Source:
The court and times of Charles the First, volume 2, pages 203 to 204, published by Robert Folkestone Williams, 1848
The letter excerpt:
London, December 5, 1632.
Now, sir, concerning the woful news I wrote unto you by my last of that brave King of Sweden's loss, it is true that there are divers merchants upon the Exchange that offer yet to lay great wagers upon his life. But here, at court, we make no more doubt of his death, having it confirmed (besides the former informations out of the Low Countries and out of France) by the mouth of an eyewitness, to wit, of Dalbier, a man well known in those parts, who, as he reporteth, was in the battle, and came not from the camp till three days after, where he affirmeth that he saw the king's body; which, he saith, was found, after the victory, stripped and naked, amongst the rest of the dead, having his right arm broken with a musket-shot, and a pistol-shot in the body, which gave him his death's wound. And although this happened unto him almost an hour after the fight was begun, yet his men maintained it bravely afterwards five or six hours longer, till they had at length made themselves masters of the field and of the cannon of their enemies, which saved themselves by the favour of the night, there being not, as he reporteth, above five or six thousand dead on both sides upon the place.
What is become of Wallenstein and of his men, he cannot tell; but for those of the other party, he saith, that they presently swore an union amongst themselves for the maintaining of the cause, and revenging that brave king's death, unto whose queen they have taken an oath of obedience, having made Duke Bernard of Weimar general of his army, (who is highly commended for his valour showed in that battle) until by an assembly which they have appointed to be kept shortly at Ulm, there may be a better order taken for the governing and managing of the affairs.
And, as seldom a misfortune cometh single, the same Dalbier brought us also the sad news of the King of Bohemia's death, who died of the plague in the town of Mentz, a fortnight after the King of Sweden, for whom this court began to put on mourning on Sunday last, the king having expressed much sorrow for it, and sent presently Sir Francis Nethersole to his poor desolate sister to afford his best comfort in so great afflictions. ...
With more modernised spelling:
London, December 5, 1632.
Now, Sir, concerning the woeful news I wrote unto you by my last of that brave King of Sweden's loss, it is true that there are diverse merchants upon the Exchange that offer yet to lay great wagers upon his life. But here at court we make no more doubt of his death, having it confirmed (besides the former informations out of the Low Countries and out of France) by the mouth of an eyewitness, to wit, of Dalbier, a man well known in those parts, who, as he reporteth, was in the battle, and came not from the camp till three days after, where he affirmeth that he saw the King's body, which he saith was found after the victory, stripped and naked, amongst the rest of the dead, having his right arm broken with a musket shot and a pistol shot in the body, which gave him his death's wound.
And although this happened unto him almost an hour after the fight was begun, yet his men maintained it bravely afterwards five or six hours longer till they had at length made themselves masters of the field and of the cannon of their enemies, which saved themselves by the favour of the night, there being not, as he reporteth, above five or six thousand dead on both sides upon the place.
What is become of Wallenstein and of his men, he cannot tell; but, for those of the other party, he saith that they presently swore an union amongst themselves for the maintaining of the cause, and revenging that brave king's death, unto whose queen they have taken an oath of obedience, having made Duke Bernhard of Weimar general of his army (who is highly commended for his valour showed in that battle) until, by an assembly which they have appointed to be kept shortly at Ulm, there may be a better order taken for the governing and managing of the affairs.
And, as seldom a misfortune cometh single, the same Dalbier brought us also the sad news of the King of Bohemia's death, who died of the plague in the town of Mainz, a fortnight after the King of Sweden, for whom this court began to put on mourning on Sunday last, the King having expressed much sorrow for it and sent presently Sir Francis Nethersole to his poor desolate sister to afford his best comfort in so great afflictions. ...
French translation (my own):
Londres, le 5 décembre 1632.
Or, Monsieur, quant à la triste nouvelle que je vous ai écrite dans ma dernière lettre sur la perte de ce brave roi de Suède, il est vrai qu'il y a divers marchands à la Bourse qui offrent encore de gros paris sur sa vie. Mais ici à la cour nous ne doutons plus de sa mort, l'ayant confirmée (outre les premières informations des Pays-Bas et de France) par la bouche d'un témoin oculaire, à savoir Dalbier, homme bien connu dans ces contrées, qui, comme il le rapporte, était dans la bataille et n'en sortit du camp que trois jours après, où il affirme avoir vu le cadavre du roi, qu'il dit avoir été trouvé après la victoire, dépouillé et nu, parmi les autres morts, ayant le bras droit cassé d'un coup de mousquet et d'un coup de pistolet dans le corps, qui lui donna sa blessure mortelle.
Et quoique cela lui soit arrivé presque une heure après le début du combat, ses hommes le soutinrent bravement après cinq ou six heures encore jusqu'à ce qu'ils se fussent enfin rendus maîtres du champ de bataille et du canon de leurs ennemis, qui les sauvèrent par la faveur de la nuit, il n'y ayant pas, comme il le rapporte, plus de cinq ou six mille morts des deux côtés à cet endroit.
Ce qu'il est advenu de Wallenstein et de ses hommes, il ne peut le dire; mais, quant à ceux de l'autre parti, il dit qu'ils ont immédiatement juré une union entre eux pour le maintien de la cause et pour venger la mort de ce brave roi, à la reine duquel ils ont prêté serment d'obéissance, ayant nommé le duc Bernard de Weimar général de son armée (qui est hautement loué pour sa valeur montrée dans cette bataille) jusqu'à ce que, par une assemblée qu'ils ont fixée pour se tenir bientôt à Ulm, il puisse être pris un meilleur ordre pour le gouvernement et la gestion des affaires.
Et comme un malheur n'arrive guère seul, le même Dalbier nous apporta aussi la triste nouvelle de la mort du roi de Bohême, emporté de la peste dans la ville de Mayence, quinze jours après le roi de Suède, pour lequel cette cour commença à revêtir les vêtements de deuil dimanche dernier, le roi en ayant exprimé beaucoup de chagrin et ayant immédiatement envoyé le sieur Francis Nethersole à sa pauvre sœur dévastée pour lui apporter la meilleure consolation dans une si grande affliction. ...
Swedish translation (my own):
London, den 5 december 1632.
Nu, min herre, angående den bedrövliga nyheten jag skrev till Er i mitt senaste brev om den modige konungen av Sveriges förlust, är det sant att det finns olika köpmän på Exchange som fortfarande erbjuder sig att göra stora satsningar på hans liv. Men här vid hovet tvivlar vi inte längre på hans död, eftersom den bekräftas (förutom de tidigare uppgifterna från de låga länderna och från Frankrike) av ett ögonvittne, nämligen av Dalbier, en man välkänd i dessa trakter, som, som han rapporterar, var i striden och kom inte bort från lägret förrän tre dagar senare, där han bekräftar att han såg konungens lik, som han säger hittades efter segern, avklätt och naket, bland resten av de döda, med sin högra arm bruten av ett muskötskott och ett pistolskott i kroppen, vilket gav honom hans dödliga sår.
Och även om detta hände honom nästan en timme efter det att striden hade börjat, upprätthöll hans män den sedan tappert fem eller sex timmar längre tills de äntligen hade gjort sig till herrar över fältet och över sina fienders kanoner, som räddade sig själva genom nattens gunst. Det finns inte, som han rapporterar, fler än fem eller sex tusen döda på båda sidor på den platsen.
Vad det har blivit av Wallenstein och hans män kan han inte säga; men angående den andra partens, säger han, att de genast svor en förening sinsemellan för att upprätthålla saken och för att hämnas den tappre konungens död, till vars drottning de avlagt lydnadsed, efter att ha gjort hertig Bernhard av Weimar till general för hans armé (som är mycket berömd för sin tapperhet som visades i den striden) tills det, av en församling som de har utsett att hållas snart i Ulm, kan bli en bättre ordning för att styra och sköta angelägenheterna.
Och som en olycka sällan kommer ensam, förde samma Dalbier oss även den sorgliga nyheten om konungen av Böhmens död, som dog av pesten i staden Mainz, fjorton dagar efter Sveriges konung, för vilken detta hov började att ta på sig sorgekläder i söndags senast, efter att konungen uttryckt mycket sorg över det och omedelbart sände herr Francis Nethersole till sin stackars, förkrossade syster för att ge sin bästa tröst i en sådan stor lidande. ...
Notes: 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.
Friedrich V (born 1596), Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623 and King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620 until his forced abdications, died from a "pestilential fever" at Deinschwang on November 19/29 (New Style), 1632, leaving behind ten surviving children and his widow, Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662), the daughter of King James VI of Scotland and I of England (1566-1625) and Anne of Denmark (1574-1619). Friedrich's heir was his fifteen year old son Karl Ludwig (1617-1680), and his younger brother, Ludwig Philipp of Simmern-Kaiserslautern (1602-1655), served as the boy's regent until he came of age.
