his great escapes were manifest Botvid, his Majesty's first chaplain, who had retired to his devotions apart from the army during the whole of the action, made him his congratulations after the service was concluded: to whom Guftavus gave this pious and elegant anfwer; "That he little doubted the profperity of the battle, when Mofes affifted him with his prayers on the

mount *."

In the hurry and confufion of this conflict, Guftavus fell twice into the enemy's hands. How he efcaped the first time, cannot well be afcertained; but be that as it will, he was extricated a fecond time by the admirable prefence of mind of a Swedish horfeman, who (to conceal his Majefty's quality) cried aloud to the Polanders, "Have a care of yourselves, for we will rescue my brother;" fince, by the way, it must be noted, that he had three or four companions at his elbow. This task he performed in an inftant: when, not long afterwards, Guftavus perceived his deliverer to be made a prifoner in his turn; and putting himself at the head of five or fix cavaliers, brought him off triumphantly. "Now," fays he, "brother foldier, we are upon equal terms, for the obligation is become reciprocal."

The method which Guftavus took to prevent an intended duel, is memorable, and well related.

It was in one of the Pruffian campaigns that the irrational practice of duelling arofe to a confiderable height in the Swedish army, not only amongst perfons of rank and fashion, but between common foldier and common foldier: upon which Guftavus published a fevere edict, and denounced death against every delinquent. Soon after, a quarrel arofe between two officers of very high command, and as they knew the King's firmnefs in preferving his word inviolable, they agreed to request an audience, and befought his permiffion to decide the affair like men of honour. His Majefty took fire in a moment, but repreffed his paffion with fuch art, that they eafily mistook him: of courfe with fome reluctance, but under the appearance of pitying brave men, who thought their reputation injured, he told them, that he blamed them much for their mistaken notions concerning fame and glory; yet as this unreafonable determination appeared to be the refult of deliberate reflection, to the best of their deluded capacity, he would allow them to decide the affair at time and place fpecified: "And Gentlemen," said he, "I will be an eye-witnefs myself of your extraordinary valour and prowefs.'

We cannot difcover any great piety in this anfwer: to us it feems rather light and ludicrous, in Guftavus, to compare his chaplain with Mofes.

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At

At the hour appointed Guftavus arrived, accompanied by a fmall body of infantry, whom he formed into a circle round the combatants. "Now," fays he, " fight till one man dies;" and calling the executioner of the army to him, (or the provostmarshal, as the language then ran) "Friend," added he, "the inftant one is killed, behead the other before my eyes."

• Astonished with such inflexible firmness, the two generals, after pausing a moment, fell down on their knees, and asked the King's forgiveness, who made them embrace each other, and give their promife to continue faithful friends to their last moments; as they both did with fincerity and thankfulness.'

We fhall conclude our extract with the Hiftorian's account of the cruel maffacre, after the taking of Magdeburgh, by the Imperialists.

And now began a maffacre not to be paralleled in modern ages. I know nothing approaches to it but the ftorming of Drogheda by Cromwell, who feems to have copied Tilly in the very meanest part of his character. The foldiers fired promifcuously in the streets, churches, and fquares, upon persons of all ages, fex, and conditions, with the fame fury as in the day of battle. The very beft troops, the old Walloons, behaved the leaft like men; and as there may be a juftice fometimes in cruelty, fpared not their own friends within the town, namely, the informers, in the general maffacre. The Croatians exercifed barbarities unknown to favages. The young men, and the new-raised foldiers, were the only people that fhewed any visible figns of compaffion. When the streets and public places were filled with dead bodies, (and this fcene may be confidered as the very mildest part of their cruelty) the troops difbanded themfelves, and began to enter the houses. Here began a more deliberate perpetration of murder: even the aged, the fick, and the young, found no mercy. Two foldiers held an infant by the legs, with the head downwards, and chined it with their fwords. Eight Croatians violated a poor girl, and then tranf fixed her to the ground with an halbert. A young lady of quality was feized by an officer, but as he dragged her over the Elbe bridge, fhe begged leave to have the ufe of her hand to take out her handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and that inflant plunged herself into the river, and there expired. Another young woman of fashion, remarkable for her beauty, knowing that in fuch a cafe her charms were the least part of her protection, deliberately plunged herself into a well: and twenty young girls, who were affembled together at a houfe near the banks of the Elbe, rushed out of the doors all at once, and embracing each other, threw themfelves into the river.

• By

By this time the whole city was in flames. Moft Hiftorians attribute this to accident; but as the fire began in various places at once, many may be inclined to confider it as a part of the befieger's cruelty. Thus the few perifhed, who had concealed themselves, and by the juftice of Providence, the Imperialifts loft the greater part, not only of what they had plundered, but of what the inhabitants had hidden.

Nothing remained of the town but the cathedral, the church and convent of Notre Dame, fome few houses that flood round it, and about eighty or an hundred fifhermen's cottages on the banks of the Elbe. Out of 40,000 inhabitants it is thought hardly the number of 800 efcaped. Some retired to the cathedral, fome obtained quarter in hopes of ranfom, fome escaped over the walls, fome were dug out of the ruins, and fome few were preferved by the feeming interpofition of Providence. An handful of the garrifon, which held out to the very laft man, obtained conditions; but all the officers were put to the sword, excepting Amfteroth, who was taken prifoner, and died the next day, and a lieutenant-colonel and major, whofe lives were fpared.

When one confiders Tilly's bigotry, and extreme averfion to the proteftants, Pappenheim may be eafily excufed from being the author of this monftrous fcene of cruelty. Why elfe did Tilly make but momentary vifits to the town, which laboured then under fo extraordinary misfortunes? Or why, when fome of the officers made remonftrances to him, did he reply coldly and unconcernedly, "The town muft bleed; it hath not yet made fufficient expiation. Let the foldiers perfift another hour, and then we will re-confider the matter?"

Some have faid, in behalf of the Imperial General, (and Cromwell is reported to have made the fame excufe) that severities of this kind were exercised only in terrorem. But if that had been the cafe, the garrifon alone was the true object of refentment; an act, even in that light, highly unjuftifiable, being difgraceful to common humanity, and irreconcileable with the prudence of a great commander, who knows the revolution of chances in war, and never defires to make it more bloody than it is well known to be in its own nature.'

This relation is extremely affecting, and the animadverfions of our Historian on this horrid fcene of cruelty, are apposite and judicious. In our review of the fecond volume, which affords lefs matter of reprehenfion, we shall have occafion to take our Author's hiftorical merit into further confideration. R-d

Account of FOREIGN BOOKS.

Verfuch in Scherthaften Liedern, Fabeln, &c. That is,
Humorous Songs and Fables. At Berlin.
At Berlin. 8vo. 1758.

E

Rudition and folidity have been long characteristical of the German Writers, as wit and levity of the French; but whether the encouragement given of late years to several ingenious Frenchmen at Berlin, has contributed to change that tafte for pedantry and profundity, which diftinguished the writings of the natives; or whether the innumerable huge volumes in folio, already written by their learned countrymen, begin to deter them from writing what will ftand fo little chance to be read; certain it is, if we may judge from this and fome other late publications, there are to be found volatile wits, and choice fpirits, among the prefent literati of Germany.

Among the reft, Mr. Gleym, Author of the miscellany before us, is esteemed by his countrymen as a first-rate genius; equally naif and enjoué with Benferade and La Fontaine among the moderns, and fcarcely inferior to Anacreon himfelf among

the antients.

How far thefe high encomiums are justly due to the Poet, we do not take upon us to determine; having felected only two little pieces, in order to give the English Reader as good an idea of the Author's manner, as the different idiom and phrafeology of the two languages will admit.

A Dialogue between Doris and her Lover, on his refolution of ga ing to the Wars.

Doris. Why courts thy rafhnefs war's alarms?
Lover. To view heroic deeds of arms.

Dor. And prithee why? in future lays

Doft mean to chaunt the hero's praife?
Lov. Perhaps I do but fuch I'll fing,
As only act like Pruffia's King;
That fight not mad ambition's cause,
Nor draw the fword against the laws;
But right the juft, and free the flave,
And are as merciful as brave.
Dor. But art thou not of rapier blade,
And cannon-bullet, fore afraid?

Lov. O no -at sharps a master I,
And if my way the bullets fly,
I'll flip afide: for fancy not

I m

mean to ftand fill to be fhot.

D. Bud by chance a pris'ner taken,

How then, my Friend, wilt fave thy bacon?

Lov.

Lov. O, let them take me-never mind:
They can't be otherwise than kind.
For as their threat'ning looks grow big,
I'll wax as merry as a grig;

And laugh and fing in humour free,
And tell them tales of love and thee.
Dor. And yet I fear, a barb'rous Rufs,
Will not be tamely rallied thus ;
But thou thy bones get fairly broke,
Because the brute don't take the joke.
Therefore, my Darling, have a care,
When'er you meet a Ruffian bear.

The following ode is much in the fpirit of fome of our old English drinking fongs.

Let Euler go measure the fun,

His knowlege muft truckle to mine;

I measure the size of my ton,

And I know it in bottles of wine.

Let Meyer chop logic for nought;
A fyllogift is but an afs;
While I, without wafting a thought,
Can infer from the bottle the lafs.

Let Haller mif-fpend half his time,

O'er mofs, weeds, and rubbish to pote;

I only feek out for a rhime,

As himself, wifer once, did before.

Let Bodmer his inference draw,
And foutly with cafuifts fight;
He might as well balance a straw,

He will never put folly to flight.
And in ages to come, tho' they cry,

Such men when again fhall we fee!'
While I am forgot-what care I—

What are ages to come, pray, to me?

Friderici Platneri Lanx Satura, &c.

Mifcellanies, by Mr. Frederic Platner. 8vo.

Richter. 1758. .

Or,

Altembourg,

This collection confifts chiefly of fatirical pieces, levelled at the various abuses which have crept into the sciences, and the exercife of the learned profeffions. They are, on the whole, very generally admired, for the many ingenious and lively ftrokes of wit and irony, with which they abound. Those Readers, however, who are very converfant with former Writers of the fame caft, will find little novelty to engage their attention: most of the topics on which Mr. Platner difplays his feverity and hu

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mour,