44 T .X 4 V .T E S I 'N T O R U' Sr S I 'A:
b o o k a t night that he fir ft hinted his- intention to-three corporals -
j > and two foldiers, who, though they- all at-firft pofitively refufed
to join him,, yet,.by the affiftance of Pifkof, and by his-
own artful perfuafions, were at length-.pre-vail-ed- upon to favour
his defigns. But although they confented to affift:
him, yet they could not be induced to ait -with that determined,
refolution which the:circumftance& required. On thfe
contrary, they continued waverings and were fb tfaggcred -
with the danger, that they propofed to defer, the enterprise ■
until a more convenient opportunity iliould OGcur : * Miro-■
vitch at firft artfully appeared toyield to their fears ; but
between one and two .in the morning he fuddenly. renewed
his felicitations,'.when, incapable of- refilling, his plaufible
manner, the diftribution he-naade among them o f feme mo>-
ney, the. promife o f more, the. expedition-, o f g.reafi promo- -
tion, and his authority, as commanding: officer, they were
precipitately hurried on to engage heartily in the- prqjedty and i
to fecond his attempt.
Having thus fecured the.affiftance-of-fix per-fons,- he loft
not a moment in Summoning about forty of. the foldiers fta--
tioned in that part of the fortrefs, fome. o f whom were afleep I
and others upon guard, and under pretence o f an order from
the emprefs, he commanded them to load their pieces with -.
ball, and to follow him : then, before they could be at all
aware of his intention,, he led them towards the apartment
o f Ivan. In his way he was met by Berednikof the governor;
This officer had already retired to reft,-but being alarmed by one
of the guards, had haftily drafted h imfe lf; and accofting Mi-
rovitch commanded him to declare the caufe- o f the diftur-
bance. Mirovitch returned no anfwer ; but, ftriking him-
upon the forehead with the but-end of his mulket, delivered
him
HI S T O R Y OF PRI 'NC T IVAN.
him a prifoner to feme of his party ; and with -the? remainder c ? * p'
advanced to a wooden-gate which guarded the paffage lead-'— .— ;
ing to the prince’s apartment;. He demanded admittance;
hut meeting with a pofitive refufal from the centinels, he
ordered his followers tmdifcharge their mufk-etsy and to force
their way : they obeyed, and the centinels returned >the fire.,
The fokliers, deceived by Mirovitch, had expected no oppofi-
tion: furprized, therefore, and alarmed at the refiftance o f the
centinels, they retired with precipitation,' netwithftanding
all the efforts o f their leader, .and infifted'upon feeing the
order-of the emprefs.-. Mirovitch immediately read to them
a-paper whieh-he -had forged ; at the bottom o f which he
had Counterfeited the imperial- fignature; and as-it -was no
difficult matter to deceive fuch ignorant- men, few o f whom
could-read/ he- prevailed upon-them'by entreaties, promifes,
and threats, i-nftantly to make a-fecond attempt;. During
this fhort interval, a cannon had been-drawn'from one o f
the baftions, which -Mirovitch himfelf' pointed againit the
paffage leading to the prince?s apartment, When the door
was fuddenly opened, and-the whole party luffered to. enter
without- oppofitiora,.
Upon the firft attempt o f Mirovitchy V lafief and- Tchekin
had difperfed theaffailants by-ordering the centinels to fire;
* I t is difficulty at this- di fiance .of/time-, t r u f t . t h i s fuppofi tion is can firmed b y the
Icr¡find bu t the contents of*1 this p ap e r tout violent abiife-'vvhich the foldiers, upon th tir
it,appe ared , from th^examination-.of M irq -~ r e tu rn to make th e fecond a t ta c k , th rew
v itch and his alfociates, to have been o b - o u t again ft thefe tw o .officers, N ik ita L e -
fcurely' ■ d raw n a ip . .As" he alferted that.'what- bedefi, th e next in command :to M iro v itc h ,
he read to them iifued from ;the,emprefs, he was th e o n ly perfon who perceived that the
could hot la y open his defigti; of> re leafing o rde r was counterfeited-; an d , th o u gh he
Ivian. j and probably the p a p e r .contained did not aftift M iro v itch ,. h e was afterwards
only an order to rake the p r in c e from under pupifhed fo r not h a vin g difcovered the im - -
th e .cu fto d y o f V la f ie f and T c h t k in , who po fition to th e mifg,uided foldiers. •
» ligh t b e re prefen ted as b etraying, th e i r .
6 but: