The Earth, gentle and indulgent, ever subservient to the wants of man,
spreads his walks with flowers, and his table with plenty; returns with
interest every good committed to her care; and, though she produces the
poison, she still supplies the antidote; though constantly teazed more
to furnish the luxuries of man than his necessities, yet, even to the
last, she continues her kind indulgence, and, when life is over, she
piously covers his remains in her bosom.
* * * * *
* * * *
Interesting History Of
_THE BARON DE LOVZINSKI._
With a relation of the most remarkable occurrences in the life
of the celebrated COUNT PULASKI, well known as the champion of
American Liberty, and who bravely fell in its defence before
Savannah, 1779.
_Interspersed with Anecdotes of the late unfortunate KING of POLAND,
so recently dethroned._
(Continued from page 174.)
I assist him to descend from his horse; he sits down upon the grass, and
making me sit down by his side, he takes one of my hands and presses it
between his own:
“Lovzinski, you whom I have so much loved, you who know better than any
one the purity of my intentions, how comes it about that you have taken
up arms against me? Ungrateful Lovzinski! shall I never find you but
amongst my most bitter enemies? Do you return but on purpose to
sacrifice me?”
He then, in the most affecting language, recapitulates the pleasures of
our early youth; our more intimate connection at an age approaching to
manhood, the tender friendship which we had sworn to each other, and the
regard which he had ever treated me with since that period. He spoke to
me of the honours with which he would have loaded me during his reign,
if I had been ambitious to merit them: he reproached me more
particularly respecting the unworthy enterprise of which I appeared to
be the leader, but of which, he said, he was well assured that I was no
more than the instrument.
He threw all the horror of the plot upon Pulaski, representing to me, at
the same time, that the author of such an attempt was not the sole
culpable person; that I could not charge myself with its execution
without committing a crime; and that this odious complaisance, so highly
treasonable in a subject, was infinitely more in a friend. He concluded
by pressing me to restore him to his liberty: “Fly,” said he to me; “and
be assured, if I encounter any of the Russians patroles, I shall tell
them that you have pursued an opposite road from that which you have
taken.”
The king continued to press me with the most earnest entreaties: his
natural eloquence, augmented by the danger of his situation, carried
persuasion to my heart, and awakened the most tender sentiments there.
I confess that I staggered; I balanced the circumstances for some time
in my own mind, but Pulaski at length triumphed.
I thought that I still heard the fierce republican reproaching me with
my pusillanimity. The love of one’s country has perhaps its fanaticism
and its superstitions: but if I was then culpable, I am still so; I am
more than ever persuaded that in obliging the king to remount his horse
again, I performed an action that reflected honour on my patriotism.
“Is it thus,” says he to me, in a melancholy accent, “that you reject
the prayer addressed to you by a friend? that you refuse the pardon
offered to you by your king? Well then, let us begone. I deliver myself
up to my unhappy fate, or rather, I abandon you to yours.”
We now re-commence our journey once more; but the entreaties of the
monarch, his arguments, his reproaches, his very menaces, the struggles
which I felt within myself, affected me in such a manner, that I no
longer could discern my way. Wandering up and down the country, I kept
no one certain road: after half an hour’s fatigue we found ourselves at
Marimont, and I was greatly alarmed at seeing us thus return towards
Warsaw, instead of leaving it at a distance.
At about a quarter of a league beyond this, we unfortunately fell in
with a party of Russians. The king immediately discovers himself to the
commanding officer, and then instantly adds. “In the course of the
preceding afternoon, I happened to bewilder myself during the chace;
this good peasant, whom you see here, insisted on my partaking a frugal
repast in his cottage; but as I thought that I perceived some of the
soldiers of Pulaski roaming in the neighbourhood, I was desirous of
returning to Warsaw immediately, and you will oblige me much by
instantly accompanying me thither.
“As to you, my friend,” continues he, turning at the same time towards
me, “I am not at all sorry that you have given yourself this useless
trouble, for I am as much pleased at returning to my capital attended by
these gentlemen (pointing at the same time to the escort), as in
accompanying you any farther. However, it would be improper that I
should leave you without any recompence; what are you desirous of?
Speak--I will grant you any favour which you may demand of me!”
It will be easy to conceive hew much I was alarmed, for I was still
doubtful of the king’s intentions. I endeavoured therefore to discover
the true meaning of his equivocal discourse, which must be either full
of a bitter irony, or a magnanimous address. M de P*** left me for some
time in this cruel uncertainty: “I behold you greatly embarrassed,”
continues he at length, with a gracious air; “you know not what to
choose! Come then, my friend, embrace me: there is indeed more honour
than profit in embracing a king (adds he with a smile); however, it must
be allowed, that, in my place, many monarchs would not be at this moment
so generous as myself!” On uttering these words, he instantly departs,
leaving me penetrated with gratitude, and confounded with so much true
greatness.
However the danger which the king had so generously relieved me from,
began every moment to assail me again. It was more than probable that a
great number of couriers expedited from Warsaw, had spread about on all
sides the astonishing news of the king’s having been carried off.
Already, without doubt, the ravishers were warmly pursued. My remarkable
dress might betray me in my flight, and if I once more fell into the
hands of any of the Russians, better informed of the circumstance, all
the efforts of the king would not be able to save me. Supposing Pulaski
had obtained all the success which he expected, he must still be at a
great distance; a journey of ten more leagues at least regained for me
to perform, and my horse was entirely spent with fatigue: I endeavoured
however to spur him on, but he had not got five hundred paces before he
fell under me.
A cavalier, well mounted, happened to pass along the road by the side of
me, at this very moment; he perceived the poor animal tumble down, and,
thinking to amuse himself at the expence of an unfortunate peasant, he
began to banter me about my situation. Piqued at this buffoonery,
I resolved to punish him for his raillery, and secure my own flight at
one and the same time: I, therefore, instantly present one of my pistols
to his breast, and obliged him to surrender his own horse to me; nay,
I acknowledge to you, that, forced by the peculiarity of my situation,
I despoiled him even of his cloak, which being very large, hid all my
rags beneath it, which otherwise might have discovered me. I then cast
my purse full of gold at the feet of the astonished traveller, and
sprang forward as fast as my new horse could carry me.
Luckily for me, he was fresh and vigorous.---I dart forward twelve
leagues, with all the swiftness of an arrow: at length I think I hear
the firing of cannon, and I instantly conjecture that my father-in law
was at hand, and was employed in fighting the Russians.
I was not deceived---I arrive on the field of battle at the very moment
when one of our regiments had given way. I instantly discover myself to
the fugitives, and having rallied them beneath a neighbouring hill,
I attack the enemies in flank, while Pulaski charges them in front with
the remainder of his troops. Our manœuvres were so well concerted, and
so admirably executed, that the Russians were entirely routed, after
experiencing a terrible carnage.
Pulaski deigned to attribute to me the honour of their defeat: “Ah!”
cries he, embracing me, after hearing the particulars of my
expedition---“ah! if your forty followers had but equalled you in
courage, the king would have been at this very moment in my camp! But
the Deity does not will it. I am grateful, however, that you have been
preserved to us; and I return you thanks for the important service which
you have rendered me: but for you, Kaluvski would have assassinated the
monarch, and my name would have been covered with an eternal opprobrium!
“I might have been able,” added he, “to have advanced two miles farther;
but I rather chose to take possession of this respectable post, on
account of the security of my camp. Yesterday, in the course of my
march, I surprised, and cut in pieces, a party of Russians; this morning
I beat two more of their detachments; but another considerable corps
having collected the remainder of the vanquished, took advantage of the
night, on purpose to attack me. My soldiers, fatigued with the toil of a
long march, and three succeeding engagements, began to fly; but victory
returned to my camp at your approach. Let us entrench ourselves here; we
will wait for the Russian army, and fight while we yet have a drop of
blood remaining!”
(To be continued.)
* * * * *
* * * *