St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-07-16
A VISION OF CHARLES XII.

A VISION OF CHARLES XI.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF PROS
PER MERIMEE BY FRANCIS J. AMY.
"There are more things in hea vn and earth,
Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
-[SHAKEsPEARE-H Hamlet
People are apt to laugh at supernat-
ural visions and apparitions. Some of
these, however, are so we'll attested that
one cannot consistently refuse to believe
them, without at the same time rejecting
ell the mass of historical evidences.
A report, drawn in duo form, and
bearing the signatures of four trust
worthy witnesses, guarantees the au-
thenticity of the incident | am about to
relate. ] will add that the prediction
contained therein was known and cited
long before its confirmation by events
occurring during our days.
Charles XI., father Of the famous
Charles XII, was one of the most des-
polio, but at the same time one Of the
wisest, among the monarchs that Sweden
| ever had. He curtaied the monstrous
privileges Of the nobility, abolished the
power of the senate and made laws to
suit himself; in one word, he altered the
constitution Of the country, which up to
that time had been oIigarcbical, and
compelled the States General to invest
him with absolute authority. Aside from
this, he was an enlightened man, brave,
strongly attached to the Lutheran faith,
Of an inhexible, cold, positive nature,
wholly destitute of Imagination.
He had but recently lost his wife, IL
RIGA Eleonora. Though his harshness
towards that princess, it was said,
had FASTENED her end. He had held her
In great esteem and appeared more af-
fected by her death than was to be ex-
pected of so stern heart. After this
bereavement he became more gloomy and
morose than ever, and devoted himself to
work with an assiduity which bespoke the
imperious need of dspelling painful
thoughts.
At the close of an autumn evening he
was sitting in gown and slippers before
fire lighted in his study at the palace
of Stockholm. With him were his
chamberlain, Count Brahe, whom he
honored with his good graces, and the
physician Baumgarton, who, be it said
by the way, posed as an asprit fort, and
pretended to doubt everything outside of
medicine. He had been summoned that
evening to be consulted on some sort of
indisposition.
1t was getting rather late, and the
king, contrary to his custom, had failed
to signify, by bidding them goodnight,
that it was time for retiring. With his
head bent low, and his eyes fixed upon
the embers, he maintained an absolute
silence. He was tired of his company,
and yet feared, he knew not why, to be
left alone. Count Brahe could not help
noticing that his presence had ceased to be
agreeable, and more than once ventured
the suggestion that His Majesty might
need some rest. Each time gesture Of
the king had detained him in his chair.
In his turn, the doctor talked about the
unhealthy effects of protracted watch
ings. But the king replied between his
teeth:
"Stay, am not yet sleepy
And they took up different themes Of
conversation, which were wholly ex-
hausted at the second or third remark. 1t
was evident that His Majesty was in one
Of his gloomy moods, and under such
circumstances the position of courter
was extremely delicate. Count Brahe,
suspecting that the kings sadness arose
from his sorrow for the loss Of his wife,
looked attentiyely at the portrait of the
queen, which hung in the study, and ex-
claimed with deep sigh:
"What an admirable likeness! OBJ
serve that expression, at once august and
gentle"
Bah" brusquely responded the king,
who thought he heard a reproach when
ever the queens name was mentioned in
his presence. "rhis portrait fatters
her. The queen was homely."
Then, inwardly reproving himself
for his harshness, he arose and strobe
about the room to hide an emotion of
which he was ashamed. He stopped be-
fore the window which opened upon the
court. The night was dark and the moon
at its first quarter.
The palace where the kings of Sweden
reside to-day was not yet completed, and
Charles XI., who had commenced it,
lived at the time in the old palace, stu
ated at the point of the Ritterholm, look
ing upon Lake Mailer. 1t was largo
structure, shaped like horseshoe. The
kings study occupied ono of the ex-
tremities, and, nearly opposite, stood
the large hall where the States General
met whenever they had some communi.
cation to receive from the throne.
The windows of this hall appeared at
that moment all aglow with brilliant
light. This struck the King as being
very strange. He at first thought it was
caused by torch in the hands Of some
valet. But what business could any one
have at that hour in hall which had not
been opened for so long time? More
over, the light was too great to proceed
from a single torch. 1t looked more like
conhagration, hut no smoke was to be
seen; the panes were not shattered; no
sound was heard; all had rather the ap-
pearanee Of an illumination.
Charles looked at these windows for a
while, withoutspeaking. However, Count
Brahe stretched out his hand toward the
string of bell, and was about to ring for
a page to send to inquire into the cause
Of this singular phenomenon, but he was
arrested by the King, who said:
II will 60 myself
IA he uttered these words he was seen
to tusn pale, and his eountenanee eS.
pressed something like religious terror.
But be left the room With Arm step;