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FORTIA’S TRAVELS IN SWEDEN, __ 497
We are refolute: their determination was made a long time before, and in their corref-
pondence with the enemy, afterwards proved, they had pledged themfelves to perfift —
That being the cafe, Gentlemen, as an officer at the head of his regiment is bound to obey as
much as the meaneft foldier in the ranks ; and as all difobedience in face of the enemy by mili-
tary law is punifpable with death, the law fhall take effect : we would then have decimated
the guilty, given up to immediate execution thofe upon whorn the lot had fallen, and
imprifoned the remainder in the neare(t citadel; afterwards we would have filled up
the vacant appointments, and have’ given the word to march, with firm affurance that
none would have ventured to hefitate. Without being a King, a general ought to have
acted thus, and we could cite thofe who would not have acted otherwife. This conduct
on the part of the King would have been fo much more fecure in that the foldiers, al-
though feduced in meafure by their officers, would have fided with the King immediately
he addrefled them. It is not of them that His Majefty complained on this mournful
occafion; on the contrary, often has he repeated before us, that once entreated with
the King at their head, the Swedifh troops would brave even hell itfelf.
Yo other embarraffments to-which His Majelty was fubje€t, is to be fuperadded the
impoflibility of his addreffing the Finnifh foldiers, except by an interpreter ; the Finnifh
language having no analogy with the Swedifh. We had an anecdote from His Majefty,
which for its fingularity deferves to be repeated. Being defirous of addrefling fome
foldiers who were murmuring, he made ufe of an officer whom he met on the fpot
for an interpreter. This officer delivered the fpeech of His Majefty to the foldiers, and
the anfwer of the latter to the King, quite different to what was expreffed by either.
The Prince was not till fome time after made acquainted with this piece of roguery,
as impudent as novel. He had liberality enough not to feek to know who this officer
was.
‘The King in defpair returned to Stockholm, where fhortly after a party was formed
again{t him. The project of it was no lefs than to reduce him to the ftate he was in on
afcending the throne, and if poflible, even lower. The chiefs of the party fpoke openly
of their intention, and nothing but the aflembly of the diet was waited for to confoli-
date this new {cheme. Guftavus, in the moft terrible pofition. imaginable, hefitated
whether or no he fhould affemble the States : fortunately he determined for the negative,
fwayed, as it is faid, by the advice of two foreign minifters ; had he convoked them at
that inftant he would have been ruined. ‘fo thefe multiplied embarraffments fucceeded
a fudden irruption into his dominions. The Prince ot Heffe, at the head of twelve
thoufand Danes, landed in the neighbourhood of Gottenburg. Guftavus was at the
time in the mountains of Dalecarlia: fetting off with only a fingle fervant unknown to
any one, he harangued from the fame f{tone, on which on a fimilar occafion Guftavus
Vafa had ftood, the defcendants of thofe who had aflifted him to expel the tyrant Chrif-
tiern. Guftavus III. whofe eloquence was uniformly perfuafive, engaged a number of
thefe. mountaineers to fet off for Stockholm. | (In one village, where the men were em-
ployed. at their labour, the King addreffed their wives, who pledged themfelves for their
hufbands.)\ ‘They arrived at their place of rendezvous, and under the command of
Baron Armfeldt, cloathed and dreffed in their country garb, with the blue ribbon con-
{picuous over his Dalecarlian drefs, took a pofition at Drottningholm, whence they had
an eye on all that paffcd in the capital. The King here for the firft time heard of the
invafion of the Danes: he immediately fet off, and’arrived at Gottenburg at an inftant
when fought for all over the kingdom, at aninflant wheti this city, incapable of defence,
was about to furrender to the Prince of Hefle.. =: The, prefence, the language of the
King gave courage to all. No longer was heard any notion to furrender; the Danith
VOL. VI. as herald
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