26 DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1657 ferred to the King against Rittmeister Meldrum

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

26 DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1657

ferred to the King against Rittmeister Meldrum, that officer was maintaining his innocence, when
Charles Gustavus, bursting into a fit of passion, gave him two cuts on the head, and several
strokes across the shoulders, and ordered him into arrest. In one of their foraging expeditions,
Gordon and his comrades came upon a party of Finlanders (sending in the Swedish army), who
were maltreating a young Polish beauty. The interference of the Scots in her behalf resulted
in a conflict, in which the Finlanders were beaten, when Gordon rode off with the lady, and
placed her in the hands of a kinsman named Koitzi. Gordon's gallantry was such, that he not
only refused the ten ducats which were pressed upon him in name of ransom for the fair captive,
but next day sent her a number of articles of female apparel, from the ample store of his booty.
Having rejoined his company, he had the good fortune, along with his countryman James
Elphinstone, to make prize of a number of horses, of which he gave two to his rittmeister, and
bestowed others upon his friends. Soon afterwards, leaving his baggage behind him, he had
to take up his station where there was nothing to pillage, so that, he says, he had ' often to dine
with Duke Humphrey'— whom the German editors suppose to be a veritable personage of a hos-
pitable turn of mind.

Field-marshal Douglas was now recalled into Sweden, to meet a threatened attack from the
Danes. His Scotch company was left behind him, much to its miscontent. It was slowly re-
treating, followed by the Imperial troops, when a fierce skirmish took place, in which Ritt-
meister Meldrum fell mortally wounded, after fighting like a lion, and Gordon was taken
prisoner, after his horse had been shot under him, and he himself had been severely woundcvl
in two places. He complains that a Scotch Captain Leslie in the Emperor's sei-\ice, the heir
presumptive of Walter Count Leslie,* showed no interest in his captive countrymen, who were

* 'Walter Lesley, second son of the third ror's guard, colonel of u regiment, marshal-
marriac'e of [John Lesley of Balquhaine, with general of the Emperor's camp, privy counsel-
Jean Erskine, daughter of Alexander, Master lor, governor of Sclavonia and Fitrinia, and a
of Erskine,! would have succeeded to the for- Count of the Empire. Yea, and the patent
tune, next to Wiiliam his brother. But ac- was to him and to his two brothers, Wilham
quirin"' a great estate in (iermany, he was and Alexander also, and their posterity, that,
created a Count of the Empire, and was de- in case he should die without children as he
sit'ned Count Lesley, and staid tliere all his did) they might succeed to him in his estate
days He quit his ritrht to the estate of Bal- and honours. He was made ambassador both
whaine to his youn;,'er brother Alexander Les- to the Pope and the Grand Seignior, which
ley of Tullos, and'also he often sent home employment he discharged with great abilities
money both to him and liis son, whereby he and honour, and so much to the satisfaction
recovered the fortune to its antient splendour. of the Grand Vizier, that he acknowledged, in
This Walter served long in the wars, under the his letters to the Emperor of Germany, that
Emperor Ferdinand 11., against the Swedes, the whole court at Constantinople was better
with great honour, being lir-st sayremuH myili- pleased witii that goodly person he had sent,
arum firaefedus. But that which raised him so than if he had sent a million of presents : and
lii^h was the Killing of Wallcnstein, Duke of the Grand Seignior himself, beholdmg his
Freedland (who was the Emperor's general of eutry into the seraglio through a window, was
his forces, and designed to betray tlie army to heard to say, that, in all his life, he never saw
the enemies, as was discovered by his letters such a show. (See Mr. Ricaut, his Preface to
to the Swedes, which this gentleman gave up the Book of the Turkish Fasliions.) He was
to the Emperor), with John Gordon, a Scots- governor of Verasdan and of the confines of
man in amio 1634, whereby he came to gi-eater Sclavonia and Petrinia, lord of Pettow and
honour abroad than any Scotcliman in his Neostadt, privy counsellor to the Emperor,
time. For he was made captain of the Empe- and marishall of his army. He married Anna