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734 COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
abandoned him to the company of the loweft wretches, by whom he was encouraged int
continual ebriety, and every kind of excefs; yet this defigning minifter artfully extorted
from the tzarovitch, in prifon, a confeifion that he was the only perfon who had taken
any care of his education *.
Peter conceived an early prejudice againft his fon, and infpired him with fuch terror,
that to avoid drawing before his father, the young Prince once difcharged a piltol
againit his own right hand. All perfons, however, join in condemning the imprudence
and obftinacy of Alexey, which warped his judgment, and at times tranfported him to a
degree of infanity. Bruce, who knew him well, gives the following account of his per-
fon and manners; and as he was not prejudiced againft him, his teltimony mutt be
efteemed more valid than all the laboured accufations of his enemies.
* The Czarowitz arrived in Mofcow this winter (1714) where I faw him for the firft
time. He kept a mean Finlandith girl for his miftrefs. I went often with the General
to wait on him; and he came frequently to the General’s houfe, attended by very mean
and low perfons. He was very flovenly in his drefs ; his perfon was tall, well made,
of a brown complexion, black hair and eyes, of a {tern countenance, and {trong voice.
He frequently did me the honour to talk with me in German, being fully mater of
that language; he was adored by the populace, but little refpected by the {uperior
yanks, for whom he never fhewed the leaft regard. He was always furrounded by a
number of debauched ignorant priefts, and other mean peffons of bad character, in
whofe company he always reflected on his father’s condu& for abolifhing the antient
cuftoms of the country, declaring, that as foon as he came to fucceed, he fhould foon
reftore Ruffia to its former ftate; and threatening to deftroy, without referve, all his
father’s favourites. This he did fo often, and with fo little referve, that it could not
mils reaching the Emperor’s ears; and it was generally thought he now laid the foun-
dation of that ruin he afterwards met with.”
And again, ‘* It was very remarkable, that the Prince never appeared at any of the
public meetings, when His Majelty was attended by all perfons of quality and rank,
uch as birth-days, celebrating of victories, launching of fhips, &c. General Bruce,
who lived next door to the Prince, had orders always to give the Prince notice the day
before of fuch public days or meetings, and I had the honour to carry and deliver the
meflage ; but his Highnefs, to avoid appearing in public, either took phyfic or let blood,
always making his excufe, that he could not attend for want of health; when at the
fame time, it was notorioufly known that he got drunk in very bad company, when he
ufed conftantly to condemn all his father’s actions +.” i
Inflamed by continual drunkennefs, and worn out by perfecution, he was driven toa
ftate of defperation; and in 1716, fuddenly renouncing his right of fucceffion in favour
of Peter’s fon by Catharine, he demanded permiffion to retire into a convent. But
foon afterwards, adopting the advice of his priacipal adherents, he efcaped to Vienna ;
with a view to fhelter him from the refentment of his father, Charles VI. fent him firft
to Infpruck in the Tyrol, and afterwards removed him, ‘for {till greater fecurity, to the
* L’Evefque makes the following juft refleGtions upon this unaccountable circumftance. ¢ Croira-t-on
guil ait fait fincérement &F de lui-méme lésoge des Joins que Menchikof avoit pris de fon education ; lorfqu’on fait
dailleurs que Menchikof approchait de lui tout au pius trois ou quatre fois par an © ne lui parlait qu’avec le ton
du mépris le plus dur & le plus outrageant ? Sion le contraignit 2 louer le favori de Pierre, Pami de Catharine,
ne peut-on pas lui avoir didé de méme tout ce qu’cn voulait lui faire dire?’ Hilt. de Ruffie, Tom iv. p. 442.
This conje€ture is greatly ftrengthened by confidering that the eulogium of Mentchikof was obtained
from Aléxey in prifon’by Tolftoé, the creature of Mentchikof.
+ Bruce’s Memoirs, p. roo and 127.
caftle
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