the Peace was as good as concluded between Ruffia and Sweden.

The King of Denmark, who faw the Storm he was threatened with, coming upon him, caused the moft earnest Inftances to be made to the Czar for his Affiftance on fo preffing an Occafion, either by Ships or by Subfidies, or by a Diversion in Old Sweden. But all was equally refused, and the King of Sweden was fo well affured that his Czarish Majefty would fufpend all Operations, that he sent for his Batallion of Guards, and great Part of the Garrifon of Stockholm, to the Frontiers of Norway, leaving Old Sweden entirely unprovided.

1718.

Baron Gortz, after a very fhort Stay at Aland, fet out again from thence, to go to the King his Master a third Time; and it was not queftioned but this third Journey would give the finishing Stroke to the feparate Peace, when all Hopes of it were blafted by the Death of the The Death of King of Sweden, which happened in the Night the King of Szweden. between the 29th and 30th of November O. S. at Fredericksball, a Town of Norway, fituated near the Bay of Denmark, at the Mouth of the River Tiftendal, between the Towns of Babus and Anfo. His Majefty had already taken the Fort of Guldenlew, which would have foon made him Master of the Place, altho' bravely defended by the Governor. He went about

nine o'clock at Night to vifit the Trenches, and standing with his Body exposed to a Battery of Cannon pointed directly against the Place where he ftood, a heavy Ball of half a Pound ftruck him on the Right Temple, and made a large Hole in his Head, which lay on

the

1718.

The Execution of Baron Gortz.

the Parapet, with the Left Eye beaten in, and the Right out of its Socket.

Thus ended, in the thirty-fixth Year of his Age, the rapid Courfe of that most extraordinary Prince, Charles XII. whofe Intrepidity and Prefence of Mind in all Dangers, made him perform fuch Exploits, as the Relation of them will hardly gain Credit with Pofterity. Patience of Labour, Temperance in Living, Modefty in Succefs, and Liberality to his Friends, were Virtues he poffeffed in the highest Degree; but his Rafhnefs and Obftinacy were Failings that coft his own Country as much, or more, than his Enemies. If he had been more prudent and lefs implacable, he might not perhaps have been cut off in the Flower of his Age, but have lived a happy, as well as a glorious Monarch.

The Death of Charles entirely changed the Face of Affairs in the North. Baron Gortz, who was not yet informed of the King's Death, was arrested as he was going to feek him at the Siege of Fredericksball. He had drawn upon himself the Hatred of all the Nation, by the pernicious Council he had given their King, and by the Haughtinefs with which he had treated the Nobles, to whofe Refentment he foon fell a Sacrifice, being by them condemned to the Scaffold, where he died with great Refolution. The Sentence pronounced upon him, was to be beheaded by the common Hangman, and to have his Corpfe buried under the Gallows. Having heard this Sentence with great Compofure, he faid he had prepared for Death for feveral Days, but had not expected the laft Part of his Sentence, which he thought too

hard.

hard. He was answered by no body, except a
Colonel, Son-in-Law of the late Count Piper,
one of his Judges, who faid to him, The Evils
you have done to this Kingdom, and which you
threatened still to bring upon it, fall now upon
The Baron not deigning to
your own Head.
make him any Reply, looked upon him with
Scorn, and fo he was carried back to his Pri-
fon in the Town-House, and went from thence
to the Block. A little before his Execution
he made his own Epitaph, in these Words :

Mors Regis, Fides in Regem, eft Mors mea.
The King's Death, and my Loyalty to him, are the
Occafions of my Death.

Several Perfons, who where in the Confidence of Gortz, were likewife arrested, and an Officer was dispatched at the fame Time to Aland, to feize on Secretary Stambke, and all his Papers; by which the Mufcovites were apprised of the Death of the King of Sweden, and that the Army had proclaimed Ulrica, his Sifter, Queen. This News for fome Time confounded the Czar, who faw all his Projects of Ceffion and Peace overthrown, which M. Osterman concerted with Gortz; but his Difquietudes were diffipated as foon as he reflected on the miferable Condition to which Sweden was reduced, by the many thousand Men she had loft in Norway, and by the Divifions that must arife in the very Bofom of the State, at a Conjuncture when the would find herself without Fleets, without Money, without Corn, and without Allies. But the Re-union of Men's Minds in Favour of the new Queen, and the Refolution of the States to raise four Armies, and fit out a good Fleet, left him in no Hopes,

but

1718.

1718. but by making a confiderable Descent into the the very Heart of Sweden; unless that Nation, intimidated by the Profpect of a Continuance of that War, which had been already too long and too bloody, fhould confent to receive those Laws he intended to impofe upon it; and to leave a Door open for this Purpose, his Czarifh Majefty fignified his Defire, that the Congrefs of Aland might go on.

More Execu

count of the Czarewitz's Conspiracy.

And in the mean Time feveral others Perfons tions at Peters- concerned in the late Czarewitz's Treason, were bourgh, on Ac- publickly executed at Petersburgh. The first was Abraham Fedrowitz Lopuchin, Brother to the late repudiated Czarina Ottokefa: The next was James Puftinoi, the Czarewitz's Confeffor; Ivan Afonafief, his Mafter of the Horse and Confident; followed by Dubroski, a Gentleman of his Court; Voinow, the Steward of his Houfhold, and four more of his Servants. The first five had their Heads cut off, and the others had the Knout given them; but one had also his Tongue cut out, and his Nofe cut off. The Bodies of those who had been beheaded, lay expofed for fome Days in the MarketPlace, with their Heads under their Arms; and then they were twisted upon Wheels.

Immediately after this Execution, his Czarish Majefty went to his Council of War, lately established, and which were then fitting, being called together on the Occafion, to whom he made the following Speech.

66

MY BRETHREN,

Do not believe there is a Man among you, who does not know by the Light of Nature, and by the Knowledge he has

I is a

acquired

acquired in the Affairs of the World, that the two firft and principal Duties of him whom God has appointed to govern Kingdoms and whole Nations are, to protect his Subjects against the publick Enemy, by leading in Perfon his Armies to Battle in Time of War; and to maintain Domestick Peace among his People, by rendering speedy and impartial Juftice to every one, and by punishing Offences in Perfons of the most elevated Condition, by their Birth or Fortune, as duly as in the meaneft Peasant. You know what I have done from the Beginning of my Reign till now, with respect to the firft of thefe Duties; and as to the fecond, I have given you a most remarkable Inftance of the Power God has given me, to fet afide all the Confiderations and all the Regards in the World when Juftice is to be done, and when the Safety of my People, and the Good of the State require my doing it without Delay, and with Rigour. You have feen me punish the Crimes of a Son, who was ungrateful, an Hypocrite, perverfe and ill-defigning, beyond all that can be imagined, and of those who were Accomplices in his Wickedness: And I hope I have thereby fecured my main Work, which is to render the Ruffian Empire for ever powerful and formidable, and all my Dominions flourifhing. A Work which has coft me fo much Toil, and my Subjects fo much Blood, and fo great Treasures, and which the first Year after my Decease would have been utterly overturned, and trampled under Foot, if I had not taken care of it in the Manner I have done. This great Affair being, by the Grace of God, concluded, it is Time I fhould turn my AttenVOL. III.

L

tion

1718.