FOS-TIa’s TRAVF.L3 IN SWEDEN.
510
to them than darknefs, and the difguife which you are accuftomed to wear on thefe oc»cafions; you are therefore entreated, by every thing that is facred, to defer this curfedball to a more fuitable opportunity, for your prefent and future intereft, as well as thatof fome enthufiafts, from whofe hands doubtlefs, upon reflection, the Almighty willcaufe the dagger to be thrown. I have the honour to affure you, in the face of hea-ven, which I call to witnefs the motive and purity of my intentions, that the advertife-ment I give you comes from a man who is nothing lefs than a courtier, who is in needof nothing, and who is very far from approving all the rafh fteps you have taken, eitherin war or politics, and particularly in what regards morality. In making this confeflionwith the utmoft cordiality, I {hall appear to you the lefs liable to fufpicion when I affureyou, that being prefent at the diet at Gefle, I fhould not have hefitated an inflant to havedrawn the fword to oppofe your mercenaries with all my powers, in cafe they had re-forted to open force, as was at one inflant ex peeled. Vouchfafe, therefore, to diftin-guifh a difference between thecondudl of a man of honour in his fenfes, ,and that of anenthufiaft and a traitor: the one wifhes well to the commonweal, alking for nothing■more certainly than to be fo fituated as would allow of his making ufe of means fanc-tioned by religion and honour to promote its welfare ; the other conceives all meafurestolerable which may contribute to the objedt in view. It may, however, be difficult, ifnot altogether impoffible in the end, to forewarn you againfl all the calamities whichfurround you, unlefs you put yourfelf in train to become fincerely reconciled with thefame part of the nation, by following a condudl, however little, yet different to that youhave hitherto done.
“ I have conceived it for my internal fatisfaftion a duty to reveal this fhocking fecret,which I learnt by mere chance two hours ago ; be perfuaded, alfo, that I am not in-fpired by a panic terror in taking this ftep, but on the contrary by the dreadful cer-tainty I have, from what has been divulged to me, of the verity of the fa£l. Take; good heed, I further entreat you, of the ground-floor at Haga, as being, according totheir declaration, a place more appropriate than any other for their purpofes. Youcannot ufe, generally fpeaking, too much precaution : if I may advife, keep away en-tirely from mafked balls, at leafl till after the holidays, this being of importance toyourfelf as well as to us all. You will do wrong by fhewing a courage which nothingcan move ; we know that you have bravely faced the enemy; you may therefore withperfedl fecurity and without difhonour avoid the blow of a traitor. I fhall never ceafeto put up prayers for your happinefs ; befeeching you, in the mean time, to make noperquifitions for the purpofe of detecting the author of this advice, as they would befruitlefs, having been entirely alone while I wrote it, and not having communicated itscontents to any one.”
This letter was given in a garbled flate in all the liewfpapers at the period of the fatal.event; above, it is given with exaflitude : the traitor who wrote it knew well enoughwhat effect an anonymous letter would have upon the King ; had he had any real in-tention of faving him, he would have perfonally divulged the confpiracv : but we arenot to wonder at the conduct of the wretch; he owed his all to the King, his fupport,his military rife, (he was a major in the guards,) and we live in an age irt which ingra-titude to the throne is looked upon as a merit; as if Kings were the only men on earthboynd to do good, the only objects of unfcruplcd aflaflination.
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