$38 Cruel Punifbment injlitted on Mr Szider, by Paul I. [May 1, 
borne falfe witnefs againft me!’? I-then 
undreffed myfelf,; ftood a few feconds 
uncovered, and was led to the fatal 
flake. 
bound to it; this caufed me no pain: but 
when the executioner threw the thone 
over-my neck to bind down my head, he 
pulled it with fuch force, that I cried out 
aloud. I was now faftened in the ma- 
chine ; and expected death would be the 
confequence of the firft blow of the _kvut. 
Once more I imagined my wife and my 
child in my arms, and believed myfelf al- 
ready efcaped from earth, when I heard the 
dreadful inftrument whizzing in the air. 
Without touching my body, it, at every 
blow, glided by the waiftband of my 
breeches. The executioner then untied 
me, andI put on my cloaths. As I was 
going out of the circle, an officer afked the 
Xnut-mafier—“ Whete is the watch?” 
He immediately put his hand‘in his bo- 
fom, pulled it out, and gave it to the of- 
ficer, who returned it to me. 
I now found my£lf alone, and I walk- 
ed forwards with a hafty ftep. An un- 
armed foldier followed a few paces be- 
hind me. Many people met me, but no 
one took notice of me. No one, indeed, 
could fufpeét what had juft happened to 
me, for I walked along the ftreet lke any 
other freeman. I began now to reflect on 
the manner in which the punifhment had 
been executed, and endeavoured to guefs 
at the caufe of the lenity fhewn me. 
Were thefe harmlefs blows to be afcribed 
to the watch I had given to the Kzut- 
mafter, or was I {pared in confequence of 
the wards which the Executor had {aid to 
him when. I entered the circle. The for- 
mer did not feem probable, as it certainly 
would not have been left fo entirely to his 
cilcretion. He probably then had orders 
to ule his inftrument in the manner he did. 
Whit engaged in thefe cogitations, I 
had come near the Police-houfe. I there 
efpied a crowd of people, who had, no 
doubt, been drawn together from curio- 
fity, to fee a clergyman returning from 
the Anut-flake. When I approached 
nearer, 1 faw a young man, beating his 
forehead with his hand, and falling almoit 
fenfelefs egainit the wall. 1 am now in 
the midft of the crowd, and difcover the 
young man to be my wife’s brother, who 
is fettled in Peterfburg as an apothecary. 
As I was entering the Police houfe, he 
called out to me—** Seider! Seider !”’ 
with a voice haif-choaked with grief ; but 
J loft fight of him among the crowd, for 
I was obliged to proceed onwards witha 
quick Kep. They conduéted me to an 
My hands and feet were firlt ° 
‘apartment, where I was for a fhort tim® 
fome officers and - 
left alone; bur toon 
other perfons of quality came to fee me. 
‘They ail exprefled their aftonifhment at 
the condition they found me in, and I did 
not hehtate to inform them of the true 
caule thercof. Here I firft met with ene 
of tiofe mortifying infolts, sto which the 
uniortunate are fo often ob iged to fubmit. 
A man, with a meagre pale yellow coun- 
tenance, placed himfelf at my fide, and 
afked me, with the.tone of a mifanthrope 
—< Art thou not the Seider, who made 
the ode on the Emprefs 7”? He meant an 
ode, which, in the year 1793, I had writ- 
tenon the peace concluded by the Emprefs 
Catherine with the Turks, and which F 
had fent to Peterfburg. “I am that 
Seider,”? was my anfwer. ‘Is it nota 
pity (continued he, addreffing himfelf to 
the byftanders) that a man of fuch rare 
talents fhould have fallen fo low!”? And 
then he yomited forth, in one breath, the 
bittereit contumelies againit me, calling mea 
Jacobin,a villain, a preacher of fedition and 
treafon,and rebellion,aworthlefs fellow,who 
deferved once more to fuffer the punithiment 
of the kvut. I heard him with patience, 
and only begged of him to inform me of 
his name and condition. He replied— ° 
‘Tam Baron von Ungern Sternberg.*” 
And now I with altonifhment difcovered 
him to be the perfon, who feven years 
before had written me from Peterfburg a 
letter full of the mioft extravagant and fal- 
fome encomiums on my ode. He was then 
Aid-de-camp to General Soltikoff. I had 
been’ acquainted with him in Livonia, 
where he wifhed to pafs for a man of wit 
and genius, but became known only as a 
fpendthriit and debauchee. I entreated’ 
him to defift from loading me with un- 
merited reproaches, and at length he went 
away, to my great fatistaction; for my 
brother in jaw juft then entered thé room. 
‘¢ Unhappy mant Ah, my poor dear 
fifter !°” exclaimed he, the tears faft trick- 
ling Gown his cheeks. I related to him 
all the particulars of my misfortune. He 
fat befide me fpeechlefs from excefs of 
grief, when my trunk was brought in, 
aud notice, given me, that I mult depart 
on the following day. My brother-in law 
now left me, promifing that he would 
foon return. In the mean-time I wrote 
a long letter to. my wife, in which I faid 
to her every thing that a man in my fitua- 
tion can and fhould write to a beloved 
fpoufe. I had juft finithed the letter, and. 
was waiting for the return of my brether- 
in-law, when fuddenly I felt a violent 
pain through the wholé of my right fide :° 
at 
