CHAP. XV.

SWEDEN, DENMARK, POLAND, RUSSIA, AND TURKEY, FROM 1700 TO AD. 1725.

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HE fatigue of looking a long way back for ftriking events, and occurrences of confequence fufficient to detain the reader's willing Retrospection, now changes to the fear of suffering such facts to escape as have engaged thofe very readers, or their immediate parents, in pur fuits of confequence to prefent happiness or mifery. Difcourfe of long paft ages feems to die away as does the diftant roar of dafhing waters, and the reversed perspective long stretched out to catch remote tornados, alters now; and fhews men ftruggling with new entanglements, the fhifting fail of fudden filly paffion, and the under current of concealed interest. When the fea threatens to run high, however; the little petrels long fluttering round fome large majeftick veffel, drop for fecurity into her ample wake, where for a while an artificial calm gives them conveyance over the wild ocean, and opportunity to look around. So feels the author of this Syllabus, while following Mufcovy's immortal Czar to empire and to fame. We have not time indeed to take his road, but seize at best a momentary advantage from that vast freight of glory which he gained, by means that would most strangely have retarded the courfe of any other prince but only him. By studying to obey he learned to command; and as foon as the death of his brother Ivan had left him no partner in the feat of fupreme power, he put the crown as 'twere into commiffion, and voluntarily entered himself, while of the coarfe college held by fharp adverfity in partneryoung, fhip with labour. A drummer now in his own regiment, Peter studied a foldier's duties, and led a foldier's life; by merit rifing foon VOL. II.

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to be a ferjeant, he knew how to punish breach of discipline, and quickly faw 'twas that alone which rendered armies formidable in fight, or gave renown to thofe that led them on. Brave, but considering bravery alone as a mere fingle attribute among many far less indispensable to generals or kings, this extraordinary perfonage appeared to feel that his own fubjects were as yet only his fellow barbarians, yet he felt too that they might one day be all which humanity can boast on earth-scholars, foldiers, chriftians; they were yet far from all. The Greek church was indeed profeffedly the church establishment of Mufcovy, but fo ill were the Scriptures understood, their Patriarch forbid all fmoaking of tobacco, as a crime against Heaven, while drinking to excess was pardoned and encouraged," because, (faid he) "the brandy goes down a man's throat, the fmoke comes out at his "mouth, and what comes forth from the mouth 'tis that defiles a "man." So much for their religion and morality. With regard to fcience, no one in Ruffia then pretended to it: the comet which appearing in 1680, remained visible till March 1681, and engaged the attention of England, France, and Italy, while Newton and Halley, Caffini and De La Hire, ftudied its course, and counted its steps by trigonometry, finding its distance one femi-diameter only of the th, not the earth's orbit, when at its clofeft degree of proximity, the poor Mufcovians burned in their capital an ambaffador's fecretary who calculated an eclipfe of the fun. Even fimple arithmetick was unknown, and Voltaire feems to think the accounts of their fovereign's treasury were kept with no greater accuracy than a Mexican quipos : he is, however, delighted to find out how they carry their ideas of existence as a nation seven thousand two hundred and seven years back, as if the chronology of fuch enquirers could be worth recording, who to turn away this terror of the fky, this unaccounted-for appearance which affrighted them, had recourse to forcery and magick arts, scarcely reproved by the patriarch himself, around whofe horse they clung for fafety, and proftrated themselves beneath its feet. Peter refolved wifely

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on his difmiffal, with whom, more than with brother John, he had fhared authority, but Ruffia was not ripe for fuch a measure.

An embaffage was fent to Amfterdam, and in the train of his ambaffador went Peter's felf-arrived in Holland, he refolved to catch the fpirit of the country, and he caught it: entering their docks as a working carpenter, Michaelhoff by name, he learned how to conftruct and man a trading veffel; but fancying more might yet be gleaned from us, concerning fhips of war, he croffed to England, and remained incog. a labourer at Chatham and at Plymouth: a school for mathematical and nautical knowledge at a small town in Kent, boasts him an inmate for the purposes of ftudy, and one would think the man had known he was to have lived and reigned for fifty years, when he paffed nine of them thus in abfolute improvement, and close, though coarfe educatian. Delicacy however, will not be learned in a dock-yard, nor was refinement likely to refult from practice of a foot-foldier's life in camp or town. When Peter married he difliked his confort, and after fhe had brought her fon Alexis, the emperor fhut her in a convent, where The remained till death. The Strelitzers revolted, and he broke them; "There fhall (fays he) be no more Strelitzers to rebel." With these he furely took the shortest way, however with himself he had chosen the longeft; but when got home he had no more time to lose. Patkul had fled from Charles eleventh's feverity, and found a kind reception from Auguftus, elector of Saxony, an active character, to whom this brave deferter reprefented the cafe of conquering Livonia from his fucceffor (a youth whofe crown was fcarcely warm upon his head) if they could gain affistance from the Czar. Peter deferred his projects of improving in hopes of aggrandizing his enormous territory; but those who write his life place it to wifer motives. Having watched and admired the greatnefs of his mind, 'tis natural they fhould difcover no dark corners in it, but Retrospection is not hiftory. We have feen all princes in all ages yield to the temptation of making war without the remote meaning of teaching their rough troops the martial art, and

Peter was not proof against sudden temptations of any kind. To this warm one he willingly yielded, made a firm league with Frederick IV. of Denmark, and Auguftus, known by name of Le Saxe Galant, and marched fixty thoufand men against Ingria. They marched like Cerberus to meet young Hercules-" Tres contudit itu," cried Charles of Sweden, and hafted to defend that which had fallen to him by fair inheritance. At fourteen years of age this sturdy prince being at a review looked ،، What occugrave and difcompofed, but would not fpeak. "Does not the pies your majesty's thoughts fo?" faid Count Piper,

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fight of fuch brave men amufe you ?"-" I think," replied the boy, they are brave men, and fo I think am I, or fhall be foon: I "think too, we are all under command of a woman-'tis therefore I "look grave, and fo may you."

The regent heard and hafted to diveft herself of that authority fhe could not keep: for Charles the eleventh, who defpised his wife, revered his mother Hedwiges fo highly, he had left all in her hands till his fon fhould attain eighteen years, whereas in Sweden kings came of age at fifteen by old ufages. It is not good, and hardly ever wife, to take away the bloom from early life: Charles was of age at fifteen years 'tis plain. Before the term his father had prescribed him, this young hero had turned his arms on his foft mother's family, on Denmark ; where Christiern the fifth's long and happy reign peacefully succeeded their Frederick the third's quiet one; disturbed chiefly by that tremendous fire at Copenhagen, which deftroyed two hundred habitations of nobility, having begun upon the spot round which they were chiefly built, the Opera houfe. 'Twas on that occafion an accident befel, which, ornamented by the Tatler, has beguiled me and all my readers of many a tender tear. See No. 94.

But 'twas in anno Domini 1700, that Frederick IV. brother to illufed Ulrica, fate on a throne shaken by his fifter's child, fcarcely fifteen years old, and ran for refuge to Auguftus of Drefden and Peter of Ruffia, whofe triple alliance was but viewed with scorn by Charles, who, read

ing Quintus Curtius, fighed for power, that he might conquer all the world, he faid-" For I have as good health as Alexander had (continued he) and more leifure for the work." In fact, fix weeks war completely wearied the first of his competitors, the uncle: his fleet uselefs, his troops beaten, his capital threatened with immediate bombardment. "One of our barking curs is filenced now," quoth the nephew, and contented himself with accepting homage, forbearing the deftruction of a parent's houfe. Poland's new king, the elector of Saxony, was drinking merrily the while with his ally the Czar; but their antagonist who rarely cat flesh meat, and never quenched his thirft except with water, having finished his Danish expedition, threw unexpected fuccours into Riga, and ran to meet their overloaded army before the town of Narva, in November. A fharp and minute fnow drove in the faces of the Ruffian foldiers, who had befides quarrelled with thofe of Auguftus, that now on day of battle thwarted and reproached them, whilft the foul air covering the Swedes' fmall numbers, and affifting their efforts, gave them the victory, though not exceeding nine thoufand effective men. Proud of their prince, rejoicing in his glory, the conquerors cared too little for their foes: Count Piper faid, the prifoners were so numerous, 'twere better let the favage fellows go, after reproaching them their aukwardness and fmall acquaintance with the arts. of war. "We are incumbered by them," cried the king, "let them repafs "the river if they will." Of thefe troops, many thousands (then well difciplined) contributed to gain the battle of Pultowa, under their wife and pertinacious Czar, who obferved after his defcat at Narva, "That "it was true the Swedes had been victorious, but by fuch beating, "Ruffia would learn to conquer." To put her in a posture of defence, instead of crying to their tutelary faint by the blafphemous appellation of, Omnipotent and infinitely great Saint Nicholas, Peter foon fet them to melt cannon, and begged three thousand men from Denmark, but Frederick durft not comply. From Charles's threatening afpect and discourse, half Europe fhrunk affrighted. 'Twas his intent, he