the truth in open day before you; fince the realm ftands upon the very brink of its deftruction; you must not wonder that you are not received by me this day, with the fame heart-felt joy, which has at other times attended your affemblies before the throne. My heart does not upbraid me with having concealed any thing from you: twice have I fpoken to you with all the truth which my office demanded; and all the fincerity which true honour required. The fame fincerity fhall now conduct my fpeech in which the patt must be recapitulated, in order to fet right the prefent.

It is a melancholy, but a wellknown truth, that hatred and difcord have torn the realm: the people have been a long time fevered by two parties; divided as it were into two feparate nations, united only in the mangling of their parent country. You know how this difcord has produced rancour: rancour revenge: revenge perfecution; and perfecution new revolutions; which grew at last into a periodical difeafe; disfiguring and humiliating the whole commonwealth. Such commotions have shook the realin, for the fake of a few people's ambition; ftreams of blood have lowed; poured out' fometimes by one party, and fometimes by another: and always the people have been facrificed to quarreis, in the event of which themfelves had very little concern; but whofe unfortunate confequences they were fure to feel the first, and moft. The only end of the rulers has been to fortify their own power: all has of necellity been adapted to that purpofe: often at the expence of their fellow citizens; always at

that of their country. Where the law was clear, the letter of it has been perverted: where it was palpably repugnant, it has been broken through. Nothing has been facred to a people inflamed with hatred and revenge: and the feeds of confufion have in the end fpread fo far, it has become a declared opinion, that a majority is above law; and owns no restraint but its own pleasure.

Thus liberty, the nobleft of the rights of men,has been transformed into an infupportable aristocratical tyranny, in the hands of the ruling party; which was itself enflaved, and led at pleasure by a very small number of its body. The notice of a new affembly of the states, has made every one tremble; far from confidering how the affairs of the nation might be beft tranfacted, they have been only bufied in getting together a majority for their party: that they might be skreened from the infolence and lawless violence of the other. If the interior fituation of the realm stood thus endangered; how hideous was its external afpect! I blufh to fpeak about it: born a Swede, and a king of Sweden, it should be an impoffibility for me to believe that foreignfchemes could governSwedish men: nay more, that the very bafeft means fhould have been employed for that purpose. You know what it is I mean: my blushes ought to make you deeply fenfible into what contempt the Kingdom has been thrown by your quarrels.

I

Such was the fituation wherein found this kingdom, when I received, by the decrees of the Divine Providence, the Swedish fceptre. Your heart will tell you I have fpared no pains to unite you: in

all

all my fpeeches from my throne, and on all other occafions, I have infifted upon concord, and fubmiffion to the law; I have given up as well what might concern me as a man, as what might be dear to me as a king. I have held no obligations too difficult to fubmit to, no steps too rugged to pafs, in order to reach an end fo valuable to my parent country. If there be one among you, who can deny this fo-lemn truth, let him freely stand up, and fpeak.

I formed a hope that thefe endeavours on my part, would have releafed you from thofe chains which foreign gold, inteftine hatred, and avowed licentioufnefs, were on the point to fix upon you; and that the hideous examples of other countries thus entlaved,might have afforded you a threatening warning; but all has been in vain. You have been mifguided on one part by your leaders; and on the other, inflamed by your private animofities. All fences have been trampled to the earth; all ftipulations broken: licentioufnefs has had its free course; and has run on with the more violence, the more pains have been taken to check it. The most virtuous, the most deferving, the first, and highest of your fellow-citizens, have been facrificed veterans in office, men of known capacity, and long-tried faith, have been degraded; whole magiftracies have been fufpended; nay, even the people crushed: their juft complaints have been tortured into fedition and liberty itfelf at length transformed into an ariftocratic yoke no Swede can bear. Even the most high has appeared in anger at the unrighteoufnefs of thofe who governed: the earth re

fufed its natural increafe; and famine and diftrefs fell heavy on the whole country. Yet even then, far from endeavouring at a timely remedy, when I infifted on fuch meafures, you appeared more attentive to exert your own vengeances, than to find means of relief for your conftituents: nor could neceffity itfelf oblige you to look into the diftreffes of a miferable people, till it was very, very near too late. In this manner was a whole year fpent, under one dyet; burthenfome to the country, yet deftitute of any good effect. My reprefentations to you proved all in vain, all my endeavours fruitlefs. I waited in filence, full of grief for the diftreffes of my country, to fee what the nation would think of this conduct of its reprefentatives, toward me, and toward themfelves. Part have fubmitted to the tyranny, with fighs; but in filence, not knowing where help could be found, or by what means to feek it: despair has seized one corner of the kingdom; and there they have taken up arms. In this fituation, when the whole country, when true liberty, and juft fecurity (not to speak of the danger of my own life), when all was thus at ftake, I faw no other way, next after the affiftance of the Divine Providence, but to apply to those measures which have freed other generous and refolute nations; and which formerly freed Sweden herfelf, from unfufferable violence and oppreffion, under the conduct of Guftavus Vafa. God has been pleased to blefs my un dertaking and I have feen that zeal for their country, which formerly glowed in the hearts of Engelbrecht, and Guftavus Erickfon, [R] 3

revive

revive at once in the minds of my people. All has fucceeded happily; and I have faved my parent country, and myself, without injury to one fingle fellow-citizen.

You are greatly mistaken, if you believe here has been any other aim, but liberty and law. 1 have promised to govern a free people; this vow is more facred as it was voluntary; and what has happened hall never lead me from a purpose, which was not founded merely on neceffity, but alfo on conviction. Far from affecting liberty, it is licentioufnefs I fhall deftroy: and, with it, that arbitrary fway with which this country has been ruled: transforming all into an orderly and fettled government; fuch as the ancient Swedish laws establish; and fuch as Sweden before enjoyed under my greatest predeceffors.

This is the purpose I have had in view, in all that now is doing: to establish a true liberty, which alone can render you, my dear fubjects, a happy people; by fecurity, under the law, and by the law, in all your poffeffions; by the exercife of all honeft profeffions; by an impartial diftribution of juftice; by regular order in cities, and throughout the country; by careful endeavours to promote the common good; by giving to every one the enjoyment of it, in peace and fafety; and, to crown all, by a true piety, free from hypocrify and fuperftition. All this can be obtained alone by establishing for the government of the kingdom, a fixed, unalterable law, whofe very letter muft not be perverted: which muft bind not the king alone, but muft bind in the fame manner alfo the ftates; and which must be incapable of being repealed or alter

ed otherwife than by the free confent of both; which fhall permit a fovereign, zealous for the profperity of his country, to confer with the ftates, without their looking on him as an object of terror: and which fhall finally unite together the king and the ftates, in one common intereft, the welfare of the kingdom.

Such a law, as binding to my felf as you, is that which I fhall now direct to be read before you.

You will perceive easily, by all I now have spoken, that, far from following any private views, all has been done for the fake of the country: and if I have been compelled to difplay before you truth, in its full light, I have done it, not in animofity, but only out of regard to your real welfare. I doubt not therefore you will receive all with thanks; and that we shall together, by thefe means, lay a fubftantial and firm foundation for your true happiness and liberty.

Great kings, immortal in their fame, have fwayed the fceptre I now hold. It would be the highest prefumption in me to aim at a refemblance of them: yet in my zeal and love for you, I emulate them all; and if you wear the fame heart with me for our parent country, I hope the Swedish name will regain that honour and respect, which it acquired in the years of our ancestors.

The Almighty God, from whom nothing is hid, fees my heart, and all its fecret thoughts this moment. May he fhower down his grace and blething on your determinations!

all the States of Sweden, at the Great Hall of the Realm, Auguft 21, 1772.

thia and Wandalia, heir to Norway, Duke of Schleffwig-Holftein, Stormain, and Ditmarfchen, Count of Oldenburghand Delmenhorft, &c. Be it known, That whereas thewon derful Providence of God has foordered, that the licentiousness which through the course of many years, has been prevalent in this kingdom, and was founded upon a contempt of the laws, has been eradicated to the very ground; the ancient Swedifli liberty revived; and the former Swedish laws, fuch as they were before the year 1680, reftored in their most substantial parts, by a new fundamental law; WE therefore do most earnestly declare by this, that we will govern and rule thiskingdom after the now received fundamental law; renouncing hereby, as we already have done, the hated, unlimited kingly power, or the fo called fovereignty, and efteeming as our greatest glory, to be the first citizen among a truly free people; all which, as we have refolved on it, unforced and unconstrained, with a free will and well-confidered determination; fo we confirm with our proper fignature and perfonal oath, to follow and fulfil it all: fo help me God, in life and foul, STOCKHOLM, Aug. 21, 1772.

GUSTAVUS.

ledgment of the favour of the Almighty, that I addrefs myself to you this day! with that confidence and that ancient Swedish fimplicity, which was in ufe in the days of my ancestors.

After fo many fhocks, after fo many differences of opinion, we all have now only one common aim, the good of the realm. This re-. quires, that the prefent affembly of the ftate, which has now fubfitted fourteen months, be foon terminated: with that purpose, I have reduced my proposals † to you, as much as poffible.

The exigencies are great; but they are alone those of the kingdom: and on my part frugality. fhall not be wanting. Mutual confidence and concord in your deliberations, will be the moit proper way to take falutary refolutions; and what you allow me, fhall only be employed to your own good.

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would,

would, nor could feparate, before care had been taken of his majefty, and the kingdom, by that fupport, which the general economy in all its branches requires; his majefty has found neceffary, graciously to lay before the states of the realm, for their confideration, the following points, viz.

That the ftates agree, and fettle all concerning the public grants.

2. That, according to ancient precedents, and to the law of the kingdom, funeral and coronation expences are to be found and entered in the treasury, under their diftin&t denominations.

3. As his majefty cannot know the extent of these two articles, and how far the other appropriated fums will be fufficient for the wants of the kingdom in thefe times; his majefty gracioufly defires the ftates of the realm to appoint certain perfons among the three orders which regulate the business of the bank, according to the 47th article of the form of government; with whom his majefty may confer concerning the means, which in fuch a cafe might be procured, and which require fome fecrecy.

4. That the states of the realm, by the regulations they are taking about THEIR BANK, do put it in fuch order, that it may (the fooner the better) contribute towards reinftating money, and the courfe of circulation, into its proper channel.

The ftates of the realm will agree with his majefty, that the fituation of the kingdom requires, and the with of the whole kingdom is, that his dyet, which now has lafted

about fourteen months, with great expence to the country, may speedily be difcontinued: therefore, and as his majesty has much at heart, particularly during the prefent hard times, to afford relief to his loyal fubjects, in this regard; his majefty's gracious will is, that the ftates of the realm do take these points under fo speedy a deliberation, that, his majesty, within a fortnight at moft, may receive the humble opinion of the ftates concerning them; during which time the ftates will have alfo an opportunity of forming the (fo called) * Decifion of the dyet.