queftion to thofe in whom he placed the highest confidence, and took their different opinions on the fubject. This might have been the effect of pride, or perhaps of that maxim of princes and ftatefmen, to advife with others, without disclosing their own fenti

ments.

All the world knows the averfion this great man had for women; but very few know whence it originated. He had fcarcely mounted the throne, when, breathing nothing but war, he was continually employed in thinking of the most effectual and destructive means of making it. A certain profeffor of Stockholm had communicated to him a new invention in the branch of ordnance, with which he was fo much pleafed as to order him immediately to make the experiment. Impatient for the completion of the work, he went one morning very early all alone to the profeffor's houfe, who was in bed, having been taken ill the day before with a fe

ver.

After knocking for a confiderable length of time at the door, he was let in, and had a conference with the profeffor on the fubject that his mind was fo fully taken up with. At his departure he was preceded by a young girl, a fervant of the profeffor's, who carried a lantern, and had fome pretenfions to beauty.

The king took a fancy to the girl, which thewed he was not indifferent to the fex, and began to take fome liberties with her: but fhe, being perhaps a native of Dalecarlia, with a heart congenial to the foil, did not much relish this freedom of the king; and in return treated him

rather roughly. We are affured, that this repulfe made fo deep an impreffion on the king's mind, that he abfolutely refused in Poland to fee the Countess of Konigsmarck; and for ever banifhed the fex from his company and his pleasures.

Magnanimity, which you allow him, he certainly poffeffed to a very high degree. I fhall give you an inftance of it, by an anecdote which Plutarch would not have omitted, had he written the life of Charles. He happened to be one day, after his return from Turkey, riding out, with a fmall number of attendants, whom he left, and went on confiderably before. Being come to the gate of a field he had to pats through, he opened it, and neglected to shut it again, according to the laws of the country. The owner of the ground, who was an enfign in the army, being near at hand, and not being acquainted with Charles's perfon, called out to know why he did not shut the gate after him, according to the king's orders; and, as he paffed, made ufe of fome uncivil expreflions. Why do not you go and fhut it yourself? answers the king., This fo enrages the gentleman, that he feizes the bridle, and ftops the horfe. On this Charles puts his hand to his fword; but the other, being too ftrong for him, fnatches it from him. The king then draws out a pistol, and threatens to make the other repent it, unless he immediately lays down the fword on a ftone that was clofe by. You would not be fo valiant, fays the gentleman, if I was also provided with a pistol. Go, and fetch one, fays

the

the king. The gentleman on this goes for a piftol, while the king waits his return. As he was coming back in high dudgeon, he efpies the king's attend ants at a little distance; which giving him fome fufpicion, he makes his retreat. The noble men, who had joined the king, feeing him take up his word without faying a word, did not venture to ask him any questions, but followed him in filence. It happened that not long after, the regiment in which this gentleman was an enfign, became vacant, and was given to one of the noblemen who had that day attended the king. The gentleman thought it neceffary to inform his colonel of all the particulars, and defired he would contrive to extricate him from the difficulty. The day being arrived on which the regiment was to pass in review, the enfign does not make his appearance. His Majefty obferves to the colonel, There is an officer miffing. He is informed that the officer is on guard. Let him be fent for, fays the king. The enlign is accordingly brought forth, God knows with what fenfations. The king immediately gallops up to him, then ftops, and looking upon him ftedfastly, names him to a first lieutenancy, and orders a good round number of florins to be counted out to him,

There are many other inftances related of his magnanimity, which it would be too tedious to enumerate; amongst which, I know not whether you will place that refolution of his, not to have his wound dreffed, after hearing of the total defeat of his army at

Pultowa, and his tearing off the dreffings, like another Cato.

A certain particular in the anecdotes of Charles's life, you, who are fo curious in investigating the human heart, will be glad to know; which is, that he fometimes recommended to the chaplains of his army, in the fermons which among the Lutherans are preached to the foldiers, to take the following text:

Manete in vocatione in qua vocati estís.

As Petrarch often raised bis thoughts to the third circle of the heavens, where he fuppofed his Laura was with the other devoted flaves of love, fo did Charles to the circle of the God of War, which was his heaven. He was frequently overheard by his domeftics counterfeiting first the noife of drums, then that of artillery, and finally the report of fmall arms; when he would all on a fudden clap his hand to the fword which he always wore by his fide; his imagination tranfforming the chairs and tables in the room into horse and footmen.

During his ftay at Bender, having heard mention of the length of time a man may live without nourishment, and of the fasting and aufterity practifed by the Santons, and by the oriental Jews, he took it in his head to try the ftrength of his own conftitution in this particular. He held out for a week, taking only a glass of water each day; and at the fame time omitting none of his ordinary exercifes, among others, that of riding ten leagues on horfeback. On the eighth day he found an inclination to eat: fo he C 3

took

took fome food, but not, as one would fuppofe, what was very light and eafy of digeftion, but fome good fubftantial meat, and in no mall quantity. This, how ever, affected neither his health ror his ftomach, fo as to prevent him from purfuing his ordinary courfe of living.

Whenever he played at Chefs, as he frequently did to pafs away the time at Bender, he always moved the king towards the front as foon as poffible. To cover himself was entirely out of the question; and if ever a pawn hap pened to be in his way, he did not puzzle himself long about the method of moving him, but knocked him at once off the board. Such influence has that genius, or natural difpofition, that is born along with us, which in Charles fhewed its prevalence to the laft: for, after receiving his fatal blow at Frederick ftadt, he was found with his hand upon the hilt of his fword.

Thus you have a flight sketch, but an original one at leaft, of the rival of Peter the Great, to whofe great qualities he was at length obliged to give way. GufGuftavus Adolphus, who attended the lectures of our Galileo at Padua, and united the characters of the foldier and the politician, was, doubtlefs, a much greater man; notwithstanding Guftavas mitted an overfight, in neglecting to follow up his victory of Leipfic. Having completely routed his enemies in that battle, instead of marching ftraight into Bohe. mia, he was content with detaching there his ally the elector of Saxony, who carried on the war

com

without fpirit, and was foon gain ed over by the Auftrians. Guftavus divided and diffipated his force, like a great river that overflows its banks, and went here and there throughout Germany, befieging towns, and laying countries under contribution; but knew not how to contract and abridge the war, according to the Roman and Turkish method. He gave time to the enemy to recover himself, and lott all his former advantages: fo that he was oblig cd at Lutzen to recommence that game which he had before won, and which then terminated with his life.

It appears to me, beyond all difpute, that the greatest wan among the Swedish monarchs was Guftavus Vafa. He found the means of well regulating and di recting the natural ftrength of his country; and did not attempt to push it beyond its proper bounds; but made fo judicious a use of it within the kingdom, that without him it could neither have been extended fo far beyond the limits of the realm by Gustavus Adol. phus, nor fo glorioufly misguided, as it was afterwards, by Charles the Twelfth.

Some Account of the Life of Caftruc cio Caftracani of Lucca. From the fame Author.

A

gave a new life to poetry, fo did Caftruccio to the military art. Of the lowest extraction, he raifed himself by his perfonal merit alone to the dominion of Lucca, of Lunigiana, of part of the Riviere of Genoa, and afterwards of Pa and Pitoja; and, if death had not put a stop to his career, after he had just brought to a fuccefsful iffue a most important enterprife against the Florentines, he would in the end have made himself master of all Tufcany. Critics will have it, that he took the thread only from real hiftory, the texture being entirely his own; and that, in imitation of Xenophon's Cyropædia, he wished to exhibit Castruccio to the world as a model of civil and military conduct. That this was really the cafe, may be inferred from fome expreffions of the antients, which he puts into the mouth of Caftruccio; and in particular from the variation that is obfervable between the fafts he lays down in the Life, and thofe which he has related of him in the History of Florence. In the former he gives free scope to his imagination; whereas in the latter he follows the authority of Villani, a contem porary author; who nevertheless reprefents Castruccio to have been magnanimous, prudent, dexterous, diligent, indefatigable, brave, and at the fame time cool in battle, and extremely fortunate in his enterprises. Such in fact does he fhew himself in all his actions. That might be truly called a defign worthy of a Cæfar, which he had formed, of throwing a dam across the ftreights of the Golfo line Rock, that he might make himself master of the city of Flosence, by caufing the waters of

the Arno to overflow it. He Lewed prodigious ingenuity in the fiege of Piltoja, a little before his death; having made use of several curious machines, particularly the wooden tower of the antients, and fortified his camp in a most admirable manner against the town, and ftill more fo againft the Florentines, who attempted in vain to relieve it; fo that nothing can be richer than this piece of embroidery, as we may call it, wrought by the fecretary.

Three battles were given by Caftruccio, which were embellifhed, if not entirely planned, by Machiavel; who feems in his relation of them to be fond of fhewing his military knowledge. The firft was at Mount Carlo, not far from Pefcia, when Castruccio ferved under Uguccione della Faggiuola, who commanded the combined forces of the Pifans and Lucchefe against the Florentines.

nefs having obliged Uguccione to leave the camp, the enemy took courage, thinking they could eafily beat an army without a commander. They accordingly marched out, and offered battle every day, eager to come to action, and in their own minds fure of gaining the victory. Castruccio did all in his power to confirm them in this opinion, fhewing every fign of fear, and not fuffering any one to go without the entrenchments. At length, having learnt the difpofition of the Florentines, who placed the flower of their troops in the center, and the weaker upon the flanks, he fallied out, forming his army in an oppofite order; and having ordered his center to move flow, whil the wings advanced rapidly, the

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best

best of his troops came to engage the worst of the enemy's: by which manœuvre he obtained the victory.

The next battle was fought upon the hill of Serravalle, which lies at the end of the vale of Nievole, between Pefcia and Piftoja. The Lucchefe were encamped ou one fide of the hill, and the Florentines on the other. It was Caf truccio's intention to engage the enemy in this narrow pais; where his troops could not, before the action fhould begin, difcover their number, and would have the advantage of the ground. The night before the battle he took the precaution of occupying fecretly the caftle of Seriavalle, which was fituated at the top of the hill, at a little diftance from the road; and in that war obferved a perfect neutrality. This done, he puts his army in motion betines in the morning; and about break of day, his infantry falls in with the cavalry of the advanced guard of the Florentine army, who were afcending the hill on the other fide, with little expectation of meeting Caftruccio. The advantage he had of attacking the Florentines unexpectedly, and of flanking them from the caftle, gained him the battle.

The third victory which he obtained over the fame enemy, was no, lefs fignal. They were enramped at St. Miniato, on the left fide of the Arno, about thirty miles from Pifa. Having fecured Pifa with a strong garrifon, Caf truccia pitched his camp at Fucecchio, on the other tide of the river: a ftrong and commodious polition. He kept at a little diftance from, the Arno, in order to

encourge the Florentines to pafs it. His defign fucceeded; and no fooner had they begun one morn. ing to ford it with a part of their army, than Caftruccio, having divided his forces into two lines, fell upon them with the firft. The fight was obftinate; Caftruccio being inferior in force, but with the advantage of engaging troops who were in diforder; for the Florentines, not having all croffed the river, had not time to form their line of battle. Meanwhile he detaches two corps of infantry, one higher up, and the other lower down the river, to prevent the enemy from pafling it, in order to take him in flank. The fortune of the day still remained in fufpenfe, the Florentines making a vigorous defence against the troops of Caftruccio, as faft as they gained the bank. Caftruccio then ordered his fecond line to relieve the first; which, being compofed of fresh troops, foon broke the Florentines, who were nearly exbaufted, and drove them into the river. That part of the Florentine cavalry which had hitherto remained unbroken, was obliged to give way, when attacked at once by Caftruccio's cavalry, and by his infantry, which had no longer any of the Florentine infantry to oppofe them.

With fuch kill and dexterity does Caftruccio fight his battles, according to the fecretary's ac count of them. If his relations are not true, we must allow them at least to be plaufible; and they may perhaps induce us to think with Ariftotle, that fiction is more inftructive than history.