BOOK returned the prince with great warmth, and putting at the fame
' ■ time his hand upon his fword.
After much altercation, the prince accufed Biron of having
forged the teftament and fignature of the emprefs; and the duke
quitted the apartment with thefe words: “ This affair, fir, is of
fuch importance, that it muft be laid before the principal nobility
of the realm.’' Repairing inftantly to his palace, he fummoned
the cabinet council, the fenate, and the principal nobility, and
acquainted them with the converfation which had paffed between
him and the prince. But when the imperial minifter, Count
Keyferling, who was prefent, endeavoured to juftify the prince,
he called the prince a liar, who had mifreprefented the converfation
; and turning to Keyferling, faid, “ we want here no ad.-
vocates, and no lawyer’s quirks j” and walking up and down the
apartment in great agitation, exclaimed, “ am I a poifoner ! or do
I contend for the throne and the fcepter !”
The princefs Anne, who had been informed of the mifunder-
ftanding, now arriving, he turned to her, and explained with
great bitternefs what had already paffed. Anne was exceedingly
affeited, and appeared to blame her huiband’s conduit. At length,
the prince himfelf being fummoned, was prevailed upon to
attend, and foon afterwards made his appearance.. Being reprimanded
by Biron, and by feveral who were prefent, in the grof-
feft terms, his highnefs at length fubmitted to demand pardon,
the tears ftarting from his eyes from this neceffary but degrading
conceffion; and the affair was hulhed up.
Soon
Soon afterwards, the regent fent a mefiage by Marihal Mu- C H A P .
nich, ordering the prince to refign his military employments, <_ _t-_, „
and not to ftir out of his chamber. But this ftate of things
could not laft long. The regent, at variance with the parents of
the emperor, fufpicious of plots forming againft him, and detefted
by the nation in general, became agitated and uneafy, felt the
precarioufnefs of his prelent lituation, paid his court with great
affiduity to the princefs Elizabeth, and feems even to have
formed the delign of marrying her to the prince, his eldeft fon,
and of railing her, or her nephew the duke of Holftein, to the
throne o f Ruffia. He was imprudent enough to declare publicly,
that if the princefs Anne was refraitory, he would fend
her and her hulband into Germany, and place the duke of Holftein
on the throne.
While he was fluctuating concerning his future conduit, and
laying plans to remove thofe who gave him umbrage, his own
ruin came from a powerful quarter which he did not expeit,
and was not prepared to refill. Marihal Munich, lecretly dif-
pleafed with the regent at not being appointed generaliffimo of
the Ruffian forces, fomented the difcontents, awakened the
fufpicions of the princefs Anne, and prevailed upon her to permit
him to arrelt the duke of Courland. His offer being accepted,
he fucceeded in fecuring the perfon o f the regent,
and arrefted him on the 18 th o f December, only twenty days
after he had been appointed to the regency. Lieutenant-co-
lonel Manftein, who was employed by Munich on that memo-
P p 2 rable