early fell on the
field. That triumph, which was won largely through the
inspiration of his spirit and the shock of its untimely
departure, contributed to the remarkable advancement of Sweden
which his reign had already inaugurated.

Before the interference of Gustavus in the war, the Catholic
party had defeated the Protestants in almost every engagement.
The Protestant leaders, Christian IV of Denmark, Count
Mansfeld, and Christian of Anhalt, had been no match for Tilly,
commanding the force of the Holy League, and Wallenstein,
leader of the Imperial army. When Gustavus joined in the
conflict, Wallenstein had quitted the service of the Emperor
Ferdinand II, and the great Swede's first opponent was Tilly,
the imperial generalissimo. Tilly's ruthless sack of Magdeburg,
in 1631, brought many hesitating Protestants to the side of
Gustavus, and on the field of Leipsic or Breitenfeld, September
7, 1631, he completely overcame his strong enemy. In April
following, Tilly, the victor in thirty-six battles, fell in
another conflict with Gustavus. The Swedish King continued his
campaign in Germany, and November 16, 1632, he met Wallenstein,
who again commanded the Imperial forces, and his lieutenant,
Count Pappenheim, on the fatal but glorious field of Luetzen.
The King had gathered his forces at Erfurt, and there he bade
farewell to his Queen, tenderly commending her to the care of
the city magistrates.

On October 30th Gustavus sent Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, forward
with eleven thousand men to observe Pappenheim. The Duke took the road
by Buttstadt to Freiburg, and from thence, after crossing the Saale, to
Naumburg, where he arrived just in time to anticipate the enemy.

The next day the King gave the military command at Erfurt to Dupadel,
and proceeded himself to Naumburg. Here the joy and confidence which
his presence inspired, "as if he had been a god," far from elating him,
awakened only in his mind a feeling of humility and a sorrowful
presentiment that some disaster to himself would soon convince the
Naumburgers of the frailty of the idol in whom they trusted.

On Sunday, November 14th, he learned, by an intercepted letter, that
Pappenheim had been sent to Halle, and that the next day the Imperial
army was to leave Weissenfels. He would now have attacked Wallenstein at
once; but the dissuasio