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Peter was extremely exafperated againft Sophia, and once determined to put her todeath; but having changed his refolution, compelled her to afl'ume the veil. Toftrike her with terror, and announce to the public that he thought her privy to therebellion, two hundred and thirty Strelitz were hanged withing fight of the nunneryin which Ihe was confined, and three of the ringleaders fufpended upon a gibbet ereCtedclofe to the window of her apartment * ; they held in their hands petitions fimilar tothat which, according to the confeilion of the Strelitz, was to have been prefented toSophia.
From this period hiftory is filent in relation to Sophia : fhe was confined under aftriCt guard in the monaftery until her death, in July 1704. She was interred in thechurch of the convent; the tomb is covered with a black cloth, and contains this in-fcrfption: “ A. M. 7212 (or 1704 of the Chriftian sera) on the third of July, diedSophia Alexiefna, aged forty-fix years, nine months, and fix days ; her monadic namewas Sufanna. She had been a nun five years, eighth months, and twelve days: fliewas buried the fourth in this church, called the Image of Smolenfko. She was daugh-ter of Alexey Michaelovilch, and of Maria Ilinitchna.”
Although Peter always fufpeCted the intrigues of his filler, yet he never failedpaying a juft tribute to her genius and abilities. “ What a pity,” he was frequentlyheard to fay, “ that fhe persecuted me in my minority, and that I cannot repofe anyconfidence in her! otherwife, when I am employed abroad, fhe might govern athome f.”.
One ftriking feature in Sophia’s character, which I had no opportunity of mention-ing, while my inquiry was chiefly confined to her political conduct, muft not beomitted. She deferves the veneration of pofterity for patronizing perfons of geniusand learning, and encouraging, by her own example, the introduction of polite litera-ture into Ruflia, then plunged in the deepeft ignorance. At a period when there wasno national theatre, and when the loweft buffooneries, under the name of moralities ,■were the foie dramatic reprefentations even at court, this elegant Princefs tranflated theMedecin malgre Ini of Moliere into her native tongue, and performed one of the cha-racters herfelf. She alfo compofed a tragedy, probably the firft extant in the Ruffianlanguage; and flie compofed it at a time when the molt violent cabals were excitedagainft her miniftry, and when the molt weighty affairs feemed to engrofs her foieattention.-
* Gordon, p.95, 1.30. Korb, who faw them hanging, fays, “ Tam prope ad ipfas Sophiani cubiculifeneftras, ut Sophia eofdern rnanu facile poffet attingere.” On this occalion above two thoufand Strelitzfuffered capital punifhment. Peter broke at the fame time the whole body of Strelitz, and abolilhed theirname.
f This anecdote, which I received from Volkonlki, is confirmed by a palfage in Perry’s State ofRuffia. “ I remember that upon a certain, occafion, when mention was made of her [i. e. Sophia], theCzar himfelf gave her this charafter, that (lie was a princefs endowed with all the accomplifhments ofbody and mind to perfedlion, had it not been for her boundlefs ambition, and infatiable defire of govern-ing.” Vol. i. p. 138. x
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