the Tortures made ufe of in that City, had not been fufficient to discover the whole Truth of that Affair, nor would they have been able to draw more Light from the remaining Prisoners, had not the Mystery been unravelled by intercepted Letters, which were found fewed up in the Cloaths of certain Perfons. The Czar therefore faw himself neceffitated to establish a second High Court of Juftice, and to this End to convoke the chief of the Ruffian Clergy with all poffible Speed to Peterburgh. They being all arrived in June, and the Czar having befides established another Court, confifting of Secular Perfons, viz. the Minifters, Senators, Governors, Generals, and the fuperior Officers of his Guards, his Majefty, for eight feveral Days, lay during fome Hours on his Knees, imploring God, with abundance of Tears, to infpire him with fuch Thoughts as the Honour of his holy Name, and the Welfare of the Ruffian Nation required: And fo on th 25th of June 1718, the Seffions of this Criminal Court were opened in the Hall of the Senate, whither his Czarish Majefty repaired, with the whole Body of the Clergy, and the Secular Judges, after firft having caufed folemn Service to be performed in the Church of the Holy Ghost, to implore God's Affiftance in this weighty Affair. The whole Affembly having taken their refpective Places at feveral Tables, the Doors and Windows were set open, in order to give free Admittance to all forts of Perfons. Upon this the Czarewitz was brought into Court, under the Guard of four Under-Officers; and upon his Appearance, his Majefty made a brief Declaration of the Caufes, why he had called them together, and ordered the following Writings to be publickly read.

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'HO' the Flight of the Czarewitz Alexis, and a Part of his Crimes be already known to the whole World, by the Manifefto which was published of them at Mofcow, on the Third of February of the prefent Year 1718, yet there are daily discovered fuch unexpected and furprising Attempts, as far furpafs what has been already published; and fhew with what Baseness and Villany the Prince endeavoured to impofe upon his Sove

reign and Father, what grievous Perjuries he committed against God, with the imaginary Illness he feigned, to prevent an Inquiry into his ill Practices, and the Difcovery of his pernicious Intrigues. All this fhall be laid open with Perfpicuity and Order, by giving a full Account of the Matter from its firft Beginning.

The Czarewitz Alexis had hardly attained to the Age of Reafon before his Czarian Majefty, his Father, employed all forts of Means to form his Mind for managing the Affairs of the Government, and to inftruct him in the Art of War, as is related in the Manifefto of Mofcow. The fame Cares were continued for feveral Years without any Benefit, or Progrefs. His Majefty expected his Amendment from Day to Day, by a Change of Conduct, and an Alteration of Manners; but obferving the Prince oppofed himself to all his good Defigns, he declared to him his Intentions by Writing, and demanded of him his laft Refolution. Thus in the Year 1715, on the 11th of October, upon his Return from the Funeral of the Princess of the Crown, efpoufed to the Czarewitz, his Czarian Majefty went in Perfon to the Prince, and gave him the following Writing.

You

A DECLARATION to my SON.

YOU cannot be ignorant of what all the World is acquainted with, under how fevere an Oppreffion the People groaned from the Swedish Yoke, before the Beginning of the prefent War.

By the Ufurpation of fo many maritime Places, which were neceffary to our State, they cut us off from all Commerce with the rest of the World, and we saw with Regret, that they had alfo caft a Veil before the Eyes of the Cleareft-fighted. You know very well what Pains it has coft us in the Beginning of this War, (in which God alone has led us, as it were by the Hand, and whose Providence ftill conducts us) to gain Experience, and oppofe ourselves to the Advantages which our irreconcileable Enemies had gained over us.

We fubmitted to this Trial with Refignation to the Will of God; not doubting but that it was he who laid it upon us, till he had brought us in a good Way, and

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we were accounted worthy to prove by Experience, that the fame Enemy, before whom we have formerly trembled, could alfo tremble in his Turn, and perhaps with a feverer Terror. These are the Advantages, which, next to the Divine Affiftance, we owe to our Labours, and the Labours of our faithful and affectionate Children, our Subjects of Ruffia.

But whilst I reflect upon the Prosperity which God has heaped upon our Country, if I turn my Eyes upon the fucceeding Generation, my Heart is more fill'd with Grief at the future Profpect, than I enjoy Satisfaction for the past Bleffing, whilft I obferve you, my Son, to reject all the Means that may render you capable_of governing well upon my Decease. 1 charge your Incapacity upon your want of Inclination, as you cannot excufe yourself by any Defect in your Understanding or Strength, as tho' God had not favoured you with fuch Abilities. For tho' you are not of the most robuft Complexion in the World, yet you cannot complain of a weak Difpofition.

To talk of the Exercises of the War is burthenfome to you, tho' it is by them we have emerged from our former Obfcurity, and made ourselves known and esteemed by all the Nations around us.

I would not advise you to make War without a lawful Caufe; all that I afk of you, is to apply yourself to learn the Art of War: For it is impoffible to govern well, without knowing the Rules of Military Difcipline, tho' it should be no otherwise useful than in the Defence of our Country.

I could lay before your Eyes a great number of Examples, to confirm you in the Truth of what I fay; but I fhall only mention to you the Greeks, with whom we are united in the Profeffion of the fame Faith. From whence came the Fall of their Empire, unless from the Neglect of Arms? It was Idleness and Indolence which weakened them, and made them a Prey to Tyrants, and fubject to that Slavery they have fo long groaned under.

You are much mistaken, if you think it is fufficient for a Prince to have good Generals to act under his Com. mand. All Mens Eyes are fixed upon the King; his

Inclinations are ftudied and purfued, as all the World perceives. My Brother, for inftance, during his Reign, was fond of Magnificence in Drefs, and took Delight in Horses. This was by no means the Taste of the Country; but the Inclination of the Prince foon gained Ground among his Subjects, who are led to imitate him in what he loves, as they difregard what he hates.

If the People are fo eafily given to change in an Affair of Pleasure, will they not be apt to forget, in course of Time, and even more easily abandon the Use of Arms, which cannot be exercised without fome Labour and Pains, if they are not conftantly inured to it?

You have no Inclination to learn the Business of War, nor apply yourself to it, and confequently can never poffibly be acquainted with it: How then can you command over others, and judge of the Reward which they deserve who do their Duty, or punish those who neglect it? You can do nothing of yourself, and will be obliged to judge by the Eyes and Affiftance of another, like a helpless Bird who is fed by its Dam.

You urge, that your Want of Health will not allow you to fupport the Fatigues of War; but this Excufe is no better than the reft. I do not require Fatigues from you; I should only be glad to see fuch an Inclination in you which is not in the Power of Sickness to prevent: Enquire of those who lived in my Brother's Reign; his Health was far more indifpofed than ever yours was; he was utterly unable to manage a rough Horse, and could hardly mount one; but he loved Horfes, and for this Reason there never was, and perhaps never will be again in the Country, fo fine a Stable as he had.

You fee by this, that Succefs does not always depend upon Labour, but upon Inclination.

If you think, that the Affairs of fome Princes are attended with Succefs, tho' themselves be not present in the War, you are certainly in the right; but tho' they be not prefent, their Inclination is there, and it is the Bufinefs they understand.

For instance, the late King of France did not always make War in Perfon; but every one knows how fond he was of Military Expeditions, and how many glorious Exploits

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Exploits he performed, fo that his Campaigns have been named the Theatre and School of the World. Nor was his Inclination confined only to Military Affairs; he had Regard alfo to Mechanick Arts, Manufactures, and other Eftablishments, which have rendered his Kingdom more flourishing than thofe of his Neighbours.

And now, after these Remonftrances, I return to my first Subject, which concerns you.

I am a Man, and by confequence muft die; and whom fhall I leave behind me to finish what, by God's Grace, I have begun, and preferve what, in part, I have received? A Man who, like the Sluggard in the Gofpel, hides his Talent in the Ground, and neglects to exert the Faculties which God has given him.

Call to mind the Obftinacy of your Temper, and the Perverfeness of your Difpofition. How often have I reproached you with them, and even corrected you for them and for how many Years have I defifted from fpeaking any longer of them? But all has been to no purpofe, and my Reproofs have been fruitless. I have only loft my Time and beaten the Air. You do not fo much as ftrive to grow better; and all your Satisfaction feems to confift in Laziness and Inactivity. What you ought to be moft afhamed of, as being a real Mifery, you feem to be delighted with, without foreseeing the dangerous Confequences attending upon it, with Reference both to yourfelf and the whole State. It is a great Truth St. Paul hath taught us, when he fays, If a Man cannot govern his own Family, how shall be be able to govern the Church of God?

After having confidered all these Inconveniences, and reflected upon them, as I fee I have not been able to engage you by any Motives to do as you ought, I have judged it convenient to lay before you in Writing this Act of my laft Will, refolving ftill to wait a little longer before I come to a final Execution of my Purpose, to try whether you will amend or no; if not, be affured that I'll deprive you of the Succeffion, and cut you off as an unprofitable Member.

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