For anfwer, the king fhewed himo his forti fications, and begged he would employ his good offices in procuring him fome provisions. The Turks were easily prevailed upon to allow provifions to be conveyed to the king's camp, until the return of the courier from Adrianople. The khan himself had strictly enjoined his Tartars, who were eager for pillage, not to make any attempt against the Swedes 'till the arrival of fresh orders; so that Charles XII. went fometimes out of his camp with forty horfe, and rode through the midst of the Tartars, who, with great respect, left him a free paffage. He even marched directly up to their lines, which, instead of refifting, readily opened and allowed him to pass.

At laft the order of the grand feignior being come, to put to the fword all the Swedes that fhould make the leaft refiftance, and not even to fpare the life of the king, the bafhaw had the complaisance to fhew the order to Mr. Fabricius, with a view of inducing him to make his laft effort, to bend, if poffible, the obftinacy of Charles.

Fabricius went immediately to acquaint him with thefe fad tidings. "Have you feen the "order you mention?" faid the king. "I have," replied Fabricius. "Well then, go and tell them "in my name, that this fecond order is another "forgery of theirs, and that I will not depart." Fabricius threw himfelf at his feet, fell into a paffion, and reproached him with his obftinacy;

J.C. 1713.

but

Heg.1125.

J.C. 1713 but all to no purpofe. "Go back to your "Turks," faid the king to him fmiling; "if

Heg.1125.

His obftinacy

they attack me, I know how to defend myself."
The king's chaplains likewise fell on their knees
before him, conjuring him not to expose to cer-
tain death the unhappy remains of Pultoway, and
especially his own facred perfon; affuring him, at
the fame time, that refistance in fuch a cafe was
altogether unjustifiable; and that it was a direct
violation of all the laws of hospitality to refolve
to continue with strangers against their will, ef-
pecially with those strangers who had fo long and
fo generously supported him. The king, who had
heard Fabricius with great patience, fell into a
paffion with his priests, and told them, that he
had taken them to pray for him, and not to give
him advice.

• Generals Hord and Dardoff, who had always
declared against hazarding a battle, which could
not fail to be attended with fatal confequences,
fhewed the king their breasts covered with
wounds, which they had received in his service;
and affuring him they were ready to lay down
their lives for his fake, begged that it might be,
at least, upon a more neceffary occafion.
"know," fays Charles XII., by your wounds
"and by my own, that we have fought valiantly
"together. You have hitherto done your duty;
"do it to-day likewife." Nothing now re-
mained but to pay an implicit obedience to the
king's command. Every one was ashamed not

"I

to

1

Heg.1125.

to court death with his fovereign. Charles being J.C. 1713. now prepared for the affault, enjoyed in fecret the pleafing thoughts, that he fhould have the honor of sustaining, with three hundred Swedes, the united efforts of a whole army. He affigned to every man his poft. His chancellor Mullern, and the fecretary Empreus and his clerks, were to defend the chancery-house; baron Fief, at the head of the officers of the kitchen, was ftationed in another poft. A third place was to be guarded by the grooms and the cooks, for with him every one was a foldier. He rode from the intrenchments to his houfe, promifing rewards to every one, creating officers, and affuring them that he would exalt the very meanest of his fervants, who should fight with courage and resolution, to the dignity of captains.

not mix in their

'It was not long before they beheld the combined army of the Turks and Tartars advancing to attack this little camp, with ten pieces of cannon and two mortars. The horse-tails waved in the air; the clarions founded; the cries of Alla, Alla, were heard on all fides. Baron Grothufen obferving that the Turks did cries any injurious reflections on the king, but only called him demirbath, i. e. iron-head, he inftantly resolved to go out of the camp alone and unarmed; and having accordingly advanced to the lines of the janiffaries, most of whom had received money from him: "What then, my friends," fays he to them in their own lan

VOL. IV.

A a 2

guage,

J.C.1713.
Heg, 1125,

The janif faries take pity on him.

"are you come to maffacre three hundred guage, "defenceless Swedes? You brave janiffaries, "who pardoned a hundred thousand Ruffians their crying Amman, i. e. pardon, have you forgotten the many favors you have re"ceived from us? and would you affaffinate that

upon

great king of Sweden for whom you have fo "high a regard, and from whom you have re"ceived fo many prefents? All he asks, my "friends, is but the space of three days; and "the fultan's orders are not fo ftrict as you are "made believe."

These words produced an effect which Grothufen himself could have little expected. The janiffaries fwore by their beards that they would not attack the king, but would grant him the three days he demanded. In vain was the fignal given for the affault. The janiffaries were fo far from obeying, that they threatened to fall upon their leaders, unless they would confent to grant three days to the king of Sweden. They came tumultuously to the bafhaw of Bender's tent, crying out, that the fultan's orders were fictitious, To this unexpected fedition the bafhaw had nothing to oppose but patience,

He affected to be pleafed with the generous resolution of the janiffaries, and ordered them to return to Bender. The khan of the Tartars, a man of headstrong and impetuous paffions, would have given the affault immediately with his own troops; but the bafhaw, unwilling that

the

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the Tartars should have all the honor of taking J.C. 1713 the king, while himself, perhaps, might be punifhed for the-difobedience of the janiffaries, perfuaded the khan to wait 'till the next day.

'On his return to Bender, the bafhaw affembled all the officers of the janiffaries, and the oldeft foldiers, to whom he both read and shewed the fultan's pofitive orders, and the mufti's fetfa. Sixty of the oldeft of them, with venerable grey beards, who had received numerous prefents from the king's hands, propofed to go to him in perfon, to intreat him to put himself into their hands, and to permit them to ferve him as guards.

The bashaw agreed to the proposal, as indeed there was no expedient he would not willingly have tried, rather than be reduced to the neceffity of killing the king. Accordingly, these sixty veterans repaired next morning to Varnitza, having nothing in their hands but long white rods, the only arms which the janiffaries carry, unless when they are going to fight; for the Turks consider the Christian custom of wearing fwords in time of peace, and of entering armed into churches and the houses of their friends, as a barbarous practice.

'They addreffed themselves to baron Grothufen and chancellor Mullern. They told them, that they were come with a view to ferve as faithful guards to the king; and that, if he pleafed, they would conduct him to Adrianople, where he might have a perfonal interview with the

grand