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Scottish nation, are found willing and unwearied.”1 But
the fact remains that the position of the Scottish officers
in high command after the death of the great king was
one beset with uncommon difficulties.
The case of Major-General King seems to have been
somewhat different. He must have been a man who not
only valued his own merits and station, but constantly
overrated them ; he is irritated at others having commands
by his side ; he does not want to obey Banér, and General
Kratzenstein does not want to obey him. The differences
between the latter and himself became more acute in
consequence of Kratzenstein’s doubtful conduct with
regard to the ransom paid by imprisoned Imperial officers.
“As for me/’King writes in 1639, “the whole of the
4 soldatesca ’ here pays me the compliment that I never took
any ransom-money of the prisoners for myself, but left it
to the other officers and soldiers, in order to encourage
them in their further service to the Crown.” Whilst
King was apparently right in this respect, and also in his
requesting Banér to send some official person to inquire
and superintend the receipt and use of ransom-moneys,
he had at the same time the knack of representing
matters in a most unpleasant and dictatorial way. He is
unwearied in memorialising the Government, asking for a
written order that all officers should unconditionally obey
him (!); that he should be responsible to the Crown of
Sweden only, a trust to which his long services entitled
him more than others; that no officer under him should
receive a donation in the province which he occupied
without his previous assent, lest a a worse officer should
be preferred.” In one word, King did not know his place ;
1 28th of Sept. 1635. See Nya Handlingar ror. Skand. Hist.
xxvii. 386. The Riks-Råd expressed its conviction that it would be well
to keep the Scottish officers in good humour (2nd November, 1637).
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