b o o k entailing the .crown upon his grandfon Peter II.; yet it is
«—&gp raoft probable that he had deftined his eldeft daughter
Anne to be his fucceflor; but was prevented by the iudden-
nefs of his death from carrying that defign into execution *.
But
* I ha ve al ready gìven m y -reafons Sor
ad opring rhisopinion . Seep*. c^ró.in th e r io te .
Monfieur L e C le r c , in hi-s H iftoire, Phy--
fique,. M orale, C iv ile , e t Politique de la
K u ffie M oderne , afferts, tftat P eter E. abfo-
lu te ly appointed P eter I L bis fuc c èifo r .' A s
th è vvbol'e paiTàge relative tò th-is hitbe rPo
u nkn owti- atìeedote is e x tremeiy curions, I
iliàll here inferi: it , and a c cqm p an y it w ith a
few obfervations.
“ L o rfque cè p cinse (Pierre I*) v it a rri-
“ -ver l’inftant de fa mort,_ il fit un dernier
“ -dfòrtì- p ou r fe lever de fon lit,- e t pou r
“ écrire l ’ordre, qjii ex cluo it tlu T r o n e C.a-
“ fbârînè I . et q ui y p la ç o it Pierre l i . fils de
“ l’ infortuné A le x is . O n v e r ra dans la
“ fu ite de c e t ouvrage, les raifons qui s e te r -
<fcm inirenr Pietre* I# à ëxcftrrê C ’atharine
“ q ui lui avoit été fi ch è re . ‘N o u s -n o u é
“ bornons ic i à dire que l’ordre êtoit éc r it
“ T o r fq u ’ iE tomba en foibleffe,.et q u ’i l moù-
“ ru t quelques heures après.
Pierre I . mou ru t ¿entre -les b ras -du
“ prince M en z ik q f,, des comtes d e Roùmerit-
6 i z o f e t T o lf to è , .e t de deux majors . de
“ gardes—-a -P ied ,; momjnés .Mammonof.
“ A v an t d ’annoncer la mo rt de l ’empereur,
“ leu r premier foin fu t d e l i r e fes dernières
“ •volontés, e t d ’opiner,fur l ’ufage cpiüls en
“ dévoient faire .
L e p rin c e T o lf td è portarla ¡paròle a u x a u t
re s , e t d it : “ L e s intentions de JPierre
“ • nous fon t connues-;,mais.prenons gard e â
“ c e que nous allons faire . -Pierre I I . nous
“ d o it h a ir , il nous hait;; fimous-le plaçons
“ fur le T rô n e , nous ferons les premières
“ victimes qu’ il immolera à la vengeance
“ de fon père;
“ T o lfto è étqit natu re llement éloquent
“ e t p e r fu a fif; e t dans c e tte conjurréture,
■“ l ’eloquence é to it jointe a' la vérité. Orr fnt
M d ’avis d e d é ro g e r au x .intentions de l ’em*
“ pereu r dé fun t, e t de fupprimér l’o rdre
“ d ’e x c lu fio iî. A lo r s lès majôrs de gardes
“ annoncèrent la mo r t de P ie r r e ! , le regne
“ de C a th a r in e, e t les gardes la p roclam é-
“ ren t en criant O u ra , felon I’ ufáge du
“ pa ys . C e t te anecdote lècrette-eft e x a é ïe
“ dans tous fes p o in ts .” Hift.' Mod', de
Ru ffie, p.. 443.
I w ill f ran k ly own that I muft fufpend my
ju d g em en t w i fh r e f p e & t o the tru th' o f this
feeret anecdote,, exaét in all i t s circum -
ftan ces, Until, th e ingenious au th or ih a ll
eondefeend tro c ite his au th o rity ; F o r as- it
poiirively con cr adiéis- the Felati-dn o f Baffe-
w it z , w h o had fo g rea t a fliare in ra ilin g
Ca th a r in e to the throne-; o f count M un ich ,
who was fo w e ll verfed in the p o lit i c a l, en -
trigu e s o f the Ruffian co u r t ; arid o f th e ’
A u ftr ian envoy, who,was prefent at P e te r f- .
b u rgh du rin g the acceffion o f C a th a r in e ;
i t would require ft ronger evidence- in favou r
-of.its' authenticity-than the mere affirmation
o f an hiftorian, however ingenious, eve’n .if
•it did not contain many circumftances
w h ich feem to be fa lfe.
C an P eter b e faid to have e x c l u d e d C z t h z -
Tine from the throne b y the appointment o f
P e te r I I . even fuppo fin g th a t appointment
to have fo rm a lly taken -place ? Ex c lu fion
.-implies r igh t ; and w h a t r igh t had C a th a r
in e b u t from th e nomination o f P eter ? and
i t does n o t ap pear th a t -he had ev e r formed
th e m o il diftant views o f m ak in g th a t nomination.
T h e . ip e e c h o f T o lf to è -is improbable in
it fe lf , and contradiéled b y the mo ll pofitive
teftimony. I t is improbable.: becaufe
th ou gh we imagine th a t T o lf to è , who
was a cre ature o f M en z ik o f, might ha ve
. hinted to that prince a fuggeftion to<d;ftroy
an y w r it ten appointment o f th e fuccelTor,
y e t w e can n o t fuppofe th a t he would open ly
prefent hiftory, let. us haften to the election of Catharine. >
While Peter was yet lying in the agonies of death, feveral
oppofite parties were caballing to difpofe o f the crown. A t
a confiderable meeting o f many among the principal-nobility,
it was fecretly determined, on the moment of his diflolutioit,
to arreft Catharine, and fo place Peter Alexievitch upon the
throne *. Baflewitz, apprized of this refolution, repaired in
perfon to the emprefs, although it was already night. 1 My
grief and confternation,” replied Catharine, ft render me
“ incapable of acting mylelf: do you and prince Menzikof
“ confult together, and I will embrace the meafures which
“ you ihall approve in my. name.” Baflewitz, finding
Menzikof afleep, awakened and informed-him of the prefling
danger which threatened the emprefs and her party. As
VII.
hiake th a t propofal before count R om a n tz o f
flnd the-tvyq majors, w ith ou t h a vin g fir ll
founded them, .an d endeavoured tq gain
them over to his pvirpofe.
I t is contradi«5led b y the. mod pofitive
teftimon y, becau fe i t ‘ appears from Baffe-
w it z , th a t , d u r in g 'th e feveral. hours in
w h ich P eter la y in a ilate o f inf^niibility,
and before he ¿Spired, M e n z ik o f had'ta'ken
a ll the neceffary precau tion s fpr th e a c ce ffion
p f C a th a r in e.
W ith re fp e ii to t h e o r d c r o f t i e e x c lu f io n ,
a n d th e a p p o in tm en t o f P e te r . //. fuppofed .to
be w r it ten b y Peter h im fe l f in t h ^ m id i lo f
his laft illnefs, it Is m o itp ro b a b le th a t fuch
an order y as neyer written^: for -j h e d e r n ie r
e f fo r t p o u r J e l e v e r f o h &C. is thé fàftie a l-'
lu d .ed to b y B a flew itz , frpm w h om - it a p pears
th at P eter on ly traced illeg ib le ch a-
r a é te r s ; and this ïlà te o f thé ca fe fs co n firmed
by <the Hanoverian.etivoy, W e b e r ,
w h o had no èonneélion e ith e r with M en z i-
k o f o r 'BaiTeW.itz Sclmieb -a'nch etiiche
W0I te,*i lo P n ljcferlicl^^ c^ J>e. w r o te a
f e w word-Sy b u t f o iîUg ih ly\ t h a t n o "one ' c o u ld
■make, o u t t h e ir m e a n in g * . ,V e rau . R u lL vp l. I I .
. V oL L
p. 199.
t T h e Auftriari envoy alfo fay s, th at “ da
y e r daun etvyas aufschreiben w o llen , aber
vor- S ehwa ch h eit n-icht g ek on n t': Ore -was
i i ■defrous , o f W r itin g--. f o / n e t b i i t g b u t c o u ld
“ n o t 't h r o u g h w e a k n e f s ? ' B u f. H ift . Mag-.
X I . p . 496. J •
. B a flew itz a fle r ts , th a t P e te r expired in
th e arms o f C a th a r in e.
L^Empereur eyp ira entre les bras de
“ fon cp ou ie .” ; B u f. Hift. IX . p . 375.
'fh i s is a Mo confirmed ;b y W e b e r , fa End*
“ l i c h in de r N a c h t ,” ^ & c . “ A t laft this
“ g rea t monarch expired w ith ou t m ak in g any
“ w ill, while th e emprefs th rew hcrfel.f upon
“ her knees, and cried-ou.t, “ G o d open th y
“ pa radife, arid take this g rea t foul unto
“ th y fe lf .’’ Vejr. R u ff., vo l. I I . p . 199,
T h e fe are . the, reafons w h ich induce mo
to dou bt Whether t-liis- fe c re t anecd ote o f
M o n f.,le C le r c is as;exa£l in a ll its cireum -
ilanries as he affirms i t to be.
* T a u t qu'on lu i.favo it. un foufle de vie,'
perfonne n ’p foit l’en trepren dre. T p lle e to i t
la forc e dii re fp e il e t de la ter reu r , q ii’ im-
. p r im a ic e H m , B a ffew itz , p . 374.'
4 C . no