B 0 0 k Hiflory, pointing to an infcription on the pedefial; and Axel'
i j j Oxenfliern,. the celebrated chancellor, who' was no lefs preeminent
in the cabinet than his mailer Guflavus Adolphus in
the field,
Mr. Sergell informed me, that the original plan of Arche-
veque was to reprefent a Viftory on horfeback,, preceding and
'crowning Guflavus Adolphus on horfeback; a fublime idea,,
bold, and perfectly new for a flatue. The plan was at firfl accepted
by the Hates,, but- afterwards altered,, becaufe it was*
thought impoilible by the perfon employed to cafl it. Mr. Sergell
expatiated with great enthufiafm on theboldnefs and fublimity o f
this plan, and feemed by no means to confider it as impracticable.
Mr. Sergell has been lately employed by the king in executing
a monument to the memory of Des Cartes, which &
eroded in one of the churches of Stockholm. Above is the
medallion of Des Cartes,, and beneath an angel taking a veil
from the globe, and illuminating it with a torch; a fublime idea,
limply exprefling the efíed of philofophy in enlightening the human
race, but weakened by the angel’s pointing to " Stockholm,”
written in golden, charaders. For the tomb itfelf fufficiently
proved, that the philofopher died * at Stockholm; and the appropriation
of the light of philofophy to a particular fpot, fub-
Aitutes what is partial and confined to what is general and com-
prehenfive.
* H is body was traniported to Paris, and buried in the church o f St. G en e v ie v e . .
The
The royal academy of painting and fculpture at Stockholm C M P .
..contains the fineit collection of calls from, the antique flatues at v_—„——
.Rome, that ever fell under my obfervation. Thefe calls were the
dirli impreflions of the only moulds which were ever permitted
to be taken from the antique Aatues. Louis the Fourteenth
-obtained that permiffion from the pope, and fent to Charles the
Eleventh thefe calls, which are therefore uniques in their kind.
They were given by the late king Adolphus Frederic to the
academy of painting and fculpture, which he inflituted.
The truth of the obfervation which I ventured to advance,
that the king of Sweden is a limited and not an abfolute m6-
march, though controverted by fome authors, is Hill farther confirmed
by the tranfadions of the diet which aflembled in May
1786, in which Leverai new regulations were fettled, tending to
limit the prerogative in the power .of making, amending, and
.repealing laws, of removing perfons from public employments,
in the impofition of taxes, and the permanency of the revenues
In regard to the firfi point, the power of making, amending,
and repealing laws, it had long been a quefiion of difpute, whether
a bill being propofed by the king, i f two houfes were for
it, and two againfl it, the deeiiion Ihould be left to his majefiy:
but it was finally refolved by the Hates, and agreed to by the
king, that under thefe circumHances the propofed bill ihould
not take place ; and that when three houfes were o f the lame
opinion, that opinion ihould be confidered as the fenfe of the
Hates ;