“Swedes,” he said to his old army, “if you fight as I expect of you, you shall have your reward; if not, not a bone of your bodies will ever return to Sweden.”
To the Germans he said,—
“If you fail me to-day, your religion, your freedom, and your welfare in this world and in the next are lost.”
He prophesied to the Germans,—
“Trust in God; believe that with his help you may this day gain a victory which shall profit your latest descendants.”
He waved his drawn sword over his head and advanced.
The Swedes and Finns responded with cheers and the clash of arms.
“Jesus, Jesus, let us fight this day for thy name,” he exclaimed.
The whole army was now in motion, the king leading amid the darkness and gloom of the mist.
The battle opened with an immediate success for the Swedes. But in the moment of victory the king was wounded and fell from his horse.