Propoisk he was compelled to risk a battle with the troops of the Tzar, who, being present in person, so animated his soldiers by his own heroic example, that they fought with the most determined valor the whole day. Night interrupted the conflict, and before the morning the Swedes had fled, leaving behind them 7000 waggons, loaded with provisions, (which the army under the king of Sweden so much wanted,) sixteen pieces of cannon, and all the soldiers who had been wounded in the late battle. Amongst the prisoners who fell into the hands of the Russians were 103 officers and 2673 men. To add to his misfortunes, the fortress of Bathourin, the capital of the Cossacks, near the forest of the Desna, which Charles, by the advice of Mazeppa, advanced to secure, had been previously reduced to ashes by a band of Russians sent by the Tzar for this purpose; and the Cossacks had chosen a new general, whose election Peter confirmed, a sentence of excommunication having been passed upon Mazeppa by the bishop of Kiou. These events happened in the month of November, when the inclemency of a Russian winter added to the horrors of the situation in which the obstinacy and imprudence of the Swedish hero had placed his army, which had to pass through a country entirely desolate, all the villages in it having been burnt or destroyed. In pursuing his march in December, the extreme intensity of the cold destroyed a vast number of the troops, who dropped down dead, or dying, and those which survived, about 30,000, were destitute of proper clothing to defend them from the severe frosts, and in want of necessary food to support life. Still, contrary to the advice of his most prudent officers, and in the face of all this misery, the indomitable Charles determined to go forward, deluding himself with the hope of conquering the Ukraine, and eventually marching to Moscow in order to dictate from the palace in the Kremlin terms of submission to his powerful and hitherto successful opponent, the Tzar Peter. His mad ambition, however, was destined soon to receive a final overthrow. The increasiug severity of the winter during the remainder of December, and the whole of January, stopped the progress of the invader; but in February he commenced his march across the Ukraine, burning every human habitation he met with, and laying waste the country all around him, till his progress was again finally impeded by sandy deserts to the west of the river Donetz. He was compelled to retrace his steps through the very country he had so cruelly and unwisely reduced to a state of desolation, exposed to evils of every kind, and in want of every necessary. Three months were consumed in these fruitless expeditions. In May he arrived, with greatly diminished forces, at Pultowa, a small fortified town on the river Vorskla, to which he laid siege. The Tzar, who had been making preparations for the final struggle with his formidable enemy, whilst the latter had wasted his army, hastened to the defence of this fortress, and a battle shortly commenced between the Russians and Swedes, in which both Charles and Peter showed the importance they attached to the victory, as decisive of the fate of their respective countries, by the personal efforts they each made to obtain it. Charles, who had been lamed in the heel by a shot which shattered the bone, was carried in a litter at the head of his troops, holding a pistol in his hand, and, when this litter was broken to pieces by a cannon-ball, he ordered his men to bear him on their pikes: whilst Peter, with equal courage braving every danger, had his clothes pierced with bullets in several places, as well as the saddle of the horse on which he rode. The Swedes, however, had been too much weakened by their late sufferings and deprivations, to withstand, for any length of time, the undiminished vigor of the Russians, who were greatly superior in numbers: they gave way, and fell into confusion. Rout succeeded, and dreadful slaughter: 9224 being slain. The shattered remains of the Swedish army, under Luvenhaupt, at Percwolochna, three days after this disastrous battle, surrendered as prisoners of war. The Tzar triumphed in every quarter, and the discomfited king of Sweden, so often a victor, was now a fugitive: with the traitor Mazeppa, and a few troops, he hurried in breathless haste over deep rivers and desolate wildernesses, in danger of perishing with hunger, till relieved by Turkish hospitality at Bender, where he rested from his precipitate and dangerous flight. He still, however, cherished the hope of conquering the Tzar. By his representations, he excited against him the jealousy of the Turkish government, who sent to oppose him an army of 200,000 men. Too precipitate in advancing against this overwhelming force, deceived by an ally who had promised to supply his troops with provisions and join them with his own, almost surrounded by his foes, with no place of safe or possible retreat, Peter found himself in a worse situation than Charles at Pultowa: a treaty, however, preserved him, and Charles could never again rouse the Turks to renewed hostilities. After many fruitless intrigues, he was at length ordered by the Sultan to leave his dominions and return to his own: he refused compliance, and with his few attendants had the mad temerity to oppose a numerous army of the Turks. After fighting to the last, he was taken prisoner, and confined in a castle at Adrianople; being, however, afterwards allowed to remain at the little town of Demotica, about eighteen miles from that city. Here he feigned illness, and kept his bed for ten months, still hoping, by intrigue and delay, to engage the Turks in a war with Russia. In the mean time his brave subjects, the Swedes, carried on a spirited war against his numerous enemies, which the presence of Charles would probably have rendered successful, as his absence rendered it disastrous. They were beaten by the Tzar both by sea and land; and, in order to redeem their affairs, the ministers of Sweden, regarding the country as abandoned by the king, petitioned his sister, Ulrica Eleonora, to take the government into her own hands. The princess consented, and this transaction effectually roused the bed-ridden monarch. He considered it as an act of rebellion against his authority, and instantly despatched an indignant and despotic letter to the senate, telling them that if they dared to assume the reins of government, he would send them one of his boots, from which they should receive their orders! This letter he soon followed, with the consent of the Turkish minister, and passing in disguise through Germany, after a harassing journey, he appeared before Stralsund, from which place he sent orders to his generals to renew the war against all his enemies with fresh vigor. These were numerous and powerful, and a combined army of Prussians, Danes and Saxons soon besieged Stralsund. The Swedes, inspired by the presence of their king, fought with desperate courage, but, pressed on all sides, after a terrible slaughter, to avoid falling into the hands of his enemies, Charles left the town in the night in a small vessel, and fortunately landed in safety on the shores of Sweden. Instead, however, of hastening to his capital (which his proud spirit could not brook approaching in his present unfortunate circumstances), he passed the winter at Carlscroon, from which, fifteen years before, he had set out in all the pride of youthful ambition and arrogant expectation, to subdue his enemies and to give law to nations. Under every reverse of fortune he still cherished the hope of ultimate victory, and, whilst his formidable foes threatened to make Sweden the theatre of war, he passed over into Norway, and defeated the Danes in several engagements. Want of provisions compelled him to return to Sweden, but after a short time he again invaded Norway in a most inclement season of the year, and laid siege to Frederickshall. The cold was so intense that the soldiers on duty dropped down dead, but the unyielding soul of Charles defied the elements-he slept in the open air, covered only with a cloak! His hardihood, however, was vain. As he was one night viewing the progress of the works by the cold star-light of a winter sky, exposing his person to the freezing air, and braving danger in every shape, a small cannon ball struck him to the earth, and he died instantly without a groan. On being found after he was dead, it was observed that his lifeless hand still firmly grasped the hilt of his sword: thus he manifested even in his death the same undaunted spirit he had exhibited through life-to the last moment fearless and daring. Oh, papa, what a brave man!' exclaimed Alfred, whilst Ellen wept, and Charles was rendered mute by the intense interest he felt in the story. Yes! my dear,' replied Mr. Darcourt, 'but he was neither a wise, nor a good man. He had courage, 6 but neither prudence nor mercy. He was hardy, but he was rash and cruel: if he had the boldness of the lion, he had also the ferocity of the tiger, without the sagacity of the elephant. Contrast him with Peter, who had equal courage and infinitely more wisdom, as well as goodness of heart. Charles, too, fought merely for military fame-he wished to be thought an invincible warrior; and to obtain a selfish reputation, he exposed his army to destruction and his kingdom to all the evils that can befal a state. Peter waged war for the defence of his country and the security of his subjects, whose welfare and improvement he sought through his whole life with a most unwearied ardor. Charles was a hero: Peter was a patriot. Of the latter I will tell you more some other evening. The best comment on the history of the former is contained in the following lines from Dr. Johnson's fine poem, entitled The Vanity of Human Wishes.' On what foundation stands the warrior's pride, No dangers fright him, and no labours tire; War sounds the trump, he rushes to the field; And one capitulate, and one resign; Peace courts his hand, but spreads her charms in vain; "Think nothing gain'd," he cries, "till nought remain, On Moscow's walls till Gothic standards fly, And all be mine beneath the polar sky." The march begins in military state, And nations on his eye suspended wait; He comes, nor want nor cold his course delay;- Did rival monarchs give the fatal wound? Or hostile millions press him to the ground? His fall was destined to a barren strand, A petty fortress, and a dubious hand; He left the name, at which the world grew pale, MOTIVES TO PIETY. No argument appears more conclusive than that which is derived from the works of creation in proof of the existence of God. No evidence, except the direct and palpable evidence of the senses, can be attended with greater assurance; and even this cannot be affirmed to be much more powerful in producing conviction. With every effect, which we have an opportunity of observing, we always connect in our minds a cause adequate to its production. Thus if we see a machine, consisting of various parts, and all these parts curiously contrived to answer some important purpose, we conclude at once that it had a contriver and a maker. We cannot by any means be induced to think that it was formed of itself without an adequate cause. So it is in regard to the visible creation-a machine of such immense magnitude, of parts so nicely adjusted, and of operations so wonderfully various, methodical and beneficent-it cannot be seriously contemplated by the mind without reference to the Creator. And the same may be affirmed of every one, even of the least, of its parts. Every particle of matter that moves, every animal that lives, and every sensation that is felt, attests the existence of Him, in whom we live and move and have our being.' If God is the source of existence to all his creatures, and the author of all good, he is the great and sole object of adoration and reverence. Every thing that is great, every thing that is supereminent, is calculated of itself to excite our attention and regard. All objects that are grand and magnificent affect the mind with corresponding feelings. When we behold the great works of nature, the lofty and stupendous mountain, the vast immeasurable ocean, or the spanless arch of heaven, we are affected with deep, inexpressible emotions. Our admiration and reverence are great in proportion to the magnificence and grandeur of the objects contemplated. Let us transfer these sentiments from the works of God to God himself from the creation to the Creator. If they are great, he is much greater; if they are glorious, he is infinitely more glorious. This is not requiring us to do any thing that is unnatural, or even unusual. When we view the various works of art the exquisite productions of human skill, little credit will be given us for our intellectual attainments and taste, if we do not estimate at a high rate the skill and genius of the artist. In like manner, it is justly required of us, when we observe the structure of the world, when we behold the wonders of creation, when we see displayed in endless variety and abundance the exhaustless stores of providence, that we should look up from |