THROUGH SWEDEN. 
9 r 
lieve him, that he immediately fettled his worldly concerns, and 
never went out any where in his carriage without firR laying his- 
prayers, and making other preparations, that he might be ready 
on a minute’s warning to proceed on his celeftial journey. I will 
not vouch for the truth of this report; but it is certain, that the 
extreme credulity of the court in this as well as other things, en¬ 
couraged impoRors to praflife all poffible tricks and artifices. A 
young officer, w T ho had not any friends of rank or confequence on 
wdiom he might depend for promotion, had recourfe to the fol¬ 
lowing Rratagem for intereRing the regent in his favour, and 
raffing his own fortune. He went in the dead of the night b> 
the royal palace of Drottningholm, and wounded himfelf rather 
feverely in the arm with a piRoI : immediately on the difcharge 
of the piRol he gave the cry of murder ! and perfuaded every body 
that he had been fet upon by two ruffians, who had miltaken 
him for the Duke of Sudermania, whom they had intended to 
alfaffinate. The duke very much aReRed by this incident, and 
at the fame time moved with compaffiorhfor the poor man, who 
he imagined had fuffered in his Read, made him a prefent in 
money, and imme'diately gave him a commiffion in his own 
regiment. The fraud being afterwards detected the impoRor wa& 
hooted out of the army. 
The prefent king of Sweden has adopted a mode of conduct 
and Ryle of manners diredtly oppofite to thofe of his uncle, with 
whom he has never lived in harmony. During the whole of the 
N 2 
regency 
