book From this account it appears that the prince was ftill
. 1V' , aiive when Peter, with the nobles and bifhops, remained in
the fortrefs, and that he died in the interval between their
departure and the afternoon : but it by ho means follows,
even from this ftate of the cafe, that the tzarovitch was poi—
foned. For, can we fuppofe that Peter would order a dofe
of poifon to be prepared for his fon at a cbymift’s ihop, and
that marfhall Weyde would openly fend for it without the
leaft myftery. May we not rather infer that the potion was
moft probably a medicine fimilar to thofe which had beea
already prefcribed for the prince, who had for fome time
been extremely indifpofed. The fright of the chymift
might proceed from his delivering a medicine for the tzarovitch,
who was faid to be in the agonies of death j as, in a
defpotick country, and under fuch a fovereign as Peter, his
own fafety might be involved in the event of this cataftrophe.
The agitation of marlhal Weyde will be ftill more eafily and
fatisfa&orily accounted for, if, according to Bufchirrg, he was
preparing to perform, or had already performed, the execution.
The principal circumftance which feems to contradict the
opinion that he was' beheaded, is, that If Bruce’s narrative is
to be depended upon, the prince, when he fell afterwards
into repeated convulfions, was viiited by the phyficians ;
and yet, if Bufching’s account can be relied on, he muft have
been already beheaded, as marfhal Weyde, according to
Bruce, had finally quitted the fortrefs. But it is poffible that
the phyficians, although ordered to attend upon the prince,
might be prevented from feeing h im ; it is poffible that
marfhal Weyde may have fecretly returned to the fortrefs
without the knowledge of colonel Bruce ; it is poffible that
Bruce himfelf, as being an intimate friend of marlhal Weyde,
might
might have been entrufted with the fecret, but was unwill- e15 Sp'
ing to record, in his Memoirs, fo horrid a cataftrophe, which s— .— -
was totally repugnant to the manifefto of the emperor:
and indeed it plainly appears from his narrative, that he
knew more than he chofe to difcover.
When the fecret execution of the heir apparent o f a
defpotick empire becomes the fubject of inquiry, it muft
always be difficult to afcertain the truth ; and it would be
unreafonable to expect that no contradictory circumftances-
ffiould occur in the different relations of fuch a myfterious
tranfacftion, when, even in the moft common occurrences, no
two perfons would relate the fame event precifely in the
fame manner.
Catharine is not free from fufpicion of being concerned
in this horrid affair, as well becaufe her fon by Peter was declared
fucceffor, as becaufe Tolftoi, to whom the management
of the procefs and the private examination of Alexèy
•were chiefly entrufted, was well known to be a creature of
Menzikof, whofe interefts were clofely connected with thofe
of the emprefs. But this accufation of Catharine could
be only a mere furmife, and her interference, if the really
interfered, muft have been conduced in fo fecret a manner,
as not to have been difcovered. Peter himfelf exculpated
her ; openly teftifying *, that fhe interceded for
his fon’s life, and requefted, that, inftead of being put
to death, he might be confined in a convent. Not to
mention that fuch proceedings militate ftrongly againft
the well-known humanity of Catharine ; there was no
occafion to irritate the favage temper of Peter, too much
inclined to inflift the fevereft punifhment upon his
* Baffewitz,
i fon,