentlemen, though I say it myself, there is not better wine in all Germany than that which I have now the honour to place before you : fill your goblets, therefore, and pledge me to the health of the emperor Ferdinand !" Every cup was immediately emptied, but that of Waldemar, who replaced it, untasted, on the table, and resumed his seat, which he had quitted when Eisenfuss rose to speak. " Ha !" continued the baron, " regarding Wal- demar with a look in which affected surprise was blended with its natural ferocity, " wherefore do you not pledge me ?" " Because," replied the other, with a courage that appeared to increase with the danger by which he was encompassed, " I will never pollute my lips with the name of a tyrant, unaccompanied by the execrations which his atrocities deserve !" i 2 116 WALDEMAR. In an instant, every sword was unsheathed, save those of Waldemar and Eisenfuss ; but the latter, addressing his worthy comrades, said, " Gentle- men, I pray you put up your swords; and, since our guest has refused our toast, it is time, me- thinks, that our revel were done. Retire, there- fore, for a brief season, and leave me with the noble count ; to whom I will shew such reasons as will presently, I doubt not, convince him of his error." No sooner was the hall cleared of the parties thus addressed, than Waldemar exclaimed, " I crave your pardon, sir, but I must first discharge myself of my commission ; and, in the name of John George, elector of Saxony, my master, I command you to join the army of his highness forthwith, at the head of your vassals." " And, in the name of my master, Ferdinand of Austria," rejoined Eisenfuss, u I command you to abandon the cause of heretics and traitors, and return to your allegiance ; and I leave you to judge which of us is in better plight to enforce his master's will. Count Waldemar," he continued, after a pause, " I will be plain with you : I was apprised of your visit, from a sure hand, and am, as you perceive, prepared for it ; nor need I tell you that you are fairly entrapped, and completely in my power. Take my advice, then, since you may do no better, and make a merit of necessity by abandoning a falling cause. Acquaint me with Arnheim's plan of operations, for I know you are in his confidence, and I promise you, not only an appointment in the imperial army, far superior to that which you hold in the elector's, but the res- WALDEMAR. 117 toration of your patrimonial estates, in the event of our success, of which there is no doubt." " And the alternative," inquired Waldemar, " if I reject your terms ?" " The traitor's doom," was the laconic reply. " Which," rejoined Waldemar, " that I may not justly incur, I spurn you and your offers, and defy your power ; since, though you may take my life, my honour is beyond the pollution of your touch." " Thou art a brave cock to crow so loudly, but we shall find a way to cool thy courage. Without there !" continued the baron, stamping on the floor, when three or four armed men rushed into the hall ; " convey him to the white tower ; where, if tra- dition lie not, he will scarcely want for ghostly company at any rate." Resistance would, of course, have been useless, and Waldemar was, accordingly, conducted to the apartment indicated, the door of which was in- stantly closed upon him ; and, as he listened to the drawing of the massive bolts on the outside, the iron seemed " to enter into his soul !" His gaolers, as if to display to him the utter impos- sibility of escape, left behind them a lamp, by the aid of which he perceived that there was only one aperture for the admission of light and air, and that was placed within a few inches of the ceiling, and was, withal, too small to admit of his getting through, could he even have reached it and forced the bars. He passed the night, it will easily be imagined, without sleep ; and the return of day only tended to aggravate his mental sufferings. He saw, stream- 118 WALDEMAR. ing through the gratings of his prison, the rays of that sun, on which, it might be, he should never gaze again ; while the cheerful note of the happy choristers of the neighbouring forest fell mourn- fully upon his ear, for it breathed of freedom, and seemed to mock his captivity. The day passed heavily by; and, when the shades of evening returned, his prison door was opened, and Eisenfuss stood before him. " Well, count Waldemar," inquired the ruffian; " do you still reject my offer?" " As heartily," was the reply, "as I scorn the villain who has the baseness and effrontery to make it." "Then listen to me!" exclaimed the other; " since I saw you, circumstances have arisen which render it necessary for me to join the emperor's forces ; and, as I cannot afford to leave a sufficient garrison in the castle, to protect it against any attempt which may be made to rescue you, and, on the other hand, I cannot, in justice to my master's cause, allow so accomplished a rebel as yourself to escape, you will have no difficulty in guessing the alternative which is left to me. Remember, then, and I warn you for the last time, if you do not accept my offer, by to-morrow's sun, you shall never see another." Having thus said, he quitted the apartment, while his prisoner, having resolved on never betraying his sovereign, felt that his hours were numbered ; for he could not doubt that Eisen- fuss would gladly take advantage of the plea of his refusal, to rid himself of a hated and power- ful rival in the affections of Bertha. WALDEMAR. 119 Under the impression of those feelings, therefore, Waldemar employed himself in making up his final account with his Creator, and commending his soul to His protection, until, about midnight ; when suddenly the floor of his prison appeared to separate, and a stream of light came pouring through the chasm. Before he could recover from the surprise, not altogether unmingled with terror, occasioned by this phenomenon, the gaunt form of the " spirit of the mountain," rose slowly through the aperture ; bearing, in one hand, a blazing pine- torch, and, in the other, a young oak tree, which had, apparently, been recently torn up by the root. " Spirit !" at length exclaimed the count, who began to yield to the superstitious feelings, from which the strongest minds, in those days, were not altogether free; " spirit ! for such the manner of thy coming proclaims thee, why troublest thou a doomed man, in the few moments which are left him between time and eternity ?" " Tis a fearful doom, truly," said the spirit, in a harsh voice ; " what wouldst thou do to escape it ?" "Aught," replied Waldemar, " that becomes a man, and perils not my soul." " Thy soul, fool !" exclaimed the apparition, with a laugh of scorn, "what have I to do with thy soul ? My business is with thy body. Wouldst thou be free ?" " Fiend !" thou but mockest me with the hope of liberty !" rejoined the count. " The path is before thee ;" said the spirit, point- ing to the opening, through which he had ap- peared. 120 WALDEMAR. Waldemar approached the chasm, and perceived a few broken and irregular steps, beyond which, all was involved in darkness ; while a cold stream of damp air ascended, and chilled him to the marrow. As he was thus endeavouring to fathom the descent, the spirit raised his torch over the aperture ; when, to the prisoner's increased horror, the light was re- flected by a pair of fiery eyes, glaring upon him from the fearful abyss, and belonging, he could not doubt, to the ursine familiar of the spirit. Waldemar shuddered and retreated. " Thou tremblest for thy neck ?" observed the singular visitant, with a grim smile. " I own it is possible that thou mayst break it, in thy descent ; and being, doubtless, curious as to thy manner of going out of the world, mayst prefer staying here and having thy throat cut ; for they will not waste a grain of gunpowder on thee, credit me." As the demon spoke these words, he prepared to depart ; and had already descended several steps, when the count, rendered desperate by the thought of the fate which awaited him in the morning, ex- claimed, " Hold ! I will follow thee, come what may of it." His conductor paused, until our hero had cleared the aperture ; and then struck his club up- wards against the floor, when the chasm imme- diately closed ; and, followed by Waldemar, and preceded by his familiar, the spirit of the mountain pursued his downward path. After continuing their descent for some time, until the count, who had great difficulty in keep- ing his footing, began to think it was interminable, WALDEMAR. 121 they reached the bottom ; where their path became level for about two hundred yards, when they began to mount a flight of steps, equally rugged, and, apparently, as long as that by which they had descended. The ascent was terminated by a low iron door, at which the familiar stopped, but which yielded to a touch of his master ; and, following his con- ductor, Waldemar found himself by the altar of a ruined chapel ; and, after passing another door, was ushered into a small apartment, which had, probably, in days of yore, been the abode of the priest. There was a bundle of faggots upon the hearth, mingled with brush-wood, into which the demon flung his pine torch, and speedily produced a fire ; diffusing a radiance and genial warmth, which, notwithstanding the mysterious character of his associates, were rendered doubly welcome to Waldemar, by contrast with the dampness and gloom through which he had so recently passed. Not a word had been spoken by either party since they quitted the castle, but the silence which was preserved, for some minutes after the termina- tion of their subterranean journey, was, at last, broken by a long, loud, and most hilarious laugh from the mountain spirit, who, when he recovered his breath exclaimed, " Why, count, thou art as dull in discovering thy friends, as thou hast hi- therto shown thyself in detecting thine enemies." As he spoke, he applied his hand to his head, and divested it of the matted hair, which, while it obscured, had completely disfigured his face, and 122 WALDEMAR. displayed to Waldemar's astonished eyes, the fea- tures of baron Spitzvogel. After enjoying our soldier's surprise for a few seconds, the baron continued ; exchanging, how- ever, the stiff and quaint style which he had hitherto observed in his speech, to one perfectly familiar and unconstrained : " You marvel, count, at this metamorphosis, and are, doubtless, dying for a key to the mystery. You shall have it. You must know, then, that this is an old haunt of mine; to which I have usually resorted whenever I have had a surfeit of court follies. When I first stumbled on it, the place had an ill name, and not a soul would venture within half a mile of it by night or day. Nor were the temptations of the peasantry to disturb its solitude in any degree augmented by my appearance as a tenant, in the attire and ac- coutrements which tradition has ascribed to the original spirit of the mountain. But hold, while I am feeding your curiosity, your bodily appetite is, doubtless, yearning for more substantial diet." The baron rose, and, throwing aside a piece of tapestry, drew from a recess, a table, displaying a cold fowl, and a prodigious boar-ham, with its necessary adjunct, a flask of Rhenish. " You see," said Spitzvogel, " that, though I lead the life of a hermit, I have somewhat improved upon his fare." " But how," inquired the count, " do you con- trive to keep so good a table ?" " I have an acquaintance in the village," was the reply, " who is in my secret; and, as he finds it profitable, he keeps it most religiously." WALDEMAR. 123 " And our friend Bruno there ?" said Wal- demar, pointing to the bear, who had snugly de- posited himself under the table, in front of the blazing hearth. " Nay, that," replied the other, " is an im- provement on the tradition, for which I take in- finite credit. It happened that I was strolling in the forest yonder, when I suddenly came upon his bruteship, and certainly, at the instant, saw no reason for felicitating myself on the rencontre. The animal, approaching somewhat nearer than I deemed in strict accordance with good manners on so short an acquaintance, I lifted my club; when, raising himself upon his hind legs, he began to shuffle a sylvan saraband, with incomparable grace and agility ; and, in short, played the fool to such perfection, that I could have no doubt of his having been used to civilized society, and, ac- cordingly, invited him to the hermitage. " The beast was grateful for my hospitality, and shewed his sense of it by voluntarily undertaking the office of purveyor to my household, and sup- plied my table at the rate of a sheep per diem. This, as you will suppose, was somewhat too li- beral an allowance for my limited establishment ; and was, moreover, calculated to impress the shepherds with notions of my appetite not alto- gether in unison with my spiritual character. I was, therefore, compelled to take the catering de- partment again into my own hands nay, start not 'twas but the roaring of the wind through the forest. You are safe from Eisenfuss, until the waters subside, and leave the river fordable." 124 WALDEMAR. " You forget, baron," said Waldemar, " that we ourselves have not yet crossed over it." " True," said the other, " but we have passed under it, which answered the same purpose. But to my story : I saw you yesterday descending the mountain with your young guide ; but you were already in the trap, and I could not warn you of your danger without attracting the attention of the centinels at the castle, who would have stopped your flight and breath at once with a bullet. I, accordingly, availed myself of my accidentally ac- quired knowledge of the subterranean communica- tion between the chapel and the castle, to effect your deliverance ; which I preferred to undertake in my demoniacal masquerade, as better calculated to operate upon the fears of those who might chance to interfere with my design, than the phy- sical force I could oppose to them." The baron interrupted Waldemar in his expres- sions of gratitude for his preservation, by bidding him spare his thanks. " And," continued he, " I will not disguise from you, that when you first made your appearance at the court of the elector, I conceived a favourable impression of you, which my observation of your subsequent deportment only tended to confirm ; and hence my admonitions, which may, possibly, have savoured of imperti- nence. The truth is, Schlaukopf, who has long since been secretly in the pay of Ferdinand, per- ceived your military skill, and the influence you had acquired over the soldiery, and hoped to make you the tool of his traitorous designs. He, accordingly, invited you to his house, and afforded, at first, WALDEMAR. 125 every facility to your intercourse with Bertha, as the most effectual means of binding you to his in- terest. " No sooner, however," pursued the baron, "did he find you incorruptible, than he changed his game, and endeavoured to play off his daughter's attractions upon Eisenfuss, who has money and numerous followers. To what means he resorted, to induce the poor girl to receive the addresses of a man whom she must have loathed, I know not; but this I know, he rules his household with a rod of iron, and is capable of any atrocity to enforce obedience to his arbitrary wishes. But with the alteration of his plans, he did not relax in his at- tentions to yourself, lest he should awaken into certainty the suspicions to which the attempt of Eisenfuss, at the banquet, to fathom your loyalty, might have given rise. He, therefore, waited for an opportunity of ridding himself of you effectually, and for ever. It was he who counselled the elector to send you upon the mission, which had so nearly terminated in your destruction ; and il was, doubt- less, to him that Eisenfuss was indebted for the previous knowledge of your coming, which he boasted to you of possessing. I have my information from a sure hand ; but Schlaukopf is yet powerful enough to crush any one who should venture to denounce him to the elector; nevertheless, his time will come." When the baron had finished his narrative, he showed Waldemar to his couch, which, after a sleepless night, and many hours of the most painful anxiety, was doubly welcome to him. He rose early on the following morning, with renewed 126 WALDEMAR. strength and recruited spirits, and took an affec- tionate leave of his eccentric preserver ; who, on Waldemar's repetition of his acknowledgments, said, " All the return I ask of you is a solemn promise that you will, on no account, divulge to any human being the manner or instrument of your deliverance, until you receive an intimation from me that the time is come." The baron laid a peculiar emphasis on the words, and added, " I pray you to mark well the phrase, in order that, if it be necessary to convey to you the intimation by other lips than my own, you may have no doubt of its authenticity." Waldemar readily gave the pledge required of him ; and, having received from his host an equip- ment of arms, in lieu of those of which he had been deprived by Eisenfuss, departed in quest of the cottage at which he had left his horse. After remu- nerating the peasant for his trouble, he resumed his journey, with the resolution of making up, by the celerity with which he should acquit himself of the remaining part of his mission, for the delay that his detention in the castle of his enemy had occasioned. WALDEMAR. 127 CHAPTER XI. IT was on the evening of the second day, after parting from Spitzvogel, that Waldemar, having delivered the summons, with which he was intrusted, to the various feudal chieftains, rode his jaded steed into the camp of Gustavus ; whither, in con- formity with his instructions, he repaired to render an account of his mission to the elector, who had been joined by the Swedish army at Wittemberg. Scarcely, however, had he passed the first out- post, when he was arrested, on the authority of the elector, upon a charge of treasonable collusion with the enemy. Conscious of his innocence, Waldemar, at first, treated the accusation very lightly, concluding that it had originated in some extraordinary mistake, which he should have no difficulty in clearing up ; but, after having been conducted to a place of confinement, and made acquainted with the nature and circumstances of his alleged offence, he began to take a more serious view of the matter. The accusation set 128 WALDEMAR. forth, that, in contravention of his instructions, by which he was enjoined to remain, at any one place, a sufficient time only for the refreshment of himself and horse, he had tarried at the castle of Eisenfuss two nights and a day ; for the purpose, it was inferred, of plotting with the baron, who had, subsequently, declared for the emperor ; and that, during his stay, he had assisted at an entertain- ment, at which the health of Ferdinand was drunk with enthusiasm by all the guests. Waldemar, although with the evidence of a good conscience on his side, could not shut his eyes to the difficulty of establishing his innocence of the offence imputed to him ; since, if he alleged his forcible detention by Eisenfuss, he should, of course, be called upon to detail the manner of his escape, which his pledge to Spitzvogel precluded hin> from doing ; while, on the other hand, were he even absolved from his vow of secrecy, the circum- stances attending his deliverance were so extremely improbable, that, unsupported by the testimony of the instrument of it, he could scarcely hope to gain credit in the minds of his judges. Retrograding somewhat in our narrative, it may be well to inform the reader of the circumstances which led to Waldemar's arrest. The surprise which his escape from the strong-hold of his rival occasioned in the castle of Eisenfuss, will readily be imagined. By the majority, however, of that baron's retainers, it was attributed to the interven- tion of the demon, by whom the tower was known to be haunted, and who had, doubtless, carried away the prisoner, bodily, through the bars of his cage ; but, whether with a view to the bettering or WALDEMAR. 129 deterioration of his condition, was a matter upon which they did not presume to decide. This sage hypothesis derived confirmation from the testimony of a peasant, who deposed to having seen the tower brilliantly illuminated at midnight ; whereas, it was well ascertained, that Waldemar had been left without a light, or the means of ob- taining one ; and that no individual in the castle had entered the prison after the visit of Eisenfuss, at night-fall. Whether the latter worthy partici- pated in the sagacious views of his retainers, on the subject, I cannot venture to determine ; but, it is certain, that, immediately on discovering the es- cape of his intended victim, he despatched a trusty messenger, with the intelligence, to his confederate, Schlaukopf ; to whom, of course, it was not the most welcome news he could have received. The emergency, in which the crafty minister was placed, was a fearful one ; and required the appli- cation of a desperate remedy. He, accordingly, determined on a measure, which, if it did not, as he piously hoped it would, compass Waldemar's destruction, would invalidate his testimony, should he be disposed to use any information he might have acquired, in the castle of Eisenfuss, to Schlau- kopf s prejudice. The wily statesman contrived that the charge should be brought by one of his creatures ; since, in the event of his coming forward himself as the accuser, he would be precluded from a seat on the court-martial ; to which, in virtue of a sine- cure command in the electoral army, he was enti- tled ; and in which he could more effectually exert his influence to crush his victim. VOL. VIII. K 130 WALDEMAR. In a season of military bustle and excitement, like that to which our narrative refers, the formal- ities of a court-martial are few, and the process is summary. Arnheim, as the general of the Saxon army, presided ; the elector, and his illustrious ally, Gustavus Adolphus, being present merely as spectators, who took no part in the proceedings. The first witness who was brought forward, in support of the charge, was the messenger who had been despatched, with the news of Waldemar's escape, to Schlaukopf, by Eisenfuss ; but who repre- sented himself as a deserter from the ranks of the latter. This evidence went to prove the time of Waldemar's arrival at the castle of Eisenfuss ; his presence at the banquet when the health of the emperor was drunk ; and his being left in close conference with his host, at the breaking up of the party. Another witness was also produced, in the per- son of the honest peasant, to whose care the count had entrusted his steed ; and whose testimony, as to the time of the prisoner's leaving, and that of his reclaiming the animal, was deemed conclusive as to the duration of his stay at the castle. The man was questioned by the court on some minor points, to which he gave ready and straightforward answers. Waldemar was then asked if he impugned the veracity of the witnesses ; to which he replied, that, on the contrary, they had spoken nothing but the truth ; but, at the same time, he begged to explain, that, although present at the banquet, he had peremptorily refused to drink the toast; and that the result of his conference, as it was WALDEMAR. 131 termed, with the baron, was his being disarmed, and closely confined in what was designated the white tower of the castle ; from which he after- wards escaped. He appealed, for a confirmation of what he asserted, to the witness who had been first called ; and who, as a retainer of Eisen- fuss, could not but have been cognizant of the fact of Waldemar's forcible detention, if not of his refusal to drink the obnoxious toast. The party thus appealed to, had, however, care- fully confined his evidence to facts in which he knew he could not be contradicted ; and was con- veniently ignorant upon every point which would tell in favour of the prisoner. He, therefore, re- plied, that he had not heard Waldemar express his repugnance to the toast ; and that, with respect to the alleged imprisonment, he, the witness, had quitted the castle immediately on the conclusion of the entertainment, and had not subsequently seen the cdunt, until confronted with him that day in the court. Schlaukopf, who had hitherto taken no active part in the proceedings, now put himself forward, and addressing the prisoner, said, " Will the count have the goodness to explain to the court the man- ner in which he effected his escape ; which, con- sidering the strength of his prison, and the known vigilance of his gaoler, must needs have been ex- traordinary ?" Waldemar replied, that he was pledged to se- crecy upon that point ; and, with all deference to the authority of the court, must decline compro- mising the safety of the party to whom he owed his K 2 132 WALDEMAR. deliverance, by entering into the explanation de- manded. " Having admitted the truth of the facts de- posed to by the witnesses," continued the same querist, " the count will, doubtless, explain to the court the apparent discrepancy between his own statement, that he was disarmed previously to being imprisoned, and the evidence of the peasant as to his being fully accoutred when he called for his horse, on his return from the castle/' To this Waldemar answered, that he had obtained the arms between the time of his escape, and that of his reclaiming his horse. " The prisoner," continued Schlaukopf, " will then please to account to the court for their ac- quisition, in a part of the country, where the pur- chase of such articles is altogether out of the question." Waldemar rejoined, that an answer to that inter- rogatory would involve an infraction of his pledge, which he had determined, at all hazards, to pre- serve inviolate ; and added, that he had no further explanation to afford on the subject, than that of which the court was already in possession ; con- cluding with a solemn asseveration of his entire in- nocence of the charge on which he had been ar- raigned. Arnheim, who could not resist the unfavourable impression produced, on the court generally, by the facts of the case, which, in the absence of the re- quired explanation, bore so heavily on the prisoner, was evidently much interested by his youth and previously high character. While, therefore, the WALDEMAR. 133 general dared not, with the evidence before him, impugn the decision of his colleagues as to Walde- mar's guilt, he would not pronounce the fatal sen- tence, until he had implored him to consider, that the awful situation in which he was placed, could not but excuse, if it did not justify a violation of his pledge ; and earnestly entreated him to satisfy the court as to the manner of his alleged escape from the castle of Eisenfuss. Waldemar, however, persisting in his refusal, added, that he was quite prepared for the conse- quences ; but, that dear as life was to him, his honour was yet dearer. Arnheim shook his head mournfully, and ad- vanced somewhat from the semicircle in which he stood, to pronounce the sentence of condemnation, when a voice from among the crowd exclaimed ; " The time is come /" On a sudden, the prisoner's features brightened into an expression of hope and confidence, while he said, " Though that voice be strange to me, I recognise, in the words, an absolution from my pledge ; and am now ready to give the explana- tion I have hitherto withheld." At this intimation the countenance of Schlaukopf fell ; and it required all his self-command, to listen, with any degree of composure, to Waldemar's relation of his escape. When, however, the latter had finished his narrative, the minister observed, with an appealing look to his colleagues, " Count Waldemar can scarcely hope to impose on our credulity, by so improbable a tale, unsupported by evidence." Our hero replied, that he had no evidence to adduce, as his deliverer had, by that time, quitted 134 WALDEMAR. his retreat, and he knew not where to find him ; but that an examination of the subterranean pas- sage, to the chamber in which he was confined, could readily be made, and would establish the veracity of his statement. Arnheim, willing to afford Waldemar every chance for his life, urged that it was but fair to give the prisoner the benefit of the investigation he chal- lenged, and proposed an adjournment of the court for that purpose ; but his humane suggestion was vehemently opposed by Schlaukopf. He contended that, even if the result justified the prisoner's as- sertion of the existence of the passage in question, it would only go to prove his knowledge of the fact, which he might have derived from Eisenfuss himself; who, he added, it was extremely pro- bable, had hit upon that method of dismissing his confederate, in order more effectually to lull suspi- cion, and give a colour to the preconcerted fabri- cation of Waldemar's detention by force. Many individuals of the court adopted the same view of the case, which Schlaukopf affected to take ; while others, treating Waldemar's account of his escape as a pure invention, and his challenge as an expedient to gain time, urged the necessity of making an immediate example of the culprit, in the face of the combined army ; in order, by intimi- dation, to put a stop to the desertions, which were continually occurring. Arnheim, finding himself completely outnumbered, was on the point of giving sentence against his will, if not against his conviction, when a slight bustle was heard among the spectators, and baron Spitzvogel presented him- self to the astonished court. WALDEMAR. 135 The minister, however, though equally surprised and alarmed by this unexpected apparition, did not lose his presence of mind ; but commanded the attendant guards to sieze the baron on a charge, which, it seems, he had taken the precaution to lodge against him, of attempting to assassinate him in the forest. The soldiers advanced towards Spitzvogel ; who, assuming an air of dignity, which he had not been observed previously to exhibit, motioned them back with his hand, exclaiming, " Who will dare to lay hands upon a subject of Sweden, in the presence of his prince. Mighty Gustavus," he added, dropping on one knee at the monarch's feet, " I claim your protection." Spitzvogel looked earnestly in the face of the august personage whom he addressed, for a few seconds, when he continued, " Have time and sorrow dealt so rudely with these lineaments, that my prince cannot recognise his once honoured senator, Lowenholm?" The king, who had, meanwhile, been regarding the appellant with a dubious look, which, on the mention of the name, was immediately exchanged for an expression of the liveliest joy, started from his seat, and, raising the baron from his suppliant posture, replied : " Yes, welcome again to our heart and to our counsels, noble Lowenholm ! whose absence we have so deplored, but not more bitterly than we have mourned the injustice, which, the dupe of a foul conspiracy, we committed in ba- nishing you from our court. The sentence has long since been annulled, and every publicity given to its revocation, in order that you might resume 136 WALDEMAR. the honours and estates, of which you had been so unrighteously deprived." " Your majesty's gracious intentions," was Lb'w- enholm's answer, " were not unknown to me, and should have been availed of, had I not deemed my presence in Saxony might serve the great cause. But," he continued, " let me first announce to this assembly, that every syllable, which this unjustly accused youth has advanced in his defence, is true ; and I thank him for his honourable ad- herence to his pledge, under circumstances so try- ing ; a pledge exacted in order that a premature discovery of my retreat might not frustrate the plans I had concerted, for the detection of a traitor. Yes !" he added, looking full at Schlaukopf, " thou upright and most immaculate judge ! whose impa- tient lips were so lately ready to pronounce that doom upon the innocent, which thou so justly meritest thyself, thou hast done well to allude to the occasion on which I called thee a bribed traitor ; for such, before this honourable assembly, I now proclaim thee." Then advancing to the minister, he exhibited an open letter to his view, and said, " Behold the damning witness of thy treason, under thine own hand ! canst thou deny it ?" Schlaukopf s countenance assumed the ashy pal- lidness of death, as his eye fell upon the well- recognised document ; which his arraigner then flung upon the table, at which the elector was sitting. The letter, which appeared to have been written in acknowledgment of a communication from his worthy ally, Eisenfuss, of the escape of his pri- soner, while it sufficiently developed the treason- WALDEMAR. 137 able nature of their connection, afforded the most triumphant exculpation of Waldemar ; who was in- stantly acquitted by acclamation, the discomfited minister being consigned to duresse in his stead ; with the intimation that he would be put upon his trial on the following morning. To account for Lowenholm's possession of the letter, it will be necessary to mention, that he had long previously obtained information, which, although amounting to conviction in his own mind, was not, he feared, sufficiently unequivocal to establish the guilt of Schlaukopf with his preju- diced master, the elector. Aware, at the same time, that constant communication was kept up between the minister and Eisenfuss, he had repaired to the hermitage in the chapel ; and, in disguise, watched the proceedings of the object of his suspicions, until he succeeded in intercepting a drunken mes- senger of Schlaukopf, and relieving him of his dis- patch ; which proved to be the letter, produced on the occasion to which we have referred. On the following day, the court, of which the fallen minister had previously formed a part, was convened, for the purpose of trying himself. The time appointed for the arraignment of the prisoner arrived, but, to the surprise of the assembly, he was not produced. At length, a messenger brought the information that Schlaukopf had made his escape from the guard-room, and had succeeded in gaining the enemy's lines ; accompanied by the offi- cer who was next in command to Waldemar, and to whose custody he had unadvisedly been con- signed. This officer, it will be recollected, had 138 WALDEMAIl. been thrust into Waldemar's regiment much against his inclination, at the instance of the minister. Whatever disappointment the escape of the pri- soner might have occasioned, in other quarters, Waldemar was not among the number who regret- ted it ; inasmuch as it preserved Bertha from the anguish which her father's condemnation, and its inevitable consequence, must have occasioned her ; while, on the other hand, it relieved Waldemar of an officer, who was not only personally obnoxious to him, but was continually endangering the dis- cipline of the regiment, by his irregular conduct. With a heart lighter than it had been for. many days, Waldemar, restored to his temporarily eclipsed honours, mounted his horse, to resume his com- mand ; when he was greeted by the hearty felicita- tions of his brother officers, and the not less grati- fying huzzas of the private soldiers ; whose military character, as well as personal welfare, had been so materially improved by his skill and kindness. At the grand council of war, held at Torgau, by the king of Sweden and the elector of Saxony, in the presence of the elector of Brandenburg, Gus- tavus, with the candour by which he was distin- guished, pointed out all the difficulties of a contest with the imperial army, under the command of so experienced a general as Tilly ; and plainly inti- mated to the electors, that, in the event of their defeat, they would be irretrievably lost. John George, however, impatient at beholding the depopulation of his territories, and the ruin of his subjects, by the imperialists, expressed himself strongly in favour of bringing the matter speedily WALDEMAR. 139 to the issue of an engagement. Gustavus, although unwilling to urge his new ally into a battle, no sooner heard this decision, than he made active pre- parations for taking the field. The elector of Brandenburg, for some private reasons, returned to his dominions ; while Gusta- vus and the elector of Saxony, each at the head of about fifteen thousand men, crossed the Mulde ; and, early on the morning of the 7th of September, 1631, found themselves in the presence of the enemy ; who, having taken Leipsic, had advanced as far as Breitenfeld, a small town, about four miles from that city. The centre of the imperial army was led by Tilly, the left wing by Pappenheim, and the right by count Furstenburg ; while the centre of the Swed- ish forces was headed by colonel Teiifel, the left wing by Gustavus Horn, and the right wing, op- posed to that of Pappenheim, by the king himself. By a disposition of Gustavus Adolphus, which was justified by the event, the Saxon army was posted at some distance from the Swedes, and to the left of Horn's division ; being immediately opposite to that of count Furstenburg. Tilly, abandoning his position, in consequence of a movement of the king's troops, which he was unable to prevent, made a vigorous attack upon the Swedes ; but was so warmly received, that, bearing suddenly to the right, he fell with such impetuosity on the Saxon army, which was, for the most part, composed of raw recruits, that its ranks were broken, and the main body finally put to flight. To the disgrace of the elector, be it re- corded, that he was foremost in the dishonourable 140 WALDEMAR. race, and stopped not, until he found refuge in Eilenberg ; where, it is said, he drowned the recol- lection of his defeat in the wine-cup. Waldemar, perceiving the eyes of the elector's guards, who, with one or two other regiments, still kept their ground, turned upon the fugitives, rode out in front of his men, and exclaimed, "Com- rades ! be not discouraged by the cowardice of a few raw provincials ; but, rather let us redeem the honour of our country, and conquer or perish with yon god-like Swede !" Arnheim, at the same time, having succeeded in rallying two, and, some say, more Saxon regi- ments, united them, and the electoral guards, to the left wing of the Swedish army ; and immedi- ately repaired to the king, to implore his advice and aid. Under the better generalship of the gal- lant Horn, the remnant of the Saxon troops effaced the recent stain upon their name, by the valour with which they combined in repelling the furious assault of Furstenburg's and Cronenburg's Italian and German cavalry, the latter being considered the flower of the Austrian army. Waldemar, who, in the ardour of the battle, had been separated from his men, found himself singled out by an officer of the Imperial army ; who, in a voice which he immediately recognised as that of his old foe and rival, Eisenfuss, cried out, " Have at thee, slave !" and, after discharging a pistol, which carried away Waldemar's plume, attacked him vi- gorously with the sword. For a while, the rest of the combatants appeared to have sufficient upon their own hands to preclude their attention to the contest between Waldemar and his opponent, which WALDEMAR. 141 was pretty equally maintained, for some minutes; but, when the followers of Eisenfuss began to strike in for their master, our hero was compelled to give ground. Still, however, he continued, by the skilful ma- nagement of his horse, to keep his assailants at bay, until a stunning blow, from behind, lighting upon his head, made him reel in the saddle ; of which Eisenfuss, taking advantage, rushed forward, to put the finishing stroke to his rival, exclaiming, " Die, damned caitiff, die !" when Wolfenberg, seeing the danger of his friend, rode up, with his troop, to the rescue. Eisenfuss, perceiving the ba- lance of numbers suddenly turned against him, wheeled his horse, and succeeded in effecting his retreat. In the meanwhile, the battle was obstinately contested by both armies. Gustavus appeared to possess the faculty of ubiquity, for he was seen in every part of the field. Having checked the im- petuosity of Pappenhein, he left the right wing under the temporary command of. Banier, and sent a message to Teiifel, to lead the centre to the charge ; but that gallant officer was killed, by a musket-ball, while listening to the king's orders. Unapprised of this event, Gustavus pursued his course along the line, encouraging his men, and receiving their cheers in return. Having arrived, at that part of Horn's wing, where Callenbach com- manded, he cried out " Callenbach ! charge, man, in God's name !" That officer immediately obeyed the king's orders, but fell, on the next fire of the enemy. Victory, as is well known to the historical reader, 142 WALDEMAR. declared for the Swedes ; and Tilly, with the rem- nant of his shattered army, slowly and reluctantly abandoned the field to Gustavus ; who, his equal in courage, was infinitely superior in that peculiar genius, which has so often proved an overmatch for the most experienced tactician ; for such, as well as a man of great intrepidity, Tilly undoubtedly was. No sooner was the contest decided, and Gusta- vus saw himself master of the field, than he fell upon his knees among the dying and the dead ; and, knowing that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, devoutly ascribed the glory of that day to Him, to whom, and not to the arm of flesh, the glory was due. Would to God that the example of the pious and single-hearted Gustavus had more followers among the rulers of the present day ! some of whom appear to deny to the Sovereign of the universe any concern in its government. Our own once happy, and still fa- voured country, has been pre-eminent among the nations of the earth, as well for her piety as her power. Long, long may she escape the contagion of that moral malady, which is exhibiting itself among our continental neighbours, in the contempt and desecration of all religious institutions ! WALDEMAR. 143 CHAPTER XII. AFTER the victory, the king encamped his army between the field of battle and Leipsic ; where the elector of Saxony, when the danger, which he had not the courage to face, was over, presented him- self to the conqueror. Gustavus, however, so far from reproaching his pusillanimous ally with his defection in the hour of need, thanked him for having counselled the battle, which had terminated so gloriously ; ascribed the discomfiture of the Saxon troops to the circumstance of the majority of them being raw recruits ; and passed a high encomium on the gallant conduct of such of them as kept the field. Before the conclusion of their interview, Gus- tavus spoke a few words aside to an officer in attendance, who disappeared, and shortly after- wards returned, leading in count Waldemar. The king received him with a benevolent smile, and, turning to the elector, said, " Allow me to present to your highness, an officer of your guards, of whose gallant bearing and good services in the 144 WALDEMAR. field, I have myself been a witness ; and of the graces of whose mind and heart I have heard much from count Lowenholm. In naming his merits to your highness, I feel I shall effectually secure their reward." John George, eager to ingratiate himself with the king, by a ready compliance with his sugges- tions, and, at the same time, glad of a plea for doing that which, but for the jealousy of his no- bles, his regard for our hero would have led him to do long before, replied, " It is my pride and pleasure to justify your majesty's confidence." Then, turning to our hero, he added, " Count " Waldemar, your ancestral estates are restored to you. They have been nobly redeemed by your loyalty and valour, and long may you continue in the enjoyment of them !" Lively as was Waldemar 's joy at the restitution of his estates, the forfeiture of which, though by no fault of his, he had ever regarded as a blot on his shield, I am not sure that the personal notice of so august a person and renowned warrior as Gustavus, was not the predominant gratification in his mind. His thanks to the elector, from whom, he perhaps felt, he had deserved something, were expressed in a manner becoming alike the be- stower and receiver of the boon ; while, in his ac- knowledgments to Gustavus, gratitude for the condescension of the prince, was blended with ve- neration for the sublime character of the man. To whatever degree the unexpected good for- tune of Waldemar might have moved the envy of his master's courtiers, they could not have been WALDEMAR. 145 more loud in their congratulations on the event ; and he soon found he had attained an importance among them which, while he was an acreless count, his intrinsic merits would never have acquired for him. In arranging the plan of their future operations, after the battle of Leipsic, it was agreed, between Gustavus and the elector, that the former should throw himself into the states belonging to the League ; while the latter, after the recapture of Leipsic, was to penetrate into Bohemia. The Saxon general, Arnheim, after retaking that city, a comparatively easy achievement, directed his march towards Lusatia ; a province which the im- perial general, Rodolph of Tiefenbach, had over- run ; but the latter, in obedience to the order of Ferdinand, who, too late, perceived his error in driving the elector to extremities, having evacuated the Saxon territories, left the army of John George at liberty at once to prosecute his design upon Bohemia. Meanwhile, Waldemar, though loaded with ho- nours, and restored to a rich inheritance, was troubled upon a subject which lay nearest his heart. The uncertainty in which the fate of Bertha was involved, had long been to him a source of great anxiety ; which was not, in any degree, di- minished by the intelligence, derived through an au- thentic channel, that Schlaukopf, after having made a precipitate retreat towards Vienna, had deputed to his friend Eisenfuss the task of escorting Bertha, and her brother Albert, to his place of refuge ; but that the worthy chieftain so trusted, taking VOL. YIII. L 146 WALDEMAR. upon himself to deviate somewhat from his in- structions, had resolved on conveying his charge to his own castle. It occurred that, after the receipt of these un- welcome tidings, the electoral army, on their route to Bohemia, encamped within a few miles of the castle of Waldemar ; who, accordingly, availed himself of the proximity to pay it a visit, for the purpose of arranging for its being put into repair. The country was yet in an unsettled state, owing to small but numerous parties of marauding strag- glers, who were wont to plunder travellers, when- ever they could do so with the chance of impunity. The count, therefore, deemed it prudent to select half a dozen of his own troopers ; and, thus escorted, set out on his way to his paternal home. Not happening to encounter any party in force equal to their own, they arrived, unmolested, at their destination ; but, while on the point of de- manding admission at the castle, Waldemar's ears were saluted by the sounds of boisterous merri- ment, as if proceeding from a numerous party ; which, well knowing the little material the old ruin had, for a long time past, afforded for any festive doings, somewhat surprised him. Pre- ferring, therefore, before he announced himself, to ascertain the quality of the guests, who had so unceremoniously taken up their quarters in his do- micile, he commanded his followers to remain under the wall, where, by the darkness of the night, they were completely concealed ; while he effected an entrance over the ruins by which the moat was filled up. This done, he proceeded, by WALDEMAR. 147 an unfrequented passage, towards the kitchen ; where he deemed it probable Anselm would be stationed. Having first ascertained that the old man was alone, he presented himself; and, silencing the faithful creature's demonstrations of joy at the meeting, inquired the cause of the uproar. Anselm informed him that a party of nearly fifty horse- men had, about four hours previously, made a forcible entry; and, after ascertaining that the means of satisfying so many mouths were not to be found in the castle, despatched a foraging party, who returned with a sheep, some venison, and other " appliances to boot," on which they were, at that moment, regaling. On Waldemar inquiring if any of them had mentioned the name of their chief, Anselm replied, that those who appeared most familiar with him, addressed him as Eisenfuss ; and, in answer to the count's hasty question, whether they had any prisoners, the old man said there was a lady of great beauty, with a younger person, who appeared to be her brother, that were evidently accompany- ing the party against their inclination. The count, who now could have no doubt that the being he most loved was in the power of one, who would hesitate at no means, however atrocious, of accomplishing his sinister ends, did not overlook, in his eagerness to attempt her rescue, the extreme improbability of its being effected by the handful of men, at that time under his command. With a view, however, of reconnoitring the position of the enemy, he proceeded, by a side passage, terminating in a staircase, to a gallery which surrounded the L 2 148 WALBEMAR. hall, where the intruders were feasting ; and in which, the apartment being but imperfectly lighted, he was himself screened from notice. There, at the head of a table, sat Eisenfuss, the most uproarious of the unbidden guests, who con- sisted of nearly fifty persons, in high carouse. Apart, and about midway between the table and a small door, communicating with the passage through which Waldemar had found his way to the gallery, sat Bertha and Albert; who had, apparently, not tasted of the refreshments which were placed before them. The former was weeping, and the latter ineffectually attempting to console her. Our hero, convinced that whatever measure he should resolve upon must be adopted without loss of time, returned to his party, to whom he candidly, explained the difficulty of the case ; adding, that, as their officer, he could not call upon them to oppose a body, so superior in numerical strength to their own ; that the rescue of the prisoners was an object in which his personal feeling, rather than the service ef the elector, was concerned ; and that, consequently, they were perfectly at liberty to de- cline the attempt. The men, however, who were strongly attached to Waldemar, and, as veterans, were wont to hold such irregular troops as those of Eisenfuss in high contempt, declared their readiness to follow where- ever their commander might lead. It was agreed, on all hands, that to despatch one of their number, for reinforcements, to the camp, would only serve to weaken the party, without gaining their object ; as Eisenfuss and his retainers would, doubtless, recommence their flight, long WALDEMAR. 149 before a detachment could arrive. Having pre- viously arranged, that Anselm should give due warning of any impediments in their path, the count conducted his little band through the long passage ; and, having stationed them, with their loaded car- bines, in the gallery, returned to the door which has already been mentioned as communicating with the room, in which the enemy were banqueting. Waldemar, with great care, withdrew the bolts of the door ; the creaking of which, on its rusty hinges, must infallibly have attracted the attention of the revellers, had they been less noisy in their cups ; but the difficulty of apprizing the prisoners of the proximity of friends, without eliciting some audible expression of surprise, was still a formi- dable one. At last, the eyes of the Eisenfuss were directed towards Bertha, whom he summoned to a seat at the table next to himself ; when, finding that she disregarded his mandate, he rose for the purpose of enforcing it in person. The count, then perceiving that not another in- stant was to be lost, suddenly advanced, and, seizing Bertha and Albert by the arm, dragged them through the door- way ; while, at the same moment, the troopers in the gallery, observing that their commander was discovered, poured a well-directed volley upon the enemy, which wounded several, and threw the whole into confusion. Waldemar, in the mean time, having made himself known to the prisoners, conducted them up the stairs into the gallery ; from which another flight of steps led down into the court-yard, whither the whole party proceeded. Eisenfuss, who, in whatever other good quality 150 WALDEMAR. he was deficient, did not want courage or presence of mind, instantly rallied his men ; and, conducting them by the door, which Waldemar had not time to close after him, followed the fugitives. The latter, finding that it would not be possible to ef- fect a passage to their horses, without exposing themselves to the fire of forty carbines, made to- wards a round tower ; in which they had no sooner secured themselves, by means of a massive iron door, as strong as the walls in which it was fixed, than their place of refuge was discovered, and sur- rounded by their foes. In the hope of being able to make the tower good against their assailants until day-break, when regard for their own safety would compel the latter to resume their march, the count and his party placed themselves at the loop-holes of their for- tress ; from which, by discharging their weapons only when they could get an aim, they contrived to make almost every ball tell on their besiegers ; who, on the contrary, rarely returned the fire with effect, having succeeded in only slightly wounding one of the troopers of the electoral guard. The ammunition of the little garrison, however, began to fail; their fire slackened, and, at last, ceased altogether ; which the enemy perceiving, summoned the besieged to surrender ; but the lat- ter, convinced of the impregnability of their for- tress, scornfully refused. At length, the morning dawned, and the hopes of a speedy deliverance, with which its beams inspired the prisoners, were strengthened by a bustle of preparation among their enemies. These cheering anticipations were, liowever, put to flight, by the voice of Eisenfuss A L D E M A R BOOK II. VOL. viii. WALDEMAR. BOOK II. CHAPTER I. THE baron, who was slightly wounded by the shot, turned round, and perceived several troopers of the imperial army pouring into the court-yard. It was fortunate for the captives, that the imperialists were in sufficient force to render their interference effectual ; asEisenfuss, under the combined influence of liquor and revenge, would have paid as little deference to the colours of Ferdinand, as to those of the elector. A glance, therefore, being sufficient to convince him of the utter futility of resistance, he addressed the leader of the other party, and in- quired, " Is it the fashion among the soldiers in your country, captain Sarsfield, to fire upon a party serving under the same banner ?" " One can't always be in the fashion, baron, especially upon a forced march," replied the other ; 156 WALDEMAR. " but, seeing that you had rather a delicate piece of business in hand, on which you might be glad of the advice of a brother officer, I despatched the swiftest messenger I could find, just to tell you I was on the road." " You make very light of wounding an officer in the imperial service," remarked the other ; " but remember, you will have to render an account of it to the general." " That will I," rejoined the other ; " or to your- self either, any day in the week ; in the meantime, perhaps, you will introduce me to those pious chris- tians, whom, doubtless, deeming them too good for this world, you were for sending, post haste, to the next." While, however, he was speaking, the door of the tower was thrown open ; when Waldemar, fol- lowed by his troopers, behind whom were Bertha and Albert, advanced towards the last speaker, and offered his sword in token of his surrender. Captain Sarsfield was one of those military ad- venturers, of whom his country furnished no incon- siderable portion ; and who, ready to fight for any cause or no cause, yet faithful, for the stipulated period of their service, to the side they embraced, were found liberally scattered throughout the armies on the continent, and particularly under the Austrian banner, at the time of which we are writing. He was a tall, erect, and very soldierly- looking person, in the prime of life, with a weather- beaten, yet handsome countenance, distinguished by thatpoco curante, devil-may-care expression, so much in unison with the Irish character. In his manner, the fine gentleman was gracefully blended WALDEMAR. 157 with the soldier ; a combination which was made more striking by contrast with the coarse and bru- tal bearing of Eisenfuss. " Keep your sword, count," said Sarsfield, ad- dressing Waldemar ; " it cannot be in braver hands. I accept your surrender, however, seeing that, under existing circumstances, it is the best service I can render you." "Captain Sarsfield," interposed Eisenfuss, "will scarcely add to the injury he has already com- mitted, the injustice of robbing me of my pri- soners ?" " Faith, baron," was the reply, " the matter is just this : I have heard so much of count Walde- mar, and have so often witnessed his bravery in the field, that I can't resist the opportunity of making his acquaintance ; and I see not how I can well separate him from his troopers. With the re- maining two, one being of the tender sex, and the other not having been taken in arms, I apprehend that neither you nor I have any right to interfere." Eisenfuss here explained that Bertha and her brother had been placed under his protection by Schlaukopf, to whom he was conducting them, when he was attacked by Waldemar and his party. " It's an odd way you've chosen then," remarked Sarsfield, " since you've been travelling in a dia- metrically opposite direction from the city you pro- pose to reach. To be sure, the world is round, and you'll get there in time ; but, as my route hap- pens to be to Vienna, by Prague, you had better fall into our rear." Bertha here pressed forward to the side of the 158 WALDEMAR. captain ; and, after stating her suspicions that it was the intention of Eisenfuss to convey her to his own castle, instead of restoring her to her father, implored the gallant Hibernian to take her in his train to Vienna, even if it were as his captive. " Faith !" exclaimed Sarsfield ; " I am more likely to be your captive, than you mine ; but it shall never be said that a fair damsel asked Mi- chael Sarsfield's assistance in vain." Having thus spoken, he put his party in motion ; and, with Waldemar and his troopers, as prisoners of war, and Albert and Bertha under his protection, the captain resumed his route, leaving Eisenfuss to digest his chagrin as he best might. " Count," said the captain of the imperialists, as he disposed his followers so as to render our hero's escape almost impossible, " you will pardon these little arrangements, which, in the case of a prisoner of less consequence, might have been dis- pensed with : I hope you feel the compliment." " And the inconvenience," replied the other, with a smile ; " which, however, as well as some trouble to yourself, may possibly be saved, if you will receive my assurance, that I will not attempt to escape from your party. I owe you my own life, and a life which is dearer to me than that ; and would not, even if I could, effect my escape at the ex- pense of your favour with your general. Will you take my word ?" " That will I," was the answer, " and deem it a better security against your escape, than a regiment of horse." Then, directing the soldiers, to whose especial custody Waldemar was committed, to fall into the rear, he brought his own horse to the side WALDEMAR. 159 of the count's, and placed Bertha between the latter and her brother. " That was a lucky shot of yours, captain ;" re- marked our hero, in allusion to the manner in which the attempt of Eisenfuss, to fire the train, had been frustrated. " Lucky?" said the other. " The deuce a bit of luck was there in the matter. A man, who can hit a kreiitzer at twenty paces, may claim small credit for striking the baron's clumsy fist at half the distance. It is well for him that it suits his convenience to call the emperor his master ; for, but for his colours, by the blessed plant of St. Patrick, and that's the shamrock, there would have been one villain less in the world !" Sarsfield, aware that the next object of the Saxon army was the invasion of Bohemia, pushed his little party over the frontier of that country ; so that, by getting the start of Arnheim, he would secure a free passage for himself to Prague ; to* which fortress, he doubted not, the emperor would despatch troops, to assist in repelling the menaced attack of the Saxons. The latter, being delayed by the necessary reduction of several towns, in their line of march, the Hibernian officer was enabled to accomplish his design ; and arrived, with his detach- ment and prisoners, at Prague, without having ex- perienced any adventure worth recording, by the way. The rapidity with which the journey was per- formed, and the almost constant presence of Albert and Sarsfield, necessarily limited the communi- cation between Waldemar and Bertha to common- place subjects. Under ordinary circumstances, 160 WALDEMAR. however, the society of each other, restricted as it was, would have possessed its charms ; but, with the conviction that the defection of Schlaukopf had given a death-blow to their hopes, and that every step they took was hurrying them to that point, at which they should part, in all probability never to meet again, their feelings of melancholy became deeper, as they advanced on their journey. Sarsfield had become thoroughly weary of com- panions, who were proof against sallies which would have provoked a smile from a Heraclitus himself; and it was, therefore, with no little gratification, he learned that the baron Schlaukopf had, by the breaking down of his carriage, been detained at Prague, in his flight towards Vienna, and had not yet quitted the former city. He, accordingly, prepared to deliver Bertha and Albert into the care of their natural protector ; a ceremony, at which, it may readily be conceived, Waldemar had no desire to be present. Accident left the two lovers alone for a few mi- nutes, before Bertha was conducted to her father. The interview was a brief, but it was a bitter one. Had he stood in the hall of his ancestors, with their ancient pomp around him, and their wealth in his coffers, he would not, deeply and dearly as he loved her, have asked the sacrifice of her filial duty to his selfish but intense passion : nay, had she been willing to abandon her father in his disgrace, even for the man of her heart, she would have sunk in his esteem. Least of all, then, a prisoner in a foreign land, could he urge her to delay, for a moment, her return to her parent. They parted, as friends part at the foot of the WALDEMAR. 151 himself ; who, finding that he might do so with impunity, advanced close to the tower, and re- peated his summons, offering them quarter, in the event of their compliance. Albert and Bertha would sooner have encoun- tered death itself, than fall again into the hands of Eisenfuss ; while the rest knew, too correctly, the value of the baron's word, to trust themselves to his tender mercies. The refusal to yield was re- peated, when the latter worthy informed the gar- rison that it behoved him to resume his march ; but that he would not go without having either the lady or his revenge ; and declared, that if she were not given up to him, he would blow up the tower. This was an appalling intimation, indeed, to the beleaguered party ; who well knew, that, in such matters, at least, he rarely failed to keep his word. Albert and Bertha flung themselves into each other's arms, and appeared to wait the doom which threat- ened them, with the calmness of despair, while the troopers looked on each other in silence. Meanwhile, the preparations of Eisenfuss, for the fulfilment of his threat were proceeding. A strong iron grating, at the foot of the tower, was forced in, and afforded a communication with a subterranean apartment, immediately under the floor on which the besieged were standing ; who could gather, from what passed among their assailants, that the means of their destruction were deposited beneath them. At length, one of the attacking party, who was employed in laying the train of gunpowder from the tower, to the spot at which it was to be fired, had proceeded so far in his work, as to be visible 152 WALDEMAR. to the prisoners from the loop-holes of their place of refuge. At this awful moment, in which the distinction between officer and private might well be supposed to be absorbed by the sense of the common fate which awaited them, Waldemar looked at the countenances of his troopers, among whom he was but as one man ; but he saw in them no indications of a desire to avail themselves of Eisenfuss's reite- rated offers of quarter. On the contrary, they appeared to expect their destiny, with the firm de- termination of brave men, who, having on so many previous occasions, proved their willingness to die for their chief, were now content to die with him. The train having been carried to a distance at which, it was deemed, it might be fired, with safety to the assailants, an awful pause succeeded ; during which one of the party was despatched to the hearth for a firebrand, with which, when the messenger returned, Eisenfuss, with demoniacal eagerness, snatched the flaming instrument of destruction from his hand : he waved it aloft in savage triumph ; and then, exclaiming, " Thus perish the foes of Eisenfuss !" he lowered the torch to the train. At this action, which was obvious to the be- seiged, Waldemar reached his hand to that of Bertha, who grasped it firmly ; and their eyes were simultaneously directed towards Him in whose pre- sence they felt the next moment would place them. Almost at the instant that the light was within an inch of the gunpowder, the report of a pistol was heard, and the brand was struck from the hand of Eisenfuss, to some distance from the train. WALDEMAR. 161 scaffold, with many bitter pangs and burning tears, and but one hope ; that of meeting in the pure and passionless region, where sighing and sorrow shall flee away. Fate appeared to have opened a chasm between them, which eternity, not time, could fill. When Sarsfield, having surrendered his fair charge and her brother, returned, after an absence of some hours, to the quarters, in which he had established himself and his prisoner, he found the latter in no fit state to enjoy the banquet, which the kind Irishman had provided. " Come, count," exclaimed Sarsfield, filling his glass from a flask of excellent Asmannshauser, and pushing the bottle to his companion, " fill your glass, and pitch care to the devil." Waldemar helped himself, but with a sigh which was scarcely in unison with the action. " O, fie ! I'm ashamed of you, count," con- tinued the good-humoured captain, " to be making all this bother about parting from a pretty girl, as if there was not another pair of bright eyes in the wide world." " Really " rejoined the other, in evident sur- prise, either at the captain's discovery of his at- tachment, or at his unceremonious allusion to it ; but, before he could give utterance to his thoughts, the Hibernian, interrupting him, pursued : " Nay, my dear fellow, don't be adding a sin to your folly, by denying it. It isn't Michael Sars- field, you may be sure, that would travel for three days with a couple, who had a sneaking kindness for each other, and not find it out. Besides, would her eyes have been streaming with tears, all VOL. VIII. M 162 WALDEMAR. the way to that old fox, her father's, if she hadn't left some one behind she loved better ? Come, cheer up, and be a man !" " Alas !" exclaimed the count, " you know not the circumstances " " Is it circumstances ?" echoed the other, again interrupting him. " Haven't I been in love under every possible circumstance, and forty times too, to your once ? and my heart isn't broken yet. But drink your wine man, any how, for 'twill be long enough before you get such another flask, I'll engage. We must to horse again, to-morrow." " Indeed!" remarked the other, " I thought you purposed halting here for some days." "Troth, so I did," was the reply; "as good need there was for so doing, after jolting so long over those cursed mountains and rough roads." " And what has caused the alteration in your design ?" inquired Waldemar. " Your friend, John George," answered Sars- field, " has crossed the frontier, taken Schloecke- nau, Tetschen, Aussig, and Leutmeritz, and is now in full march upon Prague, which will fall without firing a shot." " That is scarcely probable," remarked the count ; " what are the friends of the League, of whom this city must contain a large proportion, about ?" " Decamping, bag and baggage, as fast as they can scamper; in the wholesome dread of retaliation for the outrages committed by the imperialists, at Magdeburg," was the answer. " But will none of the imperial generals advance to save the city, which, well garrisoned, would WALDEMAR. 163 hold out against the Saxons for some months ?" inquired Waldemar. " The mad Swede has found ample employment for Tilly, as you probably know," said the cap- tain. " But where is Tiefenbach?" asked the other. " In Silesia, asleep, or waiting for orders," re- joined Sarsfield. " But," said our hero, " is there no imperial officer in Prague, who will undertake its de- fence ?" " Yes," replied Sarsfield, " the count of Ma- radas would defend it to the last ditch ; but he dares not act without an order from a superior officer ; and Wallenstein, who might act, alleges that he has altogether retired from public life and will not interfere." " And you believe him to be sincere ?" was the query. " Yes," said the captain, " in one thing at least ; his desire for revenge, which he will gra- tify in one way or the other; either by making the emperor, who disgraced him, sue for his assistance, or by taking part at once with his enemies." " You quit Prague to-morrow, then," said the count. " At crow of cock," was the answer. " The catholics, as I said before, are flying, with all their portables, towards Vienna, as if the devil were at their heels, instead of the elector ; while those who remain will rather welcome the Saxons as friends, than repel them as foes ; and, be assured, I will not stay to be caught." M 2 164 WALDEMAR. " And what," inquired Waldemar, " are your intentions with regard to my troopers ?" " They are quite at liberty to dispose of them- selves according to their good pleasure," said the captain ; " which will, doubtless, be to remain in Prague until their comrades come up." " For which," rejoined the count, " you have my thanks." " None are due," was the reply ; " since, to own the truth, my sergeant has been sounding them upon the subject of changing the electoral for the imperial service, but the rogues are stubborn ; and, as I shall scarcely find rations for my own party, during the remainder of our journey, I leave your humble friends to the hospitalities of the good city of Prague. In the mean time, by the way, I must look after my own knaves, to whom I gave twelve hours' licence ; a period which they usually divide into two equal parts ; devoting one moiety to getting drunk, and the other to getting sober." Then, calling to the trooper who mounted guard at the door of the apartment, he added, " Find out serjeant O'Fuse, and bid him come hither." It was fortunate for the speedy execution of the captain's order, that the gallant sergeant had found liquor to his taste at a suttling-house in the neighbourhood ; so that, in the course of a few minutes, O'Fuse was in the presence of his com- manding officer. But three hours had elapsed of the period which Sarsfield, then ignorant of the situation of the city, and of the successes of the Saxon army, had granted to his followers to enjoy them- WALDEMAR. 165 selves after their forced march ; yet O'Fuse had made the most of his time, and had passed the debateable land between sobriety and intoxica- tion, when he entered the room. Still, however, with the assistance of his sword, he contrived to keep himself tolerably erect ; and, being quite conscious of his situation, endeavoured to mask it under an assumption of gravity ; which, as much at variance with his disposition, as it was ill adapted to his cast of countenance, was irre- sistibly comic. " O'Fuse, you rascal !" was Sarsfield's saluta- tion, " you are drunk." " Is it drunk your honour manes ?" said the sergeant, his ill-sustained gravity dissolving, in a moment, into the smile peculiar to the detected drunkard ; while, at the same time, he perilled his perpendicularity by raising his hand to salute his officer ; for whom, such is the force of habit and discipline, he never, under any circumstances, forgot his respect. " Yes, drunk as a piper !" exclaimed Sarsfield. " O, not myself, indeed," returned the sergeant ; swaying gently backwards and forwards, on his knee-joints, like a swing-gate upon its hinges. " Does'nt your honour know that a man's drunk or sober, as he's every thing else, by comparison? and, 'faith, if ye'd corporal McCarthy to the fore here, ye'd call me a pathern of sobriety, so you would !" It is probable that, if the captain had been required to determine the degree of intoxica- tion at which the serjeant had arrived, he might have assigned it to the superlative rather than the 166 WALDEMAR. comparative. However, an Irishman must be drunk indeed, when his national readiness of reply deserts him ; and thus it happened, that O'Fuse's brief, but deep carouse, was betrayed chiefly by his articulation, affecting rather the manner than the matter of his discourse. " O'Fuse," said the captain, " it's but one word I have to say to you : the Saxon army is within six hours' march of Prague ; and, if they catch you here, they'll flay you alive, every mo- ther's son of you. And mind, if you choose to stay and have your hide stripped over your ears, I '11 not give you an opportunity of fitting yourself with mine. I put foot in stirrup at day-break; and, by all the saints in the calendar! I'll not wait for a soul of you." This intimation had the effect of restoring to the sergeant that expression of gravity, which he had, at first, affected, to cover his transgression of the rules of sobriety ; for although, to do him justice, he had had no personal share in the cruelties per- petrated at Magdeburg, he was quite aware that no distinctions would or could be made, by an army thirsting for revenge, as he had good reason to believe was that of the elector of Saxony. Accordingly, quitting the presence of his offi- cer, he betook himself to the first spring ; and, after a not unsuccessful attempt at the renovation of his partially obfuscated faculties, by the immer- sion of his head in the pure element, he sallied forth in search of his comrades ; who were scat- tered about, in the various houses of entertainment in that part of the city. By dint of argument, occasionally enforced by a judicious application WALDEMAR. 167 of the flat of his sword, O'Fuse succeeded in caus- ing such a timely suspension of festivities among his poculous companions, that, when the troop was mustered, at daybreak, on the following morn- ing, only two of them were missing ; and they, it was suspected, remained behind for the purpose of seizing an opportunity of deserting to the op- posite cause. 168 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER II. ON the north side of the city of Vienna, and on the right bank of the Danube, stood a tower, for which, it may be, that, after the lapse of two centuries, the modern traveller will now look in vain. It was of a circular form, comprising a few small apartments, one above another. Although, probably, not capable of being defended against a regular assault, it was admirably adapted to the purpose to which it was applied, at the period of our story ; it being then used as a place of durance for prisoners of distinction. It rarely contained more than two or three ; and, at the time to which I now refer, it enclosed but one ; and he was no greater or less a person than the hero of our tale. The highest chamber had been assigned to Wal- demar, and was not only the most pleasant, but, communicating with the roof of the tower, afforded the prisoner, without risk to his safe custody, an occasional airing ; and, what a sailor would term, a fisherman's walk two steps and overboard. He had little reason to complain of the manner in WALDEMAR. 169 which he was treated (always, of course, excepting the loss of his liberty) ; his table was liberally sup- plied, and his personal comforts generally consulted, to a degree rarely, in those days at least, experi- enced by the inmates of a prison. His gaoler, a retired veteran of the imperial guards, had too sin- cere an admiration of the military character to deport himself towards an officer of Waldemar's high re- nown, otherwise than with the utmost deference ; while in Blanca, the blue-eyed, fair-haired daugh- ter of the worthy janitor, our young soldier found a kind, assiduous, and respectful attendant. But what avails the splendid banquet, or the couch of down, to him who sighs for freedom ? To him, sleep brings not its wonted refreshment ; the choicest viand is flavourless, and the wine-cup without its charm ! The breeze which curled the waters of the Danube, and swept the groves of its leafy islets, breathed no music to his ear ; for it reminded him of the liberty he had lost. His home was in a distant land ; the being, whose love would have made an Eden of a desert, a palace of a dun- geon, was lost to him for ever : and the voice of friendship, which is as balm to the soul of the cap- tive, awoke not an echo in his prison-house ! Day after day passed, unmarked by any occur- rence, to relieve the monotony of his confinement, until one evening, his door was suddenly opened ; and a stranger, saluting the prisoner with a slight inclination of the head, entered the apartment. He was wrapped in a mantle, which somewhat ob- scured his features; but, from the observation which Waldemar was able to make, he seemed about fifty years old. The captive rose, at the entrance 170 WALDEMAR. of his visitor, acknowledged his salute, and then silently awaited the communication which the other might have to make. " Count Waldemar," said the stranger, opening the conference, after a pause of a few seconds, " the emperor, with a solicitude for the welfare, even of an enemy, is desirous of knowing if your comforts have been properly cared for; and if there be any thing wanting to render the solitude of your imprisonment more endurable." " Nay," was the reply ; " a man must be more fastidious than I am, to quarrel with either my fare or my attendants ; and, for the rest, life, limb, and liberty, are a soldier's stake, in the game of glory ; and I may not murmur that my loss has been the least of the three. Life and limb are irre- trievable ; but liberty may be lost and won many times before the game be played out." " And may be your's again, to-morrow, upon one only condition," remarked the other. " Name it," returned Waldemar, " if it be such as a man of honour may listen to." " Be you the judge of that ; I have but to acquit myself of my errand. Abandon the cause of a rebel to his sovereign prince, for that of the em- peror ; and freedom, honour, and wealth await you," continued the visitor. " Singular generosity !" exclaimed the count, " I marvel that the change of my religion was not annexed to the condition." "'The emperor does not wish to interfere with your religious scruples," said the stranger. " Astonishing libera lity !" was the reply. " That is to say, I may worship the devil, so I but fight WALDEMAR. 171 for Ferdinand. Yet go on; freedom and wealth are the emperor's to bestow ; but I am curious to know the honour which will accrue to me in the matter. " His majesty will instantly prefer you to a high post in the army, and create you a count of the empire," answered the other. " Nay, more," he continued ; " for should the catholic league pre- vail, there will be vacant electorates; and on whom would the emperor more worthily bestow them, than on those whose valour contributed to his success ?" " And these," remarked the count, " are the terms you were commissioned to propose to me ?" " You have them in the emperor's very words," was the answer. " And will you be a faithful messenger of my reply ?" asked Waldemar. " Assure yourself," continued the other " that every word of it will reach the imperial ear." " Tell him, then," said the prisoner sternly, " that were the diadem of the Caesars, which now binds his brow, offered to me on the same con- ditions, I would cast it from me as a worthless bauble, in comparison with the jewel of mine ho- nour ! Tell him, moreover, that he does ill, to insult a captive soldier, by an attempt to tamper with his allegiance; and that such arts would damn a better cause than that of bigotry and des- potism !" " Rash youth ! forbear," exclaimed the visitor, " know you not that Ferdinand, had he the will, could punish you for those daring words ?" " I know not of his will, and care little for his power," was the rejoinder ; " but this I know, 172 WALDEMAR. that, were he ten times the tyrant he is, he hath minions ready to execute his purposes, be they never so bloody. Bear witness, Magdeburg !" A shudder appeared to pass over the frame of the stranger at this allusion to the recent catas- trophe of that ill-fated city ; but, quickly recover- ing himself, he replied, " The punishment justly inflicted on her rebellious citizens has been greatly magnified." " Impossible !" exclaimed Waldemar ; " lan- guage is incapable of doing justice to the horrors of that fearful night." " And yet you pretend to a correct conception of them," rejoined the other. " As well I may," continued the count, " seeing that they were enacted before my eyes." " Indeed !" said the visitor ; " and pray what might be the nature of your mission to Magdeburg at that juncture ?" " Content you, that it dishonoured neither the sender nor his messenger," was the reply : *' would that all were such !" " Your sneer escapes me not," observed the stranger ; " but know you not that it is lawful to do a small evil to insure a great good ?" " I know it," said the count, "for a maxim which has been written in blood, in every quarter of the globe where the banner of the church of Rome has waved ; but I know it also as a direct contravention of His word, who has commanded us to keep His laws, and to leave the issues with Him. But, gracious Providence ! call you the sack of Magdeburg a small evil ? The dishonour of her maids and matrons ; the slaughter of her WALDEMAR. 173 helpless thousands the fair and the feeble, nay, of the infant yet unborn call you these small evils ? Truly, if such be the works of your saints, you have done Herod foul wrong in excluding him from your calendar !" " Cease !" exclaimed the other, " cease those impious calumnies against the only true church ; for know, that they are uttered in the presence of one who has sworn to protect her rights, and avenge her wrongs. I am Ferdinand of Austria !" " Then," said Waldemar, calmly, as the em- peror dropped the mantle from his shoulders, " your imperial majesty has heard that which rarely reaches the ears of royalty the truth ! For the rest, I know your power that you can hang the chain upon my limbs, and bid them rot in a dungeon ; but you cannot fetter my free spirit while I breathe, nor write ' Traitor' on my un- timely grave !" " Alas ! poor youth, I would do neither," said the emperor, yielding to the impulses of a heart, which, though darkened by bigotry, and warped by evil counsels, was naturally humane. " And think not," he continued, " that I admire your gallant bearing and uncompromising fidelity the less, because I find them in an enemy. Yet, where- fore should you remain so ? In abandoning the ranks of the elector of Saxony, so far from swerv- ing from your allegiance, you would be returning to it; seeing that he is my vassal, and, therefore, his subjects are mine." " That is a question," was Waldemar 's reply, " between your imperial majesty and the elector : 174 WALDEMAll. he is my master, and to him, therefore, must I stand or fall." " Other, and most distinguished functionaries of John George, have viewed the matter in a different light, and have come over to the imperial stand- ard," said the emperor ; " there is baron Schlau- kopf " " Mention him not, I beseech you," answered the count; " his conduct may be characterized by but one epithet ; which, for the sake of her, whose virtues should shield her parent from my censure, I should be loth to couple with his name." " Your allusion, if I have been rightly informed, is to one whose hand is among the prizes you have forgone in your blind zeal for a falling cause," remarked the emperor. " Judge you, therefore, of the sincerity of the sacrifice by its cost," returned the count ; "a sacrifice, compared with which the wealth of the world were valueless, and its honours empty air !" " And reckless of her happiness, as well as of your own, you will calmly resign her to the ad- venturer for whom her father designs her ?" pur- sued Ferdinand. " And is it even so," rejoined the count, " after his attempt to carry her off to his own castle, in- stead of restoring her to her father ? My path, however, is plain before me ; and, neither blinded by interest, nor seduced by passion, by God's help I will tread in it, though it lead to the scaf- fold. But, O ! as you are a king, and would answer to your God for the use of the powers with which he has intrusted you, do not permit the WALDEMAR. 175 immolation of the fairest and purest of created beings, to the fierce passions of that black traitor, Eisenfuss !" " The remedy is in your own power," replied the emperor, " wherefore not apply it ?" " Because I may not do so without forfeiting that, the want of which would render me despica- ble in her eyes and in my own," was the rejoinder. " Urge me no more, I beseech your imperial ma- jesty, upon that subject; since, were I absolved from my allegiance to the elector, I could not strike a blow in your cause, because I deem it an unrighteous one." " Then I fear," said the emperor, that the poor girl must be sacrificed. I have no right to interfere with baron Schlaukopf in the disposal of his daughter's hand ; which, since you per- sist in your adherence to a contrary party, he has resolved to bestow on this Eisenfuss ; whom, to speak my sentiments, I admire as little as you can do. For yourself, since I cannot attach you to my standard, I may not, without betraying the cause to which I am sworn, cast the weight of your talents, gallantry, and devotion, into the opposite scale : and yet I would make your captivity as endurable as may be ; and, if you will pass your word that you will not attempt to escape, Vienna and its suburbs shall be free to you." " I thank your imperial majesty," said Wal- demar, " but may not accept of a boon, which, while it lengthened my chain, would rivet its links more firmly. The heaviest fetter that ever weighed down the limbs of a captive, is as the web of the gossamer, compared with the pledge of a man of 176 WALDEMAR. honour. The wall of stone, and the bar of iron, may be broken ; but my plighted word never !" "Farewell, then!" exclaimed Ferdinand, as he prepared to depart : " Farewell ! I leave you with high admiration of your gallantry, devotedness and spirit ; and in much pity for the infatuation which has ranged them on the side of heresy and rebellion." Having resumed his mantle, the emperor repeated his farewell, and left the prisoner to meditate upon the extraordinary visit with which he had been ho- noured. As we have introduced a new personage in our drama, it may be proper, for the information of those few of our readers who may not be familiar with his character, to give a brief sketch of it. He appears to have been naturally of a mild and humane dis- position ; and to have possessed many virtues and qualities, calculated to render a monarch beloved, and a people happy. An erroneous notion of his prerogative, the influence of Spain, and the mis- guidance of the Jesuits, and of evil counsellors in hi own cabinet, combined, however, in the end, to stifle the suggestions of his better nature ; and to convert the friend of justice into the enemy of peace, and the oppressor of humanity. Still, amid all the obliquities by which his political character was de- faced, we find him amiable in private life ; while the bigotry, which made him the scourge of his pro- testant subjects, rendered him kind and indulgent towards his catholic ones. So entirely was this in- fatuated monarch under the domination of the priesthood, that his own confessor writes of him, that " nothing on earth was more sacred to him WALDEMAR. 177 than a sacerdotal head. If it should happen, he often said, that he were to meet, at the same time and place, an angel and a priest, the priest would obtain the first, and the angel the second act of his obeisance." And yet good cause had he to rue the counsels of his ghostly directors ; particularly those of father Joseph, a Capuchin friar, and a tool of Richelieu, who betrayed him into the fatal measure of dismissing Wallenstein from the command of the imperial army. Nor was Ferdinand, in that in- stance at least, insensible to the duplicity of his monkish advisers; as he was heard to say, " A wicked friar has disarmed me by his rosary, and has enclosed no less than six electorates in his narrow cowl." Leaving our hero, the count, for awhile, in the custody of the worthy Hans, his gaoler, and in the company of his own gloomy thoughts, we will fetch up the lee-way of our narrative, by reverting to other characters in our history, of whom we may seem, for a season, to have lost sight. VOL. VIII. 178 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER III. BARON Schlaukopf, as will have been inferred from the dialogue quoted in the preceding chapter, had taken up his residence in the capital, and, indeed, at the court of Ferdinand ; in whose pay, while yet a minister of the elector of Saxony, he had been for a considerable period. Disappointed, as we have already seen, in his design of sapping the loyalty of Waldemar, he had promised the hand of Bertha to Eisenfuss, as the reward or condition of the latter worthy's revolt from the electoral stand- ard. Schlaukopf s purpose, however, in fully com- mitting his son-in-law elect to the cause of the emperor, having been served, there is little reason for believing that he would have been very scru- pulous in keeping his word, by compelling his daughter to accept a man whom she detested ; par- ticularly as a more eligible match might have been found for her at the court of Ferdinand. It is probable, therefore, that Eisenfuss had been admitted too deeply into the ex-minister's confidence to render it safe for the latter to provoke his enmity, WALDEMAR. 179 by breaking his engagement. Previously, however, to fulfilling it, he secured himself against oppo- sition, which, although ineffectual, might prove embarrassing, by procuring a commission for his son Albert, in the imperial army ; and causing him to be employed on service, at a distance from the capital ; so that the poor girl, without a friend to assist or to counsel her, was entirely at the mercy of her unprincipled and callous-hearted parent. Bertha, who had begun to indulge a hope that she should no longer be troubled with the addresses of one, whom, of all mankind, she most abhorred, received the unwelcome intelligence, that Eisenfuss had arrived at Vienna. About a week after this event had been communicated to her, she was sur- prised, one morning, by an early visit from her father; who, contrary to his wont of late, approached her with a show of kindness, and even affection, and said; " Bertha, my dear, baron Eisenfuss has just called on me to claim the hand which has been so long promised to him, and which he is anxious to make his own, before he rejoins the army. As, therefore, his sojourn in this city will be short, he has commissioned me to entreat of you to fix an early day for the completion of his feli- city." " O, my father," exclaimed Bertha, " do not, I beseech you, urge me to make shipwreck of my happiness, by an union with one whom I can never, never love !" " Bertha," was the rejoinder," you do the baron less than justice, and, at the same time, shut your eyes to the advantages of the alliance. If he have not the personal attractions of some of our gallants, N2 180 WALDEMAR. his courage, and soldierly accomplishments amply atone for the deficiency. Then, again, he has wealth ; of which, his castle and domains in Saxony, con- stitute but an inconsiderable portion." " O, not for the wealth of the Indies, would I become the bride of that ruthless man," cried the poor girl, in an agony of grief; " a man, who, but for the interposition of a gracious Providence, would, to my knowledge, have committed a cold- blooded murder, on one whose high and chivalric qualities he basely envied." " I know," said Schlaukopf, exchanging, for the mild and expostulatory tone which he had hitherto assumed, his wonted sternness, " I know to what and to whom you allude : but learn, shameless girl, that your minion, Waldemar, shall no longer be a stumbling-block in my path. He is now a state-prisoner in yonder tower on the Danube ; and, but for my intercession, had, ere this, died the death of a traitor. Now listen to me : in three days from the present, prepare to become the wife of Eisenfuss; or, on the fourth, the head of Walde- mar rolls upon the block." " O !" exclaimed Bertha, casting herself at the feet of her unnatural parent, " I implore you, condemn me not to the utter and hopeless misery of an union with such a man as that hated Ei- senfuss ! Spare me but this, and I solemnly pro- mise to think no more of the count Waldemar, than as of one from whom the grave has di- vided me." " Bertha," returned Schlaukopf, " this Wal- demar has too long been an obstacle to my de- signs. More than once has he been in my power ; WALDEMAR. 181 yet, for the sake of our former friendship, have I spared him. Disobey me, however, in what I now require of you, and he dies the death. Remember, in three days !" As he pronounced the last words, he quitted the apartment ; leaving his daughter kneeling, in mute and motionless sorrow, like a statue by a tomb. She was aware that Waldemar's having fought on the side of the elector against the im- perialists, was regarded by the latter as an act of treason ; for which, in the bigoted minds of those, in whose hands he had fallen, even death itself would be deemed an inadequate punishment. On the other hand, she had seen proofs of her father's interest with the emperor, which justified the supposition that it was the influence of Schlaukopf, which stood between Waldemar and the scaffold. When, therefore, in addition to these convic- tions, experience of her father's unrelenting na- ture assured her^ that he would hesitate at no means, however unprincipled, of removing an im- pediment to his designs, it will be more easy to imagine than to describe the mental agony of one compelled to choose between the sacrifice of her own happiness, and that of the life of a being dearer to her than all the world besides. Time, which brings a balm to many of the af- flictions of humanity, only increased the poignancy of hers ; inasmuch, as the lapse of every minute brought her nearer to the hour in which she would be made to pronounce sentence either upon herself or her lover. At last, the eve of the fatal day arrived ; and yet, so dreadful was the alter- 182 WALDEMAR. native, that she replied to her father's reiterated demand only by tears and renewed supplications for mercy. Finding his endeavours to mould his daughter to his iniquitous views unavailing, he led her to a window of the apartment, and, directing her notice to a scaffold, which was then in course of prepara- tion, he said, " Behold the stage on which your fa- vourite, Waldemar, is destined to act the last scene in the drama of his life. I put it to you again : if you would avert his doom, be prepared, to-mor- row morning, to accompany me to the altar, and become the bride of Eisenfuss." Sleep, which had not blessed her pillow, since the appalling proposal was made to her, was not likely to visit her, on the night which followed her last interview with her father. She could, indeed, shut her eyes to the fearful vision of the scaffold, which had been disclosed to her ; but she could not shut her ears to the sound of the hammer which was employed in its construction. Its dull, heavy, monotonous stroke, seemed to her as the knell of " her own true love," or rather as marking the last pulsations of his gallant heart. The excitement produced by this mechanical agent, grew, every moment, more intense, until, at length, her feelings were wrought to such a pitch, that self became altogether merged in her affection ; and, with a generous devotion, of which the tender sex has ever exhibited more examples than the other, she resolved on saving the life of Waldemar, even at the fearful ransom which her father had named for it. When Schlaukopf, therefore, entered his daugh- WALDEMAR. 183 ter's apartment in the morning, she told him that she had made her election ; and that, on condition of his effectual interference to save the life of Wal- demar, she consented to be the bride of the hated baron. Schlaukopf, without hesitation, pledged himself, in the most solemn manner, to the fulfil- ment of his part of the contract ; and then bade Bertha array herself for the ceremony, for which he had provided the most splendid attire, and the most costly jewels. Much as it would have gratified the vanity of the ex-minister to have had his daughter's marriage so- lemnized in the metropolitan church of St. Stephen, he had cogent reasons for avoiding publicity on the occasion; and, therefore, made arrangements for the performance of the ceremony, in one of the most spacious apartments which the emperor had assigned to him. It was, however, necessary, for the sake of appearances, to procure the attendance of some of the members of the court ; and, accord- ingly, a company of both sexes, rather splendid than numerous, was assembled on the occasion. There are, I doubt not, some among my readers, who will withhold their credence to so reckless and unprincipled a sacrifice of the happiness of a daugh- ter, as is here recorded of Schlaukopf. The scep- tical, upon this point, however, need not search into the history of past generations, for parallel in- stances ; as modern times will furnish them with examples enough of similar immolations, and from motives even more base ; since Schlaukopf appears to have been actuated as much by the fear of of- fending one, who might prove a dangerous enemy, as by the desire of aggrandizing his family by a 184 WALDEMAR. wealthy alliance. How many parents do we see offer up their children on the altar of Mammon y and yet presume to marvel that the fruits of such a prostitution of a holy rite are misery and disho- nour ! Eisenfuss, with an impatience becoming a bride- groom, was early at the place of rendezvous, and was as fine as feathers and frippery could make him; but the company had all arrived, and the priest was waiting, before Bertha made her appear- ance. At length, leaning upon the arm of her father, she entered the room. She had been passive in the hands of her tire-women, and was splendidly apparelled. Her hair, as became a victim for the altar, was wreathed with flowers. Her steps were slow and feeble, her eyes red with weeping, and her cheeks pale as marble. A close observer might, however, have traced somewhat of resigna- tion in the expression of her countenance ; and, it is more than probable, that she was supported in the arduous struggle, by the consciousness that the sacrifice was not made in vain. Eisenfuss, with the grim smile of an ogre, ad- vanced to receive his bride ; but, at the moment their hands met, a shudder passed over the frame of Bertha, and was apparent to the bystanders ; from more than one of whom, a murmur of disap- probation was heard, rendering both the bridegroom and Schlaukopf anxious for the completion of the sacred rite. The bride was led to the temporary altar, and the ceremony commenced ; but, as it pro- ceeded, it became necessary for the bridemaids to support her. The priest had arrived at that part WALDEMAR. 185 of the service which was to tie the indissoluble knot, when the door of the apartment was sud- denly opened, and an unbidden guest, in the per- son of captain Sarsfield, advanced towards the bridal group. With his usual degage air, and a good-humoured smile upon his lips, he bowed slightly to the com- pany ; and then, going up to Eisenfuss, pulled him gently by the sleeve, and said, in an audible whisper. " I am sorry to spoil a party of pleasure like the present; but I have a message for you, which, it may be, had better be delivered on the other side of the door yonder." " Really," responded the baron, " your errand must needs be urgent, since you can find no other time and place than the present at which to acquit yourself of it." "Faith, then," continued the Hibernian, "you have just guessed it ; my message will not keep ; so step out into the corridor with me, and I will tell you all about it." "But allow the ceremony to be concluded first," said Eisenfuss ; "at any rate, pay some regard to the feelings of the lady." " I would do any thing on earth to oblige her," was the reply, " and, if I can read the hand-writing in her pretty face, I cannot better prove my since- rity in her service, than by making you my priso- ner before she becomes yours." " Prisoner !" echoed the bridegroom, in evident surprise, not unmixed with alarm, " what warrant have you for arresting me ?" " The best warrant in the world to a soldier that 186 WALDEMAR. knows his duty ; the command of his superior offi- cer," rejoined the other. " And," said Schlaukopf, interfering, for the first time, in the dispute, " I shall scarcely deem it of sufficient authority for the interruption of the rite which we are met to solemnize." " But," resumed Sarsfield, " as it is I, who am responsible for the due execution of the warrant, you must e'en leave me to judge of its suffi- ciency." " Be it at your proper peril to lay hands on the baron, until yon holy man has done his office. I will instantly appeal to his imperial majesty ;" said Schlaukopf, waxing impetuous." " Then," was the cool reply, " let his imperial majesty settle the matter with the colonel. My offi- cer may have exceeded his commission, but he will expect me to execute mine ; and, therefore, I must request baron Eisenfuss to attend me." The baron, instead of obeying the summons, made a show of resisting it, by laying his hand upon his sword, when the Hibernian inquired, " Are you mad, or do you think that I came here un- supported by a power sufficient for the fulfilment of my errand ?" This menace had the effect of rousing a few of Schlaukopf's and the bridegroom's immediate friends ; who drew their swords, and ranged them- selves on the side of Eisenfuss. Sarsfield, stepping back a few paces, exclaimed, " Gentlemen of the imperial guard, advance, and do your duty !" The words had scarcely escaped his lips, when the heavy tramp of armed men was heard in the WALDEMAR. 187 corridor ; and, the next instant, a body of the guards rushed into the room, and advanced to the support of their officer. The blood, however, of Eisenfuss and his fol- lowers, was up, and they exhibited no- disposition to retreat before the intruders. The female spec- tators of the scene, shrieking with terror, fled out of the room ; leaving the bride, who was leaning against a pillar for support. Sarsfield was in the act of commanding his men to fall on and secure the prisoner, when the excla- mation, from many mouths, of " Place for the empe- ror !" prevented hostilities ; and was immediately followed by the entrance of Ferdinand. Schlaukopf no sooner saw the emperor, than, with a promptitude which characterized all his movements, he approached the monarch ; and, after complaining of the manner in which the solemni- ties of the morning had been interrupted, offered to pledge himself for the loyalty of the suspected party. " Answer for yourself," said the emperor, coldly and with dignity; " and, first, how is it that I find you and your friends in arms against my officer in the execution of his duty ?" Schlaukopf pleaded a doubt of the captain's au- thority to make the arrest. " That you may entertain no further doubt on the subject," continued Ferdinand, " I command cap- tain Sarsfield to seize that double traitor, the baron Eisenfuss, and see that he quits Vienna in three hours ; and, if after as many weeks, I find him in the Austrian territories, his life shall be the for- feit!" 188 WALDEMAR. Eisenfuss, who, doubtless, had good reasons for anticipating a less lenient sentence, instantly gave up his sword to Sarsfield ; while his partizans re- turned their weapons to their sheaths, and fell back into the crowd of spectators. The emperor turned as if to quit the room ; when the apathy with which Bertha had gazed upon the scene, suddenly gave place to an expression of wild- ness; and, rushing forward, she fell at the feet of Ferdinand and exclaimed, " Save him ! save him !" " Save whom, my child?" said the emperor, look- ing compassionately on the suppliant. " Him," replied Bertha, " for whom yon fearful scaffold is erected." " Why," inquired Ferdinand, " what interest can you have in the life of an assassin and a rob- ber ?" " O, believe it not, most gracious prince !" was her reply. " He has been foully slandered ; a man more bright in honour, more pure, more noble, breathes not." " Poor girl!" exclaimed the emperor, "she raves, or is under some strange delusion. He for whom you intercede is stained by the blackest crimes ; and hark ! the fatal signal now ceases to breathe." " O God ! the good, the generous Waldemar ! in vain have I offered myself a ransom for thy life !" shrieked the wretched girl, and fell senseless on the floor. Schlaukopf summoned some of the females, who had returned to the room, to the assistance of his daughter ; and, anxious to avoid an explanation, directed that she might be removed to her own WALDEMAR. 1 89 chamber. Ferdinand, however, who had, as we have seen, been previously been informed of her attach- ment to Waldemar, began to discern a clue to the mystery ; and his suspicions being thoroughly roused, he peremptorily ordered all, but the women in attendance on Bertha, to quit the apartment ; and, retiring to a bay window, awaited the result of the endeavours to restore the patient. Schlaukopf yet lingered behind, in apparent anxiety for the condition of his daughter ; but the monarch commanded his absence ; hinting, at the same time, that, had his solicitude for her welfare been exhibited somewhat earlier, matters would not have arrived at such a pass. When Bertha was restored to partial conscious- ness, she looked wildly around her, and exclaimed, " It was a fearful dream : methought that Wal- demar was dead." Then, as her eye fell on the emperor, the recollection of what had occurred came upon her, in all its force, and she added, "Alas! it was not a dream!" and would, pro- bably, have relapsed, had not the monarch come forward, and, taking the poor girl's hand, said, in a tone of kindness, nay, almost of affection, " Be comforted, my child ; count Waldemar lives." " You do but mock me," said Bertha ; " saw I not the scaffold, and heard I not the fatal signal ?" " You are deceived, maiden," said Ferdinand ; " that signal was the knell of a captain of banditti; who, having long been the scourge of the surround- ing country, was, at last, captured, and executed, in terrorem to his comrades." "And does the gallant Waldemar still live?" 190 WALDEMAR. inquired Bertha. " O ! let my ear drink those blessed words again." " He lives, upon my princely word," rejoined the emperor. *' Then, how have I been deceived, and how nearly had I sacrificed my happiness!" exclaimed Bertha. Ferdinand, rinding that the attendants might be dismissed, without risk to their patient, commanded them to quit the room ; and, by a few questions, elicited from Bertha an account of the cruel cir- cumstances, in which she had been placed. When he had cleared up the mystery, he said, " Be of good courage, my child ; count Wal- demar is my prisoner, and I may not, dare not, set him at liberty ; but of this be satisfied, that while I rule in Vienna, not a hair of his head shall be harmed . Go in peace ; and remember, that you have a friend in Ferdinand of Austria : fear not to appeal to him in the hour of your trouble." As he said this, he pressed kindly the hand which he had taken when he first addressed her, and quitted the apartment. WALDEMAR. 191 CHAPTER IV. IF we have succeeded in conveying to our readers a correct notion of the character of Carl Wolfenberg, they will, doubtless, desire to know somewhat more of his history ; and it, therefore, behoves us to inform them, that, after having acquitted himself, at the battle of Leipsic, in a manner which added to the lustre of his previously high military reputation, he received a shot, towards the close of the engage- ment, which placed him hors de combat, and in- capacitated him from accompanying the electoral army in its march towards Bohemia. The injury, although not dangerous, was severe, and required attention ; which, that he might the more effectually receive, his friend Waldemar caused him to be quartered in a cottage in the neighbourhood of the field of battle, and consigned him to the care of our old acquaintance, Fritz; who took upon himself the important offices of surgeon and nurse; having been furnished with instructions for the treatment of the wound, by the Swedish 192 WALDEMAR. surgeon, by whom Wolfenberg was, in the first instance, attended. It is a fact worthy of note, that, although Gus- tavus had assigned four surgeons to every regiment in his service, the German troops were unprovided with those essential appendages to an army. Tilly himself, after the battle of Leipsic, was compelled to call on the town surgeon of Halle to dress his wounds ; and there are reasons for believing that the Austrians had no regular surgeons in their regiments, until about the year 1718. Fritz, it may be imagined, did not enter upon his office without a due sense of its importance ; and, correctly deeming that the authority of the physician was superior to that of his officer, he kept up so strict a blo.ckade on the patient's mouth, that no contraband provisions were ever smuggled into it. Thus it happened, that the captain was often compelled to swallow slops, when he would have regaled on solids ; and to drink of the pure element when he would have given all the rivers of Ger- many for a single flask of Rudesheimer. It is probable, however, that Fritz, in the endea- vour to avoid Scylla, tumbled into Charybdis ; for, although the inflammation was effectually over- come, the patient was left in a state of such ex- haustion, that the necessity of a more generous treatment became apparent to the worthy leech himself. It was at this particular juncture, that the baron Lindenhausen, having heard of Wolfen- berg's misfortune, despatched a messenger to invite him to try the change of air and housekeeping, at his castle on the banks of the Elbe. Carl, as in duty bound, submitted the missive to WALDEMAR. 193 his doctor, who looked grave, as became him, con- sidered the matter for a few minutes, and said, "The fact is, captain, the sooner we shift our quarters, the better ; for war, it seems, is a thirsty trade, and, between Swede and Saxon, there is not a flask of good wine to be had for love or money. Now, I can recommend the baron's Hochheimer, and his cookery is unexceptionable. The distance, moreover, is short, and the conveyance easy, and, therefore, we will set out to-morrow." It is somewhat remarkable, that, although the patient had, on many occasions, taken upon him- self to remonstrate with his physician, he urged not the slightest objection to the proposed arrangement. However, while it is the duty of a historian to re- cord facts, he is not always expected to account for them : certain it is, that Wolfenberg and his attendant set out, on the following morning, in a carriage which the baron had despatched for the purpose, and arrived, in due time, at the gates of the castle of Lindenhausen. Right heartily was Carl welcomed by its worthy proprietor ; and, if Rudolpha was not so profuse in her greetings of the young soldier, I am not sure that her satisfaction, on the occasion, was less than her father's. She spoke not beyond the mere utterance of his name ; but one look such as woman bestows only upon the man she loves told him more than the feeble language of the tongue would have expressed in a volume. From that moment, Fritz's ^Esculapian occupa- tion was gone. He fell down to his own level, and, if report speak the truth, occasionally to the level of the cellar floor. He was superseded in his VOL. VIII. O 194 WALDEMAR. office by Rudolpha ; who, as Wolfenberg needed nothing more than nourishing diet to perfect his recovery, was competent to the charge. A pretty woman against the college of physi- cians ! Carl convalesced with astonishing rapidity. " The course of true love never did run smooth," is a dictum of one who had traced every passion to its secret fountain in the human heart ; and , taken in the sense in which it was meant, that is, as applying to the whole course of love, the maxim has the stamp of truth. The stream has its giddy whirlpools, its billows, and its cataracts ; but ? there are times, when, for however brief a space, it flows calm and still, yet deep withal, reflecting, without a ripple, the brightness and the beauty of the eternal heavens ! Blest in the society of each other, they had arrived at this happy point : the course of their true love did, at last, run smooth ; and, although we are not of those who deem, that, in order to the due relishing of the Laffitte of pleasure, it is neces- sary to have drunk deeply of the salt-and-water of affliction, we doubt not that the recollection of past anxieties imparted, by contrast, a zest to pre- sent enjoyment. Hours, days, and weeks glided on, until the entire re-establishment of Wolfenberg's health left him without a plea for prolonging his stay ; and, at the same time, every moment spent in the society of Rudolpha, increased his reluctance to depart. It was sufficiently evident, as well from the mes- sage he had received from his friend Waldemar, as from the general demeanour of Lindenhausen, that the sentiments of the latter towards him had under- WALDEMAR. 195 gone a favourable change ; but, whether it was the intention of the baron to extend the period of Carl's probation, was a question of by no means such easy solution. Lindenhausen permitted to Wolfenberg the free enjoyment of Rudolpha's society ; but while, on the one hand, the baron uniformly parried the sub- ject of Carl's departure, he had, on the other, never made the remotest allusion to their attach- ment. It was not, indeed, to be expected, that the old gentleman would offer the hand of his daughter to Wolfenberg; but then, it was as little to be imagined, that the latter, a mere soldier of fortune, with not a kreutzer beyond his pay, could muster sufficient courage to ask her of her fa- ther. It was on the evening of a November day, that the baron and his guest were seated, one on each side of the hearth, with a flask of excellent Rhe- nish, on the curiously carved table between them. The blaze of the cheerful fire lit up the counte- nances of the grim warriors, depicted on the panels ; and was reflected by many a helmet, targe, and corslet, which, with other warlike implements, were arranged on the polished oak sides of the apartment. Rudolpha was engaged, on some duty, in another part of the castle ; ladies, in those days, not deem- ing it any disparagement to their high breeding, to superintend their household concerns : nor do we find that they were worse served, or less loved, by their domestics, than are their successors of the present day. The baron and the young soldier were, therefore, by themselves. The natural good humour of the former, was increased by the ex- o 2 196 WALDEMAR. cellence of the wine, and the perception that it was relished by his guest. " Captain," said Lindenhausen, " I perceive you like that wine, by the manner in which you drink it. I hate to see a man toss off a goblet of good liquor at a draught, as though it were so much physic, and, therefore, the sooner off the palate, the better." " No man can make that remark," was the reply, " with better grace than yourself, baron ; since, at few boards, flows the wine more freely than at yours. It is, indeed, of a rare quality, and in excellent order. If I mistake not, we had a flask of it in the forest the other day." " True," said the baron ; " and, talking of the forest, what say you to a hunt to-morrow ? If this weather continue, the scent will lie bravely." " 'Faith, my kind host," rejoined the other, " it is full time that I resigned the hunting-spear, and resumed the sword ; I have already taxed your hospitality too long." " Taxed my patience, say rather, by swallowing slops, at the rate of an ounce of meat to a gallon of water," said the baron : " why, a wandering min- strel, or a mendicant friar, would clear off more at one meal, than you do at a dozen." " But," resumed Wolfenberg, " I have no longer an excuse for being absent from my regi- ment." " Tut," answered Lindenhausen, " the vacancy has been filled up by one, who will do as well to be shot at as yourself ; for, credit me, never man fell in the field, but another blockhead was found WALDEMAR. 197 to fill his place : so set your mind at ease on that score." " I cannot, however, reconcile to my conscience the desertion of the good cause," replied Carl. "Nay," responded the -baron, "in rejoining your regiment, you are as likely to-jfmd yourself on the wrong side, as the right; since, between his jealousy of the Swede, and his dread of the em- peror, John George will not be long ere he declares for Ferdinand again." " He has committed himself too far for that," was the reply. " Well," said the other, " we shall see ; but, if an inference may be drawn from the forbearance observed towards the imperial palace, at the taking of Prague, the elector is more disposed to conciliate his late master, than to incense him. Meanwhile, let the world wag as it may, we will have our boar- hunt to-morrow ; and I think I can promise you some sport, if the weather change not." Wolfenberg, however, still hesitated at the pro- position of the baron ; which, being perceived by the latter, he added, " Come, give me your hand on it, and let us drink a glass to the success of our enterprise : I will warrant our being back again in time for you to keep your tryst, this afternoon ; nay, do not blush so, you will singe your whiskers off." Lindenhausen's allusion to an appointment which Wolfenberg, unconscious of being over- heard, had made with Rudolpha, overwhelmed the young soldier with confusion. The baron, however, mercifully interrupting the other's stammering at- tempt at an explanation, continued, " Captain, I 198 WALDEMAR. will be candid with you ; I was an accidental and unwilling listener to the conversation between yourself and Rudolpha, last evening ; on which I have nothing to remark, except that it savoured somewhat less of sense than sentiment. I need not tell you, that I was, long before, aware of your attachment ; and that, had not the feelings, under which I put an end to your intercourse in the Ne- therlands, undergone some change, I should not have afforded you the opportunity of renewing the acquaintance. Your resolution of repairing to the field of Mars, to gather fresh laurels, to lay at the feet of your mistress, etc. etc., is all very fine and magnanimous, and altogether worthy of a soldier and a simpleton ; while her vow of eternal fidelity, is equally a matter of course. I would, however, counsel you to consider whether it also follows, that a young lady, who makes an engagement with a cavalier who has four limbs, will hold herself bound to keep it with the proprietor of only two." Wolfenberg, who, during this somewhat lengthy peroration of Lindenhausen, had time to collect his scattered senses, expressed his gratitude for the favour with which the baron was pleased to regard his passion ; acknowledging, of course, his own utter unworthiness of the fair Rudolpha, although he would have challenged, to mortal combat, any one who had presumed to insinuate aught of the kind. Carl, however, added, that, in his eagerness to resume the sword, he was instigated, not merely by the desire of glory, but by the hope of obtaining a more substantial reward, which would strengthen his pretensions to the honour of his daughter's hand . WALDEMAR, 199 " Wolfenberg, my good friend," was the baron's reply, " you have profited little by your experi- ence, if you do not know, that, in the field of battle, cloven crowns are more plentiful than golden ones ; and, for my own part, without reference to Ru- dolpha's taste in the matter, I confess, I should prefer a son-in-law, with the usual complement of limbs and brains. If, therefore, you choose to set up your staff where you are, and can bear with the whims and fancies of an old man, for the short re- mainder of his earthly sojourn, there is my daughter ; in whose right, when my lease of life is out, you will reign in my stead." Carl's acknowledgments of so generous a pro- posal, it will readily be imagined, were neither few nor cold. The baron, however, whose feelings, notwithstanding the gaiety of tone which he as- sumed, were not a little excited, shifted the dis- course, by a recurrence to the old subject of the hunting expedition. They were, shortly afterwards, interrupted, by the entrance of a servant, announ- cing a visitor ; who, pleading the urgency of his errand, solicited an immediate interview with Carl Wolfenberg. " By the three kings of Cologne !" exclaimed the baron, " his mission must needs be urgent, that claims an audience at this time of night ; so admit him forthwith." The stranger was a tall, majestic personage, the stately hauteur of whose bearing was happily re- lieved by a grace of manner, which is ever the accompaniment of true dignity. After saluting the baron and his guest, he turned to' the latter, and WALDEMAR. inquired, if he were addressing captain Wolfen- berg." Carl replied, by an inclination of the head. " You are a friend, then, of count Waldemar?" said the visitor. " I am," was the reply, " I trust you bring no ill tidings of him." " I would that they were of a different com- plexion," said the other. " Speak, then," exclaimed Carl quickly, "what evil has befallen him ?" " He is in bondage," answered the stranger. " In bondage !" echoed Wolfenberg, " impos- sible ! he was at the head of his regiment, after the battle of Leipsic ; and there has since occurred no engagement between the Saxons and the Imperial- ists, in which he was likely to be taken prisoner. The elector's progress through Bohemia, if report speak truly, has scarcely been opposed." " Nevertheless," was the rejoinder, " what I tell you is the truth. The count quitted the Saxon camp, on a temporary visit to his own castle ; which he found in possession of his enemy, baron Eisen- fuss, by whom he was overpowered, and would have been sacrificed, but for the intervention of an Irish captain of horse in the imperial service. His rescuer, however, made him his captive, and the count is now a prisoner in Vienna." " Are there no means of effecting his deliver- ance ?" inquired Wolfenberg. " It may be attempted," replied the other ; " and, among the instruments, are the zeal of a true friend, and the firm hand of a soldier. I hope I have not travelled so far in quest of them in vain." WALDEMAR. 201 " Assuredly you have not," was the rejoinder ; " but ere I place them at your disposal, I must know with whom I co-operate. Your name ? " Rolandi." "The Jew of Magdeburg?" " The same." " Enough," said Wolfenberg; " Waldemar pe- rilled life and limb, for one who is dearer to me than my heart's blood, and I will risk the same stake for him. Shall we set forward to-night ?" " This very hour," was the response. "Be it so ;" said Wolfenberg, rising to make preparation for the journey. " Hold !" exclaimed the baron ; " the preserver of my child has a claim to my assistance in his deliverance. I will accompany you." " Nay," remarked Rolandi, " that would but mar our enterprise, which requires promptness and decision ; and we should but clog the steps of youth, by yoking it with old age." " Alas !" said the baron, " I had forgotten that I am not what I was ; but, if gold can avail aught in the design, all I have, even to the last crown and the last acre, shall be freely devoted to it." " It will not be needed, at least from your coffers," responded the Jew. Wolfenberg, having equipped himself for his journey, explained, in a brief interview, its object to Rudolpha ; who, much though she dreaded to part from him, scarcely recovered, as he was, from the effects of his wounds, cordially concurred in the measure. The baron placed the best horse in his stable at the disposal of Rolandi, in exchange for his own, 202 WALDEMAR. which was fatigued by a journey of some hours ; and Wolfenberg being mounted on his charger, the two travellers set out on their expedition, with the fervent prayers of Lindenhausen and his daugh- ter for its success. WALDEMAR. 203 CHAPTER V. THE night, which had set in stormily, began to clear ; and the moon rose in such brilliancy, as to leave the travellers little reason to regret the ab- sence of daylight. Rolandi took the lead, and, for some miles, scarcely uttered a word, beyond an oc- casional caution to his companion in the rear, as to the road, which was, in many places, rugged and intricate. At length, Wolfenberg, observing, with some uneasiness, that the Jew was proceeding at a pace which, it was quite evident, could not be kept up for many leagues, hazarded a remark upon the subject. " Christian," was the answer, " it is scarcely an hour since you expressed an implicit confidence in my guidance ; and might, therefore, methinks, have waited a more fitting occasion for withdrawing it." While he was speaking, as if in defiance of the other's caution, he put spurs to his steed, and pro- ceeded, at even a more rapid rate than before, When, however, they entered a forest by a road, 204 WALDEMAR. in which, Carl well knew, there was not, for many miles, a house where they could procure a change of horses, or even refreshment for those they rode, he remonstrated with Rolandi, in a more peremptory tone. " Of what do you suspect me ?" inquired the Jew, with cynical asperity : " think you that I have travelled so many miles, and put myself to such trouble and charges, with the mere view of decoying a soldier of fortune into a forest, to ease him of his gold ?" " 'Faith," was the answer, " if such be your purpose, you are likely to gain little for your pains, beyond a light purse and hard blows. In truth, however, I do not doubt your honour, al- though I have marvellous misgivings of your pru- dence. A man may be the pearl of honesty, and yet be an indifferent judge of horse-flesh." The words had scarcely passed his lips, ere, having arrived at an open spot in the forest, Ro- landi drew up his horse; and, applying a small silver call to his lips, blew a short, but shrill note on it. Wolfenberg, despite his confidence in the honour of his companion, laid his hand upon a pistol in his holster ; but instantly withdrew it, on perceiving an unarmed man issue from a thicket, with two led horses. Rolandi immediately dismounted, and, vaulting upon one of them, bade Carl follow his example ; saying, at the same time, " Nay, fear not for your charger ; he shall be well cared for, and restored to you at a fitting season. Meanwhile, the quality of the steed you are mounting, will be security for the return of your own, and vindicate WALDEMAR. 205 my judgment in horse-flesh, which you are pleased to hold in such light estimation." " In truth," replied Wolfenberg, who, from the action and spirit of the animal he bestrode, soon discovered that the Jew had not overrated its qua- lities, " if this be a specimen of your taste, I am bound to acknowledge my error, and crave your pardon. But, I pray you, tell me, did they drop from the clouds, or spring out of the earth ? for by nothing short of magic, are they here, at such an hour and place." " Ay," rejoined Rolandi, " by the magic of the mighty talisman, which covers the sea with fleets, and the plain with armies ; and is omnipotent, alike, with the fools who follow, and the knaves who lead." " And that talisman," remarked Wolfenberg, " is gold." "Yes," said the Jew, "gold the curse of both the miser and the spendthrift ; and a blessing only when it is consecrated to high and unselfish purposes." The second stage of their journey was performed with even more expedition than the first ; until, at last, the animals they rode began to exhibit symp- toms of fatigue. Wolfenberg, however, after the reproof he had received on the former occasion, and the evidence he had had of his companion's resources, refrained from any remark; although he felt the effects of their forced march upon his own frame. Suddenly, Rolandi turned out of the beaten track into a by-path, which struck off, at a right angle, and, being continued, for some hundred 206 WALDEMAR. yards, brought the travellers to a forester's cot- tage. At a signal, similar to that which had pro- duced the horses in the time of need, the door was opened by a peasant; who took the jaded steeds of Carl and Rolandi, while the two latter entered the cottage. There was a cheerful fire on the hearth, although not sufficiently strong to illuminate the room, which was somewhat spacious for that class of dwelling. Rolandi drew from his vest a lump of aromatic gum ; and, igniting it with a brand from the hearth, flung it into a goblet of water, on which it floated ; giving forth a brilliant light, and diffusing a re- freshing perfume through the apartment. There was a small table spread for two persons, and covered with viands, and wines, of a quality which ill accorded with the humble cottage wherein the banquet was prepared. Rolandi enacted the host on the occasion, with the ease and courtesy of one accustomed to play the part; and, divesting him- self of the sternness which he had at first assumed, displayed powers of conversation, of no ordinary kind, and a depth and variety of information, which astonished, while it delighted, his compa- nion, who had formed a different estimate of his character. When their repast was finished, Rolandi said, " Christian, a few hours' rest is needful, both for ourselves and our horses. There," he added, pointing to a heap of straw, " is your ".ouch ; somewhat more homely, it must be confessed, than your fare ; but the luxuries of the chamber are less transportable than those of the table." " Fear not for me," was the reply ; " there are WALDEMAR. 207 many seasons in a soldier's life, when a bed of traw is in the catalogue of his luxuries." On the following morning the travellers rose with the lark ; and, after partaking of some refresh- ment, pursued their journey. " That I have every confidence in your good guidance," remarked Wolfenberg to his compa- nion, " I think I have sufficiently proved by the soundness of my slumbers in yonder cottage ; but, to own the truth, I did not much like the appear- ance of our host." 1 ' And when I tell you," was the rejoinder, " that he is the ally of as ferocious a band of robbers as ever levied contributions upon travel- lers, you will probably believe that my admiration of his character is scarcely greater than your own." " Then," exclaimed Wolfenberg, in manifest surprise, " why, in the name of heaven, did you trust our lives to his keeping ?" " For the simple reason," said the other, " that it was to his interest to respect them." " As how?" inquired Carl. " Because," replied Rolandi, " there being two of us, and either a better man than himself, he could not attempt to master our purses without calling in the aid of his band ; in which case, his share of the spoil would not have amounted to one- tenth of the reward he had been promised at my hands." Rolandi's arrangements, with regard to relays of horses, and other matters connected with their progress, were so admirably perfect, that the tra- vellers pursued their journey across Bohemia with- 208 WALDEMAR. out interruption. On their arrival at the foot of the chain of mountains which divides that country from Austria, they halted, for the night, at an inn ; which, although in a wild and retired spot, was of considerable magnitude, it having once been the re- sidence of a Bohemian nobleman. It was, indeed, so spacious that, for the comparatively little cus- tom accruing to the house, it did not answer the purpose of the innkeeper to occupy the whole of it; and, consequently, a portion of the building was in a state of neglect and dilapidation. On riding up to the door, or rather gate of the inn, and inquiring, more as a matter of course than an implication of a doubt on the subject, if they could be accommodated for the night, they were answered by the host, that a nobleman, with a somewhat numerous retinue, had arrived a few hours before ; and that the best rooms, in fact, the only ones which had, of late, been inhabited, had been devoted to his accommodation. " But," added Boniface, unwilling, under any circum- stances, to lose a guest, " it, by no means, follows, that, because a room is uninhabited, it is unin- habitable; and, if your honours will alight, afire shall be kindled in one of the best of the unoccupied rooms, so as to counteract the effects of long dis- use ; while, as to fare, the reputation of the ' Three Bears ' would be ruined for ever, if its larder and cellar were to be exhausted by twice the number of guests now under its roof." On this assurance, the travellers entered the inn, and were shewn into an upper apartment ; which, from the united effects of time and neglect, was as comfortless as weary traveller could desire. WALDEMAR. '209 In the article of fire, however, the host kept his word to the letter ; there being, in a short space of time, a blaze on the hearth sufficient to have roasted a sheep, had there been one to roast. But, alas, for the necessities of the guests, and the promises of the landlord ! neither sheep, nor part of one, nor, indeed, fresh meat of any kind, was forthcoming*. A magnificent boar-ham, however, and, in de- ference, probably, to the religious prejudices of the Jew, an equally respectable piece of hung-beef, were produced ; which, in whatever other points they might be held inferior to fresher fare, gave an additional relish to a flask of very sufTerable wine. In furnishing their board the host had done his utmost. Beds, of course, were out of the question ; and, accordingly, the floor of their supper-room was their resting-place for the night. Wolfenberg had often slept upon as hard a couch, and, occa- sionally, upon a much colder one ; and, therefore, had no reasonable excuse for not betaking him- self to the land of dreams with all expedition. He, however, was restless ; his eyes, instead of being closed in slumber, were watching the gro- tesque shapes in the burning embers ; and the crackling of the wood seemed to have the power of frightening away the sleep he courted. As he lay in this state of disquietude, his atten- tion was excited by a sound, something between a sob and a sigh, which, he could almost have per- suaded himself, was uttered in the room. A glance, however, at his companion, who was in a deep and tranquil slumber, satisfied him upon that point ; VOL. VIII. P 210 WALDEMAR. and he listened for a repetition of the noise. Ano- ther and a deeper sob, of an hysterical character, convinced him that it proceeded from the adjoin- ing apartment ; but, on examining the wainscot partition between the two chambers, he was un- able to discover a crevice, by which he might ac- quire additional information, through the more satisfactory medium of his eyes. At one end of the chamber there was a door, which, yielding to a slight effort, admitted him into a closet, having another door immediately opposite to the first, and, therefore, common to both rooms. The second door, however, was fas- tened on the other side, and impeded his fur- ther progress. In the meantime, the sounds of distress became more distinct and frequent ; while the fact, which could not be mistaken, of their proceeding from a female, exciting in the bosom of Carl a worthier feeling than curiosity, increased his eagerness to fathom the mystery. The wainscot of the closet, however, was more favourable to Wolfenberg's investigations than that of the chamber ; an aperture, discovered to him by a faint glimmer of light which streamed through it, enabling him to obtain a partial view of the next room. The object of his solicitude was sit- ting with her back towards him, her head being bent forward, and her face buried in her handker- chief. She was evidently youthful, and beautifully formed ; while the elegance of her attire indicated superior rank. Wolfenberg, in his endeavour to gain a better view of the sufferer, moved some article suspended WALDEMAR. 211 in the closet ; the slight noise consequent on which caused her to raise her head, and to turn her face in the direction of Wolfenberg's ambuscade. It was, however, but for a moment ; she resumed her former position, but, in that brief space, had sup- plied him with an additional motive for ascertain- ing the cause of her grief. It was Bertha Schlau- kopf, the betrothed of Waldemar ! While Wolfenberg was deliberating upon the best method of advertising the maid that a friend was at hand, without exciting her alarm, he heard a door open in her chamber, when she again looked up ; and then, raising her hands, and avert- ing her face, appeared to avoid some appalling or revolting vision. The next instant a man ad- vanced to the spot, in whom Carl recognised baron Eisenfuss ; to whose character and designs he was no stranger. The ruffian approached the forlorn damsel with the grin of a satyr ; but she shrank from the pollu- tion of his touch, as from some loathsome and poi- sonous reptile. " Bertha!" exclaimed Eisenfuss, in atone which was intended to be the concentration of all that is insinuating and seductive. " Familiar scoundrel !" thought, and almost eja- culated Wolfenberg. " Dear Bertha," pursued the baron, growing more tender as he proceeded, " why so cruel to one who adores you ?" The blood mounted to the cheeks of the beauti- ful girl, as fired by the vulgar familiarity of his address, she indignantly replied, " Baron, if you had a particle of the feelings of a gentleman, p 2 212 WALDEMAR. or the spirit of a man, you would desist from per- secutions which are as distressing to me, as, exer- cised towards a defenceless woman, they are dis- graceful to yourself!" " But, wherefore," inquired her tormentor, at- tempting, vainly however, to take her hand, " this unavailing resistance, since, with your father's sanction of my suit, I have the means of enforc- ing it?" " My father," was the reply, " has a right to my affections ; but he has the right, as little as he pos- sesses the power, to transfer them to another ; and yours they can never be." " Then," rejoined the ruffian, with a demoniacal laugh of triumph, " I must e'en take that by force, which you deny to my entreaties !" and, while he spoke, he flung his arm around her waist. " Baron," cried the poor girl, rendered despe- rate by the perilous circumstances in which she was placed, '* unhand me, or I will alarm the people of the inn !" " Who," said Eisenfuss, with a smile of scorn, " are, compared with my followers, as one to ten. Yield, therefore, with a good grace, since help for you there is none." " Ruffian, thou liest !" roared Carl Wolfenberg, applying his knee with such emphasis to the closet- door, that it split from the top to the bottom, and admitted a third party on the stage. Before Eisenfuss could recover from the surprise occasioned by this unlooked-for intrusion, Carl's grasp was upon his throat, and would speedily have anticipated the office of the hangman, had not the WALDEMAR. 213 noise created by the scuffle, brought the ruffian's retinue to his assistance. Wolfenberg, on the approach of the auxilia- ries, flung the baron from him ; and, stepping be- tween the maiden and her enemies, drew his sword, and fearlessly waited their attack. Eisenfuss was not long in recovering both his feet and his respiration ; and, with that cool self-possession, which is often the concomitant of hardened villany, addressed himself to Wolfenberg, saying, " Your arrival, captain, is somewhat un- expected, but not, on that account, the less op- portune ; inasmuch as you will be enabled to carry to your friend Waldemar tidings of the nuptials of one, in whom, I have reason to know, he feels a peculiar interest." " Scoundrel!" exclaimed Wolfenberg, " I would slay you at the altar first ; assured that your blood, base as it is, were a less foul pollution than the desecration you propose !" " And," said the other, not regarding, or not caring to answer Carl's remark, " in order that we may not lose the honour of your company at the ceremony, I shall make you my prisoner in the interim ; but let us first secure the lady." " The man who lays a finger on her, dies, though my own life be the next sacrifice !" exclaimed Wolfenberg, placing himself in an attitude to second his threat ! " Poor gentleman !" said Eisenfuss, in a tone of ineffable contempt, " he raveth. Prithee, Ludolf," he added, turning to one of his followers, who car- ried pistols in his girdle, " do you enact the leech 214 WALDEMAR. on the occasion, and administer the powder and the pill." His myrmidon, nothing loth, prepared to obey the mandate ; but, ere he could pull the trigger, the word " Forbear !" in the full, stern voice of the Jew, arrested his hand ; and, the next moment, Rolandi stood between Eisenfuss and the intended victim. The Israelite was unarmed, as he had risen from his couch, and his addition to the weaker party, was contemptible, in comparison with the numerical strength of their opponents ; but, had he been a spectre from the grave, the effect of his appearance upon Eisenfuss could not have been more marked or instantaneous. His countenance fell like that of a criminal in the presence of his judge ; and, be- yond a faint and faltering exclamation of surprise, he uttered not a word, until he was addressed by Rolandi; who, with an expression of lofty scorn, upon his singularly handsome, yet stern counte- nance, demanded of the baron " What new piece of villany is this ? But why do I seek the truth from one whose tongue has never uttered aught but falsehood ?" Then, turning to Carl, he added, " Captain Wolfenberg, explain to me, I pray you, the mystery of this scene, in which you seem to have pitted yourself, single-handed against a host." Wolfenberg detailed to his fellow traveller, in a few words, the circumstances of the case ; men- tioning, at the same time, the connection between the young lady and his friend Waldemar. Eisenfuss attempted to put in a word, in the way of denial ; WALDEMAR. 215 but Rolandi, turning sharply round upon him, said, " Baron Eisenfuss, you and I have known each other too long, and too well, to render necessary any ceremony between us. Part of this cavalier's story, as respects the damsel, I know to be true ; and, for the rest, his word would be my sufficient warrant, even had I not the corroboration of your denial. If this maiden ever entertained a sentiment of regard for count Waldemar, it follows, as a logical deduction, that she must spurn, despise, and hate one, who is his opposite in every particu- lar, and with whom he has not a feeling in com- mon. If, therefore, she be willing to place herself under my protection, I will relieve you of the charge, which, so little to her content, it appears, you have assumed." Eisenfuss's good genius, Impudence, who had deserted him, on the first appearance of Rolandi, now returned to his assistance ; although not so effectually, but that a tone of deference mingled in his remonstrance, as he replied, that his union with the lady had the sanction of her father. " A parent's sanction is no authority in such a case ; and that, blind as you are to justice, you know right well," said the Jew. " Damsel," he added, turning to Bertha, " will you accept such protection against this lawless man, as I can afford you ?" Bertha signified her assent, by seizing the robe of Rolandi, who, addressing himself to Eisenfuss, continued : " Baron, you see ! The maiden pre- fers the protection of one of the remnant of a despised and scattered people, to yours." 216 WALDEMAR. " But," returned Eisenfuss, losing his wonted coolness and caution, in the prospect of being de- prived of the prize, which it had cost him so much labour and villany to gain, " methinksmy followers are not so few, but that my concurrence in your arrangement might have been asked." " Baron," said the Jew, the dignity of whose manner appeared to increase with the excitement of the scene, " you have found me a lenient cre- ditor, and it will be your fault if I prove otherwise for the future ; but you know the penalty of your disobedience. Every acre that calls you lord ; nay, every stone in your castle is mine, as firmly as wax and parchment can make them !" " Nay," rejoined Eisenfuss, " I would fain know how, in these stirring times, when castles and lands are won rather by sword than sheepskin, you will obtain justice ?" " I will buy it, fool ! as I have bought you, body and soul !" replied Rolandi, in a tone of mingled acrimony and scorn, which stung Eisen- fuss to the quick. " Gentlemen," said the latter, turning to his party, " I am not the only dupe of this crafty Jew, in the present company. What say you, my friends ; shall we submit to be bearded thus ? or, rather, shall we not make common cause, and, having our remorseless creditor in our power, crush him at once ?" Wolfenberg, on this intimation of hostilities, took his place beside Rolandi, and prepared for the con- flict ; but the Jew, in a calm and equable tone, which conveyed defiance while it implied contempt, rejoin- WALDEMAR. 217 ed, " I doubt not your power, and, credit me, least of all your will, to crush, or, properly to interpret your words, to murder me ; but, my blood will not cancel the bond ; and, therefore, it is for you to choose between me and Naomi Ben Israel, to whose tender mercies my death will consign you." The name of Naomi, Rolandi's nearest relative, and a man, as notorious for his rapacity as his wealth, was not uttered to listless ears, as was apparent in the countenances of Eisenfuss, and more than one of his comrades. It failed, however, of diverting them from their purpose of recovering Bertha, whatever might be their designs with regard to the Jew. Accordingly, they prepared to regain possession of Bertha ; when Roland i, stepping up to Eisen- fuss, who was in advance of his party, said, in an under-tone, which, however, was audible by Wol- fenberg, " Did you think me the blind ass, to place myself at your mercy ? Remember the affair of the Hartz mountains ! the details and proofs of which are in a sealed packet, among my papers, and will be opened by my successor ; when you will be hunted down as a beast of prey, by Jew and Gentile." Eisenfuss, who, though he could not have for- gotten the circumstance to which Rolandi alluded, was not aware of the effect which the death of the latter would have in exposing the transaction, was altogether unprepared for the emergency ; and, accordingly, finding himself outwitted, he dashed his sword into the scabbard, with an air of vex- ation and bitter disappointment, and instantly 218 WALDEMAR. quitted the apartment, followed by his comrades ; who, although marvelling at the sudden change produced in the mind of their chief, were too much accustomed to his control, to presume on question- ing the correctness of his resolves. WALDEMAR. 219 CHAPTER VI. LEAVING our heroine, for a time, in the custody of her two champions, it behoves us, now, to return to Waldemar ; whom we find, as we left him, a close prisoner in the tower, on the banks of the Danube. Use softens down many evils, however into- lerable they may appear at first ; and the count, trusting to the chapter of accidents for his deli- verance, became, through the means of books, and other recreations, in which, by the directions of the emperor, he was indulged, in some sort re- conciled to his solitary and inactive life. Among the amusements to which, when tired of reading, he was wont to resort, was that of angling, from the top of the tower ; the Danube being then, as it is to this day, celebrated for the excellence and abundance of its fish. It was while engaged in these laudable endea- vours to kill time and trout, and indulging in the fond hope that, Fortune having done her worst, he should benefit by the next revolution of her wheel, 220 WALDEMAR. that the astounding intelligence reached him, of Bertha having been carried off by his old foe and rival, Eisenfuss, when on her way from Vienna to a country residence of her father, within a few leagues of that city. Hitherto, the weight of his chains had been light, compared to the pressure with which they galled him, when the account was brought to him by his gaoler ; who, without being aware of Waldemar's interest in the fate of the damsel, men- tioned it as a portion of the news of the day. That Schlaukopf, who had ample means of rendering her journey safe, had connived at her abduction by his favourite Eisenfuss, Waldemar entertained not the slightest doubt ; and, consequently, could not in- dulge a hope of her being recovered through the exertions of her father ; and the emperor, to whom the count would not, under the circumstances, have hesitated to appeal, was, at the time of the occurrence, absent from Vienna, and did not re- turn until pursuit of the marauding baron would have been utterly vain. It was, while in this state of suspense, the agony of which it is more easy to imagine than to de- scribe, that Waldemar, towards evening, was lean- ing over the battlements of his prison, pensively gazing on the current that was flowing rapidly be- neath him, when his attention was attracted by a boat, which, being pulled against the stream, made so little progress, that it appeared almost stationary, immediately under the tower. The face of the rower was turned up towards him ; and, but for the fisherman's garb, in which he was attired, WALDEMAR. 221 Waldemar would have pronounced the boatman to be no other than Carl Wolfenberg. No sooner, however, did the navigator perceive that he had attracted the notice of the prisoner, than he commenced an air, that Waldemar in- stantly recognised, as one which he and his com- rade Carl were wont to sing together. Dismissing, therefore, from his mind, all doubt of the boatman being his friend in disguise, the count answered the signal, by singing the second stanza of the ditty ; which, when he had finished, the other again took up the strain, and applying his strength to the oar, was soon lost in the descending mists of the evening. On the following day, Waldemar stationed him- self at the top of the tower, with his fishing-rod in his hand, and continued, with apparent eagerness, to pursue his sport; his real object, however, being to establish, what, without a pun, may be termed a line of communication with his friend ; who, he doubted not, was endeavouring to compass his de- liverance from bondage. Wolfenberg, in the mean time, had watched the motions of Waldemar, and guessed his aim ; for, towards the close of the day, the same boat was again upon the Danube ; but, instead of being propelled by oars, was permitted to drop down with the tide. Carl, however, who had taken his place at the helm, gradually inclined her course in the direction of the tower ; and contrived to pass it so close in-shore, as to be enabled to attach a small billet to Waldemar's fishing-line. He ac- complished this with so much rapidity and address, 222 WALDEMAR. that, had he even been watched by any person, from the banks of the river, the action could scarcely have been detected. The count, with equal presence of mind, suffered the manoeuvre to pass, without exhibiting any sign of having noticed it ; and refrained from drawing in his line, until, having hooked a fish, he could do so without exciting suspicion. The billet, which had been attached to the line by some ad- hesive substance, informed him that he had friends on the opposite bank of the Danube, who had re- solved on attempting his deliverance ; and that, if he would take his station, with his fishing apparatus, on the top of his prison, towards dusk on the fol- lowing evening, a cord, by means whereof he might lower himself from the battlement, would be affixed to his line ; and that, at one hour before midnight, the boat should be waiting at the foot of the tower to receive him. Waldemar's friends were punctual to their ap- pointment ; and although his fishing-tackle was not of the description of that used by the giant, who " sat upon a rock, and bobbed for whale," it was sufficiently strong to draw up the cord, by means of which it was proposed he should escape. As he was in the practice of remaining until a late hour, on the battlements of the fortress, his doing so, on the night in question, called forth no particular remark from his gaoler ; and thus he had full time to prepare for his descent, before the ap- pointed hour. The cord, although singly not strong enough to bear his weight, was sufficiently long to admit of its being doubled ; and having secured one end of it, when thus twisted, to the top of the WALDEMAR. 223 tower, he waited anxiously for the arrival of his friends. It was not, however, until the prow of the boat had struck against the base of the tower, that Waldemar was apprised of its presence ; the navi- gators of her having been as sparing and cautious, in the use of their oars, as possible, in order that the centinels on the shore might not be alarmed by the sound. Waldemar waited not for any definite signal ; but, flinging himself over the parapet of his prison, began to descend with a facility, on which he was congratulating himself, when he was admonished of the prematureness of his exultation, by the hoarse voice of his gaoler calling from the top of the tower, and threatening to cut the rope with his sword, if he did not instantly return. The menace, so far from producing the effect desired, only served to accelerate the movements of the fugitive ; whose sensations, on feeling the rope vibrate from the blow of the gaoler's sword, may more readily be conceived than portrayed. The first cut, which, owing to the darkness of the night, was imperfectly aimed, failed in severing the rope ; the second, however, was more sure ; and Waldemar, when within about twenty feet from the base of the tower, was precipitated into ten fathoms water. His friends, immediately on hearing the voice of the gaoler, had taken the precaution of pushing off the boat, his fall into which would not only have been fatal to his own limbs, but probably to theirs. The rapidity of the current would have instantly swept him away, beyond hope of rescue, had not Rolandi, whose presence of mind never, even 224 WALDEMAR. under the most trying circumstances, forsook him, seized the lower end of the rope, at the time of pushing off from the tower ; while Waldemar, who instinctively retained his grasp of the other part of it, was hauled on board, without having suffered any other injury, than a sound ducking. While he lay panting and dripping at the bottom of the boat, his friends applied themselves stoutly to their oars, and pulled for the opposite bank of the river; while the gaoler, as in duty bound, alarmed the centinels, who kept watch on the land- ward side of the tower ; escape, from the river- side of which, having been deemed so entirely out of the bounds of possibility, that no precaution had been taken against it. The worthy turnkey, it seems, had retired to rest, in an apartment immediately under that of Waldemar ; and had scarcely laid his head on his pil- low, before the faint light, admitted by the window, was suddenly obscured by an object, which had marvellously the appearance of the four quarters of a man, who, he was well convinced, could be no other than his prisoner. Now, although the old soldier's liberality held an attempt at escape, on the part of a captive not on parole, a very pardonable offence, his sense of duty stimulated him to adopt every possible means of preventing it ; and, had Waldemar been his own brother, he would have dealt out to him the same impartial measure. An investigation of the circumstances of Walde- mar's escape was instituted on the following morn- ing, when the veteran gaoler, in the sturdy con- sciousness of his innocence, answered boldly every question propounded to him ; and maintained that WALDEMAR. 225 he had exercised the highest degree of vigilance, con- sistent with the privileges which he was instructed to extend to his prisoner. Indeed, it was suffi- ciently obvious, that, whatever favour the old sol- dier might have entertained towards Waldemar, it was but equivocally evidenced by the fact of his having precipitated him, from a great height, into the deepest part of the Danube ; where, he ex- pressed his conviction that his late captive was, at that moment, food for fishes. The pretty Blanca, whose chamber was on the ground floor of the prison, had been a closer ob- server of the manner of the count's escape ; but not caring, by discountenancing the impression of his having perished in the attempt, to stimulate the exertions of those who would take measures for his recapture, she did not volunteer her evidence, either to her father, or to the authorities, on the occasion. With regard to the emperor, it is but justice to state, that, much as he desired the safe custody of so valuable an officer of his opponents, the news of his having escaped would have been more wel- come to him, than the tidings of the untimely fate, which, it was conjectured, the gallant young war- rior had experienced. Meanwhile, the fugitives, having effected a landing, at some distance down the river, on the opposite bank, scuttled their boat ; in order, as much as possible, to destroy any trace of their progress ; and continued their flight, in the direc- tion of the Bohemian frontier, when once beyond which, they would have little cause for apprehen- sion of the imperialists. VOL. VIII. Q 226 WALDEMAR. In the course of their journey, Wolfenberg ac- quainted his friend with the unexpected rencontre with Bertha ; and with the particulars of her rescue from the clutches of Eisenfuss. " But," inquired Waldemar, after warmly thank- ing his friend for his interference in behalf of his betrothed, " where is she now ?" " Safely bestowed in a convent, on the Austrian side of the mountains, which form the Bohemian frontier/' was the reply. " And yet I marvel," continued Waldemar, " that, in these times of religious excitement, the holy sisterhood could be induced to give sanctuary to one, whom they must abhor as a heretic. Your having prevailed with them, reflects no small credit upon your eloquence." " You were never more mistaken in your life," answered Wolfenberg; " the eloquence, for which you are pleased to give me credit, having been utterly thrown awa'y upon the worthy abbess; who held up her hands, in pious horror of the proposed desecration of the monastery." " What means," was the inquiry, " did you then adopt, to accomplish your object ?" " I returned to my travelling companion, in utter despair, and high dudgeon, as you will rea- dily suppose/' pursued Carl; " when Rolandi in- stantly sent me back to the convent, with a slip of paper, containing a few words, and his signature ; to which, Jew as he is, the abbess paid as implicit obedience, as though it had been written by the pope himself, and forthwith admitted her." " The power of that man is most extraordinary !" remarked the count. WALDEMAR. 227 " Extraordinary," echoed the other, " but not mysterious ; for I have his secret, though secret it is none, for he does not care to disguise it. He possesses the grand talisman the philosopher's stone unbounded wealth ; which he has scat- tered over the world so judiciously, in the form of loans, mortgages, and gifts, that priest and poten- tate bow before him. Added to this, he possesses a towering intellect, unblenching courage, and a profound knowledge of human character, which gives him the power of a sorcerer over all who come within his sphere of action." The ill success which attended the search, in the city of Vienna and its environs, for the fugitive count Waldemar, having tended to confirm the general impression, that he had perished, in his endeavours to escape, no active measures were subsequently taken to cut off his retreat; which, owing partly to this want of vigilance, and, in no trifling degree, to the admirable precautions and arrangements of Rolandi, was continued, without molestation, until they arrived at the convent, where Bertha had been lodged, after her rescue from Eisenfuss. The situation in which Waldemar found himself, at this juncture, with regard to Bertha, was one of great perplexity. The convent could only be used, by a female of her religious persuasion, as a mere temporary refuge; while, on the other hand, she felt an insurmountable reluctance to re- turn to the protection, if protection it might be termed, of her father; who, she felt convinced, would leave no means unattempted of betraying her again into the power of Eisenfuss. Q2 228 WALDEMAR, At a more peaceful period, the count would have felt no scruples in trying to solve the diffi- culty, by prevailing upon the damsel to confer upon him a right of protecting her, which would be paramount even to that of a parent ; but his own castle was, at that time, any other than a place of safety. Wallenstein, the duke of Friedland, after intriguing, alternately, with Sweden and Saxony, and coquetting with Austria, finally declared for the last ; and, at the head of an immense army, was threatening a descent upon Saxony, which Arnheim, his ancient friend, and still faithful, though secret ally, had left unprotected. The fact, also, of John George, the elector, who had not followed up his successes in Bohemia as he ought to have done, being in a position of some jeopardy, rendered it imperative on Waldemar, on every consideration, both of gratitude and honour, to unite himself to the fortunes of his benefactor, without delay. Under these circumstances, and after much and mature consideration, it was, at last, agreed, that Bertha should take refuge in the castle of Linden- hausen ; whither Wolfenberg was to escort her, and where she would be sure, not only of a warm wel- come, but of protection ; the baron's strong hold being in a less disturbed part of the country, and, moreover, in a condition to resist an attack. Although, in so far as courage and honour could insure the safety of Bertha, it may readily be be- lieved, that Waldemar committed her to the care of his friend, with the most implicit confidence, it was not without a pang that he resigned her society. There are, however, many seasons in a man's life, WALDEMAR. 229 and the more exalted and responsible his station, the more frequently do those seasons recur, when the voice of duty and the dictates of feeling are opposed to each other ; and it is only the weak and the wicked who yield that obedience to the selfish impulses of the heart, which is due to reason and honour. When the party arrived at that point at which it was necessary for them to separate, Carl and Bertha having to pursue one path, Rolandi another, and Waldemar a third, the latter took an affectionate leave of his mistress and his friend ; and, having reiterated his thanks to the Jew, for his instru- mentality in effecting his deliverance, was about to turn into the road which led to the head quarters of the Saxon army, when Rolandi called him to his side, and said : " Young Christian, you owe me no thanks for your liberty ; since my main object, in setting you free, was to strengthen the enemies of that religion, which has ever been the fierce perse- cutor of my nation ; yet think not that chivalric gallantry and high principle, such as I have found in you, count for nothing with Rolandi. In the hour of your adversity, come when and how it may, think of the Jew of Magdeburg ; and, whatever be your emergency, doubt not of his power, until you have proved it. Farewell !" 230 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER VII. PROMISING as was the commencement of the cam- paign of the Saxons in Bohemia, the results did not correspond with the expectations of the king of Sweden. John George, instead of opening a com- munication with the Swedish army through Bo- hemia, wasted much precious time in petty warfare, in which he was frequently defeated. In the mean- while, however, the affairs of Ferdinand were daily growing more desperate ; and, had the elector of Saxony not been deterred, by feelings of jealousy, from rendering to Gustavus Adolphus that support which, in honour, he was bound to afford him, the struggle would soon have terminated in favour of the protestant cause. While affairs were in this position, Wallenstein, though affecting to regard the events, which were convulsing Germany, with philosophical indifference, was, in reality, longing to occupy that prominent part which he had once taken in the struggle. To this he was moved, not less by his restless ambition, WALDEMAR. 231 than by a desire of revenging himself on those to whom he owed his fall. He began, by making an overture to the king of Sweden, of whom he requested the command of fifteen thousand men ; with which army, and the troops which he undertook to raise, he engaged to surprise Vienna, and drive his late master, Ferdi- nand, into Italy. Gustavus, however, although not insensible to the value of the alliance thus proffered to him, was too prudent a general to confide so great a number of troops to one, who was not less distin- guished by his rashness, than by his courage ; and who moreover, came to him in the avowed character of a traitor to his lawful prince. Foiled in this attempt, his next endeavour was to revenge the slight which had thus been put upon him by Gustavus Adolphus, by detaching, from the alliance of the latter, the elector of Saxony ; and thus, upon the ruin of both, to lay the foundation of his own grandeur. But John George, with all his weakness and jealousy, had not arrived at such a degree of base- ness, as to abandon a monarch who had generously hastened to his aid, when his electorate was at the mercy of his enemies ; and thus the duke of Fried- land was, at last, driven to listen to the overtures of Ferdinand ; enforced, as they were, by promises of reward, on the one hand, and threats of ven- geance, on the other. The result was, that Wallenstein, at the head of a large and well-appointed army, which his im- mense wealth had enabled him to raise, took the field, ostensibly in the service of the emperor, 232 WALDEMAR. but, with the secret resolution of using it as an in- strument of his ambition, as well as of his revenge both on the Swede and the Austrian, whenever an opportunity should be presented to him. Though immediately employed against the Saxons, his object was to unite himself to them, and not to conquer them; and, accordingly, leaving the best part of Bohemia in possession of the elector's troops, he contented himself with a few indecisive skirmishes. When, however, he found that he could not gain his object by these means, he reluctantly tried an opposite course : he invested and recaptured Prague, and applied him- self, in earnest, to drive the Saxons out of Bo- hemia. It was, during the retreat of the latter before the victorious arms of Wallenstein, that count Wal- demar, after a narrow escape of falling again into the hands of the enemy, came up with the troops of the elector, to whom he immediately pre- sented himself. John George, who, independently of a regard for our hero's personal character, enter- tained a high esteem for his military talents, was overjoyed at seeing him again ; and listened, with great interest and attention, to the story of his de- liverance from prison. Nor was his reception by his comrades, when he again put himself at the head of his regiment, less gratifying. In Arnheim, however, from whom, judging by that general's former appreciation of his talents and bravery, he had expected the warmest greeting, he perceived a great change. He welcomed the count, and congratulated him on WALDEMAR. 233 his return, but it was coldly, and in words of course. Waldemar, too proud to solicit an explanation, and precluded, by the difference of rank, from de- manding it, had no other resource than to wait patiently, until time, the great revealer of secrets, should unravel the mystery, in which the alteration in Arnheim's deportment was involved. The late proceedings of Wallenstein had, how- ever, produced a change in the views and senti- ments of his friend and tool, general Arnheim. So long as the designs of the former had been pro- moted, by the success of the Saxon arms, against Ferdinand, Waldemar's military skill was appre- ciated, and himself caressed by Arnheim. No sooner, however, did the duke of Friedland range himself on the side of Austria, than his minion pre- pared to second his views, by a corresponding vari- ation in his own policy, to which Arnheim was well convinced the straight- for ward and single-hearted Waldemar would not be likely to lend himself. To corrupt a man of our hero's uncompromising principle, Arnheim knew was beyond his power ; and, therefore, since he could not have the benefit of his co-operation, he determined to render his opposition as powerless as possible, by weakening Waldemar's influence in the councils of his master, John George of Saxony. In the mean time, the retreat of the Saxon army, before Wallenstein, was continued ; and, whether it was that Arnheim was unwilling to put him- self wholly in his power, or that he could not deny himself the gratification of out-generalling 234 WALDEMAR. so celebrated a warrior, it is difficult to deter- mine ; but, certain it is, that he completely foiled Wallenstein, in the attempt to cut off the elec- toral army, at a celebrated pass and defile, between Aussig and Leutmeritz. In fact, the man- ner in which he conducted this retreat, crossing the Elbe on a bridge of boats, and, subsequently, intrenching himself with admirable skill, has been considered the master- piece of Arnheim's general- ship. Waldemar was no inactive participator in these movements ; having been distinguished, throughout, by his coolness and courage, as well as by the excellent order, which, notwithstanding the bustle of a retreat, he maintained among his men ; who, not less from their attachment to his person, than from the force of discipline, yielded him, on all occasions, implicit and cheerful obedience. It was during a halt of the Saxon army, on the Bohemian frontier, that a council of war was con- vened, for the purpose of determining on their future movements ; an assembly, in which Wal- demar's military rank, as well as his talents and judgment, assigned him a place. John George, however great was his ambition to be regarded as the head of a party, does not appear to have arrogated to himself much credit as a general ; and was, moreover, like most men of unstable minds, very willing to take advantage of that decision of character in another, of which he felt the want himself. He, accordingly, turned to Arnheim, for his opinion on the momentous ques- tion under discussion ; when that general ventured to suggest an attack upon Silesia ; alleging, with WALDEMAR. 235 sufficient plausibility, that it was the most vulnera- ble point of their adversary. This proposition, supported, as it was, by argu- ments which its author well knew how to address to the weak side of his master, was advocated by the majority of the members of the council ; among whom were several creatures, not only of Arnheim, but, as some historians allege, even of Wallen- stein himself. Waldemar's mind was by far too generous rea- dily to admit suspicion ; but, at the same time, he was not deficient in penetration ; and, if he did not immediately perceive the treachery which lurked beneath the proposition, he was, at once, alive to the fatal consequences of its adoption. " What !" said he, yielding to the impulse of the occasion, and starting from his seat, in indignant surprise, " shall we, for the sake of a few petty triumphs in Silesia, leave Saxony open to the in- roads of the enemy ? Is the fate of Magdeburg so soon forgotten, that we need the re-enactment of the horrid tragedy, to bring it to our recollection ? Shall our grapes be pressed by the hoof of the war-horse, our fields laid waste, our hearths pro- faned, and the fair daughters of Saxony be made the sport and the spoil of the invader ? Forbid it, huma- nity ! forbid it, patriotism ! Rather let us rally round our homes and our altars ; for, in a holier cause, never drew man his sword, than in the de- fence of his native land !" Arnheim, vexed at this spirited arraignment of his scheme for laying open Saxony to the incur- sions of his friend, Wallenstein, who hoped thereby to make easier terms with the elector, replied, with 236 WALDEMAR. a bitter smile, " Truly, sir count, " in whatever degree your counsel may be wanting in wisdom, none can deny to it the merit of disinterestedness ; since your own castle, if report speak the truth, can scarcely suffer from the attack of the most de- structive invaders." " General," answered the count, sternly, " I understand your sneer; which, though it be worthy of your generosity, is no answer to my objection : but know, that, ruin as is the home of ray ances- tors, I would fight for every stone of its crumbling walls, and would stain its hearth with my heart's best blood, ere it be polluted by the foot of the invader !" " It is a pity," continued Arnheim, in the same taunting tone, " that so much eloquence should be expended to so little purpose : you see you stand alone in your exception to the plan which I have proposed." " And therefore," responded Waldemar, quickly, " it behoves me to be the more vehement in urging, upon this assembly, the fatal consequences of the measure, which will entail misery and devastation upon our country, and her curse upon us, her betrayers !" " Is this language," inquired Arnheim, with an appealing glance at the elector, "to be endured in this presence ?" " Nay," said John George, interposing, " our young friend's remarks may have been somewhat hasty ; but I know that they originate in his zeal for my service, and honest counsellors are not so plentiful, that I should quarrel with those I have. And yet," he added, turning to Waldemar, " you WALDEMAR. 237 perceive, as the general has remarked, that you stand alone in this assembly ; and I may not incur the responsibility of yielding to the advice of one member of my council, in defiance of the unani- mous voice of the rest." Waldemar bowed, and, resuming his seat, took no further part in the subsequent discussion, which turned upon the details of the proposed expedition into Silesia. When the council broke up, our hero, who was about to depart with the rest, received a sign from the elector, indicative of the latter's wish that he should remain. " Count," said his highness, when they were left together, " I would fain have the approbation of one, whose judgment I value not less than his zeal ; and, therefore, I will confide to your discre- tion, that which I might not openly declare, in the assembly which has just been dissolved. Know, then, that your apprehensions of Wallenstein's in- vading Saxony, during our projected campaign in Silesia, are groundless ; since he is much more anxious to form an alliance with me, than to en- counter me as an enemy ; and, therefore, will scarcely widen the breach, by an aggression upon my territories." " On what authority, may I crave of your high- ness," said the count, " do you conclude, that Wallenstein is desirous of your alliance ?" " The assurance of Arnheim himself," was the reply. 11 Ha !" exclaimed Waldemar, a suspicion of that general's fidelity crossing his mind for the first time ; but suddenly checking an expression of his 238 WALDEMAR. misgiving's for which he could allege no definite grounds, he continued, " What motives the duke of Friedland may have for coveting your alliance, I know not ; but I entreat your highness to beware of him. Remember, you are the champion of pro- testant freedom ; a cause which will scarcely be promoted by an union of interests with such a man as Wallenstein." " Who is, nevertheless," remarked the elector, " a scoffer of the catholic religion." " As he is of every other," was the reply ; " and, therefore, not to be trusted." " But." continued John George, " I have good proof that he is not sincere in his support of the emperor Ferdinand." " Whom he would sacrifice to-morrow, as surely as he would your highness, or any other prince, upon whose ruin he could found his own aggran- disement," saidWaldemar ; " and, therefore, again I say, beware of him." " But expediency" continued the elector. " O my kind and noble prince," exclaimed Waldemar, interrupting his master, " I pray you mention not the word. Expediency is the political shoal upon which the timid pilot wrecks the vessel ; when, by standing boldly out to sea, he might have weathered the storm. Continue to trust in the king of Sweden, with whom you have already cast your lot ; and thus, with a stout heart and a good cause, you may bid defiance to Ferdinand, and the duke of Friedland together." " Ah, my young friend," replied the elector, " you speak and feel as a soldier, not as a politi- cian. See you not, that if, with the assistance of WALDEMAR. 239 Gustavus, I prevail against the emperor, I shall be at the mercy of the Swede ; and thus only ex- change one thraldom for another, the more unen- durable, because that of a foreigner ?" " Nay, my prince," was the rejoinder, " you do the gallant Gustavus wrong. If, in taking part in this quarrel, he have any motive, second to that of zeal for the protestant cause, it is the desire of mi- litary renown ; which, when having brought the struggle to a successful close, he can no longer reap it in Germany, he will seek in other lands. Believe me, the king of Sweden's object is, to suc- cour, not to subjugate. The sudden entrance of an officer, with a des- patch for the elector, interrupted the conversation ; and Waldemar quitted the apartment, bitterly la- menting the want of firmness which his master dis- played, and which, he foresaw, could not but be injurious to the cause. It is probable, that the fact of Arnheim being in correspondence with Wallenstein, not only was known to John George, but, as keeping open the door for a reconciliation with the emperor Ferdi- nand, was rather a source of gratification than uneasiness to him. Certain it is, however, that it, in no degree, diminished the influence which Arn- heim possessed over the elector, who adhered to the design of an attack upon Silesia ; which he, ac- cordingly, proceeded to put into execution, by im- mediately advancing upon that part of the Austrian dominions. The progress of the elector in Silesia was marked by several encounters with the imperial troops, in most of which, with the aid of the Swedes and the 240 WALDEMAR. Brandenburgers, he appears to have had the ad- vantage. No important results were, however, ob- tained by the campaign, from which John George was suddenly diverted, by the intelligence that Wallenstein was meditating the invasion of Saxony, and intending to make it his winter quarters. The elector hastened to the succour of his own dominions, and advanced to meet the invading army, as far as Torgau. In the meantime, how- ever, count Pappenheim, who was called from Lower Saxony, to reinforce Wallenstein's army, ravaged all the country through which he passed ; while the advance of the duke of Friedland on Leipsic was marked by equal devastation and simi- lar atrocities. Wallenstein, however, was unexpectedly checked in his design of penetrating to Dresden, by the news of the arrival of the king of Sweden at Er- furt ; and retired, with the utmost precipitation, to Merseburg, in order to form a junction with Pap- penheim. The situation of our hero, in the interval between the entry of the Saxon army into Silesia, and its return to Torgau, was by no means enviable. The very decided part which he had taken, at the council of war held upon the Bohemian frontier, while it was matter of deep personal offence to Arnheim, strengthened his conviction of the ex- pediency of getting rid of an officer, whose uncom- promising honesty was likely to interfere with his own crooked policy. To require Waldemar's dis- missal from his command, was an experiment on the elector's pliability which Arnheim was too cautious a politician to hazard ; and he there- WALDEMAR. 241 fore applied himself to bring about our hero's re- signation, by a series of vexations and slights, which his high spirit, and sensitive temperament, ill fitted him to brook. A sense of duty, as well as of gratitude for much personal kindness at the hands of the elector, sti- mulated Waldemar to the exercise of the utmost self-command ; and, for a considerable period, he sacrificed his own feelings to the interest of the service, and the prosperity of the great cause in which he had embarked. It happened, at length, that the officer, second in command in Waldemar's regiment, was killed in a skirmish, during the retreat from Silesia ; when the commission, instead of being given to the officer who was next under the deceased, and who was especially recommended by our hero to fill the vacancy, was conferred upon a Bohemian, who had formerly been in the service of the duke of Friedland. The appointment itself, although, under the cir- cumstances, sufficiently mortifying, would not have driven Waldemar to any public demonstration of his chagrin ; but the conduct of the officer in question became so offensive, while the count's complaints of it to Arnheim were treated with such marked contempt, that the discipline of the corps was daily impaired ; until, at last, Waldemar dis- covered, that, consistently with his own dignity and the subordination of the regiment, he could no longer retain his commission. VOL. vin. 242 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER VIII. WALDEMAR, though a man of quick sensibility, was not wont to act upon the impulse of an irritated mind ; and, therefore, it was not until the feelings, excited by the last of a series of vexations, to which he had, for some time past, been subjected, had in some degree subsided, that he ventured to present himself to the elector, for the purpose of resigning his command. He began by repeating his acknowledgments of his highness's condescension and kindness, upon all occasions, and expressed his gratitude, in par- ticular, for the unmerited boon which had been conferred on him, in the restitution of his ances- tral estates. He then adverted, temperately, to the conduct of general Arnheim, which could not, he said, but have come under the elector's notice ; but dwelt upon the subject as one affecting the dis- cipline of the troops in general, and of his own regiment in particular, rather than as a matter of personal grievance to himself. He added, that it WALDEMAR. 243 was not his desire to shake the elector's confidence in his general ; but, on the contrary, he felt that, in resigning his command, he was consulting the wel- fare of the army, and, by consequence, the interests of his master, not less than his own dignity. He concluded by assuring his highness, that, on any future occasion, on which his sword could be used with honour and effect, in the electoral forces, it would ever be at the service of his prince. It is probable, that John George was equally alive to the embarrassment and laxity of discipline, which the rupture between his general and Wal- demar must necessarily create. At any rate, whe- ther the resignation of the count was acceptable to the elector or not, he was, evidently, in some sort, prepared for the event ; as, so far from exhibiting any surprise on the introduction of the subject, he waited patiently until the other had concluded by resigning his commission into the hands of him, from whom it was derived. " Count," replied the elector, who, being some- what methodical in his mode of speech, commented upon Waldemar's address in the order in which it was delivered, " the restitution of your estates, if they had not been nobly won by your conduct in the field, would have been no more than was due to your personal merit ; without adverting to the injustice of causing the innocent to suffer for the sins of the guilty. Believe me, no one can deplore more deeply than I do, any circumstance which deprives me of an officer, to whose military talents and gallantry I am so largely indebted ; and for whose virtues, as a man and a gentleman, I enter- tain so high a regard. Lamenting, as I do, that R 2 244 WALDEMAR. your sentiments differ so widely from my own, and those of the rest of my advisers, I give full credit to the purity of the feelings, under which you have acted on this occasion ; and I hope that, for the misfortune of losing an officer, I shall have the consolation of knowing that I retain my friend." In this speech, it will be remarked, that the elector had as little inclination as Waldemar to deal otherwise than generally with the grievances, of which the count might, with good reason, have complained ; yet, while it displayed no trifling alloy of worldly policy, to which his auditor was not altogether blind, our hero's generous heart was not proof against the expressions of friendship, which the elector, it must, in justice to his since- rity, be admitted, really felt for him. " My generous prince !" exclaimed the count, yielding, at once, to the impulse of the gratitude, which the other's profession had inspired, " still kind and indulgent to one, whose conduct, in the eyes of a less liberal judge, would have been con- strued into a desertion of his standard ; but who, though debarred from serving his master in the capacity in which he has hitherto done, pants for an occasion of proving his devotedness to his interest, and his gratitude for his generosity !" " On your gratitude," returned the elector, " I have no claim, and of your devotedness to my person, no doubt; and, in proof of my reliance on your zeal, will confide to you the management of an affair, which, as it is one of some delicacy, cannot be intrusted to more fit hands than your own. Were it a matter in which it would be re- pugnant to a man of the nicest honour to engage, WALDEMAR. 245 I need not say that I should not have solicited your instrumentality on the occasion ; and, having pre- mised this, I have only to ask if you are willing to undertake it." " If the task be within the scope of my humble abilities, I pledge myself to perform it," said the count ; " and shall rejoice in so early an oppor- tunity of proving to you that my professions of loyalty are not empty words." " You were acquainted with my late minister, baron Schlaukopf," pursued the elector, " and, of course, remember his daughter ?" The pulse of Waldemar beat quickly, as not daring to trust himself with a reply ; he bowed his head in token of assent. " She, it seems," continued his highness, " in consequence of her repugnance to a matrimonial connection, proposed to her by her father, has abandoned his protection, and has taken refuge in the castle of your old acquaintance, baron Lindenhausen ; and her place of retreat having, by means of which I wot not, been discovered by her father, his imperial majesty has . made it a matter of special request to myself, that the damsel be sent back to Vienna, under a suitable escort. To this requisition, seeing that we war not with the peace of families, and taking the feelings of a bereaved, and, as I am informed, a repentant parent, into consideration, I have pledged myself to comply ; stipulating, of course, for the free re- gress of the party, which I propose to send with her, and of which you will confer on me an especial favour, by taking the command." A variety of thoughts chased each other, in quick 246 WALDEMAR. succession, through the mind of Waldemar, during this promulgation of the elector's wishes. His first impulse was to make a disclosure to his master, of the position in which he himself stood, in respect to Bertha, and of the circumstances under which she had taken refuge in Saxony ; and to remon- strate on the cruelty and injustice of resigning her again into the power of a parent, who was reso- lutely bent on sacrificing his daughter's happiness to his own selfish views. A moment's reflection, however, on the tendency which John George was daily exhibiting, if not to rejoin, to propitiate the emperor, convinced him of the futility of any attempt to divert the elector from his purpose ; while, independently of the absurdity of making his prince the confidant of his passion for Bertha, he would, by such a confession, supply him with a motive for committing the con- duct of the affair to a less interested person. Under these circumstances, therefore, he hesi- tated not to accept the commission, with which it was thus proposed to intrust him, when the elector continued : " Count, I thank you ; although I ex- pected no less, from the alacrity with which you have ever attended to my slightest wish. There is the emperor's guarantee for your honourable treat- ment by the Austrian troops and authorities, with whom you may come in contact, as well as for your unmolested regress from his dominions. Take with you your favourite corporal, Fritz, and such others from the ranks of your regiment, as you may deem it expedient to select. I do not doubt that you will experience some difficulty in drawing the maiden from her retreat ; but, I leave every thing WALDEMAR. 247 to your good management and discretion. Fare- well ! and believe, that although in the execution of the commission, which I have confided to you, you may not add to your renown, you will have increased, in no ordinary degree, your claim upon my gratitude and friendship." With a heavy heart, Waldemar quitted the pre- sence of the elector ; nor was the oppression on his spirits in any way relieved, by the prospect of the painful, yet necessary task of taking farewell of his soldiers ; between almost every individual of whom and himself there existed a bond of union, which it was bitterness to sever. The regiment was drawn up on parade, under the command of the newly-appointed Bohemian officer ; in spite of the angry gesticulations of whom, Waldemar rode up in front of the line, and, addressing his comrades, in his usual style, which was short and soldierly, he said, " My gallant fel- lows ! circumstances, which concern the welfare of the service, not less than my own honour, have induced me to resign the command of as brave a band of warriors as ever drew the sword. I thank you for the zeal and courage with which you have ever seconded my efforts in the good cause, in which we have been engaged : and I make it my parting request, that you will show the same obe- dience to those, whom our gracious master shall place over you, which you have yielded to me. Farewell, my comrades ! time and distance may divide us ; but your names will always remain engraven in my heart !" This speech was received with murmurs, both loud and deep, by those to whom it was addressed, 248 WALDEMAR. and whose chagrin, at being thus deprived of a commander, whom they almost adored, was not a little increased, by their knowledge of the circum- stances which had led to his resignation ; the in- subordination, of which Waldemar had reason to complain, having exhibited itself, not among the privates, but among certain officers of the regi- ment, who had either been gained over by Arn- heim, or had originally been his creatures. Fritz, apparently as a matter of course, rode out from the ranks, and placed himself on the left of his master ; and his example was instantly adopted by some dozen others, who, having been under his command in the service of the United Provinces, considered themselves bound to follow the fortunes of their chief. The Bohemian officer, who had been chafing during the delivery of Waldemar 's address to the soldiers, now rode forward, and, in a voice ren- dered almost inarticulate by passion, ordered the men back into their ranks. The count, however, without noticing the other's intemperance, exhi- bited to him the elector's authority for the abstrac- tion of such a number of men from the regiment, as he might deem adequate to the service on which he was ordered ; and slowly quitted the field, at the head of his little band. The display of feeling created by Waldemar's resignation of the colonelcy of the regiment, did not, however, terminate there ; since, on the fol- lowing morning, the elector was admonished of the consequences of the act, to which his weakness had conduced, by finding, upon his table, the re- signation of every officer in the regiment, who was WALDEMAR. 249 not indebted to Arnheim for his appointment, or had not been gained over to his side. Waldemar's position, at this juncture, was one of no ordinary perplexity. He had pledged him- self to the performance of the task, which the elector had imposed on him, and he could not, with honour, relinquish it ; but even if, under the peculiar circumstances, he could excuse himself from the undertaking, in what way could he avert the evil ? The commission would be given to ano- ther officer, backed, if necessary, by a force, to which the castle of Lindenhausen must ultimately yield ; while, if Waldemar could feel justified in taking advantage of the trust reposed in him, to transport Bertha to another country, whither was he to fly ? and how, at a distance from his estate, and cut off from its revenues, was he to maintain her and himself, even should she consent to their flight ? On the other hand, by executing the commission himself, he should, at all events, insure to Bertha honourable treatment on her journey, which was long and tedious ; and there remained a hope of his being able, by an energetic representation of the circumstances of her late abduction by Eisen- fuss, to enlist the emperor's sympathy in her be- half; so that, if the maiden were not permitted full liberty in the acceptance of a husband, she might, at least, be preserved from the horror of being wedded to one whom she detested. Independently of these considerations, it was reasonable to con- clude, that Eisenfuss, after the denunciation of the emperor, at the time of the interruption of the 250 WALDEMAR. wedding ceremony, already described, would scarcely trust himself in the vicinity of Vienna. Waldemar's route to the castle of Lindenhausen lay, for the most part, along the banks of the Elbe, at a small town on which river Rolandi had intimated his intention of tarrying for some months. The count had formed an opinion of the Jew's power and sagacity, which induced him, in the vague hope of some assistance, or, at least, coun- sel, from that extraordinary person, to seek him out, in passing through the town in question. Rolandi was not wont to betray the workings of his mind, on any occasion ; and, whatever surprise he might have felt at the appearance of Waldemar, he received him in his usual calm and dignified manner. The count briefly related to him the circumstan- ces under which he had thrown up his command in the electoral army; and, when he had finished, Rolandi replied, " It has been my lot to witness so much of human folly, that I ought not to wonder at a fresh instance of it ; but the fatuity of the elector of Saxony is most marvellous. He con- fides the welfare of his electorate to an intriguing knave, knowing him to be such ; and drives from him those, from whom alone, in the hour of trial, he can expect honest counsel and true service. For yourself, you had no choice but the measure you have adopted ; and, under circumstances of no ordinary difficulty, have acted with a mo- deration and discretion, not often displayed at your years, and, still more rarely, by one of your profession. And now, I suppose, " he WALDEMAR. 251 added, " you are carrying your sword to the best market ?" ". Nay, in good truth," replied the count, " you wrong me there. If I am not permitted to fight for the elector and the good cause, I will not take up arms against them ; since, in so doing, I should war against my own conscience ; and I have en- counters enough with that, in the ordinary course of things." Waldemar then proceeded to explain to Rolandi the nature of the mission upon which he had been despatched by the elector. " And so," exclaimed the other, when the count had finished, " you are about again to put your head into the lion's mouth, from which you have so recently been fortunate enough to withdraw it ?" " Nay, if kingly word may pass for aught, this paper should be my protection," replied the count ; exhibiting the document, signed by the emperor of Austria himself, guaranteeing the free regress of the party forming the escort of Bertha. Rolandi took the paper, and minutely examined the signature, and, having apparently satisfied himself of its genuineness, he paused, as if in deep musing, for the space of a minute ; and then said, " It happens that I have business in the Austrian capital ; where, however, the conspicuous part I played, in the defence of Magdeburg, will scarcely make me a welcome guest. Will you allow me to form part of the escort under your command, and thus participate in the protection which this docu- ment affords ? Your compliance, I am free to ad- mit, may involve some risk." 252 WALDEMAR. " Possibly," rejoined the count; " but, were the hazard twice as great as I estimate it to be, I am bound to encounter it for the pleasure or profit of one who has perilled infinitely more for me." " Thanks, Christian, thanks," said Rolandi ; " and now do you set forward on your errand ; and I, who have matters to arrange, intermediately, will join you on the Bohemian frontier, at the inn, whereof you wot, where I will tarry until you come." Waldemar took leave of the Jew, and resumed his journey, somewhat disappointed at not having received from him some counsel on the dilemma in which he found himself; although his expectations of assistance from that quarter were grounded on a vague and general impression of Rolandi's power and intelligence, rather than upon any specific idea of his ability to aid him in that particular emer- gency. The count arrived with his party, in safety, at the castle of Lindenhausen ; and opened his commission with as heavy a heart as that with which the pur- port of it was received, by the individual it especi- ally concerned. Bertha, however, even in the bitterness of her grief on the occasion, perceived, not merely the policy, but the necessity of com- pliance with the imperial mandate ; backed as it was by the authority of the prince in whose domi- nions she had taken refuge. The old baron, in- deed, exhibited a melancholy example of the diffi- culty of squaring practice with precepts ; since, in the very teeth of his sage lectures to Wolfenberg, on WALDEMAR. 253 the absurdity of fighting, he declared his resolution of doing battle on the occasion ; protesting, by the three kings of Cologne, that, before the sanctuary of his castle should be violated, he would perish beneath its ruins. Independently, however, of the consideration of the impracticability of Lindenhausen's holding out, for any time, against the force which, in the event of his refusal to resign the young lady, would speedily be brought against it, Bertha would have encountered any alternative, rather than that the worthy old baron should be involved in a quarrel, threatening such serious results, on her account ; and, therefore, immediately set about preparations for the journey. Although we are far from underrating our own capabilities, we do not profess to be able to follow, at one and the same time, the fortunes of two indi- viduals in different parts of the world ; and, there- fore, shall, probably, stand excused by the reader, for not having previously mentioned, that Wolfen- berg, within a few weeks of his return to the castle of Lindenhausen, committed that most heinous of- fence against the Malthusian code, matrimony. We cannot hope, however, to be pardoned by our fair readers, for the anomalous proceeding, in marrying a pair of our dramatis persona, in any other place than the last chapter of our history. We can only plead, in mitigation of our sentence, that the baron and the bridegroom were impatient, and the bride was " nothing loth," Fain would we, moreover, propitiate those whom we have offended in so unorthodox a manner, by describing the dress 254 WALDEMAR. in which the bride was led to the altar ; but we are reluctant to hazard our well-earned reputation, by dealing in matters which are too mysterious for our ken ; lest, in our ignorance of the nomenclature of the mantua-maker, we confound skirts with trains, and capes with collars. Neither can we tell, inasmuch as the eye-wit- nesses of the ceremony were unable to determine, which looked more bewitchingly on the occasion, the fair Rudolpha, or Bertha, her lovely bride- maid. This, however, we do know ; that two cava- liers were so desperately smitten by the charms of the latter, that, according to the laws " in that be- hoof made and provided," they fought for a whole hour, by the castle clock, on the following morn- ing ; and, after cutting out upon each other's limbs six months' work for the surgeon, discovered, to their ineffable consolation, that the lady was irre- vocably engaged to another. " Rich and rare" were the gastronomic achieve- ments of that day ! The hospitable board of the baron groaned under a profusion of viands and wines, that would have shamed any other than a civic feast ; which, having, by great good luck, had the felicity of being a guest at one, we pronounce to be without parallel. The greatest harmony and hilarity prevailed among the party, until a late hour of the entertainment, and, we doubt not, con- tinued to its close; although, on this point, we are unable to speak with certainty, inasmuch, as al- though the guests concurred in lauding the quality of the feast, none of them appear to have preserved any distinct recollection of its conclusion. WALDEMAR. 255 That the party was numerous, may be safely inferred, from the fact, that, although the castle was very capacious, and replete, as the advertise- ments have it, with " conveniences," a large pro- portion of the male visitors passed the night under the table. 256 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER IX. THE uncertainty inseparable from all human things is exemplified, even in the language we speak ; and the terms calamity and good fortune, although they would appear to be sufficiently definite, are fre- quently applied, by different parties, to the same event. The intelligence, which spread grief and dismay throughout Sweden, was received with re- joicing and triumph at Vienna. The result of the battle of Lutzen, as well as most of its details, will be familiar to the generality of our readers ; and, as none of the leading characters in our drama were engaged in it, we deem it unnecessary to dwell upon the subject. The imperialists, it is well known, after an obstinate resistance, were routed at all points ; and Wallenstein, who had long panted to measure strength and skill with the greatest general in Europe, had had an opportu- nity of bringing the question to issue, in a manner more decisive than flattering to his vanity. The defeat of the Austrian forces was, to an in- WALDEMAR. 257 calculable extent, more than compensated for, by the fall of the champion, on whom the hopes of protestant Germany had so long and so ardently been fixed the Lion of the North, Gustavus Adol- phus, was no more ! Whether he fell in fair fight, or through treachery instigated by Ferdinand, is yet, and will, probably, ever remain, a question among historians. Those who would exculpate the em- peror from the charge, quote his exclamation, on beholding the bloody doublet of Gustavus, which was sent as a trophy to Vienna. " Willingly," cried he, " would I have granted a longer life to this unfortunate prince, as well as a happy retreat into his own country, if peace could only have been re-established in Germany." With deference to the emperor's advocates, it is submitted, that the opposite party might rest their accusation on the same passage ; since the expres- sion of " granting a longer life," may be held, without a forced interpretation, to imply an in- strumentality in abridging it. It- was while the general exultation, occasioned in Vienna by the news of the death of Gustavus, was at its height, that the arrival of an envoy from the elector of Saxony was announced to the empe- ror; who, surrounded by his nobles and officers of state, was, at that time, holding his court. On directions being given for the introduction of the visitor, the stately and graceful form of Waldemar entered the hall of audience ; with the lovely Bertha leaning upon, or, rather, clinging to, his arm. Independently of his being a stranger at the court, the appearance of the count was calcu- lated to excite an interest in the assembly ; his VOL. vin. s 258 WALDEMAR. firm step and manly bearing contrasting, strik- ingly, yet not unpleasingly, with the retiring man- ner of his companion. Waldemar advanced towards the imperial throne ; and, after the preliminary ceremonies had been performed, Ferdinand said, with a gracious recog- nition of his late prisoner, " You are right wel- come to our court, count Waldemar ; and, when we assure you that the safe conduct you bear with you shall be most strictly respected, you will not doubt the sincerity with which we greet you." " I am here," said Waldemar, " by command of my master, the elector of Saxony, to resign into the hands of your imperial majesty, the daughter of baron Schlaukopf." As he spoke, he presented Bertha to the emperor ; at a sign from whom, one of the ladies of the court advanced to receive her. " And now," continued Waldemar, after a pause, " having acquitted myself of my mission, I appeal to the justice of your imperial majesty, and claim your protection for her whom I have just surren- dered." " Against whom, or what, do you claim that protection, which is due to the meanest of our subjects ; and, especially, to one in whom count Waldemar is interested ?" said the emperor. " Against one, who has laboured to destroy the peace of her, whom he was bound, by the most sacred ties, to cherish," was the reply : " against baron Schlaukopf, her father !" " Might we, for an instant, suppose," rejoined Ferdinand, " that aught but truth could proceed from the lips of a cavalier of count Waldemar's high honour, we should not hesitate to pronounce WALDEMAR. 259 his accusation to be a foul calumny; and, even now, we must believe that his ears have been abused. With what do you charge the baron ?" " With an attempt to sell his daughter to a man whom she loathes, and who is a convicted traitor, both to your imperial majesty, and his rightful sovereign, the elector of Saxony," con- tinued the count. " Nay, on one occasion, he would have succeeded in his nefarious and un- natural design, but for the personal interposition of your majesty." " We well remember it," answered the emperor ; " but, while we censured the misdirected zeal, which would have sacrificed his daughter's happi- ness to false notions of worldly interest, we ac- quitted the baron of being cognizant of the trea- chery, which the adventurer, Eisenfuss, practised against ourselves." " Could he, or your imperial majesty," inquired Waldemar, with somewhat more quickness than altogether became the presence in which he stood, " suppose, for a moment, that one, who had be- trayed his own prince, would have kept faith with another? But, when I tell your majesty, that the baffled attempt of baron Schlaukopf was re- peated, you will scarcely defend his conduct, on the score of ignorance of the villain's character, with whom he had conspired against his daughter's peace." " How !" exclaimed the emperor, turning sternly to Schlaukopf, " is it possible, that our injunc- tion, and your own solemn pledge, have been thus disregarded ?" The baron, who, on hearing the charge of his s 2 260 WALDEMAR. accuser, exhibited some symptoms of confusion and dismay, soon recovered his natural effrontery and self-possession ; and, advancing from the crowd of nobles, by whom he was encircled, he addressed himself to the emperor, and said, " Your imperial majesty will, surely, not condemn me, on the unsupported assertion of a disappointed rival of baron Eisenfuss, in my daughter's affec- tions ?" " Count Waldemar," rejoined Ferdinand, with some severity, " would scarcely, even under the guarantee which he bears, venture to trifle with us, in our court. But, doubtless, he is prepared with some evidence, in support of the charge he has advanced ?" " I have the evidence of the domestic of baron Schlaukopf, who headed the escort of his daughter, on the occasion of her being carried off; and whose instructions were, to make some slight show of resistance to the preconcerted attack of Eisen- fuss, and then abandon his charge." " If," said Schlaukopf, hastily interposing, " I am to be arraigned upon the testimony of a discarded and disgraced domestic, I must throw myself upon your imperial majesty's justice, and crave time to collect evidence, to rebut the charge ; which I pledge myself to do, within the space of three days, if such grace may be accorded to me." " Be it so," returned the monarch ; " and you, count Waldemar, will be prepared, with your evi- dence, at the expiration of the time claimed by the baron." The accuser and the accused bowed, in token of WALDEMAR. 261 acquiescence. Schlaukopf, as he was about to leave the hall, took the hand of Bertha, with the intention of leading her away ; but he was arrested by the voice of the emperor, who said, " Nay, baron ; you will leave your daughter in the guar- dianship of that noble lady, until you have cleared yourself of a charge, which, if proved, would dis- qualify you for the trust." As Waldemar was departing from the royal pre- sence, he felt a hand upon his shoulder, and was, at the same time, saluted by, "Ah ! count, is that yourself? and in Vienna, too, of all the cities in the world, where your friends would least look for you. I'm mighty glad to see you, though, any how ; so, come along with me to my quarters : I am off duty, and, therefore, your man for the rest of .the day." Sarsfield, for it was he, put his arm through Waldemar's and continued : " By the way, count, you gave us the slip neatly the other day. Twas cleverly done, barring the ducking; which, it may be, was part of your scheme, though, to make us believe you were feeding the fishes in the Da- nube." " " But what, in the wide world," inquired the captain, when they had reached his quarters, and commenced the discussion of a flask of Hungary, " brought you back again to Vienna?" Waldemar, in reply, related to Sarsfield his ad- ventures, from the period of his escape ; concealing only the instrumentality of Rolandi in the affair ; when Sarsfield exclaimed, " The elector of Saxony, saving your presence, is a fool ; and deserves to be cheated by knaves, since he rejects the services of 262 WALDEMAR. honest men. For the rest, it is a pity you did not let well alone, and content yourself with executing your master's silly errand, without making an enemy of one who has the longest head, and the blackest heart, in all Germany." " Whom mean you ?" inquired Waldemar, who, however, had little difficulty in guessing the ori- ginal of Sarsfield's captivating sketch. " Baron Schlaukopf, to be sure ;" was the reply. " I do not fear him," said the other. "Because you do not know him," continued Sarsfield ; " never man yet made an enemy of Schlaukopf, but had, sooner or later, cause to rue it." "But," rejoined the count, "it was impossible for me to leave the poor girl at the mercy of her unprincipled parent." " I see nothing impossible in the matter," was the answer. " You talk very philosophically on the subject," resumed Waldemar ; " but tell me now, how would you have acted under similar circumstances ?" " Precisely as you have done," replied Sarsfield, " because I am the most imprudent fellow upon earth ; and, therefore, the worst possible example to be followed, in any case." " But consider," said the other, " he has only three days, in which to prepare to meet the charge ; he can scarcely do me much mischief in that space." " Tut, man," was the answer ; " he would cir- cumvent the devil himself, in half the time. But WALDEMAR. 263 where is this notable witness, upon whose testimony you rest your accusation ?" " At an inn, in the suburb," returned Wal- demar. " Then let me send a file of men to clap him in the guard-house until he is wanted ; or, my life for it, he will not be forthcoming in due season," pursued Sarsfield. " Nonsense !" exclaimed the count, " there's no necessity for any such caution." " Nay," rejoined the captain, " I speak as much for the sake of the poor fellow, as for yourself. I only know, that were I in his shoes, I should cer- tainly lay my account with being poisoned, or flung into the Danube, before I was twenty-four hours older." " Were it a mere question of hard knocks," re- sumed Sarsfield, after a pause, " I should say that it was your part, as a gentleman and a soldier, to do battle for the damsel, though your adversary were a giant ; but, in the present case, you are no match for your antagonist, with his weapons, 'and he will not fight you with yours. Come now, take an Irishman's advice for once, and let me send a file of men to make sure of your witness." " By no manner of means," responded Wal- demar, " lest, as will infallibly be the case, it put him out of humour, and he give such evidence, as may turn the tables upon me." " Well," exclaimed the other, " nous verrons ! and, in the mean time, here's health to the fair sex ; the sinning instigators of one-half the mis- chief which accrues in the world ; and, bless their 264 WALDEMAR. sweet lips and bright eyes ! the innocent cause of the other." Their glasses were filled and emptied, to the toast proposed by the captain ; who, again taking up the subject, remarked, " I wish, count, you were well out of this scrape : you know not half the power of your enemy, although you can be no stranger to the malignity of his nature." " But," inquired Waldemar, " is his influence with the emperor so very great ?" " Else," rejoined the captain," he would scarcely have prevailed upon his majesty to interfere, as he has done, in procuring the restitution of his daugh- ter ; for which, of course, Schlaukopf had any other motive than paternal affection." " Doubtless," replied the count ; "but is it pos- sible that the baron's character is unknown to Ferdinand ?" " The emperor knows him for what he is," was the response ; " shrewd, crafty, and unscrupulous ; and, therefore, useful on many occasions, on which an honest man would refuse to act." " And, from this eminence in the estimation of his master, you deem it impossible to pull him down ?" inquired Waldemar. " So long as that master has the exclusive bene- fit of his roguery," said Sarsfield ; " but, if Schlau- kopf attempt to play false with the emperor, he will surely cast him off, though he were his right hand ; and, perhaps, imprison him for life, as an example to all ministers, who shall presume to play the rogue on their own account." " And, that he has played him false, the emperor more than suspects, and, if my witness be a true WALDEMAR. 265 man, I hope to prove," said the count ; " although," he added, " your king, between ourselves, appears to be worthy of such a minister." " My king!" echoed the captain, " 'faith he's no king of mine ; only it happens that, like many a better man, I have no fortune but my sword, and if it rusts, I must starve; therefore, I have just taken a turn with the Austrians, by way of keep- ing it bright ; so that you see there is a kind of mysterious connection between my scabbard and my purse : when the one is full, the other is empty." " Happily illustrated !" remarked the count. " But how do you like the service ?" " Why, pretty well," was the reply, " consider- ing that I am what is termed a mercenary, a de- scription of soldier, who has always a double allowance of enemies ; namely, those whom he meets in the field, and the people for whom he fights, and who regard him as men do a lawyer or a leech while they pay, they curse him." In the spirit of true Irish hospitality, the captain contrived, by the charms of his conversation, and the flavour of his wine, to detain his guest until a late hour in the evening. Just as they were on the point of breaking up, a dragoon of Sarsfield's regiment, who mounted guawl at the door of his quarters, entered, and announced a stranger, who was desirous of speaking to Waldemar. " Why, Fritz," exclaimed the count, as the party thus announced made his appearance, " you look as gloomy, as if you had dropped from a thunder-cloud : what storm is brewing now ?" " Your honour," returned the corporal, " knows 266 WALDEMAR. the late follower of the baron Schlaukopf, Wil- helm Tiek by name, who promised to come forward, and tell all he knew about the young lady, that Eisenfuss ran away with ?" " Well," said the count, " and what of him ?" " Why," continued Fritz, " I, knowing him, of old, to be a slippery sort of gentleman, thought I could not do better than empty the flask of wine, which your honour was so good as to bestow upon me, at the inn, immediately opposite that where Tiek is quartered ; and so I drank to your honour's health, and watched his motions at the same time." " Fritz," interposed Sarsfield, " you deserve to be made a general officer. But what then ?" " About half an hour ago," continued the ex- corporal, " I observed baron Schlaukopf 's secre- tary enter the inn opposite, and afterwards saw him, through the window, in earnest conversa- tion with Tiek. Their interview lasted about five minutes, when the former departed, apparently well satisfied with the result of the conference. " I marvel," exclaimed Waldemar, " what mis- chief the secretary put into Tick's head." " Or, rather," remarked Sarsfield, " what he put into his palm." " Nay, then," said the count, " I must fight the baron with his own weapons ; and since bribery is the order of the day, I will e'en bribe the varlet to speak the truth : this I may do with a safe con- science, seeing that I shall promote my own ends, and the cause of virtue, at the same time." " Most logically spoken," returned the captain ; " but you must have a heavier purse, than is usually WALDEMAR. 267 found in a soldier's doublet, if you can out-bribe the baron ; who is as rich as Croesus, and no niggard of his gold, withal, when he has an end to serve. Nevertheless, if you think that my purse, added to yours, would do the business, you are heartily welcome to it." " A thousand thanks for your generous offer," replied Waldemar, " of which, however, I cannot think of availing myself." " Nay, my dear count," pursued the good-na- tured Hibernian, " never sacrifice opportunity to ceremony ; since, had you made me the like offer, under similar circumstances, I should have taken you at your word. A soldier, of all other men, has the least excuse for being a miser ; seeing, that, although his pocket may be filled with dollars to- day, it may be emptied by some rascally camp-fol- lower to-morrow ; while the owner is lying upon his back, on the field of battle, unable to wag a finger in its defence. Touching the matter in hand, how- ever, I much fear, that gold has done the work of the dagger ; and that the baron has employed the former in preference to the latter, only that he may turn your own witness against yourself. Neverthe- less, faint heart never won fair lady ; and it seems there is one to be won in this case. Let us, there- fore, be stirring with the lark in the morning ; and, it may be, we shall turn the old fox's flank after all." 268 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER X. THE day appointed by the emperor for the investi- gation of the charge preferred by Waldemar against Schlaukopf, was expected with considerable anxiety and interest in Vienna ; for, although the result, as respected the count, was regarded with indifference, the minister had many partisans and opponents, of which the latter, if not the most powerful, were the most numerous, and would, of course, rejoice in his downfall or disgrace. The hour fixed for the inquiry at length arrived ; and, probably, from an ostentatious desire on the part of Ferdinand, of displaying his impartiality, great publicity was afforded to the proceedings ; individuals, of a rank not usually admitted into the imperial presence, being allowed access on the oc- casion . Schlaukopf, who, if he were not actually de- graded in the opinion of his master, affected to consider himself in that predicament, pending the decision ; and, instead of occupying his usual place, near the throne, stood aloof ; surrounded, however, WALDEMAR. 269 by some of the inferior retainers of the court, who speculated upon his acquittal, and the effects of the gratitude of a powerful minister, towards those who had stood by him in the hour of tribulation. Waldemar, on the contrary, would have appeared without a friend or follower, but for the generous disinterestedness of Sarsfield, who, regardless of all remonstrances, on the probable result of such partisanship to himself, which were addressed to him by the count, persisted in taking his station by the side of the latter, during the investigation. The countenances of the accuser and the accused presented an ominous contrast, which boded ill for the success of the former ; that of Waldemar was disturbed and anxious ; while the other's wore an expression of confidence, and even triumph, which augured little apprehension for the result of the trial. To the bustle consequent upon the assembly of so many persons, succeeded a silence, painful and embarrassing to one individual, at least, which was at length broken, by the emperor's demanding of Waldemar if he persisted in his charge against baron Schlaukopf. The count, thus challenged, and with the air of one, whom the consciousness of the righteousness of his cause had failed to support, against the com- bination of adverse circumstances, came forward, and answered, " I retract not one word of the ac- cusation, which I have, already, in the presence of your imperial majesty, brought forward ; although it is my misfortune to add to it, the charge of his having tampered with the witness, with whom I was 270 WALDEMAR. then prepared to substantiate the facts which I alleged against the baron." " We would unwillingly believe that the count is trifling with us/' remarked Ferdinand, " but, on the other hand, are equally reluctant to admit the possibility of the baron's aggravating his alleged offence by such a procedure." " I can prove," rejoined Waldemar, " by the evidence of an eye-witness, that a confidential re- tainer of baron Schlaukopf was in close confer- ence with the individual, whom it was my design to have brought forward on this occasion ; but who, from that hour, has not been seen or heard of in Vienna." " That one of my retainers," said Schlaukopf, " should have entered a place of such public resort as an inn, is an event which, I am ready to admit, is by no means improbable ; while I deny the in- ference that he went thither on any errand of mine. I am curious, however, to know upon what evi- dence the count advances a charge, at best a hy- pothetical one." " The evidence of my own servant, a corporal in the regiment of which I lately held the command," replied Waldemar. " And, previously, if I mistake not," rejoined Schlaukopf, with a sneer, " a member of one of the most ferocious bands of robbers, that ever in- fested the forests of Germany ; a fact which, I pre- sume, the count will scarcely deny, since I have it on the authority of his own assertion." " I am not wont to eat my words," was the reply ; " although the baron, in common candour, WALDEMAR. 271 might have added, what he has the same authority for stating, that the step to which he alludes, was repented of, almost as soon as taken ; the individual having seized the first opportunity of quitting the society which he had joined, in a moment of des- peration, and having, subsequently, conducted him- self in a manner that can leave no doubt of the sincerity of his penitence." " Whether his secession from the honourable band were the result of his repentance, or of the discovery, that the trade he had taken up was an unprofitable one, is of little importance," pursued Schlaukopf. "Admitting the fact, which, upon his evidence, it is proposed to substantiate, I repeat my repudiation of the inference which has been drawn from it ; and, in the absence of any proof of my connivance in the late abduction of my daugh- ter, implore of your imperial majesty's justice, that she be restored to me, her natural protector." " Count Waldemar," said the emperor, "it is with reluctance we yield an opinion, which we once entertained, of your integrity and honour ; but, when we hear a charge, which you have had a fair opportunity of proving, unsupported by the shadow of credible testimony, we can come to no other conclusion, than that you have attempted to defeat the object of ourselves, and of your own immediate sovereign, by an unworthy and calum- nious fabrication, to which no individual present can attach the slightest credit." " I, for one," exclaimed Sarsfield, " with all submission, and at the hazard of your imperial majesty's displeasure, am free to avow my unre- served belief in all that count Waldemar has ad- 272 WALDEMAR. vanced, however circumstances may conspire to impugn it." " And what warrant," inquired the emperor, " has captain Sarsfield for so bold an assertion ?" " The best warrant in the world," was the reply ; " the word of a gallant soldier, whose veracity was never doubted, until this hour ; and whose honour once retained him as my prisoner, when, by an ap- peal to the disaffected citizens of Prague, he might have obtained his own liberty, and the slaughter of his escort. A man, who thus preferred impri- sonment, and the chance of an ignominious death, to the forfeiture of his honour, would not basely disregard its dictates on minor considerations." " Count Waldemar," said the emperor, without commenting upon the captain's remark, " your attempt to practise on our credulity justifies, and, indeed, demands, the revocation of the safe con- duct, under which you came to Vienna ; and you will, therefore, remain our prisoner, until we have communicated with the elector on the subject. Guards, there ! away with him !" Then, turning to the triumphant Schlaukopf, he added, " Baron, we restore your daughter to the custody of her natural and lawful guardian." The guards were in the act of conducting the count from the presence of the emperor, when a slight stir was observed at the lower extremity of the hall ; and, while the attention of the specta- tors was drawn to the spot, a man burst from the crowd ; and, advancing towards the throne, dis- played, to the astonished gaze of many, to whom he was known, the tall and dignified figure of Rolandi. WALDEMAR. 273 " Let not the king do a grievous wrong, and deem, the while, he gives a righteous sentence," said the Israelite. " Another witness for count Waldemar !" ex- claimed Schlaukopf, tauntingly ; " a Jew to sup- port the robber! A goodly companionship, and worthy of the cause !" *' Nay," answered the Jew, calmly ; " it is not of your attempt to deliver the damsel into the arms of one whom her soul abhors, that I am come, this day, to speak." " Then wherefore," inquired the emperor, sternly, this intrusion, and why are you here ?" " To challenge the right of yonder haughty ba- ron to the charge which has been committted to him," responded Rolandi. " What !" exclaimed Ferdinand, " do you doubt the right of a father to the guardianship of his own child ?" 1 ' Be it far from me to question a right, which has the sanction alike of the law of God and na- ture," was the reply : " but I deny that the baron stands in that relationship to the damsel." " And who are you, who presume on so bold a challenge ?" asked the baron, in a tone of indig- nation. " One of a despised and persecuted race," re- plied Rolandi ; " and yet, if you dare me to the proof, I will pluck you from your place of pride, and hold you up to the scorn and curse of an in- dignant world !" " My gracious prince," exclaimed the baron, " I claim the protection of your imperial majesty against the insults of this reviling infidel !" VOL. Vlll. T 274 WALDEMAR. " Jew," said the emperor, not immediately re- plying to Schlaukopf 's appeal, " proceed with your charge; but, beware you fail not in the proof; for you shall quickly find, that it were safer to encounter the lion in his rage, than to trifle with Ferdinand of Austria. Speak ! of what do you accuse the baron ?" " Of having betrayed the trust, reposed in him by his dying friend and benefactor ; of having spoiled the orphan, and aggravated the injury, by giving her a name, which shall, henceforth, be sy- nonymous with false friend and perjured traitor !" was the reply. " Those are fearful words," remarked the em- peror ; " and fearful shall be your punishment, if they be not substantiated. Where is the proof?" " Behold it !" exclaimed Rolandi, raising his finger towards the baron, " written in the crimson characters of conscience on yon quailing brow !" And truly the countenance of Schlaukopf betrayed a perturbation of mind, which it required no com- mon effort to conquer ; while he replied : " Your imperial majesty will not construe into a consciousness of the crimes alleged against me, the indignation created by the effrontery and un- expectedness of the charge ; neither will you weigh the testimony of an infidel against the character of a loyal and faithful servant." " Nay," responded Rolandi, " I know too well the value of the testimony of any of our race, in a Christian court, to lean upon the staff of such a broken reed ; and, since you dare the shame, which your crimes have treasured up for you, blame not me, but your own rashness, that brings it down WALDEMAR. 275 upon your head !" Then, turning to the crowd, he added, "Christian priest! I charge you, in the name of the God of Truth, come forth, and stand between the oppressed and the evil-doer !" The individual thus evoked, advanced from the throng, in which he had been concealed from ob- servation ; and, standing immediately before the emperor, presented the appearance of a man, upon whose face the changes of climate, and exposure to weather, had wrought more ravages than time ; although he was fast descending into the vale of years. His habit was that of a monk, and his apostolical air well accorded with his garb. His countenance bore unequivocal traces of sorrow and suffering, tempered, however, by resignation ; while its general benevolence was finely contrasted with an expression of firmness and decision of character, indicated by a slight compression of the nether lip. His full, grey eye was bright and pe- netrating; his forehead high, expansive, and intel- lectual ; while the few hairs, which time and the tonsure had spared him, were white as snow. He was tall ; and his figure, though somewhat bent, was well proportioned. His obeisance to the emperor, though profoundly respectful, was graceful and unembarrassed; and his general bearing dignified, yet subdued. Ferdinand, although he had been, in more than one instance, the dupe of his ghostly counsellors, was not a man who could look upon a monk with- out feelings of reverence ; which, on the occasion to which allusion is now made, were, in no slight degree, increased by the prepossessing exterior of the ecclesiastic. T2 276 WALDEMAR. Wishing, however, to make some show of inde- pendence of a power to which, he knew, he was deemed to have yielded too implicitly, he addressed the monk by saying, " Holy father, it is not often that we find men of your cloth joined in the same cause with the despisers of our faith ; and we trust, therefore, that you have not, without due con- sideration, engaged in a matter which involves such serious charges against one of our valued counsellors." A slight flush overspread the countenance of the monk, on hearing this imputation on his zeal or veracity, but as quickly passed away ; and he replied, " Mighty prince ! for the sake of Him, who bled upon the cross, have I severed those ties which bind a man to the land of his birth, and the friends of his youth ; and, in foreign climes, en- dured the burning sun, and braved the terrors of the pathless desert and howling wilderness, of storm, and famine, and pestilence. This, I say not in the spirit of boasting and vain glory, for I trust I have not so learned Christ, but that I am enabled, with His grace, to feel, that, having done all, I am an unprofitable servant ; but, having thus laboured to carry the glad tidings of His gospel into heathen lands, I have not returned wantonly, to make shipwreck of my salvation on my native shore ; and thus, having preached to others, to become myself a cast-away. I am here, this day, to declare the truth ; yea, and to die for it, if it be His will ; but, if I have dared to speak it in the ears of the eastern despot, and the idolatrous savage, I should not hesitate to tell it before a Christian prince." WALDEMAR. 277 " Nor need you fear to do so," replied the empe- ror; " and yet, ere we hear your testimony, it is fit that we should know to whom we listen." " A simple monk of St. Francis ; better known by the name of Albert the Wanderer," was the answer. "Are you, in very truth, that holy person?" inquired Ferdinand. " Apply not that epithet to a sinful man," said the other : "I am Albert, surnamed l the Wan- derer;' but, that your imperial majesty may have full assurance of the identity of one, whose person is unknown at this court, behold my credentials !" As he was speaking, he approached the em- peror, and presented a document, under the hand of no less a personage than Urban the Eighth, the reigning pontiff. Ferdinand received the paper, and having perused its contents, kissed the seal with great reverence; then, returning it to the monk, he said, " It is enough : proceed with your history." " It is now eighteen years ago," rejoined the monk, " that, while yet sojourning at my convent in Magdeburg, I was the confessor of a wealthy citizen of that place, named Fellenberg. He had an only daughter, whose mother died in giving her birth ; and the event preyed so much upon the spirits of her father, that his grief, acting upon a frame enfeebled by previous disease, brought him, before Bertha Fellenberg had attained her third year, to the verge of the grave. He was a just man, and a pious ; and, next to his soul's welfare, his little daughter engrossed his attention in his parting moments. A few hours before his death, he called to his bedside, in my presence, a baron 278 WALDEMAR. Schlaukopf, who was bound to him by the closest ties of gratitude ; and who, in fact, owed the re- demption of his ruined fortunes to the generous interference of Fellenberg. To this baron, there- fore, he committed the guardianship of the little Bertha; to whom, after a small deduction for religious uses, he bequeathed his wealth, which consisted entirely of money, and was also en- trusted to the hands of baron Schlaukopf. Now, a certain Jew, Rolandi by name, and an Italian by birth, but then resident in Magdeburg, a man not less remarkable for the honour and in- tegrity which marked his dealings, than for his wealth, was the depositary of a great portion of the money bequeathed by Fellenberg to his daughter. Rolandi was, necessarily, made ac- quainted with the tenor of the will, previously to his paying over the amount in his custody, into the hands of baron Schlaukopf; with whom, however, I have reason to believe, he never came personally in contact in the transaction. The baron, shortly afterwards, quitted Magdeburg, with his own son, then an infant, and the little Bertha, his ward ; with the intention, as it was given out, of prose- cuting his fortunes at the court of the elector of Saxony. It also occurred, that a sum of money had been placed at my disposal, for the uses of the mission which I had undertaken. This amount, I placed in the hands of the Jew, Rolandi, whose extensive foreign connexions afforded him facilities for making remittances to many of the places which I visited, in the course of my pilgrimage ; and thus it happened, that, during my absence we were, although at irregular intervals, in occasional WALDEMAR. 279 communication with each other. On my return to Magdeburg-, he was apprized of my arrival ; and it was from his lips I heard, that baron Schlau- kopf had passed off his ward as his own daughter, and was exercising his usurped authority, to the detriment of her happiness and welfare. It only remains for me to state, that I am here, at Ro- landi's request, to stand up for the orphan daugh- ter of my friend." During this recital, baron Schlaukopf, prac- tised hypocrite as he was, could not conceal the agitation produced, not by remorse for his crime, but by the dread of its immediate consequences. The emperor, in the mean time, although he could not entertain a doubt of his minister's guilt, ap- peared desirous of being put in possession of all the facts of the case ; and, therefore, when the monk had finished his relation, observed, " Be it far from us to doubt a particle of your story, marvellous though it be ; yet, I would ask if baron Schlaukopf, at the time of his friend's death, had a daughter near the age of his ward ?" " He was then a widower, having only one child, and that a son, two years younger than the daughter of Fellenberg," replied the monk. " And," inquired the emperor, " are you con- vinced of the identity of the damsel, whom baron Schlaukopf proclaims to be his daughter, with the orphan of your deceased friend ?" " I have not seen her since my return to Ger- many," responded the monk ; " and, were she now present, should scarcely be able to trace, in the features of the woman, the lineaments of the child. I remember, however, to have observed on 280 WALDEMAR. the shoulder of the little Bertha, one of those marks, which, borne from the birth, are carried to the grave : it was of the colour and form of a pomegranate seed." The noble lady, to whose custody Bertha had been committed, pending the emperor's decision, was then appealed to by Ferdinand. Her answer was conclusive in establishing the identity of the maiden, with the daughter of Fellenberg, to the conviction of the entire assembly. When the murmur of surprise, consequent upon this singular issue of the trial, had, in some de- gree, subsided, the emperor turned to our young hero, and said : " Count Waldemar, we have done you, unwittingly, some wrong ; but, you shall find that justice is to be obtained in Vienna, as well as in Dresden. Guards, there ! take charge of baron Schlaukopf, until we have decided on the punishment due to a heinous breach of trust, and a gross deception practised upon ourselves." The emperor paused, until his directions had been fulfilled by the removal of the baron, when he continued : " With regard to the damsel, her dowry shall be wrung from the coffers of the spoiler, with interest ; and, since she has been de- prived of one guardian, it will be our care to pro- vide her with another ; but, as we are bound, in some sort, to consult her wishes on the matter, and," he added, with a smile directed to Walde- mar, " as the count may, probably, be curious to know on whom our choice will fall, he will, perhaps, tarry at our court until to-morrow, when our decision shall be communicated to him." As the assembly was about to disperse, an officer WALDEMAR. 281 approached the emperor, and whispering a few words in his ear, directed his attention towards the Jew, who was about to depart, when he was prevented by the guard ; and, at the same time, Ferdinand addressed him thus : " Rolandi, we hear that you were the foremost in inciting the citizens of Magdeburg, to repel the imperial forces, during the recent siege ; and that, moreover, you have supplied our revolted subjects, and, especially, the elector of Saxony, with money for his troops : under these circumstances, we must hold you our prisoner." Before Rolandi could utter a word in his de- fence, the grasp of the guard was upon him ; when Waldemar, stepping forward, said, " Craving your imperial majesty's grace, I would submit that the Jew, Rolandi, came hither on the faith of your royal protection to me and my escort, of which he formed a part." " Say you so ?" returned the emperor, " then our royal word must be respected, were he ten times the rebel that he is. But we give you fair warning, Jew : depart as you came ; for, if you remain in Vienna one hour after count Waldemar has quitted it, not even the good ser- vice you have done to justice, this day, shall save you from its due execution on yourself." As the emperor spoke, he turned to retire ; while Waldemar, taking the arm of the gallant Sarsfield, quitted the hall of audience, in his com- pany. 282 WALDEMAR. CHAPTER XI. ROLANDI, whose interview with Waldemar, after the latter's relinquishment of his command in the Saxon army, we have described, was no sooner aware of the difficulty, in which the emperor's interference had involved the count, than he per- ceived the means of his extrication ; and, therefore, requested to share in the privileges of Bertha's escort to Vienna. That he did not explain his views to Waldemar, at that interview, may be re- ferred to a fear of exciting hopes, which, it was possible, might never be realized. During the interval between that meeting, and his joining Waldemar's party on the Bohemian frontier, Ro- landi repaired to Magdeburg ; and, having suc- ceeded in rinding out the monk Albert, prevailed upon the latter to repair to Vienna, for the purpose of rescuing the daughter of his friend Fellenberg, from the hands of her persecutor. That Rolandi had not previously come forward, and denounced the perfidy of Schlaukopf, is sus- ceptible of a natural and satisfactory explanation. WALDEMAR. 283 To have adopted tliat course, while the baron was attached to the court of the elector, would have been madness ; as, in the absence of the monk, who was then abroad, he would not have been able to have offered any corroboration of his own testi- mony, which, unsupported, would have been of no avail. On the other hand, there would have been as little wisdom in bringing the accusation against Schlaukopf, while the latter remained a favourite counsellor of Ferdinand, until he was able to make it with effect; of the opportunity of doing so, when presented by the baron's attempt, through Fer- dinand, to obtain the restitution of Bertha, and the safe-conduct assured to her escort, Rolandi, as we have shown, was not slow in availing himself. " Count," said Sarsfield to his companion, as soon as they were out of ear-shot of the court, " I congratulate you on your success. Thanks to Jew and Gentile, you have laid the old fox by the heels ; and, having delivered the damsel from his toils, may now bear her off in triumph." " I hope your anticipations, of ultimate success, maybe realized," rejoined Waldemar ; " but, I am yet ignorant of the emperor's views in respect of her." " You are somewhat slow, then, in taking a hint," resumed the other. " Did not Ferdinand say that he would consult the young lady's wishes on the subject ? and, if you do not know which way they point, I can only say that it is your own fault, taking into consideration the opportunities you have had of ascertaining them." " Nay," exclaimed Waldemar, " you would not have her make a confidant of the emperor, by 284 WALDEMAR. beseeching his imperial majesty to assign her ovei to my guardianship. You would rate the maiden's modesty somewhat lowly." " Far be it from me to question the lady's modesty, and, especially, in the presence of her true knight," replied the other ; " but she must have less than woman's wit, if she do not gain her object without any such confession." " As how ?" inquired Waldemar. "Simply," returned the captain, "by requiring to be transferred again to the guardianship of old baron Lindenhausen ; who, in due time and place, will surrender her to a protector more to her taste, than a veteran of sixty-five." " I confess to you, captain," said Waldemar, " in all this we appear to be reckoning without our host. This emperor of yours is not remarkable for consistency of conduct." " How often must I tell you, that he is no em- peror of mine ?" asked Sarsfield. " Yet this I will say of him ; that, in all cases not affecting his in- terest, or arousing his bigotry, he is disposed to act justly; and, if he had not happened to be a king, would have made a very decent citizen. But the halo around a crown dazzles the wearer as much as the spectator ; presenting a fallacious medium, through which objects are often distorted to the mental vision." " But, admitting that I succeed in obtaining the lady for my bride," said the count, " whither am I to take her ?" " To your own castle," was the reply. " Which is in ruins," pursued the count. WALDEMAR. 285 " I know it," said Sarsfield ; " but you can re- pair it." " Yes," observed the olher, " and have it fired over my head, or knocked about my ears the next day." " It will be your own fault, then," rejoined the captain, " for it is impregnable by a legion of devils on three sides ; and a few pieces of cannon, judiciously placed, and well served, would render its capture next to impossible, even by a regular army." Early on the following morning, our hero had a summons from the emperor, who received him in his closet ; and without the presence of a third party. " Count," said Ferdinand, " I have conferred with the maiden, and find that it is her wish to be restored to the guardianship of baron Linden- hausen ; and she will, therefore, be committed again to your charge. You will receive a safe con- duct, which will protect you from molestation, by the imperial troops, on your way; and, if you be guided by my counsel, you will quit Vienna with as little delay as may be. I hear that there are emissaries ef Eisenfuss in the city, and their pre- sence bodes you no good. I am able to guard you from open violence ; but I can defend neither you nor myself from treachery. Baron Schlau- kopf 's wealth has been attached by my order ; and it shall be my especial care, that the damsel's fortune be remitted to her thereout. Commend me to your master, the elector, and tell him, I thank him for having, as in your case, dismissed an honest 286 WALDEMAR. man from his army and his councils ; since the probabilities are strongly in favour of his getting' a rogue in your stead. For yourself, as long as you remain a non-combatant in the struggle, your castle, person, and property, shall be respected by the imperial troops." " I thank your majesty," said Waldemar, " for this additional act of courtesy ; which I do not feel the less, though it is but right to say, that my neutrality will cease, on the instant that my master requires my services in the same good cause." " I expected no less of you ; and admire your candour as much as your fidelity," rejoined the emperor ; " but now to horse farewell remem- ber, you have a friend in Ferdinand of Austria." Waldemar, having repeated his acknowledg- ments to the emperor, collected his men, and put himself at their head, when he again received his lovely charge; and, placing her between Rolandi and himself, set out from Vienna. In his way through the gates, he was encountered by captain Sarsfield, who lingered to bid him adieu. " Fare you well, count," cried he at parting, " I am not sure, that, when my term of service with the Aus- trians is up, that I shall not be tempted to pay you a visit in Saxony ; if it be only to give you the benefit of my experience, in fortifying that old castle of yours. Farewell one part of my prediction has been fulfilled, I see ; it remains with you to accomplish the other !" and, with a significant smile, and an- other shake of Waldemar's hand, the honest Hiber- nian turned back to his quarters. The safe conduct, with which the count had been WALDEMAR, 287 provided by Ferdinand, served to secure the tra- vellers from molestation from any of the civil au- thorities, or military posts of the emperor ; while his escort, though small, was too well mounted and armed, to render them liable to interruption from the straggling bands of marauders, who, taking advantage of the unsettled state of the country, plundered friend and foe, both in Bohemia and Saxony. They had penetrated far into the latter country, and arrived within two miles of Waldemar's castle ; which he, naturally enough, felt some desire to visit. Knowing, however, that Anselm would be unprepared for the reception of the lady, and ut- terly unprovided with food and provender for so numerous a party, the count repressed his wishes ; and, turning into a narrow defile, prosecuted his journey towards the castle of Lindenhausen. The mountains, which formed the pass, rose, almost perpendicularly, on either hand, and were partially clothed with underwood, and a few stunted trees; while, here and there, a rock, standing out boldly from the verdure around it, imparted a singularly wild, though highly picturesque effect to the scene. The road was little indebted to the labour of man ; and, rugged in itself, was rendered more difficult, especially to cavalry, by the fragments of rock and earth, which had been detached from the mountain, and fallen into the valley. Some of the larger masses had been removed, probably by the pioneers of a detachment, and had been cast into the interspace between the road and the base of the acclivities. The sun had set, but there was still enough of 288 WALDEMAR. day-light left to admit of their clearing the ravine before night ; when they proposed to halt at an inn, which they knew to be at the opposite gorge of the pass. " Count," said Rolandi, in a half whisper, to Waldemar, " do you observe that belt of under- wood, about mid- way up the mountain, and ex- tending the length of the ravine ?" " A likely place to find a wolf, you will say, I suppose," replied the other, carelessly. " I am much mistaken," rejoined the Jew, " if it contain not something more mischievous. I can almost take upon me to declare, that a dark figure, apparently that of a man in a crouching attitude, passed immediately under that grey rock, where the foliage is less luxuriant." " And there !" added Rolandi, in a tone suffici- ently loud to be heard by the trooper, who was next to him, " mark you not, at about a stone's cast in advance of the spot, an unusual agitation of the bushes ; it cannot be produced by the wind, for there is scarcely a breath of air stirring." " Shall I ride forward, colonel, and send a bullet into the thicket? it will make the knave show himself, I'll warrant me !" asked the trooper. " By no manner of means," replied the count; "it maybe some poor peasant, scampering home to his cottage, scared at the sight of a body of mili- tary ; uncertain whether we are Saxons or Impe- rialists, and, probably having good reasons for being apprehensive of encountering either." While he was speaking, the motion of the boughs, which had attracted their notice, ceased, and the party pursued their course ; the Jew and the trooper WALDEMAR. 289 however, keeping their eyes fixed on the spot, while Waldemar either was, or affected to be, indifferent to the circumstance. Scarcely, however, had they arrived opposite to the grey rock, which has been alluded to, when the report of a musket was heard, and Waldemar's plume was struck from his hat. " Well aimed, but better missed," remarked the count, with characteristic coolness. " Troop- ers," he added, " close round the lady, but reserve your fire, until you see something to aim at." His order had scarcely been executed, when a volley was fired from the same quarter, and with more effect ; as the bridle-arm of one of the troop- ers fell powerless by his side. " This will never do !" exclaimed Waldemar : " Wheel ! Let us retreat a few paces, and thus draw the enemy into a more open part of the wood, that we may see with whom we have to deal." This evolution being accomplished, another vol- ley was poured from the wood ; but the count had rightly calculated his distance, and the bullets fell short of their mark. A shout of derision from the troopers announced to the assailants their mistake ; when a movement of the bushes was again perceived, and, in a brief space, a band of armed men showed themselves on the less sheltered part of the belt. " Now fire !" exclaimed the count ; and so promptly was he obeyed, that, before the opposite party could level their pieces, they were thrown into confusion by a volley from the troopers, and one of them dropped. VOL. VIII. U 290 WALDEMAR. The assailants, although not equal in number to Waldemar's escort, had the advantage of the rising ground, besides, even in the most exposed part of the belt, some protection from the intervening branches : whereas, the troopers were unable to ride in upon their foes, in consequence of the pre- cipitousness of the mountain, and the rocky frag- ments which strewed the space between it and the road. The count perceived, that, at the game of long shots, he must necessarily come off a loser, if, in- deed, he came off at all ; and, accordingly, he said to his men, " Dismount, all but Fritz and Johann ; and do you," he added, addressing the two latter, " remain with the lady ; and, if I fall, push on for the inn, at the extremity of the ravine." As he spoke, he flung himself from his horse, and, followed by his dismounted troopers and Ro- iandi, contrived, by a skilfully-executed manoeu- vre, to keep an almost impervious part of the underwood between them and the fire of the enemy ; who, not being sufficiently expert to counteract the movement, were unable to make another shot tell upon the count's men, until the latter, desirous of bringing the matter to issue, rushed out from the cover. Both parties, being thus suddenly confronted, fired at once ; the troopers without effect ; while two of their comrades were stretched on the ground by the enemy's bullets. It was when the smoke, occasioned by this exchange of shots, cleared off, that Waldemar perceived, for the first time, that his assailants were headed by his relentless and unprincipled foe, baron Eisenfuss. WALDEMAR. 291 The opponents were now too near together, to render it safe for either party to reload their mus- kets, without being exposed, at a disadvantage, to an attack from the swords and pistols of the other. Accordingly, as if by one consent, laying aside their guns, they came to close quarters. Waldemar, after parrying a few thrusts from others of his foes, succeeded in getting at Eisen- fuss ; who, nothing loth for the encounter, rushed to meet him, with the yell of a fiend, and the ferocity of a tiger ; and they closed in deadly strife. Meanwhile, the rest of the combatants were not idle ; and, being then equal, in point of numbers, the troopers, were kept in full occupation by their an- tagonists, whose skill and courage justified Eisen- fuss's choice of them for the enterprise. But the coolness, energy, and skill of Rolandi, in the use of his only weapon, a huge and highly-tempered Damascus scimitar, turned the scale. It was soon found, that he was more than a match for any one of the opposite party ; the sweep of his terrible blade, wielded by the arm of a giant, hav- ing speedily stretched two of his opponents on the field. Eisenfuss saw, at a glance, that his party was giving ground, and that, therefore, he should soon have another weapon to deal with ; a circum- stance, however, which rather stimulated than dis- couraged his efforts. Revenge, the ruling passion of his life, was now strong, in the prospect of death ; and he gathered himself up to one desperate effort to destroy his enemy, before the latter could re- ceive assistance from his friends. At last, Walde- u 2 292 WALDEMAR. mar, who, though not more skilful in the use of his sword, was the cooler soldier of the two, broke through his opponent's guard, with a cut which brought him to the ground. The count, following up his advantage, was about to bid Eisenfuss ask his life, when the latter, suddenly drawing a small pistol from his bosom, fired ; and our hero fell, apparently, lifeless on the earth, weltering in his own and his enemy's blood. Eisenfuss, however, could scarcely be said to have witnessed the accomplishment of his revenge ; for, almost at the same instant that he fired the pistol, a shot from a trooper, whose quick eye had per- ceived the peril of his colonel, passed through the body of the wretched baron, who died without a groan. At the moment of Waldemar's fall, there arose from the valley one long, agonizing shriek of hor- ror and despair and but one ; for she from whose lips it proceeded was, the next instant, as uncon- scious of all that had passed, and was passing around her, as the being for whom that cry was uttered : and, had not Fritz, who, faithful to his master's injunctions, though he would gladly have flown to his rescue, remained at her side, caught her in his arms, the fall upon the rocky path would have put her recovery beyond hope. On the death of their leader, the remaining fol- lowers of Eisenfuss, taking advantage of the sen- sation, which the fall of the count had created among his troopers, turned round, and, with the exception of one, who was cut down by Rolandi, succeeded in effecting their escape over the moun- tain. WALDEMAR 293 CHAPTER XII. THE attention of the victorious party was divided between the count and Bertha. The latter was, by the application of some water from a mountain - stream, restored to consciousness ; and, the next moment, she was kneeling by the motionless body of her lover. " He is dead ! he is dead !" she exclaimed, in a voice of agony. " I hope not," said Rolandi, applying such means as were at hand, to staunch the wound, which bled profusely ; " he yet breathes !" The Jew, who exhibited an expertness and pre- sence of mind, not usually displayed by non-pro- fessional persons, poured a few drops of a cordial down the throat of the count, who, after the lapse of a few minutes, opened his eyes ; but, although his stare was wild and vague, it was sufficient to kindle the hopes of Bertha. Meanwhile, those of the party, who were not immediately in attendance on their master, were employed in cutting down some of the underwood, 294 WALDEMAR. with which a litter was soon constructed, whereon the count was deposited. After a little hesitation, as to whether they should continue their course, along the ravine, to the inn at which it had been proposed for the party to halt for the night, or to strike off in the direction of Waldemar's castle, it was decided to proceed to the latter, as the nearer point of the two ; since half a furlong, added to their journey, might, as Roland i urged, decide the fate of the wounded man. Not loud, but deep were the lamentatations of poor Anselm, on receiving his master ; who was unable, either by word or gesture, to testify his recognition of his old and faithful steward. Medical practitioners were not quite so plenti- fully scattered over Europe, in those days, as we find them to be in our own ; and, therefore, it was not without some difficulty and hard riding, that a surgeon was procured. The man of medicine, at last, arrived, and looked grave, as well he might have done upon a slighter case ; and, indeed, for some days, the symptoms of his patient justified the most melancholy anticipations. But what, it will be inquired, did Bertha in the mean time ? Truly, her position was one of no trifling perplexity. " Leave him," whispered Pro- priety, " to perish through neglect, or be poisoned by his nurse, or next of kin." " Stay, and nurse him yourself," said Humanity ; and, as Gratitude and Love voted on the same side, poor Propriety was left in a woful minority. A pious and gifted poet of our own times, has somewhere sung the " Joy of Grief;" and he who WALDEMAR. 295 has ever watched by the sick couch of the friend of his youth, the child of his hopes, or the wife of his bosom, will have felt that the poet's words are not a paradox. Who has not experienced, in adminis- tering to the wants of the sufferer, a delight, which compensates, a thousand fold, for weeks of watchful- ness, and exclusion from the blessed sun-light, and the balmy air ? The doctor, it should in justice be stated, did all in his power to falsify his own prediction ; and thus, through his skill, and the unremitting care of his nurse, the case of Waldemar, under the bless- ing of Providence, began to assume a more favour- able aspect ; although his progress towards con- valescence was tedious. His being pronounced out of danger, was the signal for the departure of Rolandi. When he was sufficiently recovered, to admit of his being removed from his couch, he expressed a wish to be placed by the window of the apartment ; saying, " It will be some pleasure to look upon the old walls, ruin though they be, which sheltered my ancestors." His astonishment, on being conveyed to the casement, will be readily imagined, when we state, that instead of the ruin, on which he expected to gaze, he beheld the walls restored to their former integrity and strength ; the moat cleared, and sundry goodly pieces of ordnance, frowning de- fiance from the battlements, in a style which would have satisfied the fastidiousness of Sarsfield him- self. The truth was, that Anselm had so admirably applied the revenues, which, in consequence of the 296 WALDEMAR. restitution of the count's estates, had flowed into their wonted channel, that not only had the sub- stantial repairs of the castle been cared for, but a sufficient surplus remained for the decoration of the interior ; a process, however, which the old steward, with a foresight worthy of his experience, left to the superintendence of one, to whose taste not only he, but his master would be bound to defer. In fact, the glory of his ancient house was re- stored : he had numerous and attached vassals without, and gallant defenders within ; over whom, our old acquaintance, Fritz, was appointed the count's lieutenant; while Anselm found, in the revived glories of his office, an ample indemnifica- tion for their long eclipse. To Waldemar, however, convalescence came not without some embarrassment, arising from the position in which he stood, with regard to the fair Bertha. He had borne himself upon the sick list, swallowing, daily, large draughts of love and water-gruel, until the restored colour on his cheek, and the renewed vigour of his limbs, rendered it impossible for him to carry on the farce any longer ; and it was quite clear, that when the young lady's functions, as a nurse, were no more put in requi- sition, there was but one other capacity in which she could remain a resident at the castle. In the course of their journey from Vienna, it had been proposed, on the one hand, and tacitly assented to on the other, that the marriage cere- mony should be performed at the castle of Linden- hausen ; whence they were afterwards to return to that of the count, an arrangement which had been WALDEMAR. 297 suggested by a conviction of its greater propriety, and an impression that the bridegroom's domicile was not in a condition to receive the bride. As matters had turned out, however, to take the maiden, through a disturbed country, to the strong- hold of Lindenhausen, for the mere purpose of bringing her back again, appeared marvellously like a fool's errand. On the other hand, matri- mony, in those days, was not to be perpetrated, as at the present time, with only the privity of the parson and the parish- clerk. A papa, either in person or by subsitute, and bridewomen, to play propriety on the occasion, were deemed almost as indispensable as a priest. It happened, one day, while in this dilemma, that he was walking with Bertha, on the ramparts of his castle, and, occasionally, glancing over the adja- cent country, through a telescope ; an instrument which had been invented, about forty years previ- ously, by one Jansen, a spectacle-maker of Mid- dleburg. A cloud of dust, on a mountain which met the horizon, attracted his attention ; and, recon- noitring the spot through his glass, he remarked : " By my faith, Bertha, here come those whose errand, judging from their speed, must needs be urgent." Then, after a pause, he continued, " But ah ! I see they fly not without good cause ; a band of twice their strength is at their heels, and presses them hard. The fugitives are five in number, and one of them, a female, whose palfrey, wo the while ! being unequal, in fleetness, to the rest, de- tains the party. But this may not be, Fritz," he added, calling to the lieutenant, who, at the head of his troop, was, at that moment, issuing from the 298 WALDEMAR. castle-gate beneath, " see you yonder race upon the mountain ? Prithee prick on with thy men ; thou mayst yet be in time to strike a blow for the weaker party/' Meanwhile the pursuers continued to gain upon the pursued ; the male portion of whom, it was evident, might have easily escaped, had they not been impeded by their fair charge. At length, a very few yards were left between the two parties, when the horse of the leader of the hindmost band stumbled, and threw his rider ; a circumstance which caused both confusion and delay, and gave the fugitives another chance of escape. This they were in a fair way of effecting, when they were suddenly brought to a halt, by an impediment in the road, which, although cleared by the horsemen, the lady's palfrey refused to leap. The delay, thus occasioned, was fatal to the party, who were over- taken, and surrounded by their pursuers ; and, after some slight and ineffectual resistance, com- pelled to turn back with their captors. Fritz, who had obeyed the count's directions, with his accustomed alacrity, no sooner perceived the issue of the race, than he wheeled his troop ; and filed off, in the direction of the place to which he had originally been ordered, for the purpose of escorting some ammunition for the use of the castle. " Madman !" exclaimed Waldemar, when he saw his lieutenant thus quietly abandon the fugitives to their fate. " I cannot think him coward," he added ; " for I have seen him charge twice their number ; and his party is better mounted and armed." WALDEMAR. 299 In a short time, the prisoners and their captors disappeared behind the mountain, which they had previously crossed ; and Fritz and his party vanished in the other direction. While Waldemar was la- menting the fate of the vanquished travellers ; and censuring, in no measured terms, his lieutenant's disobedience of orders, another cloud of dust was observed on the crest of the mountain ; and, the next moment, he perceived the same party, with their captives, flying in the direction of the castle, with scarcely less precipitation than had distinguished their first approach. After a pause, during which Waldemar was anxi- ously waiting for a clue to the altered movement of the party, he exclaimed to Bertha, " Fritz was right, after all ; he has out-mano3uvred them, by Jupiter ; and see, he is charging down the hill like a whirlwind, and will scatter them as chaff !" The previously successful party, however, had no intention of trying conclusions with the count's troop ; but, having arrived at the point at which Fritz had before, apparently, given up the pursuit, suddenly wheeled off in the same direction, leaving their late prisoners in the hands of their rescuers. The gratification experienced by Waldemar and Bertha, at this fortunate issue of the adventure, was, it will readily be imagined, not a little in- creased, by their discovering, on the nearer ap- proach of Fritz's party, that the individuals rescued were no other than baron Lindenhausen, his daughter, and Wolfenberg, with two attendants. Waldemar's surprise, however, was fully equal to his delight ; and, under the influence of the two sensations, he might aptly have said, in the words 300 WALDEMAR. of a distich, which we remember to have read in our boyhood : " Welcome, friends to me yet dear ; But what the dickens brought you here 1" The old baron's explanation was briefly to the effect, that they had heard of Waldemar's encoun- ter in the ravine, and that anxiety for his fate had prevailed over the apprehensions, which a long journey, in the disturbed state of the country, ne- cessarily involved ; adding, that no persuasion or representation could deter Rudolpha from accom- panying her husband and father. It was on the same night, after Rudolpha and her friend had quitted the supper table, that the count, over a flask of the old Bacharach, pro- pounded his matrimonial intentions to the baron, and his son-in-law : and, as the two latter not only coincided in the expediency of the proposed mea- sure, but contrived, on the following morning, to bring Rudolpha over to their opinion, poor Bertha had nothing left her but to consent. The precise number and degree of intensity of the blushes, at the expense of which the maiden's acquiescence was extorted, I cannot take upon myself to state ; but I have it, upon the recorded authority of Waldemar himself, that she never looked so lovely in her life. In a few days afterwards, she was, to use the or- thodox verb, applied to the ladies on such occasions, led to the altar ; as if, bless their bright eyes ! they went not thither with their own goodwill. BaronLin- denhausen gave away, what, in his younger days, he WALDEMAR. 301 would have been disposed rather to keep for himself; and Rudolpha, in the absence of a bride-maid, took upon herself the execution of that important office. I am left to regret, that all my research has been unsuccessful, in obtaining any further particulars of the nuptial ceremony ; or of the high feasting which, of course, followed it. Two causes are as- signed for the silence of the legend, whence our story is derived, upon this point : let the reader take his choice of them. One is, that a wedding, celebrated with so little " pomp and circumstance," was beneath the grandiloquence of the historian ; the other, that Anselm, whose peculiar duty it was to put the facts upon record, was so entirely oblivious on the subject, that all that could be extracted from him, on the following morning, was, that there was not a bottle of Bacharach left in the cellar. For my own part, I see not the pertinence of the steward's remark, except as it may be deemed to account for his lapse of me- mory. Lindenhausen, who had prolonged his stay at the castle for the purpose of witnessing Walde- niar's happiness in the blessed state of matri- mony, took his leave within three days after the marriage ; whether, because he deemed that period to be the probable duration of his friend's felicity, or was called away by important concerns of his own, it falls not within my province to deter- mine. Lest, however, it be supposed, by any of my readers, that the former motive, at which I have hinted, was the true one, it is my duty, as a faith- ful chronicler, to state, that if the worthy baron 302 WALDEMAR. entertained any such apprehensions, they were utterly without foundation. To assert that the subsequent course of their existence was one of uninterrupted happiness, would be to assign to them a lot, which never yet fell to man ; seeing that the purest feelings of the human heart are oftentimes the most fruitful sources of anxiety and distress. But, amid all the calamities of life, in sickness and in sorrow, they had the blessed con- solation of an affection, which, based on mutual esteem, is superior to the chances and changes of this fluctuating world. It was some weeks after their union, that Waldemar and his lovely bride were sitting at a window, which commanded an extensive view of the rich and picturesque country, by which their domain was surrounded. The last faint blush of the setting sun was fast fading away ; and the summer moon, pure, bright, and glorious, was pouring a flood of silver light on mountain, tree, and tower. Waldemar gazed upon the scene with those feelings of delight, which the contemplation was calculated to inspire; and which were enhanced by the assurance, that they were shared by the lovely being who sat beside him. His ancestral woods were waving around him, and the nightin- gale was breathing her vesper song from among their varied foliage ; while the lowing of the distant herd was borne, on the balmy breath of evening, to his ear. All was peace, and harmony, and beauty without; and within, that enduring delight, which none but those who love wisely, as well as fondly, can know. While they were thus enjoying the prospect, WALDEMAR. 303 their attention was attracted by the appearance of a single mounted traveller, who, emerging from a wood, struck into the road which led to the castle. His figure, although at a distance, and seen only by the light of the moon, seemed familiar to them both ; yet, great was their surprise, when, on de- scending to greet their visitor, they recognised their old acquaintance, the amiable, though eccen- tric count Lowenholm. He was looking much older than when they had last seen him ; and, in his countenance, were traces of care and sorrow, which softened, although they could not quite subdue, its wonted cynical ex- pression. He returned the hospitable welcome of his young friends with a languid smile ; although the tears which, at the same time, gathered in his eyes, suffi- ciently testified his appreciation of their kindness. " Count," said the Swede, " the battle of Lut- zen, which has deprived Europe of her greatest hero, has given my enemies the ascendancy ; and I come to beg the shelter of your roof, until the storm has passed by." " All that I have," was Waldemar's reply, " be- yond six feet of earth, I owe to you ; and, there- fore, need not say, that, in placing, not only my home, but all that I possess of wealth or power, at your disposal, I do but acknowledge, to the pre- server of my life, a debt which I can never dis- charge." During the hour of his adversity, Lowenholm was an honoured guest at the castle of Waldemar ; and, when the tempest had blown over, and, through certain changes, at the court of Stockholm, 304 WALDEMAR. which brought his friends into power, his ancestral honours and estates were restored to him, he made the discovery, that the society of his protector and his family was indispensable to his happiness ; and he therefore made little opposition to their entreaties, that he would spend the remainder of his days among them. Waldemar remained an inactive, though, it will readily be conceived, not unconcerned observer of the succeeding events of the thirty years' war. The re-union of the elector of Saxony with the emperor of Austria, instead of drawing him from his retire- ment, having only tended to confirm him in his resolution of maintaining a strict neutrality, he could not, without sacrificing his conscience, sup- port the views of his prince ; while loyalty, not less than gratitude, forbad his ranging himself among the elector's opponents. Of Rolandi, we know little more than that, with unabated zeal in his opposition to the church of Rome, he devoted his immense wealth to the furtherance of his designs ; and that although, upon several occasions, he attracted the notice, and in- curred the indignation of the object of his enmity, he died in his bed, at a good old age ; leaving behind him a reputation for vigour of intellect, dignity of character, and moral and personal in- trepidity, without parallel in the history of the un- inspired of his tribe. Of Sarsfield we learn that he fought his way up to an exalted post in the army ; and, after having reaped the reward of his gallantry in a more sub- stantial shape, retired to spend the evening of his \VALDEMAR. 305 life in his native land, under circumstances which destroyed the analogy between his purse and his sword-sheath. It is recorded of him, that, during his stay in Germany, he was an occasional, and it is scarcely necessary to add, an honoured guest, at the castle of his friend Waldemar. Lindenhausen lived long enough to rejoice in a goodly group of grandchildren ; and when he died, Wolfenberg deemed the wealth and possessions to which he succeeded, an inadequate compensation for the loss of the kind-hearted old baron ; whose temper, like his wine, originally excellent, derived mellowness from age. To those who are curious in such matters, it may be agreeable to know, that, in the course of time, the families of Wolfenberg and Waldemar were united by intermarriage, as they had long been by the warmest and most uninterrupted friendship. Schlaukopf, who had been condemned, by the emperor, to imprisonment for life, found his cell too confined for his ambitious spirit, and died of disap- pointment and chagrin. Albert, whose advancement in the army the delinquencies of his father were not permitted to impede, continued his military career ; and jus- tified, by his gallantry and honourable conduct, the early promise of his youth. Of the only remaining character in whom, it is presumed, our readers have taken an interest, namely, our old acquaintance Fritz, it may suffice to say, that he continued, to the day of his death, VOL. VIII. X 306 NOTES. to occupy the post of second in command of the forces at the castle ; of the dignity of which ap- pointment he entertained a due sense, and dis- charged its functions with equal fidelity and cou- NOTES. NOTES, FERDINAND II. OF AUSTRIA. SCHILLER*, in sketching the character of this prince, says : " During his reign of eighteen years, he never ceased to have his hand upon his sword ; never, during the time that he wielded the imperial sceptre, did he taste the blessings of peace. Born with the qualities of a good sovereign, endowed with many virtues which make the happiness of a people, mild and humane by nature, we see him, from an ill-conceived notion of his prerogative, the instrument, and, at the same time, the victim of foreign passions, failing in his beneficent in- tentions, and the friend of justice degenerating into the oppressor of humanity, the enemy of peace and the scourge of his people. Amiable in pri- vate life, and respectable as a sovereign, he was ill-advised in his politics ; and, while he merited * See Duncan's Translation. 310 NOTES. the blessings of his catholic subjects, he drew down upon himself the curses of the protestants." He was a remarkable illustration of the close alliance between bigotry and cruelty. When the decisions of the Bohemian court of judicature, in the cases of certain state prisoners, were laid before him, he sent for his confessor, Lamor- main, and inquired of him, whether, as a matter of conscience, he ought to put them to death or to grant them a free pardon. The ecclesiastic, who appears to have been an honourable excep- tion to the generality of the emperor's spiritual advisers, replied, that it was in his majesty's power to do either. Yet the unmerciful alterna- tive was adopted : one hundred and eighty-five noble protestant families were sent to beg their bread in foreign countries ; while others, of the first rank in the kingdom, were consigned to the executioner. A few particulars, relative to this latter class of victims, may not, as illustrative of the heroism so characteristic of the times, be altogether out of place, or unacceptable to the reader. At the examination of count de Schlick, by the inquisitors of justice, he tore open his vest, and, baring his bosom, exclaimed, " Tear this body of mine into ten thousand pieces probe every vein and corner of my heart you shall not find a single sentiment there, but what my right hand hath subscribed at the bottom of the apology. The love of liberty, and of God's religion, and of my country, prompted that very hand to use the sword ; and, since it has pleased the Supreme Being to transfer success to the emperor, and de- NOTES. 311 liver us into your hands, I can only say, with submission, resignation, and reverence, ' The will of God be done /' " When that part of his sentence was read, which condemned his body to be torn to pieces by wild horses, and his limbs hung up in various places, he replied by the apt quotation of " Facilisjactura sepulchri." The chevalier Kapler, on being offered a com- mutation of his sentence into perpetual banish- ment, answered, that, being an extremely old man, unable either to taste wine or relish meat, walk- ing with pain, and sleeping with difficulty, he had but one favour to ask, which was to be beheaded. The venerable Michaelovitzki, when the offi- cers were about to conduct a young nobleman to the scaffold, stepped before him, and said, " Se- niores priores ; I demand the precedency of age." Another, in reference to his being condemned to be torn to pieces, said, with equal piety and fortitude, " Gentlemen, send one limb to the pope, a second to the emperor, a third to the king of Spain, and a fourth to the great Turk ; yet the Supreme Being will know how to reunite them at the last day." Count Galliazzo Gualdo Priorato * describes Fer- dinand as " a prince of a sanguine and manlike complexion, of a middle stature, and majestical aspect. His exercises were hunting and music : the one for the exercise of his body, and the de- light he took therein ; the other for the glory of God, and to solace his spirit, bent upon the in- terest of the empire : in these he spent the idle hours of his reign, and much money." * See the Earl of Monmouth's Translation, A.D, 1648. 3 1 2 NOTES. We add another quotation from the same au- thor, who, however, it should be premised, is somewhat extravagant in his panegyrics ; a fault of which he himself appears to have been aware, since, in anticipation of censure on that score, he says, " I make not use of such spectacles or per- spective glasses, whereby men discern spots in the moon." " None of his predecessors," says the count, in his eulogium on Ferdinand, " did ever exceed him in generosity of mind, in extending favours, in the well-accepting of actions, and in sincerity of good will. His rewarding services received, his magnanimity of honouring such as deserved well, and his demonstration of affection to his faithful servants, were so many trumpets to invite unto his service even those most remote from him." In extolling the emperor's generosity, the Italian seems to have done him no more than justice ; his rewards to his generals having, in many instances, been of a most princely character. His eulogist, evidently, however, without intending it, betrays the motive of Ferdinand's liberality in those points, as well as of his severity in others, by stating that " his conscience could not tolerate the unseemli- ness of heresy." JOHN GEORGE, ELECTOR OF SAXONY. HARTE describes this prince in the following terms : " He hated war, and was greatly addicted to NOTES. 313 the pleasures of hunting and drinking. He placed implicit confidence in the king of Denmark, and entertained a radical disgust towards the king of Sweden ; and the rather, as their pretensions clashed with respect to the bishoprics of Magde- burg and Halberstadt. " He was partial, likewise, to the imperial in- terests, from ancient habit, and was further in- duced thereto by some private reasons ; for Bohemia and the incorporated provinces lay con- tiguous to his territories, and he always hoped to obtain some grants upon them, in case the house of Austria grew prosperous in her victories. To complete this, he professed an aversion to all foreign interferences in the empire ; and, what was still more, had one favourite principle at heart ; which was, to bring about a general peace in Ger- many, and transfer the seat of war into some foreign country; as Sweden, Poland, the Valteline, and Italy. In this object he had two views : a diversion to the enterprising ambition of the Aus- trian family, and the maintenance of his own country in repose, till he could indemnify himself for the fatigues, expences, and depopulations of a tedious war." " Upon the whole," continues the same historian, summing up the motives and character of this prince, " it may suffice to observe, that the elector of Saxony wanted to please, and not to displease the contending parties ; a task unworthy of a great man, because of the improbable success which attends it ; and too difficult to be executed by a weak or timorous man, the result of whose won- derful cunning and address is to render each party discontented." 314 XOTES. With all his faults, however, he was destitute of neither sense nor spirit, as the following anecdote will exemplify : On one occasion, Tilly sent a deputation, consisting of persons of rank, to the elector, with the view of winning him over to the catholic interest. John George, who was extremely hospitable, entertained his visitors sumptuously. After dinner, the deputation broached their com- mission ; when the elector told them, very coolly, that he considered himself as Ulysses, and the em- peror as Polyphemus ; and that the only favour he had to expect, was to be devoured last. " Saxony," continued he, " is reserved, as the dessert which is to crown the imperial banquet. Remember, how- ever, gentlemen, that, in the fruits that help to comprise a dessert, some are austere, and of dan- gerous digestion ; and some have stones, which can only be cracked to the detriment of the teeth." In reference to the manifesto, put forth by the elector of Saxony, on the occasion of his withdraw- ing his support from the Swede, and renewing his alliance with the emperor, our Italian author quaintly remarks, that " these excuses and de- clarations did not mitigate, but more inflame the Swedish commanders, and incite them to revenge ; for, as good wine makes the sharpest vinegar, so their former good friendship turned to the greater enmity." ARNHEIM. THE following sketch of this prominent character in our story, is extracted from a note in Harte's work : NOTES. 315 " John George Arnheim was a gentleman of Brandenburg. He had an inventive head, in mat- ters of dissimulation, artifice, and deceit; and may be considered as the prime author of all the Saxon elector's duplicity. Amongst other things, he be- trayed the Swedes in 1633, and negotiated the al- liance between his master and the emperor ; being always a creature who subjected himself to the ferula of Wallenstein. His behaviour to count Thurn and Dewbatel was highly ungenerous ; for he attacked them in the night, whilst they were his allies, and serving him ; took all their soldiers pri- soners, and transferred them to the imperial ser- vice. Wallenstein, who was magnificent in all his actions, where his private passions were uncon- cerned, was so ashamed of this action, that he dis- missed the officers without ransom ; a circumstance of private history, which few historians have been able to account for, as no prisoner would have been so acceptable as Thurn to the emperor. " Arnheim, being taken by the Swedes, about the year 1638, was conducted, with great joy, to Stockholm, and made a state prisoner in the castle. M. du Maurier tells us, that he often saw him at his window, reclining his head on his hand, and musing, like a man lost in meditation. " He, at length, gave anew proof of his abilities in stratagem ; for, pretending to be in a sort of dying condition, he signified to the ministry, that he could make a disposition of part of his estate, by sale, greatly to his advantage, if they would grant a passport to one of the gentlemen of his retinue, to cross over into Germany ; having in- 316 NOTES. vested the said trusty person with proper au- thorities. " The regency made no difficulty in complying with so reasonable a request ; and Arnheim art- fully chose a day to dispatch his agent, when great rejoicings were made for the birth of a dauphin of France. Upon this pretext, Arnheim's retinue made a public dinner, and distributed rich wines, in great abundance, to the persons appointed to guard their master ; and, in the close of the even- ing, Arnheim, who was supposed to be dying, issued out with the gentleman, his agent, in the character of his livery footman, well muffled in a large riding coat. He reached the sea-coast, with great celerity, and transported himself, in a little vessel, into Germany. " The remainder of his family at Stockholm car- ried on the farce with great solemnity ; and, as his pretended illness kept him from visitants, too much time elapsed, to give the ministry any opportunity of retaking him. The success of this artifice threw Oxenstiern into great disquietude." WALLENSTEIN, DUKE OF FRIEDLAND. WITH reference to the princely state which this distinguished general kept up, after his dismissal by the emperor Ferdinand, Schiller informs us, that his palace at Prague was approached by six porticos ; and that one hundred houses were demo- lished, to make room to the castle court. He maintained fifty pages, and his ante-chamber was- KOTES. 317 filled by the like number of life-guards. His table never contained ess than a hundred covers. His house-steward was a person of distinction ; and individuals of the first families contended for the office of his chamberlain. Six barons, and an equal number of knights, were always in attend- ance upon him; and, when he travelled, he was accompanied by his court, in sixty carriages. His liveries, and the furniture of his apartments, were in a corresponding style of magnificence. On the same authority, we learn that he was reserved and gloomy in his deportment, difficult of access, and as sparing of his words, as he was lavish of his money. He rarely smiled, and was averse from dissipation ; the " coldness of his tem- perature," says the historian, " resisting the seduc- tion of his senses." He was of high stature, but of spare make, of a sallow complexion, with scanty red hair, small but brilliant eyes, and of an austere and forbidding aspect. Although, if not a sceptic, a scoffer at all religion, he was the slave of superstition ; and, in- tractable in every other respect, submitted im- plicitly to the guidance of an Italian professor of astrology. An anecdote or two of this extraordinary person will serve to illustrate his character. He once is- sued an order, that none but red sashes should be worn in the army ; annexing the penalty of death to an infraction of his commands. A captain of cavalry, on the promulgation of the order, took off his sash, which was of gold embroidery, and trampled it under his feet. Wallenstein heard of 318 NOTES. the action, and immediately promoted the officer to the rank of colonel. On another occasion, he issued a prohibition against the commission of robberies by his troops in a friendly country ; threatening to punish the transgressors of his order with the halter. It hap- pened, that he met a soldier, whom he suspected of having been guilty of plundering ; and, with- out further inquiry, commanded that the " rascal" should instantly be hanged. The soldier not only asserted his innocence, but proved it, even to the satisfaction of the duke himself ; who, however, with a barbarity, in perfect unison with his character, exclaimed, " Let him be hanged, then, innocent ; the guilty will tremble so much the more." The soldier, made desperate by the injustice of the sentence, and resolving not to perish unavenged, threw himself upon his judge ; but w"as disarmed by the guards before he could accomplish his purpose. Wallenstein, however, immediately countermanded the execution, saying, " Now let him go ; it is sufficient to frighten others/' Harte gives an amusing anecdote of Wallen- stein's early life. When a student at Altdorf, a new prison had been erected for offending scholars ; and the rector of the university had given orders that it should take its name from the person who should first be confined in it. Wal- lenstein's impetuous disposition was perpetually leading him into scrapes, and it happened that he was the first delinquent. When the beadles had conducted him to the door of the prison, he NOTES. 319 paused, under some pretence, and, kicking a little spaniel that belonged to him into the apartment, he shut the door on the animal, and said, " Now, gentlemen, the prison must take the dog's name, and not Wallenstein's !" Although brought up in courts, he appears to have had an aversion to the arts by which cour- tiers thrive. He never made promises, or paid compliments, to his officers ; as he maintained that rewards magnificently bestowed, and discipline, by which he meant punishment, were all that was required to keep up the order and reputation of an army. Among the redeeming qualities of Wallenstein, generosity appears the most conspicuous. He made Piccolomini a present of 1600Z., and Isolani one of 600/. ; in reward of some military services which they had performed. So great was his antipathy to noise, that his officers, when in attendance at his levee, were wont to silence the jingling of their spurs, which, in those days, were furnished with very large rowels, by the application of a piece of silk twist, in compliment to the whim of their general. With the generosity common to chivalric minds, he was ever ready to pay his tribute to bravery, even in an enemy ; and, accordingly, he walked in the funeral procession of count Pappenheim. He had a fixed hatred of sycophants ; and when, upon one occasion, certain of that class attempted to ruin an officer in his esteem, by representing that he had not returned thanks for a commission, lately bestowed upon him by the 320 NOTES. duke, the latter merely remarked, that the poor man was so overcome with gratitude, that he had not power to return his acknowledgments. Although his table was spread with a profusion and splendour not surpassed by that of the greatest potentate of his day, he was remarkable for his mo- deration, both as to eating and drinking ; and his temperance, in other respects, was equally conspi- cuous ; he appearing to have made Scipio his model in another particular besides the magnificence of his rewards. " Since the days of Samuel the prophet," re- marks Schiller, " no man who quarrelled with the church, came to a fortunate end ;" and Wal- lenstein's was a case in point. He was trea- cherously murdered at Egra, in February, 1634 ; and the manner in which he met his fate was highly characteristic of the man. When asked by one of his assassins, " if he was the villain who would deliver up the emperor's troops to the enemy, and tear the crown from his majesty's head ?" he regarded his assailants, for a few mo- ments, in scornful silence ; and then, extending his arms, he received the thrusts of their halberts in his bosom ; and fell, bathed in his blood, without a groan ! Ferdinand, it is said, shed some tears over the fate of his general, and commanded three thousand masses to be said for his soul ; not for- getting, however, to reward his assassins with gold chains, chamberlain's keys, dignities, and estates. NOTES. 321 PAPPENHEIM. OUR Italian historian, in describing the character of this celebrated warrior, says, that " in the most difficult actions, he was courageous ; in adverse for- tune, not moved ; in making of marches, politic ; in deliberation, bold; in counsel, well-ad vised; modest in victory ; severe in execution ; in his dealings, affable; in fine, he was, in all things, vigilant, expert, valiant, merciful, and magnanimous. The many scars, * wherewith his face was adorned, were the characters wherein his good service was written. The love and reverence the soldiers bore him, testified his civil and noble carnage ; the good repute his very enemies had of him, published his ineffable worth to be without spot ; his esti- mation and renown were the trumpets of his valour and experience. " Germany hath not produced a private gentle- man of so mature an understanding, of so diligent a mind, of so sprightly a wit, nor one so generous. He never undertook any enterprise, before he had well weighed what the event and consequence thereof might be. He met with no difficulty which he found not some means to overcome ; he prized not any preferment, profit, or interest, wherein his particular person was concerned. He was held to be, in all things, zealous to his master's * He obtained the surname of "Le Balafre," from the circumstance of his having received, in various engagements, no less than one hundred wounds. VOL. VIII. Y 322 NOTES service , desirous of reputation, and ambitious of glory." It was a common saying with Gustavus, that Tilly was an old corporal, Wallenstein a madman, but Pappenheim a soldier ; and that he feared no general, belonging to the enemy, but this Balafre. Harte, in reference to this distinguished general, writes : " As his temperament was an equal mix- ture of the prudent and courageous, most historians imagine him to be [have been] a man advanced in years, and speak of him in the style of an old, wary, and long-experienced commander. Much experienced he really was, for, in the twenty- fourth year of his age, he performed wonders at the battle of Prague. The many scars, likewise, and contusions, which he carried in his person, con- firmed writers more and more in their opinion ; though, in truth, at the period [of which] we are now speaking, he was just advancing into his eight- and-thirtieth year; being of the same age with Gustavus, whom he affected to resemble in all things : in a similitude of nativity and horoscope ; in the manner of adjusting his hair ; in riding a white palfrey, etc. etc. ; and, what was more diffi- cult, in good morals and piety. " He was very nobly descended ; served his first campaigns in the Valteline, and performed wonders at the siege of Chiavenna. The chamber, wherein he expired, is still shown, at Leipsic, with great respect : it is a small apartment in the castle of Pleissenberg. "It is reported of him, though most historians NOTES. 323 seem to me to take that for serious, which appears to others mere matter of pleasantry, that he always maintained, in conversation with his friends, that conformably to a prediction, found in the archives of his family, a certain Pappenheim balafre, mounted on a white steed, should kill, hand to hand, in the field of battle, a great monarch, who came out of the north. Had this been spoken in sincere good earnest, the temper of Gustavus was such, [that] he would certainly have despised him as a vain-glorious boaster, and a credulous enthusiast ; whereas, on the contrary, he always showed him acts of politeness, and honoured him extremely, not only for his personal intrepidity, but for his inventive genius in marches, attacks, and strata- gems." Whether the observations, thus imputed to Pap- penheim, were made in jest or earnest, by a strange coincidence, being of the same age with the king of Sweden, he perished on the same field at the battle of Lutzen, having been mortally wounded, in the thigh, by a falcon-shot. Although he felt that he had received his death-wound, he continued to speak cheerfully to his men. As he was carried through the ranks, from the field of battle, he called an officer to him, and said, " Sir, tell Wal- lenstein, that what I have received is enough for my purpose ; but tell him, too, that I have preserved the Catholic religion, and made the emperor a free man ;" for he knew, at that time, that Gustavus was dead. Thus perished the gallant Pappenheim, after having triumphed in forty-four battles and rencon- Y2 NOTES. tres ; leaving behind him the reputation of being the first commander of his day, and the most moral and religious person in the imperial army. TILLY. His merits, as a general, are well known. In ad- dition to his military renown, he appears to have had a great reputation for piety ; for our Italian author writes of him, that " his devotion, in all his actions, was admirable ; he never went about any action, before he had humbly, on his knees, begged of God that the event might be answerable to His Divine will. Tis said, that, if a man may live a religious life in war, he did so." The cruelties, perpetrated at Magdeburg, will, nevertheless, always be an indelible blot upon his memory. The taking of that devoted city, how- ever, appears to have been the last of his decisive triumphs. His good fortune deserted him from that hour. He lost the battle of Leipsic, in which he made a series of mistakes, that, altogether un- worthy of his former reputation, appear to have been the result of some strange fatuity. The issue of that celebrated engagement, is said to have destroyed Tilly's serenity of mind for ever. The following is a copy of a letter which he addressed to a friend, after his retreat on that occasion. It is, in every respect, a curious docu- ment ; exhibiting a clumsy and almost ludicrous attempt, to explain away his defeat ; and, at the same time, breathing a strain of piety, which NOTES. 325 it is difficult to reconcile with the remorseless cruelty of his conduct at Magdeburg. " SIR, " I was in great hopes, after such a series of fatiguing and intricate affairs, which I have been obliged to struggle with, through the whole pre- ceding campaign, and which, in truth, hindered me from keeping up an epistolary intercourse, to have conveyed to you, at last, some important news of an advantageous nature. But the Su- preme Being has thought fit to give things ano- ther turn, and visit us, at length, with a signal chastisement ; inasmuch as when, on the seventh of this month, I had made myself master of the town and castle of Leipsic, with a view, according to my orders, to compel the elector of Saxony to obey the mandate of his imperial majesty, and re- nounce the treaty of Leipsic, the king of Sweden, supported by the forces of the said elector, and the elector of Brandenburg, advanced upon me, all at once, and compelled me to enter into a general engagement ; wherein, after a long and obstinate dispute, it was the misfortune of our troops, much inferior in point of numbers, and greatly incommoded by clouds of dust, and the continual fire of the enemy's artillery, to fall into disorder by imperceptible degrees, and, at length, quit the field of battle. This may be termed the reverse of all our past prosperities ; over which we allowed ourselves to slumber, without pursuing our point vigorously. May God, who proposes, per- haps, to awaken us, and sharpen us by this dis- aster, inspire us, for the future, with a double 326 NOTES. quantity of attention and zeal. The losses and confusion, on the enemy's side, were very consi- derable ; nor did they pursue their blow with such expedition, as to prevent a party of our troops from retiring in safety, whom I am now modelling and reducing to order, in the best manner I can. As to my person, God has preserved me so far, that, out of two shots that happened to strike me, one only pierced my clothes, and the other gave me a contusion on the reins, which seems to be attended with no symptoms of danger. " Your faithful friend and servant, " JOHN, COUNT DE TILLI." Tilly seems to have occasionally exhibited a weakness, of which, after his having witnessed so much slaughter in the field, he could scarcely have been suspected. The count, it appears, at the capitulation of Leipsic, had taken up his quar- ters at the only house which remained in the sub- urbs of Halle, and which happened to be that of a sexton; who, with professional good taste, had ornamented his apartment with skulls and bones. Tilly betrayed his perturbation at the sight, by turning ghastly pale. He was killed at the defence of the passage of the Lech. The recollection of his defeat, at the battle of Leipsic, seems to have embittered his last mo- ments, as, addressing himself to the elector of Ba- varia, who was sitting by him, he exclaimed, " O ! that, instead of surviving my fame, I had expired in the great day of Leipsic ! It had been for your advantage, and my honour." He was born of Walloon parents, and not very NOTES. 327 nobly descended ; but was created count by the emperor, with the title of Illustrissimo. He is described by one author as of middle, and by another as of rather low, stature, " of a martial- like agility, and preserving, in his grey-headed years, a youth-like bodily strength." THE END. PRINTED BY STEWART AMU co., OLD BAILEY. VOLUME IX. WILL APPEAR ON THE FIRST OF DECEMBER, CONTAINING THE BARONET. BY A DEBUTANTE. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. APR 5 1961 General Library University of California Berkeley LD 21A-50m-12,'60 (B6'221slO)476B