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J.C. 1705, tenfions, his dangers, and the protection of France. Heg.1117, A confiderable party having called him into

to 1708.

to 1120.

Mehemet is depofed.

Tranfylvania to reprefs the tyranny of the imperial commiffioners, he found there men at his service and money, and he took the title of prince of Tranfylvania. The French ambassador vainly negotiated with the Porte to obtain the inveftiture of Tranfylvania for this new fovereign, and permiffion for him to fend a minifter to Constantinople. Whatever intereft Achmet might have to ftir up enemies against the Auftrian monarch, he would not confent to any step that might break the peace which he thought fo neceffary for his empire; fo much fo, that the khan of the Tartars having earnestly defired permiffion to declare war against the Ruffians at the time when the king of Sweden had just beaten them, the grand feignior thought it right to depofe that prince, and to give the throne of Crimea to his brother, who was more docile and pacific.

The grand vizier, the husband of the favorite, was depofed after fixteen months miniftry, without the cause of his depofition being ever well known. He was made governor of Aleppo. For feveral years there is nothing in the Ottoman annals worthy of being remarked. The monarch, too much given to women and pleasures, made an ili ufe of the leifure and abundance which a long peace procured hirn. Chourlouli Ali bafhaw, who fuceeded Mehemet, married one of his mafter's daughters, and affumed over him the

influence

to 1120.

influence which an able minifter cannot fail of J.C. 1705, to 1708. obtaining over an indolent, voluptuous monarch. Heg.1117. He was no more defirous of war than Achmet, and conftantly refifted the importunities of the French ambaffador, who, under different pretences, was always endeavouring to arm the Porte against the emperor Jofeph I. fucceffor to his father Leopold. It was during the miniftry of Chourlouli that the Ottoman empire fheltered two European fovereigns, Charles XII. king of Sweden, and Stanislaus I. whom the former had placed on the throne of Poland.

By one of those fatal blows that have fometimes J.C. 1709. beaten down the greatest conquerors, the king of Sweden, after having dethroned Auguftus, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, after having driven back the Ruffians into their own country, and replied to Peter the Great, who humbly asked for peace, that he would treat with him at Mofcow, was himself beaten near Pultoway, a town fituated near the eastern extremity of the Ukraine. His army had been ruined by the rigorous winter of 1709. This prince had been grievously wounded in the heel fome days before the battle, which he would give contrary to the advice of his generals. He commanded at this action, carried on a litter, as his wound would not then permit him to mount on horseback; but neceffity at length constrained him to it, when all his general officers were killed or taken prifoners, and what remained of his army had been put to flight. Twenty

VOL. IV.

Heg. 121.

J.C. 1709. Twenty-one foldiers had been killed fucceffively, carrying the litter of Charles XII. The enemy preffed fo hard, that he was very near being made prifoner, and the horse, on which he was placed with great difficulty, was killed under him."

officer, who was wounded, and spent with lofs of blood, gave him his.* Thus, in the course of the flight, they put this conqueror on horfeback twice, though he had not been able to mount a horfe during the battle. This afstonishing retreat was of great confequence in such distressful circumftances; but he was obliged to flee to a still greater distance. They found among the baggage the coach of count Piper, the king's minifter; for Charles XII. had never used one fince he left Stockholm. They put him into this vehicle, and fled towards the Borifthenes with great precipitation. The king, who had not faid a fingle word, from the time he had been fet on horfeback, to his arrival at the baggage, at length afked what was become of count Piper. They told him that he was taken, with all the officers of the chancery. And general Renchild and the duke

Being obliged to relate all the extraordinary events that happened during the refidence of Charles XII. among the Turks, I have confulted the work of Mr. Voltaire on that fubject. The reading of this piece of hikory with reflection has convinced me, that it would be impoffible for me to offer any thing to the public fo agreeable or inftructive. I am determined then to copy Mr. Voltaire faithfully, only retrenching from his narration what is foreign to the Turks. If any one accufe me of plagiarism, I shall answer, that it is none when acknowledged; that moreover I am Mr. Voltaire's ne. phew and heir, and that he has accustomed me to partake of his property in his life-time.

Heg.1121.

of Sweden

Turks.

duke of Wurtemburg, added he? They are like- J.C. 1709. wife prifoners, anfwered Poniatowski. Prifoners to the Ruffians, replied Charles, fhrugging up The king his fhoulders! Come then, let us go rather to flees to the the Turks. They could not perceive however the least mark of dejection in his countenance; and whoever had seen him at that time, without knowing his fituation, would never have fuppofed him vanquished and wounded.

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Whilst he was getting off, the Ruffians feized his artillery in the camp before Pultoway, his baggage, and his military cheft, in which they found two hundred and fifty thoufand pounds fterling in fpecie, the fpoils of the Poles and Saxons. Near nine thousand men, partly Swedes and partly Coffacks, were killed in the battle, and about fix thousand taken prifoners. There ftill remained about fixteen thousand men, Swedes, Poles, and Coffacks, who fled towards the Borifthenes, under the conduct of general Levenhaupt. He marched one way with thefe fugitive troops; and the king took another road with fome of his horfe. The coach, in which he was, broke down by the way, and they again fet him on horfeback. To complete his misfortune, he wandered all night in a wood there, his courage being no longer able to support his exhausted spirits, the anguish of his wound becoming more infupportable through fatigue, and his horse falling under him through exceffive wearinefs, he lay fome hours at the foot of a tree, in danger of being furprised every Q2

VOL. IV.

moment

J.C. 1709. moment by the vanquishers, who were searching Heg. 1121. for him on all fides. At length, on the 9th or 10th of July, at night, he found himself on the bank of the Borifthenes, which he croffed in a bark with general Mazeppa.

This Swedish army, which marched out of Saxony in fuch a triumphant manner, was now no more. One half of them had perished with hunger, and the reft were enflaved or maffacred. Charles XII. had loft in one day the fruit of nine years labour, and of almost a hundred battles. He made his escape in a miserable chariot, having major-general Hord by his fide dangerously wounded. The reft of his little troop followed, fome on foot, others on horseback, and others in carts, through a defert where neither huts, tents, animals, nor roads were to be feen. Every thing was wanting, even water. It was now the beginning of July; the country lay in the forty-feventh degree of latitude; the dry fand of the defert rendered the heat of the fun the more infupportable; the horses fell down by the way, and the men were ready to die with thirft. A brook of muddy water, which they found towards evening, was all they met with; they filled fome bottles with this water, which faved the lives of the king of Sweden's little troop. After a march of five days, he arrived on the banks of the river Hypanis, now called the Bogh by the Barbarians, who have disfigured even the very names of those countries, which once flourished fo nobly in the

poffeffion

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