MOSCOW. 
197 
Constantinople “ God preserve you!” he ex- c ®£ p - 
claimed, “ what a journey ! But nothing is -* — 
difficult to Englishmen; they traverse all the 
regions of the earth. My brother,” continued 
he, “ was a traveller, and educated in your 
country, at Oxford ; but I have never been any- 
where, except at Petersburg and Moscow. I should 
have been delighted in travelling, if I had en- 
joyed the opportunity ; for books of Travels are 
my favourite reading. I have lately read,” and 
the significant smile by which the words were 
accompanied could not be misunderstood 1 , “ the 
Voyage of Lord Macartney — He laughed, how- 
ever, at the result of his brother’s education. 
“ The English” said he, “ taught him to de- 
claim, in their way: he used to preach his 
fine flourishing sermons to us Russians; very 
fine sermons! but they were all translated 
from the English. Some of your divines write 
beautifully, but with inconceivable freedom. It 
was once discussed in an English sermon, 
Whether a people had power to dethrone their 
King.” “ Your Eminence may say more,” said 
one of our party; “ we had once a prelate, 
who, preaching before his Sovereign, felt himself 
(1) The Russians exulted very much in the failure of Lord Macart- 
ney's embassy to China : and I believe it is now generally known, that 
our want of success was owing to the prompt manoeuvres of the Court 
of Petersburg , with regard to that country. 
