A Jacobite Exile;

The adventures of a young Englishman in the service of Charles XII. of Sweden.

By G.A.Henty

Sir Marmaduke was, at that time, only a child, but he still remembered how the Roundhead soldiers had lorded it there, when his father was away fighting with the army of the king; how they had seated themselves at the board, and had ordered his mother about as if she had been a scullion, jeering her with cruel words as to what would have been the fate of her husband, if they had caught him there, until, though but eight years old, he had smitten one of the troopers, as he sat, with all his force.

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PREFACE.

MY DEAR LADS,

Had I attempted to write you an account of thewhole of the adventurous career of Charles XII. of Sweden, it would, in itself, have filled a bulky volume to the exclusion of all other matter, and a youth who fought at Narva would have been a middle-aged man at the death of that warlike monarch before the walls of Frederickshall. I have therefore been obliged to confine myself to the first three years of his reign, in which he crushed the army of Russia at Narva, and laid the then powerful republic of Poland prostrate at his feet. In this way only could I obtain space for the private adventures and doings of Charlie Carstairs, the hero of the story. The details of the wars of Charles XII. were taken from the military history written at his command by his chamberlain, Adlerfeld, from a similar narrative by a Scotch gentleman in his service, and from Voltaire's history. The latter is responsible for the statement that the trade of Poland was almost entirely in the hands of Scotch, French, and Jewish merchants, the Poles themselves being sharply divided into the two categories of nobles and peasants.

Yours sincerely,

G. A. HENTY.

ORANGE AND GREEN:

 A TALE OF THE BOYNE AND LIMERICK

by G.A.Henty 

A few miles to the south of Bray Head, on the crest of a hill falling sharply down to the sea, stood Castle Davenant, a conspicuous landmark to mariners skirting the coast on their way from Cork or Waterford to Dublin Bay. 

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PREFACE.

MY DEAR LADS:

The subject of Ireland is one which has for some years been a very prominent one, and is likely, I fear, for some time yet to occupy a large share of public attention. For many years the laws in Ireland and the rights of Irishmen have been identical with those which we enjoy in England. The discontent manifested in the troubles of recent years has had its root in an older sense of grievance, or which there was, unhappily, only too abundant reason. The great proportion of the soil of Ireland was taken from the original owners and handed over to Cromwell's followers, and lor years the land that still remained in the hands of Irishmen was subject to the covetousness of a party of greedy intriguers, who had sufficient influence to sway the proceedings of government. The result was the rising of Ireland, nominally in defense of the rights of King James, but really an effort of despair on the part of those who deemed their religion, their property, and even their lives threatened by this absolute ascendency of the Protestant party in the government of the country. I have drawn my information from a variety of sources; but as I wished you to see the matter from the Irish point of view I have drawn most largely from the history of those events by Mr. O'Driscol, published sixty years ago. There is, however, but little difference of opinion between Irish and English authors as to the general course of the war, or as to the atrocious conduct of William's army of foreign mercenaries toward the people of Ireland.

Your sincerely,

G. A. HENTY.