I Cannot forbear to inform you by this Opportunity, of the King of Swedens intire Recovery of His dangerous Sickneſs, which did put both the Phyſitians and the whole Army into a deſpair; And I do not doubt, but that I ſhall give you ſome Satisfaction, by informing you, of the particul • r Circumſtances, and of the Pious Diſcourſes, and Kind Expreſſions, which this Prince made during the heat of His Sickneſs; For when he found himſelf at firſt ill on the 20th of March laſt paſt, he ſtrove to conceale it for ſeveral dayes, as much as poſſibly he might, by booting him, as he daily uſeth to do, viewing his Camp, and keeping of His Council, until the 23d of the ſaid Moneth; when he found himſelf ſo ill, that he was forced to take his Bed, and to declare, that he had a violent Feaver, with an exceeding heat and oppreſſion of the heart; And finding the Feaver increaſing, and the time of Death approaching, he called for his Chief Miniſter, made his Confeſſion, and received the Holy Sacrament with great Devotion, he having alwayes lived an exemplary Life of Piety and Vertue. Whereupon His Majeſty ſent for his Miniſters of State, and placed the Chiefeſt of them upon the ſide of his Bed, and told them, That whereas he perceived himſelf at the point of leaving the World, he would not fail to give them His thanks, for all the Care and Troubles, which they had taken for Him, and charged them with ſeveral things very tenderly relating to the Queen Mother, which I could not fully underſtand, being ſpoken in the Swediſh Language, and ſomething low; And ſeeing the Chiefeſt Officers of His whole Army round about His Bed-ſide, he gave them thanks in a moſt obliging manner for the ſaithful Services which they had done Him, and His Country; He remembred very well the many Dangers they had run in all Encounters and Battels that had been fought, and that next to God, He attributed to their Valour the good Iſſue of them all. Next to them He gave His hearty Thanks to all the Officers of His Houſhold, and Menial Servants, and enlarged Himſelf very much upon the great troubles He had for not being in a condition to Reward them according to their Merits; He hoped, that God would do it, being the True Rewarder of all honeſt Actions: He deſired their pardon, if He had offended them, and bid them conſider, that He was a Man like themſelves, and had His Failings like others; but He could aſſure them, that He never did offend any of them wittingly, or with a ſet intention.

And whereas His Troubles and Pains increaſed more and more, His Majeſty ſupported them with as much Courage as any could do; Yet, at laſt, He could not forbear to tell us, that ſtood about Him, that He muſt needs confeſs, That all what He had ſuffered all the time of the War, did never come near to that which He did ſuffer for the preſent; and that the Enemy which now Attack'd Him, did uſe Him more Cruelly, than all the others that He had had againſt Him for many years together.

He Prayed to God to have Mercy on His Soul, and with many earneſt Repetitions recommended unto Him His Kingdom and Country, which could not but be very unhappy by His death, without Gods particular Favour and Protection; bewailing very much, that He ſhould leave the ſame in ſuch a diſtracted War; but yet comforting Himſelf withal, That all thoſe that were about Him, knew very well how He was drawn into the War, and in His Minority too, when He could not apply ſuch Remedies, as were neceſſary for to turn it another way.

And whereas He ſpoke all this with ſuch tender expreſſions, that all the Spectators could not forbear to bur • t out in Tears, He ſaid to them, Pray why do you grieve ſo much? I am not to be ſo much lamented, for I find in my ſelf an Aſſurance, that I am a Child of Heaven, and of the everlaſting God; I never did any body harm, nor any hurt to my Conſcience, and I have kept my Words very punctually to my Allies, and my Engagement to my Subjects; whom I have Loved very tenderly, and have freely expoſed my Life for their welfare; And, although you may have after Me a Wiſer King, yet never will you have any one that ſhall love you more than I have done.

And the uſual hour for His daily Publick Prayer approaching, He deſired His Chaplain to be called for, who, in regard of His Majeſties weakneſs, endeavoured to ſhorten the Prayers, but the King told him, That it was not the Time to do it ſo, for He never needed his and others Prayers more than at that inſtant; But, no ſooner were they ended, but that He ſpoke of Death with a great deal of courage, and every one feared He ſhould wrong himſelf by talking ſo much; We endeavoured to get away, but He no ſooner perceived it, but He called us back, and deſired that He might not be buried in any great State or Pomp, reminding them of His plain way of living, and as He never affected any Pride in His Life-time, ſo He deſired to be Buried as He had Lived, ſeeing the preſent time could not afford any unneceſſary Charges; wherewith He gave us His Hand to kiſs, and took his leave with many tender expreſſions.

Some hours after, his Majeſty was taken with a great Sweat, whereby the pains, of the heart diminiſhed, and after a ſweet ſleep of Fourteen hours together, his violent Feaver turned into a Tertian Ague, the Fits whereof leſſened from day to day, till this very day, when he had no Fit at all, ſo that we judge his Majeſty free from all danger, and Sweden delivered from very dangerous troubles and diſorders, which would neceſſarily have followed upon the death of ſuch a Prince.

I cannot repreſent unto you all the fine expreſſions, which His Majeſty uſed all this time, onely I muſt tell you in few words, that we all, that ſtood about his Bed ſide, did admire it, and muſt needs confeſs, that we have obſerved, that within two or three moneths he hath improved mightily, and hath got all the Parts of a Great Prince.

And I leave it to you to judge, what ſtrange alterations his death would have produced, and what a joy we all muſt have, who have ſeen him in this apparent danger, and in the very Agonie.