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214 REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
was {natched from him by Charles the Ninth, his uncle, whilft he was in Poland. This
prince was chofen King of Sweden, and engaged at his eleétion to live every fifth year
at Stockholm ; but being unable to keep his promife, on account of the continual wars
in which he was engaged with the Turks, the Tartars, and the Mufcovites, he deter-
mined to fend them a fenate, compofed of forty Jefuits, who fhould reprefent his court :
this fenate was received at Dantzic with great magnificence, and embarked for Stock-
holm ; but intelligence of their departure being received at Stockholm, the council
affembled, in which Charles, the King’s uncle, prefided, who difluaded the Swedes from
receiving a government of priefts; and the veffel containing them having arrived in
the road, he went in a twenty-gun veffel, under pretence of receiving them; and having
given a falute rather too rough to the veflel containing the holy- brotherhood, he drove
it to the bottom, without attempting to fave any Jefuit, whom he jeered in crying to them,
Perform now your miracles, as in Japan, when you walked on the water !
Sigifmond in this manner loft his crown of Sweden, which his uncle acquired; who
knowing well that there was no better means of exciting a war than under the pretext
of religion, he expelled all the Roman Catholic priefts, and eftablifhed the Lutherans in
their {tead. He was engaged in a war with his nephew, in 1604, which ccntinued two
years; but the King of Poland was unable to undertake any attempt of confequence,
from the attention which it became neceflary to pay to the Tartars, who- prefled him
{trongly on the other fide.
This did not prevent the Kings of Poland, after Sigifmond the Third, from taking the
title of Kings of Sweden, until the time of John Cafimir, at the laft pacification, which
took place at Oliva, near Dantzic ; where it was ordained that John Cafimir, being the
laft of his family, fhould condefcend to enjoy this title only during his life-time, in his
intercourfe with all the princes of the world who fhould give him this title, except the
Swedes.
Sigifmond had two fons, both of whom fucceeded to the throne: the eldeft was
Uladiflas the Fourth, who reigned fifteen years. It was during this reign that the cele-
brated entry of the Poles into Paris, to demand the Princefs Mary for their queen, took
place. Uladiflas being dead, his brother Cafimir was chofen in his ftead, who married
his brother’s widow, and reigned fixteen years, at the end of which he refigned the
crown, and retired to pafs the remainder of his days in France, where he died. ‘To him
fucceeded Michael Coribet Wefnowiichy: this prince was too good; and his nobles
defpifed him to fuch a degree, that they put it into his head to retire into a convent,
which he would have done if death had not prevented him. The Queen agreed to it,
becaufe fhe was to have been married to Count St. Paul, whom the majority wifhed to
raife to the throne. It was under him that Sobiefki, who at that time was only grand
marfhal, gained the famous battle of Cochin, in the Ukraine, between the Niefter and
the Pruth. The lurks were encamped and well entrenched under a fortrefs ; and the
Poles, being about eighty thoufand men ftrong, having pafled the Niefter on Sunday,
encamped the following days almoft within fight of the Turks. Thurfday and Friday
were {pent in making fome fkirmifhes, and on the evening of this day the Poles charged
the enemy. ‘This attack continued the whole night, and on Saturday morning the de-
feat commenced, and continued only two hours, during which more than eight-and-
thirty thoufand Turks were killed, without giving quarter to a fingle individual. Huf
fain Pacha, who commanded the Turkith army, with great difficulty faved himfelf with
two thoufand men, who alone remained of the whole army, which amounted to more
than forty thoufand men, and which by flight avoided the fate of their companions,
The booty was great, and it was wholly given up to the foldiers, except the tent of
Huflain,
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