“ by his own example I f we fhould allow that Margaret
has concealed many of his defeats, and has placed his virtues
in the moft advantageous light, yet the acrimony and injuftice
which appear in many parts of the following extraéis from
his character, as drawn even by Mr. Muller the moít candid
of his opponents, will prevent every impartial perfon from
giving implicit credit to the reprefentations of his enemies.
“ The falfe + Demetrius Was of a middle iize, dark com-
“ plexion, and had one of his arms ihorter than the other..
“ He would have been efteemed not deficient in wifdom if
“ he had not been fo precipitate in his conduit, and i f he had
“ conformed his behaviour to the- di'fpofition and temper of
“ his fubjeits. In Poland he applied himfelf to the ftudy
“ of languages, arts, and fciehces; he converfed in Latin |
“ and Poliih with fluency ; he was well acquainted with
“ hifiory, and particularly with that of Ruffia and the
“ neighbouring kingdoms ; he was well verfed in mufick,
“ and poffeffed other liberal accompliffiments. On account
“ o f his addrefs and good fortune in obtaining the crown, he
<! was efteemed a magician.. Warlike exercife and hunting
“ were his principal amufements. He had fome knowledge
“ of engineering and artillery, was fond of calling cannon ;-
“ and ihot with fuch ikill and addrefs as to furprize the moft
“ dextrous markfmen. He- was anxious to improve the dif-
“ cipline of his army, for which pur-pofe he would often re-
“ view his troops, inftruét them in different manoeuvres,
“ ftorm ramparts and fortifications; and as he was always
* Margaret, p. 141. tivelÿ afferts, that he was not in the leaft ac-^
% S. R. G . vol. V . p . 302, &c- quainted'with that language. II eft très
X His underftanding Latin has been urged certain qu’il ne parloit nullement Latin»
againft him as a proof that he was educated j ’ërv puis témoigner, moins le fçavoit il
• by the Jefuits. Margaret, however, poû- lire et ecriré, Ibid, p* 163.
a “ foremolt
I foremoft, and the moft eager among the affailants, he fre- CH
“ quently was rudely handled in the fray.
“ Defirous to be efteemed a patron of juftice, he put to
“ death feveral judges who had been convicted of iniquitous
“ practices.. But was not this mode o f proceeding rather
“ a proof o f his inclination to cruelty ? and might it not
“ arife from-a defire of ftriking terror into his fubjeiis « ?
“ He has-been praifed for his munificence, but it was both
“ extravagant and ill-placed ; he heaped bounties upon Po-
“ lifh muficians and other minions, and drained the trea--
“ fury by the moft enormous expencest. Like all volup-
1 tuaries he was- fickle and impetuous. All his actions ■
“ proved an extraordinary pronenefs-to prefer his own pre-
“ cipitate refolutions to the moft prudent advice, and to adopt
“ the rafheft meafures. His fudden elevation rendered him
“ infolent;. he was-fo ambitious, that even the Ruffian em>.-
“ pire appeared too fmallto fatisfy his lull of dominion
“ and he extended his views to the rcduclion of Turkey and
“ Tartary. His ebriety and incontinence were his moft no—
“ torious vices, which frequently expofed him in the eyes of-
“ the public. Befide the princefs Irene, the daughter of
“ Boris Godunof, all who plealed him. were facrificed to his
“ defires, without the leaft regard to rank or-age
“ Upon
* ' A fuppolition', which ihows -a ftrong
difpofition in tke oppolite party to mifre-
prefent the moft favourable parts o f his*
conduit.
t The accounts o f his extravagance were
grofsly exaggeratedi He Is faid to have
given orders for a throne-of mafly filver,
fupported with fix lions o f the famojsoftly
materials; and for a footftool o f pure gold,
for the ceremony o f his' coronation : the
latter was ftudded with 600 diamonds, 600
rubies, 600 fapphirs, 600 emeralds, 6co
Turkifli ftones, d l o f a large fize-,'but fome •
o f the latter were as b ig as half a pigeon’s
egg. It mu ft be remarked, that this footftool
was a!ready- in the treafu.ry when Demetrius
afcended the. throne ; and had been 1
prefented from-The Sophy, o f Perfia to Ivan
Vatfilievitch II. S. R. G . vol. V . p. 33c.
Many fimilar ornaments employed at his
coronation had been ufed by the former fo- -
vereigns, who were-' .crow ued with A ik tic
magnificence.
+ .Theie parts o f his conduit were alfo- ■
«, greatly;.•’