b o o k no other alternative than felf-deftruclion, or an immediate
s— furrender. His preference o f the latter may be attributed
to the impulfe o f the moment, or rather perhaps to the cool
intrepidity o f his character. He had ventured his. life and
fortunes upon one riik o f extreme hazard, and when that
failed him, he knew and. was prepared for the worft, and
fullenly reiigned himlelf to his fate : but after all, it is ¡too
much to expeft that we fhould juftify the conduit o f an en-
thuiiail, in the moment of difappointment and deipair, upon
the principles o f found judgement and deliberate reafon*.
His daring infolence before the committee, and his calm
indifference at the place of execution, are, it is alledged, not
to be accounted for, but upon the fuppoiition that he affedted
the former behaviour, in order to prevent the idea o f any
colluiion ; and the latter, becaufe h e ‘was .fecure o f a pardon:
it is furmized, therefore, that he was only to lay down his
head upon the block, and that a reprieve was to be :ready at
* I-eanuot. in this p la c e a v o id c it in g a
p a fia g e from an anonymous a u th o r , who
iu ppofes a co llu iio n between M iro v itch and
th e co u r t : “ A p rè s u n fi noble e x p lo it M r s .
“ W la f ie f 8c T c h e k in je tten t ; l e corps du
“ p rin c e affaiflnè devant la. p o r te e.t pa ru n
“ effet m ira cu leu x MiroVitz , qui ne cônoijfoït
ic alors le prince Ivan que de. nom; le reconnoit
“ dans ce moment pour fon empereur non objlant
le brouillard épais/* A ftrange objeéUon !
a s i f , becaufe M iro v itch was p o t acqua inted
'w i th th e perfon o f Ivan, he lîiou ld not k n ow , 1
o r at le a ll belie ve , th e dead b ody to be h is ,
w hen the gua rds cried o u t , “ H e re is. you r
“ em p e ro r ,” C o u ld he-conceive th e y had '
mu rth e red art innocent p e r fo g , m ere ly w ith
th e view o f delu ding Kim ? A n d were, pot
th e doors o f th e apartment .thrown o p e n ,'
and h e a t full lib e r ty to fearch and fa tis fy
h im le lf ? A n o th e r pa ffage from t h f fame
a u th o r h iu il be mentioned fo r its g la rin g
fa lfify : “ L e co u p inattendn le frappa
“ tellement q u ’ il témoigné fon rep en tir et
“ fon affliction a tou te fa t rou p e , ie ren d
“ priforinier ; e t de toute f a garde qui etriit
s complice du mime crime, lui f e u l qui en eft ie
“ ch e f eft arrete et lui f e u l en ell puni.". T h e -
reader w ill be able to ju d g e whether th e
fokliers who affifted M iro y jtch w ere eq u a lly
g u ilty w ith him ; and w h e th e r h e was th e
only perfon arre ited, and th e only p erfoh
p nnilhed. T h e a u th p r o f the above maiee
voietit p a ra g rap h d id 'n o t k n ow , p e rh a p s ,
th a t , b y the law s .o f R u ffia ,.c ap ita l penalties
a re feldom in f lia e d j. o r th a t th e accom.-
'plices o f M iro v itch were feverely puntilied.
W em ja y remind h im , th a t e v en ,in the reb
ellion o f P u g a tc h e f , th a t imp oitor an d
fo u r o f his p r in c ipa l confederates w ere th e
on ly perfons who fuffered .death ■ the p th e r
rebels w e re ‘kno'oted and condemned to h a rd
lab ou r and imprifoament. T h e c a u fem u it
he v e ry bad indeed, when its defenders ha ve
l-ecourfe to fu ch frivo lo u s objections, and
fu ch g la r in g falfeh oeds. f t t e Pieces conr
cc rnant la mort du Prin c e Iv an .
the
the place o f execution. To this I briefly anfwer, that it is c flAr.
not to be conceived by what promifes !a man could poflibly <■_y‘ ,
be perfuaded to hazard himfelf in fo critical a ftate. What
could indace him to riik his life under a momentary broke,
to be given or fufpended by a power extremely interefted in
his deftrudtion ? for the dead betray nothing; and his .death,
would preclude all difcovery o f fo infamous a tranfadtion ;
and thefe ftrange fuppoiitions are advanced, as i f no rebel
was ever undaunted during tria l; nor any malefactor ever
met death with firmnefs and even indifference.
III. With refpect to the third proof, which refts upon the
previous orders to the officers Vlafief and Tchekin, their execution
o f thofe orders, and their promotion in confequence, I
clearly and deciiively reply, that fuch orders were not peculiar
to the guards o f Ivan ; they are always given to thofe who
are appointed to fecure llate-prifoners o f any confequence
in Ruffia; they are to be juftified generally upon reafons
o f ftate ; nor were they invented upon the prefent occafion.
During the whole reign of Elizabeth, this precaution had
always been taken; and in the prefent inftance the orders
were renewed whenever the perfons entrufted with the care
o f Ivan were changed.
But, in fuppoit of this third proof, it is further alledged,
that the officers were too precipitate in difpatching the prince ;
they might have conveyed him to fome place o f greater fe-
curity when the confpirators had been repulfed in their firft
onfet. But whither could they convey him ? they could not
conceal him in the fortrefs, or remove him from the iflandv
There could be no apartment more fecure than that in
which he was confined; and even i f they had attempted to
remove him, the ihortnefs o f the interval between the firft
and fecond affault would have prevented them. The aflail-
^ ants