Excerpt from John Beaulieu's letter to Sir Thomas Puckering, dated December 2 to 12/12 to 22 (New Style), 1632

Source:

The court and times of Charles the First, volume 2, pages 207 to 208, published by Robert Folkestone Williams, 1848

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025127815&view=1up&seq=213&q1=Sweden

The letter excerpt:

London, December 12-22, 1632.

I suppose you have been sufficiently informed by my former of the unfortunate death of that brave King of Swedeland, which is now daily confirmed from all parts, and that he died upon the field of a pistol-shot into the head, after he had received two musket-shots in other parts of his body. But that which made it so variously reported of was, the policy and care which the chief men of his army had to conceal it as long as they could, lest it should discourage their soldiers, and give advantage to their enemies, who suffered a greater loss in that battle than Dalbier reported, and were forced to leave the town of Leipsic four days after it, although they kept still the castle, which hitherto we do not hear that they have surrendered. ...

With more modernised spelling:

London, December 12-22, 1632.

I suppose you have been sufficiently informed by my former of the unfortunate death of that brave King of Swedeland, which is now daily confirmed from all parts, and that he died upon the field of a pistol shot into the head after he had received two musket shots in other parts of his body.

But that which made it so variously reported of was the policy and care which the chief men of his army had to conceal it as long as they could, lest it should discourage their soldiers and give advantage to their enemies, who suffered a greater loss in that battle than Dalbier reported and were forced to leave the town of Leipzig four days after it, although they kept still the castle, which hitherto we do not hear that they have surrendered. ...

French translation (my own):

Londres, 12-22 décembre 1632.

Je suppose que vous avez été suffisamment informé par ma dernière lettre de la mort malheureuse de ce brave roi de Suède, qui est maintenant confirmée chaque jour de toutes regions, et qu'il est mort sur le champ de bataille d'un coup de pistolet dans la tête après avoir reçu deux coups de mousquet dans d'autres parties du corps.

Mais ce qui a fait que sa mort a été si diversement rapportée, c'est la politique et le soin que les chefs de son armée ont pris pour la cacher aussi longtemps qu'ils le pouvaient, de peur qu'elle ne décourage leurs soldats et ne donne l'avantage à leurs ennemis, qui ont subi une perte plus grande dans cette bataille que celle rapportée par Dalbier et ont été forcés de quitter la ville de Leipzig quatre jours plus tard, bien qu'ils aient conservé le château; jusqu'à présent, nous n'avons pas entendu dire qu'ils l'aient rendu. ...

Swedish translation (my own):

London, den 12-22 december 1632.

Jag antar att Ni genom mitt sista brev har blivit tillräckligt underrättad om den tappre konungen av Sveriges olyckliga död, som nu dagligen bekräftas från överallt, och att han dog på fältet av ett pistolskott i huvudet sedan han fått två muskötskott i andra delar av kroppen.

Men det som gjorde att hans död så skiftande rapporterades om var den politik och omsorg som hans armés chefer tog för att dölja den så länge de kunde, så att den inte skulle avskräcka deras soldater och gynna deras fiender, som led en större förlust i det slaget än Dalbier rapporterade och tvingades lämna staden Leipzig fyra dagar därefter, fastän de fortfarande behöll slottet; än så länge hör vi inte att de har överlämnat det. ...

Note: Dalbier = John Dalbier (born circa 1600, died 1648), a German professional soldier from the Rhineland who emigrated to England and fought in the Thirty Years' War and the War of the Three Kingdoms. He served with the Parliamentarian army during the First English Civil War before switching to the Royalist side during the Second English Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of St. Neots on July 10 or 11, 1648.