Volume V Part 87 (1/2)

”He was enius of the first order Instinct supplied the place of science with hienius, his fir mistakes, and helped hireat designs”

Her reat interest, and was about to reply when she noticed two ladies whom she summoned to her presence

To hted to reply to you at another time,” and then turned towards the ladies

The ti to think she had had enough ofwhat I desired should be done was done already

”All the letters sent to foreign countries and all the important State records are marked with both dates”

”But I must point out to your majesty that by the end of the century the difference will be of twelve days, not eleven”

”Not at all; we have seen to that The last year of this century will not be counted as a leap year It is fortunate that the difference is one of eleven days, for as that is the number which is added every year to the epact our epacts are almost the same As to the celebration of Easter, that is a different question Your equinox is on March the 21st, ours on the 10th, and the astrono and sometimes you, as the equinox varies You know you are not even in agreement with the Jehose calculation is said to be perfectly accurate; and, in fine, this difference in the ti Easter does not disturb in any way public order or the progress of the Government”

”Your majesty's words fill me with admiration, but the Festival of Christ to say that we do not celebrate Christmas in the winter solstice as should properly be done We know it, but it seems to me a matter of no account I would rather bear with this srievously afflict vast nu them of their birthdays If I did so, there would be no open complaints uttered, as that is not the fashi+on in Russia; but they would say in secret that I was an Atheist, and that I disputed the infallibility of the Council of Nice You hter, but I do not, for I have reeable hted to mark my surprise I did not doubt for a moment that she had made a special study of the whole subject M

Alsuwieff told me, a few days after, that she had very possibly read a little pamphlet on the subject, the statements of which exactly coincided with her own He took care to add, however, that it was very possible her highness was profoundly learned on the matter, but this was merely a courtier's phrase

What she said was spoken ood huhout She exercised a constant self-control over herself, and herein appeared the greatness of her character, for nothing is more difficult Her de, shewed her to be the greater sovereign of the two; her frank geniality always gave her the advantage, while the short, curtmade a dupe

In an examination of the life of Frederick the Great, one cannot help paying a deserved tribute to his courage, but at the same tiood fortune he must have succumbed, whereas Catherine was little indebted to the favours of the blind deity She succeeded in enterprises which, before her time, would have been pronounced impossibilities, and it seemed her aim to make men look upon her achievements as of small account

I read in one of our modern journals, those monuments of editorial self-conceit, that Catherine the Great died happily as she had lived

Everybody knows that she died suddenly on her close stool By calling such a death happy, the journalist hints that it is the death he himself would wish for Everyone to his taste, and we can only hope that the editor may obtain his wish; but who told this silly fellow that Catherine desired such a death? If he regards such a wish as natural to a person of her profound genius I would ask who told hienius consider a sudden death to be a happy one? Is it because that is his opinion, and are we to conclude that he is therefore person of genius? To coate the late empress, and ask her some such question as:

”Are you well pleased to have died suddenly?”

She would probably reply:

”What a foolish question! Such ht be the wish of one driven to despair, or of sorievous s of happiness and good health; no worse fate could have happened to ns which I ranted ht illness But it was not so; I had to set out on the long journey at a moment's notice, without the time to make any preparations Isit? Do you think me such a coward as to dread the approach of what is common to all? I tell you that I should have accounted myself happy if I had had a respite of but a day

Then I should not cohness accuse God of injustice, then?”

”What boots it, since I ae the justice of the decree which has consigned them to eternal woe?”

”No doubt it is a difficult ht that a sense of the justice of your dooated the pains of it”

”Perhaps so, but a damned soul must be without consolation for ever”

”In spite of that there are some philosophers who call you happy in your death by virtue of its suddenness”

”Not philosophers, but fools, for in its suddenness was the pain and woe”