B° ° K dimenfions, being 140 feet in length, and 90 in breadth.
— v—^The fevv remaining apartments in the wing which is not
»entire, are ufed as the common jail for criminals. Underneath
are three dungeons, which were formerly appropriated
to the confinement o f ftate prifoners, the moft remarkable of
¿whom was count Svante Sture, defcended from an antient
.family, which had given feveral adminiftrators to Sweden,
and which, before the election o f Guftavus Vafa, had the
faireft pretenfions to the throne. Upon a »door o f one of
•thefe dungeons.my conductor pointed out feveral characters
coarfely notched, which, according to tradition, were made by
count Svante in the agony, o f his diftrefs, and . as.a memorial
.o f .his g rief for the death o f his fon. The fight o f thefe
Characters, and the name o f Sture, brought to my recollection
thefudden extinction of that-much .injured family, to which
thefe walls were a witnefs ; and th e gloomy madnefs o f Eric
‘XIV. which occafioned that dreadful cataftrophe. The mif-
-truft and fufpidon which that.unfortunate monarch had conceived
againfi the nobility o f Sweden increafing with the
-diftrefles o f his reign, hurried him.at length into a ftate of
infanity.: he faw a plot in the moft common occurrences;
and gave implicit credit to all the idle rumours o f intended
revolts, artfully fpread by his favourites to intimidate orex-
.afperate him.
The Stures, as tbe,principal family in th e . kingdom, had
long "been the chief objeCt o f his jealoufy, and had already
felt fome unwarantable a£ts o f .authority. Nicholas, the fon
o f count Svante, had lately experienced the following in-
.ftances of his tyranny and caprice. Being,,in 1566, cited by
„Eric before the-diet, on a charge o f mifcOnduCt at the fiege
o f Bohus, he was found guilty, and condemned to death.
The king, however, inftead.of .fuffering the fentencetobe
..infliCtcd,
.inflicted, or o f remitting it entirely, aCted with his lifual in*
confiftency. He ordered him to be carried in mock procef- >—
fion through the ftreets o f Stockholm with a crown q f ftraw
upon his head; and yet, foon after this publick affront, he
again received him i nto favour, and appointed him an em-
haflador to the court o f Loraine. But I haften to the event
which gave rife to this detail, the imprifonment and extinction
o f the Sture family. -Upon the ilighteft fufpicions
merely derived from rumour, and fome fuborned witnefies,
count Svante and his fons Eric and Nicholas, and feveral
»other perfoiis o f the iirft diftinCrion, were in 156-7 accufed
of confpiring againft the life o f the king, arrefted, and con-
;fined in the palace o f Upfala. While their trial was yet pending,
a Teport being fpread that his brother John, whom he
had imprifoned at Griplholm, had efcaped from confinement;
he fuddenly repaired to the apartment in which Nicholas
Sture was confined, and faluted him with the appellation
o f traitor : the young count endeavouring to appeafe
his fury by throwing himfelf at his feet, the king ftabbed
him in the arm.; the other, drawing the dagger from the
wound, kifled it and prefented it to Erie, who, unmoved with.
Cuch an affeCting inftance o f loyalty, repeated the blow, and
•ordered hisfervant to finifh the murder-. Seized with an instantaneous
fit o f remorfe, he flew to the dungeon of count
‘Svante, and falling at his feet, called him his friend, exclaiming
in a> agony o f defpair, •“ In.God’s name I entreat you to
forgive wbat l have committed againft you.”— Willingly,”
•replied the Old count, melting into tears o f compaffion, “ but
“ if my. fan’s‘life is in danger, you imvft anfvver for it before
God'.”— Yes, yes,” replied the king in a tranfportof rage,
u I was fure that'¡I ihould never obtain your pardon ;” then
giving orders to the jailer to fecure the count, he haftily
-„5 quitted