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

CHARLES XII. B. II. 47
bock ma-de them give by force more thanlie had afked ;
and farther exadted from the town a contribution of
. an hundred thoufand crowns by way of recompence
for their imprudent denial. At laft the recruits, the
, cannon and ammunition being arrived before Thorn,
, the fiege was begun on the 2 ad of September.
Rovel, governor oLthe place, defended it a month
, with a garrifon ofTive thoufand men. And then it
was forced to furrender at difcretion. The garrifon
were made prifoners of war, and fent into Sweden,
, Rovel was prefemed to the king unarmed. His ma-
j jefty, who never loft an opportunity of doing honour
. ;to merit in his enemies, gave him a fword with his
own hand, made him a conftderable prefent in money,
, fend fent him away upon his parole. The honour the
, town of Thorn had, in having formerly produced
•{ Copernicus the founder of the true fyftem of the
, world, had no influence upon a conqueror, too little
^converfant in fuch matters, and who knew how to
. .reward nought elfe but valour. This poor petty
. town was condemned to pay forty thoufand crowns ;
, an exceflive contribution for fuch a place !
i j Elbing a town built upon an arm of the WeiflTe!,
"} founded by the Teutonic knights, and alfo annexed
. to Poland, did not make a proper advantage for the
, ?Dantzikers miftake, but hefitated too long about gi-
. “ving paflage to the Swedilh troops, and was more fe-
■j i verely puniftied than Dantzic. Charles entred there
. in perfon on the 13th of December at the head of
I . four tboufand men armed with bayonets at the end
1 of their mulkets. The inhabitants in a fright threw
ij themfelves upon their knees in the ftreets, and beg*
. 5 ged for mercy. He took from them, all their arms,
, lodged His foldiers in their houfes, and then having
J called the magiftrates together, obliged them to raife
•'n that very day a contribution of two hundred and fixty
. thoufand crowns. There were in the town two hun¬
dred pieces of cannon, and four hundred thoufand
• weight of gun-powder, upon which he feized. The