494 GERMANY. 
king was elated by this news, and immediately fet out mily, by means of a league between France, Sweden, 
to attack his enemies, who liad tliiis imprudently weak, and the United Provinces. 
cned their forces. On his arrival at Lutzen, in 1633, he The duke’s courage, liowever, was not damped by 
arranged his troops in order of battle, and next morning thele misfortunes. Having croffed the Rhine with feme 
commenced tlte afTault with fuch irrefiftible fury, that clioten troops, he reduced the foreft-towns of Seckingen, 
tlte imperialifls were driven from the place where their 
cannon was mounted ; but this port was retaken in half 
an liour, and the Swedes were compelled to give way in 
their turn. Alarmed at this circumltance, Guftavus 
alighted from his charger, and, putting himfelf at the 
head of his regiments, “ If,” faid he, “ after having 
forded fo many rivers, fcaled fo many walls, and re¬ 
duced fo many fortified towns, you have not courage to 
defend me, at leaft make one effort to fiand and witnefs 
my death.” Tliis fpeech produced an inftantaneous 
eff'edl upon his troops, who now faced about, and re¬ 
newed the battle witlt fuch refolution as to gain the ar¬ 
tillery and force the intrencliinents of Walftein’s camp ; 
but while they were thus employed, their gallant fove- 
reign was fiain by a party of cuiralliers, . This fatal ac¬ 
cident, togeth.er with tlie arrival of count Papenheim, 
feenied to threaten tlie Swedes with the moft fatal con- 
fequences : but they Hood theirground with undaunted 
finnnefs; and continued tlie combat with unremitting 
fury, till the imperialifts were defeated, witli the lofs of 
fix thoufand men and all their cannon. Next morning 
the king’s body was found, ffripped and mangled, on 
the field of battle; whence it was conveyed to Stock¬ 
holm with great folemnity. 
Upon the death of Guftavus, the emperor was advifed 
to publifh a general amnelly, in order to facilitate an 
accommodation: but he perfifled in his defign of ac¬ 
quiring abiblute power, and made new preparations for 
continuing the war. Germany was, therefore, doomed 
to remain under Iier diftrabting calamities ; towns were 
reduced and retaken ; battles were fought with various 
fuccefs till the country was purpled with blood. During 
thefe tranfadtions, Walftein alarmed the emperor by his 
ambitious conduct; and, in confequence of his threaten¬ 
ing a revolt, tlie cabinet of Vienna determined that he 
fliould either be killed or apprehended. The former 
alternative took place, and the gallant duke of Fridlund 
periflied by the hand of an alfaflin. His molt intimate 
triends, who had engaged to follow his fortune, met a 
fimilar fate. 
Notwithflanding the general calamities which had re- 
fulted from his own pride and ambition, Ferdinand pof- 
felfed fufficient interelt with the ftates to procure the 
election ot his Ion as king of the Romans. This, liow- 
ever, was one ot his laft gratifications; for he died foon 
afterwards, in tlie fifty-ninth year of his age, and the 
eighteenth of liis reign. By the performance of feveral 
vows which he made againit tlie proteltants, he acquired 
ihe-appellation ot tlie “ Apofiolic Emperor,” and many 
popilti hifiorians have held him up as the objett of ad¬ 
miration : but, from an impartial review of his conduct, 
we mult pronounce him an unfeeling bigot, and a fcourge 
of the empire. 
Ferdinand III. fon of the late emperor, afeended the 
imperial throne at a diltretling jundture; for though he 
fucceeded in tranquillifing the interior of Germany, he 
had the mortification to perceive that the flames of war 
continued to rage with unabated fury on the frontiers, 
and that the calamities of the people were unnecelfarily 
prolonged by the generals employed, Bannier, Torften- 
fon, Weimar, Wrangel, Mer.ci, and many others, who 
were anxious to diftinguifii themfelves by their gallant 
condudt. Shortly after the new emperor’s acceffion, Ber¬ 
nard duke of Weimar penetrated into Alface, and crolfed 
the Rhine by a bridge of boats about fix leagues above 
Strafburg: he alfo eredbed feveral forts in the illand of 
Wittenweyer. But his forces were defeated by general 
deWert; and he himfelf was ferioully embarralfed by 
the death of his friend William landgrave of HelTe- 
i'allel, who had defigned to re-eftablilh the Palatine fa- 
Lauffemberg, and Waldlliut, and defeated the imperial- 
ills in a pitched battle before Rhinfield. Hunningen, 
Neuberg, and Rottelin, were foon added to his conquefts; 
and Brifac was obliged to furrender, after having been 
reduced to fuch extremity of famine, that the inhabi¬ 
tants were with difficulty reltrained from digging up and 
devouring the bodies of their deceafed friends. Louis 
XIII. being apprifed of thefe tranfatlions, difpatched 
a nieirengeron pretence of congratulating the duke, but 
in reality to perfuade him to cede Brifac to the crown 
ot France. 'Ibis attempt proved unfuccefsful; but 
Weimar returned fuch an evafive anfwer, that the 
French monarch promifed him a reinforcement of eight 
thoufand men. 
Whilfl; the duke of Weimar was thus triumphing over 
the Aufirians in Alface, and the Swedifh general Bannier 
was employed in the reduction of Pomerania, an engage, 
ment took place in Weftphalia, between Charles Louis, 
prince palatine, and count de Hasfeld, one of the empe¬ 
ror’s lieutenant-generals; and, after a very fanguinary 
conflict:, victory declared in favour of the imperialifls. 
Prince Rupert and count de Ferents were made prifon- 
ers; all the palatine’s artillery fell into the hands of the 
conqueror ; and Charles Louis efcaped with great diffi¬ 
culty to Minden. 
Upon the demife of the duke de Weimar, which hap¬ 
pened lliortly after his reduction of Thau, in 1639, a 
treaty was concluded between the king of France and 
^the Weimarian forces ; by which the duke de Longue- 
ville was acknow'ledged general, and a refolution was 
taken to march toward the Lower Palatinate, while the 
count de Guebriant put the foreff-towns in a fiate of 
defence ; John Louis d’Erlach was continued in the go¬ 
vernment of Brifac ; and Philip Bernold, a gentleman 
of Alface, was invelled with the command of Rhinfeld. 
In the mean time conferences were held at Hamburg, to 
promote the reftoration of peace; but the powers who 
fent their minifiers feenied to be infpired with mutual 
dillruff. Louis XIII. quarrelled with the count pala¬ 
tine about the oniiffion of fome ceremonial; an ancient 
grudge which fublilted between the French and Englilh 
rendered them averfe to the conclufion of a treaty ; and 
the Dutch, who were ill-affeCled to both, refufed to re¬ 
nounce the neutrality which they had promifed to the 
emperor. 
While all the true patriots of Germany regretted the 
failure of thefe negociations, Bannier was making a rapid 
progrefs in Saxony ; w here he took feveral places of 
importance, and defeated the Saxon general Maracini in 
two engagements. Bohemia was alfo filled with difmay 
by the terror of his arms; and Mecklenburg, Branden¬ 
burg, and Franconia, were ravaged by generals Koningf- 
mark and Axel-Cili. The emperor endeavoured to 
•check Bannier’s career by fome fplendid offers, and the 
Swedifii hero actually began to think of putting an end 
to his fatigues: but this was a mere llratagem to amufe. 
the niarefclial, till the archduke Leopold and general 
Picolomini lliould be in readinels to march againll him. 
Upon the arrival of thefe imperial forces, Bannier formed 
a junction with the troops of de Longueville, and per- 
fuaded George duke of Brunfwic to ailili; him with three 
thoufand foot and five hundred horfe: but Picolomini’s 
advantageous encampment precluded the hope of a fuc- 
cefsful attack; and, after the two armies had remained 
in fight of each other for fix weeks, tlie confederates 
removed to Neulladt. Picolomini followed them with 
the utmoll expedition; but he llill remained on the de- 
fenfive, and carefully Ihunned an engagement. By ftea- 
dily pvirfuing this condutl, the imperial general com¬ 
pelled Bannier to quit the hereditary territories of the 
houfe 
