PART II. them, except on extraordinary occafions. In conA. D. 1710. fequence of thefe prejudices, or whatever may have given rife to the practice, the Ruffian ambassador was imprisoned, as a prelude to a declaration of war against his master. THE Czar was not of a complexion tamely to fuffer fuch an injury and his power feemed to render fubmission unnecessary. As foon as informed of the haughty infult, he ordered his forces in Poland to march toward Moldavia; withdrew his troops from Livonia, and made every preparation for war, and for opening with vigour the campaign on the frontiers of Turkey. Nor were the Turks negligent in taking measures for oppofing, and even humbling him. The Kan of Crim Tartary was ordered to hold himself in readiness with forty thousand men, and the troops of the Porte were collected from all quarters. GAINED over, by prefents and promises, to the interefts of the king of Sweden, the Kan at firft obtained leave to appoint the general rendezvous of the Turkish forces near Bender, and even under the eye of Charles, in order more effectually to convince him, that the war was undertaken folely on his account. But Baltagi Mahomet, the Grand Vizier, who lay under no fuch obligations, did not chufe to flatter a foreign prince fo highly at the expence of truth. He was fenfible, that the jealousy of the Sultan at the neighbourhood of fo powerful a prince as Peter; at his fortifying Azoph; and at the number of his ships on the Black Sea and the Palus Mæotis, were the real caufes of the war against Ruffia. He therefore changed the place of rendezvous. The army of the Porte LETTER XXV. Porte was ordered to affemble in the extensive and fertile plains of Adrianople, where the Turks ufually mufter their forces when they are going to make A. D. 1710. war upon the Chriftians. There the troops that arrive from Afia and Africa, are commonly allowed to repose themfelves for a few weeks, and to recruit their ftrength before they enter upon action. But Baltagi, in order to anticipate the preparations of the czar, began his march toward the Danube, within A. D. 1711 three days after reviewing his forces. PETER had already taken the field at the head of a formidable army, which he mustered on the frontiers. of Poland, and planned his route through Moldavia and Walachia; the country of the ancient Daci, but now inhabited by Greek Chriftians, who are tributary to the Grand Seignior. Moldavia was at that time governed by Demetrius Cantemir; a prince of Grecian extraction, and who united in his character the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, the ufe of arms, and the knowledge of letters. This prince fondly imagined that the conqueror of Charles XII. would easily triumph over the Grand Vizier, Baltagi, who had never made a campaign, and who had chofen for his Kiaia, or lieutenant general, the superintendant of the customs at Conftantinople. He accordingly refolved to join the czar, and made no doubt but all his fubjects would readily follow his example, as the Greek patriarch encouraged him in his revolt. Having concluded a fecret treaty with prince Cantemir, and received him into his army, Peter thus encouraged, advanced farther into the country. He paffed the Niester, and reached at length the northern banks of the Pruth, near Jaffi the capital of Moldavia 8. 8. Voltaire's Hift. Russian Emp. part ii. chap. i. Hift. Charles KII·liv. v. BUT BUT the Ruffian monarch, by confiding in the promifes of the Moldavian prince, foon found himself in as perilous a fituation, on the banks of the Pruth, as that of his rival, the king of Sweden at Pultowa, in confequence of relying on the friendship of Mazeppa. The Moldavians, happy under the Turkish government, which is feldom fatal to any but the grandees, and affects great lenity toward its tributary provinces, refufed to follow the ftandard of Cantemir, or to supply the Ruffians with provisions. Meanwhile the Grand Vizier, having paffed the Pruth, advanced against the czar with an army of two hundred and fifty thousand men, and in a manner encompaffed the enemy. He formed an entrenched camp before them, the river Pruth running behind; and forty thousand Tartars were continually harraffing them, on the right and left. As foon as Poniatowsky, who was in the Ottoman camp, faw an engagement was become inevitable, he fent an exprefs to the king of Sweden; who, although he had refufed to join the Turkish army, because he was not permitted to command it, immediately left Bender, anticipating the pleasure of beholding the ruin of the czar. In order to avoid that ruin, Peter decamped under favour of the night; but his defign being discovered, the Turks attacked his rear by break of day, and threw his army into fome confufion. The Ruffians, however, having rallied behind their baggage-waggons, made fo ftrong and regular a fire upon the enemy, that it was judged impracticable to diflodge them, after two terrible attacks, in which the Turks loft a great number of men. In order to avoid the hazard of a third attempt, the Grand Vizier determined to reduce the czar XXV. A. D. 1713. czar and his exhausted army by famine. This was LETTER the most prudent measure he could have adopted. The Ruffians were not only deftitute of forage and provifions, but even of the means of quenching their thirst. Notwithstanding their vicinity to the river Pruth, they were in great want of water; a body of Turks, on the oppofite bank, guarding, by a continual difcharge of artillery, that precious neceffary of life. In this defperate extremity, when the lofs of his army feemed the leaft evil that could befal him, the czar, on the approach of night, retired to his tent, in violent agitation of mind; giving pofitive orders that no perfon whatfoever fhould be admitted to difturb his privacy-to behold his exquifite diftrefs, or fhake a great refolution he had taken of attempting, next morning, to force his way through the enemy with fixed bayonets. The czarina, Catharine, a Livonian captive of low condition whom he had raised to the throne, and who accompanied him in this expedition, boldly expofing her perfon to every danger, thought proper to break through thofe orders. She ventured, for once, to disobey; but not from a womanish weaknefs. Catharine's mind alone rode out that storm of despair, in which the prospect of unavoidable death or flavery had funk the whole camp. Entering the melancholy abode of her husband, and throwing herself at his feet, fhe entreated the czar to permit her to offer, in his name, proposals of peace, to the Grand Vizier. Peter, after some hesitation, confented. He figned a letter which the prefented to him; and the czarina having made choice of an officer, on whofe fidelity and talents she could depend'; accompanied her fuit with a prefent, according to the custom of the East. VOL. IV. Kk "LET PART II. A. D. 1711. July 21. "LET the czar fend to me his prime minifter!" faid Baltagi, with the haughty air of a conqueror; "and I fall then confider what is to be done." The vice-chancellor, Shaffiroff, immediately repaired to the Turkifh camp, and a negociation took place. The Grand Vizier at first demanded, that Peter, with his whole army, fhould furrender prifoners of war. The vice-chancellor replied, That the Ruffians would perish to a man, fooner than fubmit to fuch dif honourable conditions; that his mafter's refolution was already taken: he was determined to open a paffage with the point of the bayonet. Baltagi, though little killed in military affairs, was fenfible of the danger of driving to defpair a body of thirty-five thousand brave and difciplined troops, headed by a gallant prince. He granted a fufpenfion of arms for fix hours. And before the expiration of that term, it was agreed by the Ruflian minifter, That the czar fhould restore the city of Azoph, deftroy the harbour of Tangarok, and demolish the forts built on the Palus Mæotis or fea of Zebach; withdraw his troops from Poland, give no farther disturbance to the Coffacks, and permit the Swedish monarch to return into his own kingdom. ON thefe conditions, Peter was allowed to retire with his army. The Turks fupplied him with provifions; fo that he had plenty of every thing in his camp, only two hours after figuing the treaty. He did not, however, a moment delay his retreat, aware of the danger of intervening accidents. And just as he was marching off, with drums beating and colours flying, the king of Sweden arrived impatient for the 9. Id. ibid |