As They Were In This Discourse, Colonel Poniatosky Came In, And Hearing
They Were Speaking Of Patkul, - I Have Just
Now, said he, received a
letter from one of my friends in Saxony concerning that general, which
deeply affects me,
Not for his own, but for the sake of a lady, to whom,
after a long series of disappointments, he was just going to be married,
when Augustus, against the law of nations, made him a prisoner. I will
relate the whole adventure to you, continued he; on which the others
assuring him they should think themselves obliged to him, he went on.
When he first entered into the service of Augustus, he became
passionately in love with madam d' Ensilden, a young lady, whose beauty,
birth, and fortune rendered her worthy the affections of a man of more
honour than he had testified in his public capacity: her friends at
least thought so; and chancellor Flemming making his addresses to her at
the same time, had the advantage in every thing but in her heart: there
Patkul triumphed in spight of all objections: and tho' king Augustus
vouchsafed himself to sollicite in behalf of his favourite, her
constancy remained unshaken as a rock; which so incensed a monarch
haughty and imperious in his nature, before humbled by our glorious
Charles, that he made use of his authority, and forbid her to think of
marrying any other: to which she resolutely answered, that she knew no
right princes had to interfere with the marriages of private persons;
but since his majesty commanded it, she would endeavour to obey and live
single.
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