66 life, a very long one, free from disease or pain: and after death, a second life long as 'tis poffible, in the applauses of my fellow creatures:" "Oh grant me," cried this great philofopher: "Oh grant me lafting fame." He lived accordingly one hundred and four years in cafe and comfort. His fecond term is not completed yet, or ever will be, while language or while science shall endure. Meanwhile the Mufcovitifh emperor's reputation whitens with age; his contemporaries were certainly, by his fecond marriage, led to believe that compliance with Catherine's hurry for the fucceffion, had prompted his strange condemnation of Alexis, who having married Charles the fixth's wife's fifter, expected protection from the house of Austria against his incenfed father, but obtained it not. The Czarowitz ufed his princefs too unkindly, and hopes of interference from her friends were vain: yet his step-mother was never charged, like Roxolana, with irritating her uxorious husband against his son. When that fon, and his hopes in him were dead indeed; and Peter had crowned his empress with a pomp resembling an associate in his regal dignity, not a mere confort of his bed and throne, the world expected that she would be fucceffor. Anne, her eldest daughter, married the duke of Holstein; their fecond, Elizabeth, remained at home, to write and fign state papers for her mother. It is not actually unworthy Retrospect to observe, that though his Czarish majesty carried the wife of his affections with him to Holland, when he wished to fee again those docks where he had worked as a fhip's carpenter; fhe ftaid at home when Paris was the place he chose to vifit in his princely character. Women never rife, or exceeding rarely, with their fortunes as the men do from native vulgarity. Catherine, an old camp-carrier, eat with her fingers as fhe did at Marienbourg: and with fuch conduct no talents or dignity would have protected her from perfiflage in France her husband had refined his own ideas, and concealed the coarseness of manners which still clung to him, under an affectation of pure and primitive fimplicity. The Parifians ftared at his ftarched appearance with admiration, as we should at a Quaker in a ball-room. His His reception of Skavronski the Czarina's brother, in the Livonian peafant's dress they wore at home however, was great and manly. "Come “here, young man, (faid he) kiss firft this lady's hand as fovereign, "then take your fifter round the neck and love her as you used to do "at Marienbourg." The marriage of Louis quatorze with Madame de Maintenon had nothing in common with this. The king of France had only fecured to himself an humble friend, to whose strict duty thus become deep intereft, he could confide thofe griefs which gnawed his heart while the memoirs of Madame la belle Soeur convince each reader with what fincerity la veuve Scarron was hated at a court, where with all favour the poffeffed no power, fave that of shielding from the ftings of confcience, a mind ill-pleafed with its own conduct. Catherine, meantime, liftened to and criticifed her hufband's military code, which he corrected to her inclination; fhe dictated the treaty with the Perfians, and when the troubles of that empire injured in fome fort its arrangement, she suggested a negociation, and fet on foot fomething like an embaffy to China. Yontchin concluded, in 1718, that memorable treaty with the Mufcovitish state, which was partly carried on by a countryman of ours; but the part a British furgeon took in the business is omitted, because his name was forgotten. There is an idea obtaining through Africa and Afia, that much healing knowledge lives among the Chriftians, particularly those of our own ifland; and no man is completely fitted for travelling the yet unexplored regions of those great continents, without skill in the arts of physick and of furgery. Peter borrowed talents almost from every kingdom, and drew many of his domeftick regulations from Sweden, which had proceeded fome steps further than Ruffia in refinement; although 'tis faid of Hugo Grotius himself, (who having acted in quality of ambaffador, muft neceffarily have undergone fevere polishing,) that he never rung a bell, or called a fervant decently by his name, but cried out Hop as loud as poffible when he wanted any thing. Such knots in the finest wood will be found. The fame. The fame year which faw the Czar fign his convention with China, witneffed his old enemy Achmet the third's difgraceful peace at Paffarowitz. Flufhed with fuccefs at Pruth, that warlike prince tried to renew the glorious days of Turkey, but failed, I think, in every attempt. Thamas Kouli Khan's fatal conteft with him at length ended in great confufion to the fultan; but 1725 leaves Achmet ftill upon the throne of Conftantinople. The year preceding that it was, when Peter the Great walked barcheaded before his wife, and placed th' imperial crown upon her head: he made no will, however, in her favour, and lived but few months after Catherine was fuppofed certain of the fucceffion. The boy born to Alexis by a fifter-in-law of Charles VI. died not, though he fell ill opportunely on the fame day with his grandfather, and faved much trouble to the party who propofed him: yet people were not wanting who believed, or faid they did, that the Czarina was not intended by her husband to fucceed: a flight domeftick quarrel was the cause of this fuggeftion. Catherine's moft favoured female in the court took bribes, and the Czar ordered her the knout immediately: her miftrefs offered to protect and fave her, but Ruffia's emperor, not so repulfed, rage ftruck a fine Venice mirror with his fword hilt, and fhivering it into a hundred pieces, cried out, "Take care, madam, you fee that I in *This is no good place for anecdotes of Grotius, yet I cannot fupprefs that when he died upon the road at Rostock, the landlord of his last lodging, a mean German inn, fent for the curate to confefs him; but the cafuift, wearied with hearing what he knew before, faid to the man, "Sum Grotius." "Tu magnus ille Grotius!" cried the amazed clergyman. This would have done well for his epitaph. Smyrna, Rhodes, Colophon; Salamin, Pylos Argos, Athenæ Grotiada certant de religione Socinus, I repeated this epigram once to Dr. Johnfon, the Doctor's anfwer was, "He picked Menage This is the way ❝his principles; he did not take them by the bunch." Mr. de Petau, a fteady Ro-Vaugelas made it von that manift, le Pere Petau-Petavius faid mafs for him after his death. Aurins, Arminius Calvines, Pre can deftroy what I myself have set up, dear to me as it was, and fingularly beautiful." "I fee," replied the Queen with an unaltered voice, "that you have destroyed what was the ornament of your palace; do you like your palace better now 'tis gone?" After this conference Peter lived but a few weeks, and expired in his confort's arms. Prince Menzikoff took care of his new fovereign's intereft; her eldest daughter the Duchefs of Holftein's fecretary was prefent, and Catherine was proclaimed with acclamations the evening of her lord and husband's death. The beginning of 1725 found her upon the Imperial feat to which her merits originally raised her-the exiled favourite restored of courfe. CHAP. CHAP. XVI. FRANCE, ENGLAND, SPAIN, HOLLAND, ITALY, AND AUSTRIA. IN FROM 1700 TO 1725. N courfe of fuch a work as this epitome, 'tangled 'tis true, yet not without a plan, we have been obliged to mark our mazy way by objects casually met with on the road; fometimes a blasted oak, signal of sad distress, hung out as 'twere by Nature in a storm. A heap of ftones fometimes, proof of man's art and induftry, directed us; 'till coming nearer home, the fet-up mile-ftones refresh our hearts with hope, and ferve as promife of a now, not very far-diftant conclufion. Boys will indeed, for sport, deface thofe guides, and when we mifs our way, in confequence of their malicioufnefs, will follow and hoot after us for fools. No matter! the princess in the old Arabian Tales could not get up the hill, I well remember, without stopping her ears, and refolving to push forward, fearless of the wry faces made by the idlers on the mountain's fide, who wished to stop her progress. We are arrived at the beginning of that century, properly called our own, and have seen many attempts made by individual princes, proceeding from that hard baronial phalanx which broke down the Roman empire, (last of appointed monarchies) to fynthetize the ruptured parts anew, and reign over thofe realms, which of right belonged to their fellows. To this end, we have observed each taking the fame method of attainment, calling in help from the lower ranks to shake their highly-fet competitors, yet never feeming to think they thould themselves be VOL. II. fhaken. Xx |