. B O O K
V I I .
V - ’
The coat is a plain blue uniform, like that o f a common
foldier; the ftockings are fown to the breeches : his boots
are thick and large ; his gloves are o f white leather, ftiff-
topped, and reaching almoft to rhe-elbow : the right-hand
olove is confiderably ftained with blood, the left only
fpririkled with' a few' drops .;, part o f a buff belt, which
‘he wore round his waift, is alfe bloody. I mention thefe
circumftancés; becaufe it renders probable what has
been ailèrted, that upon receiviqg the lhot he inftantly applied
his right-hand to the wound in his temple, and then to
.his fword. .
The hat "bears the . appearance of having been ilightly
grazed by the hall in that part which immediately covered
his temple*. I was informed, by a perfon who has had fre-
.quent opportunities o f obferving it, that the original mark
‘was at "firft very 'indiftlnÌl', but has- be,én fo ' handled
and rent‘by thofe who have continually examined it, as to
have ‘been confiderably enlarged. As the ihot, therefore,
did not .pierce through, but only grazed the hat, the fize of
the ball, uptìn which fo much has been made to depend,
cannot be afcertained from this circumftance. It follows
therefore from this fimple defcription, which I noted down up-
oii the fpbt, that, from any appearances either in the clothes, or
hat, the ilighteft inference cannot be deduced in regard to
* T h is circumftance has given rife to an fo t ig h tly grafped b y th e r ig h t hand as not
argument in favour o f his b e in g aflafiinated ; ' to Sé -removed w ithout- -difficulty.' But
fo r , fays th e advocates on this fide o f th e fu re ly , if ,th e k in g re a lly faw th e perfon who
que flion , i f , upon receiving the ih ot, he in - difch a rg ed the p ie ce , ' and meant to defend
ila n t ly tou ch ed the woun d , and then g ra fped '.h imfelf, h e would firft have grafped the
h is fword , it feems to im p ly that- h e Tnuft fw o rd before he had received th e ihot ; and
have fe e n ' th.e " perfon who d ifch a rg ed the i f he "firft tou ch ed the woun d , and then
pie ce at him, and p u t h im fe lf in to an a t ti- grafped th e h ilt o f -the fword , i t w as a mere
tu d e o f d e fe n c e . ' A n d it is ce r ta in , from inft/mtaneous impulfe, and muft have been
the ac count o f P h ilg ren , who faw the b od y , fo -fudden as-to have no reference to an at-
¿jhatjtie had àbfo lù te ly drawn the fword h a lf tempt o f defending h imfelf.
¿ h t - o f the fcahbard; and th a t th e h ilt was
-the
the fo much agitated queflion, Whether Charles XII. fell C£^ p‘
by a ball from the Daniih batteries, or by the hand o f an ,— >
affaffin.
I fhall fubjoin to this account an inquiry into the particulars
o f his death ; in the courfe of which fome new lights
may, perhaps,be thrown upon this curious fubjedt; and fome
anecdotes introduced probably unknown to the -Englifh
reader.
On the 30th of.November, 1 7 18 , Charles,XII. vifitedhis
trenches at the fiege of Frederickfhall in Norway; advanced
as far as a baftion, which he mounted; and, leaning his arm
upon the parapet, feemed to examine the progrefs o f the
works. The Daniih batteries were playing upon the trenches,
and continued a confiant fire with great and fmall ihot, to
which the king expofed himfelf, as ufual, without the leaft
caution- ; in that attitude he received a ball in his temple,
fell upon the parapet, and inftantly expired. There were
with him two French officers, Maigret, the engineer, who
conducted the fiege,andSiquier, his aid-de-camp. Behind, at
fome diftance, were, amongft others, count Schwerin, who
commanded the trenches ; count Pofle, captain o f the guards';
and Culbert, an aid-de-camp. Accordingto Voltaire*; thetwo
Frenchmen, feeing the king fall, and hearing him utter at the
fame time a deep figh, approached and found him dead. Mo-
trayet relates, that Maigret had ineffectually endeavoured to dif-
fuade his majefty from remaining in fo dangerous a place, and
that,having confulted with Schwerin and Culbert, he returned
to draw him away by ftratagem ; finding him leaning
upon the parapet, he fuppofed him to. be afleep ; but per-
• V o lta ire , whq was p ro b ab ly informed f V o y a g e s /le M o tra y e ,. V o l. XI..p. 396;
o f thefe clrcuraftances from S iqu ie r h im fe lf. N o rd b e fg ’s H ift . de C h a r le s X I I . p . 358. .
See Hift. de C h â tie s X I I . p . 3 4 1 . |
V ol, II. Z z . . . ceiving