LXXIV. THE moft neceffary fupply, however, that Guftavus LETTER received was an annual fubfidy from cardinal Richelieu, of twelve hundred thoufaud livres; a fmall fum in our days, but confiderable at that time, especially in a country where the precious metals are still scarce. The treaty between France and Sweden is a mafterpiece in politics. Guftavus agreed, in confideration A. D. 1631of the ftipulated fubfidy, to maintain in Germany an army of thirty-fix thousand men; hound himself to obferve a ftrict neutrality toward the duke of Bavaria, and all the princes of the Catholic League, on condition that they fhould not join the emperor against the Swedes; and to preferve the rights of the Romish church, wherever he should find it established 43. By thefe ingenious ftipulations, which do fo much honour to the genius of Richelieu, the Catholic princes were not only freed from all alarm on the fcore of religion, but furnished with a pretext for with-holding their affiftance from the emperor, as a ftep which would expofe them to the arms of Sweden. GUSTAVUS had entered Pomerania when this treaty was concluded, and foon after made himself master of Frankfort upon the Oder, Colberg, and feveral other important places. The Proteftant princes, however, were fl backward in declaring themfelves, left they fhould be feparately crushed by the imperial power, before the king of Sweden could march to their affiftance. In order to put an end to this irrefolution, Guftavus fummoned the elector of Brandenburg to declare himfelf openly in three days; and on receiving an evafive anfwer, he marched directly to Berlin. This fpirited conduct had the defired effest: the gates were thrown open, and Gustavus was received as a friend. He was foon after joined by the landgrave of Heffe, and the 43. Londorp. AR. Pub. tom, iv. elector A.D. 1631. Sept. 7. PART I. clector of Saxony, who being perfecuted by the Catholic league, put themselves under his protection. Guftavus now marched toward Leipfic, where Tilly lay encamped. That experienced general advanced into the plain of Breitenfeld to meet his antagonist, at the head of thirty thousand veterans. The king of Sweden's army confifted nearly of an equal number of men; but the Saxon auxiliaries being raw and undifciplined, fled at the firft onfet: yet did Guftavus, by his fuperior conduct, and the fuperior prowess of the Swedes, gain a complete victory over Tilly and the Imperialists 44. THIS blow threw Ferdinand into the utmoft confter. nation; and if the king of Sweden had marched immediately to Vienna, it is fuppofed he could have made himself mafter of that capital. But it is impoffible for human forefight to difcern all the advantages that may be reaped from a great and fingular ftroke of good fortanc. Hannibal wafted his time at Capua, after the battle of Canna, when he might have led his victorious army to Rome; and Gustavus Adolphus, instead of befieging Vienna, or laying wafte the emperor's hereditary dominions, took a different route, and had the satisfaction of erecting a column on the oppofite bank of the Rhine, in order to perpetuate the progrefs of his arins 4›. THE Confequences of the battle of Leipfic, however, were great. Nor did Guftavus fail to improve that victory which he had fo glorioufly earned. He was inftantly joined by all the members of the Evangelical Union, whom his fuccefs had infpired with courage. The measures of the Catholic League were utterly disconcerted; and the king of Sweden made himself 44. Harte's Life of Guflavus, vol ii. a l'An. 1631. Harte, ubi fup. 45. Mercur. Franc. mafter mafter of the whole country from the Elbe to the LETTER Rhine, comprehending a fpace of near one hundred leagues, full of fortified towns. LXXIV. A D.1 32. THE elector of Saxony, in the mean time, entered Bohemia, and took Prague. Count Tilly was killed April 5. in difputing with the Swedes the paffage of the Lech. And Gustavus, who by that paffage gained immortal honour, foon after reduced Augsburg, and there reeftablished the Proteftant religion. He next marched into Bavaria, where he found the gates of almoft every city thrown open on his approach. He entered the capital in triumph, had there an opportunity of difplaying the liberality of his mind. When preffed to revenge on Munich the cruelties (too horrid to be defcribed) which Tilly had perpetrated at Magdeburg; to give up the city to pillage, and reduce the electors' magnificent palace to afhes, "No!" replied helet us not imitate the barbarity of the Goths, "our ancestors, who have rendered their memory de"teftable by abufing the rights of conqueft; in doing "violence to humanity, and deftroying the precious "monuments of art 46." DURING thefe tranfactions, the renowned Walstein, who had been for a time in disgrace, but was restored to the chief command with unlimited powers, foon after the defeat at Leipfic, had recovered Prague, and the greater part of Bohemia. Guftavus offered him battle near Nuremburg; but that cautious veteran prudently declined the challenge, and the king of Sweden was repulfed in attempting to force his Auguft 24. entrenchments. The action lafted for ten hours, during which every regiment in the Swedish army, not excepting the body of referve, was led on to the 46. Harte, vol. ii. Le Vaffor, H. Louis XIII. attack. PART I. A.D. 1632. attack. The king's perfon was in imminent danger; the Auftrian cavalry fallying out furiously from their entrenchments on the right and left, when the efforts of the Swedes began to flacken: and a masterly retreat only could have faved him from a total overthrow. That fervice was partly performed by an old Scotch colonel of the name of Hepburn, who had refigned his commiffion in difguft, but was prefent at this asfault. To him Guftavus applied in his diftrefs, feeing no officer of equal experience at hand, and trufting to the colonel's natural generofity of fpirit. He was not deceived. Hepburn's pride overcame his refentment. "This," said he (and he perfevered in his refolution)" is the last time that ever I will ferve fo "ungrateful a prince !"- Elated with the opportunity that was offered him of gathering fresh laurels, and of exalting himself in the eye of a mafter, by whom he thought himself injured, he rushed into the thickest of the battle; delivered the orders of the king of Sweden to his army, and conducted the retreat with fo much order and ability, that the Imperialifts durft not give him the fmallest disturbance +7 THIS fevere check, and happy efcape from almost inevitable ruin, ought furely to have moderated the ardour of Guftavus. But it had not fufficiently that effect. In marching to the affistance of the elector of Saxony, he again gave battle to Walstein with an inferior force, in the wide plain of Lutzen, and loft his life in a hot engagement, which terminated in the defeat of the imperial army. That engagement was attended with circumftances fufficiently memorable to merit a particular detail. 47. Mod. Univ. Hift. art. Swed, sect. viii. This anecdote relative to Hepburn is told fomewhat differently by Mr. Harte; who, jealous of the honour of his hero Guftavus, feems fcrupulons in admitting the merit of the Scottish and English officers. SOON LXXIV. L Soon after the king of Sweden arrived at Naum- LETTER burg, he learned that Walftein had moved his camp from Weiffenfels to Lutzen; and although that move- A. D.1632. ment freed him from all neceffity of fighting, as it left open his way into Saxony by Degaw, he was keenly ftimulated with an appetite for giving battle. He accordingly convened, in his own apartment, his two Nov 4. favourite generals, Bernard, duke of Saxe Weymar, and Kniphaufen, and defired them to give their opinions freely, and without referve, in regard to the eligibility of fuch a measure. The youthful and ardent spirit of the duke, congenial to that of the king, inftantly caught fire, and he declared in favour of an engagement. But the courage of Kniphaufen, matured by reflection, and chaftifed by experience, made him fteadily and uniformly oppofe the hazarding of an action at that jun&ture, as contrary to the true principles of the military science. "No commander," faid he, "ought to encounter an enemy greatly fupe"rior to him in ftrength, unless compelled fo to do "by foine preffing neceffity. Now your majefty is "neither circumfcribed in place, nor in want of provifions, forage, or warlike ftores 48" ་ GUSTAVUS feemed to acquiefcein the opinion of this able and experienced general yet was he ftill greatly ambitious of a new trial at arms with Walstein. And no fooner was he informed, on his nearer approach, that the imperial army had received no alarm, nor the general any intelligence of his motions, than he declared his refolution of giving battle to the enemy. THAT declaration was received with the strongest demonftrations of applause, and the moft lively expref |