Nols Il} Original Memoirs of the Late Eniprefsof Ruffia. 
between noblemen and them ‘vaffals 
Should be tried before tribunals compofed 
ef Goth thefe orders; and the directed 
her whole fyftem of internal policy toa 
gradual, but complete and wniverfal 
emancipation of the Ruffian peafantry. 
‘No examples have happened in her reign 
of a wanton and cruel abufe*of abfolute 
authority for the oppreflion of indivi- 
duals. If fhe had ambition, it was the 
ambition ‘of°a truly great and elevated 
mind. Confcious of that dignity no one 
ever more defpifed the empty arts of adu+ 
lation; and when Diderot, putting him- 
felf into ’a tranfport ‘of French extafy, 
jn admiration of the grandeur and di- 
menfionsot her palace, thought to Harter 
her by adding: “ Ah, madame! mats fi 
Te palaistavoit-aifez de largeur pour con- 
temirtotis‘les heureux qu’afatt fon “pof- 
feffeur 1’? She received it with indigna- 
tion, and it coft him her favour for ever. 
She afpired not only to'the fame of vie- 
tory and congueft, but to tac more folid 
and innccent glory of ‘founding laws, of 
patronifing letters, of diffufing induftry, 
civilization, and opulence throughout her 
ydit dominions. “Her empire was flou- 
rifhine-athome ; her arms wereviétori- 
us, and her name formidable abroad. 
She may, in a ‘general point-of view, ‘be 
regarderbas-a model for ambitious princes. 
She pérformed all the duties which ‘the 
morality of ambition. preferibes ; the both 
improved and extended her empire. 
J€ we try her conduét by the purer 
eéde of reafon and humanity, even with 
all theomdnigence due'te the frailties’ of 
euricommon nature, to the allurements 
of fupreme authority, and to the fateina~ 
tions of ‘martial glory, the mott «partial 
friends to her memory will’ not sprovoke 
a dangerous ofcrutiny by indilerect enco- 
diumSow her'exemplary-condudtin thofe 
particulays. vA. prudent panegvrift will 
dwell tightlycon the/iteps by which“ fire 
mounted the throne. ‘the’ only’ pallia- 
tion) of that omreafure, which>the moft 
friendly ingenuity can fuggeit, will be 
derived from: the weasne(sandampru- 
dence of herthufband, from the evils that 
might have ariten td the empire from his 
Enjiidicious adminiftration, involving’ an 
immenfity of mifchief too large’a por- 
tion lof the -human race, and from the 
frequent ufurpations to which the ‘Ruf- 
fians had im‘a‘imanner been’ habituated 
fince the death of Peter'the Great.) He 
might urge too, that the court of Peterf- 
burgh, witha {pecious exterioriof Huro-. 
pean manners, hes fill.a ftrong taint-of 
Afiatic barbarifin, where a fettled and 
a 
crown does not impofe filence on the arm- 
‘bitious'ckatm of rival princes. But there 
are fome aéts, at the recital of which we 
fhould-fhudder, even if the {cene were 
aid in the empire of Morocco. The 
dark myfcrious fate of Prince Ivan, m 
1765, can never be obliterated from the 
annals of \her reign; and ifano lefsdif= 
malitragedy in 1775 does. not yet folly 
the page of hiftory, it is recordedim in- 
delible charaGters in-many a feeling heart. 
The blood! {pilt-in the long conceivet 
fcheme of ‘expellivg the Turks from: Bay 
rope, and fe-eftablifhing the eaftern em~ 
pire in ‘the perfon of another Conftan~ 
time, will not be -expiated-in the eyes;of 
humanity by the gigantic inagnihnceres 
of the project. » Above all, the wount 
inflacted on therprinciple of national ans 
dependence through, the fides of Polands 
the diffentions and civil wars indufire 
oufly fomented in that unhappy kuigdora 
for a period of thirty years; the-horribie 
mafiacres which atterided its final dupa 
gation, and the impious mockery of #e~ 
turning folemn thanks to heaven fer +e 
fuccefs- of ‘fuch atrocious crimes, wil-be 
a-foul-and indelible ftain upon ‘theane- 
mory of Catherine. If ever the feral 
practice of difmemberment dnd -paru- 
tion fhall prevail co'fuch an extéent.aste 
dettroy the whole fecurity of Hurepeaa 
nations, it wall) mot sbe -fengotteh, that 
Catherine’ []..gave the firft’ example am 
modern times, of bjotting a great kine 
dem-out of the. of independent dtarcs. 
Her, conduct during the prefent swar, 
has, oin -a-'political, view, - been,-hignig 
honourable ro her great talents; andy 
asmoral-view, has been-fuch asthe allied 
powers, -atdeait, have no right,to biame, 
She bas kept the Turks from falling 
upon Auftria,: prevented a-confederacy 
from taking splace sin) the north, -kepr. 
Sweden, and Prutha in-awe, -and -extr- 
pated the:deveted/ Poles. -Herpelicy was 
to exhauft-her rivals, and to-place, her- 
{elf in that firuation which England.once 
enjoyed, of ‘being the umpire of ‘the 
European ftates; and as to fidelity-and 
honour, fhe -has- been: as, faithful. to ber 
allies, as: they-have been to their prefefl. 
ed common:-caufe, and totheir pretended, 
general object. “They purfued+heir fup- 
pofed intereft at the expence tof their 
profeilions. and -engagéments,, and, the 
didno more. ‘* The princes of Europe, 
(fays Mr. Burke) were eafily-ted-to-con- 
fider' the -flames-that were confuming 
France, not asa warning to» protect 
bheir own buildings, but as a happy oc- 
CASION 
079 
invariable order of fucceffion to the 
