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His Farewell and Last Will 125
the mighty Goliath, and then raised the same David to
royal power and glory. Thus hath God helped me, un-
worthy though I am, in a wonderful way to this estate.
"My dear Swedish people, whatever the government
I have given you may have been, I ask you to accept it.
If any good has been done it is God’s work. Give Him
thanks for it. But if there has been any shortcoming
or fault in my government, I would fain ask you, for
God’s sake, to forgive me; for God is.my witness that
it has not happened through malice or evil intentions,
but through human weakness. I have been unable to
do better. My time will soon be over. For this I need
consult no stars or other divination. I have the intima-
tion in my own body that I must soon depart." In
blessing he stretched forth his hands, and amidst gen-
eral deep emotion he parted from his people.
His Last Will Then was read the king’s will, by
which he conferred the crown of Sweden on his oldest
son, and gave to his younger sons large hereditary
duchies. John received southwestern Finland; to
Charles he gave Sodermanland, Nerke, and Vermland.
That was the only way, as conditions of life were at
that time, to provide in a worthy manner for younger
sons. Perhaps, too, the father wished to give the king-
dom a safer stay than he felt Eric alone would be. But
it was dangerous to give these dukes full royal power
in their duchies. In this way Sweden was in fact
divided among three princes. Gustavus had evidently
not forgotten the fratricidal conflicts of the Folkung
Family, for he admonished his sons in an earnest and
fatherly way "to love one another as brothers and live
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