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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 215
Huffain, which was carefully preferved and fent asa prefent to the King. Nothing
could be more fuperb than this tent : it had more the appearance of a city than a pa-
vilion of war, and all the officers were lodged in it. Huflain Pacha repafled the river
with near fix thoufand men; but the bridge fell when the whole army was upon it,
and more than four thoufand men were drowned, without any relief to thofe who ex-
perienced the cruelty of the waves, except that of being cut to pieces by their enemies.
The King Michael received this intelligence with great joy, and this caufed his death,
which happened eight days after. ‘There were great factions after his death, as always
happens in Poland on fimilar occafions. Sobiefki was then grand marfhal, and general
in chief, and he made the whole army fwear before he left them that they would give
their votes for the Prince, although at that time he was not beloved by the leffer nobles.
M. de Beauvais was fent from France ; and whether it was not the intereft of France
that the Prince fhould become King, or that he found too many obftacles among the
nobility, he made before the aflembled fenate one of the fineft {peeches ever delivered,
telling the republic that both in gratitude for paft fervices, and in the hope of thofe
which might in future be received, no election could be fo favourable to the public
good as that of Sobiefki, who in confequence was chofen King, and afterwards crowned
at Crackow, under the name of John the Third.
The dowager of King Michael has fince been married to the Prince of Lorraine, who
has more influence than any other at the court of Poland, if the intrigues of France
had been lefs powerful, and if it had not been wholly her intereft to prevent this Prince
from arriving at the throne, fince by this new acquifition of power he might have been
enabled to undertake fome enterprife again{t France, for the recovery of his duchy.
Although Poland be united to France by friendfhip, without having much intercourfe
with her, it is more her intereft to remain on good terms with the Emperor, whofe
growing ftrength in Hungary is alarming. It was made apparent two years ago that
the Poles were not ignorant of this maxim, when M. de Bethune was at that court for
the purpofe of fomenting the rebellion of the Coflacks, both by means of men and mo-
ney. ‘The Queen ordered the recruits which M. de Bethune was fending off to the
rebels to be arrefted near the Hungarian mountains, by the Palatine of Ruffia, by
which fhe evinced that Poland had no concern with what paffed in that quarter, and that
the whole proceeding originated with the court of France, which for want of money
allowed the troops commanded by M. de Guenegaut to be difbanded. Thefe troops
were compofed of fome Frenchmen, ‘artars, but the greateft part were rebels, who find-
ing that it had been more than two years fince they had received any pay, they mutinied
againft their generals, whom they attacked and arrefted prifoners in a village, where they
wifhed to maffacre them.
This conduct of the Palatine of Ruffia, ordered by the Queen, produced a great alte-
ration in the mind of M. de Bethune, who was a confiderable time without attending
the court, which was alfo the cafe with Madame the Marchionefs, who could not remain
on good terms with the Queen, M. de Bethune did not with well the more for this
action to the Palatine of Ruffia, under-general of the crown,. and in fome degree put
him at defiance, by telling him if they were each of them at the head of five hundred
horfe, it would be feen who was fuperior : however they afterwards became friends,
and the Palatine afterwards made a prefent of a fine Turkitfh horfe to M. de Bethune.
M. de Bethune was extremely popular in Poland: no man ever fuftained his cha-
yacter better in that country than him; he always kept open table, and had more than
a hundred perfonsin his houfe : he lodged at the Caflimerian palace, built by the Prin-
cefs Mary.
Three
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