let us fulfil our several destinies." He had reason for his distrust,
as the events of later years showed.

This selection ranks with the remarkable instances of the mutations of
fortune. The new crown prince had begun life as the son of a poor French
lawyer and in 1780, at the age of sixteen, entered the army as a common
soldier. When the wars of the Revolution began he had risen to the rank
of a sergeant, which was as high as a man of common birth could rise in
the old army of France.

But he made rapid progress in the army of the Revolution, being a man of
great courage and unusual military genius. Under Napoleon, whose
discerning eye no soldier of ability escaped, Bernadotte became one of
the most successful of the French generals, was made governor of a
province, ambassador, and minister of war, and had much to do with
winning the great victories of Austerlitz, Jena, and Wagram. Finally he
was made a marshal of France and prince of Ponte Corvo in Italy.

But Napoleon had doubts of him. He was too independent. He opposed the
emperor's ambitious plans and defended the liberties of the people, and
was distrusted by the conqueror for other causes. The astute Corsican
feared that he would not be the man to reduce Sweden to a province of
France, and the event proved that Napoleon was right.

It was in 1810 that Crown Prince Bernadotte, who adopted the name of
Charles John as the title of his new rank, arrived in Sweden with his son
Oscar. The people were delighted with his appearance. A handsome and
imposing man, with black wavy hair, an eagle nose, keen, penetrating eyes
and the manner of one accustomed to command, also a clear and eloquent
speaker, polished in address and courteous in his dealings with all, they
felt that in him they had a true king; while his reputation as one of the
leading soldiers in Napoleon's great army gave them assurance that, if
war should arise, their armies would be ably led.

Sweden, when Bernadotte set foot on its soil, was in a helpless state of
decadence, having become little better than a dependency of France. If
ever it needed a strong ruler then was the time, but Charles XIII. was
incapable as a monarch, and from the time of his landing the new crown
prince ruled the country as though there were no king on the throne.

He at once renounced Catholicism and was admitted into the Lutheran
church, the state religion of Sweden. Proposing to consult the best
interests of his new count