wife, happily the Rights of a whole People were more facred here than the Perfons of foreign Minifters. The Czar's Memorials urged the Queen with the Satisfaction which she had extorted herself when only the Boat and Servants of the Earl of Manchefter had been infulted at Venice. That State had broken through their fundamental Laws to content the Queen of Great Britain. How noble a Picture of Government, when a Monarch that can force another Nation to infringe its Conftitution, dare not violate his own! One may imagine with what Difficulties our Secretaries of State muft have laboured through all the Ambages of Phrafe in English, French, German, and Rufs, to explain to Muscovite Ears and Museovite Understandings, the Meaning of Indictments, Pleadings, Precedents, Juries and Verdicts [z]; and how impatiently Peter must have listened to Promises of a Hearing next Term! With what Aftonishment muft he have beheld a great Queen, engaging to endeavour to prevail on her Parliament to pass an A& to prevent any fuch Outrage for the future! What Honour does it reflect on the Memory of that Princefs, to fee her not blush to own to an arbitrary Emperor, that even to appease him She dared not put the meanest of her Subjects to Death uncondemned by Law! There are," fays the [a], in one of her Dispatches to him, infuperable Difficulties with

66

[x] Mr. Dayrolles, in his Letter to the Ruffian Embassador, March 10, 1705, gives him a particular Account of the Trial before the Lord Chief Juftice Holt.

Vide Motley's Life of Peter I. Vol. II, p. 57.

[a] Ibid. p. 67.

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"refpect to the ancient and fundamental Laws of "the Government of our People, which we fear do "not permit fo fevere and rigorous a Sentence to be given, as your Imperial Majefty at first seemed "to expect in this Cafe: and we perfuade our Self, "that your imperial Majesty, who are a Prince "famous for Clemency and for exact Justice, will "not require us, who are the Guardian and Pro"tectress of the Laws, to inflict a Punishment upon "our Subjects, which the Law does not empower

us to do." Words so venerable and heroic, that this Broil ought to become Hiftory, and be exempted from the Oblivion due to the filly Squabbles of Embaffadors and their Privileges. If Anne deserved Praise for her Conduct on this Occafion, it reflects still greater Glory on Peter, that this ferocious Man had Patience to liften to these Details, and had Moderation and Justice enough to be perfuaded by the Reafon of them.

Mr. Whitworth had the Honour of terminating this Quarrel. In 1714, he was appointed Plenipotentiary to the Diet of Aufbourg and Ratisbon; in 1716, Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the King of Pruffia. In 1717, Envoy Extraordinary to the Hague. In 1719, he returned in his former Character to Berlin; and in 1721, the late King rewarded his long Services and Fatigues, by creating him Baron Whitworth of Galway in the Kingdom of Ireland, the Preamble of his Patent, enumerating many of his Virtues and Labours, being as follows:

CUM

CUM alii homines re aliâ clari inclytique fefe Nobis commendaverint, haud minorem tamen vel fibimet gloriam acquirere, vel Regnis noftris utilitatem conferre eos exiftimamus, qui res noftras apud principes statusque exteros prudenter feliciterque adminiftrant. Inter hofce quidem eminet plurimum tum longinquo ufu atque exercitatione, tum folertiâ quadam fingulari fidelis & dilectus nobis Carolus Whitworth Armiger. Variis in aulis externis perfunctis muneribus fefe antecefforibus noftris gloriofa memoria, Gulielmo Tertio Regi, Reginæque Annæ perspectum imprimis comprobatumque reddidit. In Comitiis Ratisbonenfibus, in Aula Cæfareo-Germanicâ, atque apud Czarum Mufcovia temporibus difficillimis rex maximi momenti femper cum laude tractavit, ac meritis fuis eximiis fummos honores rerum exterarum curatoribus tribui folitos, legati fcilicet Extraordinarii et Plenipotentiarii characterem confecutus eft. Ita ornatum, ita commendatum nos eum accepimus, ac proinde ejus operâ in arduis compluribus negociis tanto cum noftro commodo tantoque omnium plaufu ufi fumus, ut teftimonio aliquo illuftri ejus virtutes, intemeratem præcipuè fidem et conftantiam, remunerandas effe cenfuerimus; et cum Majeftatem imperii noftri deceat, tum rebus tractandis pondus aliquod adjiciat nobilitatis fplendor atque amplitudo, nos prædictum Carolum Whitworth, quem legati noftri extraordinarii ac plenipotentiarii titulis infignivimus ad tractatus pacis in congressu Brunfvicenfi proximo celebrandos, qui in Aulâ Berolinenfi, atque apud Ordines Generales Jniti Belgii, plenâ potentiâ res noftras procurat, ad dignitatem gradumque Baronis in Regno noftro Hibernia promovendum effe ftatuimus, Sciatis igitur, &ċ.

The

The next Year his Lordship was entrusted with the Affairs of Great Britain at the Congress of Cambray, in the Character of Embassador Entraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He returned Home in 1724, and died the next Year at his House in Gerrard-street, London. His Body was interred in Westminster Abbey.

These short Memorials, communicated to me by his Family without any Oftentation, are all I have been able to recover of a Man fo useful to his Country; who befides the following little Piece, which muft retrieve and preferve his Character from Oblivion, has left many Volumes of State-letters and Papers in the Poffeffion of his Relations. One little Anecdote of him I was told by the late Sir Luke Schaub, who had it from himfelf: Lord Whitworth had had a personal Intimacy with the famous Czarina Catherine, at a Time when her Favours were not purchased nor rewarded at fo extravagant a Rate as that of a Diadem. When he had compromised the Rupture between the Court of England and the Czar, he was invited to a Ball at Court, and taken out to dance by the Czarina. As they began the Minuet, She fqueezed him by the Hand, and said in a Whisper, Have you forgot little Kate?

It is to be lamented that fo agreeable a Writer as Lord Whitworth, has not left us more ample Accounts of this memorable Woman. Even his Portrait of her Lord is not detailed enough to fatisfy our Curiofity. How ftriking a Picture might an Author

of Genius form from the Contrast exhibited to Europe by four extraordinary Men at the fame Period ! Peter recalled that Image of the Founders of Empires, of whom we read with much Satisfaction and much Incredulity in ancient Story. Charles the Twelfth, of those frantic Heroes of Poefy, of whom we read with perhaps more Satisfaction and no Credulity at all. Romulus and Achilles filled Half our Gazettes, while Lewis the Fourteenth was treading to Univerfal Monarchy with all the Pomp and Policy of these latter Ages. William the Third was oppofing this Modern Xerxes with the fame Arts; and (with perhaps a little of Charles's Jealoufy) had the good Fortune to have his Quarrel confounded with that of Europe. While Peter tamed his Savages, raised Cities, invited Arts, converted Forests into Fleets, Charles was trying to recall the Improvements of War to its first Principle, brutal Strength; fancying that the Weight of the Turkish Empire was to be overturned by a fingle Arm, and that heroic Obftinacy might be a Counterpoize to Gun-powder.

A Philofopher in these four Men saw at once the great Outlines of what the World had been, and of what it is.

Lord Whitworth's MS. was communicated to me by Richard Owen Cambridge, Efq. having been, purchased by him in a very curious Sett of Books, collected by Monfieur Zolmon, Secretary to the late Stephen Poyntz, Efq. This little Library relates folely to Ruffian History and Affairs, and contains in

many