‘ 
form. 2’ polifhed aid refined education. 
Catherine, who was inftantly ftruck with 
the perfon and accomplifhments of the 
count, became greatly interefted in his 
behalf, and determined to realize the fen- 
tient of the poet : 
“ Love finds us equal, or it makes us fo.” 
Byen at this period, fhe is. thought to 
beth formed a party both againft Eliza- 
th and her own hufband. Certain it 
is, that the Chancellor Beftufcheff was 
devoted to her, and that by his means, fhe 
contrived to inveft Poniatowfky with a 
public charaéter. Thus powerfully pa- 
tronized, he returned to W arfaw, with 
Jetters to Count de Bruhl, then prime mi- 
nifter of Poland, and fpeedil y came back, 
adorned with the order of the white eagle, 
and the importaat miffion of ambaffador 
from the king and republic, 
In this new capacity he did not forget 
to pay his refpetts to the little court ut 
Oranienbaum*; and the archduche: 
was {oon after (in February, 3758) ce- 
livered of a Gasepicr who was chriftened 
by the name of the Princefs Anne; but 
lived only fix weeks. T he young pleni- 
gba J was fortunate enough to 
e a favourite with the whole of fe | arch- ° 
ducal family. | He fmoked and drank 
avith the prince ; and, at the fame time, 
gontinued to be the reigning fav ourite, 
during feveral years, with his confort. 
At length, however, the grand duke, 
who is faid to have entertained fome fut- 
icions relative to the paternity of the 
vincels Anne, began to* receive the 
“Polith. minifer; with coolnefs; and his 
wifits to the palace were, foon after, 
-awholly: interditted.. 
.. Thisy however, did not deter, but ra- 
» ther ftimulated the romantic f{pirit of the 
young Pole, who, concealing ‘the infignia 
ef the white eagle, | and diiguiling hirn- 
‘felf_as a mechanic, frequently repaired 
. to Oramenbaum, and entered the gardens 
sawhich overlogk the Gulph of Cronftadt, 
by means,of 2 key he had procured for 
that purpole.- One fummer’s evening, as 
the was paifing through an alley that led 
to a paviliton, he hay ppened tobe feen by 
-the, atehduke, who initantly recognized, 
. and gave orders to axyelthim. On being 
interrogated, he pretended to pafs fora 
43erman tayitor, who ‘had come from 
Peterfburgh to meafure his highnefs’s 
fervants for fome new liveries ; ; but, when 
-threatencd with being committed to the 


* A palace at fome diftance from the capi- 
tal, prefented to the young grand wie by 
his aunt, the Empvefs Elizabeth, 
— 
; Account of the late King of Poland, 
} empir é. 
201 
guard-houfe, and perhaps dreading the 
knout, he at length difcovered himfelf. 
On this, Peter affected to reprimand the 
officer of his guards, for his rude treat- 
ment of fo dittinguitbed a perfonage *, 
and gave orders tor his releafe.. ‘his 
advenpure, however, made fo much noife 
in the diplomatic circle, that the ambaf- 
fadovs of France and Auftria, who weve 
alarmed at the influence of the young mi- 
nifter, actually complained to the ein- 
prefs; and her majefty was prevailed 
upon to folicit the recall of a plenipoten- 
tiary, who was fuppofed to have difturbed 
the union of perfons fo illuftrious, and fo 
nearly allied to her, 
It was thus that Poniatowfky, owing 
every thing to, and lofinmg every thing 
by love, was obliged to diveft himfeif of 
his public character, and return to his 
native country and a private ftation. 
A. feries. of eeement events, however, 
foon fucceeded each other; and by agi- 
tating his hopes, confoled hi im, in fome 
meature, for his difgrace, The E umprefs 
Elizabeth, during ‘whofe reign the Ruf 
fian armies ha| encamped on the banks of 
the Rhine, and: threatened the annihila- 
tion of the Pruffian monarchy, died fud- 
denly, and was fucceeded by her nephew, 
onthe 5th of January, 1762. The cha- 
raster of the new monarch was well 
known to him, and he was aware, from 
the mafculime genius, and inordinate am- 
Hition of his confort, that fome great 


* It is but candid to obferve, that this 
adventure Is fitonently related. by M:.de 
Rulhieres. 
6c Le jeune cour dommencat donc i étre 
ouvertement divifee, quand une nuit, dans 
une maifon de compagnie, Poniatowiky, prés 
@entrer chez la grand duchefle, fans avoir 
e prétexte fur le lieu, temba entre les 
njains du mari outragé. Cet amant, mini- 
tre dune cour étrangere, reclame, dans le 
peril qui le menaeait, les droits de fon carac- , 
tereg é& le prince, qui vit dans cette-aven- 
ture, deux cours compremifes, n’ofa—trien 
prendre fur lui-méme, fit -dépofer Poniatow- | 
fky dans un corps de garde,’ S& depecha‘un 
courier au favori gui gouvernait Pempire. 
“ec La grande c te aucheff2 > fal Haut tote au dangers 
vient trouver fon Mii ly rodiae de tout awec nu 
dace, lui reprefenta ce qu aurait de facheux' & 
peut-etre funefte pour lui-meime, hi publicite 
Pune telle aventure. Elle fe/juflifia, en Tui op- 
fofant Ja maitrelje qvil avaity au fe de tout T° 
Elle promit que dornewant, elle. trai- 
terait cette fille avee tous lés egards gue fa fiertf 
lui avait refufes julqu alors, Fe. Le grand duc 
étonne par Pafcencant guelle conferwait ¢ encore: fur _ 
lui, JF en méme ten ips follicité” par fa maitreffe, 
Serma les yeux, Se: 
Ddz catalan 
\ 
