| bo ok « fhould exert himfelf to aggrandize his flate, and to reir-
. . <t der it flouriffiing during his life; but he ought alio by
“ wife precautions Jto perpetuate its glory after his demife,
“ which can in no other manner be effectuated than by ap-
tt pointing an heir who ihall be capable, not only to main-
tt tajn his acquifitions and preferve his eftabliihments, but
tt ajfo to execute the reft of his defigns, were he even to
t< feletft, him from the croud of his fubje6ls.’ .. You,’ added he,
tt t would tax a prince with cruelty, who, in order to fave
“ his ftate, which ought to be dearer to him than the blood
tt in his veins, fhould attempt to alter the fucceffion of his
tt blood; and I, on the contrary, conceive it to be the grcatcft
tt of all cruelties to facrifice the fafety of the ftate to the
■ u mere right of an' eftabliihed fucceffion-'; Let us fuppofe
tt that the fucceffor has not the qualities requifite for a fove-
tt reign, a convent, and not a throne, is,a proper afylum for
tt weak princes. David, for example, had many Lons, but,
tt as he found not in the eldeft the qualities Which a king of
tt Ifrael ought to have poffeffed, he chofe the youngclt for his
tt fucceffor: God himfelf approved tli.e choice, inftead of
tt blaming him for not paying any regard to preterifioris of
tt primogeniture, which was neverthelefs highly rcl pecicd b y
tt the Jews. If the gangrene (making me touch at the fame
tt time the end of his thumb) attacks my finger, am I not
tt obliged, notwithftanding it is part of my body, to cut it off,
tt or fhould I not be guilty of fuicide ?’
tt In ffiort, I now comprehend the caufe of the law lately
tt introduced by the tzar, which adjudges all real eftates of a
tt family to one of the male children, but which leaves to the
tt father the abfolute power of appointing his heir without
44 conlidering the right of primogeniture; and I am now
tt convinced
tt convinced that the tzar has in his own mind decreed the
tt exclufion of his eldeft fon ; and that we ihall one day fee'— .— <
tt Alexèy with his head fhaven thruft into a monaflery, and .
44 obliged to pafs the remainder of his life in praying and
t£ chanting hymns.’ ? Nov. 15, 17 15.”
The prophecy of this writer was afterwards fulfilled,
though, inftead of being fhut up in a ’convent, the wretched
prince expired in a prifon. The circumftances which oc-
cafioned his exclufion and death are well known ; but as
we have received them through the medium of his accu-
fers, we ought to be very careful in giving credit to all the
charges with which his memory has been ftigmatized. One
facft* is'incontrovertible, that his education was moft ffiame-
fully neglected, and that he was a ftranger to the reftraints
neceffary at his age, until the time of introducing proper habitudes
had al moft elapfed. He was com mitted to the care
of women, and to the inftruftion of the Ruffian priefts, the
loweft and moft ignorant of men, who inftilled into him all
the prejudices of their religion, and were continuallyinveigh-
ine againft his father for the abolition of many barbarous
cuftoms, which they had long confidered with a reverential
awe. Nor was he releafed from this wretched fpecies o f
tuition before the eleventh year of his age, .wllen Baron Huy-
fen, a man of great merit and ability, was. appointed his governor.
Under this judicious inftrucftor he feems to have-
made no inconfiderable progtefs, and his early prejudices,
might have gradually worn away i f prince Menzikof had-
not contrived to remove from him the only perfon who was
likely to inftill into him proper principles of sótion, and:
taken upon himfelf the fuperintendence of his education..
* Sqe Meiupife abregé fur La vie clu. tzarevitch Alexei'Petrovitch- in B’uC-HiiL. Magft.