eomen, splendidly mounted and armed, rode with him as
his bodyguard.

"Altogether he was oppressive; but the Hamiltons have ever been fond of
show and finery. So Gustavus has sent him and his troops away to guard
the passages of the Oder and to cover our retreat should we be forced to
fall back."

Tilly, finding that the position of Gustavus was too strong to be
forced, retired to Wolmirstadt, whence he summoned the Elector of Saxony
to admit his army into his country, and either to disband the Saxon
army or to unite it to his own. Hitherto the elector had held aloof from
Gustavus, whom he regarded with jealousy and dislike, and had stood by
inactive although the slightest movement of his army would have
saved Magdeburg. To disband his troops, however, and to hand over his
fortresses to Tilly, would be equivalent to giving up his dominions
to the enemy; rather than do this he determined to join Gustavus, and
having despatched Arnheim to treat with the King of Sweden for alliance,
he sent a point blank refusal to Tilly.

The Imperialist general at once marched towards Leipzig, devastating the
country as he advanced. Terms were soon arranged between the elector and
Gustavus, and on the 3d of September, 1631, the Swedish army crossed
the Elbe, and the next day joined the Saxon army at Torgau. By this time
Tilly was in front of Leipzig, and immediately on his arrival burned to
the ground Halle, a suburb lying beyond the wall, and then summoned the
city to surrender.

Alarmed at the sight of the conflagration of Halle, and with the fate of
Magdeburg in their minds, the citizens of Leipzig opened their gates at
once on promise of fair treatment. The news of this speedy surrender
was a heavy blow to the allies, who, however, after a council of war,
determined at once to march forward against the city, and to give battle
to the Imperialists on the plain around it.

Leipzig stands on a wide plain which is called the plain of Breitenfeld,
and the battle which was about to commence there has been called by
the Germans the battle of Breitenfeld, to distinguish it from the
even greater struggles which have since taken place under the walls of
Leipzig.

The baggage had all been left behind, and the Swedish army lay down as
they stood. The king occupied his travelling coach, and passed the night
chatting with Sir John Hepburn, Marshal Horn, Sir John Banner, Baron
Teuffel, who commanded the guards, and other leaders. The lines o