Kings & rulers > History of Charles XII, King of Sweden

BOOK Vlli CHARLES sir. 239
Stanislaus, King of Poland, from whom I had the
honour to receive the greatest part of these particulars,
assured me likewise, that a proposal was made in the
divan for confining him in one of the islands of Greece;
but the Grand Signor being mollified, a few months
after allowed him to depart.
M. Desaleurs, who could have taken his part, and
could have prevented the Turks from offering such an
afi’ront to all Christian kings, was at Constantinople,
as was likewise M. Poniatowski, whose fertile and en¬
terprising genius the divan had always dreaded. Most
of the Swedes at Adrianople were in prison, and the
Sultan’s throne seemed to be inaccessible to any com¬
plaints of the Kirtg of Sweden.
The Marquis de Fierville, who had resided with
Charles at Bender as a private agent of France, was
then at Adrianople. He undertook to do that prince
a piece of service at a time when he was abandoned by
all the wofld beside-. In this design he was happily
assisted by a French gentleman of an ancient family
in Chavnpaigne, called Villelongue, a roan of great
courage, but who, not having a fortune equtd to bis
spirit, and charmed with the fame of the King of Swe-
den* had repaired to Turkey with a view of entering
into the service ©f that prince,
Will the assistance of this young man M. de Ficr-
Iriile wrote a momorial in the King of Sweden’s name,
iIVwhich he made his Majesty demand satisfaction of
the Sultan for the insult which, in his person, had
been offered to all crowned heads, and for the treach¬
ery, real or supposed, of the Cham and Bashaw of
Bender.
In this memorial he accused the Vizier and other
ministers of having received bribes from the Russians,
imposed upon the Grand Signor, intercepted the King1#