-
I Very Much Lament My Sister's Absence, As I
Find By Yours She Went Without Your Permission:
Time And Reflection
Will doubtless bring her to a
more just sense of what she, as well as myself,
ought to have of
Your goodness to us, and make
her return full of sincere contrition for having
offended you. I should implore your favourable
opinion of her actions in the mean time,
were not all the interest I have in you too little
to apologize for my own behaviour. - All, sir,
I dare to implore is pardon for myself, and that
you will be assured no son, no dependant whatever,
would more rejoice in an opportunity of
testifying his duty, affection, gratitude and submission,
than him who is now constrained by
ties, which I flatter myself you will not hereafter
disapprove, to swerve in some measure
from them, and whose soul and all the faculties
of it are
Entirely devoted to you.
HORATIO."
These dispatches being sent away, he became more composed, and set his
whole mind on his departure, and taking leave of those friends and
acquaintance he had contracted at Leipsic and Alranstadt; the time of
the army marching being fixed in a few days, tho' what rout they were to
take none, except count Piper, general Renchild, count Hoorn, and some
few others of the cabinet council, were made privy to.
CHAP. XIX.
The king of Sweden leaves Saxony, marches into Lithuania, meets with an
instance of Russian brutality, drives the czar out of Grodno, and
pursues him to the Borysthenes. Horatio, with others, is taken prisoner
by the Russians, and carried to Petersburg, where they suffer the
extremest miseries.
The word at length being given, the tents were struck, the trumpets
sounded, and the whole army was immediately in motion. Never was a more
gay and glorious fight; the splendor of their arms, and the richness of
their habits blazed against the sun; but what was yet more pleasing, and
spread greater terror among their enemies, was the chearfulness that sat
on every face, and shewed they followed with the utmost alacrity their
beloved and victorious monarch.
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.
The king of Sweden himself, followed by general Hoorn, Poniatolky,
Horatio, and several others, who hardly ever lost sight of him, came
into this tent, and, being touched with so moving a scene, demanded the
Occasion; on which the prostrate lady being told who it was that spoke,
started suddenly up, and throwing herself at his feet: - Oh king! cried
she in the German language, as famous for justice as for being
invincible in war, revenge the cause of helpless innocence and
virtue! - Oh let the murderous brutal Russians find heaven's vindictive
arm in you its great vicegerent. - She was able to utter no more: the
inward agonies she sustained, on being about to relate the story of her
wrongs, became too violent for speech, and she sunk motionless on the
earth. Two of the women, assisted by some Swedes, carried her out of the
tent, as thinking the open air most proper to revive her; and she who
remained, satisfied the king's curiosity in these words:
May it please your majesty, said she, my mistress, that afflicted lady
who just now implored your royal pity, is of the noble family of the
Casselburgh, in Saxony, only daughter to the present count: her person,
before these heavy misfortunes fell upon her, was deservedly reputed one
of the most beautiful that graced the court of Dresden: her birth, her
youth, her charms, and the great fortune it was expected she would be
mistress of, attracted a great number of persons who addressed her for
marriage: her own inclinations, as well as the count her father's
commands, disposed of her to Emmermusky, a Polish nobleman; and she had
been scarce one month a bride, before they unhappily took this journey to
visit my lord's mother who lives at Travenstadt. - In our way we met a
party of straggling Muscovites, who, notwithstanding the strict league
between our elector and the czar, and the knowledge they had by our
passports that we were Saxons, stripped us of every thing, killed all
our men-servants and having given my lord several wounds, left him for
dead upon the place, then dragged us miserable women to the camp.
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