The King of _Sweden_ might, if he had pleased, have stopp’d the progress of it, and immortaliz’d his Name by rendring himself the Arbiter of a Quarrel, which divided _Europe_; for the Prosperity of his Arms had render’d him the Terror of all the Powers in the North. He had in the Year 1704 depriv’d the Elector of _Saxony_ of the Crown of _Poland_, by causing King _Stanislaus Leszinski_ the Palatine of _Posen_, to be proclaim’d King of _Poland_; and he was already in the middle of _Saxony_ where he committed universal Ravage, and when he might have turn’d the Balance which way he pleas’d, the wrong Advice of his Favorite, corrupted by my Lord _Marlborough_, was the cause of the Misfortunes into which that Prince was afterwards precipitated. Our Court has had a sufficient share in these different Events; but perhaps, _Madame_, ’tis so little known at your’s as to deserve your Curiosity: but I will only tell you of what I think most important. The _Swedes_ and _Poles_ had scarce laid down their Arms when the Differences between the King of _Denmark_ and the Duke of _Holstein_ gave them a fresh occasion to take them up again. In the Conferences that were begun at _Pinneberg_ in 1696, there were hopes that those Princes would soon be reconcil’d; but they only patch’d up a Peace which could not last long, because of the Umbrage the King of _Denmark_ took at the Duke of _Holstein_’s strict Alliance with _Sweden_; and they quarrel’d again about the limits of their Dominions. The _Danes_ were the Aggressors, and they demanded a reinforcement of four thousand Men of the King of _Poland_. This Prince, who naturally took part with those that declar’d against _Sweden_, was pleas’d well enough with the _Danes_ Demand, and as there was an absolute necessity of passing those Troops over the Lands of the King, (at that time Elector) he sent the Count _de Flemming_, now his Prime Minister, to our Court, in order to sollicite their passage. Of a great many Arguments that were alledg’d against it, the most specious were, ‘That the Mediators being still actually employ’d in procuring a just and equitable Accommodation, it was the duty of a Mediator to hinder the Rupture, rather than contribute to it by favoring this passage: That the Court of _Prussia_ was Guarantee for the King of _Sweden_ and the Duke of _Holstein_, that neither of those two Princes should begin the War against the King of _Denmark_; and that consequently as War was not declar’d against that Prince, his _Danish_ Majesty had no need of Foreign Assistance; and that finally by giving passage to those Troops the Duke of _Holstein_ would have just reason to accuse the Mediation of Partiality.’ Nevertheless, after all these fine reasons, the four thousand Men had their Passage, either from surprise or the connivance of the Court. The King of _Poland_ on his part, in order to make a considerable Diversion in favor of the King of _Denmark_, brought Troops from _Livonia_ and besieg’d