coke’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
734
abandoned him to the company of the lowed wretches, by whom he was encouraged incontinual ebriety, and every kind of excefs; yet this defigning minider artfully extortedfrom the tzarovitch, in prifon, a confeffion that he was the only perfon who had takenany care of his education *.
Peter conceived an early prejudice againd his fon, and infpired him with fuch terror,that to avoid drawing before his father, the young Prince once difcharged a pidolagaind his own right hand. All perfons, however, join in condemning the imprudenceand obdinacy of Alexey, which warped his judgment, and at times tranfported him to adegree of infanity. Bruce, who knew him well, gives the following account of his per-fon and manners; and as he was not prejudiced againd him, his tedimony mud beedeemed more valid than all the laboured accufations of his enemies.
“ The Czarowitz arrived in Mofcow this winter (1714) where I law him for the firdtime. lie kept a mean Finlandilh girl for his midrefs. I went often with the Generalto wait on him ; and he came frequently to the General’s houfe, attended by very meanand low perfons. He was very flovenly in his drefs ; his perfon was tall, well made,of a brown complexion, black hair and eyes, of a dern countenance, and drong voice.He frequently did me the honour to talk with me in German, being fully mader ofthat language; he was adored by the populace, but little refpected by the fuperiorranks, for whom he never {hewed the lead regard. He was always furrounded by anumber of debauched ignorant prieds, and other mean perfons of bad character, inwhofe company he always reflected on his father’s conduct for aboliflting the antientcudoms of the country, declaring, that as foon as he came to fucceed, he {hould foonredore Ruffia to its former date; and threatening to dedroy, without referve, all hisfather’s favourites. This he did fo often, and with fo little referve, that it could notmil's reaching the Emperor ’s ears; and it was generally thought he now laid the foun-dation of that ruin he afterwards met with.”
And again, “ It was very remarkable, that the Prince never appeared at any of thepublic meetings, when His Majedy was attended by all perfons of quality and rank,luch as birth-days, celebrating of victories, launching of {hips, &c. General Bruce,who lived next door to the Prince, had orders always to give the Prince notice the daybefore of fuch public days or meetings, and I had the honour to carry and deliver themeflage ; but his Highnefs, to avoid appearing in public, either took phyfic or let blood,always making his excufe, that he could not attend for want of health; when at thefame time, it was notorioufly known that he got drunk in very bad company, when heufed condantly to condemn all his father’s aftionsf.”
Inflamed by continual drunkennefs, and worn out by perfecution, he was driven to adate of defperation ; and in 1716, fuddenly renouncing his right of fucceffion in favourof Peter’s fon by Catharine, he demanded permiffion to retire into a convent. Butfoon afterwards, adopting the advice of his principal adherents, he efcaped to Vienna ;with a view to Ihelter him from the refentment of his father, Charles VI . fent him firdto Inipruck in the Tyrol, and afterwards removed him, for dill greater fecurity, to the
* L’Evefque makes the following juft refk&ions upon this unaccountable circumftance. “ Croira-t-onquil ait fait fincerement 13 de lui-meme leloge des Joins que Menchihof avail pris de fon education ; lorfqu’an faitd’ailleurs que Menchikof approchait de lui lout au plus trots ou quatre fois par an 13 ne lui parlait qu’avec le tondu mepris le plus dur 13 le plus outrageant ? Si on le contraignit a louer le favori de Pierre, l’ami de Catharine,nepeut on pas lui avoir di&e de meme tout ce qu’en voulait lui fairs dire Hift.de Ruflie, Tom iv. p. 442.
This conjecture is greatly ftrengthened by confidering that the eulogium of Mentchikof was obtainedfrom Alexey in prifon by Tolftoe, the creature of Mentchikof.
■j- Bruce’s Memoirs, p. 100 and 127.
cadle