EVERYMAN’S LIBRARY EDITED BY ERNEST RHYS BIOGRAPHY VOLTAIRE’S HISTORY OF CHARLES TWELFTH INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY RT. HON. JOHN BURNS, M.P. THE PUBLISHERS OF _EVERYMAN’S LIBRARY_ WILL BE PLEASED TO SEND FREELY TO ALL APPLICANTS A LIST OF THE PUBLISHED AND PROJECTED VOLUMES TO BE COMPRISED UNDER THE FOLLOWING THIRTEEN HEADINGS: TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY HISTORY CLASSICAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ESSAYS ORATORY POETRY & DRAMA BIOGRAPHY REFERENCE ROMANCE IN FOUR STYLES OF BINDING: CLOTH, FLAT BACK, COLOURED TOP; LEATHER, ROUND CORNERS, GILT TOP; LIBRARY BINDING IN CLOTH, & QUARTER PIGSKIN LONDON: J. M. DENT & SONS, LTD. NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. [Illustration: A GOOD BOOK IS THE PRECIOUS LIFE-BLOOD OF A MASTER SPIRIT, EMBALMED & TREASURED UPON PURPOSE TO A LIFE BEYOND LIFE MILTON] VOLTAIRE’S HISTORY of CHARLES XII KING OF SWEDEN Translated by WINIFRED TODHUNTER LONDON: PUBLISHED by J·M·DENT·&·SONS·L^{TD} AND IN NEW YORK BY E·P·DUTTON & CO FIRST ISSUE OF THIS EDITION 1908 REPRINTED 1912 CONTENTS