rs he had to wife. He was at the Rescue of Vienna (Sobieski's),
and in how many far fiercer services; his life was but a battle and
a march. Here is his famed Letter to the Kaiser, when death suddenly
called, Halt!

"WELS NEAR LINZ ON THE DONAU, 17th April, 1690.

"SACRED MAJESTY,--According to your Orders, I set out from Innspruck
to come to Vienna; but I am stopped here by a Greater Master. I go to
render account to Him of a life which I had wholly consecrated to you.
Remember that I leave a Wife with whom you are concerned [QUI ROUS
TOUCHE,--who is your lawful Daughter]; Children to whom I can bequeath
nothing but my sword; and Subjects who are under Oppression.

"CHARLES OF LORRAINE."

(Henault, _Abrege Chronologique,_ Paris, 1775, p. 850).[--Charles "V."
the French uniformly call this one; Charles "IV." the Germans, who, I
conclude, know better.]--and they are now waiting a good opportunity to
swallow it whole, while the people are so busy with quadrille parties.
The present Duke, returning from exile, found his Land in desolation,
much of it "running fast to wild forest again;" and he has signalized
himself by unwearied efforts in every direction to put new life into
it, which have been rather successful. Lyttelton, we perceive, finds
improvement in his company. The name of this brave Duke is Leopold; age
now forty-nine; life and reign not far from done: a man about whom even
Voltaire gets into enthusiasm. [Siecle de Louis XIV. (_OEuvres,_ xxvi.
95-97); Hubner, t. 281.]

The Court and Country of Lorraine, under Duke Leopold, will prove to
deserve this brief glance from Lyttelton and us. Two sons Duke Leopold
has: the elder, Franz, now about twenty, is at Vienna, with the highest
outlooks there: Kaiser Karl is his Father's cousin-german; and Kaiser
Karl's young Daughter, high beautiful Maria Theresa,--the sublimest
maiden now extant,--yes, this lucky Franz is to have her: what a prize,
even without Pragmatic Sanction! With the younger son, Karl of Lorraine,
Lyttelton may have made acquaintance, if he cared: a lad of sixteen; by
and by an Austrian General, as his father had been; General much noised
of,--whom we shall often see beaten, in this world, at the head of
men.--But let us now get to Soissons itself, skipping an intermediate
Letter or two:--

TO SIR THOMAS LYTTELTON, BART., AT HAGLEY.

"SOISSONS, 28th October," 1728.

"I thank you, my dear Sir, for complying so much with my inclinations
as to let