COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

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others had their fhoulders diflocated by a cord and pulley, and In that painful pofturereceived the knoot: many after undergoing the knoof, were roafted over a flow fire,the raw parts being expofed to the flame *. Phyficians were prefent to afcertain thedegree of pain which the unhappy convicts were capable of fupporting, and to recoverthofe who had fainted, that the application of freik tortures might recommence with therenewal of their llrength. This dreadful inquifition was continued, without intermiflion,throughout the whole of month of October. Not onlv every fpecies of punifliment,the molt refined which human cruelty could devife, was inflicted in order to extort anaccufation of Sophia ; but promifes of pardon, and even of great promotion, were of-fered for the fame purpofeto the wretched fufferersin themidft of the moll; excruciatingagonies f.

At length a few of the Strelitz J, overcome by the feverity of the torments, orfeduced by hopes of pardon and the promife of promotion, 'confefied an intention tofet fye to the (ifliurbs of Mofcow, to maflacre all foreigners, to banilh or alfaffinatethe principal nobility, to raife the Tzarovith Alexey to the throne, and to appointSophia regent during his minority; others declared that the ringleaders had drawnup a petition, which they intended to prefent to that Princefs, praying her to acceptthe adminillration of affairs.

Although none of the rebels charged Sophia with being acceffary to their infurrec-tion, yet Peter was fo prejudiced againft her that he put to the torture one of her fe-male attendants j and when no evidence of guilt could be procured by that horrid ex-pedient, even examined her in perfon. The Princefs, whofe high fpirit was fubduedby her misfortunes, and worn out by a long confinement, could not refrain fromweeping at the fight of her obdurate brother; and even extorted tears from Peterhimfelf, though without melting his refentment §. But neither this, nor every othereffort employed to convidt her, was attended with fuccefs; and the only proof of herfecret correfpondence with the rebels was derived from the confeflion of a boy be-longing to an officer of the Strelitz, who declared, that letters inclofed in loaves ofbread had paffed between Sophia and his mafter ||. The officer, however, peremp-torily denied the fa£t even upon the rack, and was led to execution, perfifting to thelafl moment in this affeveration. The cafe feems to be, that the innovations' of Petercreated a confiderable number of malcontents ; that the introduction of the Eui'opeandifcipline, and his partiality to the foreign regiments, inflamed the difaffeftion of theStrelitz to fuch a degree as to account for their rebellion, without fuppofing anycabals on, the part of Sophia; that fhe had long been the object of affedtion to all theenemies of Peter, and was naturally the perfon to whom they would coiifign the ad*miniftration had the revolt been attended with fuccefs.

* It appears from Olearius, and other travellers Into Ruffia, that thefe tortures were ordinarily ufediin that country for the purpofe of forcing confeflion.

f This account is extradted from the Diary of Korb, (vol i. p. 149.) fecretary of the Auftrian em-bafly to Ruffia in 1697, who was prefent at Mofcow during thefe horrid proceedings. He received in-formation from feveral German officers in the fervice of Peter, who were eye-witneffes. Korb’s authorityis alfo to be depended on in this inttance, becaufe he fpeaks highly in favour of Peter, and condemns theambition of Sophia. Gordon alfo, though fo partial to Peter, informs us, that the rebels were tortured andexamined in his prefence. 4 “ Quorundam pertinacia denum vifta. Korb.

§ “ Ad nionafterium Neo virginum difceffit Tzarus, ut fororem fuam Sophiam, diclo monafterioimclufam, examinaret; publice enim nuperi tumullus vulgo rea habebatur : primus utriufque introitusuberrimas amborum lacrymas excivifle dicitur.” Korb.

| Gordon, vol. i. p.129, 130.

Peter