C H A P . VII.
Inquiry into the hijlory and adventures o f the tzar who reigned
under the name of Demetrius.— His reception in Poland.
— Invajion of Ruffia.— Acknowledged as the foh o f Ivan
I Vaffilievitch II.— Seats himfelf upon the throne.— His cba-
r abler.— Confpiracy again/1 him.— Is ajfajfmated.— Various
opinions concerning him.— -Called an impojlor by the Ruffian
hi/lorians.— By Petreius.— fejlimony o f Margaret in his
favour.-^Grounds for fuppojing him to be the mz/Demetrius.
BOOK
IS A MONG the tombs in. the cathedral of St. Michael I had
occaiion to mention that of a child, called by the
Ruffians Dmitri, or Demetrius, whofe intricate and controverted
hiftory was referved for a feparate narrative.
Ivan f Vaffilievitch II. left two fons ; Feodor, who fuc-
ceeded to the throne; and Demetrius, an infant, who was
educated at Uglitz under the care of his mother the tzarina
* I had entirely finiihed this chapter before
the publication o f L ’Evefque’s Hiftoire
de Ruffle. Tha t ingenious author has, in
his account o f the perfon who ftyled himfe
lf Demetrius, advanced many plaufible arguments
to {how, that he was probably not
an impoftor; and though they appear to
me unanfwerable, and it is eafy to perceive
that he entirely leans to that opinion, yet
he candidly concludes with aflerting, “ Plu-
“ fieurs obje&ions que j ’ai hazardees contre
“ l impofture d’Otr^pief me paraiflent
** d’une grande force, je n’oferai cependant
“ decider la queftion.” See Hif. de Ruff,
V . III. p. 226 to 236. It may ferve, perhaps,
as an additional proof in favour of
Demetrius, that two, foreigners, who had
vifited Ruffia, both unbiaffed by any nati-
tional prejudices,, and without the leaft
communication with each other, ihould
hold nearly the fame opinion upon fo intricate
a fubjeft,. I have inferted into the
notes a few o f his remarks, which feemed
to me thé moil important. I am alfo informed,
that the learned profeffor Schloet-
zer o f Gottingen has ftrongly fupported
this fide o f the queftion, in his Nordifche
Gefchichte.
Maria
Maria Feodorofna, and in the eighth year of his age was CHA?-
faid to have been aflaffinated by order of Boris Godunof *. > . ’ *
The real circumftances of this aflaffination, being purpofely
with-held from the public, are variouily related ; and the
following particulars can alone be unqueilionably depended
upon. A body, fuppofed to be that o f the young prince,
was found weltering in its blood ; certain perfons, coniidered
as the affaffins, were inftanftaneoufly put to death by the inhabitants
of Uglitz. When the account of the cataftrophe
was tranfmitted to Mofcow, Boris Godunof, having firft fpread
a report that Demetrius had, in a violent fit of frenzy, put
a period to his own life, dilpatched his creatures Vaffili
Shuiiki and Gletchnin to make inquiries into the circumftances
of the prince’s death. Thefe perfons, having
examined the body o f the deceafed, declared it to be that of
Demetrius, and confirmed the former report which had been
circulated by Boris Godunof. Maria Feodorofna, accufed of
grofs inattention to her fon’s fecurity, was compelled to af-
fume the veil, and confined in a convent ; many inhabitants
of Uglitz, who fpoke freely upon the murder, were capitally
puniffied, fome were imprifoned, and others were baniihcd.
* 'Muller >relates from a Ruffian manu- was more difficult at mid-day to fubftitute a
fcript, that twelve perfons were privy to the child. We need not be furprized at thefe
murder, amongft whom were the prince’ s contradi&ory opinions, when we confider,
nurfe and her ion, who perpetrated the as L ’Evefque has jiiftLy expreffed himfelf,
deed ; that it was committed at mid-day in “ queJBoris fupprima tous les détails de cet
the court yard o f the palace, and that a ** horrible affaire ; qu’ il trompa le tzar et
bell-ringer, ,who was upon the .top o f an “ le public. L e public fut donc alors mal
adjoining cathedral, faw the whole tranf- “ inftruit des circonftances de cet événe-
a&ion. Petreius affert-s,-that the prince was “ ment, et le temps ri’a pu y ajouter que de
murdered .during; the cpufufiqn o f a fire, “ nouvelles obfcurités. D’ailleurs, comme
purpofelÿ occafîoned by one of the affaffins. “ le dit Margaret, on obfervait en Ruffle un
Marga-retand Grevenbuckfa»y that theaffaffin “ fccret fi profond fur- toutes les affaires,
was fon o f the tzarina Maria’s fecretary j “ qu’il était fort difficile d’apprendre'la
and it is generally affirmed, that it happen- “ vérité dé ce qu’ on n’ avait pas vu de fes
ed at midnight.— -The Ruffian authors na- <l yeqx.” V . III. jp. 228.
turajly prefer the firft account, becaufe it
Boris