We all felt small and mean so long as he
remained. Gustavus himself, who is as simple in his tastes as any
officer in the army, and who keeps up no ostentatious show, was
thrown into the shade by his visitor. Why, had he been the Emperor
of Germany or the King of France he could not have made a braver
show. His table was equipped and furnished with magnificence; his
carriages would have created a sensation in Paris; the liveries of
his attendants were more splendid than the uniforms of generals;
he had forty gentlemen as esquires and pages, and 200 yeomen,
splendidly mounted and armed, rode with him as his bodyguard.
"Altogether he was oppressive; but the Hamiltons have ever been
fond of show and finery. So Gustavus has sent him and his troops
away to guard the passages of the Oder and to cover our retreat
should we be forced to fall back."
Tilly, finding that the position of Gustavus was too strong to be
forced, retired to Wolmirstadt, whence he summoned the Elector of
Saxony to admit his army into his country, and either to disband
the Saxon army or to unite it to his own. Hitherto the elector
had held aloof from Gustavus, whom he regarded with jealousy and
dislike, and had stood by inactive although the slightest movement
of his army would have saved Magdeburg. To disband his troops, however,
and to hand over his fortresses to Tilly, would be equivalent to
giving up his dominions to the enemy; rather than do this he determined
to join Gustavus, and having despatched Arnheim to treat with the
King of Sweden for alliance, he sent a point blank refusal to Tilly.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155