148 A JACOBITE EXILE

dred spirit, and he frequently requested him to accompany
him in his rides, and chatted familiarly with him.

“T hate this inactive life,” he said one day, “and would
a thousand times rather be fighting the Russians than
setting the Poles by the ears; but I dare not move against
them, for were Augustus of Saxony left alone he would ere
long set all Poland against me. At present the Poles re-
fuse to allow him to bringin reinforcements from his own
country; but if be cannot get men he can get gold, and
with gold he can buy over his chief opponents and regain
his power. If it costs me a year’s delay I must wait until
he is forced to fly the kingdom, and I can place on the
throne some one who will owe his election entirely to me,
and in whose good faith I can be secure. That done, I
can turn my attention to Russia, which by all accounts
daily becomes more formidable. Narva is besieged by
them, and will ere long fall; but I can retake Narva when
once I can depend upon the neutrality of the Poles.
Would I were king of Poland as well as of Sweden. With
eighty thousand Polish horse and my own Swedish infantry
I could conquer Europe if I wished to do so.

“T know that you are as fond of adventure as [ am, and
Tam thinking of sending you with an envoy I am despatch-
ing to Warsaw.

“Vou know that the Poles are adverse to business of all
kinds. The poorest noble, who can scarcely pay for the
cloak he wears, and who is ready enough to sell his vote
and his sword to the highest bidder, will turn up his nose
at honest trade; and the consequence is, as there is no
class between the noble and the peasant, the trade of the
country is wholly in the hands of Jews and foreigners,
among the latter being, I hear, many Scotchmen, who,
while they make excellent soldiers, are also keen traders.
This class must have considerable power in fact, although
it be exercised quietly. The Jews are, of course, money-