who had made the late copious harangue in praife of the King's virtues; they pretended, that the debating of this question, which was of fuch infinite confequence to the nation and to pofterity, would prolong the affair too much, and prevent their giving an answer within the limited time, and it was therefore better to refer it to the King, before they paffed any refolution upon it. Abfurd as this propofal muft for ever appear, it was im mediately agreed to; and the King, as a proof of his patriotifm, in return expreffed his wishes, that the nobility fhould have the fame confidence in his paternal care that the other orders had, by whom no limitation was proposed.

Thus the contributions were made perpetual; and the third article which the King propofed, of being enabled to raile extraordinary fupplies upon particular occafions by the help of a fecret committee, was not only complied with, but the whole power lodged in the King's hands, who was both to judge of the exigence, and find the means of fupply; while the directors of the bank were to act the part of a fecret committee, in fuch matters as he thought proper to confult them upon. By thefe measures the King is become virtually poffeffed of all the powers of government, and the ftates feem thereby to have irrevocably fealed their own doom; nor does it now appear that, with out fome extraordinary change of circumftances, the crown can have any motive for the future convocation of a dyet.

The fates having now done every thing that the King withed for, he thought it proper to difmifs them to their refpective countries, in a state of as much good humour and felf-fatisfaction, with refpect to their own conduct, as it was poffible. His parting

Sept. 9.

fpeech, at the breaking up of the dyet, was filled with effufions of piety, and gratitude to the Almighty, and of acknowledgments to them, for the happy facility with which, in fo fhort a time, they had redeemed all their past mildeeds. He defcribes the inftantaneous change in their conduct, difpofition and temper, as little lefs than miraculous; and indeed it would appear that fome fupernatural power was requifite, to work fo fudden and wonderful a converfion as that which he reprefents. From the lowest state of reprobation, they are in a few days rifen to the highest degree of virtue; all thofe vices and paflions, that corrupt the human heart, are fuddenly fled, and thofe glorious principles which the most adorn it, and which, it is faid, they all along poffeffed, but unfortunately knew nothing of them, are as fuddenly difplayed; in a word, they are at once illuminated with all the piety, loyalty, patriotifm, courage, and concord, which infpired the ancient Swedes. The King concluded his fpeech with an information, that he hoped to meet them again at the end of fix years.

The different orders of the ftates, through the mouths of their refpective marshals, were not at all behind hand in profeffions or compliments. The fincerity of their loyalty was indeed as fufpicious, from the groffefs of their adulation, as the exceffive profeffions and acknowledgments of gratitude they made to Heaven, for its share, in the prefent happy event, were from other obvious caufes. The order of the clergy, however, went greater lengths, both in adulation and in profeflions of piety, than any of the others; though it must be acknowledged that the peafants, in this infance, fully justified Shakespear's obfervation, and trod

very close upon the heels both of the nobility and clergy. Indeed their marshal, upon this occafion, feemed to be a very different character from him who in the days of Whitelocke made the celebrated speech to queen Chriftina. The whole language, on the fide of the King, was that of a patriot, who had just redeemed his country from the most deplorable tyranny; and, on the other, of a people who knew no bounds to the gratitude which they owed to Heaven and to their deliverer.

The imputation which had been fo artfully and induftrioufly thrown upon the dyet, of its being the caufe of the diftreffes which the people underwent from the famine, had fuch an effect upon an ignorant populace, who, in their remote and folitary dwellings, have fcarcely any means of information with respect to public affairs, but that which is defignedly communicated to them, to anfwer fome particular purpose, that several of the fenators were afraid to return to their respective countries, and were obliged to apply to the King for fuch fpecial marks of his protection as might preferve them from the confequences.

In the mean time the King was not negligent in putting the internal government of the kingdom into fuch hands as were fully to be confided in; nor did he forget to provide for those who had diftinguish ed themselves by their fervices, in bringing about the revolution. The great and principal govern ments were, fo far as it might be, retained within the royal family. Prince Charles was created Duke of Sudermania, and appointed to the government of the provinces of Scania, Holland, Bleckingen, Bahur-Lehn, and Smaland; prince Frederic Adolphus, Duke of Oftrogothia, and the important govern

ment of Finland; and the King's mother, the Queen Dowager, was appointed governefs of the Swedish provinces of Germany.

Hellichius, and the garrison of Christianstadt, had opened their gates to prince Charles as foon as he appeared before them. As the King did not now think it neceffary to pay an attention to appearances which were no longer effential, he wrote a letter to his brother, in which he applauded, in the highest terms, the bravery, fidelity, and conduct of that officer, and his garrison, and acknowledged him to be the chief leader in the late great event, and his own obligations to him, to be in proportion to its importance. He accordingly foon after brought him into the rank of nobility, and ordered a regiment to be raised on purpose for him; to these he added a fpecies of honour which is fingular in the prefent times; he feems in a certain degree to have adopted him. in the manner of the ancients, by giving him the name of Guftavuschild, by which for the future he is to be distinguished.

Every thing that had any relation to the late revolution, or any connection with it, was to be diftinguifhed, and made an object of remembrance or admiration. The circumftance of the white handkerchief, which the King had tied round his arm at the beginning of the revolt, was made the foundation of a new order of knighthood, to be called, The Order of Fidelity, the members of which are to wear a white riband tied round the right arm; the officers of the guards were gratified with this new dignity. New claffes were added to the old orders, and different appendages of honour annexed to them, in order to reward all thofe of fuperior rank, in proportion to the fervices they had rendered, or the

zeal

zeal they had manifested. Public thanks were returned to the burghers, for their conduct, and the fhare they had in this event, and all the officers were permitted to wear gold laced hats, and yellow cockades, whether in or out of fervice; gold and filver medals, to be worn at the button-hole, were alfo diftributed amongst them, in proportion to the degrees of zeal which they had fhewed upon the occafion. Great promotions were alfo made in the army and the navy, and nothing was left undone, that could contribute to reconcile the minds of the people, and to foften thofe reflections which must naturally arise, on fo great and fo fudden an alteration in their go.

vernment.

It may be confidered as one of the moft extraordinary circumftances of this extraordinary revolution, that not a drop of blood, either by legal or military exertion, was thed in the progrefs, or in confequence. of it. A triking inftance, how much the manners of mankind have been foftened within a few ages, and that whatever progrefs the meaner or bafer qualities of the mind may have made, the more dreadful ones, which proceed from ferocity and cruelty, are in a great degree worn out.

Too much cannot be faid, of the extraordinary abilities and wildom which the King has difplayed in every part of his conduct. The profound diffimulation, the repub. lican cloak with which he covered his defigns, fo as to elude the eyes of a whole nation, and to efcape the watchful attention of thofe, whom age and experience had rendered most cautious and fufpicious, cannot be paralleled in the hiftory of any other man fo young. We at all times find his conduct equally uniform and confiftent in all its parts; the fame melancholy air of reverential piety, the fame tender

concern for his people, the same affection for the laws and the conftitution of his country, and the fame unalterable love of liberty, are as confpicuous after the revolution, as they were before. In no circumftance of that trying and dangerous event, do we find him betrayed by the smallest paffion, nor does he for a fingle inftant depart from himself upon any occafion. Upon the whole, he must be confidered as one of the molt extraordinary young men that any age has produced.

The tamenefs with which the Swedes have endured the overthrow of their conflitution, and the lofs of their liberties, will ever continue a fubject of admiration. The time is not yet beyond the memory of man, when they were emancipated from the molt deplorable ftate of defpotifm that any nation could groan under. In the reign of Charles the twelfth they had fcarcely a merchant fhip upon the ocean; yet fuch were the happy effects of the fubfequent change of government, that notwithstanding the loffes they had fuftained by his wars, 600 Swedish fhips paffed through the Sound annually, within 20 years after his death; befides the great trade of the port of Gottenburgh, which lies without the Sound, and the internal commerce of the Baltic. They have now furrendered every thing that is most dear to mankind without the fmalleft conteft. It is more than probable, that within another age they will afford a fresh conviction to the world, that commerce cannot flourith under an arbitrary government. This revolution, however, prefents a mirror, which, if properly attended to, will exhibit objects of the greatest import to those few ftates which ftill retain any veftiges of civil liberty.

To be continued.

which induces him to confent to their union, and make the young couple happy.

In the courfe of all this bufinefs Belville receives a letter, feemingly from Mifs Walfingham, tho' written by his wife, and appointing an interview at the mafquerade; he fhews this letter to capt. Savage (not fufpecting his attachment to her) and after many ftruggles between his former diffipation and his refolutions of amendment, he at laft refolves to meet her at the masquerade, and confefs his reformation to her. He accordingly fets out, and meets a lady masked, whom he takes for Mifs Walfingham; and has hardly time to affure her of his reformation, when they are broke in upon by general Sa vage, his fon, and Torrington, whom the captain has brought to be witneffes of Mifs Walfingham's diffipation and infidelity. Belville, furprised at this rudeness, bids the lady retire, and he will defend her; but the captain being pofitive on seeing her, Mrs. Belville comes forward and unmasks. This difcovery brings on a general explanation; Mrs. Belville is perfectly fatiffied with her husband's reformation; captain Savage with Mifs Walfingham's fidelity; and though general Savage is mortified at lofing his mistress (for through the course of the play he makes love to Mifs Walfingham himself, though the mistakes it for doing it by proxy for his fon) yet at the threats of Mrs. Tempeft, his kept miftrefs, who has him under entire fubjection, he is obliged to be fatisfied likewise.

This piece, which is faid to be written by a major Addington, belonging to Elliot's Light Horfe, though not abfolutely a bufy, genteel, or fentimental comedy, includes the principal qualities of all three. The incidents are natural and interefting, and carry on the

plot with vigour and facility. The principal parts, though not in very high, are yet in fashionable life, and are fupported by propriety of behaviour, and by language fuitable to the characters. The fentiments which arise from many ftriking fituations, are full of energy, and equally juft and pleafing. The moft bigotted friend of the author, however, muft own, that there are fome faults in it. But he that cannot relish fuch a pleafing picture of manners with fuch powerful fentiments, fo interefting a fable, and fo ftriking a moral, must be a churl indeed.

On Monday the 27th ult. a new dramatic entertainment, called, A Christmas Tale, made its firft appearance at this house. The ftory is as follows:

CAMILLA, the only daughter of a virtuous magician, is enjoined by her father, on his death-bed, never to wed any one who does not give proofs of poffeffing valour, conftancy, and honour. This command, Floridor, who is paffionately in love with her, and equally beloved on her fide, is informed of, by the oracle of a laurel-tree opening and difcovering the names of thefe three qualities, written in letters of gold. Being determined to obtain her, he acquaints his father (or rather, the father finds out the fecret by his art) of these particulars, which he encourages him in, and tells him he must prepare to put them immediately to the trial, by arming himself cap-a-pie like a knight-errant, and taking with him Tycho, his fervant, as an efquire, for the purpofe of dethroning Nigromant the magician. Previous however to this, the father leaves him for a while in charge his confined fpirits, and gives him his wand, which he is on no account to let fall out of his hand.

Floridor, notwithstanding this charge,