THE PASSAGE OF THE DWINA 147

way of election were very great, and civil wars of constant
occurrence.

Charles was determined that he would drive Augustus,
who was the author of the league against him, from the
throne, but he desired to do this by means of the Poles
themselves, rather than to unite the whole nation against
him by invading the country. Poland was divided into
two parts, the larger of which was Poland proper, which
could at once place thirty thousand men in the field. The
other was Lithuania, with an army of twelve thousand.
These forces were entirely independent of each other.
The troops were for the most part cavalry, and the small
force permanently kept up was composed almost entirely
of horsemen. ‘They rarely drew pay, and subsisted entirely
on plunder, being as formidable to their own people as to
an enemy.

Lithuania, on whose borders the king had taken post
with his army, was as usual harassed by two factions, that of
the Prince Sapieha and the Prince of Oginski, between
whom a civil war was going on.

The King of Sweden took the part of the former, and
furnishing him with assistance, speedily enabled him to
overcome the Oginski party, who received but slight aid
from the Saxons. Oginski’s forces were speedily dis-
persed, and roamed about the country in scattered parties,
subsisting on pillage, thereby exciting among the people
a lively feeling of hatred against the King of Poland, who
was regarded as the author of the misfortunes that had
befallen the country.

From the day when Charlie’s suggestion of burning
damp straw to conceal the passage of the river had been
attended with such success, the king had held him in high
fayour. There was but a few years’ difference between
their ages, and the suggestion so promptly made seemed
to show the king that the young Englishman was a kin-