Emperor of Muscovy; and who having retired, long after the death of these princes, into a country of liberty, can have no interest in concealing the truth. M. Fabricius, who lived in the most intimate familiarity with Charles XII.; M. de Fierville, the French ambassador; M. de Villelongue, a colonel in the Swedish service, and even M. Poniatowski, have all of them contributed their share in furnishing me with materials.
In this work we have not ventured to advance a single fact, without consulting eye-witnesses of undoubted veracity; a circumstance that renders this history very different from those gazettes which have already been published under the title of lives of Charles XII. If we have omitted some little skirmishes between the Swedish and Muscovite officers, the reason is, that we mean to write the history, not of these officers, but only of the King of Sweden, and even of his life none but the most important events. The history of a prince, in our opinion, is not to relate everything he did, but only what he did worthy of being transmitted to posterity.
Here, it may not be improper to remark, that many things, which were true at the time of writing this history in 1728, are not so at present. Commerce, for instance, begins to be more encouraged in Sweden. The Polish infantry are better disciplined, and are provided with regimental clothes, a convenience which they then wanted. In reading history, one ought always to remember the time in which the author wrote. To peruse the memoirs of Cardinal de Retz, one would take the French for
