ate, that in regard to induftry, to bodily labour, the Dutch are unexampled. This is their true character; and not that they have fertile imaginations,' or that they are encouragers of genius and the liberal arts. With a word or two on the fubject of a Dutchman's feelings; or perhaps, as we fhould rather fay, if agreeing in opinion with this writer, his total want of them, we hall clofe the prefent article.

No people poffefs more of that intellectual happiness which arifes from equanimity. Though it be not abfolutely the fuperlative degree of felicity, yet, confidering that it is lefs liable to interruption from the cafualties incident to human nature, it is on that account a fituation far preferable to it. We fhall probably find, on a due examination, that a ftate of tranquillity, equally exclufive of the exceffes of joy or of grief, is, from the vigour and ftability which it confers on the faculties, far more eligible than a condition admitting alternately of much pleasure and much pain; as the frequent viciffitudes of both cannot fail to harafs and convulfe the foul, and greatly disturb the economy of our whole fyftem.'

A very extraordinary argument! Such men, in our opinion, are little better than machines:-for what is the value of fimple existence? Where is the dignity, the excellence of human nature, if we are thus to be loft in apathy?—if we are weakly to indulge this drowfinefs; this morbific fleepinefs of foul? No! "Teach us, kind Heaven! to feel another's woe," and grant us at the fame time the power, the enviable power, of alleviating it. The author farther remarks The Dutch are ftrict obfervers of the precept, which Horace, who was a competent judge of life, lays down as the prime rule of beatitude. Nil admirari prope res eft una, folaque quæ poffit facere et fervare beatum. Not to admire, an art but little known, is yet the only way to attain and preferve happiness.'

The poet means not that this fhould be confidered as a rule. On the contrary, it is evidently given by way of farcafm. He fays that not to admire,' not to be moved at any thing, is the way to be happy; or rather, not to be unhappy-tor in fuch a fate of mind there can be nothing but a negative kind of happiness. Nil admirari is according to the doctrine of the Stoics. Horace was an Epicurean. He is continually laughing at the ftoical philofophy, and we are perfuaded that he does fo here;-yet as the epiftle from which the quotation is made, is partly ferious and partly ironical, the lines are generally misunderstood.

We muft, in conclufion, obferve, that the writer of this performance, although profeffedly the encomiaft of the Hollanders, has yet fet forth their feveral failings with a tolerable degree of fairness. We have only to regret that by a fort of palliation, a fophiftical kind of reafoning, thofe very failings are intended to be impofed on us as virtues. REV. Feb. 1789.

K

On

On the nature of government among the Dutch, and their administration of public affairs, our author expatiates with diffufive approbation; and we hope that the feveral members of the States will, by the mildness of their future proceedings, continue to deferve the commendation which he has beftowed on them.

AB.

ART. VII. Original Anecdotes of Peter the Great, collected from the Conversation of feveral Perfons of Distinction at Petersburgh and Moscow. By Mr. Stæhlin, Member of the Imperial Academy at Petersburgh. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Murray. 1788.

TH

HESE anecdotes were flightly noticed in our account of Foreign Literature (Rev. vol. lxxiii. p. 454) on their firft appearance at Leipfic, in 1785. In the preface to this English tranflation, we are informed that Mr. Stæhlin being invited [from Drefden] to Petersburgh in 1735, to fill a feat in the Academy of Sciences, his letter of recommendation from Count Bruhl, to the Count of Lynar, the Polish envoy to Ruffia, introduced him to many perfons of diftinction who had ferved under the Czar Peter, and had been much about his perfon. These noblemen, knowing his intention of collecting anecdotes of their illuftrious matter, readily encouraged him, and communicated whatever had come to their knowlege. His opportunities for twenty years, were increafed by his appointment as tutor to the Great Duke, Peter Feodorowitsch, and to that of librarian, on his marriage.

The preface to this tranflation feems to have been begun by the tranflator, who quotes the above particulars from Mr. Stæhlin's preface; but by a degree of inattention which appears difguftful, after the marked quotation is finished, the preface goes on, and concludes, in the perfon of the original collector, inftead of being refumed by the pen that firft addreffed the reader.

As Mr. Stæhlin collected thefe detached anecdotes exprefsly for publication, it were to be wifhed, even though there was no intention to form a biographical narrative from them, that they had undergone fome mode of arrangement; either, as near as could be, according to the order of time when they happened, that we might have traced the progrefs of fo extraordinary à character, or to have been fo claffed according to their fubjects, that we might have viewed the character of Peter in its various parts; religious, political, domeftic, &c. But they appear to be recorded juft as they happened to be received, with no more regard to arrangement than the materials of a jeft-book. Who, for inftance, after reading a narrative of the Czar's death, would expect, feveral pages following, to meet with circumftances attending his birth? who indeed would not rather have parted

alto

altogether with the latter, which confift moftly of aftrological predictions?

Taking them however as we find them, they form an entertaining fund of materials to illuftrate the character of the great perfonage to whom they relate. In Peter, we fee a bold, vigorous, and enterprifing genius, born in a rude country, bursting through the deficiencies of education, and all the decorums of state, many of which he did not know, and all of which he difregarded; to purfue his own extenfive fchemes, and to gratify his private humours. Had he iffued all his orders from amid the formalities of a court, and never laid afide the prince, he never could have realized his grand conceptions, nor have made fo speedy an importation of arts and civil manners into a country where they were total ftrangers, and have taught them to fuch reluctant fcholars. Mr. Stæhlin furnishes a particular inftance of his anxiety to know the opinion formed of him in other countries :

The Czar was too clear-fighted not to difcover the opinion entertained of himself, his government, and his new eftablishments, in his own dominions; but he was defirous of knowing the fentiments of foreign nations, and loft no opportunity of obtaining this information.

'N. N. Ambaffador from Ruffia to a court of Europe, on his return to Petersburgh fome time before the end of the Swedish war, fent immediately to inform the Emperor of his arrival, and received directions to go to the palace about noon, at the breaking up of the council. He obeyed, and was very graciously received by the Czar, who invited him to dinner.

Peter asked him many queftions concerning the affairs, the fituation, and the government of the country in which he had refided. During the whole time they were at table, the conversation turned only on this fubject. At length the Czar afked him in a friendly way, what was the opinion entertained of him abroad?

"Sire, every one has the highest and beft opinion of your Ma. jefly. The world is aftonished above all at the wisdom and genius you difcover in the execution of the vast designs which you have conceived, and which have fpred the glory of your name to the most dife tant regions."" Very well," replied the Czar," very well, that may be; but flattery fays as much of every king when he is prefent. My object is not to fee the fair fide of things; but to know what judgment is formed of me on the oppofite fide of the . queftion. I beg you to tell it me, whatever it may be; for I am not to learn that foreigners examine my conduct in every point of view, and speak fo freely of me, that you cannot be ignorant of their opinion. In short, I wish to know if it be the fame that I have often heard, and if you speak to me fincerely?"

"Sire," faid the ambaffador, making a low bow, "fince you order me, I will relate to you all the ill I have heard. You pafs for an imperious and fevere mafter, who treats his fubjects rigoroufly, who is always ready to punish, and incapable of forgiving a fault."

At these words the Czar interrupted him with a smile- " No, my friend," faid he; "no, this is not all: you will not tell me what you have heard. I am reprefented as a cruel tyrant: this is the opinion foreign nations have formed of me; but how can they judge? They do not know the circumstances I was in at the beginning of my reign; how many people oppofed my defigns, counteracted my moft ufeful projects, and obliged me to be fevere: but I never treated any one cruelly, nor ever gave proofs of tyranny. On the contrary, I have always afked the affiftance of fuch of my fubjects as have fhewn marks of intelligence and patriotifm, and who, doing juftice to the rectitude of my intentions, have been difpofed to fecond them; nor have I ever failed to testify my gratitude by loading them with favours."

The public character of Peter is by this time generally known but the chief value of thefe anecdotes, is where they give us fcenes in his private life. The following particulars are of this clafs :

The Czar, excited by natural curiofity, and his love for the fciences, took great pleafure in feeing diffections and chirurgical operations. It was him who made thefe arts known in Ruffia. He was fo fond of them, that he was informed whenever any thing of this kind was going on in the hofpitals, or other places in the vicinity of his refidence, and feldom failed to be prefent if he had time. He frequently lent his affiftance, and had acquired fufficient skill to diffect according to the rules of art, to bleed, draw teeth, and perform other operations, as well as one of the faculty. It was an occupation in which he liked to employ himself for the fake of practice; and he always carried about with him, befides his cafe of mathematical inftruments, a pouch well stocked with inftruments of furgery.

Having heard that Mrs. Borft, the wife of a Dutch merchant, with whom he was well acquainted, was ill of a dropfy, and that fhe would not confent to be tapped, which was the only means of cure left, he went to fee her, prevailed on her to fubmit to the operation, and performed it himself with a great deal of dexterity.

The following day his patient grew better; but tapping having been too long deferred, she died a few days after, as the phyficians had predicted, and the Czar attended at her funeral, which was conducted with much pomp.

He once exercifed his dexterity with laughable circumftances, on the wife of one of his valets-de-chambre, who was a little given to gallantry, and whofe husband wifhed to be revenged.

Perceiving the hufband, whofe name was Balboiarof, fitting in the anti-chamber with a fad and penfive countenance, he asked him what was the cause of his forrow - Nothing, Sire," answered, Balboiarof, " except that my wife refufes to have a tooth drawn which gives her the most agonifing pain."-" Let me speak to her," replied the Czar, "and I warrant I'll cure her."

He was immediately conducted by the hufband to the apartment of the fuppofed fick perfon, and made her fit down that he might examine her mouth, although the protefted that nothing ailed her.This is the mifchief," faid the hufband; "the always pretends

not to fuffer when we wish to give her eafe, and renews her lamentations as foon as the phyfician is gone.' -"Well, well," faid the Czar," the fhall not fuffer long. Do you hold her head and arms." Then taking out a tooth inftrument, he drew, in fpite of her cries, the tooth which he judged to be the caufe of her complaint, with admirable addrefs and promptitude.

'Hearing a few days after, from fome of the Emprefs's houfhold, that nothing had really been the matter with the woman, and that it was only a trick of her husband, he fent for him, and, after having made him confefs the whole, chaftifed him feverely with his own hands."

The following anecdote is added, as the fequel of the above ftory of the tapping for the dropfy:

When the Dutch merchant's wife, whom the Czar had tapped with so much skill, was buried, the monarch was prefent at the funeral ceremony, confounded with the greatest part of the merchants and fea-faring people, of the fame nation, then at Petersburgh. After the burial, he returned with the company to fup at the houfe of the deceased, according to the custom of the country.

When the guests had drank rather largely, and it was the turn of one of the youngest at table to give his toast, he kept the cup by him for a moment while he devifed a compliment proper to drink to the health of the Czar. Then taking up the cup, filled to the brim, he rofe, gave the lid to a man advanced in years fitting befide him, and turning towards the Emperor, cried out, "Long live my lord Peter the Great, and my lady, the Emprefs, his wife.

This compliment difpleafing him who held the lid, he rose fuddenly" Are you mad, young man ?" faid he, taking up the cup; "is this the way to fpeak? let me give the toaft, as you know nothing of the matter." He then turned towards the Czar, and bow. ing with a ferious and formal air, drank his health thus-" Long live your Majesty my lord the Emperor Peter, and her Excellency my lady the Emprefs, your fpoufe."

The company could not refrain laughing; and the Czar, much diverted with the ridiculous folemnity of the good Dutchman, anTwered graciously, "Bravo, my friend, I thank you.”

Surgery, however, was but one of his profeffions; all the world knows he was a foldier and a failor, but he was also a blacksmith.

Peter the Great, defirous of forming ufeful eftablishments in his dominions, and of encouraging thofe already exifling, vifited the different workshops and manufactories with much affiduity. Among others that he vifited frequently, were the forges of Muller at Iftia, on the road to Kalouga, at ninety werfts distance from Mofcow. He once paffed a whole month there, during which time he drank chalybeate waters; and after having given due attention to the affairs of the ftate, which he never neglected, he amufed himself not only with feeing and examining every thing in the most minute manner, but alfo with putting his hand to the work, and learning the bufinefs of a blacksmith. He fucceeded fo well, that one of the last days of this excurfion he forged alone eighteen poods of iron (the pood is equal to forty pounds), and put his own particular mark