COXE’s TRAVELS IN DENMARK.

341

turbed poflefiloft of the throne; but his natural difpofition, now freed from all reflraintby profperity, hurried him to the perpetration of the mod flagrant a£ts of tyranny. Thedreadful maflacre of Stockholm , in which fix hundred of the principal nobility wereput to the fword, under the femblance of law, and amid the rejoicings for his corona-tion, exhibited fuch a ftriking inflance of his malignant and implacable charafter, that,on the fuccefs of Guftavus Vafa, the fpirit of refinance difFufed itfelf rapidly from Swe-den to Denmark , where he had exafperated his fubjects by repeated oppreflions, and theconfidence which he placed in the loweft and mod worthlefs favourites *.

In 1523 Chriftian was publicly depofed by the Hates of Denmark , and the crowntransferred to his uncle Frederic Duke of Holftein. This depofition was neither theconfequence of Frederic’s intrigues, nor of party fpirit; but occafioned by the juft anduniverfal deteftation which pervaded all ranks of people, and had more the appearanceof a new election on the demife of the crown, than of a revolution which deprived a def-pot of his throne. Chriftian himfelf was fenfible of the general odium, and, though by nomeans deficient in perfonal courage, made not the leaft effort to retain pofieflion of thatthrone which he had often diflionoured. Quitting Copenhagen he repaired to Antwerp ,under the protection of Charles V. , whole filter Ifabella he had married. After manydelays and folicitations at the different courts of Europe , he at length collected, by theEmperor ’s afliftance, a fleet and army, with which he invaded the Danilh dominions ;his attempts, however, proving unfuccefsful, he fell, in 1542, into the hands of Fred-eric I,, and was configned a prifoner to the caftle of Sondeborg, a ftrong fortrefs in theifle of Alfen.

The place of his confinement was a dungeon, with a fmall window, admitting onlya few rays of light, through which his provifions were conveyed. ■ Having entered thisgloomy cell, with a favourite dwarf, the foie companion of his mifery, the door wasin-ftantly walled up. Even the horrors of this fituation were aggravated by the death ofhis only fon John, who expired at Ratilbon in the fifteenth year of his age, and on thefame day in which his father was taken prifoner. The premature deceafe of this ac-complilhed Prince, whom he tenderly loved, and on whom he refted his foie hopes ofenlargement, reduced him to a ftate of defpondency. After much anxious fo’licitudeby what means he could convey intelligence of his dreadful fituation to his daughter theEleClrefs Palatine, and to the Emperor Charles V. , the King prevailed on the dwarf tocounterfeit ficknefs, and folicit his removal from prifon for the recovery of his health.E fuccefsful, he was to feize the firft opportunity of efcaping from the Danilh dominions

* The firft of thefe favourites was the infamous Sigrebit, mother of the King’s miftrefs Diveke. ThisArtful woman, who was a native of Holland, and had kept an inn at Berghen in Norway , even after herdaughter’s death, retained fuch power that Hie might be llyled prime minilter : (he was the only channel offavour, traofafted all affairs of importance, had the care of the finances, fuperintended the cullonis of theSound , and had, in a word, acquired fuch a wonderful afcendancy over the infatuated monarch, that herinfluence was attributed to fafeination. On the King’s depofition, Sigrebit was fo much dettfted, that,*^oin apprehenfions of the popular fury, fhe was conveyed in a chefl on board the veiled which carriedChriftian from Denmark . Holberg adds, file confided the King for the lofs of his crown, by afluring him,^ la t, through the Emperor ’s intereft,. he could not fail of being chofen burgomalter of Amfterdam. TheParticulars of this woman’s life, fubftquent to her efcape from Denmark , are not known.

The other favourite of Chriftian, no lefs infamous than the former, was Nicholas Slagelbec, originally abst'ber of Weftphalia, and recommended to the King by his relation Sigrebit. He rendered himfelf fo>ttleful to Chriftian by his fanguinary advice at the maflacre of Stockholm , and by being the inftrument offf 1 ? cruelty, that he was rewarded with the archbifhopric of Lunden. Not long afterwards, however, the■«-mg threw on his favourite all the odium of the maflacre, and facrificed him to the public vengeance : theunfortunate" vidtim was firft racked, and then burnt alive ; exhibiting a melancholy example, what littleconfidence is to be repofed in the favour of a tyrant.

10 fit}