poured in by the musketeers who lined them upon the
approaching enemy, and Tilly, supposing that Gustavus must have moved
forward a considerable portion of his army, called off his troops and
marched away to Nuremberg. Two days later Hepburn was ordered to return
with his force to Wurtzburg.

The king now broke up his camp near Wurtzburg, and leaving a garrison in
the castle of Marienburg and appointing Marshal Horn to hold Franconia
with 8000 men, he marched against Frankfort-on-the-Maine, his troops
capturing all the towns and castles on the way, levying contributions,
and collecting great booty. Frankfort opened its gates without
resistance, and for a short time the army had rest in pleasant quarters.

The regiments were reorganized, in some cases two of those which
had suffered most being joined into one. Gustavus had lately been
strengthened by two more Scottish regiments under Sir Frederick Hamilton
and Alexander Master of Forbes, and an English regiment under Captain
Austin. He had now thirteen regiments of Scottish infantry, and the
other corps of the army were almost entirely officered by Scotchmen. He
had five regiments of English and Irish, and had thus eighteen regiments
of British infantry.

At Frankfort he was joined by the Marquis of Hamilton, who had done
splendid service with the troops under his command. He had driven the
Imperialists out of Silesia, and marching south, struck such fear into
them that Tilly was obliged to weaken his army to send reinforcements
to that quarter. By the order of Gustavus he left Silesia and marched
to Magdeburg. He had now but 3500 men with him, 2700 having died
from pestilence, famine, and disease. He assisted General Banner in
blockading the Imperialist garrison of Magdeburg, and his losses by
fever and pestilence thinned his troops down to two small regiments;
these were incorporated with the force of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar,
and the Marquis of Hamilton joined the staff of Gustavus as a simple
volunteer.

The king now determined to conquer the Palatinate, which was held by a
Spanish army. He drove them before him until he reached the Rhine, where
they endeavoured to defend the passage by burning every vessel and boat
they could find, and for a time the advance of the Swedes was checked.
It was now the end of November, the snow lay thick over the whole
country, and the troops, without tents or covering, were bivouacked
along the side of the river, two miles below Op