COXe’s TRAVELS IN DENMARK.

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When Charles Guftavus, King of Sweden , broke the treaty of Rofkild, which he-had figned, and in 1658 appeared fuddenly before Copenhagen at the head of a pow-erful army, he efteemed hirnfelf fecure of fuccefs, and made a prefent of Zealand toAdmiral Wrangel. He even publicly boafted that he would re-unite the three crowns°f Sweden, Denmark, and Norway , and would then, like another Alaric, march intoItaly ,' at the head of the Gothic nations. The internal weaknefs and civil commotions°f Denmark feemed almoft to juftify thefe vaunts : the fate of the whole kingdom de-pended on the fafety of Copenhagen ; and yet, fuch was the deplorable condition ofthe capital, that Frederic was advifed to retire from a place which feemed untenable,a nd to efcape either to Holland or Norway . The fortifications had been long ne-glected ; it contained a garrifon of only a thoufand regular troops ; had not fufficientprovifions to ftand a fiege; almoft deftitute of every means of refiftance, and croudedtvith inhabitants and fugitives.

But Frederic, roufed by this dangerous crifis of affairs, difcovered at once the moltUndaunted courage ; he declared his refolution of defending his capital to the laft ex-tremity, and of burying hirnfelf under its ruins. His conduct during the fiege an-swered thefe profeffions ; he gave his orders with calmnefs and intrepidity ; he wasforemoft in all places of danger, and among the laft who retreated.

His zeal was feconded by the undaunted fpirit of his queen, Sophia Amelia, Princefs°f Brunfwick Lunenburgh *, who, during the whole conteft, was indefatigable in ani-mating the befieged : flie partook of their fatigues, rode night and day round the ram-parts, and obferved every occurrence with the vigilance of a centinel, and the coolnefs°f a veteran. The prefence and aftivity of both fovereigns, gave frefh vigour to thegarrifon and citizens of Copenhagen : they braved every danger, and even boundthemfelves, by an oath, to perifh, rather than to furrender. Their zeal was ftill fur-ther excited by the policy of Frederic, who extorted from the nobles an increafe of theimmunities of the citizens, and paffed an edict, figned by hirnfelf and the principal fe-uators, permitting them to poffefs lands, and enjoy all the rights of nobility. Thus ani-mated and encouraged, the burghers formed themfelves into companies, and vied withthe regular foldiers in fubmitting to the rigour of military difcipline. In a word, by theirmvincible fpirit, Copenhagen held cut from the 8th of Auguft 1658, to the conclufion.m the peace, on the 27th of May 1660, when the Swedifti army evacuated Zealand .

The imminent danger which had threatened the ruin of Denmark no fooner fubfided,.than Frederic relapfed into his conftitutional indolence ; and feems, (if we may judgefront the molt authentic accounts) to have had but a fmall fhare in the fubfequent re-volution. It appears indeed to have been as cafual as it was hidden : the effeft only°f the imperious c®ndu£t of the nobles, of the jealoufies and refentment of the other or-ffers, and of the high opinion which the people conceived of their king, to whom theyjuftly attributed the prefervation of Copenhagen , and the fafety of the kingdom ; whilettle y imputed to the factions of the nobles the evils which they had lately experienced.

Hn the fignature of the peace a diet was fummoned at Copenhagen , to take into con-uderation the ftate of the kingdom, exhaufted with debts, and defolated by the mite-I'tes of war.

I his diet, the laft ever convened in Denmark, affembled at Copenhagen on the 8thSeptember iboo. The nobles, inftead of endeavouring to conciliate the other or-uers by a moderate conduct, increafed the public difcontents by the molt arrogant be-haviour. The deputies of the clergy and commons united againft them ; and the

* Memoires de Terloii, p. 333.

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citizens