b o o k n o t j m e remained for long deliberation, the prince inftantly
■ ly' , feized the treafure, fecured the fortrefs, gained the officers
of the gnards by briber and promifes, alfo a few o f the nobility,
and the principal clergy. Thefe partisans being
convened in the palace, Catharine naade her appearance?
ihe claimed the throne in righrbf her coronation at Mofcow ;
flie expofed the ill effe&s- of a minority;*' and promifed;
that, “ fo far from depriving the great duke of the crown,
<< Pie would receive if only as- a facred: depofit, to be reftored
“ to him wh'eri ihe iliould be united, in another world, to an
« adored hufband, whom; fhe: was-now upon the point of
“ lofihg.”
The pat he tick mannerwifh which ihe uttered this addreis,
and the tears which -accompanied' if, added to the previous
diftributkm of large fums of money and’jewels, produced the
defired effecti at the tiofe of this meeting the remainder of
the night was employed in making the neceflary preparations
to, enfure her accefflon in, cafe o f the emperor’s- death.
Feb. 8,. Peter at length expired in the morning of the 28th of Ja-
N' nuary, O. S. This event béing made known,, the fenate, the
generals, the principal nobility and clergy* haliened to the palace
to proclaim the new fovereign. The adherents of the
great-duke feemed fecure of fuccefs ; and the friends of Catharine
were avoided as perfbns doomed to deitrudlion. At
this juncture Baflewkz whifpered one ©f the oppofite party,,
“ The emprefs is miftrefs of the treafure and the fortrefs |>
“ flie has gained over the guards and the fynod* and many
“ of the chief nobility ; even here ihe has more followers
“ than you imagine : advife therefore your friends to make
“ no oppoikion as they value their heads.*1 This information
being rapidly circulated, Kaffewkz gave the appointed
fig,nal, andthe tworegiments of guards, whohadbeen gained
b y a krgefs»;to déclare for Catharine, and had already far- chap.
rounded the pal ace, beat to arms. “ Who has dared,” ex- - VU' ■
claimed'prince Repnin, the commander in chief, Ulto order
■“ out the troops Without my knowledge.1”— “ I,” returned
general Butturlin, “ without pretending to difpute your au-
m thority, in obedience to the commands o f my moft graci-
“ ous miftrefs.” « This iliort reply was followed by a dead
filence. In this moment of iufpenfe and anxiety Menzikof
entered preceding Catharine, fupported by the duke o f Hol-
itein. She attempted to fpeak, but was prevented by fighs t
and tears from giving utterance to her words : at length,
recovering berfelf, “ I come,” ihe faid, “ notwithftanding
“ the grief which now overwhelms me, to afiitre you, that,
“ fubmiffive to the w ill of my departed huiband, whofe me-
“ mory will be ever dear to me, 1 am ready to devote my
SÊ days to the painful occupations -of government!, until Pro-
“ vidence fhall fummon me to follow him.” Then, after a
fhort paufe„ ihe artfully added, « I f the great-duke will pro-
fit by my inftroptions, perhaps I fhall have the confolation,
rtf during my wretched widowhood, of forming for you an
“ emperor worthy of the blood and the name of him whom
“ you have now irretrievably loft.”— “ As -this crifis,” re-
* T h e Aultrian .envoy fa y s , that the Baffiswitz Mft *elates the g rief , o f the
-guards received each £6. -emprefs, which he, on the contrary, like a
. f . “ Tli.e,fameperfona<&rts.thatCatha- Crue.caoj-tier, affirms to have bein -real,
rnie,although fliefecretlyrejoicedatPeter’s «< Iofen'fible J l tout autre fentirnent qu'à
•“ death, played the facce,¡uJmirahly ; ¿he “ c e lu i,deit’affliaion, Piwporatrice n’avait
ceaffd not her lamentations and groans., pas quitté fon cjlévét .de trois nuits.”
“ f i l e fepeatediy kitted the body ; fcreamed Anti again,
a nd fwooned without.-cealing.; fo th a trh e “ .Catharine, au lieu de hâter,fes pas,vera
“ by-ftanders,whowere,not acquainted with “ eux et le feeptré, embraflbit vainement
-“ the real « a te o f the circumftaace, were “ -fon Epòux agonifant,qui nela connoifibit
« moved with compaffioq, while the,others “ plu s, e t ne pouvoit.s’cn détacher. - Ibid,
-“ coulai hardly refrain from laughing/’ IX. p. V75. et feq
M / H i l t . M a g .X L .p . 497. . /f