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638 COXL’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
madnefs the fury of a difaffected foldiery, and calmly leading them from affaflination to
affaflination *.
But is it not more reafonable to fuppofe, that Ivan Milolaffki, who had, during the
reign of Alexéy Michaelovitch, formed a party againft the Narifkins, fhould take ad-
vantage of the {edition of the Strelitz, with whom he had long entertained a fecret in-
telligence; and that Sophia was the oftenfible initrument of his defigns? In a word,
that fhe was raifed to the regency by the cabals of a powerful party, who forefaw their
own ruin in the nomination of Peter ; and who, in the midft of an infurre¢tion, held
forth to this licentious body the unalienable rights of Ivan. Examples were not wanting
to prove that the incapacity of Ivan was no bar to his election: a memorable inftance
was exhibited in the perfon of Feodor Ivanovitch, who, notwith{tanding his imbecility,
was raifed to the throne, anda regency entrufted with the adminiftration of affairs t.
It mutt alfo be confidered, that Peter, then only in his eleventh year, had not difplayed
any inftances of that valt fuperiority of underitanding, which afterwards marked his
charaéter; and that his mother, who was to {way the reins of empire, was a perfon of
no experience, and extremely unpopular. Nor is it matter of furprize that the care of
Ivan and the adminiftration of government, fhould be committed to Sophia. The vic-
torious family would naturally choofe a regent devoted from intereft and inclination
to their party; a perfon of imperial lineage, popular manners, refpeCtable chara¢ter,
and great abilities ; all thefe requifites centered in Sophia.
However authors may have cenfured the ambitious defigns of Sophia; they una-
nimoufly concur in delineating her engaging manners, the beauties of her perfon {, the
vigour and wifdom of her adminiltration, and her extenfive plans for the advantage of
her country.
Sophia repofed her principal confidence in Prince Vaffili Galitzin, commonly known
by the name of the Great Galitzin, a moft able minifter and confummate politician.
"The fcandalous chronicle of thofe times, or rather of a later period, attributed her par-
tiality to a fofter paflion, though he was above fixty years of age; and her enemies
have not even fcrupled to declare §, that fhe had formed the plan of affaffinating the
two Tzars, ufurping the throne, and efpoufing Prince Galitzin, who was to obtain a
divorce from his wife.
Sophia || has been alfo accufed not only of neglecting the education of Peter, but of
introducing him into the company of the moft profligate young men, and encouraging
* « Tandis que les Strelitz commengaient ainfi a fe faire craindre, la Princeffe Sophie, qui es animait fous
main, pour les conduire de crime en crime,’ &c. Voltaire. \
+ S.R.G. vol.i. p. 19.
+ Weber, the Hanoverian envoy at St. Peterfburg in the beginning of this century, fays of Sophia,
«¢ the T’zar was frequently heard to declare, that, excepting her inordinate ambition, fhe was a Princefs of
great perfonal and mental accomplifhments.” Ver. Ruff. vol. i. p. 143. Voltaire clofes a fpirited por-
trait by faying, “ une figure agréable relevoit tous fes talens.”” Perry defcribes her, at the time of the re-
yolution, as a handfome young lady, then upwards of twenty-three. He came into Ruffia in 1702, two
years before her death ; and though he never faw her himfelf, on account of her imprifonment, muft have
known many who had been perfonally acquainted with her. Perry’s State of Ruffia, p. 143. Sumoro-
kof fays of her, that the poffefled a good underftanding and great beauty, p. 10. Many other authors
might be quoted to the fame purpofe, but as there is nothing which party-malice will not invent to depre-
ciate an obnoxious charaéter, the fuppofititious Polifh envoy, La Neuville, has mifreprefented her perfon as
much as her condu@: ‘ Sophie dont l’efprit & le merite ne tiennent rien de la diformité defon corps, etant
d’une groffeur monfireufe, avec une téte large comme un boiffeau, du poil au vifage, des loups aux jambes & au moins
40 ans; mais autant que /a taille eft large, courte, & grofiere, autant fon efprit eft fin, delié & politique; &
fans avoir jamais 1 Machiavel, elle poflede naturellement toutes fes maximes,” &c. p. 151. :
§ Gordon, p. 86. || Voltaire.
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