This victory laid the whole of Courland at the mercy of the Swedes,
all the towns opening their gates at their approach.
They were now on the confines of Poland, and the king, brave to
rashness as he was, hesitated to attack a nation so powerful.
Poland, at that time, was a country a little larger than France,
though with a somewhat smaller population, but in this respect
exceeding Sweden. With the Poles themselves he had no quarrel, for
they had taken no part in the struggle, which had been carried on
solely by their king, with his Saxon troops.
The authority of the kings of Poland was much smaller than that of
other European monarchs. The office was not a hereditary one; the
king being elected at a diet, composed of the whole of the nobles
of the country, the nobility embracing practically every free man;
and, as it was necessary, according to the constitution of the
country, that the vote should be unanimous, the difficulties in the
way of election were very great, and civil wars of constant
occurrence.
Charles was determined that he would drive Augustus, who was the
author of the league against him, from the throne; but he desired
to do this by means of the Poles themselves, rather than to unite
the whole nation against him by invading the country.
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