b o o k fonSigifmpnd king of Poland, together with his unpopularity
. vu~ , and fuperftition, the fceptre o f Sweden without authority;
a precarious pofleffion, foon to be feized by the father * of
Guftavus Adolphus.
Under a fuperb monument, ereCted to her memory by her
doating huiband, is depofited the body o f Catharine Jaghellon,
princefs o f Poland, and confort o f John III. a woman o f great
beauty and elegant manners. By her unfortunate afcendahcy
over her uxorious lord, ihe occalioned all the religious feuds
which difgraced his adminiftrationand, by inftilling the
moil intolerant principles into her fon Sigifmond, entailed upon
this kingdom all the civil troubles which diftraCted his reign;
and which ended in the lofs o f his Swediih crown. Her attachment
to the Roman catholick religion, in which ihe had
been educated, was as fincere as it was firm ; and would not
have been mentioned to her difcredit, i f ihe had not been
inflamed with a blind rage for making profelytes by compul-
fion, which characterizes the bigotted profeflors o f that per-
fuafion. Her death, which happened in 1 5 83, was friendly
to the peace o f Sweden, as her compliant huiband, when no
longer inflamed by her prefence, cooled in his attempt to
force popery upon his fubjeCts; and the heats o f religious
difpute, which lire had kindled into a flame, fubiided for a
tim e .'
In a fmall chapel is the fepulchre o f the Stures, that il-
luftrious family whofe extinction has been already related.
The aihes o f the three Stures, who fell a facrifice to the tyranny
of Eric, are diitinguiihed by a monument, which was
ereCted by the widow o f count Svante; it contains, beiide
* C h a r le s IX . th ird fon o f G u fta vu s V a fa , b ein g th e fa th e r o f an hero w h o gave law to
who is lefs known fo r his own merits , w h ich E u ro p e ,
were h igh ly de fe rving o f a c row n , than fo r
feveral
feveral epitaphs in Hexameter verfe, a pathetick infcription CHAP-
in Latin prqfe. The fubftance whereof is as follows : . ' ;
“ This i§ the burial place o f the laft remaining branch o f
“ the Stures, whofe antient and royal lineage was illuftrated
‘f by. Stena, Svante and Steno, three fucceffive adminiftrators .
“ of Sweden; defervedly, for their merifs and virtues, fly led
“ Fathers o f their country, put Svante, fpn o f the latter
“ Steno, raifed to the dignity o f count at the coronation o f
1 pric 1(IV. and his fons Nicholas and Eric, both eminent in
“ war and peace, fell victims to a violent death on the 4th
“ o f May, 1566. A ll that was great and noble ¡could not
“ foot he the iron heart o f their Sovereign. Reader, i f thou
I art not equally unfeeling, deplore the unmerited cataftrophe
" o f fuch exalted virtue.”
A tomb, ereCted in honour o f count Oxenftiern, has been
miftaken by fome travellers for that which covers the aihes
of Axel, the celebrated chancellor o f Sweden, who directed
the adminiftration o f affairs under Guftavus Adolphus, Chrif-
tina, and Charles VIII. one of the greateft men that Sweden,
fertile in great men, ever produced. But his remains were de-
poiited in another place % T h e perfon who lies interred in
this cathedral is his nephew Benedict Oxenftiern, who feems
to have inherited the political abilities and great integrity o f
his uncle. Benedict was born in 1623, and enjoyed the favour
o f four fucceffive fovereigns; all o f whom had the
higheft coniideration for his talents and abilities. After filling
feveral great offices, he was raifed, in 1688, to the higheft;
civil'employment, the chancejlorfhip, and died in 1702, in
full pofleffion of his matter’s confidence and the people’s
efteem.
* A x e l Ox en ftiern died at Sto ckh o lm in t o T y h o lm ,a n d th e r e in terrcd in th e fam ily
Au guft, 16 54 j and his remains were ca r r ied v a u lt , M em . do C h r ift in e , V o l . I . p . 483.
Falko,