GENERAL HISTORY. 



[131 



be exempt from all civil and mili- 

 tary service, except by their own 

 consent. 



SWEDEN. 



In the month of March a con- 

 spiracy was formed ag.iinst the life 

 of the Crown Prince, tiie parti- 

 cular purpose of which appears 

 little understood, though it cannot 

 be doubted that the focus of it was 

 chiefly among the nobility. The 

 prince, however, met with the 

 warmest attachment from the 

 general representatives of the na- 

 tion, and from the citizens of 

 Stockholm ; and his answer to an 

 address presented by the latter 

 deserves attention, from the spirit 

 by which it is distinguished. The 

 following were some of the most 

 remarkable passages. 



" For some months loose re- 

 ports have been circulated in the 

 country. Sometimes they said that 

 the king was dead ; then my son 

 was dying ; then my life was in 

 danger : tliis was done to alarm 

 the country. Some later denun- 

 ciations have attracted tlie atten- 

 tion of the police and the govern- 

 ment. Judicial inquiries are in- 

 stituted ; and the criminals, or 

 the false informers, will be punish- 

 ed. I could forgive the authors of 

 these reports if they only aimed at 

 my life ; but they seek to overturn 

 your liberty, your constitution, 

 your national honour ; in short, 

 every thing that is most sacred to 

 the honest citizen. 



" They have ventured to mix 

 the names of a family which you 

 have excluded from the throne. 

 Vou know yourselves. Gentlemen, 

 that 1 did not cause their fate. 

 When, in the distressed state to 

 which a series of misfortunes had 

 reduced you, you cast your eyes 



on such princes as were known by 

 the services they had done to their 

 country, and your choice was fixed 

 on me ; I resolved to accept it. 

 Tlie very idea of the dangers that 

 surrovmded you, made me feel 

 myself greater, and capable of 

 the mightiest plans to merit your 

 confidence. For you I consented 

 to renoimce the pleasures and 

 tranquillity of private life, to which 

 I had destined the rest of my days. 

 I gave myself wholly up to a peo- 

 ple once so renowned, then so un- 

 happy. 1 came among you, and 

 brought, as title and pledge, my 

 swoixl and my deeds. If I could 

 have brought you a series of an- 

 cestors from the time of Charles 

 Martcl 1 could have wished it only 

 on your account : for myself, I 

 am equally proud of the service I 

 have done, and of the glory which 

 has raised me. These pretensions 

 are still increased by the king's 

 adoption, and the unauimous 

 choice of a free people. On these 

 I found my rights ; and as long as 

 honour and justice are not banish- 

 ed from this earth, these rights 

 must be more legal and sacred 

 than if I had descended from Odin. 

 History shows that no prince ever 

 mounted a throne except by the 

 choice of the people, or by con- 

 quest. I did not open a way to the 

 Swedish succession by arms : the 

 free choice of the nation called 

 me; and this is the right on which 

 I lean. Remember our condition 

 at my arrival, and see what we 

 are now. There are ill-disposed 

 men in all countries ; but in 

 Sweden their number is so small, 

 that no extraordinary measures 

 are necessary to repress them. 



" The interior peace of the 

 country is undisturbed : from 

 without there is nothing to fear 



[K 2] We 



