" His death, however, as
he foresaw, put him on a level with other
men, and furnished a memorable example
of earthly glory.
he foresaw, put him on a level with other
men, and furnished a memorable example
of earthly glory.
Abelous - Gustavus Adolphus - Hero of the Reformation
?
Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl.
handle.
net/2027/loc.
ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www.
hathitrust.
org/access_use#pd
? 178 GusTAvus Adolphus.
The soldiers begged him to remount, which
he did, and then hastened to the head of
the cavalry. The trenches were passed.
The left wing of the enemy were dispersed
by the Fins, whom the king commanded in
person. At this moment he learned that
his infantry were giving way and he flew
to their relief
Schiller says, "His proud courser bears
him like an arrow over beyond the trenches.
But the passage is more difficult for the
squadrons that would accompany him, and
a few cavalry, among whom are Count
Francis Albert, are alone sufficiently well
mounted to keep with him. He pushes
directly for the point where his infantry
seem hardest assailed, and while he essays
to find a weak point in the enemy's line to
which he may direct his attack, his natural
short-sightedness takes him too near the
enemy. An imperial officer remarking that
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolphus.
179
the Swedes make open patli for him to
let him pass first, shows him, by point-
ing the finger, to a musketeer and says,
' Put that one out of the way, for he is a
great personage among them. ' The soldier
obeys, and his ball fractm^es the arm of the
king. At this moment the regiment comes
up. At the sight of his blood, and on
GUSTAVUS "WOUNDED.
hearing repeated cries of ^The king is
wounded ! The king has received a shot ! '
the brave men are seized with fright, and
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 180 GusTAvus Adolphus.
there threatens a general panic. 'It is
nothing ; follow me ! ' cries the king, col-
lecting all his forces. But soon overcome
with pain, and ready to faint, he tells the
Duke of Lauenburg, in French, that no one
else might comprehend him, to take him
quietly outside of the* combat. The duke
obeys, and in order to spare the Swedes
the sight of their wounded king he takes
the longest road, to the right wing of his
army. On the wa}^ he receives another
wound in his back, that takes from him his
remaining strength. ^I have enough, my
brother,' says he, in a dying voice, 'leave
me and save your life. ' Scarcely has he
uttered these words when he falls from his
horse, and, struck by several shots more,
abandoned by friends, he draws his last
breath in the hands of the Croatians. *
* His young page, Leubelfingen, alone remained by
the king, and was pierced iTirough by a sword, but lie
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAVus Adolphus. 181
" In an instant the Swedisli army knows
that it is without a chief, but this frightful
intelligence, far from diminishing its cour-
age, raises it even to madness. Life has
no more value to these brave legions, since
the most glorious and most useful one
among them all has come to his end ; death
has no more terrors, since it has taken the
most precious life of all. "
" Like furious lions the Upland, the Fin-
land regiments, the Ostrogoths and the
Visigoths, hurl themselves upon the left
wing of the enemy and cut it in pieces.
" At the same time, the Duke Bernard
de Weimar, according to the wish of the
king, takes the command of the army. . . .
He throws himself upon the right wing of
the enemy and soon seizes their artillery.
lived a few days after the battle, and it was he that re-
lated of the last moments of Gustavus Adolphus. A
large stone was rolled to the spot on which he fell, and
is known to this day as the Rock of the Swedes.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 182 GusTAvus Adolphus.
Nothiug can withstand tlie impetuosity of
the Swedes. "
Wallenstein, seeing his troops giving
way every- where without being able to
bring them back into line, hoped no longer
for success, and was preparing to retreat,
when Pappenheim arrived with eight regi-
ments to his support. The battle began
anew. Pappenheim longing to measure
himself with Gustavus Adolphus, and igno-
rant of his death, swept through the con-
fusion and threw himself upon the right
wing of the Swedish army, but being
immediately wounded, was forced to with-
draw, and with him disappeared all hope
of success for the imperials, who profiting
by the night fled away, leaving the Swedes
masters of the battle-field, and possessors
of their artillery and baggage.
Pappenheim died the day after the bat-
tle, and Wallenstein abandoned Saxony to
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolpiius. 183
the conquerors, who finally retook all the
strong places occupied by the Austrians.
He gained one unimportant victory over
the Swedes, at Steinau, owing to their
small force and inefficient general. After-
ward he conspired against the emperor,
who caused his assassination in 1634.
The victory of Lutzen was a cause of
more grief than joy to the Swedes. Their
beloved king was dead. Nothing could
compensate for this irreparable loss. The
army wept for him as for a father, and all
the Protestants of Europe felt that their
most cherished hopes were buried with
him in his grave.
Gustavus Adolphus was scarcely forty
years of age. What would he have done
had he lived ? . . . Did he aspire, as some
have pretended, to the imperial ^crown?
and did death alone prevent him from tar-
nishing his glory by overturning his ambi-
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 184 GusTAvus Adolphus.
tious projects? We cannot say. But his
life was wholly exempt from all such evi-
dence, and to his latest breath he remained
faithful to his sacred mission. He battled
for the Gospel and for liberty.
God has caused the seed which his serv-
ant watered with his blood to germinate
and ripen. Truth is immortal, and its
enemies even, in the hands of Providence,
are often the instruments employed in
promoting its eternal and inevitable tri-
umph. Who would have thought, when
this hero of the North fell, this most
formidable and marked defender of the
Reformation, that, instead of its being the
exploits of his valiant successors, it should
be the work of two cardinals that should
give to Germany that religious independ-
ence which she had sought for thirty
years, and that should determine the fut-
ure of European Protestantism ! When
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAVus Adolphus. 185
Gustavus Adolphus was besought to save
his life, he replied, " God, the all-powerful,
livesP The unexpected closing of this
long and cruel war, the way in which was
accomplished the work of the great King
of Sweden, has well justified this wise re-
ply, which many other events of history
have confirmed, and in which it has been
plainly seen that human combinations,
calculations, and foresight avail but little,
while they have shown forth more strik-
ingly the irresistible and consoling power
of the Master of the Universe.
Few men have left to posterity a mem-
ory more admirable than that of Gustavus
Adolphus. Even his enemies can but ren-
der him justice. "He is the greatest king
in the world," said the Pope. Around his
name cluster the most solid, as well as the
most brilliant qualities. We have seen
his profound faith, his inflexible justice,
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 186 GusTAYUs Adolphus.
his unchangeable goodness, his courage --
sometimes a little rash -- and his touching
tenderness for his family: all the virtues
of the man and the hero, united to a mili-
tary genius which has been equaled but
never surpassed.
He completely transformed the art of
war. According to Michelet he made war
upon this, then new, principle, "That that
v^hich is mio^htiest in war is not the swift-
ness of the Turk, the tempest of cavalry,
nor heavy coats of mail, nor even the walls
and strong fortifications of Holland -- but
human walls; firm infantry on the plain,
and the breasts of men. " And, far from
forming the solid square as the Spaniards,
or placing rank against rank, which, when
once broken, become ever more and more
mixed and confused, he arranged his men
in simple file with a space behind them,
saying, " If the cavalry break your line, let
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolphus. 187
them pass, and re-form in double-quick. "
This wonderful confidence in moral force
had its effect. The beautiful Swedish tac-
tics attracted the brave so powerfully that
many left lucrative employments to take
part in this hazardous style of war, who
had no taste for ramparts and fortifications.
And there was still one thing more admira-
ble -- the discipline which Gustavus Adol-
phus introduced into his army ; it was his
military code, a clief-d^ oeuvre of the kind,
in which the severity of the law had the
love of justice and the fear of God for its
base. He said, " One may be a bold fight-
er, but not a good soldier, without being a
Christian. "
Gustavus Adolphus was not only a great
general and a remarkable Christian, but
he was also an administrator of the first
order, and proved that he was not less capa-
ble of directing a State than of command-
12
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 188 GusTAvus Adolphus.
ing an army. Under his reign Sweden
underwent several important and salutary
reforms. While he carried on war he took
care of his kingdom, ameliorating the
condition of his people wherever that it
was possible. He made a criminal code;
he established new tribunals and watched
carefully over the jurisprudence of his
country. He rendered commerce prosper-
ous by favoring the establishment of many
industrial associations, and by drawing
into his country skillful workmen from
foreign countries. By wise ordinances he
also facilitated the sale of merchandise,
and it is to him that Sweden owes her
first manufactories of arms and of paper,
her tanneries, and the vocations of weaving
wool and silk. He regulated the govern-
ment of the provinces, and required an
exact account of the expenses and revenues
of the kingdom. He particularly encour-
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAVus Adolphus. 189
aged instruction in all the different classes
of society. He assured to all professors a
good salary, and demanded of them guar-
anties of capability and morality. He
purged the universities of those of whom he
said, "They knew neither how to respect
themselves nor to fulfill their mission. "
He gave aid to poor but intelligent
and industrious students. He founded
the University of Dorpat, and handsomely
donated to that of Upsal from his family
estate.
He spread intellectual light among the
people by organizing superior primary
schools. Finally he was on the eve of
proposing to give to Sweden a constitution
which should bring about a much more
liberal government, when he was snatched
away from life and from the affections of
his people.
" He was of sanguine temperament," says
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 190 GusTAvus Adolphus.
Michelet, " and he sometimes had moments
of anger, which were short and generally
finished by a laugh. He was too rash in
exposing himself in battle as a soldier.
These faults excepted -- the only ones with
which he is reproached -- one could have
believed him superior to our common
human nature.
" His death, however, as
he foresaw, put him on a level with other
men, and furnished a memorable example
of earthly glory.
The Fins found and took the corpse of
their king. He was under a heap of slain,
and so trampled by the feet of horsemen
that it was difficult to recognize him.
He was at first carried to the village of
Meuchen, where it was necessary to bury
the intestines. After that the body was
placed in a coffin made by the teacher of
the village school, who was also a joiner.
A funeral service was held, at which pre-
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolphus. 191
sided this same school-master. A Swedish
officer also pronounced a short discourse.
The next day the mortal remains of the
hero were taken to Weissenfels, where an
apothecary was charged with the embalm-
ing; he reported nine wounds upon the
body.
The following summer the army moved
from Saxony toward the Baltic. Every-
where the cortege passed the liveliest grief
was evinced. Protestant Germany w^ould
not now be consoled for the loss of her
liberator. From Wolgast in Pomerania
the army set out for Sweden, accompanied
by the Queen Maria Eleonore, whose grief
w^as inconsolable, and by a deputation from
the Senate. " The sea-passage was prosper-
ous," says a biographer of Gustavus Adol-
phus, "and the fleet arrived, August 8,
at Nykoeping. As it approached the
Swedish coast the sky became covered
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 192 GusTAvus Adolphus.
with clouds, whicli soon poured out an
abundant rain. It seemed that Sweden
would receive the remains of the greatest
and dearest of her sons only as clothed in
mourning and in tears. "
Out of regard for the queen, who did
not wish to be separated from the remains
of her husband, and who desired to keep
them until she could repose with him in
the same tomb, the solemn funeral rites
were delayed until June 21, 1634. They
were then celebrated with all possible
pomp, and in the midst of universal grief.
The coffin was placed in the church of
Ridarholm, which Gustavus Adolphus had
himself chosen as a place of burial. A
splendid mausoleum had been erected to
him, which remains to this day. Upon
seven faces of the monument are engraven
brief sentences expressing the exploits or
soul-qualities of Gustavus Adolphus. Be-
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolphus. 193
neath the cross whicli surmounts it a
pelican is represented as nourishing her
young with her own blood. A striking
emblem, well expressing the most salient
trait of the Swedish hero's character, and
furnishing, as it were, a resume of his
whole life, which was one act of long and
bloody devotion to the interests of others.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 68 64
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
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? ? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust.
? 178 GusTAvus Adolphus.
The soldiers begged him to remount, which
he did, and then hastened to the head of
the cavalry. The trenches were passed.
The left wing of the enemy were dispersed
by the Fins, whom the king commanded in
person. At this moment he learned that
his infantry were giving way and he flew
to their relief
Schiller says, "His proud courser bears
him like an arrow over beyond the trenches.
But the passage is more difficult for the
squadrons that would accompany him, and
a few cavalry, among whom are Count
Francis Albert, are alone sufficiently well
mounted to keep with him. He pushes
directly for the point where his infantry
seem hardest assailed, and while he essays
to find a weak point in the enemy's line to
which he may direct his attack, his natural
short-sightedness takes him too near the
enemy. An imperial officer remarking that
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolphus.
179
the Swedes make open patli for him to
let him pass first, shows him, by point-
ing the finger, to a musketeer and says,
' Put that one out of the way, for he is a
great personage among them. ' The soldier
obeys, and his ball fractm^es the arm of the
king. At this moment the regiment comes
up. At the sight of his blood, and on
GUSTAVUS "WOUNDED.
hearing repeated cries of ^The king is
wounded ! The king has received a shot ! '
the brave men are seized with fright, and
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 180 GusTAvus Adolphus.
there threatens a general panic. 'It is
nothing ; follow me ! ' cries the king, col-
lecting all his forces. But soon overcome
with pain, and ready to faint, he tells the
Duke of Lauenburg, in French, that no one
else might comprehend him, to take him
quietly outside of the* combat. The duke
obeys, and in order to spare the Swedes
the sight of their wounded king he takes
the longest road, to the right wing of his
army. On the wa}^ he receives another
wound in his back, that takes from him his
remaining strength. ^I have enough, my
brother,' says he, in a dying voice, 'leave
me and save your life. ' Scarcely has he
uttered these words when he falls from his
horse, and, struck by several shots more,
abandoned by friends, he draws his last
breath in the hands of the Croatians. *
* His young page, Leubelfingen, alone remained by
the king, and was pierced iTirough by a sword, but lie
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAVus Adolphus. 181
" In an instant the Swedisli army knows
that it is without a chief, but this frightful
intelligence, far from diminishing its cour-
age, raises it even to madness. Life has
no more value to these brave legions, since
the most glorious and most useful one
among them all has come to his end ; death
has no more terrors, since it has taken the
most precious life of all. "
" Like furious lions the Upland, the Fin-
land regiments, the Ostrogoths and the
Visigoths, hurl themselves upon the left
wing of the enemy and cut it in pieces.
" At the same time, the Duke Bernard
de Weimar, according to the wish of the
king, takes the command of the army. . . .
He throws himself upon the right wing of
the enemy and soon seizes their artillery.
lived a few days after the battle, and it was he that re-
lated of the last moments of Gustavus Adolphus. A
large stone was rolled to the spot on which he fell, and
is known to this day as the Rock of the Swedes.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 182 GusTAvus Adolphus.
Nothiug can withstand tlie impetuosity of
the Swedes. "
Wallenstein, seeing his troops giving
way every- where without being able to
bring them back into line, hoped no longer
for success, and was preparing to retreat,
when Pappenheim arrived with eight regi-
ments to his support. The battle began
anew. Pappenheim longing to measure
himself with Gustavus Adolphus, and igno-
rant of his death, swept through the con-
fusion and threw himself upon the right
wing of the Swedish army, but being
immediately wounded, was forced to with-
draw, and with him disappeared all hope
of success for the imperials, who profiting
by the night fled away, leaving the Swedes
masters of the battle-field, and possessors
of their artillery and baggage.
Pappenheim died the day after the bat-
tle, and Wallenstein abandoned Saxony to
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAvus Adolpiius. 183
the conquerors, who finally retook all the
strong places occupied by the Austrians.
He gained one unimportant victory over
the Swedes, at Steinau, owing to their
small force and inefficient general. After-
ward he conspired against the emperor,
who caused his assassination in 1634.
The victory of Lutzen was a cause of
more grief than joy to the Swedes. Their
beloved king was dead. Nothing could
compensate for this irreparable loss. The
army wept for him as for a father, and all
the Protestants of Europe felt that their
most cherished hopes were buried with
him in his grave.
Gustavus Adolphus was scarcely forty
years of age. What would he have done
had he lived ? . . . Did he aspire, as some
have pretended, to the imperial ^crown?
and did death alone prevent him from tar-
nishing his glory by overturning his ambi-
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 184 GusTAvus Adolphus.
tious projects? We cannot say. But his
life was wholly exempt from all such evi-
dence, and to his latest breath he remained
faithful to his sacred mission. He battled
for the Gospel and for liberty.
God has caused the seed which his serv-
ant watered with his blood to germinate
and ripen. Truth is immortal, and its
enemies even, in the hands of Providence,
are often the instruments employed in
promoting its eternal and inevitable tri-
umph. Who would have thought, when
this hero of the North fell, this most
formidable and marked defender of the
Reformation, that, instead of its being the
exploits of his valiant successors, it should
be the work of two cardinals that should
give to Germany that religious independ-
ence which she had sought for thirty
years, and that should determine the fut-
ure of European Protestantism ! When
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? GusTAVus Adolphus. 185
Gustavus Adolphus was besought to save
his life, he replied, " God, the all-powerful,
livesP The unexpected closing of this
long and cruel war, the way in which was
accomplished the work of the great King
of Sweden, has well justified this wise re-
ply, which many other events of history
have confirmed, and in which it has been
plainly seen that human combinations,
calculations, and foresight avail but little,
while they have shown forth more strik-
ingly the irresistible and consoling power
of the Master of the Universe.
Few men have left to posterity a mem-
ory more admirable than that of Gustavus
Adolphus. Even his enemies can but ren-
der him justice. "He is the greatest king
in the world," said the Pope. Around his
name cluster the most solid, as well as the
most brilliant qualities. We have seen
his profound faith, his inflexible justice,
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 186 GusTAYUs Adolphus.
his unchangeable goodness, his courage --
sometimes a little rash -- and his touching
tenderness for his family: all the virtues
of the man and the hero, united to a mili-
tary genius which has been equaled but
never surpassed.
He completely transformed the art of
war. According to Michelet he made war
upon this, then new, principle, "That that
v^hich is mio^htiest in war is not the swift-
ness of the Turk, the tempest of cavalry,
nor heavy coats of mail, nor even the walls
and strong fortifications of Holland -- but
human walls; firm infantry on the plain,
and the breasts of men. " And, far from
forming the solid square as the Spaniards,
or placing rank against rank, which, when
once broken, become ever more and more
mixed and confused, he arranged his men
in simple file with a space behind them,
saying, " If the cavalry break your line, let
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 187
them pass, and re-form in double-quick. "
This wonderful confidence in moral force
had its effect. The beautiful Swedish tac-
tics attracted the brave so powerfully that
many left lucrative employments to take
part in this hazardous style of war, who
had no taste for ramparts and fortifications.
And there was still one thing more admira-
ble -- the discipline which Gustavus Adol-
phus introduced into his army ; it was his
military code, a clief-d^ oeuvre of the kind,
in which the severity of the law had the
love of justice and the fear of God for its
base. He said, " One may be a bold fight-
er, but not a good soldier, without being a
Christian. "
Gustavus Adolphus was not only a great
general and a remarkable Christian, but
he was also an administrator of the first
order, and proved that he was not less capa-
ble of directing a State than of command-
12
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? 188 GusTAvus Adolphus.
ing an army. Under his reign Sweden
underwent several important and salutary
reforms. While he carried on war he took
care of his kingdom, ameliorating the
condition of his people wherever that it
was possible. He made a criminal code;
he established new tribunals and watched
carefully over the jurisprudence of his
country. He rendered commerce prosper-
ous by favoring the establishment of many
industrial associations, and by drawing
into his country skillful workmen from
foreign countries. By wise ordinances he
also facilitated the sale of merchandise,
and it is to him that Sweden owes her
first manufactories of arms and of paper,
her tanneries, and the vocations of weaving
wool and silk. He regulated the govern-
ment of the provinces, and required an
exact account of the expenses and revenues
of the kingdom. He particularly encour-
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? GusTAVus Adolphus. 189
aged instruction in all the different classes
of society. He assured to all professors a
good salary, and demanded of them guar-
anties of capability and morality. He
purged the universities of those of whom he
said, "They knew neither how to respect
themselves nor to fulfill their mission. "
He gave aid to poor but intelligent
and industrious students. He founded
the University of Dorpat, and handsomely
donated to that of Upsal from his family
estate.
He spread intellectual light among the
people by organizing superior primary
schools. Finally he was on the eve of
proposing to give to Sweden a constitution
which should bring about a much more
liberal government, when he was snatched
away from life and from the affections of
his people.
" He was of sanguine temperament," says
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? 190 GusTAvus Adolphus.
Michelet, " and he sometimes had moments
of anger, which were short and generally
finished by a laugh. He was too rash in
exposing himself in battle as a soldier.
These faults excepted -- the only ones with
which he is reproached -- one could have
believed him superior to our common
human nature.
" His death, however, as
he foresaw, put him on a level with other
men, and furnished a memorable example
of earthly glory.
The Fins found and took the corpse of
their king. He was under a heap of slain,
and so trampled by the feet of horsemen
that it was difficult to recognize him.
He was at first carried to the village of
Meuchen, where it was necessary to bury
the intestines. After that the body was
placed in a coffin made by the teacher of
the village school, who was also a joiner.
A funeral service was held, at which pre-
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 191
sided this same school-master. A Swedish
officer also pronounced a short discourse.
The next day the mortal remains of the
hero were taken to Weissenfels, where an
apothecary was charged with the embalm-
ing; he reported nine wounds upon the
body.
The following summer the army moved
from Saxony toward the Baltic. Every-
where the cortege passed the liveliest grief
was evinced. Protestant Germany w^ould
not now be consoled for the loss of her
liberator. From Wolgast in Pomerania
the army set out for Sweden, accompanied
by the Queen Maria Eleonore, whose grief
w^as inconsolable, and by a deputation from
the Senate. " The sea-passage was prosper-
ous," says a biographer of Gustavus Adol-
phus, "and the fleet arrived, August 8,
at Nykoeping. As it approached the
Swedish coast the sky became covered
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? 192 GusTAvus Adolphus.
with clouds, whicli soon poured out an
abundant rain. It seemed that Sweden
would receive the remains of the greatest
and dearest of her sons only as clothed in
mourning and in tears. "
Out of regard for the queen, who did
not wish to be separated from the remains
of her husband, and who desired to keep
them until she could repose with him in
the same tomb, the solemn funeral rites
were delayed until June 21, 1634. They
were then celebrated with all possible
pomp, and in the midst of universal grief.
The coffin was placed in the church of
Ridarholm, which Gustavus Adolphus had
himself chosen as a place of burial. A
splendid mausoleum had been erected to
him, which remains to this day. Upon
seven faces of the monument are engraven
brief sentences expressing the exploits or
soul-qualities of Gustavus Adolphus. Be-
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? GusTAvus Adolphus. 193
neath the cross whicli surmounts it a
pelican is represented as nourishing her
young with her own blood. A striking
emblem, well expressing the most salient
trait of the Swedish hero's character, and
furnishing, as it were, a resume of his
whole life, which was one act of long and
bloody devotion to the interests of others.
? ? Generated for (University of Chicago) on 2014-11-14 09:40 GMT / http://hdl. handle. net/2027/loc. ark:/13960/t6m04wr5k Public Domain / http://www. hathitrust. org/access_use#pd
? 68 64
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