It Was In The Latter End Of September, A Season Extremely Cold In Those
Parts, That They Began Their March
But hardships were natural to the
king of Sweden's troops; and as they perceived they were going into
Lithuania, a
Place where their valour had been so well proved against
the invading Muscovites, their cheeks glowed with a fresher red on the
remembrance of their former victories. They passed near Dresden, the
capital of the electorate of Saxony, and made Augustus tremble in his
palace, tho' the word of the king, which ever was inviolable, had been
given that he should enjoy those dominions in peace.
During the course of this, the czar had fallen upon the frontiers of
Poland above twenty times, not like a general, desiring to come to a
decisive battle, but like a robber, plundering, ravaging, and destroying
the defenceless country people, and immediately flying on the approach
of any troops either of Charles XII or king Stanislaus. The Swedes in
their march met several parties sent on these expeditions, but who
retired on sight of the army into woods, and were most of them either
killed or taken prisoners by detachments sent in pursuit of them by the
king of Sweden.
In their march towards Grodno they found the remains of an encampment,
several pieces of cannon and ammunition of all forts, but not one
creature to guard it, the troops to whom it belonged having all
dispersed and hid themselves. On examining the tents, they were
surprized with the sight of a very beautiful woman, who was lying on the
ground in one of them, with three others, who seemed endeavouring to
comfort her, and, by the respect they paid her, that they were her
dependents; but had all of them their garments torn and bloody, their
hair hanging in strange disorder about their ears, their flesh
discoloured with bruises and other marks of violence, and, as well as
their disconsolate superior, were spectacles of the utmost distress.
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