The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
v

We are told that Catherine IL always carried
with her in travelling the portrait of Peter tho
Great She explained IL our author why shs
did SO. 1T Is that may ask myself at any mo
ment Of the day, what would he have ordered
what would he have forbidden, what would he
have done, were he now in my place." She ayerrcd
that what made her like Joseph H. was his re-
scmblancc TO Peter the Great in activity and tho
desire to be instructed and to give instruction.
and also in his devotion to the State "He has
n serious mind" she said 10 the Prince de I.ignc
and Is also very agreeable. He is always &C.
cupicd in useful things; his head il forever "A
work" One could never say dcprccatvc word
of Peter the Great or Louis XIV. before the Em-
press, or the least little thing against religion or
morals she would scarcely tolerate, either any
thing the least risky, though carefully yelled,
although she might laugh under her breath nt
it She never allowed herself TO Jest in such mat
tcrs or about persons Sometimes, in presence
Of the whom the joke concerned she would
touch upon il very gently, but she always ended
by giving pleasure to the man himself Upon
her courage our author has on one or more 40
casions remarked: ".Iust before entering Baro-
zisarai, our sixteen little Tartar horses were I'M
able To hold back the great carriage with six places
in which we made our entrance to the Crmca,
anu were IOTCcu W run away WNH ~ uoNH mo
slope Of hill, with precipice on one side There
every reason to suppose that our necks would
be broken. ! should have been more frightened
myself. but that wanted TO see II the Empress
She was perfectly calm as II she was
still at the breakfast table we had just left I
looked also at the Emperor [Joseph II. ]. who was
putting a good face on an ugly matter. Tho
sixteen little horses all fell down, one on top of
another, as | had expected, and that saved our
lives. But what an upsctting might have taken
place In Europe! Sixty millions Of inhabitants
within minute Of changing masters
! heard the touching Allah, Allah of our Tartar
escort, invoking heaven 10 preserve the life Of
its new sovereign"
The Empress was very hard TO please in her
reading She would have nothing sad, IL APP
pears. too refined in quintessence of mind or
feeling. She liked the romances Of lie Sage,
Molicrc and Corneille Racine is not the man
for me" she said, except in 'Mithndates. Ra-
belas and Scarron had made her laugh in former
times. but she did not recollect them. She had
very little memory for frivolous useless things
but she never forgot anything that was inter-
estng. Characteristicaly she liked the Plutarch
Of Amyot the Tactus of Amelot de la Houssaye.
and Montague. Il am a Gaul Of the North"
she told our author. Il understand the old French.
but do not understand the new. ] have tried
10 get something out of your clever men of isms.
i nave MAD them come 10 RUSSIA, ana nave some
times written TO them. but they bore me and they
never understand me. There's no one like my
kind protector Noltaire. DO you know il was
he who brought me into vogue. He paid me we'll
for the pleasure have taken all my life in reading
HIM he has taught me a great many things while
amusing me" Catherine H. neither liked nor
really knew modern literature she had more logic
than letters, Even her frivolous writings her
comedies, for instance she composed some
always had some moral purpose All tho letters
that our author received from her are filled with
large strong and wildly luminous IDEAS some
| times with keen criticisms especially when some-
| thing in Europe had made her indignant Be-
sides all this, much gayety and good nature.
| The Prince de 1igne thinks that her style has
more clearness than lightness; her serious works
are profound. Her history OF Russia is, TO my
| mind, worth more than the chronological tables
| of President Henault but little standings and the
| charm OF details and color not her forte.
Frederick the Great had no color, but he had all
| the rest. and he was better read than Cathe
rne."
Her greatest discrimination was in not saying
all that she thought and all that she knew nothing
| sly insidious ever. came from her lips. She
| was too proud TO deceive; and, II she deceived
herself, she would get out of it by relying her
| luck and her superiority TO events. which she
| loved to master Some thoughts, however, 81
| the revcrses that bcfcl the reign Of Louis XIV
| at its close did cross her mind. but they passed
| like clouds. Il am" the author says, "the only
one that saw that, for single quarter Of an hour
| the last declaration Of war against Turkey made
| her reflect humbly that nothing in this world IS
| stable. and that success and glory are uncertain
Yet she left her apartment THAT day with the same
| serene air she had worn before her courier de
parted. and with the same confidence with which
she inspired from the first her whole empire" Her
| traits Of humanity were Of daily occurrence Our
| author remembers her saying to him one day:
| 81 made my fire myself this morning, so as not 10
| oblige my servants to get up too early, because
it is so cold There was little chimney sweep
in the chimney who never supposed would get
up al half past 3 he screamed like a demon:
| | put out the fire fast / could and begged
his pardon" 1t is known that Catherine almost
never sent anyone TO Siberia, and she never con-
demned any to death Often she appealed
TO the Judges against their sentences: she would
urge them 10 rc-eXamine and prove whether or
not she was wrong: and she frequently furnished
the means Of defence To accused persons Tho
Prince dc Lgne. however, recalls that he at times.
detected a sort OF sweet righteousness in her.
glance Of kindness perhaps benefit bestowed
in order to embarrass those Of whom she had
to complain such, for instance, as a grandec Il
the empire who had talked TOO freely about her.
Here is an instance Of her socalled despotiSrl.
She forbade a man Of her court. who was an I'M
considerable spendhrift, to live in his own house.
saying: you shall have in mine twice a day Q
table served for twelve persons; the company
you are so fond OF having in your own house you
will have in mine. forbid you to ruin yourself.
But order you 70 continue the same e1uava-
gance here as II gives you much pleasure.
The portrait Of Catherine II In thus completed
by the Prince de Ligne "Calumny which has
not respected the most beautiful. the best, the