Volume V Part 86 (1/2)
”No ee letters”
”I will put a triangle”
”No triangle at all; but only the na more”
The second piece of neas that Bomback had fled and had been captured at Mitau, where he believed hirave case, for he had deserted; however, he was given his life, and sent into barracks at Ka some money with them, and a Florentine adventurer na to Papanelopulo, but a certain Bori, the worthy Greek's factotuht hi, where he was now in prison Prince Charles of Courland arrived about this time, and I hastened to call upon hi in a house belonging to Count Die iron mines, and had made the whole house of iron, froht his mistress with hi to get heartily sick of her The et rid of her without finding her a husband, and this husband became more difficult to find every day When the prince sa happy I ithhow easily happiness may be won; but the fatal desire for luxury and empty show spoils all, and renders the very sweets of life as bitter as gall
I was indeed considered happy, and I liked to appear so, but in my heart I retched Ever since my imprisonment under The Leads, I had been subject to haemorrhoids, which ca I had a serious attack, and the daily pain and anxiety eetarian doctor called Senapios, for whoave me the sad news that I had a blind or inco to hiive me any relief, and indeed he said I had no tiree, in spite of eon whom the doctor summoned pronounced that if I would have patience nature itself would give me relief I hadto which I was subjected, but which doubtless did ood
Colonel Melissino asked me to be present at a reviehich was to take place at three versts fro, and was to be succeeded by a dinner to twenty-four guests, given by General Orloff I ith the prince, and saw a cannon fired twenty ti the perforhbour at dinner was the French a to drink deeply, after the Russian fashi+on, and thinking the Hungarian wine as innocent as chane, he drank so bravely that at the end of dinner he had lost the use of his legs Count Orloff made him drink still more, and then he fell asleep and was laid on a bed
The gaiety of the ave e, so M Zinowieff translated the curious sallies to
Melissino rose to his feet, holding a large goblet full of Hungarian wine in his hand There was a general silence to listen to him He drank the health of General Orloff in these words:
”May you die when you becoeneral, for the allusion was to the unbounded generosity of Orloff The general's reply struck ed in character He, too, took a full cup, and turning to Melissino, said,
”May you never die till I slay you!”
The applause was furious, for he was their host and their general
The Russian wit is of the energetic kind, devoid of grace; all they care about is directness and vigour
Voltaire had just sent the empress his ”Philosophy of History,” which he had written for her and dedicated to her A month after, an edition of three thousand copies came by sea, and was sold out in a week, for all the Russians who knew a little French were eager to possess a copy of the work The leaders of the Voltaireans were two nobleanoff and Schuvaloff I have seen verses written by the forood as Voltaire's own verses, and twenty years later I saw an ode by the latter of which Voltaire would not have been ashamed, but the subject was ill chosen; for it treated of the death of the great philosopher who had so studiously avoided using his pen on melancholy themes In those days all Russians with any pretensions to literature read nothing but Voltaire, and when they had read all his writings they thought theht to read all the books fro, and then, perhaps, theyof a wise man at Rome: ”Beware of the man of one book” I wonder whether the Russians are more profound now; but that is a question I cannot answer At Dresden I knew Prince Biloselski, as on his way back to Russia after having been ambassador at Turin He was the author of an admirable world on metaphysics, and the analysis of the soul and reason
Count Panin was the tutor of Paul Petrovitch, heir-presu prince had a severe master, and dared not even applaud an air at the opera unless he first received perht the news of the sudden death of Francis I, Emperor of Ger at Czarsko-Zelo, the count minister-tutor was in the palace with his pupil, then eleven years old The courier caave the dispatch into the hands of thein the midst of a crowd of courtiers of whoht hand The minister read the dispatch in a low voice, and then said:
”This is news indeed The Emperor of the Romans has died suddenly”
He then turned to Paul, and said to hihness will observe for three er than the empress”
”Why so?” said Paul
”Because, as Duke of Holstein, your highness has a right to attend the diet of the e to us, ”which Peter the Great desired in vain”
I noted the attention hich the Grand Duke Paul listened to his mentor, and the care hich he concealed his joy at the news I was i instruction I said asby me, and he refined on my praises
This prince was popular with everyone He was even preferred to his predecessor, Prince Esterhazy; and this was saying a great deal, for Esterhazy was adored in Russia The gay and affable manner of Prince Lobkowitz made him the life and soul of all the parties at which he was present He was a constant courtier of the Countess Braun, the reigning beauty, and everyone believed his love had been croith success, though no one could assert as reat review held at a distance of twelve or fourteen versts fro, at which the empress and all her train of courtiers were present The houses of the two or three adjoining villages were so few and small that it would be i Nevertheless I wished to be present chiefly to please Zaira, anted to be seen with me on such an occasion The revieas to last three days; there were to be fireworks, and a mine was to be exploded besides the evolutions of the troops I went inif I could get nothing better