J.C. 1713. Adrianople. His treasurer Grothufen was with Chancellor Mullern and fome officers followed in another carriage. Several were on horfeback; and when they caft their eyes on the king's chariot, they could not refrain from tears. The bafhaw was at the head of the escort: Fabricius told him, that it was a fhame to leave the king without a sword, and begged he would give him one. "God forbid," fays the bashaw; "would cut off our beards for us if he had fuch a weapon." However, he gave him one a few hours after. Whilft they were conducting this king, difarmed and a prifoner, who, but a few years before, had given law to fo many ftates, and had feen himself the arbiter of the North and the terror of Europe, there appeared in the fame place another inftance of the frailty of human niflaus greatnefs. King Stanislaus had been feized in prifoner in the Turkish dominions, and they were now carrying him a prifoner to Bender, at the very time that they were removing Charles XII. from it. King Sta likewife a Turkey. Stanislaus, being no longer fuftained by the hand which had raised him to the throne, and being himself deftitute of money, and confequently of intereft in Poland, had retired at first into Pomerania; and, unable to preferve his own kingdom, he had done all that lay in his power to defend that of his benefactor: he had even gone to Sweden, in order to haften the reinforcements that were fo much wanted in Livonia and Pome Heg.1125. rania. In a word, he had done every thing that J.C. 1713could be expected from the friend of Charles XII. ~ About this time, the firft king of Pruffia, a prince of great prudence, being juftly apprehenfive of danger from the too near neighbourhood of the Mofcovites, thought proper to enter into a league with Auguftus and the republic of Poland, in order to fend back the Ruffians to their own country, and he hoped to engage the king of Sweden himself in this project. From this plan, three great events were expected to refult: the peace of the North, the return of Charles to his own kingdom, and the establishment of à ftrong barrier against the Ruffians, whofe power was already become formidable to Europe. The preliminary article of this treaty, upon which the public tranquility depended, was the abdication. of Stanislaus; who not only accepted the pro-, posal, but even undertook to use his endeavours in bringing about a peace which deprived him of his crown. To this step he was prompted by neceffity, the public good, the glory of the facrifice, and the intereft of Charles XII. He wrote to Bender. He explained to the king of Sweden. the defperate fituation of his affairs, and the only effectual remedy that could be applied. He conjured him not to oppofe an abdication which was rendered neceffary by the ftrange conjunctures of the times, and honorable by the noble motives from which it proceeded. He entreated him not to facrifice the interefts of Sweden to thofe of an VOL. IV. Cc unhappy J.C. 1713. unhappy friend, who chearfully preferred the Heg.1125. public good, to his own private happiness. Charles XII. received thefe letters at Varnitza. He said to the courier, in a paffion, in presence of feveral witneffes: "If my friend will not be "a king, I can eafily find another that will." Stanislaus was obftinately bent on making the facrifice which Charles oppofed. These times feemed to have been destined to produce ftrange fentiments, and still stranger actions. Stanislaus refolved to go himself, and endeavour to prevail upon Charles; and thus he ran a greater risk in order to abdicate the throne, than ever he had done to gain it. One evening about ten o'clock, he stole from the Swedish army, which he commanded in Pomerania, and fet out, accompanied by baron Sparre, and another colonel, the former of whom has fince been an ambassador in England and France. He affumed the name of a French gentleman, called Haran, who was then a major in the Swedish army, and lately died commander of Dantzick. He paffed close by the whole army of the enemy; was fometimes ftopped, and as often released by virtue of a paffport which he got in the name of Haran. At length, after many perils and dangers, he arrived on the frontiers of Turkey. As foon as he had reached Moldavia, he fent back baron Sparre to the army, and entered Jazy, the capital of Moldavia, thinking himfelf perfectly fecure in a country where the king of Swe den * Heg.1125. den had been treated with fo much refpect, and J.C.1713. never entertaining the leaft fufpicion of what had happened. The Moldavians afked him, who he was. He said he was major of a regiment in the fervice of Charles XII. At the bare mention of that name he was feized and carried before the hofpadar, who, having already learned from the newspapers that Stanislaus had privately withdrawn from his army, began to fufpect that this was the man. He had heard the king's figure described fo exactly, that it was very easy to dif cover the resemblance: an open and engaging countenance, and a very uncommon air of sweetnefs. The hofpadar examined him, put to him a great many captious queftions, and at last asked him, what commiffion he bore in the Swedish army. Their converfation was carried on in Latin. Major fum, fays the king. Imo, maximus es, replied the Moldavian, and immediately prefenting him with a chair of state, he treated him like a king; but ftill like a king who was a prifoner, placing a strict guard about a Greek monaftery in which he was obliged to remain, 'till fuch time as the fultan's orders fhould arrive. At length thefe orders came, importing, that Stanislaus fhould be carried to Bender, from whence Charles XII. had been just removed. The news of this event was brought to the bafhaw at the time he was accompanying the * The hofpadar is the next officer to the fovereign. AUTHOR. king Heg.1125. Charles re flexible and 1.C.1713. king of Sweden's chariot. The bafhaw communicated the particulars to Fabricius, who, coming mains up to Charles's chariot, told him, he was not the only king that was a prifoner in the hands of the fancying Turks. Run to him, my dear Fabricius," fays Charles, without being in the least disconcerted; "tell him never to make a peace with always he can make kings. Auguftus, and affure him that our affairs will "foon take another turn." So much was Charles wedded to his own opinions, that, abandoned as he was in Poland, attacked in his own dominions, a captive in a Turkish litter, and led a prisoner without knowing whither they were carrying him, he still reckoned on the favor of Fortune, and hoped the Ottoman, Porte would affift him with a hundred thousand men. Fabricius haftened to execute his commiffion, attended by a janiffary, having first obtained leave from the bathaw. At a few miles distance, he met the body of foldiers that conducted Stanislaus. He addreffed himself to a person that rode in the middle of them, clad in a French dress, and but indifferently mounted, and asked him, in the German tongue, where the king of Poland was. The perfon to whom he fpoke happened to be Stanislaus himself, whofe features he could not recollect under this disguise. "What!" fays the king, "don't you know me?" Fabricius then informed him of the wretched condition in which the king of Sweden was; but added, that his refolutions, however unfuccefsful, were as determined as ever. • As |